Story Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.Characters thus Far: Lancer Riocynn (Riolu)Isaac Riocynn (Lucario)Sapphire Ryoka (Pikachu) Lord Aika (Mismagius) Garnett Ryoka (Raichu)
Chapter 5 - The Orpheus Impression
Chapter 5: The Orpheus Impression
The descending elevator into the laboratory of Sapphire's father felt like it was taking 20 years. They stood still; impatient, coupled with a nearly incurable awkward silence until Lancer turned to his companion. She watched him with the corner of her eye, faking aloofness. It was difficult. It felt like every time he stared at her, he could see everything going on inside of her. She felt like he was inside her and soon he intended to be.
He took a step forward then paused as Sapphire instinctively retreated. Her tail lowered and she began to stutter. "W-what are y-you doing?"
Lancer stared at her with those frightening eyes, idle like a still image. Sapphire could not even hear the grinding gears of the elevator anymore, her heart was pounding so hard and so loud that she felt like she was going to pass out.
Lancer took another step towards her and, almost like this was choreographed, she retreated and her back met the wall. A grin appeared on the Riolu's face as he now made his way towards the helpless Pikachu.
"W-w-wait! Wait! Hold o-" he shut Sapphire up with a kiss and as soon as she accepted this... she realized it was once again a vision. A flash of white light escaped her from her perverted fantasy as she stumbled around in the elevator, trying to regain her composure.
"Are you okay?" Lancer queried; leaning up against the elevator's metallic walls.
"Uhm..." Sapphire stood frozen for a few moments as she drew a blank.
~~
"Da-ad!" Sapphire called out in a sort of melodic tune. As soon as those rusty elevator doors opened, she bolted out with screams of glee as her father, a Raichu with a little lab coat, greeted his daughter; duplicating her enthusiasm... and also abandoning his current assignment.
"Sa-apphi-re!!" he responded as melodically as his daughter. They collided with eachother, clumsily landing then charging one another once again for an embrace. "Ohh! I missed you, girlie!"
"I missed you too!!" Sapphire's citrine fur beamed in the bright overhead lights of this laboratory. Both of their tales wagged with excitement, they began to circle around each other in a clumsy dance.
Lancer, discomfited by this unusual welcoming, stay secluded at the threshold of the elevator; knowing not to interrupt them. They conversed about how they were doing, what was new and how did one do without the other. Lancer, while being disregarded, focused on how he was going to locate Isaac. He continuously pictured the variables of what had happened to him after they were separated.
Sugarcoating his own thoughts, he concluded that Isaac was too powerful to be kept down for long. "Yeah," Lancer thought in content with his theory. "Isaac can't be subdued by that mind-controlling thing. He's too strong. Yeah... he's probably already escaped them by now."
Lancer was brought back into reality as soon as Sapphire mentioned Rustboro city. She glanced at Lancer for a second. "Rustboro city was invaded."
"Tragic, yes, but sorry to say we already know about that." Her father turned to his work, a beaker on a workbench which fizzed a green liquid. "I hope we get even a fraction of refugees from the city, other scouts say it was completely demolished."
"It was." Lancer intervened. "However... I want you to know that some great heroes risked their lives there." He was, of course, making a reference to Isaac.
"Oh, I apologize." The father said. "I know there were great soldiers residing there and they are missed, but I never implied anything that said they were anything other than that."
"Yeah."
Mr. Ryoka smiled at Lancer and extended his paw. "You're a bright-looking fellow. Who is this, 'Sapphy'?"
"Uhm... his name is uh... Lancer-r... Ryo... Rai-oh... uhm..." she stuttered as she drew a blank.
"Riocynn." Lancer corrected as he approached the old Raichu who was, at that moment, mystified. Everyone looked at Lancer with nihilism while comments were passed around the scientists as they observed the Riolu more closely. The blue eyes seemed to have been enough for them; they were convinced he was a Riocynn but all returned to their work quickly afterwards as if in fear.
Sapphire tilted her head. "That's strange," she turned to her father, "What's wrong with them, dad?"
"Sapphy, uhm... may I have a word with your friend?"
"Uh, sure... but what's the matter?"
"Oh nothing, sweetie." He replied, bowdlerizing the situation. "Come on now, Lancer."
