Three-fold
StrangersLoversKillers
Chapter 1: Three-fold
I own nothing! Nothing! But it is my story, and it is not intended for kids to read and then sue me. It's your own damn fault you got this far. My characters have decided to swear quite a lot in this chapter, a result most likely stemming from my love of Tarantino movies. Anyways, if you're offended by anything you think you will find in this story, why the hell are you on AGNPH? Thanks for reading the disclaimer, bonus points for you.
Please keep in mind, this is a prequel of sorts. This particular chapter was written after the first four chapters of "The Valley", so some things might not make sense if you read this first. But hey, it'll be a cool perspective should you decide to read "The Valley". This story will describe the events that took place prior to those in "The Valley".
Name Pronunciation: Jero = JARE-oh ("juh" is soft, more of a "sha" and less of a "cha".)
Falin = FAL-in (not "fallen")
Kerelli = kur-ELL-ee
Ajax = EH-jaks
Terrin = TEAR-en
Mylair = MILE-are
Bolaran = bow-LARE-en
Kolanar = CALL-an-are
Every step he takes is another effort to dodge hell. The Electabuzz never knows where he will sleep when night falls. He thinks nothing of danger, for his very life is a portrayal of the word. He is constantly studying his surroundings, noting the tiny details that all other sentient organisms seem to take for granted. He thinks revenge is an undeveloped excuse others use as a way of describing their actions, despite some of his comrades citing vengeance as their motive. Vengeance is merely a tool, a trial. He knows there is only reason to fight, and that is belief. He is alive to fight. He is a warrior, a leader, a revolutionary. He is a murderer. He has never sinned in his life.
This Electabuzz goes by the name of Jero.
The Sneasel had killed a human. From the heights of Mt. Silver had come a soul so pure that the pokemon that knew of it were apprehensive. Ajax had been told that there had been a human warrior with the same name that fought in a war long ago. If he had any pokemon, Ajax had thought once, they would be like me. Ajax was arrogant and knew it. He was strong and he knew it. He had killed a human, and now he didn't know what to do next. He reluctantly accepted the feeling of trepidation.
More death brought more information. Ajax was not fond of the former, but the latter needed to come at any cost. Wild and out of control, he had an objective. Ajax needed an ally. He was a mixture of emotions pushed over the limit, and he was burning out. Ajax set everything else out of his mind as he sped across the landscape. He had but one reason to run. Stuck in a kill-or-be-killed world, he was a bullet with a conscience.
Ajax was hunting the Source.
She was cold and alone when she found those of a cause. Heather had evolved into a Ninetales mere weeks before she left her home in a way even she did not expect. She hadn't known what was real in the world; she was a being one step away from taking the wrong path. Sometimes she wondered if the wrong path started when she left her parents. She left her sister behind. She left her home behind. Heather left her life behind.
Tension had built and broken. Heather's parents saw change when all she saw was enlightenment. Bad decisions led to a strain on life itself. Heather had gone, a cold shadow of a warm memory. She wasn't looking for anything more than a companion, but she found the chance to be a part of a whole, an integral being in a fight for a cause. Heather stole the opportunity and tried not to look back.
Falin had his first evolution lastly among his friends, which only led him to train harder. Those who lived around him always commented to one another how his training was almost too fierce. Falin knew what they said and didn't care. He was always a warrior at heart; he just didn't realize it until much later in his life.
Falin evolved into a Charizard less than twenty-four hours before he saw his lover taken away from him. He had not grown accustomed to his new form and though he battled more brutally than his capturers had ever seen, Falin was subdued and confined nonetheless. He was exploited and sold off like an item in the city. He managed to like his first trainer, a male teenager who was a quick thinker in battles. However, Falin was traded to an older trainer whom he despised. Within two weeks he attacked the trainer and was then was sent to a complex to be retired. The retirement process consisted of a ten-gram dose of sodium thiopental. Falin sent two men and five pokemon to the hospital in his escape.
He soon after met a very interesting pokemon who said his name was Jero.
A revolutionary, a murderer, a runaway, and a warrior. Perfect strangers. All four were united for a single cause.
Resistance.
Blaze saw every gain as a loss. Every time a pokemon was captured, another name was erased, and a past with it. Blaze considered himself an exception, for though he was once with a trainer, Blaze was the only name he knew. For all the pride and honor of pokemon battles and tournaments, it all came at a price. The fighter was wiped clean from the memory of nature, their existence reduced to a whisper in the wind. It was sort of like dying.
Terrin leapt up again, and another branch fell to the earth. Blaze smiled. He admired Terrin's strong will and dedication. Terrin was a messed up soul, but in a different way from Blaze and the others. Currently he was utilizing the deadly edge of his arms and wings. Blaze had come along as an excuse to get out into the open again.
"Why are you here, Blaze?" the Scyther asked, panting a bit from his exercise.
"Same reason as you."
"I mean out here, sitting on that stump."
"This stump? This very stump here, of which you speak? This stump," Blaze began, with a fire in his eyes, "represents the very purpose of why we still live. It is the symbol of the domestication of the very soil that spawned the creatures that turned around and cursed it. This stump, my friend, deserves our greatest respect! For this stump, I shall lay down my life and entwine my soul with the spirit that gave life to us both!" Terrin could only look at him with a toothy grin. He began to say something, but stopped. Then he and Blaze both started laughing.
"You'll never cease to amaze me," Terrin told the Typhlosion.
"This world will never cease to amaze me," Blaze replied. "Not to mention those in it."
"Yeah, I thought I'd sensed an amazement sorta feeling between you and Heather recently."
"Fuck off," Blaze said good-naturedly. The Scyther just laughed. "Yeah, laugh, go back to your fucking training."
