Chapter 8:

Inception of Truths

...

Being promoted to constable platoon lieutenant was the last thing Evelyn would have expected, considering that it was painfully obvious to everyone that she left a lot to be desired when it came to nerves. To think, simply having high academic scores and being rigidly punctual, would somehow translate to becoming qualified to lead a law enforcing task force on a potentially dangerous mission. Then again, most of the truly qualified personnel of the Mystic guild were shipped off to the military due to an immediate mandatory requisition, which consequently led to her current predicament…

Crates and cages scraped the floor as the red uniformed criminals hauled them across the dank and dimly lit warehouse. Evelyn, uniformed in the Mystic guild enforcer tracksuit with the armor padding weighing down her light frame, and her similarly dressed platoon of 18 constables organized into three squads, waited behind some large crates after having infiltrated the storage compound.

Hold on…Was it 18 including herself or excluding herself? She could've sworn there was one more in Caleb's squad…Shit.

"Where's Wilson?" She near-squeaked to her co-leader, Caleb, who only shook his head in surprise after realizing he was short a unit.

"I could've sworn he was with us a moment ago, having our backs."

Oh dear Arceus, a few minutes into the operation, not a night since they've met, and Grey Wilson was already causing them trouble. So far, her doubts about him were justified and her awful leadership skills were becoming transparent…Her elder sister Morgan, one of Mystic's captains, wouldn't let her hear the end of it, but she could at least prove to her and her other sisters in their respective guilds that she was somewhat competent.

She pressed the comm' button on her earpiece. "'Cable-1', this is 'Eve-6', what's your position? Over."

Only static. "Cable-1?"

"No sign of him on my comms either, chief," confirmed her teammate, which meant her own comms weren't faulty.

Evelyn cursed under her breath as she gazed at the catwalk above them which oversaw the group of Magma grunts, then back at her teammates. "Fine, we'll make do for now. 'Saw-6', take your squad and cover us from above on the catwalk, Cable-6, mine and your squads will flank the enemy as soon as Saw squad confirms their status."

"Roger that chief," confirmed Caleb, a brunette young adult who remained with a single gym badge to join a leader guild and become a well-paid constable. He had repeated the same badge since last year, renewing his qualification.

"Copied, Eve-6," affirmed Sawyer, a greenette and blue-eyed fourteen-year-old, somewhat starting out. By 'somewhat', like Wilson, he had received his starter, a treecko, from Birch labs last year. However, he delayed his journey by a year to better prepare himself for a long journey. He had defeated Roxanne's lesser team only two weeks ago, allowing him to join Mystic with the badge win. He claims by being part of the guild, he has closer proximity to its more experienced and ambitious members to study and take notes from as a trainer...literally.

The guy constantly wrote every experience in a personal notebook.

But he was gifted. It was no wonder he had already earned the right to lead a team. But he still had confidence issues, like herself…

Evelyn nodded. "Go."

The three small squads of six, minus an absent Wilson, each prepared their positions to take down the group of criminals who were seemingly unaware of their presence.

Evelyn's glove creaked upon her tight gripping of the pokéball; a line of sweat trailed across her temple and her jugular drummed in anticipation. Her team looked just as pumped and adrenalized, awaiting the signal.

Her comm sparked to life.

—"Eve-6, This is Saw-6 confirming our position at Charlie Whiskey, we've got visual contact of the Tangoes and ready to cover you. Awaiting clearance to set up for engagement, over," came the static version of Sawyer's voice.

She took a breath and pressed her comm. "Copy that, Saw-6, standby and wait for my signal, out."—She chopped her hand forth—"Spread out and move in!"

Both teams launched their pokéballs at the Magma grunt's feet and a large array of flashes illuminated the area, with the growls and cries of Mystic's pokémon reverberating through the compound along with Evelyn's. A variety of pokémon represented her squads, though largely consisting of beginner-intermediate pre-evolved, single or secondary-stages, like linoones, zangoose, lotads, tailows and such.

The sight of her confident pig monkey pokémon, mankey, or as she dubbed him, Aldo, emerging from the device, settled her nerves as he immediately took a stance.

"Go! Neutralize them before they can summon their pokémon!"

The group of approximately thirty Magma grunts were surprised and disoriented by the sudden flashes. Around ten of them were immediately subdued before they could even remove their pokéballs from their belts, but that left a good amount of enemy pokémon summoned on time in response, as well as the ones that were already helping with the cargo, which meant Evelyn and her team were outnumbered on the floor.

"Eve-6 to Saw-6! Cover us!"

—"Roger Eve-6, engaging enemy."

The group of Magmas and their pokémon, consisting of some houndour, poochyena, zubats, and a strange purple-furred smelly pokémon that she didn't recall from her studies, were all peppered by ranged water and grass attacks together from above.

The grunts once again were disoriented, and Evelyn's platoon capitalized on the distraction. "Aldo! Fury swipes into a double kick!"

"Mank'!" confirmed Aldo as the lanky simian leaped at a drenched houndour and scraped it continuously with his outstretched claws before kicking it into submission with a slam, upsetting its trainer as he was shoved to the ground soon after for Evelyn to flex cuff.

It seemed her platoon was efficiently handling the situation despite the ruckus and enclosed space, but things took a turn as soon as an enemy zubat was able to launch a well-timed 'Confuse Ray' at the catwalk, rendering Sawyer's team temporarily out of commission and effectively cutting their aerial support off.

"Crap. Regroup! Regroup!" She commanded.

Her heart dropped as a female Magma grunt, most likely the supervisor of this particular team of grunts was calling into their radio. "Omega 5-6 to Omega 4-6, we're under attack! I repeat we're under attack! We need back up at the storage section! Send the rest of the team!"

Shit, there's more of them!?

...Should we retreat?

Evelyn's squad regrouped as well as the enemy squad. Both groups were at a standoff despite Mystic having the numbers advantage now, in fear of being ambushed should one overextend their position.

The female grunt seemed confused for a moment. Without taking her eyes off of them, she spoke once more into the radio. "Omega 4-6, do you copy!? We need back up!"

But there was no response, and despite the shades hiding her eyes, her face visibly paled with her lips trembling and her uneasiness spreading to her group.

Evelyn was also surprised at the lack of coordination the enemy demonstrated, but she would immediately act on it. She raised an arm forth. "The enemy is vulnerable! Take them down, now!"

After some close-quarter combat, the hissing of steam rising from water attacks overwhelming fire ones, several aerial strikes from fliers, and bouts of leaf storms and such, Team Mystic overran Magma within minutes, with some offenders still stubbornly fighting until they were subdued, while others surrendered knowing it was futile.

The Magma grunts and their pokémon in the cargo bay were all neutralized, and Mystic had won the skirmish.

"Eve-6 to Saw-6, are you able? Do you read? Over."

—"Saw-6 reads you loud and clear Eve-6, the 'confusion' status of our group has worn off and we've got a visual on your favorable position, over." Sawyer waved at her from the catwalk.

For the first time since the mission, she gave a light smile and waved back at him.

"Likewise, Saw-6, good job. Take your squad further up and scan the facility for the 'absent' Tango Mike's, watch your step, there could still be more. If I don't receive word from you, Cable-6 and I will check on you, do you copy? Over."

—"Roger that, Eve-6, we're heading in, stand-by for an assessment within five, if we're no show, you'll give us support, over."

"Good copy, Saw-6, we'll wait here for word, out."

Caleb walked to her side, still keeping a firm eye on the tied grunts as they had their cyanide teeth yanked out. "It's a good thing Grey had already faced these goons before to tell us about their little last-ditch, otherwise we'd have a mountain of paperwork to fill for each 'suicide by cyanide'," he said.

It was true, it was thanks to Wilson they had any information at all, but…

"Agreed. However, that begs the question...Where is he? There's still no sign of him, and how much does he really know?" She mused.

"Not sure chief, maybe Sawyer's team will find him…alive hopefully."

For some reason and to the contrary, she worried more about Team Magma and what should happen to them if they were unfortunate to run into Wilson.

Rumors were rumors. But they still planted seeds of doubt in her head. Allegedly, the Magma grunts that had confronted him at Oldale…all died from suicidal cyanide poisoning.

The report from the Oldale police dept. suggested that Grey was surprised to hear about the pills...But was that true? Considering the lethal, regionally rare poison-type he had at his disposal? Who knew of the real potential of that salandit? Especially after his gym match against Roxanne…

His behavior so far didn't help his case.

A chill ran down her spine at the thought, but she wouldn't voice this concern.

A door busted open to their right, jolting the squads into a ready stance…Then he came.

Striding from the door, with every step leaving crimson splotches marked with his boot soles…was Grey.

His sickly amber eyes seemed incandescent under the shadows of the compound. For every spot of fair skin and uniform clothing, there were two more streaks and splotches of blood marring his figure, and to make it worse, he held two large combat knives that were drenched in red.

Evelyn's neural alarms blared as his predatory guise petrified her.

The sensation caused her abrupt and biased conclusion...This man was no hero...He was a psychopath; a murderer.

"Is that fear I see in your eyes?" He asked as though he had read her mind, which made the scene all the more awkward.

"W-Wilson, report," she demanded, catching the lump that formed in her throat and trying to stand as straight as possible against his contrasting height.

"Five dead, one dying, and four knocked out in the office area, with one shitting himself to unconsciousness,"—he gazed around before he stared at her again—"and from the looks of things here, seems like the entire facility is clear," he said casually, flicking the enemy's blood off his knives and wiping them off his mission uniform, adding to the collection of blood streaks, before placing them back into their holsters with a silent shing.

Everyone gasped at his admission. In the back of her mind, she hoped he was joking. "Caleb, take two with you and go check the office."

Her teammate gulped audibly as he and his squad members cautiously walked around the enigma that was Grey.

