Chapter 36

LOST IN ECHOES

The more I fool myself

The more I feel it creeping in

I think I lost my mind again

The more I start to fall

The more I don't see me at all

I think I lost my mind again

- Caskets

I

The screams of injured Team Rocket grunts lying below the crumbled walls echoed out of Viridian, to some as a euphonious melody, and to others, it was a precursor of the future. Lt. Surge took the first step into the collapsed wall of the city. Pieces of stone fell into the dark depths of the street, smashing next to a Team Rocket member running behind his Kadabra. Electivire's arm rammed into Kadabra's side, flinging him into a deteriorating building. In a second motion, his hand fell upon the Kadabra’s trainer, crushing her beneath its weight.

“Release all Pokémon and move!” Lt. Surge called out from the highest point of the rubble, releasing Dracozolt and his Raichu. The night sky lit up with elemental attacks from the aerial units above. Seth saw just a hundred yards above him a trainer on top of a Unfezant stop in mid-motion, the blue ice forming around them from a beam of ice erupting out of a Frostmoth. The Unfezant collided with the ground next to him, splintering into a thousand pieces, oozing unfrozen gore.

Hundreds of simultaneous battles lined the street that led into the middle of the city as Seth, Emily, Red, and Ninetales made their way to the top of the crumbled wall. Another flying Pokémon crashed into the building closest to them. In front of the building, a Toxapex sunk one of its thorns into a Meowscarada’s green fur. The shrieks of pain mixed with the others before its skin bubbled and liquified, and its muffled coughs of blood silenced it forever.

The buildings that were closing in the violence gradually rose up to the center of the city like a makeshift mountain, with its supposed-to-be-highest peak missing, signifying the small building of Viridian’s gym. The target they had to fight through to ensure Seth could finally avenge his family. He couldn't witness Erin’s smile anymore, but the void left in his heart would at least be appeased by the lights fading from Giovanni’s eyes.

“Emily, Red, release one Pokémon each to get us there,” Seth said, slipping on the rubble as he made his way to the main street. A Vibrava darted towards Seth’s head, coming feet to slicing his throat before blue flames caught it like a net, incinerating the Pokémon who was flailing on fire before him.

“Shouldn’t we call out more?” Emily asked, releasing Ceruledge in front of her.

“No, we need to be as discreet as possible and move fast.” Red released Charizard who flew closely above them watching the chaos that enveloped them.

“Gigaton Hammer!” a woman in black yelled out. A Tinkaton lifted its large steel hammer in the air bringing it down towards Emily. The hammer severed at the pole Tinkaton was holding, along with its head, before it could make contact. Ceruledge then turned its flaming bladed appendages to the grunt who called the command, plunging incinerating death into her chest.

“Let’s go!” Emily said, making her way down the street. Red called out twice, causing Charizard to unleash a pulsating purple energy that exploded on an incoming enemy and his Skuntank. Pieces of both of them splattered on the brick wall behind them. Seth noticed the look of pure hatred flickering in Red’s eyes as he gave the command. Why did that look terrify him to his absolute core? Was Red enjoying this? Seth turned back ahead, looking at the little progress they made through the street that was drenched in riots, inching closer to the center of it all. To him.

Even though Seth knew they started at the end of the Vanguard attack, he couldn't believe how far Oak’s army attack had already plunged into the depths of the city. They passed another block, and Emily looked to her left on the other side of buildings. A flash of lightning illuminated a parallel street, sending a body flying into view and then out of view behind another structure like a deteriorating ragdoll.

The six of them sprinted down the street, avoiding attacks. A fourth-story window above Seth had the light on, with a father and his child looking down at the ocean of mayhem below them. The realization that Giovanni never called for an evacuation seeped into Seth’s mind. Did he even attempt to protect the citizens here? Or were they supposed to be shields, as if this would stop them, stop him? In the window next to the parent and his child, Sarah and Erin looked down upon Seth before an incoming Pokémon shifted his attention. A Crobat swooped down, attempting to get at Emily before Ceruledge sliced the Pokémon in half, raining its insides on the street.

Seth looked back at the family watching behind them, but a purple energy from an Altaria ripped through the building’s windows, dropping glass shards and sentimental pieces of the family's home and even the family themselves into the chaos of the city.

II

As the fight continued through the block, Seth finally saw Lt. Surge at the head of it all. Raichu landed on a Feraligatr, electrifying it with an incredible blast of lightning that lit up the street. Feraligatr eyes boiled out of its head, leaving its last vision of this reality being Lt. Surge gripping his trainer's head and burying his knife deep inside the Team Rocket grunt’s head. Heatran was dousing incoming trainers and their Pokémon with lava, as Blaine’s Camerupt unleashed waves of attackers into an ocean of fire.

