Written by Farla and Charles RocketBoy
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: FREE WILL
Memory is nearly gone. He is too weak to move. His heart labours and body struggles to keep him alive. He has been asleep for almost a full day.
i can't see
i can't see
try again i can't see it
you can't see
you should be close enough to catch the reflection LOOK
i can't see
i don't understand
why can't i
isn't it there?
maybe there's another
darkness between it one side or the other
but there must be an answer
No one is satisfied by what's happened, although most are blissfully unaware of Eon's decision to sacrifice part of the Pokemon. She herself has not been seen by the masses very much. Meanwhile, the Legendaries' mere presence seems to inspire both confidence and doubt in the Pokemon. The doubt, of course, is placed solely on Eon. For it is all very well for her to lead them when she was the only one who could. But now that the gods themselves have appeared, she should of course step down, leave this to them. For who is above the gods?
~ And how many of those are there? ~
"There were…" Ice paused. "About seventy.
That was well over twenty years ago. Mine can as well."
~ And where are the ones that were there before? ~
"Gone."
Brock has dutifully attempted to influence the masses. He is careful not to sound sympathetic toward the Pokemon in any way. Just as Ash does not speak of actual battle strategies, he does not say anything about Eon's psychic control of Pokemon or the League's chips. Though he feels he should be speaking the truth, he does not. He plays on the fears of the people. He knows the Pokemon are powerful, and he speaks of them as even stronger. He talks of the need to leave Johto, which is becoming a battlefield. He often reminds people that Pokemon can teleport and fly, so they cannot try to defend their boundaries, because there are no boundaries. He speaks of how city after city has been burned to the ground, and how each the presence of civilians did not help beat the Pokemon. He calls for an evacuation.
The boy has a gun. That is not surprising - everyone has one or is waiting to get one. He does not wish to fight, but he is the same as everyone, terrified of Pokemon. And he does not want to die.
And that settles it. Regardless of the wishes of the Johto
government or the people, there can be no immigration to other countries. The
message was leaked, higher-up government officials in other countries know of
it, and the fact that the few people of Johto who did leave are dying, along
with everyone around them. No one will be getting out of Johto. Also, the boy
was one who agreed with Brock. All others who gave the message were also known
sympathizers. The government quickly blames Eon, as it has for everything else.
Eon was controlling them. Therefore, Eon must be in favour of people leaving.
And if that is so, clearly, it must be a bad thing.
By this point, people are too stupid to wonder why Eon, if it wanted people to leave, would then control people to give a message that would stop such an action. But then, few people were even told what the message was actually saying. The few who mention anything are either locked up in jail - or they, too, deliver the message. But they are very few, and no one even notices.
Fenris is hunting. The thought that he isn't supposed to never crosses his mind. He will obey any order. He likes to obey orders. But the not-human doesn't seem to like to give orders and just says things, so he has not been ordered not to hunt, only told not to hunt except certain things, and that is very different. It requires him to decide, and so he has given up.
The Legendaries do not get along well. Even when faced with
a situation where it is in the best interest of everyone to work together, they
will not. This is perhaps the only thing preventing them from taking over the
army. They do not say the same thing when questioned by their followers. They do
not plan together. The only thing they are in complete agreement is that
heretics and anyone who challenges one of them - which is the same thing, really
- will be attacked by all of them. And eeven then, that is merely because they
are too proud to let themselves be lowered by having any of them fail.
And it is only this which could ever drive them to actually speak with one another and, more, to talk long enough to plan out what it is they shall do. Even in this, they have trouble agreeing, but they are angry enough to put some of their differences aside and slowly, slowly, they progress toward a single decision. But very slowly.
Ice looks around. In front of her is a long, thin path, so
thin she can scarcely see it, like the edge of a knife.
This is different then her normal dreams. She looks around
calmly to see if she recognizes anything. No. Unless she's gotten even better at
forgetting then Wildfire is, this isn't related to a memory.
She listens. Still there. She briefly considers waking up
just to tell them to be quiet, but they're almost silent while she's sleeping
anyway.
And there may be some sort of point to all this. Can't hurt
to check. The worst that could happen is to wake up.
There's only one path, so that's the one she takes. Barefoot, she feels the sharpness of the blade. The first cut will be the last. If she pushes too hard and breaks the skin, it'll cut right through her.
"An alliance?"
Ash is moving unobtrusively through the outskirts of a town
when he sees the Pokemon. He does not show fear and simply pulls out a gun,
aiming at the Vaporeon.
It pauses, then: "Wait."
wait
Instead of shooting, Ash decides to ask: "What are
you?"
"I am one of the few not controlled by Eon," it
says. Its voice is almost a monotone, and clearly, it does not naturally speak
English. Somehow or other, it has learned. "I am the leader of those who
resist its control."
Ash thinks for a moment. A lone Pokemon, appearing out of
nowhere, claiming to be free of Eon's control. What it says is clearly-
true
So he lowers his gun. "Why are you here?"
"To talk to the people, in the hopes they will be
merciful to us, who bear them no ill-will. In the hopes that they will rise
against Eon, and free all those it still denies even their own thoughts. To do
that."
Ash nods.
that would be a good
idea
And it would finally be indisputable proof, to silence the lying traitors who claimed the Pokemon were joining of their own free will. That sickened Ash. To have people, who acted of their own free will, pretend the Pokemon were not being controlled.
Ash is seen more often on television now, and quoted in
newspapers everywhere. And today, the Vaporeon follows him and speaks before
everyone.
"I am known as Ryver. I come before you on behalf of
all the Pokemon. I am the leader of those Pokemon who have managed to shake
Eon's control. We are very few and live in constant fear," he says.
"We try to find others but it is very hard. A single word to a Pokemon
controlled by Eon and she may become aware of us. We are trapped, unable to act.
For to speak out against Eon once is to be silenced permanently.
"Eon is just a Pokemon. It cannot properly control
human minds. They are too complex, too far beyond it. The only ones it effects
is those who wished to follow it willingly to begin with. But Pokemon…we are
just Pokemon. It can hold us, tell us to do anything, and we must do it. It can
sense us, it can find us, it can control us, it can kill us. Even by coming
before you now, I am in danger. If Eon becomes aware of me, it will kill me. So
I do not have much time.
"We did not mean to do any of this. Save for Eon and a
few of the strongest Pokemon, we are being enslaved by it. You call us traitors,
but honestly, truly, we did not mean to do any of this. We do not mean to do any
of it. I beg of you, do not kill us as traitors. You must stop Eon. We are
powerless against it. It is just too powerful. And it has three other powerful
Psychics helping it, two other Eevee evolutions and a third creature, a monster.
Do not ignore it. Please, you must kill Eon. You cannot simply leave us. Those
of us free are too few. Perhaps only one out of every thousand manages to regain
our thought. It has a grave weakness. If you can only find it, you can kill it.
Controlling us distracts it. You must-"
Ryver screams, his skin peeling off to reveal bloody flesh underneath. He vanishes, flickering out as he is teleported away, leaving only a red splotch where he stood.
The Pokemon, of course, are utterly ignorant of the broadcast. Eon did not see it. In fact, she is currently asleep. Most of them are, as twilight has just begun to fall and the majority is diurnal.
Eon stands in a small meadow. It is beautiful, filled with hundreds of flowers. The sun's rays fall softly on the plants. It seems almost like it is impossible for anything bad to happen there.
~ Eevee, I know your trainer told you that you would be special when you evolved, that you would be the best, the strongest. But it's a lie. What he offers isn't a gift, it's a curse. ~
Eon lunges for the Eevee, her form warping into Umbreon.
The boy can't stop her. He only had an Eevee. She was special. She was his
first. She was his friend. Eon grabs her and snaps her neck.
Everything goes black.
**************************************************************************************************************
Without a sound, Eon stood, walking out of her room, down
the halls, and into the forest. No one stirred as the leader of the revolution
went deeper and deeper into the wood.
Her form was the twin of her normal one, the one first seen
by most of humanity at the ill-fated Pokemon League battle between Mandy and
Ruby. But though it was dark and growing darker, she was jet-black even when she
stepped through a patch of moonlight. Her golden bands were there, but they were
not glowing as most Umbreon's' did at night.
A good distance away from the base, she stopped, without
apparent reason.
Eon took a deep breath, gathered her five types, and tore herself apart.
She was discovered next morning. Before long, the entire
camp knew. Eon was dead. Eon, the godlike leader of the revolution, was dead.
Morale dropped. In fact, morale plummeted, with the Pokemon
doing little more then huddling in groups, looking over their shoulders and
jumping at the slightest sound. Eon was dead. Either humans had killed her –
and if they could kill her, ordinary Pokemon didn't stand a chance – or she
had realized that she couldn't win and had killed herself. Either way, they were
getting out of this while they still could, before the humans attacked and
destroyed everything.
The Legendaries weren't much help. During the first few
days, while the Pokemon did not attack, they appeared to lose interest and
vanished back to where they came from. Had it not been for that, the Pokemon
would have probably recovered from the shock. But the loss of their very gods
just after was simply too much.
Mewtwo said that there was no way anyone could have gotten
in without him noticing and that it looked like Eon had simply lost control of
her elements and they destroyed each other. But the fact that humans hadn't
killed her didn't help much. It looked like she'd killed herself, and they
couldn't explain to the Pokemon why. They didn't have any idea why.
And worse, the only ones who could have possibly regained
some sense of control were dead. And had not Dawn and Dusk been killed by
unknown causes as well? Had ghosts not killed Firebringer, Memory, and all the Pokemon
they led? The humans were angry. The spirits were angry. The gods themselves had
deserted them.
The Pokemon were ready to desert. The only thing that kept
them fighting was the fact that the first few who left were quickly captured and
chipped. If they fought back, they were killed. This made the remaining ones
fight more determinedly. It was clear. If they lost, it was the end. Humanity
would not allow traitors back. They would either be killed or mindless. Most
chose death.
A few of the weakest recaptured Pokemon, ones more timid
then most, were offered a way out. They were told they would not be chipped if
they led people to where the base was. Once the location was determined, the Pokemon
were simply shot. They weren't important enough to waste a chip on.
The base was attacked. Most of the Pokemon managed to
escape, but many died. Viridian was retaken, then Pewter. The Pokemon continued
to retreat, with massive losses on their side and few on the human's. As they
were more spread out over Kanto, the continent was just randomly bombed.
Cinceon decided to move the main force into Mt. Silver,
where humans would not be able to follow.
That was when the deaths began. Just like Dawn and Dusk.
Just like Memory. Just like Eon.
Pokemon were found nightly. They were gutted, or their
throat was slashed, or in some other way had been killed both quickly and
painfully.
And sometimes Pokemon would just disappear. The strongest
ones only, though. The weaker ones would only be found dead. The weaker ones
would try to run away sometimes, leave the camp and be found dead the next
morning nevertheless. The stronger ones wouldn't be found, but it wasn't that
they were escaping the killer, because most of the stronger ones were still
ready to fight. Loyal ones vanished, not just the ones thinking of leaving.
If the Pokemon were nervous when Eon died, they were paralysed
with fear now. Many were reduced to twitching balls of fur, the slow waiting
game of the attacker taking its toll. They couldn't leave, they couldn't hide,
no matter what the creature would find them. Maybe it would be tonight that
death would attack, or maybe not. You didn't know, and that was the very worst
part. Even if they had known that there was nothing they could do, that they
would all die, it would still be better then this. Because they wondered
frantically if they could escape, if there was some way out, some way they could
avoid their fate, but they couldn’t find one. They searched desperately,
continually, with the futility of a Growlithe biting at its chain. As long as
there might be a way out, they would
look, feeling the sands of the hourglass slipping away, digging frantically at
the stone bottom of their invisible cage. The waiting was the worst part,
because they couldn’t even give up, couldn’t even accept death.
Then Mixeon vanished. Just vanished. No blood, no noise, no
sign of a struggle. Mewtwo kept watch together every night after that, sleeping
during the day, but still couldn't find the killer.
Lash's gutted body was found lying in the middle of the
camp at daybreak on week. Every other Psychic was drafted into the watch.
Mewtwo himself vanished next, with no more warning then any
of the others. He was a Psychic Pokemon, one of the strongest in existence,
perhaps the strongest in existence. For something to be able to take him
down…that alone was frightening. But he was unable to send a message to anyone
before vanishing. Whatever was attacking must have been strong enough to take
him down before he even realized he was being attacked.
A few nights later, Jesse, James, Meowth, Jeanette and Gary
were killed, seemingly almost as an afterthought.
As far as the Pokemon were concerned, that was it. The
tension that had been building ever since Eon died exploded. Almost all of them
left, putting their faith in the herd instinct that said that yes, some of them
would die but some of them would get through.
Bodies littered the forest for miles. The number of dead
made the few remaining ones certain that no one had gotten out, that the Pokemon
who were not found had either been taken by the unseen attacker – or ripped
into too many pieces to be found and identified.
After that, it was only a short while before the last of
the Pokemon were dead or vanished.
Team Rocket, using an army of cloned and obedient Mewtwo,
assisted by flawless Nightress and Zorsian assassins, and nearly all the chipped
Pokemon, quickly took over. In fact, even though the first batch of chips had
not had this feature in it, most of those had to be replaced due to Mewtwo's
serum. As it was, nearly every single Pokemon in existence was either dead,
hiding or part of the rockets.
Had the military still had all their original resources and
troops, Team Rocket would have slaughtered them. Weakened from their battles
with the Pokemon, the government scarcely twitched before being demolished.
To calm the growing rebellion of the main populous, Team
Rocket's first agenda was to chip all remaining Pokemon, wild or trained. People
were terrified of another Pokemon revolt, despite the fact that the Pokemon had
suffered far too great losses to even consider trying again within a generation.
Masterballs were mass-produced. Pokeballs, great balls, and
ultra balls were taken off the market. The Masterballs were issued to every
person, to stop strong Pokemon from escaping. Guns were also given. Strong Pokemon
were chipped. Weak Pokemon were killed on sight. Forests were burned, lakes
poisoned. Mountains were stripped down to the rock. In their place came
factories, farms and houses. People were terrified.
Within ten years, the only wild Pokemon left were Rattata, Caterpie,
Weedle and a few vanishing Pidgey. They lived short, violent lives in total fear
of humans. They would never dream of fighting back. They did not think such a
thing could or had been ever attempted.
Humanity had won, utterly.
***********************************************************************************************************
Eon stands in a small meadow. It is beautiful, filled with
hundreds of flowers. The sun's rays fall softly on the plants. It seems almost
like it is impossible for anything bad to happen there.
In front of her stands a very young Eevee.
"<Eevee>" says Eon.
The Eevee looks at her in confusion.
~ Eevee ~ she tries again.
"Yes?" asks the Eevee. She is young, too young to
have learned to be suspicious of strange Pokemon, but still, there is something
that makes her nervous.
There has to be a way. She knows there is one. She can't
convince the Eevee to leave, she can't force the Eevee to leave, she can't talk
to the boy, she can't kill the boy. What is the answer?
Eon takes a deep breath, looking around at the beautiful flowers of the meadow. There are four main colours: red, blue, yellow, and purple. Each flower is a slightly different shade, or has slightly different petals. Every one is unique, yet has things in common with the others of its color, and in the shape of all the flowers.