Evelyn steeled herself as best she could. "Where are your pokémon?"

"Scanning the area for more prisoners."

"Who gave you authorization to leave the group like that?"

Grey grinned. "I saw an opportunity to scout ahead and took it. I already had my three poké-partners with me, wouldn't have worked if more people came."

"That wasn't the question."

"I gave an alternative answer to an otherwise stupid question." He harshly emphasized the insult.

She flinched, not being accustomed to and never having been good at dealing with hostile individuals. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"Not that it's my place to hijack command, but you were leading your team into the heart of enemy territory. If I hadn't pincered them from behind, ma'am, you'd have been effectively ambushed and overrun by their numbers…"

Her stance and breath wavered in the face of that revelation. Was it true? Might the prior scout report about Magma's base of operations be erroneous?

Grey continued, narrowing his eyes. "I'm sure you noticed they seemed panicked at one point. Yes?"

It was true. As soon as her team encircled them, the Magma grunts showed a seemingly poor sense of organization, with the leader's plea for assistance going unanswered...but the reality was...the opposite.

The man took a looming step forth and craned his gaze lower, narrowing and drilling his eyes into hers like a superior ranked officer would to a stubborn subordinate. "I took the backdoor and cut their reinforcement lines. That's why you lot are alive and victorious—"

—"Eve-6, this is Saw-6 confirming several d-deceased individuals strewn about in the office area at a caging room, a few of them still breathe, over."

"—And they're not." Finished Grey grimly.

It was a cruel juxtaposition and reminder of her poor leadership skills. She pressed the comm' button on her earpiece with a trembling finger. "C-copy that, Saw-6, set them apart between living and...Deceased. Standard procedure, over."

Evelyn looked up at him in disgust, trying to mask her fear with it. "You're out of line, Wilson. You weren't given clearance to use lethal force, in fact, none of us have."

He smirked. "On the contrary, we were instructed to, quote 'subdue the enemy by all means necessary'."

"Within reason!"

"Semantics."

She gaped at the response. "You're…You're impossible!"

He rolled his eyes. "Call it whatever you want. Had you seen what I saw in there? You'd have reached the 'same conclusion'."

Dare she ask?

"W-what conclusion?"

He bestowed her with a dark stare. "That the world is, objectively, a better place with those pricks dead." The statement along with the silence that came with it was staggering.

Then he shrugged. "Mission briefing should be more lexical, you can start with 'that' on your report to Blanche, if you want to make a big deal out of it, that is. Be grateful that I even let one of the bastards live for questioning…We should finish up here."

How could this man be so indifferent about killing? What was wrong with him? And did he just fight the grunts? Or did he also fight…No, that would be ridiculous. He had his pokémon with him. Right?

Still…1-0, the win being against Rustboro gym leader's strongest team, which was impressive enough, his acts at Oldale, and the efficiency in which he did them—

—"Eve-6, Saw-6 here, there's more unconscious grunts at the back entry, we're currently apprehending them and extracting their cyanide teeth-pills, over."

—The potential disaster she almost got her own platoon in was averted single-handedly by this man…Who is Grey Wilson? What did he go through to be so nonchalant about his actions?

Two things were certain: The mission report was going to be an absolute headache…And Grey was going to be one hell of a wall to overcome in the League Circuit…She had to further understand the man in order to gain some strategic insight into him, and there was only one way to do that…

…Ginger's claws glowed hotly, briefly illuminating the area as she slashed apart the lock on the cage with them and let out the brownish striped lizard who thanked her before scuttling off to freedom. She never recalled having seen the lizard's kind before. Must be inter-regionally smuggled, like Joanna. There were other species that she didn't recall either, but heard of in the past, while others drew a blank in her mind, and then came her knowledge of some common ones from Hoenn.

Joanna and Neva were on their own looking for more imprisoned pokémon in separate areas of the facility. She hoped they were okay.

Despite occupying herself with the task of liberating the last few captives, her mind kept going back to what she witnessed, and how wonderstruck it left her…

After they had knocked out the Magma guards from the back entrance, Ginger and her teammates were ordered to search for captives and neutralize any grunt they would run into, while Grey would solely focus on catching the enemy humans by surprise before they could release their pokémon. She raised concerns about him potentially running into pokémon already released, but he had assured her that it would be improbable within the office area, and more so where the other Mystic members were headed, back at the loading dock, but he promised her that he'd call out for help loud enough to hear.

Whether he took the risk of going alone as a means for mission efficiency, or he simply liked working alone, she did not know. Maybe it was out of pride.

Whatever it may be, she didn't like it, but that was what he wished for and it seemed he knew what he was doing.

With that, they had split up.

Sooner than she expected, after having searched a few rooms with nothing to show, the crashing of some objects and smacking of iron echoed nearby, as well as an eerie hum and a strange static charge in the air that ruffled her plumage. It meant that a fight had broken out. For how long it had been going before she entered hearing distance? She was deeply worried that it was Grey.

Ginger's claws clacked on the metal grate floor as she rushed across the facility corridors toward the noise and stumbled on a scene that she would never have dreamed of.

Within a room of mostly empty cages, there were several Magma grunts sprawled on the floor, some atop a pool of their blood with huge fleshy gashes and burns on their bodies, dead. One was knocked out and unmoving while another pair were convulsing and frothing from their mouths…But those were the least surprising factor, for next to them were also some pokémon, having suffered the same or similar fate that raised numerous questions in her head, one of which was partially answered by the source of the noise.

It was Grey, albeit pumped up and with controlled labored breaths, standing firm in a combative stance and holding a single bloodwet, combat knife downward as a scyther would. In between him and another nervous Magma grunt was a muscular machoke roughly the same height, but with numerous severely bleeding gashes, and looking…worn out!? What was happening here!?

The Magma grunt waved an arm. "R-Ross! Use L—"

But Grey immediately bolted forth as soon as the first few syllables escaped the grunt's mouth, and swiped at the machoke with the knife. The more muscular, yet slower fighting pokémon was forced to act on its own, barely dodging the blade and going for a counter-attack, but Grey avoided it and attempted a punch of his own. Again, the machoke swerved its neck believing his opponent was caught off-guard and launched a powerful punch. During those moments, Ginger was horrified to think what would happen if Grey, a human, took such an attack.

She was tempted to step in, but a part of her, despite being a terrible idea, also wanted to see how Grey would handle it.

To her amazement, Grey managed to divert the machoke's punch with a well-timed left backfist against its arm, causing the 'mon to stagger forth in surprise and take Grey's right counterpunch smack in the face with a force that Ginger had no idea he was capable of. How the hell did he do it? The machoke staggered back slightly from the impact, though showing little sign of pain and more frustration. He attempted to grab Grey, but the human pulled out another combat knife, dove into a roll under and between the brute's legs, slashing the back of them simultaneously right under both calves and causing the fighting-type to stumble onto its knees with a howl in pain.

Despite being kneeled, the machoke turned to face his enemy, but as it did so, Grey was already on his feet pivoting around and swinging his elbow in an arc, crashing it straight across the machoke's bottom jaw with a sickening crunch that produced phantom pain in her own jaw out of pity. The large fighting-type turned sluggish and dazed, groaning in discomfort as his broken jaw hung loosely from one side, only held by skin and muscle. For a moment, it seemed the mon' would power through, but it lost balance and fell to the floor with a solid thud; knocked out.

"R-ross!? What the hell!?" Cried out the red uniformed criminal, stunned at what he witnessed.

Ginger too was speechless. Her heart pounded from the intense moment, and after a few seconds of mind-numbing wonder she thought two things:

One, what the hell? To show actual fighting skills out of nowhere, who or what was Grey, really? And two…

Whether it was her typing essence, she didn't know, but his suspiciously professional maneuvers touched the very core of her fighting spirit, sparking an ardent desire to learn.

She needed to get him to teach her whatever the fuck he just did, he was her trainer after all, right? And perhaps through this, she could learn more about him and who he really was.

Grey cupped his elbow with a jittery, bruised hand, the same he used to strike the machoke, grunting as though in pain from the impact. "Fuckin' thing must have steel for muscles, Jesus…As for you..." He glared at the whimpering Magma grunt.

The combusken couldn't hold it in anymore, she approached. "Grey! Holy shit! How the hell did you do that!?"

He jerked from her voice and was surprised at her presence, looking back into another direction worriedly, then at her once more. "What are you doing here!? Get going Ginger!"

"Huh? What's up?"

"Shit…You can't be here!" He shouted with worry laced on his face and his eyes darting back in the direction of his attention. What was he looking at? And what was that pungent smell?

"Why? What's wrong? You're hurt, I can help—"

"Go, now! Find the rest of the prisoners, there's not much time!" He ordered with angst and in apparent desperation. What was up with him? But along with his command, an odd pressure developed in her head, and for some reason, she couldn't resist an urge to heed his words out of fear-tinged respect and awe. It was just like that feeling back from when they first met during their own dispute at the tree…Try as she might with all her desire to stay by his side in worry, she found herself nodding despite her befuddlement, and she ran off in the opposite direction…

Now, when Ginger thought about it as she finished scanning the holding room, it all seemed odd and none of it made any sense, like bits and pieces of a lucid dream that always escaped reason and defied reality.

What really happened back there? And most importantly…What was Grey hiding?

His sudden skill at combat and his murderous resolve painted a completely different picture from the first time they met…In fact, she barely knew anything about Grey, hell, with how smart he seemed, and considering Professor Birch's slight familiarity with her, Grey knew way more about her than she did of him.

That would soon change…She'd see to it…

…

Pain.

"Nnn. Tight."

Both rejected out of hatred, disgust, and taken due to avarice.

"Stop! It hurts!"

Pride trodden on.

