Story Notes:
This story is set on EARTH. our earth, you and me earth. you get the idea.Pokemon copyrighted to nintendo, blah blah blahdy blah blah
Chapter 15
The world came as a swimming haze as Michael woke, faintly aware of the vibration of the vehicle around. The sun only crested the horizon currently, spilling ruby light across the road and countryside, darkness still clinging to the land. His mind was still sluggish, immersed in the dark void of sleep he had experienced for hours in a welcoming comfort. Those visions, what were they? He could not discern much from them, but the feel around them made him yearn to be back in that dark place and to experience it all over again. As the fog lifted from his mind he felt the cold embrace of solitude around him, the first time in weeks since he had awoken without Melody by his side. Not only was the solitude cold, but the air around him as well. Looking over to Tom, he appeared to be as haggard as when they had first brought back the Pokémon and told him of their alliance, all evidence of his recovery wiped away. He drove on with a blank look in his eye, the cold air not even fazing him as he kept his eyes locked ahead of them. Tom didn't acknowledge his awakening, or if he had, ignored it. Michael reached over to the dashboard and turned on the heating, his arm still moving sluggishly like it had been doing in his dream. Within minutes a welcome flow of warm air was being carried throughout the car, wrapping like a blanket around them all and easing their muscles. Michael peered over his shoulder to the back seat. Will's chin was resting on his chest as he slept, arms folded in an effort to stay warm through the cold night. He appeared frail now, asleep in such a position, looking as if his age had finally ravaged his body overnight. The Lucario who travelled with them as a bodyguard was too, asleep. The creature slept huddled into itself, legs drawn up and head resting on its knees, looking rather uncomfortable. Michael guessed that sleeping in a car seat would be just as uncomfortable for a Pokémon as it was for any human. The older leader, however, did not seem asleep neither awake, appearing more like a statue than anything else. With his eyes closed and figure straight, the Pokémon seemed as if it were not all there, mind floating adrift somewhere. With a jerk, Michael was drawn back into his seat as the car swerved sharply, drawing back into a smooth line quickly enough. Tom shook his head in the driver's seat, blinking his tired eyes to clear them and lowly muttered to Michael
"The heat was off for a reason". Cold had kept him awake throughout the night and stopped him from running them off the road, but now his eyes were heavy with weariness brought on from the heat.
"Well, pull over and get some rest" Michael said "You can't drive forever"
"I can't, not now..." he said, nervously eyeing the rear view mirror. "Not until we hit a town"
"When will that be?" Michael asked. The country around them seemed to go on for a long while with no civilisation in sight.
"Soon, maybe..." Tom muttered, turning the heating down but not completely off. In the back of his mind, he wanted rest, but he simply couldn't muster the strength to lie down and sleep after all that had happened.
Will stirred in the back, stretching his old bones as much as he could, given the space provided. He rubbed the sleep from his lined face, adjusting the spectacles as he did so. Turning his attention to the horizon and seeing dawns growing light, he struggled wearily for words
"Where are we going this time?" He asked, his voice carrying the tones of disappointment in having to, yet again, relocate.
"I don't know...we need to stop at a gas station before we keep going" Tom said, glancing at the dashboards now blinking warning light.
"The tank was half full when we arrived back there" Will said "We could get better supplies from a market or corner shop if we found a town, if that's what we need"
"Remember that thing I threw at the bandits we drove off?" Tom said
"Yes, what of it?" Will asked cautiously, dreading the former mercenaries answer
"Molotov" He said flatly. Will sputtered in a rather comedically angry fashion, glaring at the man
"You siphoned petrol from my car to make some...makeshift grenades?" He said incredulously
"It was just a precaution" Tom said as if it would make him innocent "Some extra firepower"
"You wasted something that we needed to travel" Will said "We could have been stuck on foot thanks to you!"
"But we aren't yet, so worry about that when it comes to it" Tom answered, not willing to debate the matter any further. Will just muttered to himself as he sunk into his seat. HE noticed they were missing two people here.
"Where are those other two Pokémon?" He said "That younger one and the wolf?"
"They have stopped for rest" The Alakazam spoke suddenly; making will jump, unaware that the creature had been awake for all this time. "They will meet us again when they resume travelling"
"How? We would be miles from them by now" Michael asked
"The young one will seek my mind when he is ready, and shall find us through that" he answered "I have told him that we will stop soon and he may travel to us when ready""If we make it that far" Will muttered, shooting a look at Tom.
Will was relieved that they did stop after half an hour of waiting for the car to cease and stall. Tom has pulled the car into an abandoned gas station, the area looking as if a stampede had run through it. Pumps hung from their stands and blotches of spilled petrol scattered the ground, making the air thick with fumes. One of the store windows had been stripped of many of their products, and an old car sat idly in the repair garage next to the store, bonnet popped up but looking in rather good condition. The tools around it lay scattered over the concrete floor, dropped and left in the rush. The station was on the outskirts of what looked like a small town, a few houses lining the row up ahead of the station. The familiar scene of desolation seemed monotonous now, truly seeming as if they were the last people in the world with the remnants of civilisation crumbling around them.
"We can stop here, find some more supplies" Tom said "People as well...hopefully."
Tom exited the car with the rest following. Michael surveyed the ghost town like scene as will stretched his legs, trying to ease the aches from his bones. The old leader, too, surveyed the scene. Human dwellings were no mystery to him, but now they were nothing but blocks of grey with the occasional splatter of colour mauling the landscape. In his world, the humans restricted the size of their scattered dwellings, holding a certain respect for his kind with very few cities built to ravage the natural forests and fields. But here it seemed as if the humans cared little for the creatures of their world, most likely because they were little more than beats compared to the intellect of his kind, and were of little use other than food to these humans. He supposed it was not surprising when the creatures that did in habit this world did not have the intellect to fight back. The Lucario was the next one to step from the car, eyeing the land with the same scrutiny of the Alakazam, but with the eyes of a lost child rather than curiosity. Its crimson eyes had lost the fierce spark they once held, now becoming lost in the unknown landscape, nervously shifting on its feet. It was a fighting creature, but the enemy they faced could not be fought with fists or blows. It constantly circled them, intangible, making the Lucario very unnerved. It had never faced a foe without form.
Tom silently thanked God that the pumps had not been switched off, the evacuation having gone far too quickly to care about such things. He filled the car back up, also grabbing some containers for extra fuel which would come in handy, weaponised or otherwise. Michael and Will, meanwhile, entered the station store in search of food which was not processed to the point of tastelessness.
"Not much left, is there?" Will remarked. The shelves were bare, freezers empty but still running; even the cigarette stand behind the counter had been emptied. They were thankful to find a few candy bars lying around the counter, something to slightly boost their spirits. A few cartons of milk had also been left but were now sour and useless. Michael headed into the storeroom behind the counter, cash register raided for every penny of now worthless currency. A few crisp packets and soft drinks were left, adding to their bounty of junk food. They exited the store, having raided all the supplies that were left, to find Tom waiting for them. He stood by the car, now filled and idling. He reached over and grabbed one of the candy bars they had taken, unwrapping it and biting in hungrily.
"Where do we head now?" he asked through a mouthful of chocolate and nougat.
"Do you even know where we are?" Will asked
"Not a clue"
"Then how can we know where to go next" Will said annoyedly "We have no plan, and no idea of where can go. We are absolutely lost right now". Michael spoke up solemnly
"We could stay here for now" He said
"Until we get our act together?" Tom said
"...yes" Michael replied, pause betraying his answer. He was unwilling to move on from here, the place where he had lost Melody, clinging to some hope that she might return to here.
"Not likely, were in the middle of the open with these Pokémon right now" Tom said, finishing the bar he been chewing. "If anything, they force us to keep moving"
"But we can't just keep stumbling forward blindly" Will insisted "After all, didn't those leaders choose these two other Pokémon for protection?"