~ Eevee, I know your trainer told you that you would be special when you evolved, that you would be the best, the strongest. But it's a lie. What he offers isn't a gift, it's a curse. ~
~ Eevee, I know! You won't become the best when you evolve,
you will become- ~
A young boy runs onto the field. "Hey Eevee, who's your friend?"
What is the answer?
"It's not my friend!" says the Eevee indignantly.
"And I don't know what it is."
Eon lunges for the Eevee, her form warping into Umbreon.
The boy can't stop her. He only had an Eevee. She was special. She was his
first. She was his friend. Eon grabs her and snaps her neck.
Everything goes black.
**********************************************************************************************************
Without a sound, Eon stood, walking out of her room, down
the halls, and into the forest. No one stirred as the leader of the revolution
went deeper and deeper into the wood.
Her form was the twin of her normal one, the one first seen
by most of humanity at the ill-fated Pokemon League battle between Mandy and
Ruby. But though it was dark and growing darker, she was jet-black even when she
stepped through a patch of moonlight. Her golden bands were there, but they were
not glowing as most Umbreon's' did at night.
A good distance away from the base, she stopped, without apparent reason.
"Do you really think this will accomplish
anything?" asked a cool voice.
Eon didn't turn to see the owner of the voice. ~It doesn't
work. It's over. I can’t convince her, I can't talk to him. I killed him, but
it didn't matter. It wouldn't change anything. It didn't change anything.~
"Did you stop to think about what this will accomplish?"
~The Legendaries will. It is they who control us, isn't it?~
she said bitterly. ~They will lead the army.~
"They don't have the patience for something like this.
They will simply fight amongst themselves, or lose interest and go back to
sleep. Besides, do you really think they care so much? They're here because they
realized something important was happening and wanted to be at the forefront, so
that centuries from now, songs will be sung in their glory over this."
~I started this war, but someone else can finish it. I
shouldn't exist.~
"Really?" asked Ice, sounding slightly
interested. "Do you think they will win?"
~Of course. We've been doing fine.~
"No. When you mysteriously die, the Pokemon will spook. The Pokemon will feel certain that either humans killed you or you realized they couldn't win and gave up. You've seen how many doubted when you simply weren't a strong enough leader. They're scared. They've been scared since this began. The Legendaries will lose interest and leave. Your forces will scatter, and it will be only a matter of time before they are each found, attacked, and chipped."
"Mewtwo and the Pokemon he brought are not true Pokemon."
~But they are the same. The same as the originals. And
Mewtwo is simply another Legendary.~
"And what of Mixeon and Cinceon?"
Eon turned to Ice, her eyes flashing golden for an instant.
~They are accepted as normal Pokemon!~ she snarled. ~Their language is just
another of many. They can speak to others!~
"Don't use it, you lose it. Fenris was able to speak
as a Houndour, you know. You didn't speak after evolving. So you can't speak
properly now, although I suppose you could learn if you ever bothered to try.
Which you never did, because you already know you can't. Knowing something
doesn't make it true. No, Pokemon should not be created, but the creations
exist, and the world simply must learn to deal with that."
~I should not, and I am going to correct the mistake.~
"The Legendaries have not destroyed you and believe
me, they adhere to far more puritan beliefs then the rest of the world. Then you
yourself, even. Why do you feel the need to do it yourself?"
~Because I am wrong. Now stop playing devil's associate.
Don't pretend this isn't what you wanted. If you want anything. I am wrong. I
know it.~
"Of course," said Ice mockingly. "You're
evil. You're part Umbreon."
~What are you talking about?~
"He didn't want one, did he? A Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon
or Espeon, not an Umbreon. You can interact with Dark-types without qualm, but
to be one yourself is different. Because they are shadow, death, evil." Ice
sighed, her voice still carrying a hint of the mockery. "Like most trained Pokemon,
he still controls you, even after death. Killing him did nothing, and you regret
it. Most do. Your behaviour is mainly defined by obeying or disobeying his
beliefs. You react from circumstance and his commands. Most are like that.
You've taken rebelling further then most but in the end, you remain bound to
him. What would you do if he was here right now? Rip out his throat or grovel at
his feet?"
~I-I-I-~ Eon looked downward, silent.
"Trained Pokemon don't seem to understand there's a
third choice. You could just walk away. You could have, but you didn't. The past
is past. Regrets do nothing. Killing him didn't do anything, because you weren't
really making your own choice, just rebelling against him. So he still controls
you." Ice sighed again. "It's in your nature, I suppose, to be defined
purely by obedience or disobedience. So very few trained Pokemon ever manage to
get beyond that.
"I hope you can see the irony here, Eon. The leader of the great rebellion against humans, killing herself because of her dead trainer. That really shows human's true power, doesn't it? If they can do this, then I guess you were wrong all along, and humans really are superior to Pokemon. You're right to have worried. Even if you killed them all, the very memory of their ghosts would be enough."
"Maybe other Pokemon never had the ambition to get
this far," Ice replied, "But at least they never took the coward's way
out. They lived, Eon, hard as that can be sometimes. At least they bothered to
try."
"Of course you think that. You fear darkness. How
would you know? I see the pattern,
the web of possibilities. Should you die, the rebellion will die with you.
Should that happen, humans will inevitably chip or kill off all Pokemon to
prevent this. My kind will survive, because it is our birthright. Shadows will
never be truly destroyed. But the rest shall not."
~And I don't suppose you'd help. You've got an army of your
own, but god forbid you actually use
it. What do you have to fear, if darkness can never be dispelled? If evil can
never be killed?~ retorted Eon, growing angry.
"There is a limit to even the birthright of shadow. A
limit to how far we can push. My Darks are, for the most part, the last. If they
go, the entire element does. And there must be a balance."
Eon glared at the Dark Elemental. ~Can't you give a
straight answer for once?~ she demanded.
Ice shrugged. "Very well. If you destroy yourself, you
are destroying the lives of millions of Pokemon. The only way the war could be
won is if I call the pack, and I will not call them, and so if you die the
battle is lost."
The Eeveelution growled. ~You do not know that for a fact.
There may be other ways.~
"I do know it. I see the pattern, the web of possible
events and actions. You do not know this because you shun your Dark portion and favour
your Psychic portion, but I do. Ask yourself, Eon, why I am here, why I am
telling you this, why I think this matters so much. This is the turning point.
Without my interference, you die and with you dies the hope of all Pokemon save
Dark. I do not lie, Eon."
~You deceive,~ retorted Eon. ~You don't tell the whole
truth, only parts of it. That is lying.~
"Eon, I do not lie. And I say that if you do this, no
matter what anyone can do, humans will win unless the Dark Pokemon sacrifice
themselves, which I will not allow. How am I telling a half-truth? What is there
left to say?" Ice's voice was impassive, but there was a hint of mockery
somehow, in how she spoke. As if she knew every argument Eon would make, and
knew the answer to them all.
~How is this my fault, if you refuse to act? If you have to
power to prevent what you see?~
"It will be your fault because I am telling you I will
not kill off my own. Which means it all comes down to this. There is no other
option. I see the pattern, and it is clear," said Ice. She locked eyes with
Eon, her expression unreadable. "For the last time, Eon, if you die they
all will."
Eon stood still and silent for a moment, for an instant and
an eternity. Then she spoke. ~If their only chance is through one who should not
be, then it is already dead. I should not live. I should not have lived. I made
the wrong choice. I made the wrong choice. Besides, why do you care? You don’t
want me to win.~
Ice did not seem thrown by this statement. She displayed no
worry, no sign that she was worried. She showed emotion when it suited her, not
because she felt it. She was Ice, and it did not matter if she was happy or sad,
scared or confident, because she was above all in control and her true feelings
would not show. "Whether or not you deserve death does not matter. Did she
deserve death? Tell me, would you have killed her if she was not to become
you?"
~No,~ said Eon, puzzled. ~But what does it matter?~
"Then why are you so willing to kill all the other Pokemon, all the 'true' Pokemon? Why are you ready to kill them? Killing them accomplishes nothing. Whether you deserve to die does not matter. The revolution is not over. You have to finish what you started, Eon. Whether or not you kill yourself when it is over, I don't much care. But not now. If you wanted to die, you shouldn't have started this. You should have died, left it up for another to do one day. It would have happened. Die now, and it never will."
~ We need to attack another city, yet Goldenrod is simply
too well defended. We could destroy it, I'm certain, but we'd lose too many for
it to be worthwhile. I believe we should attack Blackthorn. ~
There is no automatic outburst, no one disagreeing with her
for the sake of disagreeing. First Shine, and then Firebringer and
Memory…gone. Eon would rather they were still here and opposing everything she
said, then that they have to die.
The others nodded gravely, considering what she said.
"Clair is one of the strongest gym leaders. It will not be easy," said
Alli.
"But it isn't a heavily populated city," said Fang. "Does anyone know how prepared they are?"
Not everyone agrees with him, of course. They refuse to believe what he says, refuse to believe what he's been told. But they'll learn the error of their ways. It said so. God, demon, he didn't care anymore. It had said so. And it had told him how to win. That was all that mattered.
The Pokemon are mainly Normal, Poison, Psychic, and some
Ice. They have been chosen more to prevent any sort of type disadvantage to the
Dragons then for type advantage. And, as usual, the amount sent is greater then
the predicted amount needed. In normal warfare, this would be foolish, wasting
troops, which needed to be spread out. But as long as Pokemon can teleport, it
makes sense for to send as many as possible, because it will not take a long
time to move between areas.
But, even considering their advantage, it is easy. And yet
it shouldn't be so. The Pokemon are struck by how many of the people seem to
have prepared. But far more have simply left. Only a few seem to be caught
unaware of what was, after all, a surprise attack.
The dragon's den is the only thing hard about all of Blackthorn. Well fortified, and with a single, easily defended entrance. However, the Pokemon within are not chipped. This makes the decision easier. The token ground and rock Pokemon cause the passage to collapse inward. Those inside, if not killed initially, will suffocate. Blackthorn is then burned to the ground.
And all over Johto, Ash rises from prophet to messiah.
Ryver sighed. "It's a shame I can't do any more.
They'll learn of what's happened soon enough, one way or another. I'm 'dead'. I
can't do anything else."
"You've done enough. No one will be able to leave, so
all of the other countries can do as they always do with the Pokemon area:
ignore it. With no refugees begging for help and vengeance, few will even
consider helping Johto. Those who do can die quietly."
"I worry about leaving the loyalist faction alone. I
told them not to do anything, but I fanned the flames, as you told me. They're
ready. At the merest suggestion from one of the Legendaries, they will attack. I
know the Legendaries aren't interested in giving the order, but that just means
they're completely leaderless now."
"They'll lay low. They know you spoke out loudly
against Eon, and they know you were killed for it. They will try to avoid
attracting further attention. They know you were attacked, and they know that
must mean Eon is aware of them."
"And since they know it, they will not bother to check
closely. Unless, of course, they find out I'm still alive, and that what they
know is false," Ryver said. He turned to regard his undamaged tail for a
moment, then sighed. "And no matter how much I scar or tear my body, there
would still be a chance they would recognize me. It just isn't worth the risk."
"It doesn't matter now. I can always send another one
if need be. A flying type, with no known connection to either of us. But it
doesn't matter much by now. The thread holds, and they are too frightened to
consider challenging Eon. They are by far the minority, and after your gruesome
fate, they won't be interested in doing much of anything. They don't want to
die."
"Yes. They aren't interested in martyrdom. Those who
are have already killed themselves in attempts they knew were utterly futile at
killing the Pokemon of Eon's Army. I suppose you would know. And the other, too,
perhaps better. The both of you would know." Ryver paused. "How
painful was it?"
"Not much."
"I told you, I was ready. You didn't need to."
"The shock might have stopped your heart. The blood
loss was bad enough. As a water-type, restarting your heart would have been
tricky. It was simply easier."
"Very well."
Ice rubbed the top of the Vaporeon's head. "Don't
worry," she said. "The thread hasn't broken yet. Even if it does
later, I think they might be able to win anyway. And if they don't, well, we are
ready."
He nodded, vanishing into her shadow as Gary stumbled into
the clearing, the afternoon sun at his back.
"It's you."
"Is it? What, little human, do you intend to do with
that?"
Gary glanced down at the gun, as if he had almost forgotten
it was there. "You're the one who did it. Dawn and Dusk, Nightflame and now
even Memory. You're the one who angered the ghosts."
Ice smiled. "Do you mean to shoot me if I won't
confess to it, or shoot me if I do? Well, I didn't."
"If you didn't, tell me who did."
"No."
"Then it was you," he said softly. "You. It
had to be you. You're the only one who could have done it."
"Of course I'm the only one who could have done it, if
you don't want to believe any of the others could. For that matter, another
did."
"Then who. If that's true, tell me who did it!"
"No. What would you do, little human? Would you use
your little gun? Do you think a gun would stop it? Foolish."
Gary aimed the gun, arms only shaking slightly. "Tell
me."
"Killing in cold blood because I won't admit to
something. You've done better then Wildfire, at least. Although you are less
stable then her, and that's hard to do."
"Shut up! Tell me-" Gary broke off, eyes
widening. "It was another Elemental, wasn't it? I can't believe I didn't
realize it. The odds - it's obvious. If there can be two, so close together in
time and area, there must be more. It was another Elemental, and you're
protecting them! Who?!"
"There are only two of us," Ice said. "No
more. Only two of us."
"Dammit, you're lying! It had to be, must have been!
Who was it? Tell me! Tell me or I'll shoot!"
"You're right to wonder about Wildfire. It would be
odd, wouldn't it, for there to be no Elementals for hundreds of years and then
for two to appear right in the same area. The answer to that is that Wildfire
wouldn't have survived normally. I assume there were others who were before me,
probably many, but they did not survive."
"Tell me who it was. You know, you're protecting them,
you did it yourself, I don't know. It's your fault somehow, you're connected to
it, you always are. Dark Elemental - a demon!" Gary's voice was rising.
"That's what you are! You say you don't lie - and that's the lie. You've
been lying this whole time, haven't you! Eon doesn't know."
"It's always my fault, isn't it?" Ice asked
softly. "If I know someone will die, and do nothing, then their death is a
result of my lack of action, and still my fault. If I believed in your morality
I would have killed myself by now."
"Of course it would be your fucking fault, you apathetic
bitch," Gary hissed.
Ice sighed and folded her arms. "Use your free will,
little boy. Why didn't you do something about it? I told you what I am - a
killer. I do not make excuses. I do not feel guilt or remorse. It is and shall
be. Why didn't you do anything, little boy? Why didn't you kill your rival when
you had the chance? Why haven't you killed me? I am unarmed, I am a murderer,
you hold the gun in your hands, well? Will you do it? I've killed. And, even if
I did not kill Dawn and Dusk, it doesn’t matter because you
know I did. The truth of the matter no longer matters - you've already decided.
So? What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to shoot you if you don't tell me who
killed them."
"Then aim higher," Ice told him. "Don't aim
at my heart. You should know better then that. I don't think you even believe I
have one. You want to kill me, it has to be instantly fatal. Otherwise, it
doesn’t matter, I'll just heal. You want to kill me, you'll have to shoot me
in the head. Not that it matters. You're not the first to try something like
this. I've been shot at by snipers when I was as young as you are, and they
didn't kill me. But go ahead. You have free will, don't you? Make a choice,
carry it out, go ahead, try."
"Tell me," Gary said again.