"Shut up and stop squealing, bitch!"

A blade held to the throat was all it took to do just that and take it in silence. If it was just one, she could have destroyed them. But several she couldn't handle in her state, hence her situation.

"Hey, hey! She's labeled 'extra rare', do what you need but no bruising. She'll sell for an extremely high price, but that's for naught if they see a single scratch on her, and that means less commission for us," said the other captor.

"Hurry up, Rand, the supervisor could walk in at any moment," hissed yet another from nearby.

Absolute agony…

"Woo. Here we go."

Violated and soiled…

The man straightened himself up. "Hah…Hehe. Alright, who's turn is it? I'm done."

Nothing was worse than this. Death would be a dulcet offering compared to this.

"What a grot. You're actually into 'mons?"

Right now…Tears and frustration were synonymous with Hell.

"I wasn't about to miss a chance with a rare one, and look who's talkin', you actually tape yours doing it."

"Pfft, yeah, what do you expect? The money involved with the online vids is fucking nuts right now."

"Hey…You didn't tape 'me' did you?"

"What? Fuck off. Shit like that probably wouldn't sell anyway…But then again, maybe it just might. After all, anything sells in the black market…Huh. Food for thought. Anyway, like you, I'm not missing a chance here. I'll barter for a vid worth possibly hundreds of thousands, thanks to this rare beauty, so hurry up and get your mon' in there."

"You heard the man, Ross, got get em', hehe."

She was bathed in the looming shadow of the hulk of a mon' obeying his master, and dread filled her.

Oh Arceus no! No!

"No! Stop! Please!"

Not a third time, please no…

A massive, light blue hand easily enveloped her pale leg with room to spare. "Play one of those tricks or struggle, and I might accidentally break something" said the reptile-faced beast, licking his chops.

"Please, please, please, stop."

Ignoring her, he began kneeling himself, and the tears came again in horrible apprehension.

That was it, she had one more thing left. A minor self-inflicted attack into the right part of the brain, and she could easily just end the pain, forever, while robbing them of their 'fortune' out of spite…To hell with this life.

She began charging an undetectable amount of energy at the back of her head. Small, but more than enough, especially in her state.

Screw this life…and Arceus be damned for making it this way.

No 'real' God would allow this to transpire…and he doesn't even have the gall to put me out of my misery. I'll just do it myself.

She took a breath and gathered her wits right as the brute lowered himself to her level—

Anger.

A Violent and rancorous anger inundated the room with the gravity of a thousand death throes.

A yelp came from one of the humans near the entry, followed by a metallic clatter with a body dropping on the floor, then another immediately after. Her captors for a second dropped their guard to face the new threat, and she took advantage of the distraction by redirecting the energy that was meant for her at the brute's hand on her leg, causing him to let go with a grunt despite not giving her a second glance.

Falling roughly on the hard metal floor, she squirmed and immediately pushed herself into a corner as she watched the carnage, focusing on a dark-haired human dressed in different clothing than the rest.

"You sick fucks!" he roared. "From one world to the next, you're all still the same."

One world to the next?

"Who the fuck are you!?" Demanded one of her captors.

"Who cares, get the bastard! Go Fang!" Yelled the other.

"Go, Spike," said the last as he, like the other, threw his round contraption on the floor.

Two mons' materialized, one a Mightyena, snarling with exposed fangs and fur sticking up. It evolved from Poochyena if she remembered correctly, and the other, also canine-like, seemed to refer to itself as a 'Granbull', standing a meter and half tall on hind legs and sporting long tusk-like protrusions curling out from its lower jaw, and pointed fangs from its upper. Its bite looked threatening to say the least.

"Ross, guard the merch!" ordered the human that had just finished with her, standing by with a radio in his hand. He was about to speak into it, but she knew what that would have meant for the intruder, so using her abilities, she focused, and from a distance knocked the radio out of his hands.

"What the…" He glared at her as he rubbed his limb, and Ross, angered at her harming of his trainer, raised a fist—

"No Ross! Stop. Let it go. We can handle this dickhead on our own, no need to damage the merch."

The machoke complied as they watched the other human confront the two pokémon.

Wrath.

She did not need to probe the intruder from afar, because she agreed with his current state of emotion…This particular set of humans deserved to die.

The newcomer launched an object at the Mightyena which let out an unexpected flash and boom, disorienting everyone except her as she already read his intentions on the surface and closed her eyes in anticipation before opening them again.

He was a whirlwind of blades and limbs, quickly cutting down the tall, pink dog-like mon' before struggling with the more nimble mightyena. Another red-clad criminal came from the door and launched two capture devices, releasing two more mons'.

If this human, who she discovered upon further probing was called 'Grey' died, then that would be the end for her.

So in that instant, she siphoned a bit of energy from Grey as well as allowing such ire and fury the likes she hadn't felt in a long time, to fill and course through her much smaller body, combining it with her own.

The emotions of the human came with parallel memories from a past filled with thunderous bangs that cracked the air, red-stained sand, and crushed concrete, along with the wailing cries of despair, grief, and hurt, muddled with shouts and orders barked out over the booming impacts.

She took it all in until she couldn't stomach any more. In a rage synchronous with Grey's she screamed and released everything.

The violent storm of power burst forth, slicing and cutting through everything around Grey, bathing him in the blood of his foes as he kicked the canine mon' in the face hard enough to end the struggle.

He, as well as her captors, were stunned at what just occurred.

Grey's golden eyes locked on hers, and in that one instant, along with the memories, she suddenly understood him over the subsequent mental connection.

"I'm sorry for what they've done, and I'm grateful for the help, but I'd appreciate it if you stayed out of my head and forget everything you saw." Came his voice echoing in her mind, lining it with his annoyance before she was somehow blocked.

A human? Blocking her? That was something new.

Nausea took hold of her as he approached the final duo of criminals: the machoke and his trainer who had suffered some cuts from the surge of energy. It was the last thing she could do to help this 'Grey'.

Darkness crept into her vision, and it was more welcome than it had ever been…

...

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—"Despite several investigations still being undertaken at the sight in Pier two of Rustboro Harbor, and thanks to the efforts of the 'Team Mystic' constables, the local law enforcement was able to process and arrest dozens of criminals who are, allegedly, members of the newly declared national threat, Team Magma. The criminals have engaged in many illegal activities, including unwarranted violence, illegal smuggling, and the kidnapping of well over fifty pokémon, with dozens more apparently missing and still being searched for, some having been freed from their confinement. However, according to one of the justice department supervisors, the skirmish between Team Mystic and Magma resulted in some severe casualties, both pokémon, and human, overwhelmingly on the criminal's side. Team Mystic lieutenant, Evelyn Maison, who led her constable platoon in the mission, denies having participated in these unfortunate events, and states that 'it was possibly the result of in-fighting'. As stated earlier, the local law enforcement is still investigating, more updates are pending."

The news reporter on-site held a hand to her earpiece and jerked into action, clearing her throat.

—"B-But of course, the good news is, some families will be happy to see their missing pokémon back in their homes, and others will be just as delighted to adopt some of the more unfortunate victims, while a select few will be housed in Rustboro pokécenter for further recuperation and therapy. Thanks to the efforts of Team Mystic, more pokémon have been saved from the clutches of criminal organizations. Katrina Guerrez, signing out."

The TV of the simple yet sterile office was turned off, and Blanche endowed Grey with her usual bland gaze. If anything, her flat expression was lined with mild, emulated irritation. She was very hard to read, probably because she was alexithymic. Either that or at this stage, he figured that she simply just didn't care about—

"You're wrong," said Blanche, interrupting his thoughts.

Grey blinked. "Huh?"

"If you think I don't 'care' about this, then you're sorely mistaken. I distinctly remember telling you that the leader guild 'Mystic', like the other two, have public agendas and therefore the need to retain public support."

"...Ok, how the fuck?"

"Your face says it all."

"...To be fair, they started it."

"That's not what this is about. I fully recognize your judgment was, in terms of tactical decision-making, more precise and clear than that of your platoon leader, and if I hadn't recruited you at the right time, they might actually all be under Magma's mercy right now. In other words, dead with their pokémon taken. The captain of the western Mystic division has already spoken to Evelyn about her erroneous tactical decisions…Of course, you, specifically are being dealt with by 'me', and you've also made mistakes."

"Then that's what this is about?"

She steeled her glare. "Well, considering Evelyn had to lie in the face of the public because you decided to confront a whole squad of Magmas on your own without your pokémon like a deranged lunatic, yes, 'that's what this is about'," she said with unusual fluster in her tone he had yet to hear.

Grey raised a brow as she stepped forward into his space, a habit she seemed to have, and gently slipped four tickets into his blue jacket pocket.

She looked to her office door before back at him and whispered, "You must depart Rustboro effective immediately and continue to Dewford by ship for your next mission, as well as your next gym. Your rash actions have stirred up a bit of a storm with the local authorities, and in case you've forgotten, they're the 'government's eyes' that supervise the leader guilds. Best make yourself scarce in Rustboro for a while. As a trainer having earned the city's gym badge, I doubt you have any more business here anyway."

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Gee, and here I was planning for another trip to the mall for some supplies."

Now it was Blanche who raised a white brow. "Well, you brought that on yourself, now didn't you? But don't worry, the S.S. Julianne's cruise ship has an onboard mall that's almost as good. You can get what you need there."

"Oh. If that's the case, I can't complain. Well, guess I'll be seeing you around?"

She smirked. "Of course, perhaps sooner than you think."

"Oh Goody." He drawled out un-excitedly, eliciting an amused hum from the white-haired guild master.

He turned to leave, but—

"Something happened back there, didn't it."

Grey stopped, still facing the door; unwilling to look into those probing emeralds of hers. "Of course it did. Bad guys were taken down."