"Hey, this training is the reason we all are still alive, right? Great respect?"
"Your short-term memory's shit too."
"You talk like that in front of Jero?"
"New Year's resolution," Blaze said with a small smile.
"Yeah, well, there you go, that's a human thing." Terrin went back to chopping the hell out of the tree, which left Blaze to his thoughts. He had come along with Terrin to do some thinking, anyway.
Jero's crew was currently stationed on the outskirts of the city. Their business was presently reconnaissance, which of course meant time to slack off for most of the syndicate. Falin was off doing whatever the hell he did to get his information, and Jero was nowhere to be found, which wasn't irregular. Blaze figured he was with the Source, or in pursuit of him. Blaze was the only being alive who knew the identity of the Source besides Jero. Conversely, there were many who tried to learn who he was, but those in the syndicate had given up for the most part, because they thought alike and they thought that it didn't make a difference. It would be a mystery for an indefinite time, and others would try to learn about the Source.
One such being was named Ajax.
"Just tell me how you know,"
"Fuck you!" Falin closed his mouth and sent his eyes to the ceiling as he blew smoke out of his nose. This was going nowhere.
"You want to be involved with what is going on here?" Falin asked him.
"Yes!"
"Then you'll tell me how you heard about the Source."
"In hell," Ajax snapped back resolutely. "Do you know who the Source is?"
"Yes. And I know just because you've heard of the Source, it's not gonna give two shits about some kid who thinks he's above ignorance." Falin turned his back on the Sneasel. He didn't have to worry about the kid walking away, or not believing his lie. Besides, what difference would it make? And if Ajax was about to attack him, the kid was stupider than he thought.
"What says we ask a few questions?" a Wartortle asked, nearly sounding bored, though maybe it was a ploy. Her name was Kerelli, and she was the toughest warrior Falin had yet come across. She hadn't known Jero as long as Falin had, but she was well respected by all in the syndicate.
"Fine." The Sneasel didn't seem to be too happy, but he had come to them, and he knew noncompliance was tactless.
"Are you sure, beyond a shadow of any damned doubt, that you want to be associated with this group?" Falin asked. Ajax figured he had asked the question many times before, but it didn't take the edge out of his voice.
"Yes."
"Alright then. I'm going to ask you a series of questions," the Charizard stated. "There are good answers and bad answers. First. What's your name?"
"Ajax."
"What's your birth name?"
"Fuck you."
"Good answer." They continued.
"Look at this whore." The Cubone could only cry. Mylair was dead...
"Look at this fucking whore," the Heracross repeated. His friend, a Primeape, didn't seem to be interested at all. He was still observing the other Cubone, the recently deceased Cubone, dead by his hand.
"Teach your boyfriend, huh? Teach him not to fuck with us! You fucking bitch!" the Heracross yelled at her. Natalia sobbed harder. She didn't know what else to do. Mylair had died fighting these pokemon, and now she was alone.
"You wanna fuck this little whore?" The Primeape glanced over at the small body of the Cubone. "No."
"Little whore, you-"
"Shut the fuck up, man." The Primeape looked bored. He was a murderer, but not a rapist. His morals were twisted, but maybe not nonexistent.
"What's your problem? Serves this bitch right. You know what?" the Heracross addressed Natalia now. "I think I'm gonna let you live. Just so you can tell everybody from wherever the fuck you come from, you can tell 'em not to give us any shit, or you end up like this punk here!" The Cubone stopped crying now, and shut her eyes tight. She was young but brave. She couldn't fight these two, but she wasn't going to let them know the damage they were inflicting.
"Go home bitch. No one fucks with us, or any of our friends back at the valley! We fucking own this land! Now go!"
"Go home girl," the Primeape said lowly. His eyes almost looked sympathetic, but mostly cold. Though he had killed Mylair, it was the Heracross Natalia found herself hating. They were killers. They didn't have a reason. They didn't need a reason. They were killers.
She stood up to walk away, her mind still in shock. She turned back only once, to look again at the body of her friend. Mylair. He had died fighting. Natalia spoke.
"You'll die for this."
"Steroids." Jero had returned, and was speaking to those that were called the syndicate, though it was not a title they had chosen.
"Truck leaves tomorrow, late. Gives us about twenty-two hours of preparation."
"Guess we're moving out of Saffron," Terrin commented.
"I wanted to catch a glimpse of the scenery anyway," Heather responded. Blaze smiled. With them were Falin, Kerelli, and Ajax, the new recruit.
"We can't do it at the Silph building, it's too great a risk with all those people loading the truck. They shut down a gate, the whole thing flops," Jero continued.
"Besides, they're fucking crazy," Falin said.
"Meaning what?" Ajax asked. He wasn't even trying to be respectful.
"Meaning that if you get caught by those lunatics, you're subject to whatever shit they decide to do to you. These new "vitamin supplements" they're sending out? They left out the colorful side effects when they printed the boxes, the ones like birth defects and tumors," Falin stated flatly. "Of all the operations to fuck up, you don't wanna end up in the hands of Silph."
"Point taken," Ajax said in an agreeing tone, the edge out of his voice. Jero ignored the obscenities made by his comrade and continued.
"If we wait until the trucks hit Celadon, we run the risk of getting caught in the basements on that end. Which leaves the more interesting option." Blaze laughed as his leader looked at him.
"You want to hit the truck in motion?" Heather asked, though they all knew the answer.
"Yes. We'll have two at Celadon, just in case we need them, but the main point is on the truck. Blaze does the job."
"Fancy that," Blaze said sarcastically, pleased. "And how do I get on?"
