Hello everyone and I present to you, Chapter 5 of Pokemon Re: dux. I wanted to experiment more with action sequences in writing, and this chapter is mostly fighting. Retsuko has suddenly changed form! Who is the mystery Pokemon he interacted with? All will be answered in due time. Feel free to review as always, enjoy reading Chapter 5!

2027 - Unova, Star City

The boy from Kion's call and Madame Asther's room sat in the office from before.

He was alone this time and was only accompanied only by a freezer full of snacks and junk food.

All over the room lay junk food wrappers, Roly-cola cans, and candy wrappers.

In his hand rested an open bag of candy, and he popped a piece into his mouth.

He pulled out his phone, using the remote app to bring up the camera feed of the attack on the plaza on his computer monitor.

After punching in some keys, he zoomed in on the footage, fast-forwarding to the moment Retsuko transformed.

The boy narrowed his eyes, moving his face closer to the monitor in disbelief.

"She was right." He said, gawking in disbelief.

"He IS one of them..."

Now he was fully visible, with the computer light illuminating his face and body.

His facial features were extremely similar to Retsuko's, but unmatured, with dark skin, ultramarine eyes, and a mark, but on the right side of his face. His hair was long, bushy, and unkempt, and was a more even spread of black and blue color. He had a braid running down the left side of his hair that brushed against his face. He was very short for his age, (He'd recently turned 14), and wore a green sweater with dress pants, and a large white lab coat. His socks were mismatched, and his shoes, though the same pair, were completely different sizes. He also wore an arm brace on his left arm that covered a hole in his lab coat.

Retsuko's eyes were sad and distant, but this boy had a cold and dark look to him. He also looked very feminine, and could very easily be mistaken for a girl.

He held his hand up to his head, pressing against his long, bushy, and unkempt black and blue hair.

"Interesting... Maybe I should check up on my older brother..." He suggested.

In came another one of his candies.

2027 - Unova, Star City Plaza

Retsuko woke up and looked down at his chest to find a moderately sized hole in his abdomen, and let his head fall back down on the cold floor in exhaustion.

His body was cold, he was in immense pain, and he could barely move.

Retsuko looked to the left to see Khan, Vye, and Kuu all impaled in their abdomen areas and unconscious, and near them, Via, Kion, and an absence of Kyu.

Via and Kion were completely unconscious, as the damage, they had received from the battle and the crash into the wall paired with their bodies being frozen had left them injured.

Retsuko closed his eyes.

"Am I really gonna let them get away with this? For Arceus's sake, I'm the Champion of Unova. I can't lose. On a cold floor in the middle of a terrorist attack?"

He started to push his body to move, slowly extending his hand out to his pokemon.

"Kuu…" He croaked.

Retsuko raised his head to see Moė and Nagatae fighting against Ascent.

Nagatae jumped up and smashed through a pillar wall with her shadow claws, sending rubble careening towards Retsuko.

It barely missed his body, and he dropped onto the ground again, drained of all his energy.

He started to crawl over to Kuu again.

"N-Need… To get… To Kuu…" He repeated in his mind, inching closer and closer.

A minute passed and Retsuko was less than a meter away from Kuu.

Retsuko looked over to Ascent and saw the box that he was about to pick up. Something from inside of it began to glow, and Retsuko fell into another trance, hypnotized by the illumination.

He tried to use his arms to hoist himself onto his feet.

"Dammit, legs! Move!" He screamed mentally.

In his struggle to move, he started to fall unconscious for a third time.

He woke up to find himself underwater, sinking deeper and deeper, with anger and sorrow once again filling his head.

All his memories faded the deeper he sank. He couldn't move, and the emotions he felt kept getting stronger.

For what seemed to be a moment an image of a Pokemon that looked like Kuu beckoning to him.

He then found himself in a long hallway, with no foreseeable end.

Retsuko felt the strange urge to run down the hallway as if some external force were compelling him to move.

He mustered up all the energy he could, one final burst of willpower to take one step forward.

He lifted one of his feet and slammed it down.

Then the other.

And the other.