"I saw the site photos, Grey, and Sawyer's squad reported running into all three of your pokémon without you on sight…There's no way a mere flashbang and a pair of knives could cause gashes and burns of that degree on the corpses…"

His heart rate rose.

Blanche took a few steps forward. "You didn't kill them at all, did you?"

"It makes no difference. They deserved their deaths, and if no one else will cleanse the filth, then I will."

"That's not your call."

"You weren't there to see it, Blanche. All civilizations are born on a foundation of blood spilled by violence in the name of a self-righteous vision of order and a bid for self-preservation. It's always been and always will be a social enforcing mechanism. So again, I ask, what difference does it make?"

"We're not talking about the past foundations of civilization, we're talking about current public safety...If there's a dangerous element loose—"

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Then it's me, and you'll have to put me down. The question is: despite the uncertainty of my involvement with their deaths, will you? After having shown such interest in me? I'll remind you that the cameras in that warehouse weren't functioning at all, oddly enough.

She took a step closer. "Until today, from what I can gather, I've never heard of any human willingly face pokémon in an actual fight personally as you did, not even blackbelt trainers and martial artists would dare confront their own pokémon in real combat outside of limited light sparring, and there's a pretty good reason for that, the bandages on your right arm and fists prove that."

He clenched his bruised fists beneath their gauzes, and his right elbow throbbed. He never expected the machoke's muscles to be literally almost as hard as steel, much less its fucking jaw.

"What's your point?"

"I just had to ship off hundreds of my highly qualified veteran constables to the military by governmental requisition to become hardened soldiers, only to, ironically, recruit someone out of nowhere who makes independent and precisely timed tactical decisions and also happens to fight just like one…"

He breathed in, unwilling to show a reaction.

"What actually happened? What are you hiding?...Who are you, really? Grey?"

Then he gave her a side glance. "Depends, what's your real agenda?"

Her silver lashes fluttered as she let out a small sigh. "...I guess we'll just have to learn to trust each other."

"I trust no one."

"Then why join Mystic in the first place?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

She chuffed. "You're a strange specimen."

"Maybe…"

"Eventually you'll have to take the risk, Grey. In this world, you need allies, especially when you're lost."

He barely held in his gasp at the last statement, looking away on instinct.

Did she figure it out? How? "Why me, Blanche? Why so much interest in one person? I doubt it's just because you think I'm some kind of 'Meta-human'."

Blanche closed the distance and stood behind him.

"Look at me," she ordered tersely. His skin prickled in the presence of an inexplicable and sudden chill in the air, as though a window was opened in the middle of winter.

He hesitated before he once again looked to the side.

Her eyes for a moment displayed a congealing glow, contrasting her serene gaze. "Because you can make the difficult decisions, and because you stand by them with a will and stubbornness that is unmatched. I need people like that for my 'agenda', as you like to call it, Meta-human or not."

He found himself exasperating at her words; they seemed out of character.

She continued, "Setting aside your pokémon partners, I can be your most valuable ally if you want. We can help each other, but in order to do that, we have to trust each other."

Grey took one more glance at her powerful eyes, before turning and grabbing the doorknob, almost as a support for the nauseating sensation that came in waves.

"...I need time," he answered, and left the office.

He strode the pearlescent hallways of Rustboro's Mystic guild base, with its floors consisting of swirls of black and blue glittery marble, as though one were walking over a star-dense universe. The place was lined with picture frames of constellations, abstract art, and processed infrared photos of cosmic objects, as well as some pokémon, with one, in particular, being the rendition of a light blue bird of sorts, possessing long tail feathers that swayed in a snowy wind.

Just before he exited the lobby auto-doors—

"Wilson."

What now…

He glanced back into the lobby and was annoyed to find Evelyn approaching him, now sporting an indigo-colored and humble gown-dress, black stockings, and white high heels. The most sophisticated aspect of her personal get-up was the rose-shaped top hat she wore, with her Cleopatra-cut dark hair swaying as she strutted forth, glowering at him and clearly livid about something.

He would have never imagined that to be her style. Flashy yet humble. A stylistic choice that oddly contrasted her rank and choice of career. Then again, anything was possible in an anime-game world filled with supernatural powers and eccentrics.

"Can I help you, Lieutenant?" He spat out the rank like it was vile acid.

Stopping a meter away, her brow furrowed further at the subtle quip. "I suppose you're finished getting your own rebuttal?"

"Considering you're only alive thanks to me, it could hardly be classified as a 'rebuttal'. Unfortunately, I can't say the same about your meeting. Tell me, how is Captain Maison doing?"

He smirked as she jerked back red-faced at the insinuation, before taking a deep breath and whipping a finger at him. "Grey Wilson, if that is who you really are, I challenge you to a pokémon battle!" She announced loudly so other Mystic members would hear, which they did if the abrupt halt of their current activities and their prying eyes were anything to go by.

"...I have no time for meaningless squabbles, Lieutenant, I've got a boat to catch and my pokémon partners are at the center' getting checkups."

Saying 'poké' constantly so closely together in a sentence for everything related to pokémon had begun grating on his nerves, he was sure people would get it.

"Running away? Wilson?" She said with a smug smile.

"Call it what you want, it can't exactly be a pokémon battle without pokémon, now can it?" He turned his back. "Find me at Dewford when your little tantrum about your failure subsides, perhaps then I'll be more interested, but as you are right now? My spare minutes would be better spent elsewhere."

With that, he walked off as some people visibly winced at his remark, others whispered in amused tones, and he could almost feel the resentment Evelyn irradiated, however, she remained silent.

Grey didn't doubt for a second that he had just made a typical anime-rival out of Evelyn, the scene was so cliché that it hurt to even be a part of it.

This really was an anime world…One that did not suit him nor his past affiliations, if the horror on the lieutenant's face after seeing him with the bloody knives back at the warehouse was anything to go by…The look on her face reminded him of—

He shook his head.

No. This was certainly not the place nor the world to be remembering that…

After picking the poké-girls up from the center and making sure they were well cared for, the quartet left for the harbor, walking through the city sidewalks with eyes constantly scanning them, no doubt from his recent gym battle and involvement in the urgent guild mission.

It seemed like not even Blanche predicted the central government's sudden military requisition, due to the fact that the guild's task managers and captains were desperate enough to lug in an under-qualified lieutenant and a fresh recruit into a mission that could have cost their lives.

In Grey's eyes, it was a way for the government to control and balance the power of the three leader guilds, as well as the police force, while at the same time giving them an excuse to bolster their military with fresh replacements…It was one of the first telltale signs of caution for a possible war, based on—

"Grey."

He snapped out of his thoughts. "What is it, Neva?"

"You should really watch where you're going."

"Huh?" It was then that he raised his gaze off the ground. He was only a step away from a drop into the port waters below. Some nearby civilians stared at him. He hated that.

"Oh. Right. We're here."

"No shit, dumbass. You almost stepped off the freakin' edge. What's up with you?" Chided Ginger with a scrutinizing glare.

"Indeed, master, you've been acting a bit strange since the mission. Are you alright?" Asked Joanna with a worried glimmer of her slit amethysts.

He observed the trio of pokémon for a moment, before waving off their concerns and shaking his head once more. "I'm fine, just tired."

"Enough to step off a fucking port?" Questioned Ginger in an aggravated tone.

"I said, let it go already. What's with the attitude?" Though he knew damned well what her problem was, considering what happened when she stumbled onto the scene back in that cage room yesterday and how he, somehow, forced her out of there without physical effort. She was definitely going to interrogate him later.

Ginger crossed her arms and looked away. "Nothing…I'll tell you when we're on the ship," she grumbled.

He sighed, only noticing now the gigantic white cruise ship a few docks down, bathed gloriously in the rays of the sun and gleaming as a result. The thing was practically a mansion on water. The line of people waiting to board was long enough to be visible from their distance.

"Let's get going, might as well get in line—"

"Help!" came a scream from nearby.

Grey's gaze snapped to the side in search of the source, thinking it was a person crying out.

It was odd to think for a moment, that it was much worse.

A few yards away across the water was a large fisher boat, craning its fresh load from the water; a net filled with normal-looking fish, which again answered a question of his about the ratio of pokémon vs fauna of this world. But within the load and getting squeezed against the net by all the weight, was a small white and red goldfish-like creature with a horn on its forehead. Its lips were pouting and it gasped for air, crying out in a plea for help while the other more 'normal' fish fauna only flapped around silently like they would in real life…Real-life…What was that anymore?

No one around him seemed to hear its pleas for help or much less care as they walked along the harbor minding their own business, without a second glance, like it was totally normal.

Did…Did these people consume that too? Is that why they considered it trivial?

It was easily one of the most difficult self-questioning moments Grey was having since he got into this world. In the past, he wouldn't have looked twice either at a net of fresh catch.

But this fish was clearly screaming out for help, and losing air fast. The voice was unmistakably human, yet belonged to a fish creature, which was most certainly a pokémon if things were consistent.

He flashed out his pokédex, and fair enough, it was called a 'Goldeen'. Though not by name, he distinctly remembered it from generation one pokémon. One of Ash's girlfriends, or whatever, had one of these.

Grey was too far out to do anything, and the girls couldn't do anything either. He could only watch as the poor pokémon was reeled toward the fishing boat's deck.

He focused on the netting that was pushing against its belly. If only he could cut it somehow from this distance, just one little nick on the net line, and from the pressure and weight, it would surely—

The netting snapped right where he was looking and the goldeen was freed, splashing into the water below alongside the normal fish; safe and sound. The sailors were shouting and yelling in confusion as the boat rocked from the sudden weight release.

Grey reeled in surprise at the suddenness of his wish being granted.

What the fuck?