Lancer was prepared for a fight as he followed Sapphire's dad. The reactions of the scientists worried him and he suddenly felt like he wasn't as welcome as he was led to believe. "What's the matter, mister?" Lancer demanded, instantly pushed into a bad mood.
"No need to be angry at me, Riocynn." He returned. "I, personally, have nothing against you people."
"You 'people'?"
"You Riocynns." In his own mind it didn't sound insulting.
"Yes, I sort of caught on to that. However," Lancer said, already grinding his teeth. "What do you mean 'you people'. What the hell is that about?"
"You have to understand-"
"Oh, I do." Lancer interjected. "We're taught about prejudice in the Riocynn clan and we're taught to teach those people a lesson, so-"
"I'm not saying that, Riocynn," Mr. Ryoka tried to sustain control over the conversation, however... Lancer was being stubborn.
"Riocynn." Lancer mocked. His irritation was clear. His eyes were green; volatile. Mr. Ryoka was on edge, knowing almost nothing about the Riocynn nature but a sudden change in eye color? ... Probably not so good. "Why don't you call me by my first name?"
"I apologize, I don't remember-"
"Yeah, of course you don't, because the only thing that interests you is the 'Riocynn' part, huh?"
"Listen to me, damn it!"
"No, you listen to me!"
"No! Just shut the-"
"Oh I see where this is going!" Lancer, infuriated, began to charge his aura.
Desperate, Mr. Ryoka attempted to appease the Riocynn. "Langston, Langston! Please stop, I'm trying to-"
Lancer's aura stopped in its tracks. He looked up at the elderly Raichu, aggravated. "Are you joking?"
"Damn it!" Sapphire's father showed an ineptitude of social situations, he was confused, scared and completely frustrated. "I'm old, I'm no good with names! I named my daughter Sapphire, damn it! I named a yellow Pikachu 'Sapphire'! You kidding me?!" his emotions exploded all at once, mostly fear knowing this Riocynn could kill him with barely an effort, that he started babbling on to make himself look pathetic for some sympathy.
Lancer's eyes became blue again, feeling guilt for most-likely enforcing a stereotype. He let his guard down.
"I married a Pikachu named Jade... my name is Garnett... we're just a family of jewels dammit!" he cowered. "Just calm down! I'm only trying to help you!"
Lancer bowed his head, feeling a little embarrassed for this Raichu. Lancer exhaled sharply and crossed his arms.
"Um, what's going on?" Sapphire's shadow engulfed the two of them as she blocked the light of the laboratory.
Garnett took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "I wanted to warn you... Luh... Lah..."
"Lancer."
"I apologize." He took another deep breath. "I wanted to warn you because my daughter doesn't know about this. You'd be surprised how many people here hate Riocynns."
Lancer's heart skipped a beat. He learned from his teachers that it was always envy that other Pokemon felt. They were jealous of their power so they alienated the Riocynns. They were those "perfect beings" and it was a good Riocynn's job to show how great they were by helping out the common folk... but hate? This was foreign to him.
"Seriously?" Sapphire muttered. She glanced at Lancer, incapable of accepting this. "Why? They don't seem bad. I mean, Lancer almost attacked me, sure but-"
"What?!" Garnett nearly roared with outrage. "He what?!"
"Excuse me, dad, I said 'almost'. It was just instincts." She defended. "I think I'm more to blame anyways; I popped out of nowhere like a predator or something." She giggled.
"...but, ugh." Lancer was at a loss for words. Riocynns were great beings, the strongest of all packs developed after the Anti-Pokemon Revolution. Envy? Sure. Hate? Unacceptable unless enemies of the pack itself. "What exactly do people around here have against us?"
"That, I do not know." Garnett responded, most likely protecting the Riolus feelings as to not get him into a homicidal rage. He knew nearly nothing about Riocynns other than they were almost uncontrollable when infuriated. "However, I'm certain the unusual eye color would attract people to you. That's an easy fix."
"What?"
"Colored pliable hydrophilic hydrogel plastic lenses of course! Hehe..." Garnett gestured with his paws to his eyes. Lancer and Sapphire both obliviously stared at him. "Or 'contacts'." Finally he received a reaction. "Just put them on and you'll have red eyes like any other normal Riolu."
Lancer's left eye twitched. "So, what... I'm not normal enough for your Checkpoint now?"
