Chapter Eight: Changes


His face was absent of any signs of emotion as Dr. Laverd held the phone up to his ear. Not once did he attempt to speak -- save for "Hello", and the periodic "Yes sir" -- while the gnarled low voice fed into his ear. As each second passed, the color drained from Dr. Laverd's face until the man nearly resembled an otherworldly specter.

Not one had the courage to interrupt the conversation, not the members of the Court nor Dr. Michals. His work, his life -- nay, the crux of his existence was hanging by mere threads at this point. He simply couldn't muster up the courage to speak at such a time.

Dr. Laverd held a humble black receiver up to his ear -- a surprisingly basic piece of technology in such a place of science, but functional nonetheless. The cold unfeeling phone pressing against Dr. Laverd's ear combined with his warm, perspiring skin made shivers run up and down his body. The room was dead silent, the only sound came from the low inaudible hum from the phone receiver. A tangible tension tightened around every soul in the room.

A lucid hope flashed before Dr. Michals, maybe not for his own fate, but for the success of his Project. The Superiors would certainly not interrupt a Semideus for something trivial -- meaning the matter must pertain to him and Project Crucifix. 

Dr. Michals' uncertain circumstantial rationalization combined with the fleeting sings of life in Dr. Laverd's face gave him unusual optimism.

The Overseers shot each other uncomfortable looks as Dr. Laverd continued his conversation with monosyllabic indications of understanding and acceptance. His words sunk beneath him -- "Yes sir", and "Of course, I agree" did not suit the otherwise proud doctor.

Within a minute the conversation ended with an unflattering clunk as Dr. Laverd placed the receiver back down with a good deal of momentum.

Dr. Michals perked up -- as did the other four doctors in the room. Contradictory to the silent room, their minds were burning with questions.

Dr. Laverd inhaled as if he was going to begin, then let out a sigh. 

Dr. Michals was a frightful wreck. His very core was shaken enough by the almost torturous trial. This, compounded by the silent hostility of Dr. Laverd, made him want to vomit. He outwardly kept his composure, of course, but his mind was screaming. 

Dr. Laverd's face spoke before his words ever reached Dr. Michals' ears. 

For Dr. Laverd's face was a gnarled expression of disapproval and disgust that he simply could not properly vocalize even if he tried. His eyes burned with scorn as they attempted to drill holes in Dr. Michals. Both doctors however, managed to appear calm on the surface.

Sitting there, all eyes focused on him, Dr. Laverd remained still with his hands folded on his desk. He removed his glasses and closed his eyes with a deep breath -- wiping the small traces of sweat off his brow -- then returned focus on Dr. Michals.

This was it.

With out a crevasse of emotion, Dr. Laverd began to speak in a horse, stressed voice that sounded like it was being forced out of his throat -- Dr. Michals heart raced out of his chest.

"The Superior Council of this Facility have reached a verdict of their own, it seems." Dr. Laverd began. As slowly as he was taking to deliver the message from the Superiors, Dr. Michals was beginning to feel relief -- though his heart and blood pressure rushed with stress.

Dr. Laverd spoke though his clenched teeth as he continued, "As all of you know, Superior Order bypasses all lower forms of protocol, and so the situation is out of my hands."

Dr. Michals knew at this exact moment that there was hope for him -- he was positive. Judging by how much this pained Dr. Laverd to say, he knew it simply must be good news for his own situation. Surely the highly objective Superiors would recognize the genius in his work, and commission some form of action to retrieve Subject_14. Surely they woul--

"Dr. Michals, this next bit is important, I need you to pay close attention," Dr. Laverd said callously as he interrupted Dr. Michals' train of thought. Admittedly, Dr. Michals was being over analytical and drifting off -- a nervous habit -- but it seemed like Dr. Laverd just wanted to be snippy. A familiar childish resort.

"As per Superior Order _0A8N_Ω, a Sigma Protocol has been initiated for Project_Crucifix." Dr. Laverd continued, a dollop of panic in his voice.

'...Sigma Protocol?' Dr. Laverd wondered to himself, '...this is...'

A universal expression of confusion and awe swept across the room. For they all knew exactly what a Sigma Protocol was.

'...wonderful.' he continued in his mind.

Dr. Michals entered this room expecting the worst, and now, chance, luck, fate -- whatever one could call it -- had redirected the situation in his favor. The Sigma Protocol was the perfect course of action to reacquire Subject_14. His terror and fear suddenly were morphed into power and euphoria, the situation had turned out perfectly.

Though Dr. Michals had never experienced a Sigma Protocol initiated first hand, he knew exactly what it was. Rather than winding around in circles behind bureaucratic red tape and proper code -- much like they were doing in this Semideus -- the Sigma Protocol would take action. He knew 'Sigma Protocol' was just a fancy name for what it really was -- a massive facility mobilization of all resources and successful Projects to acquire a difficult or prestigious goal by whatever means necessary. 

Dr. Michals was almost... honored by this. The fact that his Project -- his ONE Subject -- was important enough to become a number one priority for the entire facility was an incredible compliment to his work. He knew that his success in Subject_14 would shine though. They would retrieve Subject_14 and complete him, he couldn't wait.

Almost immediately, Dr. Michals analytical mind swept in to push his ego aside -- the escape of Subject_14 would not be enough to warrant a Sigma Protocol. Though Subject_14 was a rare success, his recovery was certainly not of enough importance to be such a priority for the -entire- Facility. The Sigma Protocol was only issued for -vital- matters pertaining to the Facility. Dr. Michals knew there must be some deeper meaning running below this Sigma Protocol -- something he was unaware of.

