AGNPH Stories
 

1. Anti-Pokemon: The New Way of Life (Old Version) by covenant

 

Episode 6 - "Forget about Jherek"

"Mind yourselves, we are in enemy territory now..." Jacob warned, keeping his shotgun near his chest. I could tell he knew his way around this place, he knew the exact path to the next Checkpoint and we didn't have to worry about getting lost, it's a pretty good thing to know that you're not under the command of someone who doesn't know what they are doing.

We looked at every corner of every small building we came across, at first I was surprised Nighthawk Outpost looked like a normal city, but on closer examination I realized that all of these buildings were either: Barracks, Practice rooms, or hospitals. The building surrounded us from every corner, I couldn't even see where we were, there could have been a strong possibility that I could be in Sootopolis city, that's just how lost I was right now.

Riolynn and Kaine were safely sitting on Jacob's shoulders while I walked, I was pretty annoyed that they were too lazy to walk themselves, but then I remembered how small they were, their little arms and legs probably wouldn't be able to keep up with Jacob and me.

I kept my alert up as we walked through the dark trail, the little stones in the ground made this place look a lot like Lilycove, not very many towns in Hoenn that have this kind of trail in it. I heard the rustling of leaves against the ground, but I just assumed that was the chilly wind forcing the leaves away from the ground.

"Zangoose, look out!" I heard Jacob yell, my first action was turning around to see a Sandslash charging towards me. It was so close to me that I could even feel the wind of the Sandslash's claws approaching me. The next thing I knew, that Sandslash's face just completely cracks open, it was like a bullet just lodged through it, but I was stupid to actually wonder if that was the case here, it is actually what happened. I turned back around, partially in shock and mostly confused to see Jacob with his revolver aiming at the dead Sandslash, smoke escaping from the bullet hole, "You must be careful! There is no telling what lies in this horror land" Jacob yelled, "...I'm not going to be able to save you like that every time" he continued his warning as he resumed walking down the dark trail.

I didn't say a word, I needed something to calm me down for the moment so I just looked up at the half-crescent moon, for I have always been fond of that floating angel in the sky, the beauty of it calmed me down, the way it gave us the sun's light even at night. "Haha, looks like I really did forget about something..." I thought. I forgot about the wound of my right arm, when I looked down at it, I saw that the protection Yurrei covered it with was already gone, my wound must have healed over the 2 weeks. How weird is it that I forgot about that, but I decided that if it's healed then I shouldn't even be worrying about it.

I collected my thoughts and ran forward to rejoin Jacob and his two Pokemon, leaving the dead Sandslash there to rot in this unforgiving place. I somewhat felt sorry for it, soon it was just going to be another meal for some other savage Pokemon who lurks in this place, just waiting for a meal.

The cool breeze ruffed up my fur as we walked, good thing I had that jacket or I would've probably been shivering right about now, it wasn't the best protection from chilly weather... but at least it protected some part of me.

My fur began to hurt a little as the wind blew past it. I hated it when that happened, since I have severe dandruff it just made me feel awkward all over, plus when my fur went with the wind, it always made me itchy which lead to worse itching and... well, I just hate it. I knew that if I were to scratch it, everything would become worse, so I just tried not to think about it.

I began to think about how I saw Cindy in my dreams as a way to ignore the horrible itching. The fact that I was obsessing about that coincidence this entire time must have caused my reflexes to decrease. I should have been able to defend myself from that Sandslash without Jacob helping me out. Then another thought comes to my mind, "I passed out from difficulty breathing, how come I felt as good as new when I awoke in Checkpoint 2?" The questions began to pile up in my head before I was able to let them go and not worry about it, my two main thoughts were "Why was my dream of Cindy so vivid and clear?" and "Why is it that I seem virtually unharmed from my experience?" it was like as I got closer and closer to Miir Cyraa, weirder things happen, I could only imagine what might happen to me next so... I decided to be ever vigilant and not let my guard down, not even for one second.

This place was really quiet, that really didn't mean good news. There were stalkers just waiting for us to let our guard down so they could strike, but they knew that I detected them all. I know how predators usually prefer to keep the element of surprise, but the fact that I stared at every one of the Pokemon I detected in a single order meant that they lost that element, now I could tell they were just waiting for ME to let my guard down. I decided not to tell Jacob and the others about the savage Pokemon that were ominously staring at us, it would just complicate everything and make things take longer, then I won't be able to get out of here before the PEF arrive, even though I might be too late as it is.

I realized that my fur was once again dirty, I guess that's just the typical life of a Zangoose, our white fur is so easily stained and it seems that we are never clean because you can see every dirt mark with detail. I must have gotten all of this dirt on me from when I fell unconscious earlier on. I lifted my arms to dust my fur off, but then I remembered all of the Pokemon staring at us, I wasn't scared or anything, I was just a bit nervous about how if I did ANYTHING that might take my attention elsewhere, well the conclusion of that situation wouldn't be very pleasant.