"Ahh! That's not what I meant!" Garnett got on all fours. "I apologize, I apologize, I apologize!"
Sapphire, dumbstruck by the patheticness of her father, gave a sigh. "Sorry, Lancer... my dad is... so-o freaking embarrassing."
"Really? I never would've guessed." Sapphire pouted at his sarcasm.
"Bleh, shut up."
**
"Don't fret." Garnett reassured. "No harm will befall you as long as you stay in disguise."
"Wait a second," Lancer blinked repeatedly to adapt to contact lenses. He stared at himself in the little mirror Sapphire gave him. "What about your staff? What if they talk about this?"
"Pfft, of course they will!" Garnett whispered. He turned to one of his fellow co-worker Chanseys who was gawking at the Riocynn from outside of the room and gestured for her to continue working.
"Great... then what was the point of these contacts?" Lancer, feeling a little insecure in this disguise, refused to make eye contact with anybody.
"Don't worry." Garnett, once again, bolstered. "As long as you're disguised, nobody will suspect you even if my coworkers do converse about this topic. People won't just go around trying to slap the contacts off of Riolus. Plus, nobody here is any kind of activist or extremist. Just because they dislike you... and/or hate you, they won't send anybody to execute all of the Riocynns in the Checkpoint."
"They won't need to," Lancer interpolated. "The Riocynns have been wiped out, so... me being here may just be some sort of phenomenon." Those words escaped his lips, but that didn't mean he had given up on his brother. Every single passing second would result in some mere thought of his big brother.
Garnett perplexedly glared at Lancer. He had heard differently, however, his source of information was a compilation of rumors. He was inclined to believe an actual Riocynn as opposed to a chattering Roselia. "Once again, I apologize."
"Well, thank you for your help." Lancer set his sights on the exit. "Now, I need to go on to other things." He had wrapped the note given to him by the infected Luxray on his arm for safe keeping and as soon as he unraveled it, a look of horror befell Garnett.
"W-what are you doing with that?" he refused to look at the letter more than he had to.
"The letter?" Lancer wouldn't have classified this musty-smelling leathery letter as anything of real importance other than delivering it to some Pokemon. "Well, this Luxray wanted me to give it to some guy named Eizzan or something. I don't know, she seemed like she knew who I was and that means this guy knows who I am. I was thinking about giving him a chance and maybe-"
"Don't do it."
"What?"
"Do... not... do it." Garnett placed a paw atop Lancer's shoulder. "Trust me."
"Who are they?"
Garnett paused and stepped away from Lancer. The way he spoke... he must have had a personal issue with Eizzan or whoever these people are.
"Are they a group or something?" Lancer asked.
"An organization."
Lancer's interest skyrocketing every second Garnett built up this dramatic tension. All he could think about was if he could get this organization to assist him in locating Isaac. "What is their name?!"
"Dad?" Sapphire poked him in his side. "What's wrong?"
"Sapphy, leave us alone for a little bit, okay?" he forced a smile. "This'll probably bore you anyways."
"...but-"
"Come on, Sapphy..."
She sighed. "Okay... fine..." as she exited, Garnett bowed his head.
"What is this organization's name?" Lancer repeated.
Garnett turned to Lancer, tears flooding his cheeks. "They're called 'The Silent Fraternity'."
"Whoa," responding to the tears, Lancer felt like he was shoved into some awkward drama show. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing. However," Garnett wiped his tears. "Don't do it. They'll take away your freedom... and that's the most merciful thing they'll do if you're not what they're expecting."
"What do they do?"
"They're supposedly a group dedicated to 'helping' the Checkpoint but with their leader, 'Ratio', all they've done, in my opinion, is complicate everything." Neither Lancer nor Garnett made eye contact. "If they called you... it can't be good."
"You said they were an organization."
"Yes."
"Are they good with technology?"
"Yes, but I don't see where-"
"That's good enough for me." Lancer took his first steps out of the room when Garnett interrupted him.
"You can't really be trying to look for them, are you?!" Garnett tried his hardest to push the Riolu back but his strength was insufficient.
"I have to." He continued with the Raichu trying, in vain, to stop him.
"No, you don't! Why? Why are you-"
"My brother."
"...what?"