Regardless, Dr. Michals soul had been relieved of all its stain from the Semideus. He could breathe easier, he could think clearer -- he could even see better. The tremendous weight of the trial had been lifted off his back -- momentarily, anyway.

"To clarify," Dr. Laverd continued, "the Superiors have 'requested' we release a certain Subject. They've personally picked out which Subject will be best to retrieve or capture Subject_14 in a timely fashion. It goes without saying that this matter is not open to debate -- less I would.". Dr. Laverd remained a demeanor of calm as he spoke. Though his voice wasn't horse with scorn, his eyes were -- Dr. Laverd could not have cared less about Dr. Michals or his Subject_14, he just wanted to get the upper hand on Dr. Michals.

"This Semideus has been ordered to a halt until the successful recovery of Subject_14." Dr. Laverd spat out rapidly as if it was a foul tasting sentence. Dr. Michals knew this was coming, a Sigma Protocol halted all worthless bureaucratic processes immediately to make workers focus on the priority -- and the priority was Subject_14. Dr. Michals at once regained all of his inner focus and strength. The weak, insecure thoughts he had during his trial had vanished and been discarded -- he was back on top, Dr. Laverd couldn't bring him down anymore. Dr. Michals flashed Dr. Laverd a slight smile riddled with contempt just to enjoy the moment a bit more. Though they would resume the trial when Subject_14 was captured, Dr. Michals knew the situation would be different then -- surely they would see his genius in a different light.

"Though I disagree with their decisions, I respect their authority. The Superiors don't initiate Sigma Protocols lightly, this must run deeper than we currently know. It's of utmost importance that we comply and succeed with their request -- it's never wise to upset the only ones that have authority over you. With that said..." he continued, "A temporary specialty team will be created to focus on the location and retrieval of Subject_14."

Dr. Laverd's eyes continually shifted downwards and away from Dr. Michals' -- he seemed ashamed of what he was about to say. The focus of the four other doctors acting as Overseers remained on Dr. Laverd just as anxiously as Dr. Michals.

"In accordance with the purpose of this Sigma Protocol, this speciality team will be appropriately referred to as Team 14." Dr. Laverd continued to explain. With this he glanced down to the computer screen integrated into his glass desk and gave it a few thoughtless taps with sweat glazed fingers. He quickly located and opened the text file containing Team 14's members and information that had been sent to him by the Superiors just moments ago. 

Though he had been told on the phone, he still could not believe his situation -- he simply could not fathom why the Superiors would put him in such a situation. His eyes scanned though the file pertaining to Team 14 once more to be sure -- he prayed he was mistaken, or that he misread something, but alas, he had not. He cursed his life silently in his thoughts and looked up from his desk as the dull light from the computer screen gave his face a depressing low underglow.

"The Superiors have decided," he said, "to have Dr. Michals and I lead Team 14."

Dr. Michals immediately opened his mouth to protest, but no words were able to escape his awestruck body.

"They're sending someone down immediately to brief us," he continued with disgust, "this Semideus is hereby adjourned."

------------------------------------------------------------

Huge, curious ruby eyes filled his frame of vision the moment he opened his eyes. 

Ariston jumped slightly as his drowsy mind struggled assess the situation. He hadn't an idea whether it was morning, noon, or night, nor a clue as to where he was -- but he immediately recognized the eyes. Those brilliant eyes would always belong to his Riolu, he could never mistake them. They almost had a hypnotic quality -- like crystalline shapes infinitely refracting scarlet light. They were beautiful -- there was just no other word for it.

"Good Morni--" he began sleepily only to be cut off. The quiver of her frantic, worried voice was already present throughout his thoughts.

("What happened to you?!") she screamed mentally, ("You weren't here yesterday and... and... then I didn't know where you were and then... then it was daytime and you still weren't here and... and...")

Ariston couldn't help but smile as her frantically formed sentences flooded all corners of his mind. Though he'd been feeling guilty and selfish for leaving her so alone, it -was- slightly cute how worried she was.

He was again in the all-too-familiar hospital room, sitting on the same couch. He figured he must have slept though the night. His thoughts, however, were quickly directed to the still frantic Riolu before him -- He smiled as her rambling thoughts continued to flood his mind.

("...and... and then there was this guy, and I didn't know him, and he had a white coat and...")

His mind could only manage to half listen to her, for he immediately distracted by just seeing her face again, and remembering how he left her left behind when he went to Jubilife City. 

("...but that wasn't even the WORST part! He had TWO! and then...")

He suprised himself by how genuinely happy he was to see her again. He couldn't help but sport a grin as she went on. 

("...so I stayed up with that note.. You know, that note you gave me? That one, just like you told me to, then I...")

Ariston suddenly felt selfish again for risking himself, not for his sake, but for hers. For the first time in his life, he really had someone who's life he was responsible for -- Riolu truly relied on him. If he were to leave her, she'd be on her own. He could not imagine forcing such a fate on her.

Ariston decided immediately, and with his whole heart, he would never leave her again. He wouldn't risk it.

("...but HE didn't know EITHER! But it was okay, because I -really- didn't like him, so I went an--")

"Riolu," he said aloud, placing his mobile hand upon her small body as comfort -- quelling her unremitting thoughts. He paused for a moment, letting her finally calm down.

"I'm happy to see you too," he finally finished, with a smile.

She instantly collapsed onto him, giving him the biggest hug her tiny arms could manage. She squeezed him, and finally gave a sigh of relief.

"You're dumb," she said sweetly, "but I'm glad you're okay."

Riolu had realized that Ariston was her provider and her protector of course, but at this point she was only concerned with Ariston being safe -- not just her 'Provider' being alive.