It was then he swore something brushed against the back of his head, causing him to look back to the city in search of the source. But there were only a variety of people and their pokémon strolling about. Nothing out of the ordinary and no strange character or element out of place.

"The hell…"

"Grey, what's up? Where're you looking?" insisted Neva who attempted to follow his line of sight.

"Didn't you see—I-I mean feel, or…Don't you girls think that was weird?"

"What was?" inquired Ginger. "Seriously, it's just coincidence Grey, the goldeen got lucky. What the fuck is wrong with you today?" She demanded, frustrated with claws on hips.

"I…" He genuinely had no answer for that.

Was he finally losing his mind? For real this time? God, he needed a rich, strong coffee brew…

He gazed back in the direction of the city and from where the surreal sensation had emanated; uncomfortable all of a sudden, getting paranoid…something wasn't right.

"Girls, let's get to the line."

"You sure you wanna' board today? You don't seem up to it—"

"Now." He affirmed hurriedly. It was obvious that his desperation to get away from the docks and Rustboro entirely was creeping on to his poképartners.

After a grueling and agonizing wait in the line, passing the four tickets to the bridge guard and allotting an entire private room to themselves as a result, they boarded the ship, entering the main hall and allowing Grey to finally take a breath in relief.

The place truly was huge, almost like a small town smack dab in the middle of it, lined with shops, diners, and cafés. The ship was designed in a way that all the attractions and central facilities were placed in the middle throughout the decks and spread outward, leaving the lining of the cruise to be the main cabins.

He wasn't versed much in how that worked but supposed it was a logical arrangement like any other cruise boat.

Grey never had been on a cruise ship, having missed the chance once to go with his mother and sister on such a trip, thanks to his ungrateful and attention whoring bitch of an ex…Woo, where did that come from? Something wasn't right. Did that goldeen scenario really jog his mind that much?

"Oi Grey, lighten up, we're in real luxury now."

"Yeah, didn't you say you wanted to shop for supplies and stuff?"

Ginger didn't say anything however, the whole time she just glared at him.

He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Honestly, I'm too tired to shop right now, and we've got around eighteen hours plus to do it. I think I'll grab a coffee first. You girls can go ahead and scout out for me if you like."

Joanna beamed at his suggestion, and Neva seemed content to do so as well.

"What do you need, master? And how will we find you?"

"Don't worry about that, just keep an eye out for shops that say stuff like 'Trainer' essentials, and if you see something that says 'sporting goods' and 'safari outdoors', make note of that too. We'll meet up in an hour or two at our designated cabin for a rest and you can take me there either later or tomorrow before we disembark. You remember where our cabin is on the wall maps?"

They nodded.

"Then off you go, and remember, we just finished a mission that featured caged pokémon. So don't, under any circumstances, talk to any strangers for too long, and stay together. There could be Magma stragglers from that mission on board this ship."

"Grey. You're being paranoid, no need to make them nervous," rebutted Ginger.

"Pfft, don't sweat it, thunder thighs, I'm not scared of some shithead Magma," retorted Neva, swinging her claws around like the feisty sneasel she is.

"I concur, let's be off," said Joanna as she scurried away in excitement, but before she made much distance the salandit turned. "And see you soon, master, I hope that coffee will make you feel better." She winked and continued on her way along with Neva.

Ginger, however, stayed put, strangely enough. Grey thought she would be delighted to shop around, last time she seemed enthusiastic about such a thing.

"Aren't you going with them?"

"No. I think I'll accompany you for that coffee, maybe try something out suited for mons' like myself. Besides, even though I understand it, I can't read the human language."

Though she didn't seem as enthusiastic about that idea either.

"Suit yourself, let's find ourselves a café then—Wait...You can't read?"

She deadpanned at him, as though to remind him that she was a pokémon. His dialogue with them was so clear and cut that the thought of them being unable to read never crossed his mind.

"But if you can't read...Then Neva and Joanna...Ah shit."

He facepalmed.

"Don't worry, they'll work it out."

"Right..."

Perhaps he should teach them? Hold up...Speaking of reading...Up until now the thought never occurred to him of what language he had been reading and completely understanding the whole time he had been in this world. He gazed at his pokédex...

It's just English in my eyes, but if I'm in a world that is based on a Japanese franchise...Why isn't the writing itself in Japanese? Is this just an illusion thing or upon getting my ass dropped here, I just suddenly learned the language so fluidly that I even speak it now without even realizing that I'm speaking it like it were my natural tongue—Gaaah confusing!

He just chalked it up to a universal language factor. After all, back on Other-Earth, English was practically universal anyway...

After looking around the luxurious and pristine halls of the cruise ship, they found a lonely tropical-themed café. Apparently, they had coffee beans from all over Hoenn and some other regions, practically being a mobile business on a cruise liner and all. They also had recipes that suited the needs of pokémon, which consisted of a special blend of berries and the actual raw coffee beans, which were, ironically, better suited for a pokémon's body to process and convert to energy.

Interestingly, when the barista saw his secondary credit card that was affiliated with the Mystic guild's bank, he received a fifty percent discount, saving him a lot of…Yen. Yeah, it was only now, paying with credit, that he realized the double slash on the 'P' wasn't actually 'Pokédollar', but still referred to as 'Yen'. The one real-world thing that, at first, seemingly crossed over along with him, was the Japanese currency, so at least that seemed consistent, despite further confusing him with regards to the language mystery. The only difference was the fact that it was the global currency of this world…Of course, that meant nothing, since every region still had its own type of Yen currency, like Hoenn Yen, or Kanto Yen, both having distinct values in the global market.

Conversion rates would still be a piece of shit to deal with. That cleared up at least one reason that Carmonte Island went broke. Despite the world being unified into 'Regions' instead of 'Countries', they were still competing against each other within the market. Some things never change.

They went with their beverages to the nearby side deck of the cruise and found a table, with no one around somehow. It seemed people were too fascinated with the ship's other facilities at the moment. Thank God if applicable, he wasn't in the mood to be surrounded by people-mumble.

The duo sat down, gazing at the afternoon sun reflecting off the seawater

The aroma of the tropical brew was a blessing to inhale, and the flavor had an exotic zing to it. It was delicious.

Ginger seemed to enjoy her blend as well, indicated by the quickly emptied slurp cup.

"Feeling better now?" she asked with a tilted gaze.

"Better from what?" He evaded, taking another sip from his beverage, but scolded his tongue from the sudden bang on the table.

Ginger had a clenched clawed fist on the surface of the trembling furniture, with hellish fury painted on her ruby eyes that burned into him. "Enough fucking around, Grey. Now you're really giving me the shits."

"What's your prob—"

"No! What's your problem!? You've been acting like a complete fucking schitzo' since the mission, which you stupidly risked yourself in, and even more so since your meeting with Blanche. I thought maybe it might be post-mission fatigue or something. But you really crossed the line with that goldeen incident, you looked like you saw a freaking ghost!"

"You're overthinking it."

She scoffed at that. "Oh that's funny, I was just about to say the same thing to you! You're being paranoid for nothing! What, did you develop a reliance on those pills and run out or something—"

Snap.

Like thunder with the cup shattering on the floor, Grey shot his arm over the table, grabbing the combusken by the throat and pulling her within inches of his face, fixing her with a death stare.

"Are you calling me a drug addict, Bitch?"

"Ngh—heh, look at you, one moment you're all calm sipping coffee—cough—and the next, you're in the mood for murder. Just who are you?"

"...Tch." He shoved her back and returned to his position. Luckily no one was around to see that. He pulled out the case of pills from his backpack and slammed it on the table in front of her with a brief rattle. She gasped, realizing her mistake as she rubbed her neck.

He frowned. "As you can see, I haven't used a single one of these goddamned pills since Oldale ruins. The one I swallowed in front of Ash's group was just an act to induce pity, because of some weird ancient-cave-mumbo-jumbo fucking with my head in that moment. Otherwise, Alden would have called the looney house on me for sure. That's why I keep these, in case I have to act again."

"But...What really happen—"

'All shall either drag thyselves along the ground or be closed in by the skies!'

That fucking voice!

"I just told you, and I answered your question from days ago about the pills. Count them if you want, and once you're done, don't you ever accuse me of that again."

Her head crests lowered. "I just want to know what's up with you. Is it wrong to worry about my trainer?"

He snorted. "Of course, you'd be worried. You need a human flesh bag, after all, to enter the pokémon league. Then once you're done using me, despite every effort I'll have made to get you what you want, and thanks to the ultimatum you imposed on me, you'll either kill me or just toss me aside like Janet di—"

He caught himself with a gasp.

He was so riled up and flustered that his derailed train of thought went straight back there, allowing it to slip through his lips.

"Who's Janet?"

"No one."

"Another 'No one', huh. Just like 'Marcus'."

"Say either of their names in my presence again, and I swear I'll make what I did to that Machoke look like a love-tap compared to what I'll do to you. By now surely you've realized what I did back at the forest is nothing compared to what you saw me do back in the warehouse. You've seen what I'm really capable of, so you know damn well I make good on my threats—"

"Teach me," she blurted out.

He blinked. "What?"

She scratched her arm awkwardly, breaking eye contact.

"Grey, it's obvious to me that you're not normal. You're...different. Please, teach me those fighting moves."

He rose a brow at that. "I don't follow, and frankly, right now I don't care—"

In a single movement, she slipped off her chair and knelt at his feet, surprising him.

"What the hell are you—"

"Grey, you sent me away from that room without even telling me a thing about what was happening. Do you have any idea how useless I felt when you did that? What if something happened to you and what if I was too late? I thought: What if he doesn't care anymore and just wants to die!? I still question if what I saw was real, a human matching wits with a fucking Machoke…I realized then that you're a blessing in my life; I realized that…That I really need you, so badly that it hurts and I hate it because you're a human…but…but I need you."

