Friday, June 9th, 1978, 1815

I couldn’t breathe.

Recovery became slightly more challenging each time the guard pushed his weight down. I had long since thrown my pride to the wayside and screamed as loudly as possible, although I was reasonably sure it was only coming out as a muted groan. Each time, it was harder to resist, and the dark edges of my vision were swiftly closing in. A little closer, each time I was submerged.

I could tell it wouldn’t be much longer, now. The guard pulled me up, holding me just enough above water to get a few gasping breaths in. He looked to Adrien for confirmation. Seeing a nod, he readied himself for another round.

I blanched, my hands slapping ineffectually at his sides. He didn’t even seem to notice.

This whole thing was bullshit, honestly. I didn’t understand what they were going for at this point. I was beginning to believe that Adrien had no interest in anything I had to say and was planning on killing me simply to tie up any potential loose ends. It made sense, all things considered. It’s what I would’ve done in their situation.

If he wanted to knock me out to strip information from me, he could’ve easily ordered the guard to give me a good hit to the back of the head. There was no need for this. Not that it mattered; my logical qualms with their behavior would do little to dissuade them, and I was likely using up valuable oxygen on the few neurons I had devoted to “complaining about bullshit.”

Well, maybe more than a few.

I braced myself, trying to take as much of a breath as possible before the inevitable sense of impending doom pressed down upon my morale like the lid of a coffin making its first and final descent. My assailant leaned in, efficiently leveraging his body weight to push my face beneath the shallow water.

Before I could be completely submerged, a distant crack rang out, and the impassive face above me dissolved into a warped mess of sagging flesh and bulging bone.

I was abruptly covered with a bloody mist, as near as I could tell, although there were a few sharp bone fragments mixed in. I knew there was bone because I felt it burrowing like tiny fire-ants into my face and chest.

Whatever had hit my assailant had done so with enough force his skull had fragmented into a myriad of pieces, like an overripe melon hitting the hard ground on a hot summer day.

My oxygen-deprived brain couldn’t make sense of the change. My ears were mostly filled with water, so the noises around me only registered as a distorted mess of incomplete sounds and sensations that only disoriented me further.

I recoiled in shock and disgust at the gaping red maw hanging over my face like some sick medical display about the benefits of flossing.

The feeling of indifferent malice dissipated, but the force did not. The man must have weighed over one hundred kilograms, and his entire mass pressed me down into the water. Stupidly, I forgot to close my mouth, and I gagged as I took in a mouthful of blood-soaked water as the corpse pinned me underwater yet again.

I tasted blood, for the first time not my own, and my stomach roiled with a primal revulsion wrought by generations of instincts. With newfound energy, I frantically squirmed my way out from under the body, coughing up blood, water, and snot. I pushed the body roughly away from me and got to my knees, inhaling as much air as I could to regain my faculties after the unexpected interrogation.

I looked around in a daze, trying to make sense of the chaotic scene surrounding me. Just a few meters from me, I could see Gaelan and Sarai looking equal parts panicked and horrified, mouths hanging open at the near decapitation they had witnessed.

To their left, Adrien was cursing and reaching for his second pokéball. He had scrambled out of the water and was standing just off the side of the central path leading up to the pool on my left.

He clicked the small button, and a dark form emerged. I didn’t recognize it, indicating it wasn’t native to Kanto. It had short black fur with a pinkish feather-like protrusion jutting out from its head. Razor sharp claws tipped the edges of its hands. It was small, standing no taller than my knee, but it gave off a wave of killing intent as its blood-red eyes locked onto mine.

A preternatural sense of dread permeated my chest and stomach, and I struggled shakily to my feet. I had to get away, and fast. As I moved to make my way out of the pool, the two unopened pokéballs on the dead man’s belt burst open in a flash of red light.

It didn’t always happen when someone died, but more often than not, a dead trainer's pokemon would break the shackles of a pokéball as the energy supporting the connection dispersed. Depending on the bond, the pokemon would then emerge in outrage at their dead trainer or some other emotion.

In this case, two large forms materialized: a Graveler and a Machoke. Their faces were tight with grief and anger as they loomed over the trainer that I could only imagine had raised them diligently for the last several years if their development was any indication.

Something must have clicked; the disorientation I felt all but disappeared, and a cold sense of calm overtook me as I realized a cadre of lethal pokemon neatly surrounded me. I backed away warily, cursing internally as four sets of eyes followed the movement.

Fuck.

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck.

Dani’s voice, rife with concern, rang out from the garden. “Mare! You need to get out of there! You’re surrounded!”

I clicked my tongue in annoyance at the ridiculous warning. I knew better than anyone how much trouble I was in.