Pushing herself back up from her small, powerful hug, she finally took the time to acknowledge Ariston's rather noticeable injury.

"Now tell me what happened to you!" she pouted, pointing at Ariston's right arm sitting in a sling. 

"What's that...uh... thing?!" she continued, trying to remain at her initial level of intensity. "Is your arm in there? Where'd it go?"

Ariston chuckled again at her innocence -- Riolu was still so unfamiliar with her world.

"Well, it's just a little mishap that happened in Jubilife... It's nothing major, I just can't use this arm for a little while. No need to worry, I'll be fine -- I promise." he replied. "I just got in a little scuffle.. that's all."

Riolu hopped down onto the floor and crossed her arms. She raised a quizzical brow as she carefully took a look Ariston's Aura. Examining him for a moment, Riolu could clearly see that Ariston was at peace, but was hiding something from her. Ariston remained slightly confused as he watched her eyes run up and down him questionably -- her stance seemed to show her disbelief in what he'd just told her.

"Oh -really-?" she asked teasingly as she continued to watch the light colors of Ariston's Aura surround him, "Just a little scuffle was it?"

Words nor thoughts couldn't truly express how relieved she was to see no traces of the ugly, black Aura that drenched him when he left for Jubilife as she examined Ariston. Just thinking about it gave her chills -- she never wanted to see it again.

Ariston smirked and shook his head, "Yeah, that's all."

He initially figured that it would be a good idea not to tell his worry ridden Pokemon -- his friend -- that he was almost made into steak by two vicious Absols. However, he was quickly beginning to see that fibbing to her wouldn't be easy, she was quite adept. Her innocence continually hid her brilliance. 

Riolu giggled as she watched his Aura flare as he fibbed -- he was a terrible liar.

"Yeah right." she commented wryly.

It was probably best he didn't get into the specifics of how he was injured -- after all, he DID get in a scuffle... just with two berserk and hungry Pokemon. Ariston took a moment to consider how remarkably relaxed he was with her -- he was casually regarding a near-death situation as a 'scuffle' with out so much as a second thought. He liked this feeling, he liked being around her.

"But that's not important!" he said before she could call him out, "I say we take a trip over to Rorak."

"Why's thats?" she asked teasingly, "You sure we won't get into any 'scuffles' along the way?"

Ariston laughed and stood up from off the couch -- his body sore from sleeping in such an awkward position.

"No... But, I think Rorak might know a thing or two about training Riolus." he said in an effort to distract her investigative attention.

Her eyebrows almost jumped off her face, "You mean it?!"

"Of course," he said calmly, successfully diverting her attention, "Lets get Turtwig, Buizel and Luxio then we'll start making you into a stronger Pokemon. Sound good?"

Her eyes were widened, and her tiny heart almost burst out of her chest she was so excited. 

"Yes that sounds good! That's sounds amazing!" She shouted, giving a joyous jump into the air as she did. Since she had hatched she wanted nothing more than to start training. She wanted to be the best she could be for Ariston -- she wanted to make him proud.

"Lets get going then." Ariston finished, walking towards the door. Riolu quickly followed behind him with a smile out of their bland hospital room.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Wake up Sunshine!" Dr. Maizner screamed sarcastically, his rubber glove covered hand lightly slapping Subject_14 on the face. "Time for all our hard work to finally pay off."

Subject_14 immediately attempted to awaken his mind and shake off the drowsiness of his heavy sedation. His body and mind were kept in a constant state of weakness -- a gambit by the doctors used, 'just to be safe'. His thoughts felt like fragments, his body felt broken and torn apart -- he looked around to try and gather any information about what fate awaited him next in the hellish Facility that was his home.

He was moving... surrounded by four familiar forms in white lab coats and face masks. He was strapped down to the cold unfeeling table he was being carted on, and could feel numerous needles and tubes filled with foreign liquids invading his veins. The narrow, blank-white hallway he was traveling down seemed infinite. He strained to flex his arms in an attempt to move, but was foiled by the tight metal rings that held him down. Nearly skin tight metal cuffs surrounded his wrists, elbows, neck, chest, stomach, knees and ankles. These claustrophobic rings made it impossible to budge -- less he would break free with all his strength. 

Subject_14 recognized the shape of three of the four doctors around him. Dr. Maizner, of course, was the first. His shallow pompous attitude was a foul smell to Subject_14 -- his eyes burned as he stared at the man, he wanted to tear him in half. Adjacent to Dr. Maizner stood Dr. Michals -- the man Subject_14 had assumed to in charge of the operations performed on him judging by how he acted and was regarded by the other doctors. Next was Dr. Ariston -- Subject_14 had learned little about this man, but would treat him no different from the others. 

Subject_14 wondered if his desire to break free of his mental and physical bonds would even be a possibility at this point. He felt caged and useless, starved and broken -- but worst of all, weak. If the opportunity ever came where he could escape, he would throw his all into it, he decided. For Subject_14 knew he would rather die trying attempting to break free then remain here any longer.

The fourth doctor was the unknown female. Her face, though covered by her medical mask, was as recognizable as ever. She had shown him a sliver of compassion in the past, yet her very consent to operate on him made her inhuman to Subject_14. Subject_14 did not see these doctors as human beings, they were fuel -- fuel for his desire to break out of this prison and return them the pain they had given him. 

"Why isn't he talking?" Dr. Ariston asked his coworkers, "I mean, I know all the other subjects did. Do you think this could be a symptom of Sickle Cell Disease, or perhaps ABI?"

"Nah," Dr. Maizner replied, "he's always been like that. He's never got anything to say, I don't think this one is the brightest of the bunch."