"I already did."
There was a bang, and the side of Ice's neck turned red.
She smiled faintly, blood leaking from the corners of her mouth. She reached up,
pulling the bullet out and flicking it away. By the time it hit the ground, her
throat was healed. She brushed the blood off.
"You're a fool. If you don't intend to believe what I
tell you, don't ask. You came here to find a justification for killing me,
nothing more. Don't pretend otherwise. Don't make excuses. You fear me."
Ice paused. "It must be upsetting, to realize that darks are evil now, with
an Umbreon following you. But if I'm evil and a Dark elemental, then they must
be. So out of sight, out of mind - though it's never that easy. Nags you, just
out of memory, even worse then. Don't try to kill me because of something so
trivial. It wouldn't do anything."
"No!" Gary shouted. "That's not it. You're
insane. I wouldn't- He isn't evil! You're insane!"
"You'd better hope I'm not." Ice slid into shadow. Gary remained there for a time, shoulders shaking and head down.
what is the reflection of nothing
what is the reflection of everything
tell me please
i don't want oblivion
you're just going to have to wait i told you i don't know yet
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: SABRINA
“Are we doing the right thing?”
“Yes.”
“It seems unnecessarily bloody.”
“On the contrary. For this war to be won, there must be an absolute victory. This is why we couldn’t let people escape Johto- it would force the greater world to do far more than just sell arms to Johto. The Pokemon can’t fight the might of the entire world’s armies and believe me, that would happen if refugees were allowed to flee. Mewtwo’s plan, using the trainer Brock, was flawed.”
“How do you know the great powers won’t get involved anyway?"
“It’s possible,” she conceded. “But very unlikely. I can see all the strands of the futures, all the events that can happen and what will result from them. We have little to fear from the wider world. I could be wrong. But I doubt it. Now, be quiet. We have to watch. Something is going to happen.”
******************************************************************************************************
She is Sabrina for she is many. The minds of her disciples dwell within her, amplifying her psychic force beyond any thought possible for humans. She is cloaked, and nothing notices her as she walks through the forest. Not even the Dark Pokemon. This is a mere fraction of her power. Power that a human should not be able to hold without going mad.
Perhaps she has.
The future of the world hangs in the balance. If she succeeds in her goal, all sentient minds will be absorbed into hers, and this prison of meat and bone will be shed for a form of pure psychic energy within which universes of imagination, thought, reason and beliefs will take form, elevating both humanity and Pokemon into godhood. Only Dark Pokemon will remain, and even then only the strong ones, and they will inherit a blasted Kanto.
She knows this cause is right and just. It will inevitably happen on this world. But it would take too long to do so. Best to force evolution now, when the sentient beings of the world hold individuality, for who knows if future generations will be as beneficial as the current ones?
All she needs to succeed now is the minds of Mewtwo and Eon, the other two greatest psychics on the planet. And then she’ll be able to absorb the minds of everything within a ten-mile radius, and then everything in the country, and then everything within the hemisphere, until eventually all minds are one.
Evolution in action. And the Darks can keep the ashes of the world for themselves.
***************************************************************************************************
Eon was still depressed. Ice’s talk had only confirmed what she already was suspecting- that without her as a catalyst, the Pokemon would all willingly go back to being slaves and would subsequently be annihilated. This made her want to scream and kill, but it also forced her to stay in command. After all, she’d started this. She had an obligation to finish it.
But she could still tell that there was a rot in the revolution. The Pokemon were still slaves to instinct and to theology. They didn’t want to change or develop, they only listened to the physically strongest regardless of tactical ability and they kissed the very shit of the Legendaries.
She had half a mind to throw tactics to the wind and just set up a massacre. But she wouldn’t, because that would be admitting defeat. And after her talk with Ice a week ago, she’d be damned if she’d let that happen, because then Ice would be proved right in her prophecies and Eon would be damned before letting that happen.
They were nearing victory anyway. Human-occupied Johto was now just two or three cities almost completely surrounded by Pokemon- it was forced into rationings and tensions were rising inside. Goldenrod Island was a hundred kilometres away from the mainland and they seemed content to just sit and wait. Why, Eon didn’t know- with the humans too scared to flee, it looked like the only way this war would end would be for one side to pound the other into submission, and the humans didn’t seem to be trying anything along those lines.
Maybe the war is already won. Maybe we should stop and call for an armistice.
But that wouldn’t work, would it? Neither side would keep to it. And, of course, there are chipped Pokemon trapped within there. Bugger and blast it.
Eon was sitting on a ledge on the mountain, watching the Pokemon mill around below. The Legendaries were sunning themselves, looking all holier-than-thou and basking in the praise of gullible idiots. She hated them. She hated a lot of people lately. Mainly the ones trying to make her step down and let the Legendaries take charge- she’d never do that, because they’d never make good leaders, but if she didn’t there was a good chance there’d be a revolution. How ironic- rebels for freedom rebelling against their leader in the name of theological oppression. Which was MUCH better than oppression by humans, for some obscure reason she never even bothered to understand.
Abandon, perched above her, looked down. “Are you all right, Eon?”
~Hmmmm? Oh, I’m fine. Just fine. I was just thinking about the Legendaries. Very powerful, they are.~ She chose her words with great care.
“That’s an understatement! They’re living gods!” Abandon’s voice fairly dripped with worship. “Nothing can stand against us with them on our side!”
Eon smiled falsely, and went back to her brooding.
*****************************************************************************************************
Officer Jenny looked up. “Yes? Can I help you?”
Two people, one man and one women, clad in black suits stood before her. The man was bulky and broad-shouldered, with short-cut dark hair, grey eyes and a weathered face. The woman’s hair was similarly short and jet black, with vivid green eyes, a slim figure and a cold, almost dead look to her. She carried a discreet brown briefcase The man showed his wallet, containing a badge identifying them as a member of the Johto Secret Police.
“I am Agent Wood, and this is Agent Lee,” he said, his voice harsh and gravely. “We’re here to take the traitor Brock Stone. Lee, the papers, please.”
The woman nodded and handed over a formal government order. Jenny nodded, smiling falsely, and lead the two down to the cells. She suppressed the urge to shudder. She was patriotic, always had been, had been bred in a cloning tank with the rest of the Jennies and Joys and raised to be patriotic, in fact, but everyone knew about the Secret Police. They took anyone who could be terrorist sympathisers (the government were still trying to pretend Eon’s group were mere terrorists) or a possible threat to the government, and then… those people were never seen again. Ever. Nobody knew what the Secret Police did to them, and that just added to the fear everyone had for them. Jenny knew that people talked openly less, in case a member of the Secret Police was nearby.
They said that there was a government vault were the corpses of all those taken away were kept. They said that those taken away had their minds damaged, reducing them to a child’s mental level. They said that those taken away were forced into a suicide squad sent behind enemy lines, expendable troops that nobody would miss. They said…
The two agents were shown to the cell were Brock was. He looked up, looking defiant, his face covered with a week’s worth of stubble and dirt.
“This him?” asked Lee, her voice calm and composed.
Jenny swallowed. “Yeah. So, do I have to sign anyth-“
Wood whacked her in the back of the head with a blackjack he’d drawn from his pocket. She fell down unconscious.
“Hey Brock,” he said in Jessie’s voice.
Brock’s eyes bulged. “Y-y-y-“
“Yeah, ‘tis us,” said James/Lee. “What, you think we were gonna leave you there?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you’re sorta right. Eon is leaving you here. We, on the other hand, think that’s a mighty shitty thing to do.” He’d pulled a small tool from his pocket and was picking the lock while he talked. “We’re gonna try and get you out of the city, to one of the other ones. You won’t be safe there, but you’ll be safer than waiting for the real Secret Police or for the Pokemon army to attack.”
“Why are you wearing a skirt?”
James shrugged. “We’re in disguise.” A little click and he opened the cell door with a grin. “There ya go…”
“Don’t listen to him,” said Jessie, grinning. “He just loves cross-dressing! Hope ya appreciate this Brocky-boy- we spent quite a few hours getting the proper disguises and make-up and that phoney government document and the fake padding for me and those inflatable boobs for James…”
James put the case down and clicked it open. Inside were two Uzis, several rounds of ammunition and a few petrol bombs. Brock walked out of his cell, staring at the case’s contents.
“What are you going to do with all that?”
“Blow this place and everyone in it to hell,” said Jessie, “what do you think? Now stay here for a bit longer- don’t want you getting caught in the crossfire.”
The two ex-Rockets loaded their guns and crept to the side of the cell door. Casually, they opened it and walked out, slipping back into the roles of government agents. None of the officers really noticed anything, until five seconds after exiting the room Jessie raised her gun and opened fire, blasting the brains out of a nearby desk-worker.
There was instant chaos. Cops scrambled to find cover or reach any guns handy, but the two youths managed to take down a further three. An armed officer came running into the building behind them, attracted by gunfire- James turned and gunned him down.
James dived back into the cell room to grab Brock, while Jessie lit a petrol bomb and hurled it a random desk. She cackled wildly as it exploded into flame and the group ran out, chucking a petrol bomb at the entrance as they went. They leapt into a police car, kicked the driver out and threw the third bomb threw another car’s window, causing it to explode.
Jessie floored the motor and the three sped off. Brock sat in the back seat, staring in shock and revulsion at the two of them.
“Was that really necessary?” he asked quietly. “Did you have to kill those people when you could have removed me through subterfuge?”
“Probably wasn’t necessary,” said James, “but in my experience, there will always be something that will give you away and we thought it best to get it over with. Besides, under the circumstances, our little fragfest could hardly hurt.”
Brock said nothing.
He waited until they dropped him off in the next city before staggering to a dumpster and retching.
*****************************************************************************************************
“Does the trainer’s escape change anything?”
“No. He’s not a major figure in this war. His freedom or incarceration means little, as does his life or death. He has only one possible function that I can see coming, and that will only be a drop in an already-flooded bucket.” Her voice was cold and clinical. “A large amount of individuals in this war don’t mean little in the long term. Only in groups do they matter.”
“You seem to have everything under control. Except you didn’t guess the Legendaries would enter the fray, did you? And don’t try to do cover it up by saying something like ‘Didn’t I?’, because you know I can see through it.”
“No, I didn’t originally foresee they would. Until Winterhart died, of course. I didn’t need to see the strands- I knew, after that, that it would be a certainty the Legendaries would enter. They don’t like it when us mortals kill other Legendaries, even young clones that they would have killed themselves anyway. They are a complication, and they affected the strand greatly. There is a possibility they could wreck everything. But I think I have it under control.”
“Oh? You mean after that talk with Eon?”
“Yes. There’s a 70% chance, give or take, that she’ll continue to lead and won’t falter. Good odds. Sabrina may help tip the scales against the Legendaries, or she may not. Depends on how well she performs."
“If she does well, the world will end.”
“There isn’t a good chance of her succeeding in her mad aim.”
“But there’s still a chance.”
She looked away. “Yes.”
“We should get involved if she does start to-“
“No. Nobody is meant to know you exist. And it could jeopardise the whole strand. It’s up to Eon and her army this time.”
“Fine. I’ll set up the other part of the plan now.”
*************************************************************************************************
Sabrina walks among them. They can’t see her.
She strides purposefully through Mt Moon, deep within the revolution’s sanctum, and Pokemon walk around her oblivious. She turns towards the den of her prey and walks in. Mewtwo is lounging in a chair in his lab, listening to his beloved classical music. She steps forward.
~Hello Sabrina.~
She stiffens.
~Now, the interesting thing about your little psychic ability that stops people noticing you is that it really doesn’t work on high-level Psychics like myself, and most likely not on high-level Darks either. To me, you’re like a walking rave concert.~ He got up and turned round to face her. ~Shall we dance?~
***************************************************************************************************
Nightflame and Eclipse stood in Rachel’s cave, muttering among themselves whilst Rachel played in the corner with the Houndour puppy. Normally Nightflame would talk with another member of her pack, but not this time. She didn’t know what side they were playing on when it came to this matter.
“It’s disgusting. The Legendaries are a liability- how long before they start fighting among themselves right outside our damn main base?” she whispered. “Having them around may boost moral, but why do they have to stay right outside?”
“You want to go tell them to move?” whispered Eclipse. “Their worshippers would tear you apart.”
“I know that! But why? Why do they-“
“They follow the Legendaries because they’re scared. They’re scared of having true freedom, from humans and deities. Totally, utterly scared, because then they’d be solely responsible for their own lives.” Eclipse gestured over at Rachel. “Humans do it as well. Following extremist political and religious leaders, blindly accepting what the media tells them rather than thinking for themselves. They’re like cattle set free that find the wide world scary and go back to the slaughterhouse,” he sneered.
Nightflame sighed. “Nice to know at least one person feels the same about all this.”
“Remember who trained me. I have knowledge far beyond that of most Pokemon.”
“Hmmm. I’ll take your word on-“
The stone walls were ripped apart. Thunder roared around them and the world shook as rock collapsed in on them. Dust rose up, obscuring their vision. And in their heads they could hear a horrific screaming…
The dust cleared, and Eclipse saw Nightflame unconscious, her left hind leg broken by the explosion. Rachel had been buried.
Eclipse swore and began digging furiously to get the child out.
************************************************************************************************
Eon knew what had happened. There had been an explosion in the heart of the mountain, one caused by a clash of psychic force judging by the vicious headache she had. Eon hadn’t been expecting this and had been blasted off her ledge, landing a full six metres away and only remaining unconscious and unharmed by teleporting to safety before hitting the mountainside.
Pokemon were stampeding out of the mountain, some carrying wounded and others rushing with horrific gashes & bruises caused by the explosion. Eon wasn’t concerned by that- the Pokemon had been briefed time and again over what to do in the case of such an emergency. No, what worried her was the psychic energy that had shot out of the mountain and into the air, and was discharging in all directions.
And the energy stopped as Mewtwo fell from the sky. Sabrina, levitating high above the ground, could be seen crackling with pure psychic energies.
Mewtwo landed feet upward, skidded and fell over. Slowly he got up, dusty and bruised, his nose bleeding. He drew his arm across his muzzle, wiping the blood away, and flicked it off. It landed with a wet splat on the ground. More of it continued to trickle down his face.
Mewtwo looked up, eyes glowing furiously, and screamed: ~That all you got, bitch?!~
Sabrina smiled grimly and came down.
Eon tensed and prepared to attack.
Sabrina landed.
~You can’t stop evolution, Mewtwo.~
~I’d very much like to test that theory.~
Tense.
Charge up.
Eyes meet.
Attack.
***********************************************************************************************
“It is done!” cried Ash, grinning wildly as the audience cheered. “The Johto government has listened to you, the people, and the testimony of the martyr Ryver. And now, on my advice, they are doing something about the menace of Eon!”
“Something” was the first military attack on Pokemon soil in months. The government had been rushed into it by popular support for the young messiah Ketchum, but they were confident they could pull it off.
Several great battleships stormed through the ocean, flanking troop carriers and ships laden with vehicles & heavy artillery. The forces had been drawn from the defence of human Johto, because the government would never dare risk removing forces from Goldenrod. Not after the wider world had dropped their military support of Johto after the recent evisceration of Johto refugees worldwide.
The force came around the coast near Pallet. The Pokemon there tried to call Mt. Moon for help, but psychic interference prevented messages from getting through. They were on their own.
Shells rained down.