“Seth, Emily, take Red down a side street away from all of this!” Lt. Surge said, noticing them approaching his rear. Another Pokémon dropped from the sky into the second-story window to the right of Seth.

“While I would love to be your diversion,” Sabrina said sarcastically, “this entire operation rests on your ability to get there and handle this quickly.”

“Do you hear that?” Blaine said, joining the group.

“Hear what?” Lt. Surge asked.

“Exactly,” Blaine responded. Of course, there were explosions in the air above them and more fighting behind them, but the block was empty from Team Rocket and an uneasy calmness took hold.

“Keep moving up!” Lt. Surge commanded, walking up after his troops towards the next intersection in front of them.

“There is no way they are already finished,” Blaine said, looking eerily at the tall buildings cornering him, waiting for something to pop out.

It was too quiet. Red was looking around anxiously next to his Charizard, who walked closely beside him. Ninetales and Cerurledge walked between Seth and Emily, waiting for any attack to counter.

“GET BACK!” a voice called out. They looked in front of them up towards Lt. Surge but couldn't see anything. Only him and his soldiers whom were turning around in terror.

“GET BACK!” Holly yelled out on her Fearow, swooping into the intersection in front of them. A light shined behind the building to their left, spilling into the intersection and bathing Lt. Surge, Holly, and his troops in a bright white light.

“Stone Edge!” Blaine yelled. Camerupt stomped its feet, and a solid stone rock dug out of the ground, cutting off the blinding light and Lt. Surge, their commanding leader, with his soldiers from sight.

The next moment was consumed in a wave of intense heat and a deafening explosion.

III

Erin lay on the street, the decay spreading from the back of his neck throughout his throat and face. His dead, pale eyes locked onto his father's. Ash and glass showered over him as someone fought desperately through the debris to get further up the street.

"I’m fine, daddy," he said with an evil grin. A flaming couch smashed to pieces just behind him, followed by more furniture and picture frames. A body thudded next to his son; Seth couldn't tell its gender. The clothes clung desperately to the contorted figure whose skin held only small portions of their insides.

"I’m fine, daddy." Rage began to build in his gut. He wanted to strangle anyone who caused his son to appear as a hallucination in front of him. Should he wring his own throat? He flashed a mental checklist of where he was and what he was doing. Vermillion, get Red to Giovanni, kill Giovanni, kill that fucking bastard.

"I’m fine, daddy." Ninetales' snout lifted him to his knees, and the outside world integrated in while his son faded away. Before he could even look for Emily or Red, he took a deep breath in, tasting smoke, followed by his throat screeching in pain from the inflamed air that surrounded him. The building hanging over him wept its insides onto the street. The northeast corner of the building was carved clean except for a few steel beams struggling to hold its immense weight on the upper floors. Another body smashed to the concrete below, forcing Seth to look up and see the top five to ten floors engulfed in a blazing inferno. Above that Seth had no idea the damage, the smoke and displaced plaster blocked out everything else.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Emily was getting to her feet next to him, blood seeping into her shirt on her right shoulder, and her once beautiful chestnut hair singed and covered in ash. Red was helping Blaine to his feet and giving him his cane back. Both he and Sabrina looked unscathed. The burning light screens from Alakazam explained her protection, but Seth was amazed by how Red managed to come out of the explosion mostly unhurt. That is until he saw Charizard’s scratched-up back dripping blood in several places.

The building gave a low groan before periodically cracking in inconsistent intervals but never ceasing. "Run!" Blaine said to the survivors. "The building is going to fall, retreat and regroup."

Everyone took to their feet, fleeing south, praying not to be smashed by the debris above or buried beneath the building. Red was about to follow Blaine and Sabrina until he was stopped by Seth, who gripped his wrist tightly.

"We are going this way." Seth saw for a second the innocence of his son before Red’s fiery anger returned to his eyes. He wondered for a moment if he was marching to another child's death. He wanted to let go of him, let him retreat; he could take care of this. But could he, he thought. Could he beat Giovanni without Red?

"Come on, let’s go," Seth urged, reconfirming his position and hating himself for it. "Emily, come on." The building above gave another snapping sound punctuating the urgency.

"Yeah, let’s fucking go!" She reformed, getting to her feet and sprinting behind Red and Seth. A trainer passed them, fleeing the other way. He had an Ivysaur with one vine wrapped tightly around an unconscious Lt. Surge. The second vine tied as a tourniquet around his missing right arm, and burns ran up his shoulder and painted his face.

The street before them was bathed in the light of the fires above. More debris fell; one dresser smashed with a loud bang against the concrete, dispersing the wardrobe of the individuals who would or already had been shoved out of the building.