"Protection to them" Tom said flatly "We're just the means to an end"
"Then they need us alive to get back" Will replied "Everyone is gone anyway� there are probably refugee camps set up around the country, everyone would be flocking to those. They wouldn't care about us"
"Those bandits would beg to differ" Tom said
"They fled, we-we scared them off, they're only two now, two against us seven" Will recalled, three of the men had been shot and the others ran, knowing they were no match for a group of Pokémon along with a trained marksman.
"They'll be back..." Tom murmured "They always come back"
"What do you mean?" Will grunted angrily "They wouldn't bother getting themselves killed, even they wouldn't be that stupid"
"They have nothing to lose!" Tom yelled "They'll get us when we're defenceless, and then all this will be worth nothing!" He slammed the car bonnet, leaving a small dent
"Why do you think these things?" Will interrogated "Why are you always so...paranoid!"
Tom was silent for a second, contemplating an answer, struggling with words. He finally gave an angry growl of frustration.
"Fine" He said definitively "You two will never understand unless I explain it all to you"
He seated himself on now slightly dented bonnet of the car, making it lower slightly and give a rusty whine. He massaged the bridge between his eyes, rubbing the exhaustion from his face. The bags under his eyes were darkened, and the lines on his forehead deeper than before, cutting into his flesh. With all fiery anger gone from the man, he now appeared gaunter than ever. He began slowly, as if talking to a group of children.
"I told you I was a mercenary before I became a priest, didn't I?" He said "I told you I had quit, but really, my exit wasn't that gracious" His now far off eyes met Will's "Usually mercenaries keep to themselves, even when in groups like mine, we never communicated much. But the last mission I was assigned, we were all brought together. This was a huge assignment, bigger than I had ever been a part of. It payed handsomely and required all the deadly talent we could muster. Months of planning were needed, and it was necessary with the value of our target, the leader of a huge mining operation in Africa. The man was heavily protected, being close to Robert Mugabe himself, the current dictator of Zimbabwe. He supplied him with cheap diamonds to sell to the foreign markets at inflated prices; the man was so valuable to the economy that he was considered untouchable to any and all government officials save Mugabe himself. Our mission was to kill him at any cost in order for one of Mugabe's right hand men to succeed him and steal his lucrative post, after which we were guaranteed a large sum of the profits made from the mine, enough for many of us to never have to work again."
Tom paused to let the gravity of his tale sink in before continuing.
"The mission was planned for months, with all of us working to find the perfect time and place to do the job. In the end, it was all decided by the man we called "Sting". He was one of most skilled mercenaries we had ever seen; he had intelligence, cunning, and a quick trigger finger. But most of all he was cold, calculating and relentless. Whenever he was assigned a target, he got the job done no matter what, even if he had failed initially. Everyone knew that once someone was targeted by Sting, it was all over. He once chased a man halfway across Canada after failing to kill him in Toronto, all with a bullet wounded arm and no idea of where the guy was headed. They...found the guy's corpse three weeks later, washed up on a beach with a slit throat and no arms." Tom paused for a minute, seeming to struggle in beginning the next part.
"He got information on where the man would be and how we could kill him, and so it was decided. After months of preparing and forging papers, we set ourselves up in Zimbabwe. Horrible country...corrupt policemen and people wallowing in their own shit on the streets. Anyway, we set ourselves up at the diamond mine, posing as engineers and whatnot, and waited for the target to arrive and our queue to be given. After waiting for four hours, the target arrived in an armoured Hummer, odd as we had been informed that he often made the journey in an inconspicuous van. We all broke up and assume our positioned, I was the one set to take detonate the charges laid near the exit, blocking escape. But the target never exited the vehicle; it just idled by the side of the mine entrance. But only after we had begun to wonder what was going on, hell broke loose. Gunfire spouted from one of the sniper positions, followed by our other positions. I knew the plan had failed and legged it. I was hiding near one of the mine shafts and was forced to run under the catwalks to reach the spot in the fence where he had cut a hole, a precautionary measure if this did happen. But the fence was now guarded by soldiers and I was forced to double back, climbing the ladders and hoping to find one near enough to the fence that I could vault over it. Thinking all was lost, I detonated the explosives anyway, hoping that it would buy me some time to escape. But when I pressed the switch, the blast came from far off, not near enough to have been near the gates. I stopped to look out over the area...the explosion was a mile off, leaving a smoking patch of African wilderness. Before I could turn and run again, a large fist caught me in the jaw. Thankfully, I recovered quickly enough to bring up my gun, but it was twisted from my hand and thrown over the edge of the catwalk. It was then I saw who was before me, Sting." Tom's teeth gritted and his words became strained with anger.
"He betrayed us, he betrayed us all dammit! He had told the target of what was going to happen so he could walk away with a huge bribe and a place for him by the official's side. I tried to fight back against him, but the man was a gorilla, he overpowered me and dragged me back to the soldiers. He took his time to beat me before he left, laughing all the while as he tried to break me. He left me to the soldiers afterwards, they were no better, forcing me into the Humvee with them, smacking me with the butts of their guns and jeering. He exited the mining compound and drove off into the wilderness, leaving the soldiers to slaughter the rest of the team. My hands were tied as we drove, and the soldiers didn't mind beating me senseless on the way back to the city. But we didn't enter the city, we stopped on the border and they made me get out of the car. It was obvious they were going to kill me there and then; they had even prepared a noose tied to one of the old trees. Sting took his time to beat me further before this, sadistic bastard, he untied my hands. He wanted me to fight back. It was the last chance I would have of escape and I knew it, so while Sting took his time in grinding me into the ground, I managed to grab at a rock and smashed it into Sting's head. He was angry, he grabbed me and we scuffled around on the ground tearing at each other. The soldiers just laughed as they watched, they enjoyed the healthy fight left in me. But they didn't notice when I managed to grab Sting's pistol from his waist while wrestling with him, neither did he. I managed to throw him off me and get up, quickly firing on the soldiers. Most of them went down without knowing what had happened, and the ones that were left didn't react quickly enough as I disarmed and dispatched of them. But Sting was up by this time, and he had ducked behind the Humvee. He was a ruthless man, but he wasn't stupid, and he knew when he was outclassed, he would just strike later when the time was right like he always had. I knew that this was my chance. I entered the small van he had been taking and drove off without looking back. I head shots fired, presumably from him, but I never stopped to check. I was away and into the city, losing him in the dense crowds soon enough. After that I managed to find someone who could falsify my passport and left the country as soon as possible. I think it was a miracle I even made it out of the county alive, maybe that was how Sting wanted it, so he could try hunt me down again. But he never did, and I tried to disappear into obscurity even so. The group I had been a part of was now broken and disbanded, and I took up my time with a theology course at a small town school. It was far different from what I had done...and the Lords words calmed me somewhat, I thank him every day that I was kept safe from my past. It was a great day for me when I graduated; I became a priest at that small town church, and replaced the kindly old head priest when she passed on. That was six years ago...and then I met you lot, and now everything's been upset again...."
Michael and Will didn't know what to say. Before them sat a man who had most likely endured more physical pain than either of them in their lives, who had then transformed his life into one of peace and caring, only to have them come along and ruin it. His past of murder and blood money had nearly been erased, leaving him with a good life, but now he had been forced to return to that life. They both felt rather terrible and it showed in the sorrow on their faces. Tom saw this and replied
"Now , now, I don't blame you for this. It was...unavoidable."
They all sat in silence for a few minutes, no one knowing exactly what to say after such a tale of horror and betrayal. Michael eventually spoke up uncertainly
"So...you think that it might happen again?" That he asked "That someone might do something to get us all killed"
"Aye..." Tom said solemnly, but fear edged his voice as he continued. "But now...that is not the most of it..." Michael and Will gave him an expectant look, awaiting his true fear which forced this paranoia on him.
"That man, the large one who attacked us back there..." He said with a bitter hatred in his voice "Sting" He spat the word with vilest venom. Silence fell again. This was bad, and it had only gotten worse. Ghost from Tom's past now stalked them, one without care or remorse and one who was known for hunting his prey with deadly commitment. Will stuttered out a question
"You said he was in Africa, h-he betrayed you for some government position!" Will said, trying to dispel any truth that the man who pursued them really was the juggernaut Tom has told them of. "Why would he be here?"