"There will be a fight in the middle of the road. I know the route that's being used, there's a good spot. These guys are freaks for rare pokemon, right? Well, we'll give 'em some. And if they don't bite, then we'll at least stop the truck, not for long, but it'll be long enough."
"Who's doing the fight?" Terrin inquired.
"You are. And Heather is taking you down," Jero stated. His face was always a mystery, but those in the room, save Ajax, had known him long enough to see he was amused. Heather smiled, playfully bating at the Scyther.
"Sorry, Ter."
"I'm with Blaze on this one," Kerelli declared.
"If you can get on that truck, it's fine by me."
"Aw, come on, I'm not that old yet!" the Wartortle said back. She was the elder of all of them but Jero. "And I wouldn't want Blaze to get lonely."
"I just can't destroy shipments of steroids when I'm down," Blaze said, quite serious. They all laughed, even Ajax.
"Right," Jero broke in. "Falin, you're in Celadon. You'll be creating a distraction, if necessary, for Ajax here. Ajax, if all else fails, you'll be in the basement of the Celadon department store, ready to trash that shipment. I know it's a baptism by fire, but if Blaze does his job," he glared at Blaze, who put on a look of hurt, "then you get off easy."
"And yourself, fearless leader?" Terrin asked.
"I've got some other matters to attend to. You shouldn't need me though. Just stay sharp, I'll be around."
Ajax heard Terrin mutter something about a Source, but he was the only one that could have heard it.
Bolaran sped through the skies at an amazing velocity. The Charizard was a self-described pacifist, but nothing could stop the hate he was feeling now. Bolaran was in the state of seeing everything right before it happened. Pictures turned into words and back again as they rearranged themselves in his mind. He knew that vengeance was to be paid, and he knew that when the time came, he would not be able to lay the final blow. He was flying because he knew someone who could.
It was ironic that Bolaran had become a father at a young age, for it was his younger brother that always seemed to be flirting with the girls, as well as with disaster. Bolaran had trained with his brother and they often laughed and spoke of becoming great leaders someday, never knowing that in time they would be. When Bolaran's daughter was born he was overjoyed, but it did cut down on his training time, while his brother's just picked up. They both grew more independent, and eventually Bolaran and his mate, a Marowak, left to find a suitable place for their daughter to grow up. They had named her Natalia.
Bolaran looked upon the blur of terrain below him, his thoughts trapped in anxiety. He flew over the human house that marked the end of the region. He was getting closer to finding his brother. Bolaran's brother could help.
Good old Falin, the warrior.
"First mission, huh?" Ajax turned to see the Typhlosion who must have been speaking to him.
"Right. You're Blaze?"
"Uh-huh. So I take it they already asked you some questions..." Blaze's voice trailed off. Ajax could see a grin forming on his face.
"Yeah."
"They ask your birth name?"
"Yeah."
"What'd you say?"
"Fuck you." Blaze laughed, as did Terrin, who was close enough to hear.
"Good answer, no?" Ajax smiled himself, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Sounds about right. They ask you too?"
"Ask all they want, won't make me remember," the Typhlosion said with a shrug. "I got a name and it works for me."
"So what's the story behind this? Silph, I mean."
"We make it our business to take care of any threat to the well-being of pokemon. Which sounds better than 'kicking ass and taking names.'"
"Once in a while we'll find out about something big," Terrin mentioned. "This operation, if you wanna call it that, it's kinda a smaller deal, but it defiantly goes down as a threat to the well-being, as Blaze put it so well. There's no way we're gonna let Silph ship out some steroid they call an enhancive. We do, and they get rich and pokemon get hurt. Fortunately we have good intel on this one." Ajax almost mentioned the Source upon hearing this, but bit his tongue as he realized he didn't want the others to get suspicious of him, and that he didn't have anything to say anyway.
"Is it just us? The syndicate, is it just us six?" Ajax inquired.
"Oh, no, there's plenty of us," Blaze replied. "Us here are basically the ones that hop from town to town; we have lots of allies and contacts scattered all over the place. When you say syndicate, and you shouldn't, 'cause people don't gotta know, you refer to us, the team that moves around. To answer your question, yeah, we're just about all of the team that's in motion."
"There are a few others, sometimes someone goes out for a while," Terrin said. "Like, I don't even know what Slyver's doing now."
"We won't have any help tonight though," Blaze pointed out. "This isn't a huge assignment, but there'll be some pretty bad consequences if we fuck it up." Ajax noticed Terrin shot Blaze a look.
"What?" asked Ajax.
"Don't swear when Jero's around," Terrin told him. "He says it's a human thing. I mean, we all agree, but we're kinda lenient with that rule."
"More like really lenient," Blaze commented.
"Right, well, just don't run your mouth too much, 'specially since you're green. Jero's a great guy, and you really don't want to be on bad terms with him."
"Ah, and here, folks, is the one and only," Blaze mused as the Electabuzz strode to them.
"Time to move, everybody."
At the same moment, Natalia was standing at the grave of a Cubone that hadn't been too different from herself. She had only known Mylair for a few months, but she had considered him her closest friend. Maybe more. She didn't really have anyone else she could open up to. Natalia loved the forest where she lived, but she hated the inhabitants. Maybe it has to do with being a Cubone, she thought. Or having mixed parents. Though it wasn't too uncommon for mates to be of different species, Natalia was sometimes taunted for it. Of course, her father was a Charizard, and he was the Charizard Bolaran, so these jeers never escalated to anything serious.
Natalia often refused company, though she wanted to have somebody to talk to, to be with, maybe even to love. Mylair could have been that somebody. And he was gone because he died protecting Natalia. She felt the familiar feeling of tears. And a voice broke her feeling of solitude.
