Chapter 28
The four pokemon were simply preparing themselves for the day ahead as Gambit flicked through the channels of his TV.
"In darker news, three recently detained criminals were found murdered in their own prison cells. Officers claim no intruders were on site, and other prisoners are claiming a mysterious hooded figure is to blame."
Hypno, greninja, and houndoom, each of their pictures appeared on the TV.
"What?!" Gambit stood up, grabbing his phone. "What the hell happened, I just turned them over?!" Gambit kicked the wall. "Security cameras were scrubbed? Fried, like a massive short circuit? Huh, tying up loose ends? For fucks sake!" He hung up his phone and turned to them. "Well, it sounds like we may not have much time to get the other two."
"What exactly happened?"
"Well, apparently someone matching the description of Jack of Blades was inside the prison cell, and he killed them. How he did it without anyone noticing is beyond me."
"As I speculated, he may not be of this world." Shadow added. "We have experienced a being like this. A ditto called Naraku, who had been masquerading as my father since I was a child."
"A ditto, I don't understand."
"An Aberration, a monster of another dimension who arrives as a walking corpse, and upon ingesting the blood of its target seems to regain its own life."
"I see, strange." Gambit wrote that down in a small book. "We need to hurry, before the dreamer and the mindflayer can be crossed off the board."
The four pokemon, dressed themselves in their disguises and followed Gambit to his car.
*Volution Manor*
Espeo paced back and forth. "Fuck fuck fuck! What are we gonna do? Only one person could've gotten in and out of that cell with nobody seeing!"
"Calm yourself Espeo, Hypno was weak willed, Jack did what was right. Hypno's weakness put the entire operation in jeopardy." Stein spoke. "We are far more valuable."
"Yes, of course…" the espeon sat down. "But what if he's clearing the board, he did it last time, before we rose to his challenge, we were stronger than the last…what if he's planning to replace us?"
"You worry too much." The alakazam rested his hand on the espeon's shoulder.
"I'm inclined to disagree." A voice came. They turned, there in a large recliner sat an impidimp, his eyes blank, holding a pale mask with gold accents. "I am here," the small imp placed the mask upon his face and darkness enveloped the room and when the light returned "to wipe clean, the slate." The masked being loomed over them, his golden armor glistening but stained with red to match his cloak.
Stein teleported away in an instant leaving Espeo alone. "Jack, please I can still be of use…"
"You will." He stepped closer.
Espeo shot a wave of psychic energy forth, but it had no effect.
"Poor little Espeo, so desperate to cling to life." The creature seized him by his throat. "I am the mastermind, the hand who holds the strings." He held up his gold armored claw as it morphed into that of a darkrai. "And you are a dear puppet, who's strings must now be cut." The claw shot into the espeon's gut pulling back hard, spilling blood across the carpeted floor and Jack's boots. He dropped the eeveelution and stepped toward a window glancing out as he watched Gambit and the others rushing toward the gate from their vehicle. He stared out locking eyes with Shadow.
The darkrai didn't hesitate, teleporting inside and trying to seize the monster. Jack, however caught Shadow by his claw, smearing Espeo's blood across it.
"Thank you Shadow, you've made this much easier."
The darkrai lunged forth reaching for the creature's mask, but it dissolved into smoke, leaving an empty eyed impidimp to fall to the ground. That made no sense, Jack was as tall as Shadow, how could this impidimp be him. But then, it too vanished into smoke.
"You fool…Jack played you…a proxy…both," Espeo coughed "in body and mask…"
Shadow looked over the espeon. "Can you help me?"
"Not as I am, but I'll let you into my mind, maybe you can find something to help you there, before I go…"
Shadow touched the espeon, and he found himself within the psychics mind.
"If you were expecting Jack, you were wrong. Death is as close to a permanent dream as anyone can be. And I am the dreamer. This is my domain, so the least I can do is offer you this. Stein, the mindflayer, he's hiding out in his own personal bunker, right underneath the police station, the last place they would think to look. And the only place Jack doesn't know about."
"Thank y…"
"Didn't know about." that voice was back. The masked creature appeared beside Espeo. "Your domain could never keep me out, I just had no use for it yet." The masked creature turned Espeo to face him. "As I said, I am the mastermind. Now puppet, the last string to cut." Jack whispered, staring into the Espeon's eyes. And it began to vanish from its own mind.
Shadow was suddenly brought out of theespeons's mind.
"Shadow!? What did you do?"
The darkrai looked at his wrists, disabling cuffs. He was all but powerless. He looked over, Gambit shoved him down.
"Shadow Nightshade, I hereby place you under arrest!"
"Shadow…" Blade didn't believe it, Shadow wouldn't have done this without reason.
"There's gotta be a reason for this, Shadow is being framed!" Pyre declared.
"I'm sorry, but this is a darkrai claw wound, and this blood is from that espeon." Gambit spoke apologetically.
"The mindflayer, he is hidden under your police station."
Gambit stopped. "Be that as it may, you killed a potential witness and suspect, I still have to take you in."
"And the others?"
"I'm afraid I have to send them back to Firelink."
"No, I'm not leaving without my friends!" Pyre shouted and stepped forward preparing to attack, but Rai pulled him back.
"No, we have to do this carefully." The raichu's cheeks were visibly sparking with rage. "I'm going to check for cameras, get Blade out of here now."