Slowly, his forced walk began to turn into an enthusiastic sprint, sprinting towards the one flicker of light in his dark and dull mindscape.

As he ran, and consciously crawled closer and closer, he noticed that the Pokemon he was moving towards was not his trusty Decidueye, but instead the Pokemon that he'd seen before.

She was running towards him from the other side of the hallway.

They became clearer and clearer, to the point where they were standing in front of one another.

Right as Ascent touched up the box, Retsuko fully woke up and found the energy he needed to fight, leaping off of his hands and feet from the ground.

A beam of pure orange and blue energy shot into the building and surrounded Retsuko in a circular formation around his lower chest area and bonded with his body.

"AAAAAAAARRRRGG!" He screamed as he changed form.

A massive water vortex exploded from their body causing Ascent to be pushed back.

Retsuko and The pokemon's fusion didn't have many distinct visible features. It had a swirling vortex of water blasting around what seemed to be a humanoid figure, masked by the protective shield of the vortex that acted as a sort of cocoon. The figure was the same height and body type as Retsuko, and its two sharp and menacing eyes glowed a bright ultramarine color that was visible even through the water cocoon.

Ascent held his hand in the air and the same crystal that he'd crushed in his hands earlier to fuse with his castform reappeared again.

Castform was absorbed into the rock and Ascent crushed it again, fusing with his Castform a second time.

He used a sphere of extremely powerful wind to encase the ancient box in a protective field so that nobody would be able to take it and faced the other fusion in the room.

"It's ironic. Retsuko Kourada... Champion of Unova and wielder of a Pureblooded Burst." Ascent said excitedly.

Retsuko's fusion kept their eyes on Ascent, glaring at their foe.

They didn't speak but kept their intimidating scowl.

"Why the look of anger? You should be in a state of ecstasy. You have the gift." Ascent said, applauding as he walked in a circle around fusion Retsuko, keeping his distance.

Retsuko's fusion lifted their hand and inspected their new appearance, staring at the palm of their water-covered hand.

…

…

…

Suddenly, Retsuko charged at Ascent in an outburst of rage and threw out a barrage of attacks using the water that surrounded their body.

Ascent blocked the attacks using his weather manipulation and froze the flow of the water.

Ascent blocked every single strike before jumping back and throwing out a downward-angled stab with his hand.

Retsuko threw a spike of water at Ascent and as Ascent blocked the stream of water, they used the distraction made by the evaporation to come in from the left with a kick.

Ascent was sent skidding backward before readjusting using his hand.

Retsuko regrouped and threw a quick jab into a sweep at Ascent's feet.

Ascent used a strong gust of wind to blast himself off of the ground before using a blast of ice to freeze over Retsuko's fusion body.

Retsuko shot 4 spheres of water in Ascent's direction, catching him as the spheres exploded into streams that carried Ascent through the air back down to them.

Retsuko expanded their water vortex to shatter the ice that covered them and lashed it out at Ascent.

Before Ascent could even hit the ground, Retsuko threw a punch that was easily dodged by Ascent by turning his head.

Ascent corrected his stance and started to dodge a flurry of punches and blasts of water.

"Incredible. You already have so much control over the power that you've only just awakened. To be expected of a champion and his Pokemon." Ascent praised Retsuko, completely ignorant of the rage-filled attacks that were being thrown at him.

Retsuko grew tired of Ascent's banter and used a kick to sweep Ascent off of his feet and into the air, surprising him.

"And so quick too! However…" Ascent said, turning to the ground beneath him.

The ice created by Ascent's storm that had frozen over the mall had been slowly melting during the fight.

Ascent had used his ability to melt the ice completely and burn the ground with a heatwave, creating a dangerous steam jet that had been at Retsuko's feet the entire time.

The water became so hot that jets of superheated steam began to shoot from the ground, nearly hitting Retsuko.

With a quick jump, Retsuko avoided the attack, using their water to encase Kyu, Via, Kion, and their Pokemon.

As Retsuko used the water that surrounded them to bridge themselves back onto the ground, and the heat pockets created by Ascent completely melted the ice.

