Am I really prepared for this, am I meant to be a hero? If not me, then who else? I was Chosen for a reason, So I must live up to my role. Still, it's a dangerous world out there, and with all my abilities they're bad guys out there who are stronger. I know what I must do, but can I do it? This is reality, the good guys don't always win.
Night had fallen upon the world, Ochre City was completely silent, curfew having taken effect. The streets were silent, cold and empty, devoid of any life.
However, the streets weren't silent for long. Three trucks drove into city limits, each of them an unmarked military transport truck.
From multiple points in the city, four armored vehicles drove out from alleyways and garages, joining the three transport vehicles and forming a defensive position around them.
The transport trucks had come from the Outlands, possibly carrying goods that came from one of the many secret factories there. Their destination was unknown, but that didn't matter. What mattered was seizing the supplies and destroying the convoy.
It wasn't going to be easy, however. All seven vehicles were heavily armored, and the escort vehicles had mounted turrets, all using the same technology as the blasters the Gloom Agents wielded.
Fortunately, there seemed to be no sorcerers around. Still, such an operation would require proper planning and perfect execution.
The convoy was currently heading down the main road but came to a surprise. The entrance to the highway was completely blocked off by massive crystals. Realizing they were being pursued, the convoy turned down a side street, the escorts readying their turrets.
However, that was their mistake. They were expecting their pursers to be waiting by the crystal wall and chase them down whichever street they went down. However, an ambush had been set up. What the Gloom Agents didn't know was that this was the only street they possibly could have gone down.
Galena appeared from behind a building, light shining around her as released the power she was storing into the ground. The entire road began to shine as crystals grew out of the ground.
The convoy was thrown into chaos as the crystals started to reach them, threatening to encase the vehicles. The escort turrets began to fire at the crystals, trying to blast them away as the vehicles in the front were forced to stop.
As they tried to break free, Lewis and Aaron charged at them from behind. Two of the vehicles turned their turrets on them, opening fire.
Lewis summoned his barrier, blocking all of the shots fired as they continued to advance. Reaching his limit, he and Aaron leapt away from another round of shots as Lewis produced his shield, whipping around and throwing it in a devastating arc. The shield flew true and smashed through one of the turrets, causing an explosion and knocking the rider off the vehicle.
The transport vehicles shattered through the crystal wall and drove forward. However, they weren't able to accelerate fast enough, allowing for Aaron to jump on the disabled escort vehicle as it picked up speed.
Realizing that someone was on top of the vehicle, the driver started shaking the car left and right, trying to throw Aaron off. Reacting quickly, Aaron grabbed onto the broken remains of the turret, bracing himself against the top of the vehicle.
Realizing they weren't going to be able to shake him off, one of the tinted windows opened as the front of a blaster poked out, taking aim at Aaron. Aaron dodged a shot before swinging down and kicking the blaster, pulling himself back onto the roof.
In the front of the convoy, another surprise was waiting for them. Crystals began to rapidly grow from the ground wherever they drove, nearly causing hit vehicles to flip over. The lead escort driver realized that while it wasn't exactly visible, there was a clear indicator for where these crystal traps lay. Fearless now, the driver increased his speed, ordering everyone to move faster as well. The sooner they got out of this hellhole the better.
Aaron had been waiting for this moment. Having endured all the shaking and then almost being thrown off by one of Galena's crystals, he finally had his opportunity. His hand glowed as a golden blade materialized. The sword was jagged in shape, resembling Cobalion's horn, but was still dangerously sharp and powerful.
He grabbed the side of the car and vaulted himself over the side, his feet dangling a few centimeters over the ground. With extreme dexterity, he stabbed the sword into one of the tires, letting go and kicking off the side of the car. He hit the ground and rolled, leaping out of the way as the out-of-control vehicle barreled towards him.
With the loss of one of the wheels, the armored vehicle spun uncontrollably as it flipped over, rolling multiple times. All four Gloom Agents bailed out of the car before it flipped over, quickly brandishing their swords.
All four members rushed towards Aaron, only for Lewis to plow into one of them with his shield. Aaron ran up to the first on and delivered two quick jabs with his left hand, crouching down in his fighting stance. He swung his sword at another agent, parrying the opponent's sword before delivering a powerful sweep and knocking him onto his back.