'It looks like his eyes are screaming...' Dr. Ariston wanted to say, but instead compressed as a thought.

Content with that answer, and with no objections from Dr. Michals, Dr. Ariston shrugged off the possibility that the Subject was damaged. Dr. Ariston knew he was just obsessing. They had given Subject_14's body so many scans and tests to check for damages after each Stage that he was beginning to get a little be paranoid with the fact that there was never anything wrong with him. Subject_14 was a perfect test subject -- everything was going -too- well for this to be real, almost. A Subject performing as well as Subject_14 felt more theoretical than real.

Subject_14 heard the metal doors at the end of the hallway open, and was pushed into a new room. 

Suddenly Subject_14 wondered what the doctor meant when he said, 'Time for all our hard work to pay off' -- just what kind of 'pay off' were they expecting?

Subject_14's stationary body observed what part of the new room he could see. The ceiling stretched up to the height of a gymnasiums', and there were numerous, large floodlights shining down from it. He couldn't see any of the walls around him, nor anything in front of him -- his head was locked in position by the metal cuff around his neck. He could feel the wheels of the cart he was on travel over many wires as they continued further into the room -- he could see out of the corner of his eye that there was some kind of device he was being taken to in the center of the room.

"Sir?" The unknown female doctor asked meekly to Dr. Michals, "I don't mean to speak out of line, but this machine has never been proven to be successful on a Subject with these unique characteristics -- perhaps we should reconsider?".

Dr. Michals continued facing forward as they walked, while the other doctors looked at her menacingly. Subject_14 could see the question rattle behind Dr. Michals eyes, as if he was calculating an adequate answer.

"What good is a weapon in individual parts?" Dr. Michals finally answered, "Is it still useful?"

The female doctor stammered as she tried to think of a correct answer, but quickly realized it was a rhetorical question.

"No," Dr. Michals continued, "it's not. All we have done to Subject_14 so far is install the parts that will make a weapon, he has all the tools necessary to be deadly. The problem is, all these parts accumulated from Stages 1 - 7 remain disjointed and unlinked within his body and mind. Accretive connection of all these tools will finalize his unique development, and will essentially complete him. If we do not he is useless. Mathematically, The PENDULUM should work as we expect it to, if not, we'll have the tedious task of altering Subject_14's body chemistry to synchronize with The PENDULUM until we reach success."

Though Dr. Michals wasn't facing her, she still gave a nod in acceptance. A part of her felt foolish for asking -- Dr. Michals was not one to change his mind. She just hoped The PENDULUM could help them complete Stage Eight -- Subject_14's Synchronization. 

She was familiar with the machine, and knew that PENDULUM was an acronym for a long name she didn't bother to remember, but had never seen it used on a Subject with so many modifications or 'parts' as Dr. Michals appropriately called them.

The PENDULUM was an extremely large cubic metal chamber raised off the ground by a small pillar. The surface contained large numbers of cylindrical holes that hosted a variety of tubes that fed into The PENDULUM. Its grey and blue metallic texture made it seem more alien than man-made. Light from the ceiling lights shone down and refracted off the surface of The PENDULUM, giving it an eerie glow. Surrounding it were four large, white-washed control panels that monitored numerous vital signs, pressures, temperatures, and various other forms of data. 

Each panel had two screens arranged vertically on the right side, a keyboard at the bottom, an a seemingly infinite amount of dials and balancer switches to regulate the conditions inside The PENDULUM. They panels were raised to chest level, and angled so they could be operated standing up. A menacing spiral of wires circled the floor stemming from The PENDULUM and traveled through out the room. The main chamber of the PENDULUM seemed almost large enough to fit a man twice Subject_14's size.

The female doctor prepared for her task of monitoring neural stability during Stage Eight on one of the four white panels surrounding The PENDULUM. The other three doctors would be performing similar tasks on the other panels -- each one monitoring a different aspect of Subject_14's health.

Dr. Maizner approached the large, metal door of The PENDULUM and dragged it open -- the horrid sound of metal scraping metal echoed throughout the large room. Inside was only empty space, and a horizontal metal pillar with a large hook-like object perturbing from the top of it.

"He ready?" Asked Dr. Maizner though his medical mask.

"Yes..." Dr. Michals said, reaching towards one of the panels to adjust some final settings, "He's ready. Please enter him into The PENDULUM now."

"And be careful with him." He added a moment later.

The other three doctors hastily moved the cart on which Subject_14 was secured to a location adjacent to the door -- the wheels running over cords caused his body to shake as they did so.

"One, two," Dr. Ariston began as the three prepared to slide the heavy metal plate into The PENDULUM, "...and three. Push."

Six hand slowly scraped the two inch sheet of metal that Subject_14 was attached two off the cart and into the PENDULUM. The grooves along The PENDULUM guided them as the metal plate dragged in. Continually straining to move the large object, the three eventually crept it fully inside. They pushed until they heard the satisfying sound of the metal plate snapping into place with the hook inside The PENDULUM.

Subject_14 lay on his back in the center of this large, dark cube. The door was slammed shut, and suddenly his body was surrounded in total darkness. He knew struggling at this point would be tedious, he could never break his restraints in his current condition. However, he would patiently wait for his opportunity to rip free of his captors -- and when he did, he would unleash the hell upon them.

"Initiating Stage Eight," he heard the severely muffled voice of the female doctor say, "I hope this works."

The machine around him suddenly arose to life -- the grinding sound of mechanical devices filled the air around him. His heart began to race once again. After the horrors he had experienced, fear had nearly disappeared from his body, but the nervousness and uncertainty of what was to come in Stage Eight still remained.