"My brother was lost in the raid of Rustboro city." Lancer's color-altered eyes glared straight through Garnett. He felt that same sensation as Sapphire... as if Lancer was inside of him. "If there's any hope of me finding him, I need to find this organization. If I can gain their trust and perhaps do them a few favors... they may, in turn, help me. Maybe they could locate him with some crazy technological device but-"
"There are much more efficient ways to go about doing this, Riocynn!" he wish he could take that last word back. He knew this would irritate Lancer but he continued. "This isn't an Role-Playing game! You can't just go around asking to do favors in return for assistance in finding your lost sibling!"
"Once again with the 'Riocynn'." Lancer muttered as Sapphire rushed back.
She saw her father before Lancer, trying to stop him. Begging and pleading for him to find a better way as opposed to visiting the Silent Fraternity. She did not speak for something else caught her eye. "What the...?" one of the scientists, a human, was escorting a brute-like Manectric into the scene. Scars riddled the Pokemon and he had a glare that could break some of the strongest of spirits.
He set his eyes on Lancer as he was arguing with Garnett. Sapphire, in disbelief, repetitively shifted her attention from the Manectric, to Lancer, to the Manectric and to Lancer once again until the lighting in the laboratory dimmed.
Lancer's eyes, under the red contacts, became volatile as he sensed a present danger. Garnett's words flashed through his mind. "Just because they dislike you... and/or hate you, they won't send anybody to execute all of the Riocynns in the Checkpoint." He found himself staring at a Manectric charging electricity, however, everything progressed too quickly for it to be coherent. Stage 3 violet lightning was discharged in his direction. The unblockable, barely absorbable Stage 3 Lightning collided, surprisingly, with the small body of Sapphire who had leaped in the path of destruction.
Unable to deflect something as powerful as this, Sapphire attempted to absorb the energy into her fragile body; similar to what she had accomplished when lightning struck her tugboat. Her body was engulfed in the amethyst lightning. Truly, despite the horror, it was a beautiful thing to watch Sapphire's Stage 2 azure lightning blending with the Manectric's. In the midst of this intensity, she suddenly had visions. Her life had flashed before her eyes and one image, in particular, was grasped and once again burned into her mind. The sounds of struggle and the feeling of helplessness. She had witnessed a Pokemon from her past. "You..."
Incapable of fully taking in all of this power, Sapphire was flung across the room at an alarming velocity.
"Sapphire!" Garnett felt helpless, as if all he could do was call her name. He rushed to his daughter lying limp on the cold, metallic floor as the Manectric, in shock, fled the scene. "Riocynn, you-" as soon as he scanned the area, he had realized that Lancer had fled as well.
Paramedics were called in, but it seemed like it was too late. Sapphire was about to die. Only those blessed with an immense amount of luck could hope to survive Stage 3. "Dad?" Sapphire whispered shakily. Garnett couldn't respond. "Don't worry." She smiled. "The lightning didn't kill me."
Garnett wished he could believe this after seeing this huge burn mark on her stomach. "Yeah..." he whispered, burying his face in her fur. "...You did it. You did the impossible." He remembered the days where Sapphire would, out of nowhere, query about Stage 3 Lightning and how to achieve that power. Or, at least, how to defend herself against it. He never did give a satisfactory response.
"Aw, man." Sapphire giggled weakly, then, as her eyes began to close... Garnett knew this was it. "Come on, dad. I still have so much left to do. You really think I'm going to die?" The paramedics had finally arrived and hastily escorted her to the hospital, leaving that last statement to Garnett. Paralyzed, he sat with his arms folded in the same position as if Sapphire where still in his arms. The laboratory staff had circled around him, muttering to themselves.
"Girl..." he murmured. "...if you die..." he forced a smile. "...you're grounded."
**
Black Mercury Clear Ups
~Stage 3 Lightning or Fire almost always result in instant death
~It is not illegal to be a Riocynn in Checkpoint: Orpheus, but it may prove to be a difficult experience
~There is only one laboratory in Checkpoint: Orpheus and it is where new methods of fighting the Blight are experimented.
~The Silent Fraternity are said to be Checkpoint: Orpheus' defenders, however, nobody in the entire Checkpoint trusts any Silent Fraternity agent.
~The Silent Fraternity are led by a man codenamed "Ratio" who is said to be schizophrenic. This is one of the biggest concerns for the Checkpoint, knowing that their undercover defense agency is led by a schizophrenic man.