"I don't know" Tom said hopelessly "All those years I spent in hiding, he never tried to find me...but perhaps he never forgot me either". Tom eased himself from the car bonnet, noting slight movement in the corner of his eye. He turned his head quickly enough to catch a glimpse of that Lucario ducking away from them.
"Now he just has a chance to finish the job" Tom said. Will made a strained grumble as he began to pace across the petrol stained concrete.
"More danger, more risks, less time..." He angrily muttered "Everything was beginning to clear up for us and now this stupid assassin comes, from out of nowhere, with the sole intent of killing a man who escaped him years ago!"
"He might not bother" Michael said hesitantly "He could just forget us and try find some people worth more"
"Sting isn't that type of person, Michael" Tom said "He's a hunter, and I've seen the psychotic look he holds when he's looking for someone. He never stops coming"
Will stalked off, muttering to himself as he often did now. Tom walked away without another word, Michael not bothering to follow him, heading for the roadside. He peered down the road and saw the tarmac narrowing to small suburbs not too far up ahead, abandoned now and seemingly gray the landscape. He could see signs of scattered destruction throughout the area, from stray portals which had been opening, obliterating anything that got too close as it tore space and time. The fresh meeting with Sting held in his mind as he gazed upon the scarred land, knowing that the man would burn this entire place to ash if it gave him the chance to kill him. Whether the man would do it for revenge, wealth or simple sadistic entertainment, Tom didn't know. Footfalls behind him broke his concentration, turning to face more questions from Will and Tom that they would surely ask. But instead of the lonely man and White haired professor, he found the Pokémon who he had barely seen before as it listened into his retelling. The jackal like being reminded him of some obscure Egyptian God he had read about in the days of his theology studies, standing on two padded feet with glaring red eyes. But now its eyes had lost their piercing complexion and appeared to be ones of assuredness, constantly trying to not look him in the eyes and searching the landscape without focus.
�
"You are...warrior...fight...for clan?" The creature spoke through its mouth, but the words seemed to become imbued in Tom's mind as it did so, not unlike what Melody had done, but lacking a double tone. The voice was feminine, despite the creature's masculine appearance, and struggled to form words.
"I was" Tom replied "But my...clan was all killed by one of the members"
"You...are...still a warrior?" she asked again. Her voice was slightly husky, despite the feminine ring to it; it carried pride and honour even as she struggled to speak to him
"Not anymore, I gave up on it after they were killed" Tom said. The creature stared oddly at him, as if it didn't understand.
"But you still fight...You...are still a...warrior" She said "You still...carry honour"
The term was slightly lost on Tom, not understanding the social ways of this Pokémon's species. Next, she asked something completely unexpected to Tom.
"May...we...fight?"
"Why would you want to fight me?" Tom asked cautiously
"In my clan...we train...spar with each other" She said explained gently, still trying to control her tone in this unknown form of speech. "You are a good...warrior, we can...spar to...train"
"Are you sure?" Will asked, being taller and build larger than her. She gave a slight laugh, losing the roughness in her voice for a second as it seemed that her intended voice broke through for a moment
"You are...a strange warrior to...be hesitant of challenge" She replied "I am sure...you are a new...opponent, and it would....be interesting to see your...skills". The creature turned and moved onto a patch of grass beside the gas station, beckoning him over.
Tom hesitantly followed the creature and took his place opposite her. The creature moved in a feral like stance, head bowed low and back hunched, paws spread out with fists balled. Tom eyed the metallic spikes on the back of each paw, not wanting to receive a large stab wound from one if he missed. He himself ducked low, knees bent and arms at his side for support. A defensive stance as he hoped not to engage the creature in full out combat too soon. The old position felt odd to him, muscles sliding back into that stance, imbedded in his mind, for the first time in years. His was a hand to hand combat style which was taught to him while he was part of his guild, standard for everyone to know it and use it, from initiates to higher ups. It was a blend of the Brazilian street fighting style Capoeira and Israeli Krav Maga jujitsu, deigned to drop the opponent as fast as possible by any means necessary, there was no honour or dignity to it, just raw power. This Pokémon, a wild being who had been likely raised to fight in a clan, was a mystery to Tom. He had no idea what to expect of her, whether she would strike, grapple or use his weight against him.
"We will start...when the rock falls...to the ground" She said, Tom was confused until, with a swift movement of her foot, she kicked a small pebble into the air. He watched as it fell. When it hit earth, she launched herself forward, head nearly touching the ground as she ran, using an amazing sense of balance to keep from falling. Quickly she was upon him, launching an upward swipe as her uncurled her body. Tom's old form came back to him as he automatically fell back, hands reaching out to catch himself in a spider like manner. The Queda de Quatro - the fall of four. With strong arms supporting him, he sprang his legs forward, knocking the Lucario off her feet as his feet cracked against her knees. She threw herself to the side and push up quickly as tom flipped himself back into stance. She attacked again, this time feigning right, dropping left and sweeping her leg under him. He moved swiftly back, following the flow of the kick, using his rear planted foot to lunge forward into a grapple. The Krav Maga grapples were fierce, counter attacking before the opponent had a chance to move, and his showed as his arm met the Lucario's neck, flinging her off balance as Tom's arm curled into a vice. He held her head and rapidly swept his own legs from under him, pitching them both forward onto the ground and locking her legs in position. Disarmed and disabled, that was what he had been taught to do, and when he could easily kill the target who he had pinned. But despite his solid grip, the Lucario was more flexible than a human opponent. She brought her arms around, gripping the back of his head, pulling forward and pushing her head back at the same time. Tom was jarred as he face met her hard skull, jarring him enough for her to free her legs and turn her angular head enough that his grip was lost. Tom rose as fast as he could, but was met with a strike to the chest as he did so, followed by a hard shoulder tackle, knocking the wind out of him and sending him back down. By training and instinct, he fell onto one hand, leg spread and other arm protecting his face in a Resistência. The Lucario jumped, leg coming down in an axe kick to finish the match. Tom's supporting arm swung out with perfect timing, striking her leg aside and knocking her off balance. She fell hard onto the solid ground, slightly panting in exhaustion, while Tom too lay on the ground after using his supporting arm in a defensive strike. He did not manage to get up before he a weight on his chest pushed him down, a cold metallic spike held near his throat. The Lucario was slightly smiling in triumph as she looked down upon him.
"Dead" She said proudly. Tom quickly brought his two hands up, index fingers outstretched, stopping just before they were plunged into her eyes. She reeled back slightly, but kept him pinned.
"Dead" He repeated, with a smile of his own. She stood, allowing him to pull himself up as well. She looked at him with a slight respect behind the glare she gave him.
"That was not....an fair tactic" She said
"Fairness isn't something that has any place in war" Tom said "Attack someone before they have a chance to react"
"It seems...like dirty fighting" She said
"Well...it's a dirty world" Tom replied. It was true. Given the chance, someone could and probably would shoot you when your back is turned, or when you aren't prepared. Honour be damned, survival was the important part.
"I...see" She said slowly, taking note of the move's Tom had used. To her, they were indeed considered dirty and lowly tactics to use, but they were effective. And from what she had seen in this world, honour meant little to most. She would expect him this time, already trying to think of ways to counter his own methods.
"Can we spar...again?" She asked. Tom thought for a moment. While he was sparring, he had forgotten all about this whole situation and the people around him. It gave him a rush of adrenaline and made him feel younger, to fight with quick blows and fierce jabs with someone who would counter with the same quick witted mindset. It was the first time in weeks that he had felt truly alive, and so he smiled and answered to her
"Aye, let's go again"
The rest of the morning was lost to him in a blur of quick movements and playful taunts, stopping to occasionally point out problems with balance or force, or to rest and recover from their many bruises and falls. By the time the sun had set, both stood exhausted from their many matches, sweating heavily and swaying as their muscles strained to hold them, large smiles upon their faces.
