Kill or Be Killed

When Juniper first gave me a pokédex, the one topic that was always trending on sites like Pokeview was high leveled Pokemon battles, and it made sense. There was a primal desire and awe felt when watching a large Gyarados fight a graceful Lapras, or a swift Crobat dodging a Chandelure's fire blasts. 

But very quickly, I fell through the rabbit hole of Pokemon attacks. An angered Psychic Pokemon killing teams of explorers, fire pokemon setting towns on fire. Pokemon were just much stronger than humans, which is why we developed ways to train and domesticate them—to survive. 

But they can still be killed, my gripp on the glass shard tightened. If I could just injure the Team Plasma member, I could grab their Pokemon's poke ball.

"Do you want to kill yourself?" Hilda whispered, the anger in her tone still noticeable.

"We don't have many choices, this room's so small that he would find one of us in under a minute, and it's too risky to show ourselves," I responded, shuffling near the entrance

"He might have a weapon though too," Hilda grabbed my shoulder and turned me towards her. We were so close I could see her worried expression in the darkness.

"Look, I'll be bait, when he's distracted with me, go in for the kill."

"What, no," I instantly replied.

The voice grew louder near the door, thankfully I still only heard one of them.

"If you fail, we'll all die, me and Rosa still haven't received our pokemon. Distracting the trainer will give us the best chance of living," despite her words, I felt Hilda's hand shaking on my shoulder. She was scared; defenseless if the enemy's Pokemon decided to attack her.

"Hilda…" I heard Rosa mutter.

"Shit." The voice was growing louder, maybe a dozen meters from the door? We didn't have time to argue.

"Alright, scream out when you want me to attack. If they come after me first then I expect you to jump in," I grabbed Ruby's small hand. Picking her up and carrying us near a wall of boxes.

"Take this Rosa," Hilda grabbed two more smaller shard pieces from the workbench, handing one to Rosa. "Only show yourself if Atlas fails."

Before Rosa could retaliate, Hilda put her fingers to her lips, silencing her.

"Hide."

It was hard to see Rosa's reaction to her sister's words, but she seemed to give a silent nod with her head before kneeling down next to me. Hilda hid behind a large metal box opposite of us, closer to the door.

In that dark room, we waited. The next few seconds felt like minutes, I envisioned how I would attack, I could almost see the blood on my weapon, blood gushing out of their body.

The footsteps grew closer, I thought I stopped breathing, worried my breath would give us away. 

The door creaked open.

"Well, eighths times the charm," I could hear the enemy clearly now. Their voice was slightly pitched, like a teenagers. A light came from his direction, but it was dim.

I heard the shuffling of multiple footsteps walking towards the left, where Hilda was hiding. Their Pokemon was with them.

"You can come out now, I'm part of Nuvema's rescue team," the voice shouted.

"…"

"Hey, I know you're in here, I would turn on the lights, but the entire block has lost power."

Rosa looked toward me, seemingly conflicted whether we should show ourselves. I shook my head at her, it was best to keep hiding. If he really was an ally, then Hilda would tell us. Suddenly…

"Durant!" The trainer's pokemon let out a shout.

"…"

Silence fell over the room, for a few seconds, it felt like their presence completely disappeared.

Then I heard it, footsteps, much fainter than before. Judging by his change in demeanor, he was a enemy, and his pokemon found Hilda.

Slowly, the footsteps advanced further into the room. I wanted to peek around the boxes, see how close they were to Hilda, but it was too risky.

The footsteps continued, I put my hand on Ruby's shoulder, whose mouth gave off a small glow hidden behind the boxes. The blood river in my mind hummed.

…

…

"Die!"

"Durant! Attack!"

"Ember!"

I rushed out from behind the box with Ruby, whose open mouth illuminated the room.

A few feet away was the enemy, its ant like Pokemon pounced at a bleeding Hilda, whose attack failed.

"Help me!" The enemy shouted, shocked by my presence. In just a few milliseconds the trainer's Pokemon closed two meters, jumping at me. But I had my own Pokemon.

"Durant!" Caught off guard, the ant was encased in fire. Immediately a change occurred in my mind. The blood river hummed more intensely, a stream of liquid branched off the river and flowed out my body. Despite noticing a change occurring in my body, I ignored it, focused on the Team Plasma member less than a foot away from me.

The force of Ruby's attack suddenly increased, still dazed by the sneak attack the Durant was pushed into one of the room's walls, tumbling.

Desperation evident in his eyes, the enemy reached for his waist, but it was too late. My glass shard pierced his heart, his body instantly weakening. Frantically, I glanced over his belt, looking for a poke ball with a red glowing button.

"Scorbunny!" Ruby screamed, shooting more fire at the undamaged steel ant. After composing itself, it stood up and leaped at me again.

Grabbing the correct poke ball, I jumped backwards away from the ant, pressing the button.

"Return!" In an instant, the pokemon was sucked back into its poke ball. I fell to the ground with a large thump.

As soon as it started, it was over.

"Hah hah, ha…Are you guys alright!" Panting, I slowly walked up to the enemy's limp body. No pulse.

"Yeah, but one of my arms is bleeding." Hilda commented, wincing as she stood up. "The wound doesn't feel deep."

"Hilda! You need bandages," Rosa appeared from the boxes and kneeled next to her sister, examining the wound. Quickly she took the fallen lantern the Team Plasma member had held, and began searching the room. I was impressed by how composed she was.

But while they looked for bandages, I looked at my hands, blood covered. Then back at Ruby, who gave me a confused look.

I wasn't regretful or traumatized by my actions, it was either kill or be killed. But looking inside my mind, I noticed something. A small stream seemed to stem from the blood filled river. Although I couldn't see it, I felt like the small stream entered Rubie's chest, connecting us. 

"Strange," I muttered.

"Atlas, help me!" Rosa shouted, continuing to scour the room.

"Yeah…" I absently commented, but as I started moving. The ground above us stirred, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Get under cover," I yelled, grabbing Ruby's poke ball.

"No, listen!" Hilda yelled, her worried expression turning to a smile. 

Stopping my movements to listen, realization dawned on me, in the rumbling sound was a voice.

"Bron-Bronzing, Bron." It was Bronzong.

After the ground rumbled a bit longer, Bronzong lowered from the ceiling hole, large enough to carry us up.

Quickly, we climbed up the bell pokemon.

"Here." I reached out one of my hands to Hilda, helping her up onto the large body.

"Thanks," I might've been mistaken, but I think I saw her cheeks turn slightly red.

Levitating up, we were finally out of that dark storage room. Watching us rise meter by meter, my thoughts couldn't help but stir. 

Although it was normal for buildings to have basements, for them to be almost a dozen meters deep, and with no levels in between. What was down there? Despite how suspicious the level seemed to be, the Team Plasma members easily entered it.

I'll just ask Juniper later, my thoughts cut off as we rose out of the hole. Already waiting at the top was Caitilin and an unknown woman. 

My eyes slightly widened, instantly recognizing the woman, as would anyone who was familiar with Pokemon. 

It was Cynthia.