~Riocynns, no matter how powerful their defensive skills may be, cannot deflect or block any Stage 3 attacks.
The descending elevator into the laboratory of Sapphire's father felt like it was taking 20 years. They stood still; impatient, coupled with a nearly incurable awkward silence until Lancer turned to his companion. She watched him with the corner of her eye, faking aloofness. It was difficult. It felt like every time he stared at her, he could see everything going on inside of her. She felt like he was inside her and soon he intended to be.
He took a step forward then paused as Sapphire instinctively retreated. Her tail lowered and she began to stutter. "W-what are y-you doing?"
Lancer stared at her with those frightening eyes, idle like a still image. Sapphire could not even hear the grinding gears of the elevator anymore, her heart was pounding so hard and so loud that she felt like she was going to pass out.
Lancer took another step towards her and, almost like this was choreographed, she retreated and her back met the wall. A grin appeared on the Riolu's face as he now made his way towards the helpless Pikachu.
"W-w-wait! Wait! Hold o-" he shut Sapphire up with a kiss and as soon as she accepted this... she realized it was once again a vision. A flash of white light escaped her from her perverted fantasy as she stumbled around in the elevator, trying to regain her composure.
"Are you okay?" Lancer queried; leaning up against the elevator's metallic walls.
"Uhm..." Sapphire stood frozen for a few moments as she drew a blank.
~~
"Da-ad!" Sapphire called out in a sort of melodic tune. As soon as those rusty elevator doors opened, she bolted out with screams of glee as her father, a Raichu with a little lab coat, greeted his daughter; duplicating her enthusiasm... and also abandoning his current assignment.
"Sa-apphi-re!!" he responded as melodically as his daughter. They collided with eachother, clumsily landing then charging one another once again for an embrace. "Ohh! I missed you, girlie!"
"I missed you too!!" Sapphire's citrine fur beamed in the bright overhead lights of this laboratory. Both of their tales wagged with excitement, they began to circle around each other in a clumsy dance.
Lancer, discomfited by this unusual welcoming, stay secluded at the threshold of the elevator; knowing not to interrupt them. They conversed about how they were doing, what was new and how did one do without the other. Lancer, while being disregarded, focused on how he was going to locate Isaac. He continuously pictured the variables of what had happened to him after they were separated.
Sugarcoating his own thoughts, he concluded that Isaac was too powerful to be kept down for long. "Yeah," Lancer thought in content with his theory. "Isaac can't be subdued by that mind-controlling thing. He's too strong. Yeah... he's probably already escaped them by now."
Lancer was brought back into reality as soon as Sapphire mentioned Rustboro city. She glanced at Lancer for a second. "Rustboro city was invaded."
"Tragic, yes, but sorry to say we already know about that." Her father turned to his work, a beaker on a workbench which fizzed a green liquid. "I hope we get even a fraction of refugees from the city, other scouts say it was completely demolished."
"It was." Lancer intervened. "However... I want you to know that some great heroes risked their lives there." He was, of course, making a reference to Isaac.
"Oh, I apologize." The father said. "I know there were great soldiers residing there and they are missed, but I never implied anything that said they were anything other than that."
"Yeah."
Mr. Ryoka smiled at Lancer and extended his paw. "You're a bright-looking fellow. Who is this, 'Sapphy'?"
"Uhm... his name is uh... Lancer-r... Ryo... Rai-oh... uhm..." she stuttered as she drew a blank.
"Riocynn." Lancer corrected as he approached the old Raichu who was, at that moment, mystified. Everyone looked at Lancer with nihilism while comments were passed around the scientists as they observed the Riolu more closely. The blue eyes seemed to have been enough for them; they were convinced he was a Riocynn but all returned to their work quickly afterwards as if in fear.
Sapphire tilted her head. "That's strange," she turned to her father, "What's wrong with them, dad?"
"Sapphy, uhm... may I have a word with your friend?"
"Uh, sure... but what's the matter?"
"Oh nothing, sweetie." He replied, bowdlerizing the situation. "Come on now, Lancer."
Lancer was prepared for a fight as he followed Sapphire's dad. The reactions of the scientists worried him and he suddenly felt like he wasn't as welcome as he was led to believe. "What's the matter, mister?" Lancer demanded, instantly pushed into a bad mood.