What the—

He almost choked and lost his balance at the phrasing of that, and found himself getting even more flustered.

"Uh, whoa, hey, uh, w-what do you mean by 'need'—"

"I don't know much about you, and you only know a bit about me, but with how smart you are, you must've figured out by now that I once had a trainer,"—She gazed up at him with tearful anguish in her eyes—"Right?"

He cleared his throat, trying his hardest to ignore the sheer cumbersomeness of the situation. "Yeah, your clear obsession with the Ever Grande conference was an indicator of such, and if it wasn't clear then, it is now with…Whatever the hell you're doi—look j-just get up, please just get up, this is embarrassing, someone's gonna'—"

"I can't tell you everything…It's too painful…"—Her breath hitched—"B-but I can say that 'he' made me feel absolutely worthless. Months of being used as a mere punching bag for his other pokémon that he thought were more worth it…I was used as target practice…As an object to throw…An object to make a campfire…To heat up their food…An object to beat down on whenever he needed to vent his frustration from his failures…I was only allowed to heal if my injuries were life-threatening, of course, he's no doctor, so his diagnosis was just superficial…"

Oh no.

She continued her grizzly tale, clenching her claws. "He made me believe that it was to 'toughen' me up, as he liked to say. Heh…But I was no good. I never evolved from a torchic even after all that…One time I overheard his other pokémon mentioning that 'I was broken', and that 'he was lying to me about using me in the league'...I was just an instrument to measure the success of his other pokémon, and soon I wasn't even good enough for that." Her breath quivered and the tears fell, darkening the feathery texture of her face with lines of the water.

It was bizarre and paradoxical to watch a being of the fire element produce water in such a way, but pokémon were no exception to the general makeup of flesh and blood…Blood…

"Ginger, you don't have to say anym—"

"When my usefulness expired, I was replaced with another fire-type—"

This was getting too familiar.

"—And the time came when he decided to exile me in front of all of them back at Littleroot, before he would travel to another region. I was to be made an example of what not to be…For the first time, I spoke out against him and called him out for all his bullshit and lies, his cruelty and manipulation. Then he said…"

'You want a chance? Fine…If you can defeat at least three of my current team, I'll consider you worthy to be a part of it…But, if you lose…Well, let's just say, 'losing' and 'exile' will be the least of your worries...Heh…'

"I still remember the malevolence behind his grin at that moment."

Grey shook his head slowly in grim anticipation.

No…Not this…

"—I was surrounded, I fought as hard as I could, but it was no use…"

Grey's stomach turned.

This was just sick.

"Stop…"

"After I was left to die a mess in the mud, along with my shattered pokéball, I simply lay there for hours in pain...And during that time, my moments of anguish, humiliation, and loss of all sense of dignity, I went mad…I went mad…and I finally evolved...In that same moment, I presume that was when Birch found me, and before I knew it I was recaptured." She gasped and hicked while laughing as she shook her head. "Heh…Can you believe that kind of irony? After all I went through…After all the pain and sacrifice—"

"I said, stop."

…She shook her head as she sobbed, slamming her hands on the decking and still on her knees, remembering every detail. "—After everything I did for him! And I didn't learn a single fucking thing except for how cruel people can be! As a hatchling I was taken and selected from my family tribe! Something that my fellow hatchling tribemates would only dream of! Chosen to be a real fighter! Arceus, that was one of the proudest moments of my life! And I was handed to a man-child that would—sniff—ruin it all!—gasp—he ruined everything and I learned nothing!" she screamed.

I learned nothing…I only lost and never gained. I was sullied instead of cared for.

"Nothing! Worthless, insignificant trash!"

Fire roiled from within and she was set ablaze every time the memory haunted her.

Burn everything away, the memories, the pain, the tears…and the filth—

A hand grabbed her shoulder and she was shoved into something hard, yet soft, causing her to immediately shut off her building flames.

A subtle yet constant beat reverberated from the fabric.

It was a heartbeat.

"Hey. I thought you were supposed to help 'me' get my shit together, not the other way around."

His voice reverberated through her, and the scent she had first met with was faded, but still there: an ocean, the ashes of a fire, the mineral of his skin, and a tinge of eucalyptus…But now that she was this close to him…There was a new addition to his aroma, though very subtle…

It was the acrid tang of rust and copper…

Where on Earth was he from?

"Ginger. There's a reason why I try to rely on myself and not on anyone else…The things that I know are things that no one should have to know…"

She couldn't resist wrapping herself in his warmth. "Why?"

"Because with just one mistake, one miscalculated move, and you could actually kill someone…"

She shifted her gaze. The softness of his amber eyes melted some of the pain away, they were comforting, yet the further she delved into them, there was something profoundly disturbing about them at the same time. An emotional well almost completely dried of its empathy, and instead filled with an intimate understanding of death.

But she didn't care, because she never received consolation like that from her ex-trainer...

With just one gesture of care, so much could change…

"I want to protect you, Grey. Yes, I do want to fight, selfishly so. But it won't mean anything unless you too find at least some kind of minimal pleasure from it…I mean with the way you fight, you must feel some kind of thrill from the adrenaline, right? Don't you have aspirations? Don't you care about anything?"

"...I wish I could answer that. But at this time, I can't…And I'm the worst possible person to teach you anything."

"Why? You're good, Grey, I feel it. The other girls feel it too."

"...I'm the last person you want to be associated with…"

"Why? Just who are you?"

He looked to the ocean with a heavy sigh. "Sometimes, I don't even know anymore…It only takes one stupid impulsive life decision to ruin your every perspective on reality forever…I've seen things that can't be unseen…and I've done things that can't be undone…I'm not who you think I am, Ginger…Let's leave it at that."

…The plea in her tear swollen, ruby eyes was evident. "Please teach me what you know, teach me how to fight." She begged as she grabbed his jacket tightly. "You don't have to tell me where you learned it, just please…please don't let me be useless. Let me do what I set out to do, let me help you be something you can be proud of in this world…let me protect you, Grey. That way, at least one of us can fulfill something in our lives, right?"

Her words struck chords and resonated with him.

Kneeling on the floor with her, he realized in that moment, though coming from different circumstances…That…

They were both utter failures, looking for some kind of redemption…

They held each other for a few moments. She was soft and feathery…and warm, incredibly so. But it wasn't the kind of heated warmth he expected from her fire-typing. It was a warmth that seeped through far deeper than just his skin...It was a warmth that soothed his aching soul; an ember within a cold, dark world.

It had been a long time since he felt empathy towards someone…Perhaps it was because they were, in a way, kindred spirits, once separated by entire dimensions, now literally on the same boat...Funny that.

…They found their cabin, eventually succumbing to lethargy from all the drama. It was a simple, compact, yet cozy little thing, with a rounded window at the end and two bunk beds to fit four.

In his usual fashion, he flopped on the bed as though he were suddenly lifeless...It was soft, yet cold and sterile compared to…

Ginger chose the bunk next to him and lay flat though still gazing at him expectantly.

"What?"

"You haven't answered yet."

'Answered what' he was about to ask but knew it would have been just too cruel to decline...He breathed in.

"...If I teach you, Ginger...There's no going back...I'm human, so the techniques mainly apply to blunt limbs, however, in my case, anything external can be used as a weapon."

She nodded in understanding. "Right."

"But you are a pokémon. You're a walking flamethrower with razor claws and the strength of at least two full-grown human men, on top of being a great kicker and runner. You'll forever have to hold back your immense strength and continuously have to make split-second decisions with precise and calculated strength...One poorly executed move if applied to a pokémon battle could either mean your injury, permanently disabling your opponent for life, or even killing without intention. This isn't even considering the huge diversity of anatomical structures when it comes to pokémon."

"Why is that last part important?"

"Because what you're asking me to teach you is specifically designed to be used against humans. Not pokémon. This means there will be different weak points to aim for, different joints to strike, and different nerves to press. The only reason why I was able to defeat an opponent with strength and weight several times my own, was because I had knives, I was faster, and I used his own weight and center of gravity against him, and…It's because he was very 'human shaped', and I'm well versed in fighting humans larger than I am. The granbull somewhat fell into this category as well. The Mightyena, however, was a different story."

Her eyes bulged and she shot up from the bed, hitting her head on the underside of the bunk above. "What!? You also fought that Mightyena and the Granbull that were on the floor!?"

"Yes. However, the machoke stood back to watch first. If I were a huge muscular pokémon, I'll admit, even I'd be betting against the human if he were to face two natural killing machines before facing me. I had to use a stun grenade on the canine. Even I'm not stupid enough to face two pokémon at once alone, but if I had to...Then I'd dispatch the closest opponent that I'm more familiar with first. Granbull had shorter arms, but a massive head, and was bipedal. Nothing special aside from his monstrous bite. Easy target to take out. But the mightyena was fucking fast and had extremely good instinct and reflexes despite being blinded and deafened by the stun grenade, not to mention being too slippery and flexible to grapple with...Perhaps it's the Dark-typing, I'm not sure, but I'd pick a roughly human-shaped pokémon over a large quadruped canine or feline as an opponent any day. Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of picking."

"I see...I suppose that'll be clearer when you teach me."

"Also, the element of surprise is important. We can easily conclude that machoke wasn't expecting much from me, and that's the pitfall of overconfidence. Always assume your opponent has a contingency plan, and never assume victory, until you know for sure they can no longer move. You' following?"

Ginger's face was contorted by a mighty attempt to stifle a yawn. "Yeah."

"Good news is, most of these weak points can be quickly analyzed by their center of gravity and what part of their body they most heavily lean on for support and—"

The mattress gave a silent creak as Ginger flopped to the side with a light snore. She fell asleep. Poor thing was tired from all the trauma she relived in her mind.