There was a pause, and then I heard her voice again. “Ellie, get the fuck out here right now! I don’t care about your Arceus damned beauty sleep!”

I stifled a chuckle despite the situation. The thought of Ellie napping while I was out here experiencing my first and hopefully only interrogation was far too amusing.

“Looks like somebody got a lucky shot in,” sneered Adrien. The man appeared utterly unfazed by the death of their guard beyond issuing a string of expletives. “Not that it’ll help you now. Too bad you killed him, really. Now you have to deal with his pissed-off team. He might’ve been uncaring, but he treated his pokemon respectfully, at least.”

He gestured with his eyes behind me, and I couldn’t help but glance back, even though I knew better than to ignore what was right in front of me.

Behind me, the dead trainer’s Machoke must have been powering itself up; it let out a large exhale, and its muscles swelled beyond what should have been reasonably possible. They bulged grossly, and it cracked its knuckles menacingly as it stalked ever closer to me. There couldn’t have been more than a few meters between us.

The Graveler, on the other hand, just stared me down with dead eyes, much like its partner had before he lost his head. It didn’t move, preferring to wait for an opportune moment, or at least I assumed. It was partially submerged, making it seem more, rather than less dangerous.

As scary as they were, I didn’t want to take my attention away from the man who had casually ordered the torture of a teenager.

His Hypno and the unknown dark-colored pokemon were flanking him. They were obviously well-trained and stood at attention while awaiting orders. He must have a military background, I realized.

My musings were interrupted as the Machoke lunged at me with a wide swing. The water up to its knees slowed it down enough for me to step out of range. A wave of displaced air hit me from the sheer force the pokemon brought to bear.

I whirled around, trying to keep an eye on my surroundings. This species was notorious for its strength, and I knew a single hit could well prove lethal.

The muscular pokemon calmly moved out of the shallows, positioning itself in front of Sarai and Gaelan as if I was somehow a threat to them. I supposed it was still upholding its guard duties even after its loss.

I dashed to my left, trying to escape the encirclement. The clawed pokemon effortlessly bounded ahead of me, keeping me boxed in. Its red eyes looked amused. Excited, even.

Adrien held up a hand, causing the fighting pokemon, who looked like it was preparing to move again, to pause.

“Tell you what,” he said in an easy-going tone. “I’ll give you a shot to take out those two, and I won’t lift a finger besides to keep you from running. Hypno here tells me you won’t be alone here for much longer. That’s fine. Wouldn’t be much fun watching you get massacred without a fight, anyhow. This is turning out to be a lot more fun than I anticipated when we were sent out here against our will.”

“How do I know you won’t just take me out while my back is turned,” I asked while darting my eyes back and forth between the multiple threats. My heart was pounding out of my chest after the near miss.

I was surprised the Machoke hadn’t attacked again. It must have been trained with a great degree of discipline. Adrien must be their dead trainer’s superior officer. Otherwise, there was no way they would be holding back just from a simple hand raise.

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Adrien held his hands up in exasperation. “Look, kid. I don’t need to justify a damn thing. You’re dead either way. Take the offer, or I’ll just kill you right now. At least this way, you get a chance to fight, and I think these two will enjoy the hunt more if you’re moving,” he said with a gesture to the Machoke and Graveler.

He looked at Gaelan and Sarai, who had barely moved since this fiasco began. They were still sitting in the hot springs lamely like nothing had happened, looking like two fish out of water. Well, they were in the water, but the point stands.

“And you two. Get the fuck out of here. Without pokemon you’re just liabilities. I’ll handle everything like I usually do. Honestly, I don’t know why Dahlia wastes his breath with people like you when it all comes back to plain and simple violence,” he said with unabashed disappointment.

Sarai and Gaelan—apparently civilians—nodded wordlessly and started towards the garden, only to be stopped in their tracks as Eon and Nana bounded in front of them, preventing them from moving past.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the sight; both were crouched low in ready positions, their muscles taut, awaiting orders. Eon had a menacing snarl on her face. The Machoke huffed dismissively at the sight of her, clearly disregarding the smaller species.

I turned to Adrien, who still wore a relaxed smile. “Deals still on. Don’t worry. Let’s get this going. Just don’t attack the two idiots over here for no reason,” he warned.

I nodded in assent. “Eon, Nana. Let them pass. On me,” I commanded. The pokemon darted past the civilians and took up positions next to me. Eon was positioned between the Machoke and me, whereas Nana watched my back.

After repeated rounds with superior opponents back at the compound, we had settled on this setup. It allowed Eon to take the brunt of the damage while Nana supported her from the rear.