Lewis finished dealing with the last Gloom Agent, knocking him unconscious. Nodding to Aaron, they turned around and headed down the street, where a vehicle was waiting for them.
The convoy was in disarray now. A group of crystals closed around one of the escort vehicles, locking it in place. Unwilling to stay behind to try and free it, the other five vehicles move one, the remaining two escorts moving to cover the front and back of the trucks.
What confused the Gloom Agents though, was how the Chosen managed to get there before them. From what they could tell, they were the Chosen of either Diancie or Terapagos. Even with the crystal wall, making enough distance to cut them off like this shouldn't have been possible.
The convoy turned down a smaller street, making their way to the highway. Behind them, a fast-moving pickup truck was already on the highway, having taken the blocked off highway entrance earlier.
At the wheel was Aaron, with Lewis on the flatbed. Due to the weight of the trucks, Lewis and Aaron were able to close the distance. However, they were also heading within firing range of the turret.
The moment they started to close in, Lewis slid to the top of the truck, activating his barrier as shots were fired. Aaron turned the car to the side, using Lewis' barrier to smash through the concrete dividers to give them more room.
Aaron forced his foot down on the accelerator, causing the pickup truck engine to roar as it sped down the highway, pulling level with the middle of the convoy. Now that they were in range, Lewis deactivated his barrier and threw his shield at one of the escort vehicles.
His shield smashed through the turret and flew back to him, causing a blue explosion to rock the escort vehicle. The man who'd been manning the turret held onto the front of the vehicle for dear life as it skidded around, the explosion having knocked it out of control.
Lewis reached into the truck bed and pulled out a grappling hook, one that was specially made for this operation. It was heavy for a projectile, but well balanced and had a powerful piercing tip. Its design allowed for the tips to unfold and latch onto the inside of the truck once it pierced.
Lewis hefted the grappling hook like a javelin and threw it at one of the transport trucks. The hook pierced through the side and established a link between the full vehicles. With a signal from Lewis, Aaron began to slow down, Lewis bracing his feet against the flatbed of the pickup truck.
A screeching noise filled the air as the transport vehicle began to slide sideways, skidding against the ground as it tried to maintain course. The pickup truck Aaron was driving groaned under the force, the side threatening to rip off as Lewis braced himself against it.
However, the combined strength of Lewis and the pickup truck began to overpower the transport vehicle, bringing it sliding against the concrete divider. At this point, the rest of the convoy knew it was a lost cause to spend the precious little ammo they had left trying to save this vehicle. Cutting their losses, they split up. One transport vehicle went solo, heading down a highway exit while the other one continued down the highway with the last escort.
At this point, the captured transport vehicle was struggling to go forward. Its once high speed had been reduced to merely thirty-five kilometers per hour and was slowing down further as Aaron kept pressure on the brakes and moved the pickup truck further to the left.
Judging the short distance between the pickup and the transport vehicle, Lewis dropped the rope and leapt off the flat bed, breaking into a run and grabbing the back of the transport truck, digging the soles of his armor into the ground.
The truck's back door quickly opened, revealing sealed crates and multiple Gloom Agents. One already had his blaster pointed at Lewis but wasn't able to fire it as an owner's manual flew from the pickup truck and hit the agent on the head, knocking him out.
Aaron leaped out of the now broken windshield and landed on the ground. Running forward, he readied his gauntlets as four Gloom Agents jumped out of the truck, facing down Aaron and Lewis. Three of them wielded swords, while a fourth one wielded an energy gauntlet, a weapon that the Chosen had never seen them use before.
Two of the sword users ran for Aaron, believing they stood a chance against a non-armored target. Aaron dodged multiple slashes before blocking on with his right gauntlet, delivering a powerful blow with his left fist. He ducked under an attack and grabbed his opponents midsection, taking a step forward and throwing him backwards.
Lewis on the other hand, simply was an iron wall. He used his shield to fend off multiple punches and slashes, activating his barrier when necessary. The moment the opportunity arose, he slammed his shield into the ground and charged forward, barreling into the last sword wielding agent and sending him flying. He quickly dug his feet into the ground and whirled around, slamming the gauntlet user with his shield.