His lungs grew tight as his body struggled to breathe underneath the tight metal coils constraining him. The air around him started to become humid and wet.

The machine began to churn -- an eerie sound of water flowing played outside The PENDULUM. Subject_14 began to brace himself, both mentally and physically. He knew he was stronger than whatever awaited him now -- he had survived having his mind torn to shreds in Stage Seven, and his body split open and remodeled in Stage Six, he would not be beaten after coming so far. Soon, he would be strong enough to escape.

As the cyclic mechanical grinding continued, a foreign liquid began to fill the chamber flowing from the countless tubes invading the machine. The liquid crept in from dozens of the tubes, large and small, from nearly everywhere. Though the white noise of the liquid pouring down and against itself was unusually pleasant to him, he would expect the worst. The water level in the chamber began to approach the tablet Subject_14 was secured to.

Before long the strange liquid began shamelessly brushing against Subject_14's skin. Its texture was remarkable to Subject_14 as he began to feel its unique touch. This strange substance had the appearance and behavior of water, but felt ghostly and gaseous to the touch. 

Subject_14 suddenly noticed the inflow of this liquid -- it was increasing. The liquid now filled the entire bottom of the chamber and to about halfway up his vertically laying body, yet the flow continued to increase. He wondered perhaps if they were going to completely submerge him -- would that not kill him? Subject_14 had wished for only two things for as far back as he could remember -- to either die or escape. Perhaps one of those options would soon be possible.

The liquid rose to his head, rushing into his ears as it did -- instantly muffling the constant sound of flowing water around him. His heart began to race once again, for the inflow was not stopping. He was unable to hear the doctors outside the chamber any longer. Subject_14 was utterly isolated. A small part of him liked this sudden feeling of solitude.

The water continued to rise past his mouth and eyes -- his body was now almost completely submerged. He could feel the liquid between the numerous metal rings that anchored him and his body. Subject_14 arched his head as much as he was able to try and breathe though his nose, his body giving chills from the strange texture of the liquid. He quickly opened his eyes beneath the liquid -- feeling no pain from doing so, just the same ghostly texture on his eyes. 

Subject_14 took his final breaths quickly as the liquid rose over the top of him -- leaving his body completely underwater and the chamber nearly filled to the top. Subject_14 cared not for his life in this Facility. He let go of his held breath with an submerged sigh and watched as the bubbles quickly raced to the top. He struggled for a moment, and then inhaled the liquid -- letting it fill his lungs.

He gave a muted cough as the foreign substance came into his body.

However, Subject_14 did not feel like he had just inhaled water. His lungs felt full and functional -- as if he had just taken a deep breath. Subject_14 paused in confusion for a moment, then took another breath. He could feel artificial air -- liquid air -- filling his lungs. If he could breathe, then he could survive. Subject_14 let go of fear and simply waited -- idly taking in ghostly breaths of liquid sustenance.

The water completely rose to the top, finally filling the chamber. The inflow then came to a sudden halt. Moments passed as Subject_14 lay in complete unabridged silence -- slowly breathing in liquid oxygen. He was unable to hear any sort of noise, not even himself breathe. The feeling of isolation returned again -- a feeling he was beginning to enjoy.

His momentary crest of pleasure was cut off instantly by a massive noise. The sound of heavy, infinite vibration passed through the chamber -- shaking him to his bones. Subject_14 gave a silent scream as the sound penetrated his body. He close his eyes in pain -- the sound was not loud, but so bottomlessly complex that it agonized his mind to hear it.

He could feel the machine begin to move again as the sound continued. The liquid surrounding him amplified and reflected the sound in a never ending circle. In just seconds, he was nearly driven mad -- he could no longer form thoughts. Subject_14 could suddenly feel his mind shifting -- he could feel his body reorganizing. It was a devastating sensory overload -- his mind surrendered, and he lost consciousness.

-

Iota quickly awoke, and sat up with a deep inhale of shock. He paused for a moment as he ascertained where it was -- back in the ragged, abandoned house he'd found. A million thoughts quickly rushed to his head -- Blaziken, his damaged body, his enemies... and...

Iota looked down to see a faint glimmer of silver returning into his skin along his knuckles.

...whatever the hell he was.

He also noticed something strange -- or more accurately, a lack of something. He felt no pain where he had been injured. The man who tried to capture Blaziken had shot him though the side in during their brief conflict -- why did he not feel anything?

His formerly white shirt that he had tied around his waist to apply pressure to the wound was now splattered with blood. He slowly stood up from the old, dusty couch and began to tug at the crude knot he'd tied. 

Upon removing the reddened cloth from his waist, he began to wipe away some of the blood that remained on his skin. He looked closer to inspect the wound. Puzzled by this strange lack of pain in what should be a grave injury, he carefully wiped the blood away from his skin and around the wound.

But there was none. Iota narrowed his eyes as he made sure what he was seeing was correct. His mouth dropped in reaction -- his wound was gone. He was healed. Iota was not unaccustomed to strange things, but this felt unreal. 

Upon the thousands of questions he already had about his own body, this caused him to raise a thousand more. He looked once again to be sure -- using what was left of his shirt to clean the blood off of his side and stomach. There was no bullet hole, no wound, no scar -- not even a scratch remained.

Iota stood in a state of mild shock -- he hadn't even noticed the near freezing temperature in the room. The snow outside had subsided, but the blasts of cold air still flowed though the old house constantly. Not counting his bloody remains of a shirt, Iota only remained wearing his thin clothed, torn black pants.