Gaelan and Sarai bolted away, looking all too eager to wash their hands of the incident. Before they had made it ten meters, I heard a loud crash, and a burst of flame emanated from somewhere on the second floor. They were both knocked from their feet as a sizeable flaming horse dropped into the fray. Even from here, I could feel the temperature increase.

Geralt had always struck me as a very nurturing pokemon. He often spent his time with the little ones and wasn’t above giving them rides on his back or even cleaning them off with his long tongue. Now, however? He looked downright dangerous, and Gaelan and Sarai cowered in fear.

I watched in relief as Dani’s other pokemon joined us, taking solace that we now outnumbered our opposition nearly twice over. Scyther and Beedrill fluttered down lightly with a noticeable humming noise from their wings' rapid flittering.

Beedrill’s gleaming lancets shimmered ominously as they reflected the light of the fire coming from the second floor, where it looked like Geralt had emerged from. It landed directly on Sarai’s back, which struck me as odd.

Time slowed, and I watched helplessly as it pulled back its stinger before jabbing it into Sarai’s back with a brutal thrust. The long lance easily pushed its way through. Bits of bone and flesh hung off the tip like gruesome confetti. The woman didn’t even scream; it must have severed her spine.

Her head dangled loosely as her body collapsed. Next to her, Gaelan’s eyes widened in sheer panic. He didn’t have to wait long; Scyther blurred, and the handsome man’s throat opened in a spray of arterial blood before he, too, joined Sarai on the ground in a growing pool of liquid.

I stared numbly at the scene, unsure of how rapidly things had gone sideways.

Dani and Larvitar decided to finally make their appearance. She was smiling in apparent relief as she caught my eyes. “I’m so glad you’re safe. I thought that man was going to kill you. It’s okay, we’re here now.”

Her hands were burnt badly, but she gave no indication she even noticed the damage.

Larvitar, seemingly immune to the gore around us, ambled his way over to me and wrapped his fin-like arms around my leg. I patted his head, grateful to see him. I felt much better with my team around me, even though the overall situation was still fucked.

I looked at Dani warily. It wasn’t like she was different explicitly, but I could tell there was something slightly off about her. She was far too calm for the situation, especially considering her pokemon had just murdered two people in cold blood. I knew she was hard, but this was completely different.

“Why would you do that!?” I exploded. My voice was heavy with anger and shock. “Why would you just kill them like that?”

Dani cocked her head. “What do you mean? They were threats?” Her voice held no trace of guilt or regret, and she seemed legitimately confused at my question.

Before I could respond, I heard a loud sigh from behind me. “Did you listen to anything I said? You had one rule. Just don’t kill the idiots. Guess we’re doing this the hard way. Kill them all,” Adrien commanded coldly.

I turned around in resignation, bracing myself for the confrontation that was now well beyond repair.

June 9th, 1978, 1815

Dani sagged with relief as she saw Mare’s assailant fall lifelessly to the ground. She had never seen someone die before. Sure, she had found her dad’s body at home, but it wasn’t like watching his death in person. Thankfully, she thought.

She was surprised at how impassive she felt about the whole thing. It was like she was watching someone else participate rather than being the one holding the murder weapon, so to speak.

The man had been alive and well, throttling Mar under the water, and then an instant later, he was down. It was just so…fast. So simple. He probably didn’t even register the damage. She found herself fascinated by the process.

She knew what had happened, of course. Larvitar had managed to hit him directly on the side of the head, the shot of highly pressurized water and rock entering through his ear and out the other side of his skull.

She had observed with clinical detachment the skull exploding, noting with muted concern that Mare had been sprayed with shrapnel and was heavily bleeding from his face and chest.

“Tar,” crowed Larvitar in victory, snapping Dani out of her momentary dissociation.

Her adrenaline kicked on in truth. Glass had scattered around her from the broken window, and she felt burning pinpricks informing her that Mare wasn’t the only one dealing with damaging debris.

She squinted, realizing with alarm that he was currently surrounded by foreign pokemon. “Mare! You need to get out of there! You’re surrounded!” she belted, knowing her warning was likely unneeded. It was unlikely he didn’t realize the danger he was in.

Mare didn’t even look like he had heard her, but she saw him start slowly backing away from the encroaching threats regardless.

She took a deep breath and shouted again, “Ellie, get the fuck out here right now! I don’t care about your Arceus damned beauty sleep!”

Muffled cursing from down the hallway told her the message had found its target.

She set Larvitar down, her arms burning from holding up his incongruent weight. He looked up at her in confusion, unsure of his next moves.

“Fuck,” she cursed as she fumbled at her belt to release her entire team. Her hands didn’t seem to be working correctly, and she agonized over the crucial seconds she was wasting on something that should have been second nature.

As she was assembling her squad, she felt something brush her back. She started in surprise as Eon and Nana bounded through the remains of the window.