"Checkpoint 3!" Jacob yelled out, knocking on the door of some old, seemingly abandoned Barracks. The first thing that came to my mind was "Why was he knocking on a door to some abandoned place?" but that question kind of answered itself when a female human opened the door slightly, squinting her eyes as she opened the door slowly and carefully, it was like she was expecting something to try to crawl in there. Of course another one of my predictions has been false, "Ah, Annabelle, haven't seen you since that Cacturne, Azarian passed through here" Jacob said with a fancy accent, I was really confused at first on why he would do that, but then it dawned on me that he must have liked her... or something of that matter.

"Jacob, it is really good to see you! Do you need any supplies after your trip?" she asked, fiddling around with her hair. In my opinion, the fact that she looks like a PEF could mean something, she had the PEF's black uniform, more official than what Jacob had on but she really shouldn't have chose the PEF's uniform, it could lead to trouble such as friendly fire, but on the other hand, she could probably blend in with the other PEF soldiers, maybe that is what she intended, "No, we don't need any supplies, all we need is for you to give Checkpoint 4 a "heads up" that we're coming" Jacob ordered, with that same sophisticated accent which was really beginning to get on my nerves.

I've figured out how this "Checkpoint System" works now, Checkpoint 1 must have taken me to Checkpoint 2 while I was unconscious, that makes sense but it doesn't explain how Yurrei and Belisivious didn't realize that something was wrong with me when I didn't catch up for all of this time, but I guess I won't push my brain into trying to figure out that.

I'm guessing it goes on from there on in. The Checkpoint's personnel escort any Pokemon through to the next Checkpoint then go back to their previous post. The fact that all of the Checkpoint personnel are preparing for evacuation, that could probably explain why Jacob, Riolynn, Kaine, and I are going to keep on going... or so I assume.

"We have confirmed that Checkpoint 2's personnel and escort are coming your way Checkpoint 4, do not evacuate until you have sign of Checkpoint 2" Annabelle order in a little microphone she had strapped behind her ear, it had a little extension cord that ran down her face and stopped near the right side of her lip, that must be how the other Checkpoints hear what she is saying, "Roger that" I heard someone say as a response, "This is Checkpoint 8, wait, hold your ground Checkpoint 2! I repeat, hold your ground!" a male human warned over the radio, "Checkpoint 8, what is the problem?" Annabelle asked as we all crowded near her, "We are here with Yurrei and Belisivious of Miir Cyraa, they have reported that the PEF has already mobilized, I repeat, the PEF is here!" he warned, "Listen, Jherek and all of Checkpoints 1-7!" I heard Belisivious order over the radio, "Wow, he called me by my first name..." I muttered to myself, "Follow my orders precisely. Get to... once you get there... -ertain that you do NOT contin-..." Belisivious' signal was interrupted by a mobilizing PEF helicopter. It was like blocking our communications was the helicopter's purpose.

"PEF..." I heard Jacob mutter as these helicopters began to ascend into Nighthawk Outpost, there were too many of them to count, "...repeat, do not go to..." the static cut Belisivious off again, "God damn it!" I yelled, shaking the radio around, "Repeat, Checkpoint 8!" Annabelle yelled into her microphone. The static just continued, "How ironic, now I have no idea what I'm NOT supposed to do..." I whispered, scratching my forehead.

"The PEF are cunning I must say... I wonder what caused them to switch their attack to now" Jacob muttered, "It could have been a trap all along, maybe they knew we could intercept their transmissions... so they sent out a fake departure time" Annabelle quietly said.

I felt a strong vibration on the floor. It started out with one then became a barrage of vibrations. I ran back outside and looked at the sky only to see the PEF helicopters bombing the area that we all had to continue towards.

All I knew is that I had to get there quick, Belisivous and Yurrei must have figured all of this out first because they are the closest to the Nighthawk Outpost exit path. They must have been in trouble to have sent out that warning before anyone else could, so without thinking I just dashed through the door and ran as fast as I could, on all 4 legs of course, this time I didn't have an infant in my arms. I heard shouts of concern coming from Checkpoint 3 as I ran away, "No way I'm letting Belisivious and Yurrei become POWs when we got so damn far" I yelled to myself, moving so fast that I had already passed Checkpoint 4.

Suddenly, I figured out that my reflexes have gotten better from before at least, a Meowth who was most likely waiting for the perfect time to strike, rocketed straight out of a corner and jumped right on my face, grabbed on my ears with its sharp claws. I halted to a stop and quickly used my Flamethrower on the Meowth. It let out a loud scream of agony. I knew this was hurting him drastically because he was so close to my mouth. I felt an increase of heat rise from my throat and escape, slamming all of the flame right into the Meowth's stomach. Its fur began to disintegrate after my second blast of the Flamethrower.

The little guy just wasn't letting go of me, so I decided to kick the Flamethrower up a notch, completely blasting the Meowth's torso off. The little guy finally hit the floor with no legs intact. My Flamethrower burned through his stomach and completely eradicated his spine, causing his entire body to disconnect at the hips.