The two returned to find Will using his laptop in the backseat, stray notes strewn about him. Michael was nowhere to be seen, and true to their word the two Pokémon who were follow them had arrived. The younger leader was sitting in a meditative position with the older one while the large black wolf slept lazily in the fading light, not surprising after having to carry the psychic on his back for many miles. Will turned to the duo, an unimpressed look on his face.
"Are you two finished bickering?" he asked "Learn to settle something in a manner that won't kill you"
"We were sparring, Will" Tom replied "Just a friendly match between the two of us"
"Since when was dragging someone through the dirt considered friendly?" Will said, awkwardly turning around in his seat to face the two. "You hardly trust them anyway, and we have enough people who would kill us without trying to finish the job ourselves"
Tom shrugged sheepishly, comforted that he had at least found something interesting to do, taking his mind off his fears of attack. But also, for the first time, he rather appreciated the company of one of these Pokémon, which had been a mystery to him whenever he saw Michael commonly conversing with Melody. His mind jumped back to the young lad
"Where's Michael?" He asked, Will grabbed a few of his notes out of the car and thrust them at Tom
"He said he was going to look for some good shelter in the suburbs, meanwhile I was subjected to a complete lack of new information with you two were butting heads" He said. The notes meant little to tom, scribbled in near unreadable chicken scratch handwriting, but Will went on with his small rant.
"I'm stuck without anything new, all I can do is reanalyse old data with hopes of some new results!" he said, waving his arms in an exaggerated manner. "I am so close, to finding out how to predict the opening of these portals, but because we just sat here all day, I'm stuck without a piece of the puzzle. I don't even know if I have it right, I spent all day with this stupid equation and it is never constant"
"Are you...an elder?" The Lucario interjected, Will simply gave a groan
"Oh, another one that can talk, it makes even less sense" he said, stretching his hands over his face."How many of them are psychic? It seems like they just don't bother talking to humans in their world"
"Aura" The Lucario said "I...speak through the aura"
"Aura? What is that, some neo-pagan belief?" Will said. The Lucario didn't comprehend the word 'neo-pagan', but continued, voice still broken and strained.
"We see aura...it is life...energy. Everyone emits it" She said "It is hard...to talk here. Aura is not....as plentiful...in this world"
"Life energy...that contradicts every thermodynamic law in the book..." Will said
"It sounds like arcane belief to me" Tom said. "Archaic energy which comes from some unknown entity or source, or perhaps resides in everyone, and the practice of manipulating it. Wicca in a nutshell", Will was stunned at how the man could go from a lethal and stubborn man, to a theological scholar in only one statement.
"How do you...oh never mind!" Will said exasperatingly, noticing Michael slowly making his way up towards the gas station.
"What did you find? Anything?" Will said impatiently.
"A lot of the houses are undamaged, we could stay in any one" He said listlessly. During his entire survey of the neighbourhood, he had never really focused on one specific place. His mind still reeled with loss and guilt, and he had only left the station to be alone for however long he could. He had wandered through the streets, occasionally entering a random house to see what it contained. In each house, he looked through bookshelves, cabinets, and drawers, unconcerned with food or weaponry. He searched for something unknown, only drawing by the occasional tug at his being towards something that might resemble hope. In the end, all he had found were photos of happy families and couples, ornaments of days gone by aging in their places. The feeling in his mind was one not unlike a drug, giving him relief for a while, before the hope was lost and he could only push back onto the streets, looking for the next hit as he walked on.
"Fine, take one near the station" Toms said "We're near the edge of town, we'll see anything going in or coming out"
"Paranoid to the letter..." Will grumbled
"Tactical" Tom corrected "If I hadn't come one on this journey, you'd all likely be dead by now"
Will couldn't fault him there, the man's paranoia had saved them once before, and he had protected them ever since. It was grating, but it gave them all a better sense of security and let them sleep easy at night. Michael had been wondering something about the man, who had simply pulled up stake after their attack and travelled with them ever since.
"Why did you join us, then?" He asked simply "Why keep following us, even now?" Tom hesitated before answering; a slight pause with an off glance.
"My parish was destroyed; there was nothing left for me in that town. I hardly had much of a life outside the Lord's work back then" he said "And now I know you'll all get yourselves killed if I leave, the guilt of that keeps me following". He had admittedly grown fond of their little rag tag group, but wasn't willing to say it, and at least he wasn't alone in this situation. A soldier without comrades is just a fool with a gun.
"Good to know something does" Will said, climbing back into the car. Everyone else followed suit, the drive only a short one to the end of the road where an undamaged house sat. The house was the generic kind you would expect to see on a family sitcom. White picket fence and tin mailbox, both now knocked over, along with a small garden out front; Regular housing for regular people living the so called 'American dream' of having a good house and loving family. The car was parked in the open garage, door sealed to prevent unwanted visitors. The house was cosy, thankfully, offering a warm shelter from the cold dusk winds coming from the north. Everyone took places in the house, hoping for an easy night. Will took a guest bedroom, welcoming the warm bed instead of a lumpy couch, while the Pokémon scattered themselves. Mightyeena sleeping on one of the chairs in the living room, stretched over it like a comical animal instead of a proud wolf, and the two leaders taking a place on the floor, insisting that their trances provided more than enough rest regardless of surroundings.
Dusk went and the moon rose in the sky, darkening the house. Power was out, and only a lone flashlight illuminated the area around the spacious lounge. The Mightyeena was already asleep, faint whines occasionally accompanied by a twitch in the leg, while Tom sat on the couch with the lone Lucario beside him. They had talked for a while, the awkwardness of talking to another Pokémon having left Tom soon enough, even though her raspy voice did slow the pace. They had talked of their battles, their experiences in their own elements. The Lucario had come from a clan where she had been trained as a warrior, defending the rocky mountain that was their territory and protecting the young and frail when they were required to leave and collect food. The idea of female warriors had slightly surprised Tom, knowing that females in the animal kingdom were usually restricted to looking after their young and only fought when put in danger, but after hearing of the conditions her clan endured, it made sense to allow them into a warrior circle. Crossings through the mountains and deserts were often dangerous, risking the slower and sickly ones, who were the one's put in charge of foraging, being picked off by other Pokémon. She too, had listened intently to Tom's stories of his many missions' he had carried out while in his own 'clan', as she called it. The idea of honour was a larger part of her people's culture, but in this world, people had shirked honour in favour of survival, not willing to fight a losing battle. Their spars throughout the day had worn them out, and they reclined comfortably on the long couch, too tired to consider moving. The Lucario had now fallen asleep, head fallen on Tom's shoulder, who was too tired to do anything about it but also didn't really mind it. At least it was familiar company. Will passed through the living room after exiting the bathroom, noticing the two, as well as the rifle at Tom's feet.
"It dark out there, Tom" Will said, expecting the man to take his sentinel position, wakefulness fuelled by fear. "It'd be the best time to set up watch for the night"
"...maybe I could...not bother tonight" Tom replied. Will was surprised at the man's calmness, being very unlike him. This was a new area, unknown to them all, and that was what had set Tom off at the farmhouse after they had arrived. It was his crux.
"Are you sure?" Will asked carefully, the man seemed too placated to him, it wasn't the person he knew.
"Aye, I'm...tired" Tom said
"That never stopped you before" Will humoured. The man could stay up for days and still refuse sleep in the name of safety.
"Yeah...well..." Tom trailed off, he couldn't come up with an excuse, and he just wanted rest right now. Will shrugged and let him be, hiding his glee that his sleep would go undisturbed by stray gunshots. The empty king sized bed only served to remind him of how alone he was now. Tom lowered his head and let his heavy eyes close, head tipping onto the sleeping Pokémon next to him as sleep took him.