"No need to be angry at me, Riocynn." He returned. "I, personally, have nothing against you people."
"You 'people'?"
"You Riocynns." In his own mind it didn't sound insulting.
"Yes, I sort of caught on to that. However," Lancer said, already grinding his teeth. "What do you mean 'you people'. What the hell is that about?"
"You have to understand-"
"Oh, I do." Lancer interjected. "We're taught about prejudice in the Riocynn clan and we're taught to teach those people a lesson, so-"
"I'm not saying that, Riocynn," Mr. Ryoka tried to sustain control over the conversation, however... Lancer was being stubborn.
"Riocynn." Lancer mocked. His irritation was clear. His eyes were green; volatile. Mr. Ryoka was on edge, knowing almost nothing about the Riocynn nature but a sudden change in eye color? ... Probably not so good. "Why don't you call me by my first name?"
"I apologize, I don't remember-"
"Yeah, of course you don't, because the only thing that interests you is the 'Riocynn' part, huh?"
"Listen to me, damn it!"
"No, you listen to me!"
"No! Just shut the-"
"Oh I see where this is going!" Lancer, infuriated, began to charge his aura.
Desperate, Mr. Ryoka attempted to appease the Riocynn. "Langston, Langston! Please stop, I'm trying to-"
Lancer's aura stopped in its tracks. He looked up at the elderly Raichu, aggravated. "Are you joking?"
"Damn it!" Sapphire's father showed an ineptitude of social situations, he was confused, scared and completely frustrated. "I'm old, I'm no good with names! I named my daughter Sapphire, damn it! I named a yellow Pikachu 'Sapphire'! You kidding me?!" his emotions exploded all at once, mostly fear knowing this Riocynn could kill him with barely an effort, that he started babbling on to make himself look pathetic for some sympathy.
Lancer's eyes became blue again, feeling guilt for most-likely enforcing a stereotype. He let his guard down.
"I married a Pikachu named Jade... my name is Garnett... we're just a family of jewels dammit!" he cowered. "Just calm down! I'm only trying to help you!"
Lancer bowed his head, feeling a little embarrassed for this Raichu. Lancer exhaled sharply and crossed his arms.
"Um, what's going on?" Sapphire's shadow engulfed the two of them as she blocked the light of the laboratory.
Garnett took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "I wanted to warn you... Luh... Lah..."
"Lancer."
"I apologize." He took another deep breath. "I wanted to warn you because my daughter doesn't know about this. You'd be surprised how many people here hate Riocynns."
Lancer's heart skipped a beat. He learned from his teachers that it was always envy that other Pokemon felt. They were jealous of their power so they alienated the Riocynns. They were those "perfect beings" and it was a good Riocynn's job to show how great they were by helping out the common folk... but hate? This was foreign to him.
"Seriously?" Sapphire muttered. She glanced at Lancer, incapable of accepting this. "Why? They don't seem bad. I mean, Lancer almost attacked me, sure but-"
"What?!" Garnett nearly roared with outrage. "He what?!"
"Excuse me, dad, I said 'almost'. It was just instincts." She defended. "I think I'm more to blame anyways; I popped out of nowhere like a predator or something." She giggled.
"...but, ugh." Lancer was at a loss for words. Riocynns were great beings, the strongest of all packs developed after the Anti-Pokemon Revolution. Envy? Sure. Hate? Unacceptable unless enemies of the pack itself. "What exactly do people around here have against us?"
"That, I do not know." Garnett responded, most likely protecting the Riolus feelings as to not get him into a homicidal rage. He knew nearly nothing about Riocynns other than they were almost uncontrollable when infuriated. "However, I'm certain the unusual eye color would attract people to you. That's an easy fix."
"What?"
"Colored pliable hydrophilic hydrogel plastic lenses of course! Hehe..." Garnett gestured with his paws to his eyes. Lancer and Sapphire both obliviously stared at him. "Or 'contacts'." Finally he received a reaction. "Just put them on and you'll have red eyes like any other normal Riolu."
Lancer's left eye twitched. "So, what... I'm not normal enough for your Checkpoint now?"
"Ahh! That's not what I meant!" Garnett got on all fours. "I apologize, I apologize, I apologize!"