"Jacob was right, these Pokemon just come out of nowhere" I whispered as I arched myself over and lunged myself forward for a good starting speed. Some people would have stopped for a second to find out that they have taken a soul out of Earth, but not me, I really didn't care at the moment.

I began to hear the sound of helicopter guns going off in the distance, it sounded like someone bashing a door open with a hammer from far range. There was really no other way to describe the sound, it was just unusual...

Nighthawk Outpost at Checkpoint 5 was really odd, the buildings began to decease in numbers, instead of the buildings being in a Rustboro city style, the buildings cut down to one Barrack which was one Checkpoint after every few yards that I ran. That just told me how long a path Nighthawk Outpost was, the entire Outpost was just an extremely long slim of buildings that seemed to go on for miles throughout the mountains, but I didn't let that get in my way, I just kept running.

The bright colors coming from each and every building I came across emitted a beautiful light that seemed to have turned into a long line of brightness on the sides of my view, but this was no time to observe my surroundings!

What I saw next caused me to stop in my tracks, the PEF helicopters were dropping off soldiers in the area, plus there were these other aircraft-type things floating around there in the sky, it had two wings with helicopter propellers on each side, I couldn't quite place what it was but I knew that it was used by the PEF.

As I began to move forward once again, I heard the sound of gunfire, at first I thought it came from the frontlines, over at where Yurrei and Belisivious were, but I was horribly wrong I saw 4 bullets all run into the ground next to me, which made me stop once again, "Hold up!" I heard someone yell.

Of course I was able to tell where the guy was by feeling the sound waves bounce off my eardrums, but when I turned to see who it was I was pretty surprised, "Just one PEF soldier?" I asked myself, almost laughing at the thought. The PEF soldier was standing on the roof of an old hospital. It was a pretty dramatic scene actually. The moon was right behind him and made his outlines glow white, "So... we finally meet?" I heard the soldier say, ascending down a pipe that connected itself to the building he was atop of.

"You can understand me... I see" I said, trying to intimidate my enemy with an expressionless face, "Yes, I was just about to say the same..." the soldier responded, lowering himself gently to the ground but still keeping his distance from me, "What, no guns going off? You definitely don't act like a PEF soldier" I said, pretty much just cracked a joke about the way the PEF react on first sight, "Gunfire first... questions second...?" I continued.

"Enough from you, I know who you are, Lucifer has told me all about you and it seems that you are indeed very powerful..." the soldier said, almost complimenting me, "I am Aiiran Walker, I've known all about you for quite sometime now, just didn't realize I would meet you here though" he said softly and menacingly, but my focus was still on what he said earlier "Lucifer...?"

"Finally my sword can taste blood once again, but this time the blood of a Zangoose..." he said with this evil tone, I could tell he was trying to make me nervous, "You humans are weak without your guns, I think this an unfair advantage..." I said, almost wondering if I was really stupid to have said that, "Overconfidence and underestimating your enemy can lead to death, I recommend that you don't take me lightly, you're way in over your head" Aiiran warned, "...you Pokemon are so naïve..." Airran continued, taking his PEF helmet off and throwing it to the ground then lowering his head, staring at me even with his head faced down. He had completely white hair that covered most of his face, completely straight too. There wasn't even a single piece of curved hair. His eyes were a different story, they almost glowed... with this ominous green color, if I could make a guess, I would say he wasn't even human.

"I know you... what you did back at Sootopolis city..." Aiiran tried to make me remember something back there.

"...how do you know it was me...? It could've been a different Zangoose"

"Oh I think I would recognize your face, you're my father's murderer..."

I was surprised when he said that, I mean really surprised, I regrettably know I've killed a lot of humans back in Sootopolis when the Pokemon tried to take over the city, but I killed THIS guy's father? That seemed like way too much of a coincidence.

"Lucifer explained how I could get my revenge on the one who killed my father... and I did" he said, a small smile appearing on his face, "...by killing me?" I asked, I knew that was the answer but I was caught off guard when he said "No"

"No, I've already gotten my revenge on you, but what is the chances of meeting you again? I might as well end your life while I'm here" he said. "He... already got his revenge...? How?" I asked myself as Aiiran pulled out a Katana from his weapon belt and pointing towards me. I couldn't help but laugh at him, "A sword?" I asked, trying to keep it all in. He didn't say a word, he just stared at me with rage in his eyes, lusting revenge.

A PEF helicopter roamed right past us as we stood facing each other. I was pretty thankful that the helicopter didn't see us. It would've given him a huge advantage. "I... I killed your father?" I asked, trying to recall this act, "Don't play like that... I know you did!" Aiiran's silent voice turned into a loud yell, "...and I think it is time to show the Pokemon that they should all just crawl back into their holes, once and for all!" he yelled, "I guess there is nothing I can say at this point, so I'm just going to take this guy out and get over to Checkpoint 8" I muttered to myself as we both waited for the other one to strike.
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