Somewhere else in the city.
The room was near pitch-black, a single dull bulb swung slightly shining a pale yellow light, barely illuminating the room, he couldn't reach it, he tried, he tried to climb the walls, to jump and grab it but he couldn't reach it. The thing mocked him, saying it was too high… /he didn't/
How long had he been here now… weeks maybe? /3/ The thing agreed, it tried to whisper to him, but he ignored it!!! /listen/ He couldn't remember, didn't want to, all he cared about now was food… food and to escape whatever this place was, he wanted to run free, to feel the grass against his feet! To feel the breeze on his fur!!! /focus/ What was a bulb? How did he know what a bulb was…
Why was he here, the thing tried to take control again…. He snapped it back, and he was in power, the thing would disappear in time… /don't fade.../ who was he, what was it...
….
He had to get out, he didn't know why but he had to, the thing told him not to, to stay where he was, but he had a plan, when food was sent in through the big metal door, there was light! An opening, he could squeeze out, he was sure of it!!! The thing was trying to stop him, but the thing was weak, fading.../stay strong.../ that was a good thing?
….
Who was he again, it felt like it was bugging him, something trying to shake itself loose... something trying to tell him something important… Bah no, not necessary, need to escape, need to flee, need to kill… need to get the thing out of his head… /no you don't..../
Ding….
His head shot up, staring at the far wall, he was sure that's where it came from… it sounded… soothing… /what?.../ he relaxed, and the thing struck! He wasn't ready!! He couldn't knock it loose, and he had to cut it free before the memories came back, the memories hurt, they weren't his they couldn't be, they weren't his! /no/ Or were they? /yes/ The Pokemon stopped thrashing as a thought hit him, what if the thing was trying to help? No, it wanted to be in control. He was sure of it! Why would it fight so hard… /it's his body/
A name, he had a name, the thing was shouting something…. t….it..es….i..a…..t...it...est...Nyx! Its…..t…..i...est….a tes…..its….test Nyx…. /its time.../
A sound came from the door, the light flared into life, burning his eyes in a flash of searing yellow glow, the door burst open as a pokemon charges him. It grabbed him up in a single giant hand before slamming him straight into the wall, pinning him there as another comes around the side and starts shouting at his.
"YOUR NAME!" The Pokemon bellowed, shining a bright white light in his eyes, all he could see was a vague outline of the Pokemon. Name? What's a name…. /M42901/ What was going on? The thing in his mind was screaming the answer. He wanted to ignore it /focus.../…. But the figures were getting angry.
"He's gone too far. He can't remember"/I can!/ the second Pokemon rasped out, its words drenched in anger and aggravation as if he had failed something important, wait, it was important… isn't it? It still is the thing says, it whispers for him have to tell them, NYX
It pushed the being down further down. It was nearly dead. It could take control for good, no more fighting… it felt something shift around it...
"Give him a chance Toxic, what's your name? Answer me, or I will crush you right here, now, NAME!" The first Pokemon tries now, the command hitting the body that was pinned to the wall like a hammer blow, the thing begged it just to say Nyx, it doesn't want to, it's about to win, it needs to survive... /remember it.../ the bell rang in his mind… it stalled, and the thing struck out /keep going/ it scrabbled, trying to drag the thing back down but the bell rang again, dulling its senses, it was trying to stay alive! /you're too scared/ it froze, and the other one took control of the body.
"Damn it toxic, looks like-" the first Pokemon says before.
"Nyx..." the pokemon pin against the wall response, a strained voice but a voice nonetheless. The two other Pokemon snapped back, keeping a close eye on the third one. Memories start flooding back as the thing gains control, no, regains control. Nyx… that's his name, his name? He has a name! /our name/
"Okay looks like he's not lost yet, what are you doing here! Answer NOW!" the first part of that was directed no to Nyx, Nyx thinks maybe the one called toxic is talking, not sure… but the thing, no Nyx is searching, looking for the words, the memories… This is a test, a test he needs to pass, a single shot that's all he has.
"Test, I'i'i'i'i ggggrrraaahhhhh" it shakes the thing off, but it leaps straight back, /keep fighting/it was more energetic, more robust than it's ever been before. However, he can still beat it; HE CAN BEAT- slap- a stinging sensation hits the side of his face, jerking him back, the thing, no, Nyx retaking control.
"Focus recruit, focus!" Toxic had hit Nyx with a move, /definitely a move/ he was sure of it, don't know what but it helped Nyx regain control of the body, no, his body. More memories flooded back in, he was a recruit, trying to join something, not the police, no something else. This was the final test, the feral test they called it…
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"The feral test, I am here for the feral test" Nyx forces out the words, fighting off the primitive nature of the body doing so, regaining control over the body, his body. This is his body, yet the wild being was real, it was part of him, he remembered now /about time.../. All Pokemon had a primitive side to them, and it comes out in the most extreme situations to keep the body alive, to keep the pokemon living even in the direst of circumstances. It would throw away all sense of morality, resorting to doing anything so long as the body would survive. It can be brought out using a drug, however.
That's the test, a test of will power, to see if you can fight off the feral side of yourself, three weeks, no outside contact, total isolation, for the safety of the Pokemon engaging in the test and for the Pokemon supervising it. Once a pokemon goes feral, they revert to a more primal state, only caring about food, water, freedom and survival, they are a danger to any other pokemon, hence the need for isolation. Some say they close their hearts off from other Pokemon, rendering them unable to empathise, leading them down a darker path of life.