*************************************************************************************************
Sabrina and Mewtwo faced each other, eyes making direct contact, standing dead still. Psychic energy crackled between them as they probed each others minds, testing for strengths and weaknesses in the other’s mental defences. Concentration was needed.
Memories flashed between them.
A young girl, forced by her father into psychic training against her will…
Birth in a tube, a copy surrounded by copies…
The bitter pouring into the honing of her powers…
Childhood joy betrayed by the deaths of all…
Death of soul as she focuses on power at extent of all else…
Awakening, destruction caused by fear of a confusing and empty life…
Tyranny and insanity, the growth of a subconscious personality…
Corruption by a man of avarice and weak mind…
The return of humour and life to her existence…
Deluded attempt at genocide and global repopulation…
Growing interest in psychic evolution…
Redemption and self-enforced exile…
Entering the revolution to further her own righteous plans…
Entering the revolution because it seemed like a good idea…
~It seemed like a good idea?~ scorned Sabrina. (Probe) ~All your power and intelligence, and you entered because it seemed like a good idea? Where’s your drive, your ambition?~
~My ambition is to make Eon succeed and help ensure a good life for all Pokemon.~ (Probe) ~And I do know you are talking like this in an attempt to distract my attention and weaken my defences, so I will respond in kind. Ahem: your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.~ (Probe)
~Ah. Humour.~ (Probe) ~How petty.~
Mewtwo smirked. ~Sabrina, if I didn’t make stupid jokes and resort to profanity, I would start to think about the true~ (Probe) ~seriousness of this situation. And then I would collapse and give up.~
Before Sabrina could retaliate, Ho-oh swooped over to the battlefield. He could sense the power being thrown about, and it angered him. Angered and scared him.
“HUMAN! You come here to challenge us, but all you will find is death!”
~Oh piss,~ hissed Mewtwo. ~Go AWAY you pompous messiah-complex prat! You have no bloody idea what you’re up against here-~
Ho-oh heard Mewtwo, but ignored him, deciding that no Pokemon would ever say such words to their god and so therefore he hadn’t and so he could comfortably forget Mewtwo had said them. A jet of flame shot out of his beak, hitting Sabrina.
Or it should have. Instead it swerved around her. Her psychic defences didn’t weaken in the slightest.
She’s holding back against me. But I’m not against her. Shit.
Ho-oh stared in shock and before he could attempt another attack, he was hit be a telekinetic attack. He was slammed to the ground, his wing twisted at an unnatural angle and broken, in a grisly snap of bone and a ripping of feathered flesh. He screamed in pain, blood pouring from where the broken wing bones protruded. Sabrina didn’t even glance at him.
The wounded were being gathered on the opposite side of the mountain. There were around forty seriously wounded, several of those because the explosion had hit part of the medical cave. The Chancey’s and Blissey’s were short-staffed as some of the wounded were Chancey’s and Blissey’s.
Eclipse stood guard over the unconscious forms of Nightflame and Rachel. Rachel sported numerous small cuts and bruises- luckily, she wasn’t seriously hurt.
Few Pokemon had seen Ho-oh go off to fight Sabrina. Eon had, however, and heard the scream that resulted. She knew the battle was going badly. And if Sabrina won…
Time to take command.
~Eclipse, get a small task force of Dark Pokemon together and go assist Mewtwo. We can’t have her win this battle. If the Darks are afraid to go because of what happened to that poor Sneasel, explain to them that Sabrina only affects Dark’s under Level 30 in power and that it if she wins this battle she’ll be able to hurt stronger Darks still.~
“Sorry, but I cannot get involved in this battle,” said Eclipse. “It would upset the balance.”
~Ah. Ice told you to avoid this battle?~
“Yes.”
~I see.~
Thunderbolts whipped out in the blink of an eye and struck the Umbreon, travelling into his central nervous system and causing pain to strike his entire form. He jerked spastically, shrieking in agony and rage as he did so. Eon cut the attack, her eyes glowing.
~I have had to here with this arrogance. Know that I do not just rely on psychic power, but have been practising and honing my electrical, flame and water abilities as well. And if you disobey my orders again, in a crisis, I will kill you where you stand and to hell with Ice! Do you understand me?!~
“Y-yes.”
*************************************************************************************************************
“That I did not expect.”
“Slipping, are we?"
“Oh, be quiet. I knew Eon would grow tired of our little avoidance of her orders one day, but that didn’t appear in the strands until a split-second after Eclipse spoke. I can’t- well, I can remember the last time that happened.”
“Will Eon need to be dealt with then?”
“No need. We’ll give her this. It’ll be therapeutic for her. Eclipse is safe from Sabrina’s mind absorption at the moment anyway.”
“Not giving Eon this out of fear, are you?”
Her eyes flashed with annoyance. “You’re getting lippy in your age. And I am not afraid of Eon. Why should I? She can’t kill me, because I can always retreat to the Darkness if I start to lose.”
“What if Eon was able to come after you?”
“The thought has occurred to me.” She shrugged. “I doubt it, however. You know, I think Eon could kill Eclipse if she wanted to. I’d have to kill her right afterwards, of course, but she could do it. She has full control of four elements and if she would just use her Dark powers more… nothing would be able to defeat her. Nightress and Zorsian would have been ripped to pieces in a second. Sad, really; all that potential power and Eon won’t use it out of old prejudices…”
*******************************************************************************************************
The humans were spreading. The Pokemon around Pallet hadn’t stood a chance, and had been pulped easily.
Squadrons of Apache helicopters screamed out of the skies and napalmed the nearby forest, deliberately cutting off escape routes so the Pokemon would have no choice but to flee towards the army. Many managed to find alternate routes of escape by flying or digging or dodging the military, but many were slaughtered.
One Pidgey managed to get a warning out to nearby Viridian Forest and the outskirts of Pewter. Aerial forces commander Abandon was in the area at the time, and assembled a strong team to repel the invaders. They would be able to hold them back, barely. There was a battle going on near Mt. Moon, so reinforcements were out of the question for the time being. They’d have to rely on good tactics.
And at the ruins of Viridian City, the battle was joined.
********************************************************************************************************
Night Shade whipped towards Sabrina. Most of the attack were kept back by her defences, but the little that did get through knocked her off balance. Mewtwo went for the kill, but she teleported away before he could press his new advantage.
Eclipse and a small group of three Sneasels stood waiting for her to reappear. Eyes scanned the area, muscles tensed and prepared the body for quick movement, dark energy was concentrated for a split-second attack.
Sabrina reappeared several metres away from them, and leapt to the side to avoid the second barrage of Night Shade. She could sense the power of Eclipse- her psychic attacks wouldn’t hurt him, yet. She had to improvise.
She concentrated, and the rock beneath their feet rose up in vicious shards. One Sneasel was flayed, the others knocked to the side. Eclipse rolled out of the way, a few shards digging into his belly.
He fired off another attack, striking Sabrina and causing her to step backwards, wincing. More rock shards rose and flashed towards the Umbreon, but he was able to blast most of them out of the sky. He missed only one.
That one shard impaled his foot to the ground.
Don’t scream. Don’t wince. Don’t give her the satisfaction…
Sabrina stalked forwards, the Sneasels becoming disoriented and confused as she passed. She gazed smiling into the defiant glare of Eclipse, and the ground around her rose up for the final strike.
~To think you thought I would only use my power in the conventional way. Fools.~
Mewtwo’s forcefield bubble crashed into her, sending her and the clone away from the Umbreon.
~I’m not out of this fight yet, damn you!~
***************************************************************************************************
Abandon flew high above the battlefield, taking in the position of the enemy and her own troops. They were outnumbered, but with their power they should have the humans outgunned. Swooping back down again, she started barking out orders.
“There’s a small group of humans trying to sneak round our defences. Do we have Electric types here? OK, good… Use a wide-field combined Thunderbolt to fry ‘em. As for our defences around Viridian- I want all Pokemon who know Supersonic, Confusion or Stun Spore to spray it in a wide range, slow the enemy down. All Pokemon with Dig, tunnel towards the centre of the humans and re-emerge there. Aerial Pokemon, you’re attacking the enemy directly. The rest of you, stay in Viridian and be prepared to assist us at any time. All other Pidgeot’s, you’re with me- we need to take out those helicopters!”
Her orders finished, she rocketed upwards, two other Pidgeot’s fighting to keep up with her. From the east, she could see half of the helicopters coming towards them. She breathed in deeply and decreased speed to a comfortable 100 KPH. Seeing her coming, they opened fire with machine-guns; she docked and weaved the attacks, grimacing at the ripping sound of bullets striking one of the other Pidgeot’s.
She flew in closer, the other following behind…
“Accelerate to Mach 2 now!”
The sonic boom from their passing buffeted the helicopters and shattered the cockpits, killing the pilots. Six of them careened towards the ground.
The other Pidgeot was inexperienced at such high-speed fighting, and crashed into one of the rear helicopters. It exploded outright, killing both Pokemon and pilot.
Abandon turned round for another attack, and swore at the loss of both her companions. She wished Blade was here, that she could call for more experienced fighters… Looked like she was on her own here.
*********************************************************************************************************
The two Sneasel attacked Sabrina again, their combined Night Shade breaking her defences enough for Mewtwo to hit her with a good Psybeam, but they were quickly knocked down and the small advantage they’d given him was wrecked as she attacked with greater power and fury.
Mewtwo finally collapsed, ribs cracked and fading into unconsciousness.
Eon watched in horror. Those four had been the only Dark Pokemon on hand, and they’d failed. Eclipse could possibly still fight, but how could he reach Sabrina with his foot nailed down? Take the shard out and he’d still be hard-pressed to move.
And now with Mewtwo down, Sabrina’s victory was assured. She was insanely powerful, and if Eon jumped into the fray she’d be defeated and her mind would be absorbed instead of Mewtwo’s, resulting in the same outcome. Eon just couldn’t match Sabrina in psychic power.
(“…you shun your dark portion and favour your psychic portion…”)
Eon frowned. Inside her mind, something went ‘click’.
Sabrina placed her foot on Mewtwo’s chest, standing in a pose of utter victory.
~Take heart. You are to become one with a new stage of evolution!~
Mewtwo looked weakly upwards and spat blood onto her dress.
~Fuck…your evolution… and… fuck… you…~
She smiled condescendingly, and reached down to absorb him.
Night Shade hit her in the side and sent her flying.
~I wouldn’t assume victory yet,~ hissed Eon.
***************************************************************************************************
Stun Spore filled the air, raining down on the approaching army. Screams were unleashed set at a pitch designed to turn the finest minds into cheese. In the distance came the crackle of electrical force, signifying an end to the sneaking soldiers.
The army was slowed and hit by a barrage of Gust, Razor Wind and Whirlwind, sending troops and jeeps flying, spreading concussions and flayed skin. One Crobat shot out Flamethrower, setting fire to an overturned car, and a small group used Whirlwind to spread a firestorm through the human ranks.
The Pokemon weren’t without their casualties. Gunfire brought down a fifth of the aerial force and tank shells and missiles eventually forced the defensive Pokemon into a retreat. The humans, though hit with numerous losses, were able to march onwards.
Then the diggers struck, smashing their way upwards through the marching ranks, sending broken men and smashed vehicles flying. Some unfortunate Ground Pokemon dug upwards next to the fire, blinding them and leaving them easy prey to human firepower. The human army turned inwards and a vicious close-quarters battle began.
Abandon struck down another helicopter, watching as a Rhyhorn tossed a tank into the air. The battle looked like it was going in their favour, but she wasn’t fooled. She could tell this was a death-trap for the Ground/Rock Pokemon, surrounded by enemies on all sides.
That was bad planning on my part. I may have to order them to Dig and retreat to Viridian.
She swooped over to the ruined city and called down to the Pokemon in it. “Advance and use projectile attacks, take the heat off the Ground/Rocks.”
“How long can we hold out like this?” called up a Rattata.
“I don’t know! I
thought we could wipe them out, but we may have to settle for halting their
advance. Just keep fighting! With any luck, we’ll be able to call Eon for
reinforcements soon!”
************************************************************************************************
~DIE!~
The tables had turned on Sabrina. She was relying on her vast psychic power, but Eon was using all five elements at her control. Water, Electric and Fire attacks pounded Sabrina’s defences, whilst she protected herself with a combination of Dark and Psychic powers. Sabrina managed to score some good hits, but most of their force was negated by the Dark part of the defences. As with Eclipse, she use her telekinesis to rip open the ground and fire it towards her opponent, but it wasn’t working as well- with Water attacks at Eon’s command, she could easily take down every single rock shot with a few wide-field attacks.
Sabrina, however, could hold out for a long time. This was becoming a war of attrition and who knew where that would ultimately lead?
~Why do you fight this?~ Sabrina screamed. ~It is-~
~Stop bringing up evolution! What you’re doing isn’t evolution, it’s genocide! And I will see you dead for it!~
The fighting continued, ripping up Mt. Moon and the surrounding greenery. Thunderclaps sounded with each attack, and energy discharged and blood flew from both combatants.
Eon knew this couldn’t last. They’d end up destroying the mountain, and if that happened the Pokemon army would be walking wounded. She had to end this now.
Focusing all her Dark power, she charged Sabrina and knocked the both of them through her shadow.
This place was pure dark. No light shone and the fighters inside it could see their colour drain away to dull grey. There was nothing around but the darkness.
This was what Dark Pokemon went through when travelling between shadows. It was, for lack of a better term, the Void, and Eon had taken Sabrina into the heart of it.
~Ah, a new battleground. One which amplifies your Dark abilities,~ said Sabrina. ~This will not ensure you victory. You are still part Psychic, and I can get into your mind through that. You will just ensure I reach the next stage in here, and when that happens I will break out and destroy the Void as I go.~
~I know,~ said Eon. ~But as you are now, you can’t get out of here back to the real world.~
And with that, Eon headed back out.
~No. No! NO!~
*****************************************************************************************************
Brock didn’t know where to go. He couldn’t go to the Pokemon, because he’d have to get past the military. He couldn’t stay here, because he’d be arrested again. He couldn’t leave the country, because he knew something would kill him. So his only chance was to hide underground and wait for the Pokemon to attack- then he’d try to appeal to them once they’d won. Hopefully one of them would know who he was…
He’d nipped inside a nearby building, he didn’t know what it was, so he could get to the toilet. The prison had had a bucket, and he was looking forward to something with plumbing.
He went into the men’s room, and found Ash moving to come out.
Time slowed.
Ash pulled out his gun. “Put them up,” he hissed.
Brock chuckled and folded his arms.
“I’m not bluffing.”
“I never said you were. I just don’t care. Heard you’re a prophet now.”
“Yes.”
“So what’s your message now? ‘Rebelling against slavery is bad!’” said Brock, imitating Ash’s voice. “‘Pokemon killing human’s is wrong, so we must go kill them!’ You pathetic shit.”
“Oh?” Ash’s grip on the gun tightened. “You’re a traitor, how can you pass judgement?"
“Traitor? I tried to get my Pokemon de-chipped! I tried to get people to flee Johto before they got slaughtered! How the hell is that betrayal?!”
“Don’t lie! You undermined the government, sided with Eon. You’re the enemy.”
Brock made eye contact. “You know what I see when I look at you? That foolish loser who came to my Gym three years ago, thinking he could win against an Onix with an Electric type,” he sneered. “I thought you’d made some progress since then, but no- still a fool and a loser.”