"Are you the daughter of Bolaran?" The Magmar spoke in a soft tone, but Natalia found his voice to be strong. He was another enigma. Natalia felt like running. She stayed.
"Yes," she said briefly. She was still looking at the grave of Mylair.
"I heard of what happened," the Magmar sympathized, taking another step toward her. "I know it won't make a difference, but I am sorry for you."
Be sorry for Mylair, she thought, but didn't say it. "What do you want?"
"I want to speak with your father. It...I want to see if future tragedies could be averted." This Magmar wasn't giving anything away.
"He's gone." And for the same reason.
"What?"
"He went away, I think he'll be back in a day or two. You can talk with him then." Natalia knew she was being discourteous in her tone and words, but she didn't care. She was already suspicious of this Magmar, though she knew she had no reason. Maybe it was just the effect of what had happened to her...she had nearly been raped, and could have been killed...he wanted to stop whoever was responsible...
"I'll find you when my father returns," she said finally. The Magmar smiled.
"Alright. Now, I think I should walk you home. Night will fall soon."
Natalia took one last look back as she walked away, to see the emblematic memorial to Mylair in the dying sunlight. He had been taken away. Taken from her.
Darkness had struck Celadon. Darkness is the best time for a Sneasel to move around, especially when they are trying not to be seen. Ajax silently flew across the bricks that were the road as his eyes bore into the shadows surrounding him. There was nothing, no one. And if anything were to try and stop him, Falin would get involved. However, Falin was a Def and that meant Ajax was to do the sneaking. He was rather good at it, anyway.
There was still a dim light emanating from the garage of the department store. Ajax leapt out of the shadow and into the cover of the building. He landed and spun, spotting a darkened room with its door ajar. Darting inside, he knew Falin's eyes were following him. Ajax stole a peek through the windows in the small room he was in. The garage was large and quiet. It was empty as far as he could see. He ducked back down and closed his eyes, letting his hearing take over. Now all he had to do was wait.
Blaze was on-edge, but not nervous. He had to stay in control. He forced himself to focus. Concentrate.
"You know, this whole thing goes to hell if they decide to send more than one truck," he commented to Kerelli.
"Nothing fucks up a plan like bad intelligence," she agreed. "But we just need to trust Jero on this. Besides, they'll want to see the stuff before they sell it."
"And they won't be selling this." Blaze was sure of it.
Close by were Terrin and Heather. They both stood in the middle of the dark road, next to the several branches Terrin had cut earlier. Blaze and Kerelli were just into the tree line atop a hill that bordered the road. Blaze watched both pokemon. They seemed to be attentive, but relaxed for the time being. Blaze couldn't make out what they were saying. He figured it was the same sort conversation he was having, the foxhole chat that came before an expected encounter.
Blaze felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the faint glow of headlights making their way down the road. Blaze let out a burst of fire in the direction of Heather and Terrin. Seeing his signal, Heather lit up the branches with a Flamethrower. She and Terrin then went into a realistic battle, though Blaze could see they weren't hurting each other. Blaze took a deep breath, and took a primed stance.
"Showtime, everybody," he breathed.
He walks but his body is numb. He is moving but he is not feeling. There is only one thought moving through Jero's mind. Soren is gone. Taken away. And the Source was a thing of the past.
Soren was an old friend of Blaze's, and Jero met him through the Source. The Hitmonlee usually got the information through to both parties, but now he was in danger. He was taken away from the Source by a human who claimed he had property rights. This human said he owned Soren. Whether he did or not, the Source fought back. Jero knew the Source was a man. Now he was a wanted man.
The Electabuzz didn't know the details, but knew the human the syndicate relied on was wanted for several human crimes. In the meantime, Soren was in the wrong hands and unable to do anything about it. Jero decided he would do something about. Soren was to be freed. Not a possession. Not a slave. Free. Impossible.
It couldn't be done. Jero refrained from as much human contact as he could, but it seemed inevitable. The only human that could help was a now criminal. Which meant no human could help now. Jero was stuck. He didn't know what to do. And in the midst of his uncertainty, a new problem presented itself.
"Jero." It was Bolaran. He appeared to be out of breath.
"How did you find me?" Jero asked, not voicing his surprise. He had thought he was in the most remote of places.
"Some luck, but I know of the Source, and I know it is found near here. Jero, I need your help."
"I could use help myself. But what is it?"
"I..." the Charizard started. He looked down. "I must first speak with my brother. Where is he?"
"He is far from here, but will be back by tomorrow," Jero answered. "Are you in danger?"
"No...I...I need help. It is an act of vengeance," Bolaran went on, still looking at the ground. "Falin deals in vengeance. So does your Source."
Jero was taken aback at what he was hearing, but it didn't show. Jero always remained a mystery. Nothing showed.
"We will help you, Bolaran," Jero told him. "We will do what we can."
"Thank you, Jero." Bolaran said, looking him in the eye now. "How peculiar it is, to have separated from Falin because of his vengeful actions...and I turn back to him, seeking revenge and an ally in him."
"How peculiar," Jero repeated. One moment. He was experiencing a life changing moment and he knew it. In this moment, this suspended feeling of doubt, vengeance was alive. Three-fold vengeance. The Source. Falin. And one other, who Jero felt was in the most danger. A situation of three-fold sightlessness.
Jero looked up. The moment was gone. Lost.
End of chapter one
Okay. I know. I went out to answer questions, and I created more. And it's a PREQUEL. IF you are sick and tired of this yiffless, plot-filled BULLSHIT, then leave me a review, damn it! Or if you liked it.
Coming episodes will be nice and tasty, trust me. And if you have burning questions and wild theories, and can't be bothered to leave a review or email [email protected], then I say: be patient. All will be revealed. I'm not making this up as I go along. Not all of it, anyways ^^.