She could hear Mare talking with someone but couldn’t discern what they were saying from this distance. It didn’t sound heated, but that didn’t mean everything was okay now.

Focus, Dani, she scolded. Focus on what you can do right now. Eon and Nana will get there in time.

She took a slow breath in, taking a moment to suffuse her body with the chilling energy from her training earlier in the day. She felt the change immediately. The panic rising in her chest bled out, replaced by a cold sense of rationality.

I can do this.

Her team, including Larvitar, were waiting expectantly. Geralt neighed in concern, pawing with hooves that left great ashy gouges in the oaken floors. Dani ignored the damage. Consequences could come later.

She directed her gaze to each pokemon in turn, ensuring they understood the gravity of the situation.

“Scyther, Beedrill, and Geralt. I need you to get in there right away and help Mare. Don’t hesitate to use lethal force. There are at least four pokemon, some of them fully evolved. I’ll follow behind with Larvitar. Be careful.”

She hardly recognized her voice. Gone was the whininess that had become all too familiar of late. It had an edge to it now. A hardness. She liked the change; it made her feel powerful.

Her pokemon nodded and took off, Geralt leading the way. The powerful pokemon neglected to go through the window, preferring to force his way through the wall with a Flare Blitz. The others followed suit, Scyther and Beedrill buzzing off towards Mare with haste.

Dani stepped into the smoking wreckage of the wall to assess for any changes in the scene below; Eon and Nana were approaching Mare, and he had managed to somehow create space from the two evolved pokemon.

Her attention was distracted as a disheveled Ellie finally wandered into the hallway, her eyes wide with surprise at the massive hole in the wall. The other girl was wiping sleep from her eyes and was still wearing pajamas.

“What’s going on?” she yawned, covering her mouth with a too-large sleeve.

“Get your pokemon out, quickly,” Dani snapped, her cold tone leaving no room for argument. “Something happened to Mare. There are other people here, and they appeared to be drowning him. Larvitar eliminated the immediate threat, but there are three others, as far as I can tell. I’m not quite sure what the situation is, but we need to get out there quickly. I’m dropping down with Larvitar. Get Anabelle and the others and come help me out.”

She didn’t wait for a response, trusting Ellie’s natural talent or whatever got her through life to take care of the rest. The other girl nodded curtly and darted back towards their room.

She and Larvitar stood at the edge of the second-story building, looking for the best way down. The saurian simply hopped down, landing with a heavy thud before approaching the action.

The cinders were too numerous to avoid, so she just went for it, laying down, swinging her legs over the edge to hang, and then letting herself drop to the ground lightly. The second floor was about four meters up, but she couldn’t even feel the force reverberate through her body as she impacted the ground.

She examined her hands, blistered from direct contact with the remnants of Geralt’s Flare Blitz. It was odd; the numbness she felt throughout her body appeared to nullify pain as well. The damage was undeniable, but she didn’t feel a thing. Maybe it completely deadened sensation? Helpful, to say the least.

Running, she quickly emerged from the foliage into the central clearing. Geralt was standing intimidatingly in front of what appeared to be two dead trainers. The ground was increasingly red from the apparent cause of death.

She watched as Scyther flicked his scythes, a string of blood splattering garishly onto the grey stone beneath him. The pattern was lovely, she noticed. It was in the form of a red ‘X,’ given how he had moved the appendages across his body.

Good, she thought. They eliminated the threats before it could get worse. I’ll have to praise them for their punctual response.

Dani smiled as she saw Mare staring at her with Eon and Nana to his sides. His face and chest were covered with blood, but he looked mostly uninjured. Or, at least, he was moving unimpeded. It was hard to tell how much blood was his and how much was from the near beheading.

“I’m so glad you’re safe. I thought that man was going to kill you. It’s okay, we’re here now,” she said in as soothing a voice as she could manage. It came out wrong, though. She could tell it was colder than she wanted. Something to work on going forward, she decided.

His face went through a rapid series of emotions, from anger to gratitude, to something she couldn’t quite place. Admiration, maybe? She was rescuing him, after all.

“Why would you do that!?” he exploded. His voice sounded angry, which didn’t make any sense to her.

Dani cocked her head. “What do you mean? They were threats?”

Mare looked like he was about to go on one of his monologues, but he was rudely interrupted by a voice behind him. It sounded exasperated, as if the voice's owner was getting ready to complete some duty beneath him.

“Did you listen to anything I said? You had one rule. Just don’t kill the idiots. Guess we’re doing this the hard way. Kill them all,” it commanded.

Dani watched as Mare turned around, his face composing itself into the serious mien she was used to.

“Eon,” he commanded, “defend me from the dark one. I can tell it wants blood.”