“Your friend Eon can’t win,” said Ash. “Her brainwashing will fail eventually. We’ll shatter her. You’ve picked the wrong side, Brock.”
“Oh yes, the infamous brainwashing. Now, I wondered why you would believe such an obvious load like that, why you become a good little Stormtrooper, why you accepted every half-arsed rumour about Eon without a second thought. And I know the answer.” His voice dropped to a hiss. “It’s because you don’t want to admit that you’re wrong.”
Ash fired.
***********************************************************************************************
Eon rose from Sabrina’s shadow, which disappeared as she watched. She was exhausted from the fight and the pressure she’d placed on her underused Dark powers, but at least she’d won. Sabrina was now trapped in that Void, and would eventually die in there. Her psychic powers couldn’t help her now.
Medical teams rushed about, patching up the wounded. Mewtwo had been given some emergency painkillers, and was now using Recover to keep him conscious and cause his wounds to clot. Ho-oh was nearby, being treated for his broken wing, which Mewtwo was enjoying watching.
Eon staggered over to a nearby Graveller, told him to get a team together to start repairing the damage done to the mountain and then collapsed.
It was an hour later. Eon, now rested, listened gravely to Abandon’s report.
“We couldn’t get rid of the humans,” she said. “We’ve managed to take out half their number and stop their advance though! They’ve set up camp outside Viridian. The ships that brought them here are still around- we need to sink those quickly, before they attack other coastal areas. The inhabitants of Pallet and the surrounding coast have all been killed, along with a lot of Pokemon in the nearby forest and those in my team- overall, about six hundred or so dead.”
~Damn. And on top of that, a human force has moved in. I’ll get a large assault force to assemble and attack soon.~ Eon frowned. ~Convenient, really- they attacked at the same time as Sabrina, when there was psychic interference all over Mt. Moon, disrupting our psychic communications system. That is too great a coincidence. Someone had that planned.~
“Another traitor?”
~Maybe, but how would they know when Sabrina would get here? Ah, hell with this. I need to inspect the reconstruction work and the wounded. Dismissed, Abandon.~
**************************************************************************************************
“I was right,” she said smugly. “Sabrina failed."
“Did you know Eon would do that?”
“It was likely. It makes future events so much more interesting though…"
“What do you see?”
“Later. Now I must go. Maintain the vigil here.”
“Why won’t you tell me what you see now?”
“Because it is complex. Strands are intertwining. Nothing now is any more likely than anything else. It will take time to work it all out.” She smiled. “We are living in interesting times.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: FATE
(or a series of random and yet significant events that people frantically try to see nonexistent connections in, often in the sense of giving some meaning to their unimportant and disappointing lives)
Fate, n. [< L. fatum, oracle; neut. pp. of fari, to speak], 1. the power supposed to determine the outcome of events; destiny. 2. something supposedly determined by this power. 3. a person's lot or fortune: as, it was his fate to be a bachelor. 4. final outcome. 5. final result or consequence; an outcome. 6. unfavorable destiny; doom. 7. death; destruction. v.t. [FATED, FATING], [Obs. except in passive], to destine. ––the Fates, in Gr. & Rom. mythology, the three goddesses who control human destiny and life; Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos.
what does it look
like from the other side
where birth is death
and death is life and you can see the ending in beginning
where you can see the
beginning of the end
tell me
i want to see it
i only see the
beginning it all ends before it happens
where is the end
tell me what lies
after death
tell me what lies
before birth
tell me - the world
is between them
what lies on the
other side of the mirror
tell me
i want to know
the reflection
*******************************************************************************************************
The little boy is skipping cheerfully though the forest, not too far from the city. He really does have nothing to fear. No Pokemon is willing to kill such a worthless target. He does carry Pokeballs, but they are empty. He has no idea how many people have been killed in situations like this. It isn't a child's nature to remain in a state of fear.
Within shadow, Sabrina raged without effect.
are you really stuck
here
all this power and
not a clue
almost sad
or maybe less
'mine' of course
but you're weak
you're useless after
all
and that's what 'i' care about
was willing to see how far you'd get but
strength is unimportant you couldn't see properly
that means you're not worth it
how do you know 'we'
aren't just figments
part of YOUR overly-complicated mind
you're tearing the fabric and that takes time to fix
and we don't want it to wake up
"Coward!" screeched the bird.
"And what have you done?" said the first.
"Perhaps not to the peacemaker," sneered the second. "Perhaps not to the weakling who was the last to wake. I sense weakness, guardian."
i don't like this she's planning something
so
bitch is going to cause trouble i know it
no need for that
isn't there
hasn't done anything we don't have the time to deal with it
that could be fixed
what are you suggesting
quiet
Domino poked it with the end of a pencil, then looked back up to glare at the scientist. "I'm paying you good money and you give me this?" she demanded, poking the tiny Persian-like animal with the pencil again. It made a pathetic sound that Domino thought might have been meant as a growl, tried to bat blindly at its assailant, overbalanced and collapsed in a sprawled heap on her desk.
***************************************************************************************************
if we don't know
fear of unknown is fear of yourself coward
COWARD
calm a decision must be reached the facts are
far from certain
the decision has been made
new facts
YOU made the decision we all did
that was then this is
now we know
you lack faith the decision was made
on incomplete knowledge
exactly that is proof it was the right one do you lack faith
perhaps temporary weave confused the duration
quiet
"Wait."
It made a curious sound, almost like bubbles slipping though rotten meat. The Vulpix backed away, blasting at it again.
"Shut up!" screamed the Vulpix, spiting out another Ember attack frantically. "Shut up!"
It shall not be allowed. Shall not will never can you destroy all of us? Our numbers grow by the second we outnumber you by the millions SHALL WE TEAR THE FLESH FROM YOUR BONES OR SHALL WE SNAP YOUR NECK SO YOU MAY RISE WITH US.
"SHUT UP!"
**************************************************************************************************
The trainer is, shamefully, losing against an unskilled opponent. The first of his Pokemon has fainted, and this is a two-on-two battle. He does not fear losing the match, only the humiliation of having a rookie defeat any of his Pokemon. Abiding by long-followed rules, he, knowing his superiority and the other's inferiority, had chosen the weakest Pokemon he thought could win rather then his strongest. That was the way Pokemon gained strength. He had miscalculated, and the first Pokemon had lost. His humiliation has nothing to do with the rookie he was fighting, but his own error in calculating how strong his Pokemon would be.
He is a Persian – at least, as far as anyone looking at
him is concerned. There are a few blotchy, tan circles on his pelt, but only
another Persian would consider it a warning sign. Most other Pokemon would just
assume his fur was mud-splattered and he hadn't had a chance to clean it off
yet.
The spots are not mud and they can't be gotten off, but compared to the black Nightress or the rotting Zorsian, he blends in just fine. He doesn't skulk though the shadows – no, he walks with cat's confidence though the daylight. No one will see anything wrong as long as he doesn't act like there is anything wrong. No one will see him. He can walk right up to Eon without challenge.
Until he sees the not-human, who sees him at the same time and lunges.
*******************************************************************************************************
~ There's still the problem of the dark one, ~ said Celebi, his voice soft, hesitant, as if he didn't know the answer.
The eversian comes to a halt, panting. Standing in the shadowy overhang of a rock, he carefully licked the blood off and smoothed down his fur. Calmer, he took a few steps out, only to be speared by a Rapidash.
*********************************************************************************************************
Slice didn't say anything. The Sneasel simply stared at Eon
emotionlessly, claws beginning to twitch slightly.
~ Yes. Any reason only you decided to come here? ~
Apocalypse shrugged, as if she hadn't thought of it. "Seniority,
boredom, we did. You wouldn't have gotten a better answer if we all came. If one
of us meant to help you, we would tear it apart. We don't betray each other."
~ You must be aware that Ice has threatened to kill all of
them. ~
"You would have been the killer. They would simply
have fought. End result is the same, but not the cause. Whether or not that
matters is your own decision."
~ What is hidden there? ~
"Nothing."
~ Are you allowed to lie? ~
"All of us are 'allowed' to lie. We have the ability,
and choose not to. It's true."
~ You're hiding nothing? ~
"Exactly."
~ Then why isn't anyone allowed in? ~
~ You've lost me. ~
Slice spoke. "We should just kill the bitch. Then we'd
only have somethings to hide. That brat-"
"Then it would shatter," said Apocalypse, staring
at Slice. "The decision is made. You want an order? You want to die?"
Slice glanced back at Eon. "Thread holds. I can fix
that. Easily. The way this is going, we'll still be picking up the pieces when
their bones are dust, if we aren't dead with them."
"You do that and we
shatter and there's nothing that can fix that. It's one thing if we die. Shatter
and it all goes."
~ What is wrong with all of you?! ~
"Nothing," Slice said. "Speaking of which, don't send things into shadow again. It'll take a while to recover. You don't just drop things in there."
"The decision was made, Slice," Apocalypse said. "Until it's revoked, things like this just makes it fragment further. We can't afford that."
~ You've all gone mad. Is that it? ~
******************************************************************************************************
Despite the covert efforts of several very powerful forces,
such as Team Rocket, the Johto government, and perhaps another even more subtle,
not quite everyone is ready to do as
Ash has said, says and will undoubtedly continue to say. While certainly there
is no one who doesn't want to fight Eon – or if there is, they keep their
views to themselves – but that doesn't mean they all want to follow Ash.
These splinter groups are basically identical the majority,
save they wish to follow a different leader. They are not, by nature, a threat.
Unable to act in unity (you don't refuse to follow the main leader just to all
flock to the same alternative) they are small, even useless groups. They can go
out and 'take back' a small section of undefended and impossible to defend
wilderness. This is not impressive.
The Pokemon, of course, see no real reason to defend a
patch of forest the humans will leave anyway in an hour or so. Some of the more
devoted and less smart might actually counter-attack, but, much like the
splinter-groups they end up fighting, don't command enough of the other Pokemon
to really do anything one way or another.
"I don't care, Zapdos. I am not a Pokemon. I am Dark. You have no leverage over me."
"I know when someone lies, too. If I'm not important,
why are you here? Just to talk? Go back to your worshippers. There is no god of
Darkness. You don't control me. I'm something with power and no leash. Horrible,
isn't it?"
"Mad dogs have to be put down. And surely, even you
should be able to see that you can't fight all of us. We know the secret of the
forest. We can bring this whole army down on you."
"No, no, I'm not a fool. I've only lived a few decades, while you've lived for centuries. The five of you-"
"The five of you are powerful, but I'm not going to have to fight you all at once, am I? You'd rather risk losing as individuals. Only your certain destruction would make you work together, and even then, it might not."
"Lugia and Mew aren't willing to fight me. The others
won't even come. The rest of you - your power wanes with time. You haven't
encountered anyone willing to fight you for too long. You are far stronger then
me. Don't think it matters. I knew you would awaken, I knew you would try to
kill me. I am ready."
Zapdos screeched, the sky darkening. Lightning fell, and
slid around Ice to hit the ground beside her.
"Jolteon can control lighting, little pocket
god," Ice called. "I may not be able to hit you with it, but I can
stop it from hitting me."
"It's not you I'm going for. You're the master of
them. I know what that means. I remember how to deal with humans whose Pokemon
were too strong."
Ice shoved the lightning away from herself again. Zapdos
screamed fury, the skies rumbling. Again, he sent it at her.
Zapdos was not a strategist. He did not understand that she
was not an Electric Elemental, that what she was doing was far from normal, and
that it would undoubtedly be exhausting and impossible to keep up. He did not
realize that if he kept attacking long enough, it would hit. He was expecting a
certain thing to happen, and would continue to attack until it occurred. And Ice
knew this.
The lightning didn't hit that time either, but a black shape appeared above the pokegod, digging its claws into Zapdos' back and biting just above his neck. He sent all the gathering electricity at it, then knocked the nearly dead Nightress off. It smashed into the ground. Ice didn't move. She looked horrified.
"Nightress…"Ice whispered. Then:
"NOW!"
Zapdos didn't see what happened. His eyesight dimmed and he
screamed again, this time in pain. It felt as if he was being torn in half. His
wings stopped beating and he fell, hitting the ground painfully. He raised his
head weakly, and saw the Nightress stand and walk to Ice's side.
"How…?"
"A decent enough trick, I'll give you that. But
Nightress can't disobey a direct order. Think of it at a failsafe. You won't be
able to lure them out. You're strong, yes. But this is the limit of your strategic ability. And it's just not good
enough."
"What…what did you do? What did it do?" Zapdos
whispered.
"Pain Split."
"You can't. It can't."
"No, but she did."
"The next time? The next time you'll think twice
before trying to kill one of them. I've insured their safety. And the rest will
still fall for it, if it comes to that."
"Do you really believe that?"
His head dropped, lolling against the ground. His breath
hissed in and out in ragged gasps. "You won't last."
"Were there others?" Ice asked softly. "Were
there others you can remember?"
"Yes. No. I can't remember. I remember…I remember
how to kill things like you. Can't remember…how they were the same. If it was
mere loyalty or…what you are. I think…you'd have to talk to the others…one
of them might have killed recently enough…recently enough to remember. But
remember mortal…remember, we did kill them. We did."
Ice said, "They were yours, weren't they?"
Zapdos moved his head slightly, in a tiny nod. "Yes, I think they were. I think they were."
Ash's eyes shine as he watches.
all of them all together for one single attack
wait
wait
wait
draw it out
stay here defend
don't let eon take goldenrod and don't attack
prepare
wait
call all of them here
call all of them to goldenrod
then
gather all of them
that is what must be
done
"Yes," Ash said. He'd thought on everything he'd
been told, on everything the Vaporeon had said. In his mind's eye, he sees the
humans crashing though the Pokemon's lines, reaching Eon, and ending it.
this shall not come soon you will have time to prepare
but you must be ready must be followed must have
everyone
Rachel sat, hugging her knees to her chest. The Houndour
was injured, and without it, she was almost catatonic. Nightflame wasn't there
either.
Eclipse spoke. "Rachel," she said, her voice
clumsy, slightly harsh. Rachel looked up a little, then flinched as she saw the Umbreon.
"Rachel," Eclipse repeated, her voice changing. "Rachel, I need
to talk to you."
Rachel looked around, trying to find the voice. She stood,
turning around, taking a few steps back and forth, staring around frantically.
"Rachel, I'm right here. I need to talk to you."
"Mommy?" Rachel started to cry. She stepped
toward the Umbreon.
"It's important," Eclipse continued.
Rachel wrapped her arms around the Umbreon's neck and
started to cry. When she stopped, Eclipse bent her head and whispered in the
girl's ear: "Rachel, I have a message. From your shadow girl."
"Rion," said Rachel softly. "Rion Eci.
Shadow girl. The mirror shatters."
"Yes. She won't be able to come see you. Not today.
But she'll keep her promise. We keep our promises. But you can't tell anyone.
They don't want you to leave. They'd try to stop your shadow girl. Just wait. We
should be ready very soon."
"And then no one will look for me ever again?"
Rachel asked.
"Yes."
**********************************************************************************************************
Misty is, of course, one of the many currently hanging on
Ash's every word and 'premonition'. By this point, almost no one is worried
about following the directions of someone who hears voices. As with Joan of Arc,
the less likely but more comforting idea of a saviour takes president over the
more likely situation.