Chapter 1: Three-fold
I own nothing! Nothing! But it is my story, and it is not intended for kids to read and then sue me. It's your own damn fault you got this far. My characters have decided to swear quite a lot in this chapter, a result most likely stemming from my love of Tarantino movies. Anyways, if you're offended by anything you think you will find in this story, why the hell are you on AGNPH? Thanks for reading the disclaimer, bonus points for you.
Please keep in mind, this is a prequel of sorts. This particular chapter was written after the first four chapters of "The Valley", so some things might not make sense if you read this first. But hey, it'll be a cool perspective should you decide to read "The Valley". This story will describe the events that took place prior to those in "The Valley".
Name Pronunciation: Jero = JARE-oh ("juh" is soft, more of a "sha" and less of a "cha".)
Falin = FAL-in (not "fallen")
Kerelli = kur-ELL-ee
Ajax = EH-jaks
Terrin = TEAR-en
Mylair = MILE-are
Bolaran = bow-LARE-en
Kolanar = CALL-an-are
Every step he takes is another effort to dodge hell. The Electabuzz never knows where he will sleep when night falls. He thinks nothing of danger, for his very life is a portrayal of the word. He is constantly studying his surroundings, noting the tiny details that all other sentient organisms seem to take for granted. He thinks revenge is an undeveloped excuse others use as a way of describing their actions, despite some of his comrades citing vengeance as their motive. Vengeance is merely a tool, a trial. He knows there is only reason to fight, and that is belief. He is alive to fight. He is a warrior, a leader, a revolutionary. He is a murderer. He has never sinned in his life.
This Electabuzz goes by the name of Jero.
The Sneasel had killed a human. From the heights of Mt. Silver had come a soul so pure that the pokemon that knew of it were apprehensive. Ajax had been told that there had been a human warrior with the same name that fought in a war long ago. If he had any pokemon, Ajax had thought once, they would be like me. Ajax was arrogant and knew it. He was strong and he knew it. He had killed a human, and now he didn't know what to do next. He reluctantly accepted the feeling of trepidation.
More death brought more information. Ajax was not fond of the former, but the latter needed to come at any cost. Wild and out of control, he had an objective. Ajax needed an ally. He was a mixture of emotions pushed over the limit, and he was burning out. Ajax set everything else out of his mind as he sped across the landscape. He had but one reason to run. Stuck in a kill-or-be-killed world, he was a bullet with a conscience.
Ajax was hunting the Source.
She was cold and alone when she found those of a cause. Heather had evolved into a Ninetales mere weeks before she left her home in a way even she did not expect. She hadn't known what was real in the world; she was a being one step away from taking the wrong path. Sometimes she wondered if the wrong path started when she left her parents. She left her sister behind. She left her home behind. Heather left her life behind.
Tension had built and broken. Heather's parents saw change when all she saw was enlightenment. Bad decisions led to a strain on life itself. Heather had gone, a cold shadow of a warm memory. She wasn't looking for anything more than a companion, but she found the chance to be a part of a whole, an integral being in a fight for a cause. Heather stole the opportunity and tried not to look back.
Falin had his first evolution lastly among his friends, which only led him to train harder. Those who lived around him always commented to one another how his training was almost too fierce. Falin knew what they said and didn't care. He was always a warrior at heart; he just didn't realize it until much later in his life.
Falin evolved into a Charizard less than twenty-four hours before he saw his lover taken away from him. He had not grown accustomed to his new form and though he battled more brutally than his capturers had ever seen, Falin was subdued and confined nonetheless. He was exploited and sold off like an item in the city. He managed to like his first trainer, a male teenager who was a quick thinker in battles. However, Falin was traded to an older trainer whom he despised. Within two weeks he attacked the trainer and was then was sent to a complex to be retired. The retirement process consisted of a ten-gram dose of sodium thiopental. Falin sent two men and five pokemon to the hospital in his escape.
He soon after met a very interesting pokemon who said his name was Jero.
A revolutionary, a murderer, a runaway, and a warrior. Perfect strangers. All four were united for a single cause.
Resistance.
Blaze saw every gain as a loss. Every time a pokemon was captured, another name was erased, and a past with it. Blaze considered himself an exception, for though he was once with a trainer, Blaze was the only name he knew. For all the pride and honor of pokemon battles and tournaments, it all came at a price. The fighter was wiped clean from the memory of nature, their existence reduced to a whisper in the wind. It was sort of like dying.
Terrin leapt up again, and another branch fell to the earth. Blaze smiled. He admired Terrin's strong will and dedication. Terrin was a messed up soul, but in a different way from Blaze and the others. Currently he was utilizing the deadly edge of his arms and wings. Blaze had come along as an excuse to get out into the open again.
"Why are you here, Blaze?" the Scyther asked, panting a bit from his exercise.
"Same reason as you."
"I mean out here, sitting on that stump."
"This stump? This very stump here, of which you speak? This stump," Blaze began, with a fire in his eyes, "represents the very purpose of why we still live. It is the symbol of the domestication of the very soil that spawned the creatures that turned around and cursed it. This stump, my friend, deserves our greatest respect! For this stump, I shall lay down my life and entwine my soul with the spirit that gave life to us both!" Terrin could only look at him with a toothy grin. He began to say something, but stopped. Then he and Blaze both started laughing.
"You'll never cease to amaze me," Terrin told the Typhlosion.
"This world will never cease to amaze me," Blaze replied. "Not to mention those in it."
"Yeah, I thought I'd sensed an amazement sorta feeling between you and Heather recently."
"Fuck off," Blaze said good-naturedly. The Scyther just laughed. "Yeah, laugh, go back to your fucking training."