Blaziken stirred. Iota had been so concerned with his own developments that he'd nearly forgotten about her. She still laid peacefully sleeping upon the old grey couch adjacent to Iota. 

Iota narrowed his eyes as he began to think about his actions the day prior. He had killed a man to save her -- he cared not for that man's life, but rather, how she might react to it once she awoke. His reasoned that his brutal an unnatural actions the previous day would have probably frightened her a great deal.

He didn't care... If she was scared of him, perhaps she would leave once she woke up and he would be on his own again. He wanted this, he needed this. His development and memories had become too complicated for him to be in the company of others -- he had not an idea as to what he was capable of, and needed to test himself. Alone. He was a weapon, his memories had made that clear to him, and Iota wanted to be isolated in case he lost control.

Iota gave a meaning stare to the broken door, and the deathly winter outside. He couldn't leave, he wouldn't survive out there. The cold would undoubtedly kill him. He would be forced to stay close to this shelter for some time... as would Blaziken. 

He cursed to himself. Iota wouldn't be able to separate himself from her immediately as he planned.

A thought suddenly occurred to him -- did he desire to leave her so that he could test himself in solitude, or... was he afraid of hurting her?

No... He wanted silence and isolation to discover his capabilities and limits, he decided. He told himself he was not concerned with her safety. She was a tag-along, an accessory -- he was not responsible for her safety.

"Mmm." Blaziken groaned as she began to awaken, still with her eyes shut. "Where are we?"

"Shelter." Iota said plainly, standing with his back to her. He carelessly tossed his former shirt on the couch beside him -- the bloody, torn up rag was useless now.

"Are we..." she began, sitting up slowly, and rubbing her tired eyes.

"Safe, yes." Iota finished, no concern present in his voice.

He braced himself for a barrage of questions from Blaziken. He'd torn though a Nidoking and a Magmar, then stabbed a hole though a man with a metallic weapon that came from inside of his body -- he knew she would demand an explanation. He wouldn't give her one -- for he didn't truly know why he was able to do what he did.

The storm outside had quelled -- so long as Iota remained close to the house, he would be able to last outside. He wanted to explore the questions that he had about himself -- and leave before Blaziken bothered him for answers.

"I need to go." he said sternly. "Stay inside, severe cold will damage a fire type."

With this, he made for the door -- or what was left of it after he had kicked it in the day prior. He not once looked back at Blaziken, nor did he explain why he was leaving -- not even if he was going to return. 

"O-Okay," she said in mild, drowsy confusion, "I'll... just wait here then."

Before she could finish, he was gone. 

------------------------------------------------------------

"Here we go! I found just the thing!" Rorak yell across the room proudly, walking back into the Gym from his office.

Ariston and Riolu waited patiently as Rorak returned with what he claimed would 'help Riolu begin training'. After gathering his healed and healthy Pokemon from the Pokemon Center and a quick reunion, Riolu and Ariston payed Rorak a visit to ask for advice on training her. His Gym was currently empty -- it seemed not many people were in the mood to train after a terrorist attack -- and so Rorak nearly leaped at the chance to begin training someone. He was especially excited that the 'someone' turned out to be Ariston and Riolu.

Rorak, looking the same as he always did, wore his familiar grey and gold jacket which was slightly left open to revel his black undershirt. The bandage on his cheek from his experience in Jubilife City was still present.

Ariston chose to conceal his injury before they left the Pokemon Center by putting only his good arm though his white-sleeved red jacket, and leaving his injured one underneath. It was certainly less conspicuous walking around -- besides, he preferred Riolu not have to be constantly reminded of his injury every time she looked at him.

The large, usually populated training ground seemed lonely without spectators and trainers everywhere. However, Ariston certainly found it nice to have the entire place to themselves for Riolu's training. She had nearly exploded with anticipation on the way over -- he'd never seen so much enthusiasm for a usually boring activity in his life.

Riolu eagerly awaited Rorak to reveal what he had retrieved from his office -- she could only wonder. He slowly came across the large Gym floor to the center, where Ariston and Riolu waited, carrying a wooden stool, and a small, unidentified object. 

Riolu let her mind fixate on possibilities -- perhaps it was some sort of special Gym Leader strength amplifier, or maybe it was a unique potion for developing her abilities. Whatever it was... she knew it would be amazing.

"It might be a lot of hard work, you sure you're ready?" Ariston asked her quietly, knowing exactly what her answer would be.

("Of course!") she sent back mentally, ("I'll do whatever it takes, I can't wait to be strong...Like Luxio!")

Ariston knew she meant it, her body physically shook in expectation.

"Here we are," Rorak said casually, placing the stool in front of Riolu and Ariston, "we'll begin training immediately."

Riolu widened her stance, and let a smile creep over her face -- her ruby eyes focused only on Rorak.

Rorak placed the small object atop the stool -- Riolu immediately braced herself. Ariston, just as curious, was eager to see Rorak's unique training method. In the short amount of time they spent together in Jubilife, and during their Gym battle, Ariston had grown to respect Rorak largely as a person and a trainer. Ariston trusted him.

"...What." Riolu said more as a statement than a question as she finally discovered what Rorak had brought. Ariston raised an eyebrow as well, hoping for a good explanation soon. Rorak gave a laugh at their reactions. Both Ariston and Riolu considered this to be some sort of tasteless joke.

"This is..." Ariston started after a few moments of silence.

"...A can of beans. What...Not what you expected?" Rorak finished, sarcastic humor in his voice.

"Well, no... Not exactly." Ariston replied. Riolu, with expression of dissatisfaction on her face, looked over to Ariston, hoping for an answer. He gave her an unsatisfying shrug -- it seems that he was equally as confused. Riolu took a moment to take in Rorak's Aura -- it showed no signs of deception. This really -was- his special training program.