Instant temperature changes would normally be fatal to human beings and damaging to Pokemon, but Retsuko water kept the bodies of everybody in the room at a safe temperature, allowing everyone else to slowly gain consciousness.

Kyu and Nagatae, having regained control of their bodies and waking up, found themselves watching what looked like a vortex of water fighting against Ascent.

"N-Need to get up and… Fight," Kyu said as he attempted to stand up.

He groaned in pain, as his body was sore and semi-numb.

"The ice is melted. There's water surrounding my body. That Ascent guy targeted my abdomen specifically, so was he trying to paralyze me somehow? I can see everyone else through the water, but where the heck is Retsuko!?-"

Kyu immediately remembered Ascent just about to leave and Retsuko running up to stop him. He saw a large orange and blue flash but then being pushed back into a rock.

He looked up at the fusion of Retsuko and The Pokemon, seeing the clear silhouette of Retsuko inside of the cocoon.

"Wait… Is that?-" He asked himself.

Kyu turned to Via and Kion and began to pound on the bubble, creating as much noise as he could.

"Via, Kion!" He called out.

Nagatae jumped in and picked up Via and Kion, and brought them back to the others. She repeated this process with their Pokemon and then came back to Kyu.

"Thanks for the support," Kyu said, in appreciation for his partner.

He slowly struggled to his feet, clutching his wound.

"Now let's take this fucker down!" He said.

Retsuko silently nodded and turned to Ascent, ready to fight.

As Fusion Retsuko slowly stood up, Ascent used the opportunity to send out a seemingly fatal blow.

Nagatae rushed into action, enlarging her claws around them to force Ascent back.

Retsuko looked back in surprise, as Kyu slowly walked up to their side.

"Retsuko. I haven't got a clue what this transformation is, but know you're still in there somewhere. Let us fight with you." Kyu thought.

Retsuko completely ignored Kyu and continued to relentlessly attack Ascent.

Nagatae generated a group of shadow balls and launched them at Ascent in a series of quick blows in an awkward rhythm.

After the final hit of the series Ascent unleashed a giant whirlwind and blocked them.

Ascent used his power to make a hail storm this time, and his body began to freeze over.

Kyu and Nagate took on the ice being thrown at Retsuko and deflected all the shards of it.

Kyu jumped around the ice that Nagatae missed, narrowly avoiding being struck by them.

"His control over the Weather Elements that Castform can wield is insane!" Kyu exclaimed as he dodged a shard that graced his cheek, leaving a small cut mark.

He and Retsuko rushed at Ascent, climbing the ice shards remaining in the air, and countered by crouching under the storm and doing a quick swipe at his opponent's legs.

Ascent used Weather Ball's Ice Variant to freeze Fusion Retsuko after the previous attack connected.

"Why must you use the same technique twice?" Ascent rhetorically asked himself.

He then flung Kyu into the ground and quickly moved over towards Nagatae, who shot another shadow ball at him.

He backflipped over the attack and leaned towards the Mimikyu, snapping his fingers.

Wind exploded from the ground, flinging Nagatae into the air again.

"Wood Hammer!" Kyu shouted, jumping into the air to avoid the attack.

Ascent saw the attack coming, and he used the palm of his hand to push it into Retsuko, who corrected themselves and landed on the remains of a pillar, wrapping their water around it.

They used the pressure to crush it and sent the chunks of debris to Ascent.

Ascent used a Heatwave to deflect the debris, revealing Nagatae, who had jumped into it and concealed herself.

Nagatae enlarged her claw and balled it into a fist, smacking it into Ascent with forest green energy surrounding the appendage in the shape of a hammer.

Retsuko sprang up and threw several balls of water at Ascent, completely disregarding Nagatae.

Ascent twirled around and used a shockwave to send the water and bullets back at them before it could make contact, and Retsuko slid in quickly by gathering water at his feet inside of the water vortex.

Nagatae went for a jumping swipe that Ascent intercepted by jumping up in a twisting motion by using his powers.