With the Gloom Agents taken care of, Lewis turned to face Aaron, a disapproving look on his face/
"You didn't need to break the pickup's windshield."
Aaron shrugged/ "Why would we need a windshield? To stop energy bullets. Last time I checked, we're pretty much unstoppable. A few laser shots can't do anything, especially when I have you as a shield. Besides, aren't we commandeering their truck anyways?"
"Not exactly. Depending on what we find, we may as well just destroy it. You start checking the stuff, I'll update Galena."
Aaron nodded, picking up one of the fallen swords in order to pry the crates open.
"Come look at this!" said Aaron, pulling something out of the crate.
Lewis put his phone away and looked at what Aaron was holding. It looked like one of the pokéballs made by the Gloom Organization, but they were black and white with a yellow H on the top, crossing the two-colored sections.
"Is this some advanced kind of pokéball?" asked Lewis. "I wonder what they're planning on doing with it."
"Isn't it obvious?" asked Aaron, prying open another crate.
"No."
"They're clearly trying to gather more Pokémon to turn into Shadow Pokémon. Haven't you noticed they've been using less and less Pokémon against us. That's obviously a sign that they're running out of Pokémon. I haven't seen any proof of this yet, but what if defeating a Shadow Pokémon allows it to revert back to normal?"
Lewis frowned. "Possibly."
Aaron paused. "That wouldn't be a good thing. Angry Pokémon bearing grudges loose in the city. Think about all the damage they could cause."
He finished prying open another crate and peered into it. This one made various pieces of material and technology; the same kind used in the weapons wielded by the Gloom Agents. Aaron picked this crate up and tossed it out of the truck.
"We're taking that one. Anything that doesn't contain pokéballs go on the pickup truck. Once we clean everything out, we blow up the transport truck and the pokéballs."
"Are we really going to drive the pickup with no windshield?" asked Lewis.
"If I hadn't thrown that owner's manual, you'd probably have a fancy new hole in your fancy armor. Or worse."
The lone transport truck drove down a barren city street, having left all the action by escaping through a highway exit.
The two Gloom Agents in the front of the vehicle were on high alert. After having their entire convoy separated and defeated at the hands of the Chosen, they weren't taking any chances.
Suddenly, their vehicle jumped and sputtered, going from their comfortable cruising speed to a shaky crawl, coming to a stop within a few meters. The Gloom Agent in the passenger's seat cursed and got down from the truck, checking to see what's wrong.
Immediately, he noticed that the truck's suspension and chassis was damaged, the weight of the cargo inside causing it to sag to the back corner. The sputter must've been caused by the truck failing to drag the weight of its sagging corner, as well as something snapping.
"We have a problem. We're going to have to ditch some of the cargo.
His partner exited the driver's seat. "You're kidding, right?"
"No, Charles, I'm not kidding. Give me a hand will you."
Charles sighed, helping his partner open the truck door and beginning the painful process of deciding which cargo to remove. After a bit of an argument, they decided to get rid of the weapon supplies. After all, it wasn't new, cutting edge technology necessary to their goals.
They got back onto the truck, Charles taking the wheel. They put the car into drive and started forward, their speed slowly increasing.
By the time they hit around fifty-five kph, the vehicle began to rattle, causing the Gloom Agent in the passenger seat to curse as Charles gently hit the brakes.
Once again, the Gloom Agent jumped down to check on the truck. He quickly realized that one part of the chassis had been heavily damaged, and any more pressure on it would cause it to snap and render them immobile.
The Gloom Agent jumped back into the truck, warning his partner not to drive very fast or they risk breaking the vehicle. Nodding in understanding, his partner resumed their drive, taking care not to go over forty kph.
They continued like this for maybe a few minutes. During the time, they received news that one of the transport trucks had been compromised. Charles carefully looked at the rearview mirror, checking for any threats.
His eyes widened as he realized they were being chased. By the looks of it, it was the Chosen who'd created the crystal walls earlier, and they were quickly catching up.
Undergoing training from Aiden and a bit of creative thinking, Galena had devised a way to use her powers for movement, considering she couldn't rely on enhanced physical abilities like Lewis or Aaron.
Around her feet were crystals that rapidly shifted around to propel her forward. In order to reduce friction, a layer of crystals grew beneath her feet, rapidly shifting between water and ice properties. With this method, she was able to quickly pick up speed like an ice skater, only tailored to reach even higher speeds.