("Umm, Master?") Riolu asked mentally whilst inquisitively glancing at Ariston, ("He's serious.")

Before Ariston could respond, Rorak cleared his throat to begin speaking.

"What was formerly my lunch has now turned into the perfect object for you to begin training on, Riolu." he explained, quickly capturing Ariston and Riolu's attention.

"Okay, but...Why beans, Rorak?" Ariston had to ask.

"Less than a pound, low density, and a basic cylindrical and symmetrical shape make it an easy enough object to begin grasping with Aura." Rorak quickly explained. Suddenly the 'joke' had merit. Ariston and Riolu began to take Rorak more seriously now.

"Now, Riolu," he continued, pointing at her with a gloved finger, "without me explaining how, I want you to knock this can of beans off this stool. Can you do that?"

Riolu tiled her head and blinked a few times at Rorak as she processed the task. She pondered over it momentarily -- a can of beans was definitely not the high intensity, extremely exciting training session she had fantasized about, but perhaps they would get to that later. Suddenly, she came up with a solution -- a simple one.

Riolu confidently nodded in understanding to Rorak, and took a deep breath as she prepared. 

Rorak raised his eyebrows quickly in surprise. He did not expect her to be ready without asking so much as a single question. Then again, he did not expect her to succeed on her first try either -- only one in a million Aura Pokemon would have such natural ability without any training. Ariston stood silently, impressed with his tiny Pokemon's confidence. 

Riolu took two steps forward approaching the stool, and grasped it with her tiny hands -- shaking it gently until the beans fell to the floor with a dull klunk that echoed though the empty gym.

Rorak broke the silence with a sudden burst of ironic laughter.

"Haha, very funny, Riolu." Rorak commented dryly, picking up the beans off the floor and re-placing them on the stool. Riolu innocently smiled back at him -- she knew he wanted her to use Aura, but -technically- she had done exactly what he asked.

Ariston smiled, and laughed quietly to himself. Sending a mental, ("Good job") to Riolu.

"Alright, well, not -exactly- what I meant," Rorak continued, "but you have quite the clever Riolu on your hands, Ariston."

Riolu kept her smile and returned to her master's side as she prepared to try again.

"Now, -this time-, do it with out touching the stool or beans." Rorak explained. "I want you to use what's unique to your species -- Aura."

Riolu inhaled as she contemplated this -- seeing and sensing Aura came naturally to her, but she hadn't a clue on how to manifest it upon physical objects.

"Think of your Aura strength like a muscle, and this of this exercise as flexing it for the first time." Rorak continued. "When this 'muscle' gets strong enough, you'll be able to focus and concentrate Aura in larger and more powerful quantities -- but for now, moving this can of beans should be enough. It's going to be an unusual feeling trying to use Aura for the first time, but trust me, it will come easer to you as time goes on. Don't try and will the can to move using your mind or thoughts -- that will get you nowhere. Aura does not stem from the mind nor the body alone. Aura is a combination of body and mind that flows though out every living creature -- the native ability to manipulate Aura, however, belongs exclusively to the Riolu and Lucario."

Ariston and Riolu stood at attention absorbing the large amount of knowledge Rorak had to share. Both were somewhat suprised in seeing how knowledgeable Rorak was on the subject of Aura.

("He certainly knows a lot,") Riolu said mentally to Ariston, ("we're lucky to have him to teach us.")

("We are.") He replied, ("Do you understand what he's saying about controlling Aura? I'm kind of lost, does it make more sense to you?")

("I...think so.") She said hesitantly.

"So," Rorak concluded, "let the control start in your mind, recognize your will and ability to control it. Don't think you can, know you can. Then let the aura flow though your body naturally without trying to 'force' it. Hopefully all this will soon become second nature to you as you continue to use Aura."

As Rorak continued, Riolu closed her eyes to begin focusing -- attempting to feel the flow of Aura throughout her body, and to manifest it in a physical form. Beginning in her mind she concentrated on the will to mold Aura, and slowly tried to shift the feeling from her thoughts into her body. 

"That's about all I can really tell you," he continued, Riolu already concentrating, "the rest is up to you."

Riolu felt a strange sensation inside her. The feeling was similar to a gentle spraying of ocean water all over her body -- quite calming to her. Riolu wondered if this was perhaps the presence of Aura beginning to emerge. She began to focus upon the feeling, and slowly sunk into relaxation.

Though the feeling of Aura was present, it felt quite feeble and frail -- not anything that contained force or power. It simply felt too gentle to have any strength behind it. Her body was covered in this strange sensation -- this Aura -- but she had not an idea as to how it could contain any power.

("Relax,") she heard as Ariston spoke to her mentally, ("we have all the time in the world to train you, nothing extraordinary has to happen now. Just do your best.")

As if sensing her doubt, Ariston's reassuring thoughts sparked relief in Riolu. Admittedly, she had worried about failure, and whether it would disappoint her Master. This uncertainty passed as quickly as it came upon hearing Ariston's thoughts.

Before she could even realize, the light dragging sound of aluminum scraping across wood captured her attention. Her small body was instantly filled with excitement -- perhaps she had succeeded. Quickly opening her eyes, and releasing her strict focus on her Aura, she happily looked for some evidence of her success.

Her eyes instantly focused on the ground, looking for the can she was charged with knocking off. Yet...She saw nothing on the floor. She looked up to unfortunately see the can of beans sitting atop it much like it was before. Riolu saw no change in the can's location -- her excitement quickly turned to disappointment.