After knocking his foe away with the wind, Ascent landed safely on the ground and began to dodge a barrage of attacks from Everyone.

Retsuko unleashed a fast but rhythmic series of shots in a chain as he ran up to Ascent, and Nagatae managed to sneak up behind Ascent with a shadow claw, forcing it into Ascent's torso.

Retsuko came in from behind, grabbed Ascent, and threw him over their shoulder.

Ascent froze the ground beneath him as he reeled through the air, using the lack of friction from the ice to keep himself airborne and moving.

Ascent virtually disappeared from everyone's view, and they began to look around in fear.

"Where is he..?" Kyu asked himself.

He was then answered by a boulder from the remains of a pillar impacting his body and sending him into a wall.

Kyu vomited blood, and his ribs collided with the rock, leaving him immobile.

Ascent reappeared in front of Kyu.

"This won't kill you. However, for the time being, you will not be able to move." He said, freezing Kyu's body for a second time and stopping the bleeding.

"When did he?!-" Kyu mentally questioned.

In anger, Nagatae manifested shadows around her claws, shooting them at Ascent.

Ascent barely managed to avoid the attack, as Nagatae's range had greatly increased in a short amount of time.

"You're a quick little one." Ascent congratulated Nagatae, as he teleported behind her.

Retsuko pushed Nagatae out of the way, but Nagatae was immediately propelled in Kyu's direction.

Ascent immobilized everybody except Retsuko by freezing everything over again.

Retsuko turned back to Ascent in anger.

Their blue eyes were ultramarine and had darkened along with their mood.

Retsuko dashed at Ascent, leaving a crater in the ground from where they'd started running.

Retsuko reached a point close enough to Ascent to start a close-range assault on his foe.

Ascent used all of the Weather Elements at once to avoid the attacks before his opponent forced him to block again.

Ascent swiped at Retsuko's chest, sending them back a meter.

While Ascent recovered, Retsuko came in from above and brought their hand down on Ascent in a stabbing motion.

Ascent backed himself up before avoiding a series of slashes that ended with a blast of water that launched both Retsuko and himself upwards.

Retsuko shot massive bursts of water in every direction, sending Ascent careening back into the ground.

Ascent blocked the Attacks, but he suddenly found himself wrapped in a cocoon of the water.

Ascent erupted out of the water with a large gust of wind but was forced into a wall again by Retsuko.

Retsuko pinned Ascent to the wall with more water and proceeded to brutally club him on the head.

Ascent expanded the cloud-like spheres on his back to force Retsuko off of him, but Retsuko continued to strike him before Ascent launched them into the air with a heatwave.

Retsuko attempted to attack with their water again, but Ascent's heat completely evaporated it.

Retsuko was suddenly slammed down by Ascent and was forced into the concrete floor by a cool burst of wind.

As the wind slowly crushed Retsuko's body, they grabbed Ascent's foot and used it to slam his entire body into the ground.

Before Ascent could even attempt to get up, Retsuko quickly threw him into the air with an upward kick.

They jumped and continued their attacks before throwing him back onto the ground.

Retsuko finally landed a punch with so much force that it shattered all the remaining pillars inside of the Plaza, crushing Ascent's mask in the process.

The mask blew away along with the rubble from the pillars, landing on top of the remains of the roof of the building.

Ascent recovered from the dangerously forceful blow and looked up at Retsuko.

His Sclera, now uncovered by the mask, was a normal white color, and he had naturally red eyes. His green hair was neatly combed around his head, and his skin was a very light tannish color.

Kyu looked up in disbelief, unable to move because of the boulder and the fact that his body had been frozen.

As his vision became hazy, he watched as Ascent was truly unmasked.

He watched in awe as the covering that shielded his identity was completely shattered with a single punch.

Kyu immediately got flashes of a younger version of Ascent, memories of his former friend that he had lost during the pokemon league.

A former officer in the International Police Force. Kyu's guide and friend for years.

"K-Kiatsu?" He mumbled in disbelief.

His body became limp again, as he watched Ascent's eyes grow full of rage.

"Castor Force!" He yelled, summoning another storm of water and lightning at Retsuko.