This tactic, however, did come at some costs. Utilizing her crystals in this way required an intense amount of focus, preventing her from doing other actions. It was also draining, especially at higher speeds. But all she had to do right now was catch up, made easier by the fact the truck's damage prevented it from speeding up.
The Gloom Agent in the passenger's seat pulled out his blaster, rolling down the window and aiming it at Galena. Galena skated directly behind the truck in response, preventing the agent from targeting her.
Coming closer to the truck, she focused her power outwards, creating a long field of smooth crystals that passed beneath the truck, causing it to skid slightly as it failed to grip the crystals. With one final push, she glided across the crystal path as she unfocused her power on her skates, instead creating multiple crystals that surrounded her as they glowed with power.
The Gloom agent put away his weapon, knowing it was a lost cause. There were multiple small explosions as Galena's crystals found their mark on the back of the truck, each of them imbued with fire. She started charging more crystals, choosing to aim at the wheels instead of the bay door.
Coming to a decision, the Gloom Agent opened the door and leapt out, landing on the hard asphalt. He watched as the truck hit the curb, rebounding and swinging wildly as Charles tried to put it under control. Galena stopped easily at the end of the crystal path, waiting as the truck spun around in a complete one eighty, a large snap sounding through the air as it tilted to one side.
"Sorry Charles," muttered the Agent as he took off between two buildings. "It's a cruel world out here."
As the truck settled, Charles got out of it, his hands raised in surrender as he saw Galena approaching him, her hands glowing as crystal surrounded her.
"All right, you win. Just please, don't hurt me."
"I suggest you get out of here," said Galena, the crystal fading away." I'm going to have to blow up this thing, and you wouldn't want to be anywhere near it."
He nodded in relief, grateful she didn't decide to kill him or something, you never knew with Chosen. He was surprised by the kindness in her voice, but dismissed his thoughts and sprinted away as fast as he could.
Galena removed a few currently disarmed explosives from a bag around her waist, fitting them onto the truck's hood. She finished and pulled out her phone.
"Hi Lewis, I successfully took down the second transport truck and rigged it. I'm assuming I'm heading back to the base?"
On the other side of the phone, Lewis nodded, completely forgetting Galena wouldn't be able to see him. "Yeah, someone needs to make sure Seth isn't getting into any trouble. Besides, Aaron and I have the truck that he borrowed, so we'll be faster at tracking the last two vehicles."
Galena held back a laugh. "Borrowed?"
"That's what he said. But he broke the windshield, so I don't think the owner's going to be necessarily happy about that."
"If they even get the 'borrowed' truck back anyways."
Lewis was genuinely confused. "Why wouldn't they?"
Galena laughed, smiling as she shook her head. "Lewis, you're hilarious. I'll see you and Aaron back on the base. Good luck finding the last transport."
Aaron snorted, his voice coming over the phone. "We don't need luck, we've got me."
"I don't see how Cobalion's abilities help you locate things," said Lewis.
"That's not what- never mind."
Galena smiled as she hung up, putting away her phone. It was nice, having people to talk to, even if they were in the middle of trying to save the world. It helped distract her from all the things she could be thinking about, the dreadful thoughts creeping their way up her mind.
Now, time to do something with all these explosives.
"Looks like someone got here before us," said Aaron, staring at the scene before them.
The last transport truck they had been pursuing laid on its side, its bay door having been forcefully removed and its cargo strewn about. The escort vehicle was nearby, laying smoldering ruins.
Aaron got out of the pickup truck, Lewis following him. As they inspected the scene, they discovered deep gouges and slash marks across the vehicles. The cargo inside the crates had all been destroyed.
"Whoever did this was surprisingly thorough," remarked Aaron, picking up a sliced pokéball.
Lewis reached down to inspect a crate full of weapons but pulled his hand back as it sparked. "The question is, who did?"
"It had to be another Chosen, maybe by another one of the Swords of Justice, or Zacian."
"Are you sure?"
Aaron made a wild gesture with his hands. "What else could it be? A sorcerer with a slashing ability? Who else would oppose the Gloom Organization? Anyways, this event doesn't matter. Our goal was to seize or destroy, and all seven vehicles have been put out of commission. This mission was successful, let's go home."