"Hey, this training is the reason we all are still alive, right? Great respect?"
"Your short-term memory's shit too."
"You talk like that in front of Jero?"
"New Year's resolution," Blaze said with a small smile.
"Yeah, well, there you go, that's a human thing." Terrin went back to chopping the hell out of the tree, which left Blaze to his thoughts. He had come along with Terrin to do some thinking, anyway.
Jero's crew was currently stationed on the outskirts of the city. Their business was presently reconnaissance, which of course meant time to slack off for most of the syndicate. Falin was off doing whatever the hell he did to get his information, and Jero was nowhere to be found, which wasn't irregular. Blaze figured he was with the Source, or in pursuit of him. Blaze was the only being alive who knew the identity of the Source besides Jero. Conversely, there were many who tried to learn who he was, but those in the syndicate had given up for the most part, because they thought alike and they thought that it didn't make a difference. It would be a mystery for an indefinite time, and others would try to learn about the Source.
One such being was named Ajax.
"Just tell me how you know,"
"Fuck you!" Falin closed his mouth and sent his eyes to the ceiling as he blew smoke out of his nose. This was going nowhere.
"You want to be involved with what is going on here?" Falin asked him.
"Yes!"
"Then you'll tell me how you heard about the Source."
"In hell," Ajax snapped back resolutely. "Do you know who the Source is?"
"Yes. And I know just because you've heard of the Source, it's not gonna give two shits about some kid who thinks he's above ignorance." Falin turned his back on the Sneasel. He didn't have to worry about the kid walking away, or not believing his lie. Besides, what difference would it make? And if Ajax was about to attack him, the kid was stupider than he thought.
"What says we ask a few questions?" a Wartortle asked, nearly sounding bored, though maybe it was a ploy. Her name was Kerelli, and she was the toughest warrior Falin had yet come across. She hadn't known Jero as long as Falin had, but she was well respected by all in the syndicate.
"Fine." The Sneasel didn't seem to be too happy, but he had come to them, and he knew noncompliance was tactless.
"Are you sure, beyond a shadow of any damned doubt, that you want to be associated with this group?" Falin asked. Ajax figured he had asked the question many times before, but it didn't take the edge out of his voice.
"Yes."
"Alright then. I'm going to ask you a series of questions," the Charizard stated. "There are good answers and bad answers. First. What's your name?"
"Ajax."
"What's your birth name?"
"Fuck you."
"Good answer." They continued.
"Look at this whore." The Cubone could only cry. Mylair was dead...
"Look at this fucking whore," the Heracross repeated. His friend, a Primeape, didn't seem to be interested at all. He was still observing the other Cubone, the recently deceased Cubone, dead by his hand.
"Teach your boyfriend, huh? Teach him not to fuck with us! You fucking bitch!" the Heracross yelled at her. Natalia sobbed harder. She didn't know what else to do. Mylair had died fighting these pokemon, and now she was alone.
"You wanna fuck this little whore?" The Primeape glanced over at the small body of the Cubone. "No."
"Little whore, you-"
"Shut the fuck up, man." The Primeape looked bored. He was a murderer, but not a rapist. His morals were twisted, but maybe not nonexistent.
"What's your problem? Serves this bitch right. You know what?" the Heracross addressed Natalia now. "I think I'm gonna let you live. Just so you can tell everybody from wherever the fuck you come from, you can tell 'em not to give us any shit, or you end up like this punk here!" The Cubone stopped crying now, and shut her eyes tight. She was young but brave. She couldn't fight these two, but she wasn't going to let them know the damage they were inflicting.
"Go home bitch. No one fucks with us, or any of our friends back at the valley! We fucking own this land! Now go!"
"Go home girl," the Primeape said lowly. His eyes almost looked sympathetic, but mostly cold. Though he had killed Mylair, it was the Heracross Natalia found herself hating. They were killers. They didn't have a reason. They didn't need a reason. They were killers.
She stood up to walk away, her mind still in shock. She turned back only once, to look again at the body of her friend. Mylair. He had died fighting. Natalia spoke.
"You'll die for this."
"Steroids." Jero had returned, and was speaking to those that were called the syndicate, though it was not a title they had chosen.
"Truck leaves tomorrow, late. Gives us about twenty-two hours of preparation."
"Guess we're moving out of Saffron," Terrin commented.
"I wanted to catch a glimpse of the scenery anyway," Heather responded. Blaze smiled. With them were Falin, Kerelli, and Ajax, the new recruit.
"We can't do it at the Silph building, it's too great a risk with all those people loading the truck. They shut down a gate, the whole thing flops," Jero continued.
"Besides, they're fucking crazy," Falin said.
"Meaning what?" Ajax asked. He wasn't even trying to be respectful.
"Meaning that if you get caught by those lunatics, you're subject to whatever shit they decide to do to you. These new "vitamin supplements" they're sending out? They left out the colorful side effects when they printed the boxes, the ones like birth defects and tumors," Falin stated flatly. "Of all the operations to fuck up, you don't wanna end up in the hands of Silph."
"Point taken," Ajax said in an agreeing tone, the edge out of his voice. Jero ignored the obscenities made by his comrade and continued.
"If we wait until the trucks hit Celadon, we run the risk of getting caught in the basements on that end. Which leaves the more interesting option." Blaze laughed as his leader looked at him.
"You want to hit the truck in motion?" Heather asked, though they all knew the answer.
"Yes. We'll have two at Celadon, just in case we need them, but the main point is on the truck. Blaze does the job."
"Fancy that," Blaze said sarcastically, pleased. "And how do I get on?"
"There will be a fight in the middle of the road. I know the route that's being used, there's a good spot. These guys are freaks for rare pokemon, right? Well, we'll give 'em some. And if they don't bite, then we'll at least stop the truck, not for long, but it'll be long enough."