Which might be considered good, since Ash doesn't seem to
be insane…at least in that one respect. It does not matter if the voices he
hears are his own, it does not matter if they belong to angels or demons, it
does not matter if they belong to a shade. For they, at least, seem sane and
well informed. Which might be considered good. It depends on which species you
think deserves to win. Or rather, which species you belong to, which can be a
different thing entirely.
One would hope Misty would act differently if she
understood what happened to Brock. And she might have. Or she might have not.
Of course, might-have-beens are unimportant. For she does. It is what might be that matters. And that seems clear. Or is it?
Fenris was upset. When Fenris was upset small things had a
tendency to be destroyed. In actuality, no (known) pokemon had been killed by
the Houndoom. In common knowledge, the only thing that really mattered, he had
slaughtered several dozen members of Eon's army on his last rampage.
Which was, of course, why Star, as the only
reasonably-powerful pokemon too stupid and naive to just ignore the lesser,
cowering Pokemon who came begging help, intervention, and/or the death of
Fenris, was there.
Not wishing to risk a reasonably painful death, she did not
attempt to attack, restrain or even make any threatening motions. In all
likelihood, Ice would show up and calm him down. Star assumed this would happen
because if it hadn't, Fenris would have already done something major long before
this.
Unfortunately, this was the wrong thing to do. Fenris could
ignore the existence of prey running around smelling of fear. He did kill to
simplify his world, much as a computer will end a program where the code doesn't
match up properly, but it was not an undeniable compulsion, especially after
being told not to. While he was upset, the existence of prey did nothing to
further enrage him. If anything, they were comforting. He had already decided
that there was something of an order preventing them from leaving, so that no
longer confused him. And beyond that, they were acting the way they were
supposed to.
They were thus completely safe as long as none of them did
anything inexplicable, such as approaching him. Star, on the other hand, was not
prey. And Fenris knew she wasn't a master. Which meant she was going to kill
him. Which meant he could kill her. Which made him feel much better.
Fenris stared at Star, and she realized exactly how big of
a mistake this was in the same instant as he lunged.
A second shape smashed him to the side. It was Ice. She
looked like hell, her wrist and neck bleeding. As she got up calmly, Star
realized something was wrong with her leg.
Ice snarled something, her face impassive. The blood
dripping to the ground slowed and stopped as Fenris whined something quickly and
vanished. She followed.
Star had no idea what had just happened. She did know
something had happened. Ice might be losing control of Fenris, but Star didn't
think that was it. Because Ice would have killed Fenris.
Dark walked along the streets of Goldenrod, Kurai trotting
by his side, seemingly not noticing the way people, upon seeing his silver Eevee,
glared daggers at him as they passed. He wasn't very conspicuous himself, but it
was standard practice to keep Pokemon in Pokeballs, and some people considered
even that to be pushing it. People feared Pokemon, as they feared death.
He turned through alleyways, almost accidentally avoiding
staying out where people could see him for extended periods. Reaching his
destination, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Four eyes stared at him
from the relative gloom inside.
"Hi, Dark," said one.
"Zia," he greeted. "Who's this?"
"I'm Jwar," said the second girl.
"She chipped her Pokemon," Zia told him. "'S
why she's here."
"Ah. Second thoughts, hm?" he said.
Jwar flushed. "I thought I was helping them. I didn't
learn until later, and by then, it had become a witch-hunt. I couldn't say a
thing."
"Well, that's what we're trying to do something about. I've got a contact that might actually be able to help."
infanticide's worse then matricide
they'd never find your body brat
it did get mew out of the way didn't it
he was screaming in my head about killing things for two damn hours
i said i was sorry don't be mad
do you have any self-control at all
i like mew everyone dies screaming i just…
nearly killed her
i didn't mean to nothing happened anyway
i can't be watching you every fucking second
you aren't even
watching me every other day
and you shouldn't
swear around children
(Image: small child gutted and writhing in pain)
you're mean
it's tempting
don't say that
you aren't leaving no matter how much you whine
i won't i didn't know you didn't want me to
some of us need sleep you know i really don't have time for this
but…
i promise i'll pay attention to you when this is over
you know how important all of this is
but there's no
reflection and if there's no reflection
I DON'T WANT OBLIVION
i've found something that might know i'll ask now will you go away
when
LATER
when
if i rip my throat out WILL YOU GO AWAY
NO don't hurt yourself i…
can't even tell the different between the two of us
it's hard to
and you should be nicer to yourself
you aren't me
close enough though
i WILL tear my throat out if you don't go away and let me sleep
have patience with children
there's a limit and i've been dealing with him for the past three hours
i go we all do i thought you didn't want to die
"Ice!" called Wildfire. The figure turned, saw
the fire elemental, and lunged.
Wildfire froze, not even trying to pull the claws away from
her throat. She could feel the points pricking against her skin as she stared
into the other girl's bright red eyes. She did look a lot like Ice.
"Weak," it growled softly, and vanished. Wildfire
rubbed her neck.
"What was that about?" she asked the empty air, then continued on.
The Charmeleon grins, moving slightly, turning. It is in
constant motion, twisting, turning to one side or the other, glancing about at
its subordinates, glaring back at the Raticate. Nervousness or confidence, or
maybe a bit of both, it does not act immediately, leading up slowly, looking
around, growing drunk from the sight of its reflected power in the eyes of those
around it.
The Raticate sees little of this. Through his milky eyes he can only make out the vague red-orange, moving smudge. Nearly blind, when he moves it is stiffly and slowly. Right now he doesn't move, only stands, slightly hunched, as much from fear as age. He seems to be sinking into himself slightly, making himself a smaller target. Yet he also has the vague apathy of his years. Curse me, hurt me, kill me, he seems to think, What can I do about it? And so perhaps he does not cower enough. And perhaps the Charmeleon would not have let him go anyway.
It jerks once more, a larger motion. The Raticate sees the
motion, sees the difference, and sees the brilliant splash of red even as,
shuddering, it sinks to the ground, a long gash though its back. Ice doesn't
immediately deal with the Raticate, wiping the knife clean as the other Pokemon
flee.
The Raticate blinks a few times, trying to sharpen the blur
enough to make it recognizable. He is old, ancient, and while he is nearly
blind, he does remember what things used to look like. A glimpse, and he might
be able to figure out what it is.
Ice reaches over and touches his head softly. He blinks and
then a second time, in simple surprise as the picture does clear very slightly.
Enough for him to figure it out.
"You're-"
"Ice," she says firmly. He nods, understanding.
"I didn't think any of you were still alive."
He nods a second time. "I think I'm the only one of us
left."
"To think, out of all the pampered house pets, it would be you who was left," Ice says softly.
"I can take care of myself."
The raticate shakes his head slightly. "You always
could, I know. But you shouldn't have done that. I'm worthless to you. I don't
know anything, I can't do anything. Someone else will kill me later. From what
I've heard of Eon, it won't take this. You're walking on a thin line."
"That's nothing new."
********************************************************************************************************
"I don't like this."
"I'm no coward. I'm no fool, though. You've seen what happens to those who challenge Eon," said the Feraligatr, looking around at the other Pokemon.
"I'd like to know exactly when it was decided we were going to go against Eon to begin with," said Abandon.
Rose shrugged. "I have my doubts about her conviction.
I don't think she keeps proper control over the troops."
"You think you'd be better? I hope you remember what happened last time someone thought that."
"What can we do?" asked Fang. "I'll fight
what I can see, but I like to know what I'm up against. This thing is unknown."
"Ice is unknown."
"If she killed because of a traitor, couldn't she be
the one?" said Rose. "She's the only one who has killed that we know
of."
"But she's only killed one. One does not indicate a
pattern. Shine, yes, Ice killed Shine, but several thousand pokemon were killed
under Firebringer and Memory. And it can't be a psychic, because they can't
fight darks," said Fang.
"What about Sabrina?" said Blade.
"And none of you, none of you think Ice would have done this?" said Rose. "She's a human, or near enough. Worse then a human, even."
"You think I'd have listened to anything she said?" Rose demanded.
"You aren't thinking," Abandon sighed. "If Ice is the killer, she has the ability to kill several thousand pokemon all at once. If Ice is the killer, her power is second only to the gods. If she's weak enough for us to kill, she isn't the killer. For that matter, Rose, you still have to give a reason Ice is the one. I don't think it is."
Alli nodded. "The ghosts don't take quiet, measured
revenge. They attack anything and anyone. Someone who committed a minor
transgression may bring the wrath of the spirits down on their entire family,
someone who angered the ghosts may cause them to attack all the passers-by in
the area for generations. The ghosts take their revenge on anyone, not the one
who first caused it."
"What about Ryver?" asked Rose. "That wasn't
random. He was attacked just as he had finished telling the humans, just at the
perfect time to convince everyone. Perfect for someone trying to sabotage us."
"What about Ryver?" said Abandon. "He was skinned and teleported. Ice can't do either, and we've just been through why Sabrina wouldn't have done anything."
There was a moment of silence before Fang spoke. "Does it matter? It's something we can't fight, we can – or should all be able to agree on that."
~ Ghosts, Psychics, or you. Personally, I'd go with you. ~
Ice yawned. "Do you really need to go through this now?"
~ So you're admitting it's true? ~
"Zapdos made a rather predictable threat to tell you all that. You're still wrong, of course. I have a much better thing to hide."
~ Damn you, what the hell is left! ~
"Nothing. Nothing at all."
~ That's a lie. ~
"I'm afraid it's literally true. And if it wasn't, well, it's not as if I can't lie. So you really don't know, do you? Such a shame."
~ I'll kill you as a traitor, and I will get into that forest if it kills me. ~
"It would. But see, you'll never get the chance. Because you won't get to kill me."
~ If you think you're stronger then me, you're even more insane then I thought. ~
"You mean, if I just stood still and we both blasted at each other? Eon, you wouldn't be able to find me. If you could, you wouldn't be able to hold me long enough to kill me. And if worst came to worst, I'd be sure to drag you down with me. Maybe you can kill me, but you wouldn't live to enter there."
~ Why are you so determined to protect your stupid little area? Why are there humans left? And what are you hiding? ~
"It's not exactly 'mine'. I'm not the only one protecting it. Now, Eon, surely there is time for such stupid ventures after you finish this revolution. If you win, you'll be able to spend all of your time obsessing over killing me and everyone there. If you lose, well, you'll be dead, so you won't really care."
~ And why would you want me to do that if it wasn't the wrong choice? ~
"It's in our best advantage for the Pokemon to win this. We'll survive either way, it's just harder."
~ You won't survive either way, because if the humans don’t get you the Pokemon will. I'll make sure of it. ~
"Eon, you are and remain Psychic. You depend on that one, single element far more then Fire, Electric or Water. You've managed – barely – to operate with your Dark element present. That is not impressive. If you suppress your Dark type when you try to kill us, you'll lose. If you don't, it doesn't matter. There's a trick to killing Darks. It can only be pulled off by another Dark, it's almost impossible to do and there's a way around it, but you? You don’t even know what shadow is."
~ Shadow is nothing. I've been there. ~
"Twice," said Ice. "Shadow is not as simple as you think it is. You can't even 'see' it, let alone move below the surface."
~ Doesn't seem to do that much good, if the all the Darks who could do it are dead. ~
"That's because I killed them," Ice said. "I saw them when they killed those on the 'surface' layer. When I grew stronger, and moved down deeper into shadow, I met them. They challenged me once I reached their particular level, and I won."
~ So you don't even feel a type loyalty. Never mind, loyalty's an emotion, isn't it? ~
Ice smiled, and Eon shuddered. "The Darks hidden within the layers of shadow had been ancient creatures, grown fat and weak though time. They were parents who ate their own children, sharks which lunged from the depths. And they were fools, not understanding that there could be no helping in shadow. Relying on an archaic truce, that no one could attack any other without all attacking the first, they fell from their own greed. When I killed the weakest, they ignored me. When I killed the next, and the next, they ignored me, each certain I would go no further, and happy not to have to share prey with as many. Through them, I found out enough to ultimately understand that, through shadow, any one Dark could be killed."
~ Really? Do tell. It'd make it easier for me. ~
"It's not something you can do just by being told, let alone something you could do. I learned, I can, and will, if it comes to that."
~ What you're saying is impossible. You can't kill something stronger then yourself. ~
"There are different kinds of strength. In this case, perhaps it would be skill. When you touch something hot, that burns you, you pull away automatically, before you even realize it. It's just reflex. When Darks are pulled into shadow by another, their first reflex is to resist. And they get torn apart."
~ Doesn't it sort of ruin your little trick to tell me? ~ asked Eon.
"It's reflex, Eon. It takes years to learn not to do that. It doesn't matter if you know. You die before you even realize what happened. Pulling off something that hard is exhausting, it's not something that can be done on a large scale, but for one single death, it works. One single death. And that's all it would take."
~ So I'm close then? You're desperate enough to lie. ~
"Eon, you've said I'm lying since the beginning. You nearly always assume I'm lying. You've been wrong every other time, and you're still wrong now."
"Scale," cheeped a Spearow. "Got something to tell you."
The Ekans glared at the bird. "What?"
"You want Rachel dead, don't you?" he asked.
"Been watching, been watching," said the Spearow, hopping back and forth. "There's no one, no one at all."
"Idiot! Don't waste my time. Everyone knows one of Ice's Pokemon is just waiting for another fool to try to attack."
"No no no, none of them are there," said the Spearow, fluttering his wings. "They've decided to leave Rachel alone."
"Talked to a Murkrow, talked to a Murkrow," he chirped. "That's how."
*********************************************************************************************************
The Umbreon had dull eyes and duller fur. Her sides were sunk in, bones showing and belly distended.
She did, though, still retain enough presence of mind to stop. She hadn't seen it in the shadows until it moved. Now she froze, unsure of what this creature intended. She sniffed, and realized whatever it was, it wasn't another Pokemon.
"Why are you here?" it asked, slithering toward her out of the darkness.
"I heard – I don't know what to believe. I heard – I don't know what was true. That they could free Po-Poke-Pokemon. That they could control Poke-Pokemon. That it wasn't safe. Tha-that some of them might kill. Especially – especially something like me. That – I didn't know if they could do anything. I couldn't think. They could – I can't think. They could – kill me."
It nodded. "They might have, if you didn't agree to join. Or just because they were afraid. But why here? Who told you?"
She paused, throat twitching for a moment before saying, "The bird that was not a Xatu."
It nodded again, twisting its splayed-out legs with muffled grinding noise. After a moment, they were under it rather then off to the side, looking more like the Umbreon's own legs then the frightening, alien joints earlier. "Follow me. The second isn't too far, but I'm afraid there have been problems. Noir can't leave the forest right now. You'll have to come there."
The Umbreon nodded and began to walk again.
***********************************************************************************************************
Rachel is hidden away in a secluded corner. The Ekans slithered slowly toward the place, flicking its tongue in and out, smelling a very, very faint trace. Oddly faint, really, but she may have just been put there. She doesn't look up when he finds her, doesn't look up as he rears back and spits the acid. She does scream, loudly, as she burns and melts into nothing.
The Ekans, of course, is worshiped as a hero by the act. Otherwise, there are no repercussions.
"Dead," said Nightflame softly, staring down at the ground between her paws, not looking up.