To think...There was so much human injustice in a world filled with authority figures and creatures who, even the smallest of which, could literally take out a grown man…What irony…

The few sips he had of his coffee weren't enough of a buzz for his mind, so a nap was on the menu…

…The next day, the group ventured through the ship-mall hallways, browsing several stores for all sorts of commodities and tools, using the backpack as the 'shopping bag'.

Joanna ended up being the one to guide them because Neva mostly forgot the way after a good sleep back at the cabin. Speaking of which…The salandit gazed at Ginger, who had been walking closer to Grey than usual. When she and Neva had returned to the cabin yesterday, using the swipe card Grey left partially exposed under the door, she was met with the surprise of Ginger, sleeping next to him on the same bed, with the one next to him having its covers messed up. It seemed the combusken had a restless sleep, finding comfort closer to her trainer.

At first, the jealousy seethed through every pore of her dark skin, but quickly subsided as she couldn't help admit that it was one of the cutest things she witnessed, especially coming from the usually rough-nut combusken.

Joanna, still having her eye on Ginger, smiled lightly at the fowl-pokémon's progress. It was no secret to her that the fighting-type had her issues, with her sometimes explosive temper contrasting her more mature side at times, signaling emotional instability.

Exploring the humongous ship, the walk seemed eternal. Joanna estimated that by now they must've reached the back of the vessel.

Ding.

—"Attention all passengers, this is your captain speaking, we're scheduled to arrive within 40 minutes at Dewford island, for those that will disembark at this location, please remember to keep your luggage ticket at hand, if lost you may ask for a copy at the information desk using your ID. It is recommended that you return to your cabins and make preparations to disembark as this will only be a brief pit stop. Thank you for your attention"—Came the mature voice from numerous speakers lined all around the cruise halls.

"Alright girls, you heard the man, once we've visited the back deck, we'll head straight back and get our stuff. I don't want to be waiting in an hour-long line to get off."

Passing a boisterous food court, confirming her estimation of their position according to the map visuals, they came upon a large group of people, some with their pokemon at their side, waiting in a line in front of a large double door in the middle of the hallway.

A tourist guide waving his hands spoke out. "—and next we'll be visiting the engine room, where the latest twentieth-century naval technology is making it possible for such mass to float and cross the ocean!"—The people oohed—"Now, I must ask you to please make a nice organized line of two and—"

The door opened and a man, most likely an engineer with his face hidden under his cap's visor and wearing an oil-stained teal uniform, walked past the surprised tourist guide, mumbling an apology for the interruption. He was about to walk through the people to get to the rear end of the ship, but before he did, he stopped and gazed right at—

Joanna's eyes met his, and she froze. The man's face tilted, and his eyes widened in recognition before he turned and quickly shoved himself through the people…

She swore she recognized him in turn from somewhere...and that meant bad news.

Grey and the girls walked ahead of her.

Should she tell him? What would they think of her? Would they believe that she had nothing to do with 'them' anymore?

But maybe this was more important, it could mean their safety.

"Joanna?"

She flinched at her name, and her group gazed at her.

"Is something wrong?" asked Grey.

Perhaps it would be better to show them. "...Follow me, now," she said as she launched herself into a run on all fours toward the back deck of the ship in pursuit of the man.

"Huh—hey wait up!"

She was glad that they hurried away from the engine room to keep up with her.

They exited the corridor onto the back deck of the ship and were met with buffeting wind currents, the sound of the waters being parted along with the audible rumble of the powerful engine.

The deck itself was a huge wide-open space, lined with sunbathing chairs and stationed observer-lens with support beams that sported flags fluttering in the wind.

In the middle of the deck was a commotion taking place. A group of men and women, all dressed in the same teal uniform as the man they followed, were loading the deck with cargo that consisted of crates, some small, able to be carried by a single worker, and some larger, requiring two or more workers to carry it to the pile. Joanna thought she heard some scratching and thumping from the boxes, but she wasn't sure as the wind of the ship was too strong.

A security guard came about and immediately confronted them about their activity. "Hey! What do you think you're doing with that cargo—" but three of the workers jumped, gagged, and tied him up swiftly, much to everyone's shock.

"What the hell is going on!?"

"Who are you people!?"

And such questions were raised by worried spectators nearby, though one of them was a particular young green-haired boy that she recognized.

Grey walked up to the younger man. "Sawyer?"

Their ally Mystic guild member turned and briefly smiled. "Oh, Mr. Wilson! Oh, I'm so glad to see you, sir! I could use your help!"

"Just Grey's fine. What's going on?"

The young Saw-squad leader pointed to the group. "They're not real crew members! And for some reason, they've been bringing all this cargo to the back of the boat."

The man that came out of the engine room walked to the front of the questionable troop of crew members and grinned savagely as he ripped open his shirt and flicked away his cap, revealing a familiar striped uniform and bandana.

Grey growled. "Team Aqua…"

Sawyer's deep blue eyes widened. "You know them!?"

"Let's just say I've had a brief run-in with them."

Joanna sighed in partial relief, not having needed to explain anything as the situation revealed itself.

The rest of the twenty and some workers also shed their false uniforms to reveal themselves.

A chobham helicopter's blades chopped the air from a distance, slowly coming into view from overhead.

The criminal leader's grin became maniacal as he pulled out a kill switch. "That's right! We're team Aqua, and all human authority is null and void to us! The government can make all the statements they want about us! So here's ours!" he announced and pushed the button.

The entire ship rocked from a huge explosion beneath them, sending most of the spectators sprawling to the ground in surprise as subsequent smaller booms followed it.

It was worse than Joanna thought…the ship let out a horrid metallic groan, which could only mean two things…

They blew up the engine room…And all of those people and pokémon that went to tour it…were dead.

She had been with Team Aqua for a short time, but never did she think they were capable of something like this…But it made sense, considering their self-hatred of humans and their zealous vision in favor of pokémon.

More security guards and crew members filed in from different entries, though some sported bloody streaks across their heads most likely from taking a tumble, others first to second-degree burns from the fiery explosion just a hallway down.

One of them yelled out, "The engine room's hull has been breached! All passengers must remain calm and report to the central deck for immediate evacuation by lifeboats! You'll receive float vests on the way, take the vessel side rails!"

Most of the spectators were sent into a panicked frenzy despite the crew member's instruction, but they certainly did comply with the evacuation, leaving only a few people behind, with the security guards and team Aqua who waited for their chopper to pick them up.

The security guards were about to usher Grey, Sawyer, and the rest of the people away, but another real crew member came onto the scene in a panic. "Don't let them get away! That cargo is unregistered! There could be captive pokémon in there!"

"What!?"

The leader of the group of Aquas laughed. "Haha! That's right! We may be national threats, but we're also on the side of pokémon. These crates here were smuggled on board by Team Magma and were never unloaded, thanks to,"—he pointed at their group, Grey and Sawyer, —"Mr. Wilson, his pokémon and his Mystic allies for crashing their party last night! Or should I say in the prior case…His stolen pokémon, hehe…"

Sawyer turned to Grey with a gasp, a new look of disbelief on his face. "W-what does he mean by that? Mr. Wilson?"

Grey only glared at the group of criminals.

Meanwhile, the Aqua leader gazed at Joanna and Neva, opening an outstretched hand. "Salandit and Sneasel. Your suffering is over, Dylan and Chloe have certainly missed you. Wilson unjustly took you away, and for that we're sorry. This is your last chance to come back with us and help build a better future for pokémon!"

Neva took an unconscious step backward, while Joanna was conflicted…It was true that they had no say for Grey's actions. Dylan was her first master, and despite him being painfully incompetent…He didn't treat her badly…But…

She gazed back at her group. Ginger, Neva…And Grey, who only crossed his arms and gave a neutral gaze, if anything laced with expectation.

The first time they met, Grey offered them freedom…And fed them. He only showed kindness and a willingness to let them live the life they wanted. It was only thanks to Ginger having spotted them following the two, that Grey was convinced to take them on board. The raven-haired man saw to it that their potential be unlocked…And although his scent, demeanor and attitude were, admittedly, attractive traits to her as a trainer…

She didn't know who he really was, nor what his intentions were.

His eyes were those of someone who had seen death and was not hesitant to send someone to theirs if necessary…He had the eyes of a predator…A killer…and yet they were melancholic, unstable, and filled to the brim with untold penitence.

For all she knew, Grey's life ambitions could be a lot worse than either Team Magma or Aqua's…Or they could be better…Or perhaps he had none since it was made apparent that Ginger had a lot of influence on him, perhaps more so than any of them realized.

There were so many uncertainties with him—

'Why did you stop the match?'

His wild gaze was filled with concern and near-despair as he took another pained look at my injured leg.

He answered, 'Because I'm not about to let you get hurt uselessly. I know the ending of a fight when I see one. Rest, and I'll take you to the pokécenter later…'

Dylan never showed that level of concern…

'Get up, Salandit! Damn it! I lost again! If only there was some information on you. They handed me a freakin' dud…Return.'

But Dylan's incompetence did show a level of ignorance and measured innocence since he was significantly younger than Grey…The boy didn't have much potential to really harm anyone, only being easily influenced to join a fanatic cause…But Grey was a completely different story…

He walked into the sandstorm to retrieve Neva…He even caressed her…

He walked into harm's way all because he refused to use pokéballs…

He's different…But who exactly am I dealing with here?

"You're free to make your choice, Joanna…You always have been. This is your chance to go back to them," said Grey, almost without a hint of emotion. If anything his eyes showed a sense of empathy for her position.

Neva stood by him, gazing at her in surprise at her hesitation.

If Neva was this sure about him, having been so vehement toward him at the beginning…And the jealousy she felt toward Ginger...What was that about?