Sapphire, dumbstruck by the patheticness of her father, gave a sigh. "Sorry, Lancer... my dad is... so-o freaking embarrassing."
"Really? I never would've guessed." Sapphire pouted at his sarcasm.
"Bleh, shut up."
**
"Don't fret." Garnett reassured. "No harm will befall you as long as you stay in disguise."
"Wait a second," Lancer blinked repeatedly to adapt to contact lenses. He stared at himself in the little mirror Sapphire gave him. "What about your staff? What if they talk about this?"
"Pfft, of course they will!" Garnett whispered. He turned to one of his fellow co-worker Chanseys who was gawking at the Riocynn from outside of the room and gestured for her to continue working.
"Great... then what was the point of these contacts?" Lancer, feeling a little insecure in this disguise, refused to make eye contact with anybody.
"Don't worry." Garnett, once again, bolstered. "As long as you're disguised, nobody will suspect you even if my coworkers do converse about this topic. People won't just go around trying to slap the contacts off of Riolus. Plus, nobody here is any kind of activist or extremist. Just because they dislike you... and/or hate you, they won't send anybody to execute all of the Riocynns in the Checkpoint."
"They won't need to," Lancer interpolated. "The Riocynns have been wiped out, so... me being here may just be some sort of phenomenon." Those words escaped his lips, but that didn't mean he had given up on his brother. Every single passing second would result in some mere thought of his big brother.
Garnett perplexedly glared at Lancer. He had heard differently, however, his source of information was a compilation of rumors. He was inclined to believe an actual Riocynn as opposed to a chattering Roselia. "Once again, I apologize."
"Well, thank you for your help." Lancer set his sights on the exit. "Now, I need to go on to other things." He had wrapped the note given to him by the infected Luxray on his arm for safe keeping and as soon as he unraveled it, a look of horror befell Garnett.
"W-what are you doing with that?" he refused to look at the letter more than he had to.
"The letter?" Lancer wouldn't have classified this musty-smelling leathery letter as anything of real importance other than delivering it to some Pokemon. "Well, this Luxray wanted me to give it to some guy named Eizzan or something. I don't know, she seemed like she knew who I was and that means this guy knows who I am. I was thinking about giving him a chance and maybe-"
"Don't do it."
"What?"
"Do... not... do it." Garnett placed a paw atop Lancer's shoulder. "Trust me."
"Who are they?"
Garnett paused and stepped away from Lancer. The way he spoke... he must have had a personal issue with Eizzan or whoever these people are.
"Are they a group or something?" Lancer asked.
"An organization."
Lancer's interest skyrocketing every second Garnett built up this dramatic tension. All he could think about was if he could get this organization to assist him in locating Isaac. "What is their name?!"
"Dad?" Sapphire poked him in his side. "What's wrong?"
"Sapphy, leave us alone for a little bit, okay?" he forced a smile. "This'll probably bore you anyways."
"...but-"
"Come on, Sapphy..."
She sighed. "Okay... fine..." as she exited, Garnett bowed his head.
"What is this organization's name?" Lancer repeated.
Garnett turned to Lancer, tears flooding his cheeks. "They're called 'The Silent Fraternity'."
"Whoa," responding to the tears, Lancer felt like he was shoved into some awkward drama show. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing, it's nothing. However," Garnett wiped his tears. "Don't do it. They'll take away your freedom... and that's the most merciful thing they'll do if you're not what they're expecting."
"What do they do?"
"They're supposedly a group dedicated to 'helping' the Checkpoint but with their leader, 'Ratio', all they've done, in my opinion, is complicate everything." Neither Lancer nor Garnett made eye contact. "If they called you... it can't be good."
"You said they were an organization."
"Yes."
"Are they good with technology?"
"Yes, but I don't see where-"
"That's good enough for me." Lancer took his first steps out of the room when Garnett interrupted him.
"You can't really be trying to look for them, are you?!" Garnett tried his hardest to push the Riolu back but his strength was insufficient.
"I have to." He continued with the Raichu trying, in vain, to stop him.
"No, you don't! Why? Why are you-"
"My brother."
"...what?"