"An entire convoy full of weapons, pokéballs, and other fun things was completely destroyed. That's your story?"
Andras was seated on a tall pedestal among other high ranking officials within the Gloom Organization. Below them, was the Gloom Agent that had been along with Charles, having escaped and made his way here to relate what had happened.
"See," said an annoyed voice to Andras' right. "This never would've happened if I had been sent in. Instead, useless things are sent to do the important tasks, and what comes out of it?"
The speaker appeared to be a girl in her teens. She was wearing a sparkly black crop-top and had long black pants. Her clothing was surrounded with dark red strings, traveling up and down her sleeves. She had cruel, dismissive green eyes and long pink hair styled into curly twin tails.
"Are you questioning the orders of our Master, Selena?" asked a soft and mysterious voice. This person was nowhere to be seen, a shadow replacing his position.
"No," said Selena in a singsong voice. "I'm just bored. Andras and Zekky get to do all the fun stuff, and I'm stuck in this abhorrent place. I should get to fight the Chosen as well. Besides, I need new playthings."
A sadistic smile crossed her face as she looked at the Gloom Agent, who at this point was cowering in fear. The strings around her began to glow purple as an aura intensified around her.
"This spineless object should do quite nicely."
"Oh please Selena," said another, slurred voice. "He had the courage to come back and face us, despite his failures. Such loyalty should warrant him not becoming one of your mindless puppets."
The speaker was a tall man with his hair in a blood red braid. He was wearing a black cassock with red accents and a bolero hat. He would've looked like a kind priest, had his golden eyes not been surrounded with dark bags and his expression twisted into a cruel smile. Next to him was a bottle of strong wine, already half drunk.
"Oh shut up Faucet," said Selena, glaring at him. "Loyalty is something you can't talk about. You'd sooner cut your deal with our Master than put yourself in danger."
"It's Faust, and at least I wasn't picked off the street like a Rattata."
Selena got to her feet, her aura intensifying. "You want to fight, you damn drunkard?"
Faust stood to his feet as well, his irises glowing as his sclera turned black. "Try me girl, I'll teach you the real meaning of power."
"Enough, both of you," said the voice from the shadow. "What are you, squabbling children?"
Andras smiled. "One of them is, the other isn't far off."
"Shut up Andras," growled the voice. "All of you are unfit to be part of the Consumer's Council, and yet here you are all! I am forced to put up with all of your idiocy, every single day! How much more will I take?"
"You have no right to be shouting at us, least of all me," said Selena. "How many times have we actually seen your face? How do we know you even exist? You're always on these fabulous missions, killing whoever you want and doing whatever you please."
"What I'm doing is none of your concern. If you have a problem with the post The Consumer gave you, then you risk arguing with him."
Selena gave a huff. "Whatever. It doesn't matter to me."
"Yet you're complaining like a lost child," said Faust, taking a deep drink of wine.
"Do you just love pissing me off?" asked Selena.
"Are you just realizing that," said Andras, hiding a smile. "Also, did anyone see where the grunt went?"
"Just leave him," said the voice, sounding much more tired. "We have more problems to think about. Multiple Chosen have been appearing recently, others have been becoming more and more active. We know of four in Ochre City, two in Slate City, and two in Mataskate City. Some of the Legendaries have been mobilizing as well."
"What about Celica?" asked Andras.
"The Ideal One is handling that."
Selena rolled her eyes. "Of course he is. Everyone loves Zekky, The Consumer's special little pet."
"At least he isn't an insufferable little girl," said Faust.
"At least I'm not a pathetic drunkard."
"At least I know when to shut up," said Andras.
The mysterious shadow grew larger, fury radiating from it. "Then shut up, all of you! Abaddon, go to Mataskate City and get rid of the Chosen there. The rest of you will be staying here."
Selena glared at the shadow, a pout settling on her face. "I hate you. Why does The Consumer need a lousy second in command."
"To keep people like you in check," said Abaddon Faust, putting away his bottle. "I'll do your little elimination task. So long as you remember to pay me."
"How could we forget?" said Andras, a smirk on his face.
Abbadon stood to his feet, his eyes shifting colors as he power intensified. "Good, they will all die."