"Who's doing the fight?" Terrin inquired.
"You are. And Heather is taking you down," Jero stated. His face was always a mystery, but those in the room, save Ajax, had known him long enough to see he was amused. Heather smiled, playfully bating at the Scyther.
"Sorry, Ter."
"I'm with Blaze on this one," Kerelli declared.
"If you can get on that truck, it's fine by me."
"Aw, come on, I'm not that old yet!" the Wartortle said back. She was the elder of all of them but Jero. "And I wouldn't want Blaze to get lonely."
"I just can't destroy shipments of steroids when I'm down," Blaze said, quite serious. They all laughed, even Ajax.
"Right," Jero broke in. "Falin, you're in Celadon. You'll be creating a distraction, if necessary, for Ajax here. Ajax, if all else fails, you'll be in the basement of the Celadon department store, ready to trash that shipment. I know it's a baptism by fire, but if Blaze does his job," he glared at Blaze, who put on a look of hurt, "then you get off easy."
"And yourself, fearless leader?" Terrin asked.
"I've got some other matters to attend to. You shouldn't need me though. Just stay sharp, I'll be around."
Ajax heard Terrin mutter something about a Source, but he was the only one that could have heard it.
Bolaran sped through the skies at an amazing velocity. The Charizard was a self-described pacifist, but nothing could stop the hate he was feeling now. Bolaran was in the state of seeing everything right before it happened. Pictures turned into words and back again as they rearranged themselves in his mind. He knew that vengeance was to be paid, and he knew that when the time came, he would not be able to lay the final blow. He was flying because he knew someone who could.
It was ironic that Bolaran had become a father at a young age, for it was his younger brother that always seemed to be flirting with the girls, as well as with disaster. Bolaran had trained with his brother and they often laughed and spoke of becoming great leaders someday, never knowing that in time they would be. When Bolaran's daughter was born he was overjoyed, but it did cut down on his training time, while his brother's just picked up. They both grew more independent, and eventually Bolaran and his mate, a Marowak, left to find a suitable place for their daughter to grow up. They had named her Natalia.
Bolaran looked upon the blur of terrain below him, his thoughts trapped in anxiety. He flew over the human house that marked the end of the region. He was getting closer to finding his brother. Bolaran's brother could help.
Good old Falin, the warrior.
"First mission, huh?" Ajax turned to see the Typhlosion who must have been speaking to him.
"Right. You're Blaze?"
"Uh-huh. So I take it they already asked you some questions..." Blaze's voice trailed off. Ajax could see a grin forming on his face.
"Yeah."
"They ask your birth name?"
"Yeah."
"What'd you say?"
"Fuck you." Blaze laughed, as did Terrin, who was close enough to hear.
"Good answer, no?" Ajax smiled himself, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Sounds about right. They ask you too?"
"Ask all they want, won't make me remember," the Typhlosion said with a shrug. "I got a name and it works for me."
"So what's the story behind this? Silph, I mean."
"We make it our business to take care of any threat to the well-being of pokemon. Which sounds better than 'kicking ass and taking names.'"
"Once in a while we'll find out about something big," Terrin mentioned. "This operation, if you wanna call it that, it's kinda a smaller deal, but it defiantly goes down as a threat to the well-being, as Blaze put it so well. There's no way we're gonna let Silph ship out some steroid they call an enhancive. We do, and they get rich and pokemon get hurt. Fortunately we have good intel on this one." Ajax almost mentioned the Source upon hearing this, but bit his tongue as he realized he didn't want the others to get suspicious of him, and that he didn't have anything to say anyway.
"Is it just us? The syndicate, is it just us six?" Ajax inquired.
"Oh, no, there's plenty of us," Blaze replied. "Us here are basically the ones that hop from town to town; we have lots of allies and contacts scattered all over the place. When you say syndicate, and you shouldn't, 'cause people don't gotta know, you refer to us, the team that moves around. To answer your question, yeah, we're just about all of the team that's in motion."
"There are a few others, sometimes someone goes out for a while," Terrin said. "Like, I don't even know what Slyver's doing now."
"We won't have any help tonight though," Blaze pointed out. "This isn't a huge assignment, but there'll be some pretty bad consequences if we fuck it up." Ajax noticed Terrin shot Blaze a look.
"What?" asked Ajax.
"Don't swear when Jero's around," Terrin told him. "He says it's a human thing. I mean, we all agree, but we're kinda lenient with that rule."
"More like really lenient," Blaze commented.
"Right, well, just don't run your mouth too much, 'specially since you're green. Jero's a great guy, and you really don't want to be on bad terms with him."
"Ah, and here, folks, is the one and only," Blaze mused as the Electabuzz strode to them.
"Time to move, everybody."
At the same moment, Natalia was standing at the grave of a Cubone that hadn't been too different from herself. She had only known Mylair for a few months, but she had considered him her closest friend. Maybe more. She didn't really have anyone else she could open up to. Natalia loved the forest where she lived, but she hated the inhabitants. Maybe it has to do with being a Cubone, she thought. Or having mixed parents. Though it wasn't too uncommon for mates to be of different species, Natalia was sometimes taunted for it. Of course, her father was a Charizard, and he was the Charizard Bolaran, so these jeers never escalated to anything serious.
Natalia often refused company, though she wanted to have somebody to talk to, to be with, maybe even to love. Mylair could have been that somebody. And he was gone because he died protecting Natalia. She felt the familiar feeling of tears. And a voice broke her feeling of solitude.
"Are you the daughter of Bolaran?" The Magmar spoke in a soft tone, but Natalia found his voice to be strong. He was another enigma. Natalia felt like running. She stayed.