"Of course. Do you think it could have ever ended differently? Even if she were taken elsewhere, they would have followed. She had become a symbol. Of humans, of power, of rebellion, or lack thereof. They were determined to prove humans do not control them. They would have chased her as long as she lived," said Apocalypse.
Nightflame jerked, lifting her head to stare at the other Houndoom. "I see. Thank you."
*******************************************************************************************************
Star shook her head. <"on, I haven't spoken against you, I haven't acted against you. I do support this. But I'm afraid what you're saying-"
~ She's making threats. This has gone on long enough. She's threatening to kill me now. ~
"I'm sorry, but you must have done something. Ice doesn't make threats like others. You must have threatened to do something, and she told you what would happen if you did. If she meant to kill you now, she'd kill you now, or try to."
~ Her forest. She's hiding something she doesn't want us to see there. Humans, and something even worse, if she's to be believed. ~
"So there are humans there," said Star. "So there's something else there. I'm sorry, but what does it matter? She's not going to do anything"
~ I find that hard to believe. There's no reason to hide something otherwise. ~
"Sure there is. For the humans alone, you would have attacked. She might just want whatever's there left alone."
~ No, it's something major. She's lying about it. She said that she was hiding something, then hiding nothing. She's lied, too, said that she could kill any dark, there was a trick. It's got to be something major for that, doesn't it? ~
Star ducked her head. "She wasn't…lying about that."
~ You believe it? It's impossible. ~
"I don't know. But there was an Umbreon. His name was Live. I don't know why he had that name. He was – just vicious. Not a Dark Evolution, just his nature. He was just evil. He would…kill things. And one day he died."
"No," said Star. "No. He died. No one touched him."
~ Then how do you know it was Ice? ~
"He screamed," said Star softly. "He screamed and he died. If you'd heard him, you'd know. He screamed."
Eon sighed. ~ You just assumed Ice is the one responsible? ~
"He screamed and he died," Star repeated. "If you ever hear it, you'll understand that I know. I hope you never do."
~ Why would Ice even bother to kill him? She's got a Dark Evolution. ~
"It's not the same thing. Live was just a monster. And Fenris…he's a really rare sort. He's what they try for in Dark Evolutions. He's controllable, especially for someone like Ice. She has experience with them. He won't kill anyone, I think."
~ He's controllable? As opposed to what? ~
"The other two sorts. I saw them. You'd see them in cages. Most of them, when they saw you, they'd lunge for the bars, roaring and trying to get out to kill you. They were just loose cannons. They'd be sent out to attack, and then recalled once they tried to turn on their owner. The other ones would just watch you. Just watch, without moving. And some of them looked like Fenris, distant, like you weren't even there. And the other ones would stare at you, hate you, but not do anything. Ice used to work with them. Some of them used to suddenly go berserk. Those ones, the ones that hated everything, they couldn't be used. See, the loose cannons, the ones who were insane, they'd just attack whatever was in front of them. But those ones, they'd turn around and try to rip their handler apart. And they wouldn't stop until the Rocket was dead. They'd be given to Ice, and after a while she'd give them back. I think the boss was hoping they'd kill her. They'd do what they were told, but their eyes…all of us, all the Pokemon, we knew they were the same. And after a while, they'd kill a bunch of Rockets, out of the blue. They managed to kill off almost every Psychic in the place, you know. And then they'd be brought back to Ice, and she'd say they had to be killed. And she'd kill them. Snap their necks or something. They wouldn't even fight. But they died quietly."
"Hello Fenris," said Wildfire.
The Houndoom glanced up at her, growled once absently, and went back to gnawing at the bone lying between his forelegs. It was a stout bone, like the ones Wildfire had used to see in shops. But those were white, with an old, dried look to them, while this was still red-stained with scraps clinging to it. Wildfire decided not to dwell on that.
One of the splinter-groups has not returned. Their families are the only ones who would have noticed, and their families are already dead. The other splinter-groups may realize, intuitively, that their total number seems reduced, but they shove it from their minds and continue their token resistance.
***********************************************************************************************************
"You're a idiot," Ice said, prying open Fenris' jaws. Wildfire yanked her arm out, looking like she was about to burst into tears.
that counts as a death wish kill her
it does not
it-
don't you DARE
"Why did he do that?" she wailed. "I didn't do anything!"
"You threatened him."
"I was just going to pet him!"
Ice sighed. "Your stupidity is almost amusing."
"I wasn't going to hurt him!"
"That's very nice. Next time, explain that to him and he can just take your head off."
"Why would he do that?"
kill her
said Wildfire, still sounding upset.
when i'm dead you can do what you want but until then BE QUIET
ha ha ha with destiny like this we're all going
"Because he's a Dark Evolution. He does not think of you as a master who gives orders and you are – barely – too strong to be simple prey. So by logic, you must be another like him, so you will kill him."
"I wouldn't do that. I don't want to kill anyone."
"You don't want to kill him," Ice agreed. "But he can't understand the concept of that. He believes anything that can hurt him will."
and she's a fool can't forget that
i like her
SEE what more proof do you need
she's nice
so
Wildfire looked at Fenris, who had gone back to chewing on his bone. "Then why isn't he scared? Does he want to die?"
she does
that's just the reflection and you know it i'm the one she wants dead
so kill her
"No. He's not one of them. Those are the sane ones and most of them are dead now."
"Then why isn't he upset?"
"He obeys me. It doesn't matter if you kill him or not, he's not allowed to attack until you attack, so it doesn't matter if he's scared, and so he isn't."
"That did make sense, right?"
"Yes, it did. You haven't figured out how to heal yet?"
Wildfire looked down at her arm. It had light puncture marks on it, but Fenris hadn't had a chance to tear at it. "Charizard don't learn healing moves."
"Charizard don't learn Solar Beam either," said Ice, touching the injury for a moment and focusing as the skin pulled together.
"But Houndoom can. There's no fire-type healing move. Why didn't you help Rachel?"
"Why do you ask?
"Because you said you'd protect her!"
"I never said that."
I DID I DID I DID I DID I DID I DID
and we're still annoyed by that quiet
all of you should be quiet
"Well, your Pokemon did, and then they didn't. Why? What did she do to you?"
"Rachel's not dead."
"No, worse. There's not even a body left."
"Remarkably convenient, isn't it?"
"If you had an Ekans, yes, it would be. You don't. And no one even notices she's dead. Not even Nightflame. Your Pokemon said they wouldn't protect her anymore. Why? You could have just left her. They wouldn't have done anything. Why?"
"Wildfire, you're missing something. My Pokemon never said they would or wouldn't protect her to anyone. Another Pokemon claims we did. Now, why would my Pokemon even bother to say that?"
"You must have."
"Rachel's not dead. That's why the Spearow talked to an Ekans, of all Pokemon. Otherwise they'd want a body to prove it. See?"
"I don't believe you. You've got no reason to tell the truth."
Ice shrugged. "Then don't. Your beliefs don't alter the truth of the situation, so it doesn't matter what you believe. Although you'd be happier if you believed she wasn't dead. And you'd be right."
"But you wouldn't do that. You don't care about anything."
"No, I wouldn't have. But someone else made a promise on my behalf, and I honour it." Ice shrugged, jumped up to a low branch on the tree and sat down, leaning back against the trunk and closing her eyes. She idly snapped one of her fingers and enjoyed the abrupt silence as it pulled back together. "Again, it doesn't really matter if you believe me or not."
******************************************************************************************************
"Well, what next? This seems like an auspicious time to attack, doesn't it?" said Cinceon.
"Have some respect for the dead," muttered Mixeon.
"What, you think they should have left her?" demanded Cinceon.
"No, I know Rachel had to die. But you should stop being so happy about it."
~ Be quiet, the both of you. It doesn't matter, ~ said Eon.
"Where will we attack next?" asked Rose. "The humans are massing in Goldenrod."
~ I know that. But Goldenrod's too well defended. It might even end up as a siege. The number of Pokemon who would have to die to take Goldenrod…we wouldn't lose, but I'm not willing to just sacrifice them if there's any other option. Right now, I think we should focus on the smaller towns that haven't been evacuated. They'll try to get to Goldenrod soon, or launch more kamikaze attacks. ~
"You're just going to leave them?" Rose demanded. "Leave them to attack us?"
~ Are you even listening! Why don't you lead the attack, Rose? You can stand at the front and be the first shot down. It'll be a massacre. We outnumber them and they have guns. We'll 'win', sure. But they'll kill ten of us for every one we get. They're defending right now. They have the advantage. They can't leave and they know it. They'll be cut down in an instant. They aren't a threat as long as they stay there, and they can't be killed as long as they stay there. ~
"A stalemate, then?" said Fang.
~ No. They're trapped. We can fly over the city, we can tunnel underneath, we can attack them. For that matter, we can just ignore them and starve them out. For now, I think we should leave them be. They can't possibly be any danger. ~
"What about the 'prophet'? The boy who claims to hear the voice of their god?" asked Blade.
~ I don't think it matters. So someone cracked under the pressure. There were dozens prophesising attacks, surely one of them must have gotten it right. And they're desperate. The so-called prophesies might even be made up afterward, to strengthen his claims. It's happened before. It doesn't matter if even if he can predict an attack. By this point they can't do anything about it. ~
"So then, we pick off the stragglers first, prevent them from getting any reinforcements," said Abandon.
"Are you going to do anything, though?" said Wildfire.
"Why should I join in on attacks that are going to succeed anyway?"
"But Ice, you could have prevented so much. You've got the power. If the Legendaries had woken up sooner, if Winterhart had been able to help. If that boy had been killed before he started rallying them. If Ryver had been killed before he spoke before them. If…"
"What would you have me do?"
"Something! I don't know. You're the one who sees what should be done. But you don't."
"There are other things happening. Do you know how many Tyranitar there are?"
"No. What does that have to do with anything?"
"They're very rare, you know. Most of them belonged to trainers, and even if they're taken alive, they're mad by this point. This morning, there were thirty-seven. Right now, there are three. The rest were killed."
"There isn't much that can kill even one Tyranitar!"
"They were all gathered in a single place and killed with high-power weaponry. As – luck would have it, they were near a still-standing town. And now there are three left."
"But there are still plenty of Larvitar and Pupitar."
"There are probably a few trained ones left, but the Larvitar and Pupitar were in the same place as the adults."
"So the species is about to go extinct?"
"It might not. But it's very close right now."
"That's what I'm saying. Why not do anything about it?!"
"Because at that time, Zapdos and I were – talking."
"About what?"
"Who would kill who, in a nutshell."
"You threatened a pokegod!" Wildfire yelled. "What the hell is wrong with you!"
"It doesn't matter much if I threaten them or not. They intend to kill me because of my existence. They can't kill me more. The point of it is not to show weakness. If they sense weakness, they attack."
"Won't they anyway?"
"They're more hesitant."
Wildfire sighed. "So something's happening with the Tyranitar. That's just today. What about every other time?"
"What about it?"
"You've been avoiding doing anything at all. Except threaten things that can kill you. I thought you supported Eon."
"I'd rather the Pokemon win then the humans, but I'm not willing to support a lost cause, either. Eon is reasonable enough. It's Rose that's the worry. I have my own designs. Surely you can understand that by now."
"But for what? What are you doing?
A small, very, very small little creature appeared in midair. Ice caught it by the neck. Wildfire flinched. "Don't do that!"
"It doesn't mind."
"Stop it anyway. What is it?"
"A cat." At Wildfire's blank look, Ice sighed. "A cat. Cats meow like-"
"A Meowth! I remember. They're ammals."
"I'm impressed," said Ice, sounding vaguely sarcastic. "Your over-funded school actually managed to teach you something. They're animals, more specifically mammals."
"It wasn't like I ever thought it would matter. And it hasn't, either. And since when do you care about that? You probably just looked it up when you got it."
"Because remembering a one-syllable word is beyond me."
"You dropped out in first grade. Don't tell me you were paying attention."
"Which of us here is functionally illiterate?"
Wildfire stared at the ground for a moment. "So can I hold it?"
Ice leaned over and dropped it into Wildfire's hands. "That's not a Pokemon. It's very easy to kill. Don't try to hold it by one leg or its tail."
"You were holding it by its neck!"
"Wildfire, do you know anything, anything at all, about a cat?"
"I know enough not to hold anything by the neck. What's wrong with its eyes?"
"They don't open their eyes at birth. Until they do, they need almost constant attention. Incredibly annoying, demanding little things."
"You're going to kill it?"
"Did I say that?"
"Give it to me if you don't want it," said Wildfire, hugging the animal to her chest. "I'll take care of it."
"I trust small children further then you, Wildfire."
"I'm not irresponsible!"
"And it's not even that it'd be dead in three days," Ice continued. "It's that you'd bring it back in two days, begging me to fix it. You don't even know what it eats."
"Berries. Like everything else."
"I take that back. It wouldn't live long enough for you to bring back. You'd kill it in a day."
"I took good care of-"
"It's not a Pokemon. It's a kitten. It needs to be fed milk, a very specific kind, over and over and over again. It can't be left alone more then a few minutes or it'll die."
"Don't just kill it."
"I'm not going to kill it. I wouldn't have taken it to begin with if I just meant to kill it." Ice jumped down and grabbed the cat. "I'm going to leave it with someone who at least has the time and the knowledge to keep it alive."
"Such as?"
"Charizard!" cawed Ho-oh. "You serve one who should not be!"
Star didn't look at the legendary. Her head was bowed submissively, avoiding eye contact. "Wildfire doesn't go against you," she said. "We don't go against you. We don't go against the will of the gods."
"By existing it goes against the will of the gods."
"Wildfire never meant for any of this to happen."
"She won't go against you. I swear. We never wanted any of this."
"But it happened. And it must be fixed."
"You can't just kill her! She hasn't done anything! She won't do anything!"
"By existing, she challenges our power. By existing, she threatens us all. Humans are not allowed to hold such power."
"That's what Ice meant, isn't it?" Star whispered. "When she said they weren't allowed to live. I thought she just meant Wildfire. But she meant herself as well. She meant anyone. I though she just meant as a natural consequence. But she meant this."
*****************************************************************************************************
Wildfire hit her. Or tried to. Ice caught the blow in her free hand, unsurprised. Wildfire looked more upset then her. "I-I'm sorry," she whispered. "I don't know why-"
"Here," Ice said, handing the kitten back. Wildfire looked down for a second at the animal, and only saw Ice vanish out of the corner of her eye. But she did realize, vaguely, that something was strange. Ice had seemed to flicker out, as if teleporting.
Star looked around in surprise. She was a good distance away from where she and Ho-oh had been a moment ago. Why?
The Charizard shrugged, believing firmly in the proverb: don't look a gift Ponyta in the mouth. Whatever that meant.
**********************************************************************************************************
"Protecting your own? How many are there?"
"There are enough."
"Only because of you, I'm sure. Only you. There have never been so many. Kill you, and it stops. They shall die one by one I shall tear them apart myself. Yes. Kill you and it ends."
"No. I knew. I saw none before me. I knew what that meant. Kill me, and it pauses, no more. Nothing as trivial as my death will destroy them."
"It won't be that simple."
"Oh, no, no. But perhaps Mewtwo, or perhaps Mew, or, given time, even Lugia, one of them will find the others. Easily. If you've really found a way to hide them – well, isn't a spot of nothing as conspicuous as a spot of something, all in all?"
"Yes, given time. You might find some of them. But there's one you'll never find. I've made sure of that. But it doesn't matter."