"My brother was lost in the raid of Rustboro city." Lancer's color-altered eyes glared straight through Garnett. He felt that same sensation as Sapphire... as if Lancer was inside of him. "If there's any hope of me finding him, I need to find this organization. If I can gain their trust and perhaps do them a few favors... they may, in turn, help me. Maybe they could locate him with some crazy technological device but-"
"There are much more efficient ways to go about doing this, Riocynn!" he wish he could take that last word back. He knew this would irritate Lancer but he continued. "This isn't an Role-Playing game! You can't just go around asking to do favors in return for assistance in finding your lost sibling!"
"Once again with the 'Riocynn'." Lancer muttered as Sapphire rushed back.
She saw her father before Lancer, trying to stop him. Begging and pleading for him to find a better way as opposed to visiting the Silent Fraternity. She did not speak for something else caught her eye. "What the...?" one of the scientists, a human, was escorting a brute-like Manectric into the scene. Scars riddled the Pokemon and he had a glare that could break some of the strongest of spirits.
He set his eyes on Lancer as he was arguing with Garnett. Sapphire, in disbelief, repetitively shifted her attention from the Manectric, to Lancer, to the Manectric and to Lancer once again until the lighting in the laboratory dimmed.
Lancer's eyes, under the red contacts, became volatile as he sensed a present danger. Garnett's words flashed through his mind. "Just because they dislike you... and/or hate you, they won't send anybody to execute all of the Riocynns in the Checkpoint." He found himself staring at a Manectric charging electricity, however, everything progressed too quickly for it to be coherent. Stage 3 violet lightning was discharged in his direction. The unblockable, barely absorbable Stage 3 Lightning collided, surprisingly, with the small body of Sapphire who had leaped in the path of destruction.
Unable to deflect something as powerful as this, Sapphire attempted to absorb the energy into her fragile body; similar to what she had accomplished when lightning struck her tugboat. Her body was engulfed in the amethyst lightning. Truly, despite the horror, it was a beautiful thing to watch Sapphire's Stage 2 azure lightning blending with the Manectric's. In the midst of this intensity, she suddenly had visions. Her life had flashed before her eyes and one image, in particular, was grasped and once again burned into her mind. The sounds of struggle and the feeling of helplessness. She had witnessed a Pokemon from her past. "You..."
Incapable of fully taking in all of this power, Sapphire was flung across the room at an alarming velocity.
"Sapphire!" Garnett felt helpless, as if all he could do was call her name. He rushed to his daughter lying limp on the cold, metallic floor as the Manectric, in shock, fled the scene. "Riocynn, you-" as soon as he scanned the area, he had realized that Lancer had fled as well.
Paramedics were called in, but it seemed like it was too late. Sapphire was about to die. Only those blessed with an immense amount of luck could hope to survive Stage 3. "Dad?" Sapphire whispered shakily. Garnett couldn't respond. "Don't worry." She smiled. "The lightning didn't kill me."
Garnett wished he could believe this after seeing this huge burn mark on her stomach. "Yeah..." he whispered, burying his face in her fur. "...You did it. You did the impossible." He remembered the days where Sapphire would, out of nowhere, query about Stage 3 Lightning and how to achieve that power. Or, at least, how to defend herself against it. He never did give a satisfactory response.
"Aw, man." Sapphire giggled weakly, then, as her eyes began to close... Garnett knew this was it. "Come on, dad. I still have so much left to do. You really think I'm going to die?" The paramedics had finally arrived and hastily escorted her to the hospital, leaving that last statement to Garnett. Paralyzed, he sat with his arms folded in the same position as if Sapphire where still in his arms. The laboratory staff had circled around him, muttering to themselves.
"Girl..." he murmured. "...if you die..." he forced a smile. "...you're grounded."
**
Black Mercury Clear Ups
~Stage 3 Lightning or Fire almost always result in instant death
~It is not illegal to be a Riocynn in Checkpoint: Orpheus, but it may prove to be a difficult experience
~There is only one laboratory in Checkpoint: Orpheus and it is where new methods of fighting the Blight are experimented.
~The Silent Fraternity are said to be Checkpoint: Orpheus' defenders, however, nobody in the entire Checkpoint trusts any Silent Fraternity agent.
~The Silent Fraternity are led by a man codenamed "Ratio" who is said to be schizophrenic. This is one of the biggest concerns for the Checkpoint, knowing that their undercover defense agency is led by a schizophrenic man.
~Riocynns, no matter how powerful their defensive skills may be, cannot deflect or block any Stage 3 attacks.