Michael was again left with the master bedroom, although now he wished for something smaller. He sat on the bed for a long time; his rifle held limply in one hand, he had simply forgotten to drop it in all he had been feeling. Occasionally he found himself having rested his jaw on the barrel, never meaning to do it, always hearing scatter voices running throughout his head. Pull the trigger, they said, make it all better. He didn't, out of some useless hope he still clung to. Eventually, he didn't know when, he mustered the energy to drop the gun and lay down. Darkness soon billowed around him again, for a single moment erasing all feelings and leaving him truly content with everything in his life. The inky dark veil came again, surrounding him in a sluggish field of black where he could see and hear naught. He dreamed for the second time that night, the flashes coming again, colours filling his vision for brief instances before rushing by. But even though invisible tendrils squeezed at his mind, slowing his thoughts and muting his inner voices, he knew something was different. It took him an age in his mind to process it, that the images were somehow clearer this time. The blurs and smudges of light took more shape now, still fuzzy as before, but all drawing themselves into shapes and curves. He heard now, slow rumbling and thunder resonating dully throughout the void, coming to his ears as the flash approached, tapering off as they passed. Again he sat there, again he pondered, and again he dreamed of light.
"The heat was off for a reason". Cold had kept him awake throughout the night and stopped him from running them off the road, but now his eyes were heavy with weariness brought on from the heat.
"Well, pull over and get some rest" Michael said "You can't drive forever"
"I can't, not now..." he said, nervously eyeing the rear view mirror. "Not until we hit a town"
"When will that be?" Michael asked. The country around them seemed to go on for a long while with no civilisation in sight.
"Soon, maybe..." Tom muttered, turning the heating down but not completely off. In the back of his mind, he wanted rest, but he simply couldn't muster the strength to lie down and sleep after all that had happened.
Will stirred in the back, stretching his old bones as much as he could, given the space provided. He rubbed the sleep from his lined face, adjusting the spectacles as he did so. Turning his attention to the horizon and seeing dawns growing light, he struggled wearily for words
"Where are we going this time?" He asked, his voice carrying the tones of disappointment in having to, yet again, relocate.
"I don't know...we need to stop at a gas station before we keep going" Tom said, glancing at the dashboards now blinking warning light.
"The tank was half full when we arrived back there" Will said "We could get better supplies from a market or corner shop if we found a town, if that's what we need"
"Remember that thing I threw at the bandits we drove off?" Tom said
"Yes, what of it?" Will asked cautiously, dreading the former mercenaries answer
"Molotov" He said flatly. Will sputtered in a rather comedically angry fashion, glaring at the man
"You siphoned petrol from my car to make some...makeshift grenades?" He said incredulously
"It was just a precaution" Tom said as if it would make him innocent "Some extra firepower"
"You wasted something that we needed to travel" Will said "We could have been stuck on foot thanks to you!"
"But we aren't yet, so worry about that when it comes to it" Tom answered, not willing to debate the matter any further. Will just muttered to himself as he sunk into his seat. HE noticed they were missing two people here.
"Where are those other two Pokémon?" He said "That younger one and the wolf?"
"They have stopped for rest" The Alakazam spoke suddenly; making will jump, unaware that the creature had been awake for all this time. "They will meet us again when they resume travelling"
"How? We would be miles from them by now" Michael asked
"The young one will seek my mind when he is ready, and shall find us through that" he answered "I have told him that we will stop soon and he may travel to us when ready""If we make it that far" Will muttered, shooting a look at Tom.
Will was relieved that they did stop after half an hour of waiting for the car to cease and stall. Tom has pulled the car into an abandoned gas station, the area looking as if a stampede had run through it. Pumps hung from their stands and blotches of spilled petrol scattered the ground, making the air thick with fumes. One of the store windows had been stripped of many of their products, and an old car sat idly in the repair garage next to the store, bonnet popped up but looking in rather good condition. The tools around it lay scattered over the concrete floor, dropped and left in the rush. The station was on the outskirts of what looked like a small town, a few houses lining the row up ahead of the station. The familiar scene of desolation seemed monotonous now, truly seeming as if they were the last people in the world with the remnants of civilisation crumbling around them.
"We can stop here, find some more supplies" Tom said "People as well...hopefully."
Tom exited the car with the rest following. Michael surveyed the ghost town like scene as will stretched his legs, trying to ease the aches from his bones. The old leader, too, surveyed the scene. Human dwellings were no mystery to him, but now they were nothing but blocks of grey with the occasional splatter of colour mauling the landscape. In his world, the humans restricted the size of their scattered dwellings, holding a certain respect for his kind with very few cities built to ravage the natural forests and fields. But here it seemed as if the humans cared little for the creatures of their world, most likely because they were little more than beats compared to the intellect of his kind, and were of little use other than food to these humans. He supposed it was not surprising when the creatures that did in habit this world did not have the intellect to fight back. The Lucario was the next one to step from the car, eyeing the land with the same scrutiny of the Alakazam, but with the eyes of a lost child rather than curiosity. Its crimson eyes had lost the fierce spark they once held, now becoming lost in the unknown landscape, nervously shifting on its feet. It was a fighting creature, but the enemy they faced could not be fought with fists or blows. It constantly circled them, intangible, making the Lucario very unnerved. It had never faced a foe without form.
Tom silently thanked God that the pumps had not been switched off, the evacuation having gone far too quickly to care about such things. He filled the car back up, also grabbing some containers for extra fuel which would come in handy, weaponised or otherwise. Michael and Will, meanwhile, entered the station store in search of food which was not processed to the point of tastelessness.
"Not much left, is there?" Will remarked. The shelves were bare, freezers empty but still running; even the cigarette stand behind the counter had been emptied. They were thankful to find a few candy bars lying around the counter, something to slightly boost their spirits. A few cartons of milk had also been left but were now sour and useless. Michael headed into the storeroom behind the counter, cash register raided for every penny of now worthless currency. A few crisp packets and soft drinks were left, adding to their bounty of junk food. They exited the store, having raided all the supplies that were left, to find Tom waiting for them. He stood by the car, now filled and idling. He reached over and grabbed one of the candy bars they had taken, unwrapping it and biting in hungrily.
"Where do we head now?" he asked through a mouthful of chocolate and nougat.
"Do you even know where we are?" Will asked
"Not a clue"
"Then how can we know where to go next" Will said annoyedly "We have no plan, and no idea of where can go. We are absolutely lost right now". Michael spoke up solemnly
"We could stay here for now" He said
"Until we get our act together?" Tom said
"...yes" Michael replied, pause betraying his answer. He was unwilling to move on from here, the place where he had lost Melody, clinging to some hope that she might return to here.
"Not likely, were in the middle of the open with these Pokémon right now" Tom said, finishing the bar he been chewing. "If anything, they force us to keep moving"
"But we can't just keep stumbling forward blindly" Will insisted "After all, didn't those leaders choose these two other Pokémon for protection?"
"Protection to them" Tom said flatly "We're just the means to an end"
"Then they need us alive to get back" Will replied "Everyone is gone anyway� there are probably refugee camps set up around the country, everyone would be flocking to those. They wouldn't care about us"
"Those bandits would beg to differ" Tom said
"They fled, we-we scared them off, they're only two now, two against us seven" Will recalled, three of the men had been shot and the others ran, knowing they were no match for a group of Pokémon along with a trained marksman.
"They'll be back..." Tom murmured "They always come back"
"What do you mean?" Will grunted angrily "They wouldn't bother getting themselves killed, even they wouldn't be that stupid"
"They have nothing to lose!" Tom yelled "They'll get us when we're defenceless, and then all this will be worth nothing!" He slammed the car bonnet, leaving a small dent
"Why do you think these things?" Will interrogated "Why are you always so...paranoid!"
Tom was silent for a second, contemplating an answer, struggling with words. He finally gave an angry growl of frustration.
"Fine" He said definitively "You two will never understand unless I explain it all to you"
He seated himself on now slightly dented bonnet of the car, making it lower slightly and give a rusty whine. He massaged the bridge between his eyes, rubbing the exhaustion from his face. The bags under his eyes were darkened, and the lines on his forehead deeper than before, cutting into his flesh. With all fiery anger gone from the man, he now appeared gaunter than ever. He began slowly, as if talking to a group of children.