She'd take the risk…

...Joanna inhaled and blasted out a stream of smoke, surprising the group of criminals and causing them to gag.

Grey capitalized, "Take them down!" and leaped into action, backfisting the leader in the face as the girls too followed suit striking down their targets into submission.

"Go Tristan! Bullet seed!" cried out Sawyer as he launched a pokéball and released his little green gecko-like pokémon, treecko, who immediately spat out its green energized seeds with incredible force, peppering the criminals with them like a machine gun.

The security guards released all sorts of pokémon, though mainly fighting types like machops, hitmonchans, poliwhirls, and...machokes.

Grey knew full well it was a different machoke, and most likely fighting types were more suited for their security jobs as they could efficiently take down either humans or pokémon with their martial arts…Still, it was an unwelcome sight after what happened yesterday.

Some of the Aquas were able to release their pokémon on time, which consisted of water, ice and dark types in general.

One particularly large one, a red lobster-like pokémon with a golden star on its pointed forehead and blue stripes under its maw, snapped its heavy claws at Grey. He jumped back from the Aqua leader he zip-tied, and out of instinct drew his combat knife to face it, though Ginger stepped in front of him.

Against such an opponent, Grey didn't mind her substituting him as from one glance he admitted he wouldn't stand a chance against its hard red shell. Even normal earthly crustaceans' shells were hard, so it was a safe bet that a pokémon's would be several times harder. However, the giant invertebrate's intention was already done, as its master untied the Aqua leader who got up and launched a pokéball of his own. "Go Hailey!"

Materializing with a snap and a whir was a spherical floating mass of carbon-like rock, covered by thick vines of ice with room for two frosty eyes on blue sclera, and grill-like teeth just below them. It had two large onyx horns sprouting to either side.

The thing looked more or less like the floating head of an ice-demon.

Grey fished out his pokédex:

—Crawdaunt, the 'Rogue pokémon', this Water & Dark-type has an extremely violent nature that compels it to challenge other living things to battle. Other life-forms refuse to live in ponds inhabited by it, making them desolate places.

—Glalie, the 'Frost-face pokémon', This Ice-type has the ability to freely control moisture in the air and convert it to ice. For example, it can instantly freeze its prey solid. After immobilizing its prey in ice, this Pokémon enjoys eating it in a leisurely fashion.

"Lovely pair," muttered Grey as he turned his gaze to either side in search of his other pokémon partners. Neva was busy dealing with some kind of white and blue puffer-fish pokémon, while Joanna was assisting Sawyer's treecko against a flying pelican pokémon of sorts that swooped down on them hard and was keeping them pinned.

They were on their own.

"They are lovely, aren't they? Hailey, 'Frost Breath'!"

"Crawz! Match it with a 'Bubblebeam'!" commanded the grunt behind the leader.

"Ginger, 'Immolation'! Full power and march through it!"

The moves happened simultaneously, with the lobster pokémon raising its claws and shooting out a cluster of thick air bubbles so fast that they whistled in the air, as the ice-type blew a torrent of howling ice-mist that enveloped the beam of bubbles. However, Ginger's immolation flared out in a roar of flames as she slowly soldiered through the combined attack, with the bubbles exploding just inches away from the fiery corona, along with the blast of mist vaporizing into nothing, rendering the offense ineffective.

The two Aqua criminals were shocked at the defensive power of the move, most likely because she never used it on live TV against Roxanne, which is precisely what Grey counted on…And little did they know, it could also be used offensively.

"Good, Ginger, keep that up and use 'Flame charge!' Finish them!"

…Ginger smiled at his praise and launched herself at the duo—

A chobham copter swooped down and stopped just above them, battering everyone with the gust of its propeller blades, and at its open slide door above stood…

"Hi there, Wilson! Remember me!?" Came a familiar feminine voice yelling out through the noise.

Ginger craned her vision upward…It was the female Aqua sergeant they had confronted back at Oldale woods.

"Lisa!?" Shouted Grey in recognition.

The woman cackled as her sealeo slumped itself next to her. "Damn straight! Here's a dose of karma!"—She waved her arm and pointed right at him—"Sealeo! 'Water Pulse', maximum power, and target Wilson!" she commanded with a sick curl of her lips.

Sooner than the words left her mouth, globs of water materialized from the air, coalescing into a large, screeching spinning sphere of water that the sea-lion pokémon launched.

Ginger's heart near-stopped at the realization that she over-extended and was too far from Grey, she whirled about to get to him, but her feet were frozen on the ground.

"Grey! Look out—"

It happened too fast.

She watched as her trainer and only blessing in her life jumped backward with an effort to evade the sudden attack just as it was upon him, causing the spherical attack to instead crash on the deck and for a moment seeming unsuccessful, but due to its size, it burst and released an overwhelming torrent of water that shoved him into a metal beam with his head smacking against it, before then hurling him over the ship rails—

"Greeey! Nooo!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as though it would bring him back, hoping that someone or something would grab him and save him…

But he was gone, and to make things worse the ship groaned as its rear began to tilt downward with some of the objects on the deck slowly moving across the surface from the declining angle.

Ginger finally broke out of the ice and reached out to the rails, ready to jump out after Grey, but a vine whipped around her and soon a pair of human, teal clawed, and small pale blue yet muscular arms were barely stopping her from jumping out, all pulling her back in—

"Ginger, right? Let the lifeguards find him by boat! We have to get off this ship, now!" yelled Sawyer in her ear.

"No! Nooo! Let me go!"

"Oi, you heard the kid! My trainer already threw a couple of life rings after yours, just pray he'll be fine!" said the machop now pulling her back.

She turned to the fellow-fighting type. "But he hit his head! He might be unconscious!"

The machop's face twisted into a grimace. "Shit. Well, pray that he isn't, but jumping in now is futile."

"Why do you care!? Just let me go!"

She pulled harder as her vision became red, but the machop tugged her back. "If you go in now, you'll just get pulled under by the suction from the broken hull! And if not by that, then by the aeration from the ship's oxygen getting pushed out by the water! Not even our water-type colleagues can swim through aerated waters! It's like trying to swim through the air! There's nothing you can do so stop!"

Hearing that made it seem like Grey's chances for survival were nill, and she began heating up, ready and willing to burn every obstacle to ashes for his sake, but her head jerked forward from an impact to the back of her neck. "No...Grey…" her final thoughts were of his embrace from yesterday, before she fainted...

…Everything was spinning in a whirl of white and blue, his head hurt with the sun streaking across his vision. He could swear he heard Ginger scream out, but the wind force was strong and he was weightless until—

Splash.

Cold enveloped every inch of his body with a slap, and he inhaled a glob of liquid salt that jolted him into realization. He flailed out with his arms through the bubbling waters, but try as he might, he only kept sinking lower into the frothy water, before it was too late as he barely had drawn air before his plunge.

His lungs burned and the injury to his head had him dazed, with every effort to reach the surface becoming more and more impossible…But it was just too much, and a watery sleep became too enticing for his body to resist.

Once more, he was weightless, only this time it was beneath the waters of the ocean. A current dragged him even lower. It must've been the vortex caused by the water rushing into the ship's broken hull. It didn't matter, because he'd be long dead before he was sucked back into the bowels of the ship…He only dreaded the moment the girls would find his mangled and ripped-up body, should they even be…No.

They were strong, and he was weak. They were survivors…They only knew him for barely a week and a half…Yet Ginger seemed attached…

He had to admit, he too, in a way, found in her the only real anchor of security and comfort that would support him in his being lost in another world, and perhaps he was hers, as she had apparently been left alone stranded in Hoenn. It was nigh-impossible not to get attached.

But now she would have to find someone else, someone stronger, and with more will to live…More will to face a world utterly filled with injustice and strife.

So much injustice…Does justice truly exist? Or is morality just another man-made word for a universe where everything is based on a loose notion of chaos and order? Just a fruitless and endless struggle against entropy?

As he thought this, he gazed at the glittering surface above. Wisps of blood from his head wound made an inky ascent.

He didn't know whether his vision was becoming dark, or if there was a looming and pointy figure approaching him, perhaps it was his blood that attracted the sea predator. Fucking great.

So his fate was to be consumed by the strong. At least, by all things considered, it was a death that was part of the natural order, and he wouldn't even feel it.

And it would be the most ironic death, to be consumed by a fucking creature from a Japanese franchise he loathed of all things; a Pokémon.

He'd laugh if he wasn't underwater.

Perhaps Lisa was right, it was a perfect karmic ending for his existence, after everything he'd done…But at least he did one last thing he believed was right…

"Stop! It hurts!"

"Shut up and stop squealing, bitch!"

—Was what he heard before he walked into that scene yesterday. But the most twisted thing about it, was the fact that the victim propagated her thoughts as though they were signals of distress, and she shared part of her hurt with him…He almost wretched at the feeling.

He couldn't let the girls see that...He had to deal with the situation on his own.

Through the gaps between the red uniformed men, he observed her pale white face contorted into grimacing pain and discomfort. Her burning orange eyes for a moment made contact with his, and it was the same look that the Arab girl had when she was surrounded by his comrades in the past...

That day, he did the same thing to his so-called comrades as he did to the Machoke's Trainer…And despite his act being both mortifying and strangely satisfying, he believed he did the right thing….But conversely, with his actions back in his world, he had a disturbing sense of doubt on whether he had been on the wrong side that whole time...He had lost his understanding of who was 'right' and who was 'wrong'...What was evil and what was good?

Who decided that?

It certainly wasn't the weak that fed the strong, that's for sure.

With the aquatic pulsation of its movement audible, the figure came closer, and he barely registered a bright red gleam refracted by the sun off the creature…He closed his eyes in surrender to his fate, with one thought crossing his fading mind…

Karma really is a bitch.

...