"Holly!" Emily called out, cutting left from them. Her Fearow was completely disintegrated. The only things that remained were its upper beak and its right wing, barely attached to a destroyed torso. Holly was bleeding from the back of her head, her back dragged raw, and military fatigues gripped to her like desperate fingers. Clearly, the last action that Fearow made was shielding its trainer from the oncoming explosion with its body.

"Seth, she is still alive, help me move her," Emily begged, lifting her upright. Another loud snap echoed from somewhere in the depths of the inflamed structure.

"Emily, leave her. We have to go; this thing could fall any second," Seth said, stepping back away from whatever humanity he could provide. It was Celadon City casino all over again; he was too scared, too blinded, by revenge to act with decency.

"Fuck you, run then you fucking coward. Charizard, help me," Emily said. Seth took another step back and ran next to Red and Ninetales. The pops and snaps were coming more rapidly.

"I’m fine, daddy."

"You couldn’t save him."

Emily was running up close to Seth, and Charizard blitzed in front of them all, carefully carrying Holly in his arms. With a final ear-shattering, cannon-like blast, the building leaned and then collided with the building across the street they had just been near. The sound of the skyscraper collapsing was a moment of profound devastation. An ominous and thunderous roar echoed through Viridian City—a combination of structural elements breaking, massive amounts of debris crashing down, and the immense impact resonating across the surroundings. It was a sound that signified not only the physical destruction of a massive structure but also the loss of countless lives snuffed out in a single moment.

A cloud of smoke and plaster moved towards them with an almost gentle grace, surrounding them in a cloud for cover. It was a cover that stunk of death and sadness, but one that was desperately needed by the trio and their Pokémon.

Charizard gently laid Holly against one of the buildings and turned to Red, who was coughing uncontrollably. Red pointed his outstretched hand to his chest, letting Charizard know he was fine. The dense cloud grew so silent that Seth was afraid he had gone deaf for a moment before Emily spoke.

“Come on, let's get off this main road.” She reached down and pressed the Pokeballs on Holly’s belt until the last one finally opened, unleashing a red light that materialized into a Togetic. “Get her out of here.”

They left the pair on the road, departing from the main street they had been traveling until the smoke finally cleared four blocks to the east. On the corner of the untouched road stood a green sign reading “Pine Blvd.”

The buildings above them were dark, hiding from the violence that had just occurred so close by. To the left, the road carried the cold pavement North towards the center of the city, a small building guarded by the pillars of the skyscrapers that surrounded it. Above the small doors that Seth could barely make out was a small green dot. The closer they walked further into the eerily silent city, the larger that green dot grew, resembling a small green feather.

IV

“What the fuck is your problem!” Emily shoved Seth in the vacant, quiet street.

“We have to get there,” he pointed to the gym at the end of the boulevard, a few dozen blocks away. “That’s what matters, Emily. Let’s finish this and end him!” Seth turned away from her disapproving stares that mixed with the hallucinations haunting him.

Anxiety built more than the battle behind the fallen building. During their early march, they could at least see the oncoming attacks, but the deserted, dark street, only illuminated by the full moon, Charizard’s tail, and Ceruledge's eternal flame above, gave an eerie sense of unwelcomed eyes ready to destroy them at any moment. More lightning cracked through the sky above them from some attack from an aerial unit, followed by a blast of fire.

The tension between Seth and Emily built with each step. But what would she have him do? Get himself killed saving Holly, who was already as good as dead? Allow Giovanni to get away with all the atrocities he committed to Erin? To Sarah? No, this would end here, even if it would cost him his life or his very humanity.

“Red, are you okay?” Emily asked. He put his outstretched hand to his chest again; Seth assumed that meant he was fine.

It's too damn quiet,” she continued, running her hand through Ninetales.

“I agree. Let's just hurry up and get there.” They sprinted again, the blocks passing them as the anxiety of a surprise attack increased with each oncoming intersection. But nothing came; the gym grew larger and larger without so much as an obstacle put in their path. The road gradually inclined, ballooning in the center. The street below glowed red from the large red “R” sign on the towering peak of the building next to the gym.

The stone steps leading up to the large gym doors were decorated with Ground-type Pokémon. Seth could barely pay attention; the drumming of his internal rage thumped with each beat of his heart, pushing his boiling blood throughout his body.

Nidoking and Nidoqueen stone facades stood against each other at the top step, and light spilled out of the opaque glass windows. Red took a hand around the doorknob but was stopped by Seth.