"Very good recruit! You're nearly there! What species are you and why are you trying to join this organisation?" toxic is growing excited, Nyx can sense it in his voice, he remembers why only 1% of all Pokemon that go through the feral test find success /so low.../. Fail and Nyx can never retake the test and will face six months of slowly training himself to suppress the primitive nature inside of his body /waste of time/.
"I am, I'm a, I..." Nyx tries to remember, but the feral part of him is fighting back hard now, it was cornered, scared, fighting for control once again, trying to lock Nyx out. It reminded Nyx of a saying, never push ----- into a corner…. Push what? Damn it he cussed I know this. I am one! /darkness.../
"Dark Rattata!" that was it, never push a Rattata into a corner, they bite back hard! Nyx roars in his mind smashing aside the wild side of him, unlocking the last of what he thinks are his memories. His name was Nyx /we are/, a dark Rattata, a runaway from the Alola archipelagos when he was 12, he came to the city as a refugee /no choice/, he was accepted into an academy as part of an initiative for refugees to become a citizen of the city. He wanted to join the army, to grow stronger /yes/. He had aimed for information specialisation, specialising in hacking, scouting, sabotage and espionage, as being a Rattata meant he had a minimal prospect in fighting directly so decided for a more supportive role. /smart choice/ After all, the brain will often triumph over brawn.
He had excelled in these areas, having grown up in the slums he had some in the field experience, giving him a leg up on the other recruits, not that it did him any favors… he was suspected a lot, bullied by those that didn't trust him because he was a foreigner, an outcast, dual type, a dark type, he heard it all. He had grown numb from it all really; he just stopped giving a damn if he was honest. /they don't matter/Did he? That didn't sound like him.../hmm?/
But this had an unexpected benefit. Nyx had been asked, discreetly, of course, if he would want to try joining a specialised branch of the military, he didn't agree instantly. However, he didn't trust the Pokemon, but they insisted, wearing him down to give it a go. He was separated from the other students /didn't need them/ and taken to a separate learning area, one with more extensive training facilities, admittedly that was welcome. What came with it wasn't strictly welcome, however. /somethings wrong.../
More rigorous training, harsher conditions, stricter rules and the threat that if you drop out or fail one of three tests, you will be expelled from the course and forced to take a civilian job, that, that had been a hard blow to Nyx admittedly, but he gritted his teeth together and kept going, his level increased rapidly, his moves improved, his skills grew sharper, it felt like he forgot something even now though.../... don't trust them.../
But at some point, the tests began. All three tests were feral exams, each one increasing in both duration and difficulty. The first test Nyx had to survive a week in a room with a tv, movies, books and a comfortable bed. The drug was pumped into the room using an aeroshell. It wasn't too bad the first time, the feral side of him just lingered in the back of his mind like a strange hunger, a desire and urge… did they let him out of the room at the end? /no/ Maybe? His mind was still clouded…
Something was wrong /this is wrong!/ or was it alright?
There was a month break between tests, letting him get back to strength, recover from the trial. /they watched, judging/
The second test was more difficult, two weeks, a single room with natural light, a bed and some light reading with a music player that ran out of power a week into the trail… the other side grew stronger the longer he was in there, it nearly took control on the 13 night… but Nyx had kept control /barely/, and he still had all his memories. At least. He thought he did. /can you hear?/
The second break lasted longer than the first, four months, /nearly failed you.../ he didn't know why but he almost chose not to take the final test? /.../ he was nervous?… /no/ there was something wrong, Nyx felt it. He sensed it the last time he took the test. He needed to tell someone /tell and fail/.
That thought scared him, he couldn't risk failing, but the two other Pokemon were still waiting for the rest of the reply, he had to say something. /only truth remember/
"I want to be stronger… I want to be better, to be the best" the two pokemon shared a glance, clearly not impressed, how many times have they heard that Nyx wondered and realised something horrible. /failed.../ Nyx broke down, 8 years of hard work were going to go down the drain just like that? /yes/ no, he couldn't accept it /can't trust them/, right they didn't matter, he could still be powerful, but something was twisting inside him /better alone.../ but not everything would bend… the memory of the bell rung again, the feral part of him that was being locked away, deep into his mind slipped out of its prison, no, was released by the bell, tempered by it, it cried out the truth it had deep in its soul, surprising everyone.
"...I want to be accepted..."/what?/ what? The words slipped out of Nyx's mouth, the feral side falling back to sleep until it was needed again, wasn't in control, but it's last words got out, a longing, long since buried let free at last. And possibly, it came out just at the right time. The two pokemon were surprised, they had only heard the last word, but it had a significant impact on the two of them. Sharing another look, they nodded once and made a judgement call. Nyx was slammed into the wall again, causing him to lose consciousness, the last thing Nyx heard was Toxic going.
"Congrats on passing rookie, welcome to the-" Nyx felt the darkness consuming his consciousness, cutting off the last of the words.
Celeste didn't know it yet, but just by arriving in the past, she had already brought an entirely new variable into play, one called Nyx Snatch.
Elsewhere, however, in a large lavishly furnished room that was drenched in darkness, gemstones of all shapes, colours and sizes glittered and sparkled like stars in the murky darkness. Tiny lights were placed underneath that only gave enough light to brighten the gem but left the rest of the room in the shade. In one corner however where two rubies that gave off a much duller shine than the other gems…
*sniff, sniff*
The sound echoed around the room. The only occupant seemed to be enjoying the scent of something.
Ding….
*snort*
The rubies brightened immediately as the occupant awoke from its tranquil mindset.
".... a Celebi huh? This is going to be troublesome ...."
Her arrival wasn't all that welcome.