"I told you I was a mercenary before I became a priest, didn't I?" He said "I told you I had quit, but really, my exit wasn't that gracious" His now far off eyes met Will's "Usually mercenaries keep to themselves, even when in groups like mine, we never communicated much. But the last mission I was assigned, we were all brought together. This was a huge assignment, bigger than I had ever been a part of. It payed handsomely and required all the deadly talent we could muster. Months of planning were needed, and it was necessary with the value of our target, the leader of a huge mining operation in Africa. The man was heavily protected, being close to Robert Mugabe himself, the current dictator of Zimbabwe. He supplied him with cheap diamonds to sell to the foreign markets at inflated prices; the man was so valuable to the economy that he was considered untouchable to any and all government officials save Mugabe himself. Our mission was to kill him at any cost in order for one of Mugabe's right hand men to succeed him and steal his lucrative post, after which we were guaranteed a large sum of the profits made from the mine, enough for many of us to never have to work again."
Tom paused to let the gravity of his tale sink in before continuing.
"The mission was planned for months, with all of us working to find the perfect time and place to do the job. In the end, it was all decided by the man we called "Sting". He was one of most skilled mercenaries we had ever seen; he had intelligence, cunning, and a quick trigger finger. But most of all he was cold, calculating and relentless. Whenever he was assigned a target, he got the job done no matter what, even if he had failed initially. Everyone knew that once someone was targeted by Sting, it was all over. He once chased a man halfway across Canada after failing to kill him in Toronto, all with a bullet wounded arm and no idea of where the guy was headed. They...found the guy's corpse three weeks later, washed up on a beach with a slit throat and no arms." Tom paused for a minute, seeming to struggle in beginning the next part.
"He got information on where the man would be and how we could kill him, and so it was decided. After months of preparing and forging papers, we set ourselves up in Zimbabwe. Horrible country...corrupt policemen and people wallowing in their own shit on the streets. Anyway, we set ourselves up at the diamond mine, posing as engineers and whatnot, and waited for the target to arrive and our queue to be given. After waiting for four hours, the target arrived in an armoured Hummer, odd as we had been informed that he often made the journey in an inconspicuous van. We all broke up and assume our positioned, I was the one set to take detonate the charges laid near the exit, blocking escape. But the target never exited the vehicle; it just idled by the side of the mine entrance. But only after we had begun to wonder what was going on, hell broke loose. Gunfire spouted from one of the sniper positions, followed by our other positions. I knew the plan had failed and legged it. I was hiding near one of the mine shafts and was forced to run under the catwalks to reach the spot in the fence where he had cut a hole, a precautionary measure if this did happen. But the fence was now guarded by soldiers and I was forced to double back, climbing the ladders and hoping to find one near enough to the fence that I could vault over it. Thinking all was lost, I detonated the explosives anyway, hoping that it would buy me some time to escape. But when I pressed the switch, the blast came from far off, not near enough to have been near the gates. I stopped to look out over the area...the explosion was a mile off, leaving a smoking patch of African wilderness. Before I could turn and run again, a large fist caught me in the jaw. Thankfully, I recovered quickly enough to bring up my gun, but it was twisted from my hand and thrown over the edge of the catwalk. It was then I saw who was before me, Sting." Tom's teeth gritted and his words became strained with anger.
"He betrayed us, he betrayed us all dammit! He had told the target of what was going to happen so he could walk away with a huge bribe and a place for him by the official's side. I tried to fight back against him, but the man was a gorilla, he overpowered me and dragged me back to the soldiers. He took his time to beat me before he left, laughing all the while as he tried to break me. He left me to the soldiers afterwards, they were no better, forcing me into the Humvee with them, smacking me with the butts of their guns and jeering. He exited the mining compound and drove off into the wilderness, leaving the soldiers to slaughter the rest of the team. My hands were tied as we drove, and the soldiers didn't mind beating me senseless on the way back to the city. But we didn't enter the city, we stopped on the border and they made me get out of the car. It was obvious they were going to kill me there and then; they had even prepared a noose tied to one of the old trees. Sting took his time to beat me further before this, sadistic bastard, he untied my hands. He wanted me to fight back. It was the last chance I would have of escape and I knew it, so while Sting took his time in grinding me into the ground, I managed to grab at a rock and smashed it into Sting's head. He was angry, he grabbed me and we scuffled around on the ground tearing at each other. The soldiers just laughed as they watched, they enjoyed the healthy fight left in me. But they didn't notice when I managed to grab Sting's pistol from his waist while wrestling with him, neither did he. I managed to throw him off me and get up, quickly firing on the soldiers. Most of them went down without knowing what had happened, and the ones that were left didn't react quickly enough as I disarmed and dispatched of them. But Sting was up by this time, and he had ducked behind the Humvee. He was a ruthless man, but he wasn't stupid, and he knew when he was outclassed, he would just strike later when the time was right like he always had. I knew that this was my chance. I entered the small van he had been taking and drove off without looking back. I head shots fired, presumably from him, but I never stopped to check. I was away and into the city, losing him in the dense crowds soon enough. After that I managed to find someone who could falsify my passport and left the country as soon as possible. I think it was a miracle I even made it out of the county alive, maybe that was how Sting wanted it, so he could try hunt me down again. But he never did, and I tried to disappear into obscurity even so. The group I had been a part of was now broken and disbanded, and I took up my time with a theology course at a small town school. It was far different from what I had done...and the Lords words calmed me somewhat, I thank him every day that I was kept safe from my past. It was a great day for me when I graduated; I became a priest at that small town church, and replaced the kindly old head priest when she passed on. That was six years ago...and then I met you lot, and now everything's been upset again...."
Michael and Will didn't know what to say. Before them sat a man who had most likely endured more physical pain than either of them in their lives, who had then transformed his life into one of peace and caring, only to have them come along and ruin it. His past of murder and blood money had nearly been erased, leaving him with a good life, but now he had been forced to return to that life. They both felt rather terrible and it showed in the sorrow on their faces. Tom saw this and replied
"Now , now, I don't blame you for this. It was...unavoidable."
They all sat in silence for a few minutes, no one knowing exactly what to say after such a tale of horror and betrayal. Michael eventually spoke up uncertainly
"So...you think that it might happen again?" That he asked "That someone might do something to get us all killed"
"Aye..." Tom said solemnly, but fear edged his voice as he continued. "But now...that is not the most of it..." Michael and Will gave him an expectant look, awaiting his true fear which forced this paranoia on him.
"That man, the large one who attacked us back there..." He said with a bitter hatred in his voice "Sting" He spat the word with vilest venom. Silence fell again. This was bad, and it had only gotten worse. Ghost from Tom's past now stalked them, one without care or remorse and one who was known for hunting his prey with deadly commitment. Will stuttered out a question
"You said he was in Africa, h-he betrayed you for some government position!" Will said, trying to dispel any truth that the man who pursued them really was the juggernaut Tom has told them of. "Why would he be here?"
"I don't know" Tom said hopelessly "All those years I spent in hiding, he never tried to find me...but perhaps he never forgot me either". Tom eased himself from the car bonnet, noting slight movement in the corner of his eye. He turned his head quickly enough to catch a glimpse of that Lucario ducking away from them.
"Now he just has a chance to finish the job" Tom said. Will made a strained grumble as he began to pace across the petrol stained concrete.
"More danger, more risks, less time..." He angrily muttered "Everything was beginning to clear up for us and now this stupid assassin comes, from out of nowhere, with the sole intent of killing a man who escaped him years ago!"