“We need to plan really quickly before entering. We know he has the Master Ball and most likely has Mewtwo. He probably gave Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres to Johto, but he has an ace up his sleeve,” Seth said, looking at both of them. Ninetales was humming a low growl behind him, wanting so badly to rage through the front door.

“What are you thinking?” Emily asked.

“Red, release Scyther for me.” He did so, and the Pokémon hovered above the ground, taking in the dark surroundings. “Scyther, we are about to attack Giovanni. I want you to fly up and sneak into this gym. Silently sneak above Giovanni; when you get above him, you need to go for the kill.” Scyther looked at Red for confirmation of his mission, which was agreed with a simple nod.

Scyther began taking flight up before being stopped once more. “Scyther, Red could be in danger. Your mission is to kill Giovanni, no matter Red’s safety. Do you understand?” Flashbacks of Lairon in the warehouse outside Pewter City against the Brute flashed into Seth’s mind, and a cold chill crept down his spine.

Scyther again looked at Red with more admiration than any Pokémon of Seth's ever looked at him, including Annihilape. Red pointed to himself and outstretched his hand to his chest before taking both fingers and pointing him towards the roof of the gym. Scyther obeyed immediately and disappeared into the darkness of the night. A loud crash came from inside, catching all of their attention as they listened quietly before entering.

V

“Why?” A muffled voice seeped out of the main doors outside. It sounded as if it was taking all its energy just to carry far enough out its owner's vocal cords, let alone into the outside air.

“Why? You ask me why?” Giovanni’s unmistakable voice roared out. Seth creaked the door opened to get a glimpse inside. Giovanni was walking towards a collapsed man with blue hair, dressed in a white suit that Seth remembered seeing giving him his winnings on S.S. Anne. “You invade my home, unleash your criminals like the Pewter City Brute on my people, extort, abuse, and kill my citizens as if they were rabid pests. You ask me why? You're weak, fat, and lazy and allowed me to usurp your country’s rule directly under your pathetic nose.”

Red, Ninetales, and Emily followed Seth inside, crouched low beneath the blind space of grand marble pillars holding the immense ceiling above it. The ceiling was sewn together with giant wooden beams. They saw not only Archer struggling for breath on the battlefield’s dirt floor but a dozen well-dressed individuals all adorning the notorious red “R” on their clothing. Giovanni's hand was wrapped around the purple Masterball, and behind him stood a Pokémon Seth had never seen before. It was taller than Giovanni, wearing black armor and its light purple skin only peeked out around its feet, groin, and arms. Two massive shoulder plates rose above its helmeted head. Seth couldn’t see its eyes; it was hiding behind an black visor. One outstretched hand was lifting to the ceiling, the other was down by its side clutching something tight, and it looked as if a tiny sleeve was popping out of its grip.

Emily, Seth, and Red's minds filled with hatred. Seth’s blood boiled more than it already was from looking at Giovanni, as intrusive thoughts penetrated his thick skull. He felt confined behind glass submerged in a liquid with faces looking in, amused at his torture. He wanted to rip everything apart, destroy every living and non-living thing around him that witnessed his suffering.

All but Giovanni’s and Archer’s bodies simply imploded in an instant. Small explosions of blood and guts splattered on the dirt ground with a small pop when Mewtwo closed his outstretched hand into a fist.

“NOOO! Don’t do this. We gave you everything, Giovanni. Fucking no! Please!” Archer was screaming, flailing in the dirt, staining his white suit brown before the scarlet soon took over.

“You’re a parasite,” Giovanni said coolly, whipping off a speck of blood that landed on his suit. Mewtwo began walking his steel frame closer to Archer. His flailing on the dirt and screaming grew more intense with each powerful crash of Mewtwo's feet.

“Shadow Ball.”

“NO!” A dense purple ball formed in front of Mewtwo's hand before slamming into Archer’s back. His body twisted and contorted around the ball. His spinal cord fused with his organs, his skin melded into the dirt below him. His organs popped in a small burst of blood that fused into the gory mess that reflected the others of Team Rocket high command.

Mewtwo turned his gaze towards Giovanni, and a sense of anger and rage welled up inside them again. The next moment, the feeling completely dissipated from them, as if the intrusive anger had been ripped out. They peeked again behind the stone pillar and saw Mewtwo falling to his knees as an electric shock blasted him from inside his steel armor.

“Turn your power towards me again, and you will spend more painful hours, agonizing days, inside the Masterball. Do you understand me!” Giovanni said, looking down upon Mewtwo.

“Now for you, welcome. It's good to see you again.” Giovanni looked up towards the pillars they were hiding behind.

The door behind them splintered apart when Charizard slammed through, and the heat ran past them as his flamethrower erupted through the entrance, dancing on the dirt floor and crashing into a newly created light screen from Mewtwo.