"Yes," she said briefly. She was still looking at the grave of Mylair.
"I heard of what happened," the Magmar sympathized, taking another step toward her. "I know it won't make a difference, but I am sorry for you."
Be sorry for Mylair, she thought, but didn't say it. "What do you want?"
"I want to speak with your father. It...I want to see if future tragedies could be averted." This Magmar wasn't giving anything away.
"He's gone." And for the same reason.
"What?"
"He went away, I think he'll be back in a day or two. You can talk with him then." Natalia knew she was being discourteous in her tone and words, but she didn't care. She was already suspicious of this Magmar, though she knew she had no reason. Maybe it was just the effect of what had happened to her...she had nearly been raped, and could have been killed...he wanted to stop whoever was responsible...
"I'll find you when my father returns," she said finally. The Magmar smiled.
"Alright. Now, I think I should walk you home. Night will fall soon."
Natalia took one last look back as she walked away, to see the emblematic memorial to Mylair in the dying sunlight. He had been taken away. Taken from her.
Darkness had struck Celadon. Darkness is the best time for a Sneasel to move around, especially when they are trying not to be seen. Ajax silently flew across the bricks that were the road as his eyes bore into the shadows surrounding him. There was nothing, no one. And if anything were to try and stop him, Falin would get involved. However, Falin was a Def and that meant Ajax was to do the sneaking. He was rather good at it, anyway.
There was still a dim light emanating from the garage of the department store. Ajax leapt out of the shadow and into the cover of the building. He landed and spun, spotting a darkened room with its door ajar. Darting inside, he knew Falin's eyes were following him. Ajax stole a peek through the windows in the small room he was in. The garage was large and quiet. It was empty as far as he could see. He ducked back down and closed his eyes, letting his hearing take over. Now all he had to do was wait.
Blaze was on-edge, but not nervous. He had to stay in control. He forced himself to focus. Concentrate.
"You know, this whole thing goes to hell if they decide to send more than one truck," he commented to Kerelli.
"Nothing fucks up a plan like bad intelligence," she agreed. "But we just need to trust Jero on this. Besides, they'll want to see the stuff before they sell it."
"And they won't be selling this." Blaze was sure of it.
Close by were Terrin and Heather. They both stood in the middle of the dark road, next to the several branches Terrin had cut earlier. Blaze and Kerelli were just into the tree line atop a hill that bordered the road. Blaze watched both pokemon. They seemed to be attentive, but relaxed for the time being. Blaze couldn't make out what they were saying. He figured it was the same sort conversation he was having, the foxhole chat that came before an expected encounter.
Blaze felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the faint glow of headlights making their way down the road. Blaze let out a burst of fire in the direction of Heather and Terrin. Seeing his signal, Heather lit up the branches with a Flamethrower. She and Terrin then went into a realistic battle, though Blaze could see they weren't hurting each other. Blaze took a deep breath, and took a primed stance.
"Showtime, everybody," he breathed.
He walks but his body is numb. He is moving but he is not feeling. There is only one thought moving through Jero's mind. Soren is gone. Taken away. And the Source was a thing of the past.
Soren was an old friend of Blaze's, and Jero met him through the Source. The Hitmonlee usually got the information through to both parties, but now he was in danger. He was taken away from the Source by a human who claimed he had property rights. This human said he owned Soren. Whether he did or not, the Source fought back. Jero knew the Source was a man. Now he was a wanted man.
The Electabuzz didn't know the details, but knew the human the syndicate relied on was wanted for several human crimes. In the meantime, Soren was in the wrong hands and unable to do anything about it. Jero decided he would do something about. Soren was to be freed. Not a possession. Not a slave. Free. Impossible.
It couldn't be done. Jero refrained from as much human contact as he could, but it seemed inevitable. The only human that could help was a now criminal. Which meant no human could help now. Jero was stuck. He didn't know what to do. And in the midst of his uncertainty, a new problem presented itself.
"Jero." It was Bolaran. He appeared to be out of breath.
"How did you find me?" Jero asked, not voicing his surprise. He had thought he was in the most remote of places.
"Some luck, but I know of the Source, and I know it is found near here. Jero, I need your help."
"I could use help myself. But what is it?"
"I..." the Charizard started. He looked down. "I must first speak with my brother. Where is he?"
"He is far from here, but will be back by tomorrow," Jero answered. "Are you in danger?"
"No...I...I need help. It is an act of vengeance," Bolaran went on, still looking at the ground. "Falin deals in vengeance. So does your Source."
Jero was taken aback at what he was hearing, but it didn't show. Jero always remained a mystery. Nothing showed.
"We will help you, Bolaran," Jero told him. "We will do what we can."
"Thank you, Jero." Bolaran said, looking him in the eye now. "How peculiar it is, to have separated from Falin because of his vengeful actions...and I turn back to him, seeking revenge and an ally in him."
"How peculiar," Jero repeated. One moment. He was experiencing a life changing moment and he knew it. In this moment, this suspended feeling of doubt, vengeance was alive. Three-fold vengeance. The Source. Falin. And one other, who Jero felt was in the most danger. A situation of three-fold sightlessness.
Jero looked up. The moment was gone. Lost.
End of chapter one
Okay. I know. I went out to answer questions, and I created more. And it's a PREQUEL. IF you are sick and tired of this yiffless, plot-filled BULLSHIT, then leave me a review, damn it! Or if you liked it.
Coming episodes will be nice and tasty, trust me. And if you have burning questions and wild theories, and can't be bothered to leave a review or email [email protected], then I say: be patient. All will be revealed. I'm not making this up as I go along. Not all of it, anyways ^^.