The storm enveloped the entire building, as the International Police and Orakuru Remaining inside of the building were blasted away.

Retsuko prepared one final attack but stopped suddenly.

Red liquid began to spread in the blue vortex.

Retsuko had been stabbed from behind by Ascent.

Ascent pulled out his hand from Retsuko's abdomen and picked their bleeding body up by the neck.

"Give in." He ordered.

Retsuko dropped to the ground, defeated, and unable to fight anymore.

They defused, and both Retsuko and the mysterious pokemon fell unconscious with large bleeding holes in both of their stomachs.

She had been transported to the plaza with the power of the burst.

The water spirals that protected Via, Kion, and their Pokemon all faded, and Kyu continued to stare at Ascent, who defused with his Castform and pressed his hand against his earlobe.

He mumbled something, and in seconds a helicopter was right above the Plaza.

Ascent lifted the barrier on the box that he had retrieved previously and picked it up.

He stood up and held the box carefully as if what it contained was the most important thing in existence. It was as if he had been chosen, for this specific purpose, that this is what he was born for.

He began to open the box but suddenly the whole room began to shake.

The pillar retracted, and the ground began to rise, lowering the height of the ceiling.

Ascent did not sustain any damage from the debris and sat there, mesmerized by what he saw inside of the box.

The whole room seemed to have rearranged, and yet still, Ascent stood there in awe.

The walls of the room started to glow in all different colors, and symbols that looked familiar resembled a different Pokemon type.

Suddenly the floor began to glow in a pattern leading back to the altar.

The room rose to ground level, as a beam of white energy enveloped the room and shot out through the building, leaving a massive hole.

Nobody was hurt by the beam at all, however.

Ascent finally closed the box and began to walk away from the trainers, passing their motionless bodies as he made his way out of the underground temple.

The Orakuru were about to get away with the box and everything inside of it.

"Kiatsu! What are you doing!? What is this!?" Kyu shouted, demanding answers.

Ascent remained silent as he made his way to the center of the room.

A ladder dropped from the helicopter, and Ascent slowly walked over to it.

Ascent grabbed onto the ladder, and ascended into the helicopter, keeping eye contact with Kyu.

"ANSWER ME KIATSU, DAMMIT!-" Kyu desperately called out to him but choked on his blood.

The helicopter departed, leaving the Star City Plaza behind.

The only thing that remained visible was Ascent's shadow, as the Orakuru flew off.

The Orakuru troops that Retsuko, Kyu, Via, and Kion had defeated were all retreating from the building, escaping through other helicopters and aerial vehicles, thanks to the hole in the mall that was created during the fight.

"K-Kiatsu." Kyu said one last time.

He'd lost all hope and passed out along Retsuko due to fatigue.

It was over. The Orakuru had escaped with the box, and whatever was being held inside.

The Orakuru had won.

2027 - Star City Plaza

Agents of the International Police Force burst into the main room of the Plaza, where Retsuko, Kyu, Via, Kion, and their Pokemon all lay, unconscious.

One of the commanders, A short 17-year-old girl by the name of Yachi, inspected the bodies of Retsuko and the Pokemon that he had fused with, now laying at his side.

Another agent walked up to her side.

"Is that the one?" he asked her, his voice strained and his breaths raspy.

The girl nodded, opening her coat and pulling out the fragments of Ascent's mask.

"Call in the backup. Madame Asther said she needs everybody in this room, ALIVE." She told another agent, who walked off, calling somebody on his comm.

"Commander. We've lost thousands today." the first grimly informed her.

Yachi continued to look at Retsuko's motionless body.

She clutched the mask fragments in her hand.

"I know."

This concludes the first arc of Pokemon Re:Dux! If you haven't figured it out already, The Pokemon that Retsuko's fused with is a member of the Buizel evolution line. Whether she's a buizel or a floatzel, I'm leaving it up to you guys to decide! Send me a review voting for her to be a Buizel or a Floatzel, and I'll pick the most popular choice for the story! See you all in chapter 6! I'll be waiting for your responses...