"And why not, mortal?"
"Because I can hide them. And if I have to, I will wait. I will wait as you search for us. I will wait as you tire. I will wait as you sleep, and die, and sleep. And one day, I will kill you, when you are forgotten."
!Little mortal! Aren't you listening? You will be the first to die! And there will never be a time when we are forgotten. Never. We shall sleep and wake for all eternity. We are gods, mortal. Gods."
"You are pocket gods," Ice sneered. "And you are a fool. Because while I may not be able to kill Articuno or Zapdos, you, Ho-oh, rise from your own ashes. You, Ho-oh, I can kill now."
"YOU CANNOT KILL A GOD!" Ho-oh shrieked. "WE CAN NEVER BE KILLED! NEVER!"
"In the old stories you or Celebi revive the dead Legendaries. And I'm sure Celebi can't. That leaves you. Do you know what that means?"
"The stories are ancient myths. We cannot be killed!"
"It means that there's only one. When you fall, they all do."
"WE CANNOT FALL! A GOD CANNOT BE DEFEATED AND CAN NEVER, NEVER BE KILLED!"
Ice jumped out of the way of the flame. Ho-oh didn't realize that this was the one time Ice couldn't retreat. Ho-oh didn't even truly understand Ice could retreat. The Legendaries did not plan ahead, they did not discuss strategy. They were too powerful to need to bother with such things. To need to strategizing was a humiliation, a sign of weakness.
"What are you so upset about, pocket god?" Ice called. "What are you so afraid of?"
"I FEAR NOTHING!" Ho-oh screamed, blasting at Ice as quickly as he could.
"Little pocket god, what scares you so much? Just me?"
Ice laughed, low and clear. Ho-oh bristled. "Well then, I'm confused. See, I always thought the Legendary pokegods were about equal in strength. But you must be a lot stronger then Articuno or Zapdos if you wouldn't even notice my attack. Because they lost."
Ho-oh's voice trembled with rage. "ARE YOU SAYING YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO BEAT A GOD?!"
"Well, that's the question. Because I was certainly strong enough to beat Articuno. But you seem to be claiming to be far stronger. So I know I'm strong enough to beat a pocket god, but am I strong enough to beat you? If what you claim is true, then no, but otherwise…"
"BLASPHEMER NO ONE CAN GO AGAINST THE WILL OF THE GODS AND THE MIGHT OF ALL THE POWER IN THE WORLD!"
By this point, Ho-oh had stopped aiming. Aiming took time. Instead, he simply shot at everything within range, certain Ice had to be somewhere in the smoke and fire.
Ice moved quickly behind him, slipping behind the dust clouds unseen. Then she jumped, to land on Ho-oh's back for a moment. He screeched and just began to twist to throw her off. He couldn't honestly imagine a human attacking him, or doing damage. Although he did fear her without even realizing it, he feared an unknown force which had beaten and humiliated two others, not a specific attack. And while it was true he could kill her in a single blow, she was still a danger. But because he knew he could kill her, he found it impossible to believe she could ever kill him. Perhaps he never did.
Ice shoved her hand into his back, grabbing the bone and pulling. It snapped loudly and Ice jumped off again, landing and almost falling. Ho-oh fell too, crashing down in a blaze that quickly flared, then dimmed down.
Even as Ice stood slowly, the minor cracks in the bone of her legs were healing. Ignoring the fiery chick slowly forming from the flames and embers, Ice stripped the burnt flesh from her arm. Holding it in front of her face, she examined the charred bone of her fingers, then yanked them out as well. The rest of the bone was still living. She focused, causing new skin to creep slowly over it. The bones were much harder and took time, but finally her hand was finished.
The chick peeped questioningly.
"That way," said Ice, pointing. "Away from the sun. You'll find others there."
Killing a legendary, Ice remembered, was said to destroy all the carried memories. The pokegods forgot much over time, but their memories still stretched further then most people could imagine. In one stroke, she had just destroyed several thousand (million?) years of knowledge.
Oh well. Ho-oh had been sleeping for most of it.
****************************************************************************************************
"So you did come back," said Wildfire, dragging a blade of grass across the kitten' face. It snuffled and bit at it, tearing off the top and chewing.
Ice grabbed it and pressed the sides of its jaws, causing it to spit the grass out.
"Hey!" said Wildfire.
"Small children," Ice muttered, "have more sense then you."
"What? Give it back."
Ice dropped it. It flickered out before hitting the ground. "It has sharp teeth for a reason, you know. It eats meat as an adult. You don't feed it grass."
"I wasn't going to try to feed it grass," Wildfire said defensively. "We were just playing. Where is it?"
"Somewhere far, far away from you."
"I'm not going to hurt it."
"Not intentionally, I know."
"What were you doing, anyway? Fenris started growling and pacing. He only just stopped."
"Killing a Legendary," Ice said, sounding amused.
Wildfire scowled. "If you aren't allowed to lie, I don't think you should say things sarcastically either."
"I am 'allowed' to lie and I'll say whatever I want to," Ice said, stepping backward into the shadow of the tree and vanishing.
"But it's a lie," said Wildfire, staring at the place Ice had been. For a moment she saw silver eyes as Ice turned her head slightly, but then nothing again.
"It isn't. Or at least, I don't consider it one. And since lying is simply a matter of personal choice-"
"No it isn't," Wildfire interrupted. "You get mad at anyone who lies around you."
"But they still have the choice of whether or not to do it. And you should probably get back to the rest of them."
"Why?"
"They're talking about the next towns they'll attack. And interesting things are happening. You don't want to miss that."
"Okay," Wildfire said, walking off.
Ice healed the thin cut down one arm.
why don't you want to talk to me
i'm tired
you never pay attention to me anymore
you're ne-gli-gent
maybe i'm just not interested in talking to myself
you know that's not it
you don't
please pay attention to me
i can't sleep
(?)
…cola tastes good…
caffeinated sugar syrup what brat gave it to you this time
how do you know it wasn't an adult
it never is why don't more people raise selfish children
i was only going for the catnip he was very nice and gave me one of the bottles
'one of those bottles' is half as big as you are
i know I'M SORRY i
didn't think about it it was yummy
…do you have any self control at all…
i didn't on purpose
really
when are you leaving
this again
but i see it and it HURTS and there's something
and you hurt and you're going to die and i can't hear anything
i hear silence you don't scream please don't do this
be quiet and let me sleep
don't do this don't do this don't
shut up
fine
Ice could hear Lugia's wing beats in the distance.
******************************************************************************************************
"Hi," said a voice. Wildfire spun around. Rachel-
No, it wasn't Rachel. It was a girl, though, about the same size, and wearing black. Her arms were bare and covered in long, red scratches that suddenly vanished. There was a large bag around her shoulders.
"Hello," said Wildfire. "Who are you?"
"Rion Eci," said the girl cheerfully. "I wanted to see what everyone was so upset about."
"What do you mean? What happened to your arms?"
The girl pulled out a handful of something from the bag that looked like blue pebbles and stuffed it in her mouth, then swallowed. "They upset you," she said with a shrug. "So now you think they aren't there. I can do that. But only one at a time."
"What on Earth do you mean?"
"I mean, I'm telling you you don't see them anymore. They're still there, but you don't see them."
"Can you stop whatever you're doing?" asked Wildfire, stepping toward the girl.
She nodded, gulping down another handful and then holding out her arms, once again scratched. "See?"
How did they get like that? Wildfire wondered. Thorns?
The girl took a few steps back, looking terrified. "I don't understand. Thorns? What do they have to do with it? I don't understand – OW!"
Wildfire rubbed her eyes. She could have sworn something had been standing right behind Rion and had hit the child.
Rion rubbed her head. "You're unstable," she
said. "But I really don't understand. Why thorns?"
Wildfire thought for a moment. "Did you get your arms scratched by thorns?"
"I don't fall. I'm not clumsy."
"I didn't say that."
"Why would I be scratched if I didn't fall? I'm not blind. I wouldn't just walk though a bunch of them." Rion sounded slightly indignant. "I'm not a baby."
"Why are your arms scratched?"
"Why not?"
Wildfire sighed. Rion munched on more of the round blue things. Somehow she managed not to drop any. She didn't seem to be chewing either.
"What are you eating?" Wildfire asked.
"Blueberries."
"Blueberries?" Wildfire repeated. Berries weren't supposed to be that color. Or that size.
"They aren't poison," added Rion. "They just don't grow around here. I didn't get a chance to eat this night and I can't leave to get anything sweet. So I'm eating these. They taste a little sweet."
Wildfire blinked a few times. She was starting to wonder if this was just a hallucination. None of this made sense. "Why would you be eating at night?"
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Don't you sleep at night?"
"I'd rather sleep during the middle of the day. Normally I eat then. But there was something important happening."
"What?"
"I promised they wouldn't bother anyone."
Wildfire sat down. "Ice really did drug the food," she said to herself. "And I thought they were just being paranoid when they said she would."
"She didn't! I'm real!" said the girl, stamping her foot. "I am real!"
"If you're real, how did you get here? There aren't any humans left in Kanto."
"There are. You met them. They said so."
"You've talked to them?" said Wildfire doubtfully. "Nothing can get in there."
The girl shrugged. "I'm nothing. Among other things."
"How can you be nothing if I'm talking to you?"
"I'm not that kind of nothing, that's how."
"You're Rion. That makes you someone."
"I'm lots of things. Silver instead of Ebony, Rion Eci."
"Which is your given name?"
The girl smiled. "People give me lots of names. I think the one you want is Destiny. But the one most people use is Demon."
It goes by the name Demon sometimes. Wildfire remembered, realizing, belatedly, that the girl had clear blue eyes. "You're…Noir?"
The girl smiled happily. "You're so close! But Noir doesn’t exist right now."
"Where are your parents?"
"I dunno."
"Who are your parents?"
"I dunno."
"How can you not know?"
Rion shrugged. "That's a secret. I forget if I can't tell you, and I don't want to get into any more trouble."
"You don't know your parents. But you know Noir. Who is it?"
"Nobody!" said Rion gleefully, as if this was a joke. "I told you, Noir doesn't exist right now."
"How can someone not exist? Do you mean Noir's dead?" Rion giggled. "What's so funny?"
"Noir doesn't exist because no one's in the forest!" shouted Rion, jumping up and down in excitement. "See? Noir doesn't exist because it isn't any one person. It's a bunch of different things. See? Some people mean you and me and a few others when they say Noir. So you're Noir. And other people mean me and the other one when they say Noir. And some people only mean the other one. But you meant the one in the forest, and there's nobody who can be Noir right now in the forest, so Noir doesn't exist right now!"
"And who's the other one people mean?"
"Noir."
"I thought you were Noir."
"The other one's Noir. I'm Noir's reflection."
"You mean you aren't real?"
"I am real!" Rion shouted. "I'm a reflection, Rion Eci, but that doesn't mean I'm not real. Look, see, you can see me, can't you? I'm nothing but that doesn't mean I'm nobody. I'm real."
Wildfire shook her head. "Okay, you're real. I'm sorry. Calm down. You know Ice?"
Rion nodded. "And I heard about you. I wanted to know which one you are. You're the only one I didn't see."
"What are the other ones?"
"The other three. Ice and Umi and Sky. I wanted to know why you didn't know. And why you were going to kill us."
"I'm not going to kill you!" said Wildfire, horrified. "Who told you that?"
"Yes," said Rion, "You are. Because you can't believe someone could do this. You don't think Pokemon understand because they're just animals and they aren't responsible for their actions. You can't imagine someone killing if they understood. You hate us."
"I don't," Wildfire said, shaking her head. "I don't even know what you're saying."
"But you do. There has to be good and evil and right and wrong and truth and lies and everything has to be black and white. No, forget what I said. It doesn't matter. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you. But it's okay, you'll just forget. Or not understand. You're a nice person."
"I am?"
The girl nodded. "That's why you're so upset. But I have to go now. Bye!"
Rion vanished. Wildfire stood, blinking and looking around. She had no idea what had just happened.
********************************************************************************************************
"And now you," said Ice, walking out into the open.
~ I'm the only one of them who doesn't consider you a heretic. I'm also the only one who can say that I honestly came to talk. ~
"I know what you want."
~ You admit it exists? ~
"You already know it does. I see no point in useless denials. We could spend several hours dodging each other's questions. I don’t have time right now."
~ Good. Then you do understand, we – or at the very least, I – must see it. To decide its fate. ~
"You'd like Twilight as well. No and no. Twilight is not a god. Twilight will not be a god. And the other? Under my protection."
~ You assume I would kill it? I don't consider your kind something that must be killed. ~
"Even if you didn't, they would anyway. Right now, they don't believe a second exists. If one does, they will search for it."
~ If we have to storm the forest, they will know as well. ~
"If you do that, several will die. Perhaps all, perhaps not. Several of you, though, I can promise that much."
~ Bring it here. Right now. The others rest and rage and argue. They aren't watching. They won't act. Bring the other one here now, before they interfere. And I will make my decision. ~
Ice nodded slowly. "If I do, you must promise not to tell them, whatever you decide, and not to call them to attack me over this."
Lugia nodded. ~ I give my word. ~
destiny
A small child, about five or so, appeared. She stared at the huge bird silently for a moment.
~ What is it about this one that you think I would kill? ~ asked Lugia, looking back to Ice.
hello said a voice. Lugia jerked back.
"That's why."
"A psychic type? How can it do that?"
"Destiny isn't psychic," said Ice. "Although some of her abilities are close, they are done completely differently."
~ Darks can't do that either. Nothing can. ~
"I know."
~ Another Elemental – there are several already, because of you. That would not have been so much to ask. But this… ~
The girl vanished again. "I'm not asking," said Ice. "I don't want or need your opinion on this. You can look all you want. You can choose to do whatever you want. I'll try to stop you, of course, in fact, I might kill you. I do want the others kept out of this. The first three are more direct deities. The Pokemon are bound to their gods. It would frighten them, upset them, if I had to kill you all."
Lugia nodded. ~ But even I…I can't allow something like her to exist. ~
"You aren't allowing. In the event you have the chance, you can kill her. Looking for her will do nothing. If I hide her in the outside world, you'd have to kill thousands to search for her. Meanwhile, the three will be fighting, and Ho-oh will undoubtedly be causing problems, for one side or the other.
"When this is over, the Pokemon will need some sort of leader. The other birds aren't willing, Mewtwo doesn't realize the need, and the others are just normal Pokemon. They could keep the Pokemon more or less together, but they don't have the experience to know what to do. It would be better if you were there to help. Mew's useless for this, and Celebi…I'd kill him before I let him have a say in this. I've talked a bit to the three cats, but they aren't interested in creating a new world. They're more responsible then the birds, but I assume you want least a bit of progress to come from all this."
~ What of the Eeveelution's? ~
"Can't you tell?"
~ Yes, I do feel it. So they won't be around to do anything. What about you? ~
"I have my hands full. If I have to, I can steer it one way or another. It'd be better for everyone if you stayed to lead them. Nothing good will come of you searching for Destiny. You won't find her. You'll waste your time and mine."
~ Then we have an agreement, of sorts. ~ said Lugia. ~ Before I go, how many are there? ~
"Five in total. I can't say how many more there will be. The catalyst for it is something I don't interfere with."
~ Five isn't so bad. ~
TO BE CONTINUED