"He might not bother" Michael said hesitantly "He could just forget us and try find some people worth more"
"Sting isn't that type of person, Michael" Tom said "He's a hunter, and I've seen the psychotic look he holds when he's looking for someone. He never stops coming"
Will stalked off, muttering to himself as he often did now. Tom walked away without another word, Michael not bothering to follow him, heading for the roadside. He peered down the road and saw the tarmac narrowing to small suburbs not too far up ahead, abandoned now and seemingly gray the landscape. He could see signs of scattered destruction throughout the area, from stray portals which had been opening, obliterating anything that got too close as it tore space and time. The fresh meeting with Sting held in his mind as he gazed upon the scarred land, knowing that the man would burn this entire place to ash if it gave him the chance to kill him. Whether the man would do it for revenge, wealth or simple sadistic entertainment, Tom didn't know. Footfalls behind him broke his concentration, turning to face more questions from Will and Tom that they would surely ask. But instead of the lonely man and White haired professor, he found the Pokémon who he had barely seen before as it listened into his retelling. The jackal like being reminded him of some obscure Egyptian God he had read about in the days of his theology studies, standing on two padded feet with glaring red eyes. But now its eyes had lost their piercing complexion and appeared to be ones of assuredness, constantly trying to not look him in the eyes and searching the landscape without focus.
�
"You are...warrior...fight...for clan?" The creature spoke through its mouth, but the words seemed to become imbued in Tom's mind as it did so, not unlike what Melody had done, but lacking a double tone. The voice was feminine, despite the creature's masculine appearance, and struggled to form words.
"I was" Tom replied "But my...clan was all killed by one of the members"
"You...are...still a warrior?" she asked again. Her voice was slightly husky, despite the feminine ring to it; it carried pride and honour even as she struggled to speak to him
"Not anymore, I gave up on it after they were killed" Tom said. The creature stared oddly at him, as if it didn't understand.
"But you still fight...You...are still a...warrior" She said "You still...carry honour"
The term was slightly lost on Tom, not understanding the social ways of this Pokémon's species. Next, she asked something completely unexpected to Tom.
"May...we...fight?"
"Why would you want to fight me?" Tom asked cautiously
"In my clan...we train...spar with each other" She said explained gently, still trying to control her tone in this unknown form of speech. "You are a good...warrior, we can...spar to...train"
"Are you sure?" Will asked, being taller and build larger than her. She gave a slight laugh, losing the roughness in her voice for a second as it seemed that her intended voice broke through for a moment
"You are...a strange warrior to...be hesitant of challenge" She replied "I am sure...you are a new...opponent, and it would....be interesting to see your...skills". The creature turned and moved onto a patch of grass beside the gas station, beckoning him over.
Tom hesitantly followed the creature and took his place opposite her. The creature moved in a feral like stance, head bowed low and back hunched, paws spread out with fists balled. Tom eyed the metallic spikes on the back of each paw, not wanting to receive a large stab wound from one if he missed. He himself ducked low, knees bent and arms at his side for support. A defensive stance as he hoped not to engage the creature in full out combat too soon. The old position felt odd to him, muscles sliding back into that stance, imbedded in his mind, for the first time in years. His was a hand to hand combat style which was taught to him while he was part of his guild, standard for everyone to know it and use it, from initiates to higher ups. It was a blend of the Brazilian street fighting style Capoeira and Israeli Krav Maga jujitsu, deigned to drop the opponent as fast as possible by any means necessary, there was no honour or dignity to it, just raw power. This Pokémon, a wild being who had been likely raised to fight in a clan, was a mystery to Tom. He had no idea what to expect of her, whether she would strike, grapple or use his weight against him.
"We will start...when the rock falls...to the ground" She said, Tom was confused until, with a swift movement of her foot, she kicked a small pebble into the air. He watched as it fell. When it hit earth, she launched herself forward, head nearly touching the ground as she ran, using an amazing sense of balance to keep from falling. Quickly she was upon him, launching an upward swipe as her uncurled her body. Tom's old form came back to him as he automatically fell back, hands reaching out to catch himself in a spider like manner. The Queda de Quatro - the fall of four. With strong arms supporting him, he sprang his legs forward, knocking the Lucario off her feet as his feet cracked against her knees. She threw herself to the side and push up quickly as tom flipped himself back into stance. She attacked again, this time feigning right, dropping left and sweeping her leg under him. He moved swiftly back, following the flow of the kick, using his rear planted foot to lunge forward into a grapple. The Krav Maga grapples were fierce, counter attacking before the opponent had a chance to move, and his showed as his arm met the Lucario's neck, flinging her off balance as Tom's arm curled into a vice. He held her head and rapidly swept his own legs from under him, pitching them both forward onto the ground and locking her legs in position. Disarmed and disabled, that was what he had been taught to do, and when he could easily kill the target who he had pinned. But despite his solid grip, the Lucario was more flexible than a human opponent. She brought her arms around, gripping the back of his head, pulling forward and pushing her head back at the same time. Tom was jarred as he face met her hard skull, jarring him enough for her to free her legs and turn her angular head enough that his grip was lost. Tom rose as fast as he could, but was met with a strike to the chest as he did so, followed by a hard shoulder tackle, knocking the wind out of him and sending him back down. By training and instinct, he fell onto one hand, leg spread and other arm protecting his face in a Resistência. The Lucario jumped, leg coming down in an axe kick to finish the match. Tom's supporting arm swung out with perfect timing, striking her leg aside and knocking her off balance. She fell hard onto the solid ground, slightly panting in exhaustion, while Tom too lay on the ground after using his supporting arm in a defensive strike. He did not manage to get up before he a weight on his chest pushed him down, a cold metallic spike held near his throat. The Lucario was slightly smiling in triumph as she looked down upon him.
"Dead" She said proudly. Tom quickly brought his two hands up, index fingers outstretched, stopping just before they were plunged into her eyes. She reeled back slightly, but kept him pinned.
"Dead" He repeated, with a smile of his own. She stood, allowing him to pull himself up as well. She looked at him with a slight respect behind the glare she gave him.
"That was not....an fair tactic" She said
"Fairness isn't something that has any place in war" Tom said "Attack someone before they have a chance to react"
"It seems...like dirty fighting" She said
"Well...it's a dirty world" Tom replied. It was true. Given the chance, someone could and probably would shoot you when your back is turned, or when you aren't prepared. Honour be damned, survival was the important part.
"I...see" She said slowly, taking note of the move's Tom had used. To her, they were indeed considered dirty and lowly tactics to use, but they were effective. And from what she had seen in this world, honour meant little to most. She would expect him this time, already trying to think of ways to counter his own methods.
"Can we spar...again?" She asked. Tom thought for a moment. While he was sparring, he had forgotten all about this whole situation and the people around him. It gave him a rush of adrenaline and made him feel younger, to fight with quick blows and fierce jabs with someone who would counter with the same quick witted mindset. It was the first time in weeks that he had felt truly alive, and so he smiled and answered to her
"Aye, let's go again"
The rest of the morning was lost to him in a blur of quick movements and playful taunts, stopping to occasionally point out problems with balance or force, or to rest and recover from their many bruises and falls. By the time the sun had set, both stood exhausted from their many matches, sweating heavily and swaying as their muscles strained to hold them, large smiles upon their faces.
The two returned to find Will using his laptop in the backseat, stray notes strewn about him. Michael was nowhere to be seen, and true to their word the two Pokémon who were follow them had arrived. The younger leader was sitting in a meditative position with the older one while the large black wolf slept lazily in the fading light, not surprising after having to carry the psychic on his back for many miles. Will turned to the duo, an unimpressed look on his face.
"Are you two finished bickering?" he asked "Learn to settle something in a manner that won't kill you"
"We were sparring, Will" Tom replied "Just a friendly match between the two of us"
"Since when was dragging someone through the dirt considered friendly?" Will said, awkwardly turning around in his seat to face the two. "You hardly trust them anyway, and we have enough people who would kill us without trying to finish the job ourselves"
Tom shrugged sheepishly, comforted that he had at least found something interesting to do, taking his mind off his fears of attack. But also, for the first time, he rather appreciated the company of one of these Pokémon, which had been a mystery to him whenever he saw Michael commonly conversing with Melody. His mind jumped back to the young lad
"Where's Michael?" He asked, Will grabbed a few of his notes out of the car and thrust them at Tom
"He said he was going to look for some good shelter in the suburbs, meanwhile I was subjected to a complete lack of new information with you two were butting heads" He said. The notes meant little to tom, scribbled in near unreadable chicken scratch handwriting, but Will went on with his small rant.