Pyre looked worriedly before hugging Blade and rushing out of the room with the sneasel held over his head.
"Pyre no! Shadow! Shadoooow!" Blade thrashed and struggled.
Rai crackled with electricity darting around the room finding several hidden camera's. "Not too well hidden, but that means…" he rushed out of the room darting up and down the halls until he found a room full of monitors. He hurriedly hopped in a seat searching for any video proof, and he found it. A recording showing the masked creature attacking Espeo then Shadow rushing in to attack him. Acting quickly, Rai ejected a tape of the recording and hopped out of the chair.
"Smart little chu aren't you?" when Rai turned to the door, Jack was there, blood splattered across his pale mask. "But I'm afraid I cannot let you leave, or live."
"Stop me then!"
Before Rai could react the masked figure pinned him to the wall of monitors. Rai in a panic let loose a thunderbolt, frying the security system.
Jack held up his gold armored hand and thrust it forth stabbing it into Rai's belly, and seizing the tape. "A fitting end, to a worthless rat."
Rai held Jack's arm still keeping it in place. "Gambit! He's still here!"
The bisharp rounded the doorway, seeing Rai struggling in the masked mon's grasp. "Drop him!"
Jack ripped his arm out spilling the raichu's blood across the floor. Rai clutched his open stomach with one hand and struggled to his feet. Jack turned to face Gambit. In a moment of pure desperation Rai rushed forward snatching the tape back and running out of the room.
Just as Jack made to follow Gambit stood between him and the door.
Moments later the bisharp slammed into the wall out the door, unconscious. Rai rushed toward the stairs, but found Jack had seemingly teleported to said stairs.
"Fuck…" Rai felt his breathing slow, his mind cleared, as Jack stepped forth, reaching out, Rai stepped to the side and dashed by stumbling toward a window. With no alternatives, the raichu took a leap of faith crashing through the window. Looking below he caught sight of Pyre and Blade. A smile crossed his face as he came falling toward them.
Pyre rushed to catch him as he saw Jack standing in the window, a small handheld device in his hand, a crossbow of sorts that he fired, hitting Rai through the back of his shoulder.
The raichu fell into Pyre's arms limp.
"Rai?" The charmander held him close, barely hearing his breathing.
Still held in the chu's hands, was the tape. Blade took the tape.
The front door of the manor opened, and out stepped Jack. "They killed your patriarch, don't let them escape."
What seemed to be a horde of eeveelutions came barreling out the door. "Blade, can you carry Rai?"
"I don't think so, but I can try…"
Pyre thought for a moment, not wanting to put the responsibility on Blade. But then he handed the raichu off, turning to the approaching horde.
The charmander stepped forward flames bursting up around him, blocking their path. "Jack! When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna burn your ass so hard you'll start breathing fire!" Then without hesitation, he turned back, grabbing Rai and holding him on his back, dragging Blade by his claw.
They ran several blocks down the street. Finally, Pyre sat Rai down, taking the tape from Blade. "Call Codsworth, now!"
Blade did so, quickly fumbling with his phone. "C-codsworth…we need you right now!" The phone was silent for a moment. "Okay, please hurry." Blade looked around worriedly, then shook his head kneeling beside Rai. He gently laid his claws on the raichu's wounds, letting ice flow out closing it. "That won't last…"
After a few moments, a small car pulled up. And out stepped Codsworth. Seeing the state of them he carefully helped Rai into the vehicle, followed by Pyre and Blade.
After a rather rushed drive he pulled into an emergency care ward of the icekey hospital.
Pyre immediately grabbed Rai, rushing him inside, leaving Blade and Codsworth alone.
"Young master? Are you alright? You aren't hurt are you?"
Blade hugged the lucario, tears streaming down his cheeks. "No…but I'm not alright…Rai is hurt, and…and Shadow is being framed for murder…I don't know what to do!"
"Master Sha…" Codsworth thought for a moment and dropped the formality. "Blade, Shadow will be fine. I'll inform his father, and the best lawyer money can be will be here in no time. Shadow is innocent, we both know it. The truth will be heard."
Blade kept weeping into the lucario's chest. "I'm just so scared…" the lucario embraced him.
"Shadow won't be away long. He would never allow something like this to separate him from you." Codsworth gently scratched Blade behind his ear. "You know for years he's paid to ensure he's been in at least half of the same classes as you, he couldn't stand not seeing you."
"R-really?"
"Yes, he is rather smitten with you. So trust that he'll be okay. Trust that he will be back with you soon." Codsworth held Blade comfortingly.
*Beneath Icekey Station*
The alakazam stood horrified, the masked figure stood before him.
"Your last safe space, gone. And now the final puppet is cut loose."
Stein made to teleport but found himself unable. Staring in horror he turned around searching for an escape that would never come. In one final desperate ploy he stared into the wall, watching small pieces crumble away. A small message room six-nine-six-nine Spanks…
Before the message fully formed in the wall a bolt shot through his head, forcing him to fall forward against the wall.
"So, it's done?" The voice of Naraku came into the room.
"Yes, so the plan is finally coming together?
"Indeed, our Witness has another working on the Veil as we speak. And I see you've taken some of the most dangerous players off the board."
"Rather easily, how you managed to gain our Witness' favor befuddles me. But, salvation waits for no one."