"..It moved." Rorak said, unusually plainly. 

Though Riolu started at the menacing can with contempt, Ariston immediately smiled.

Riolu turned around when she felt a familiar Aura coming from Ariston -- the same she felt when Luxio defeated Cranidos -- the wonderful deep blue Aura of Pride she had longed to feel for her own. However, the pride coming from Ariston did not feel deserved to Riolu. All she had done was budge the can. She wasn't able to do what Rorak asked, and she didn't accomplish anything deserving of pride. Yet, the feeling was present.

"You did it!" Ariston congratulated, the Aura of his pride for Riolu growing larger. "Not too bad, Right Rorak?"

Ariston's words never reached Rorak's ears. Rorak stood in an odd silence as his focus remained locked on the can of beans that had moved no more than an inch. His eyes seemed to be glazed over as he sunk into his thoughts -- Ariston immediately noticed this odd behavior from the usually energetic Rorak.

"...Rorak?" he asked again.

"Oh! Uh," Rorak said, snapping out of his momentary daze, "sorry, spaced out for a second."

Rorak knew that was a lie. He wasn't 'spacing out', he was in state genuine amazement. Asking an infant Riolu to influence anything physical so early in their development was a joke at best. The can had moved less than an inch, but moved nonetheless. He asked Riolu to do this in order to let her get a general 'feel' for Aura -- he did not expect any sort of results. Rorak knew that this type of Aura control shouldn't have developed for some time in recently hatched Riolus -- there was something remarkable about this one. 

He looked down to see the curious ruby eyes of Riolu awaiting some form of praise.

"You did great, better than I expected, actually." Rorak said very generically. He didn't want to over excite the two by explaining how remarkable what Riolu just did was -- he wanted to observe her for a little while longer before getting their hopes up.

"I'm proud, Riolu." he continued with a smile.

"Me too." Ariston finished warmly.

Riolu sparked a smile once again, her eyes lit up in excitment. She could feel the genuine, deep blue Aura of pride growing from Ariston and Rorak. Though she knew she had not knocked the can off the stool as Rorak asked, she had made her Master proud. Perhaps she -had- accomplished something after all.

"Oh, and Ariston," Rorak said, breaking the momentarily silence, "I hope you can stay in Oreburgh for a while longer."

"Um," he started, thinking, "I suppose we could, right Riolu?"

His question was met with a content nod from his tiny Pokemon.

"Why though?" he continued.

Rorak quickly scrambled for a good excuse. The real reason was to see what unique developments his Riolu would experience as she continued to grow stronger -- but he didn't want to reveal this just yet. Not until he was sure.

"I think," he finally answered, "that I'd like to train Riolu for a little bit longer... if you don't mind. Quite honestly, it's because I see potential."

Riolu, looked to Rorak, then to Ariston, the back to Rorak again. Had she heard correctly? A Gym leader wanted to train her? Her heart jumped once again as she began to grow excited by Rorak's words. Apparently, she had what Rorak called 'potential' -- though she was unfamiliar with the word, she assumed it was good characteristic.

"Are you serious? That would be great!" Ariston answered with haste. To get such a powerful trainer to help his Pokemon would be amazing -- she'd become as strong as his other Pokemon very quickly with the help of Rorak. Besides, he knew that she would love some genuine training, especially with Rorak. Ariston decided he would stay as long as it took for Rorak to help his Riolu -- he truly wanted to see her succeed like she had today.

Riolu was suddenly hit with a blast of dizziness -- she quickly became light-headed as the room started to spin. She stumbled slightly in an attempt to remain her balance standing.

"Woah..." she said aloud as the dizziness began to pass.

"You okay?" Ariston was quick to ask, as his Pokemon struggled to stand.

"Y-Yeah..." she replied hesitantly, regaining her balance and stability, "...that was weird."

"Haha, I told you." Rorak chuckled. "You're using Aura now, Riolu. Like I said, you're flexing your Aura 'muscle' for the first time, it's going to get exhausted very easily until you strengthen it. I think we better take it easy -- can you both meet me here tomorrow morning?"

("You feeling up to it? Because if not it's really okay, we can alwa--") Ariston began to say mentally, only to be cut off.

("Trust me, I can do it.") Riolu interjected, her voice solid with determination. If Rorak was willing to train her, she was willing to learn. She didn't want to miss any opportunities to get stronger. Riolu simply couldn't wait until she was strong, and able to make her Master proud of her again.

"We'll be here." he answered to Rorak, trusting Riolu's fortitude. She seemed to posses an unusual focus on training herself -- he admired this quality in her.

"Good," Rorak said, turning around and heading back towards his office, "I'll see you here tomorrow then. 6 AM."

Ariston immediately opened his mouth to protest such a god-awful starting time -- Ariston was not suited for mornings -- but quickly silenced himself for Riolu. If she was willing to train, he would be willing to stand by her -- it was the least he could do while she pushed herself to become stronger.

"6 AM then..." he said to himself with a defeated sigh, as he and his tiny blue Pokemon walked towards the exit of the Gym.

Riolu contently followed behind him. She was stronger than she was when she entered the Gym, and she hoped for this result every time she trained with Rorak. She loved the feeling of making her master proud -- her excitement for her next session with Rorak was limitless.

("Oh, and Master?") She asked mentally, as a thought suddenly occurred to her. ("What Rorak said I had... What does 'potential' mean?")

Ariston gave a slight smile upon hearing Riolu's question. She tilted her head inquisitively as she waited for an answer. He gave a slight chuckle to himself as he thought of a proper response.

("It means...") he finally replied. ("It means you're going to be great.")