"I'm stuck without anything new, all I can do is reanalyse old data with hopes of some new results!" he said, waving his arms in an exaggerated manner. "I am so close, to finding out how to predict the opening of these portals, but because we just sat here all day, I'm stuck without a piece of the puzzle. I don't even know if I have it right, I spent all day with this stupid equation and it is never constant"
"Are you...an elder?" The Lucario interjected, Will simply gave a groan
"Oh, another one that can talk, it makes even less sense" he said, stretching his hands over his face."How many of them are psychic? It seems like they just don't bother talking to humans in their world"
"Aura" The Lucario said "I...speak through the aura"
"Aura? What is that, some neo-pagan belief?" Will said. The Lucario didn't comprehend the word 'neo-pagan', but continued, voice still broken and strained.
"We see aura...it is life...energy. Everyone emits it" She said "It is hard...to talk here. Aura is not....as plentiful...in this world"
"Life energy...that contradicts every thermodynamic law in the book..." Will said
"It sounds like arcane belief to me" Tom said. "Archaic energy which comes from some unknown entity or source, or perhaps resides in everyone, and the practice of manipulating it. Wicca in a nutshell", Will was stunned at how the man could go from a lethal and stubborn man, to a theological scholar in only one statement.
"How do you...oh never mind!" Will said exasperatingly, noticing Michael slowly making his way up towards the gas station.
"What did you find? Anything?" Will said impatiently.
"A lot of the houses are undamaged, we could stay in any one" He said listlessly. During his entire survey of the neighbourhood, he had never really focused on one specific place. His mind still reeled with loss and guilt, and he had only left the station to be alone for however long he could. He had wandered through the streets, occasionally entering a random house to see what it contained. In each house, he looked through bookshelves, cabinets, and drawers, unconcerned with food or weaponry. He searched for something unknown, only drawing by the occasional tug at his being towards something that might resemble hope. In the end, all he had found were photos of happy families and couples, ornaments of days gone by aging in their places. The feeling in his mind was one not unlike a drug, giving him relief for a while, before the hope was lost and he could only push back onto the streets, looking for the next hit as he walked on.
"Fine, take one near the station" Toms said "We're near the edge of town, we'll see anything going in or coming out"
"Paranoid to the letter..." Will grumbled
"Tactical" Tom corrected "If I hadn't come one on this journey, you'd all likely be dead by now"
Will couldn't fault him there, the man's paranoia had saved them once before, and he had protected them ever since. It was grating, but it gave them all a better sense of security and let them sleep easy at night. Michael had been wondering something about the man, who had simply pulled up stake after their attack and travelled with them ever since.
"Why did you join us, then?" He asked simply "Why keep following us, even now?" Tom hesitated before answering; a slight pause with an off glance.
"My parish was destroyed; there was nothing left for me in that town. I hardly had much of a life outside the Lord's work back then" he said "And now I know you'll all get yourselves killed if I leave, the guilt of that keeps me following". He had admittedly grown fond of their little rag tag group, but wasn't willing to say it, and at least he wasn't alone in this situation. A soldier without comrades is just a fool with a gun.
"Good to know something does" Will said, climbing back into the car. Everyone else followed suit, the drive only a short one to the end of the road where an undamaged house sat. The house was the generic kind you would expect to see on a family sitcom. White picket fence and tin mailbox, both now knocked over, along with a small garden out front; Regular housing for regular people living the so called 'American dream' of having a good house and loving family. The car was parked in the open garage, door sealed to prevent unwanted visitors. The house was cosy, thankfully, offering a warm shelter from the cold dusk winds coming from the north. Everyone took places in the house, hoping for an easy night. Will took a guest bedroom, welcoming the warm bed instead of a lumpy couch, while the Pokémon scattered themselves. Mightyeena sleeping on one of the chairs in the living room, stretched over it like a comical animal instead of a proud wolf, and the two leaders taking a place on the floor, insisting that their trances provided more than enough rest regardless of surroundings.
Dusk went and the moon rose in the sky, darkening the house. Power was out, and only a lone flashlight illuminated the area around the spacious lounge. The Mightyeena was already asleep, faint whines occasionally accompanied by a twitch in the leg, while Tom sat on the couch with the lone Lucario beside him. They had talked for a while, the awkwardness of talking to another Pokémon having left Tom soon enough, even though her raspy voice did slow the pace. They had talked of their battles, their experiences in their own elements. The Lucario had come from a clan where she had been trained as a warrior, defending the rocky mountain that was their territory and protecting the young and frail when they were required to leave and collect food. The idea of female warriors had slightly surprised Tom, knowing that females in the animal kingdom were usually restricted to looking after their young and only fought when put in danger, but after hearing of the conditions her clan endured, it made sense to allow them into a warrior circle. Crossings through the mountains and deserts were often dangerous, risking the slower and sickly ones, who were the one's put in charge of foraging, being picked off by other Pokémon. She too, had listened intently to Tom's stories of his many missions' he had carried out while in his own 'clan', as she called it. The idea of honour was a larger part of her people's culture, but in this world, people had shirked honour in favour of survival, not willing to fight a losing battle. Their spars throughout the day had worn them out, and they reclined comfortably on the long couch, too tired to consider moving. The Lucario had now fallen asleep, head fallen on Tom's shoulder, who was too tired to do anything about it but also didn't really mind it. At least it was familiar company. Will passed through the living room after exiting the bathroom, noticing the two, as well as the rifle at Tom's feet.
"It dark out there, Tom" Will said, expecting the man to take his sentinel position, wakefulness fuelled by fear. "It'd be the best time to set up watch for the night"
"...maybe I could...not bother tonight" Tom replied. Will was surprised at the man's calmness, being very unlike him. This was a new area, unknown to them all, and that was what had set Tom off at the farmhouse after they had arrived. It was his crux.
"Are you sure?" Will asked carefully, the man seemed too placated to him, it wasn't the person he knew.
"Aye, I'm...tired" Tom said
"That never stopped you before" Will humoured. The man could stay up for days and still refuse sleep in the name of safety.
"Yeah...well..." Tom trailed off, he couldn't come up with an excuse, and he just wanted rest right now. Will shrugged and let him be, hiding his glee that his sleep would go undisturbed by stray gunshots. The empty king sized bed only served to remind him of how alone he was now. Tom lowered his head and let his heavy eyes close, head tipping onto the sleeping Pokémon next to him as sleep took him.
Michael was again left with the master bedroom, although now he wished for something smaller. He sat on the bed for a long time; his rifle held limply in one hand, he had simply forgotten to drop it in all he had been feeling. Occasionally he found himself having rested his jaw on the barrel, never meaning to do it, always hearing scatter voices running throughout his head. Pull the trigger, they said, make it all better. He didn't, out of some useless hope he still clung to. Eventually, he didn't know when, he mustered the energy to drop the gun and lay down. Darkness soon billowed around him again, for a single moment erasing all feelings and leaving him truly content with everything in his life. The inky dark veil came again, surrounding him in a sluggish field of black where he could see and hear naught. He dreamed for the second time that night, the flashes coming again, colours filling his vision for brief instances before rushing by. But even though invisible tendrils squeezed at his mind, slowing his thoughts and muting his inner voices, he knew something was different. It took him an age in his mind to process it, that the images were somehow clearer this time. The blurs and smudges of light took more shape now, still fuzzy as before, but all drawing themselves into shapes and curves. He heard now, slow rumbling and thunder resonating dully throughout the void, coming to his ears as the flash approached, tapering off as they passed. Again he sat there, again he pondered, and again he dreamed of light.