FicWad

Tears dripped from Batoy's cheeks, dropping on to the stone pedestal over which he stood. He dropped to his knees in complete distress, landing so hard on the smooth stone floor that the entire lower portions of his legs became numb. He folded and rested his arms over the pedestal and sobbed into them, his chest tightening and his heart pounding. "I can't... believe it..." he stuttered through sniffs and sobs as he glanced up.

Atop the altar, between the perched Umbreon and Jolteon, lay his battered and torn Eevee, frozen with rigor mortis. The Jolteon trembled; its eyes squeezed shut as tears gathered on the tip of its muzzle and electricity played across its yellow and white fur. The Umbreon wasn't as upset, at least visually. It looked around, its ears flicking this way and that for possible intruders that might endanger them as Batoy and the Jolteon were far to engulfed in their grief. But its red eyes were glossed, and it soon laid down, grief-stricken and exhausted.

It had been merely luck that Batoy had stumbled upon this strange altar. The entire area, small as it was, was a shrine of some sort, and it had been built on the only plateau on the mountain. While the half facing the mountain was surrounded in trees, the other half opened up towards a steep cliff with a long drop. Batoy had been compelled to honor the Eevee with a ritual reserved for the deceased in his hometown of Lavaridge. He couldn't bear to bury the Pokemon in a place like this. However, as he said the prayer, the words left him, and he finally broke into a long overdue wail. The shock of the Eevee's unnecessary death had finally passed.

Batoy's sobs came to a sudden halt after a few minutes and he pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the pedestal. Reaching out, he stroked the Jolteon's head, though the upset Pokemon was discharging electricity. The shock, painful as it was, was oddly pleasant and reassuring to him, almost as he was being punished. "Hey... it'll be alright..." he muttered. The Jolteon looked back at him, its eyes shimmering with a coating of sorrowful tears. Batoy sighed and looked up past the trees into the darkening sky. The fading sun had just dipped behind the jagged horizon where mountains reached into the sky, only to be overtaken by thick building clouds.

"Somewhere... somewhere out there is Amethyst City.... Maybe it'll have the answer to why we're suffering so much...." He glanced at his Jolteon. The dimming sunlight caused the crystal around its neck to sparkle with rainbow like colors. He narrowed his eyes. "What's so important about this damned crystal? I know we need it, but why? What's it do? Why'd we have to be the ones to take it? It's all its fault that Meto's dead! I should just throw it off that cliff and be done with it...." His anger faded quickly and an empty feeling replaced it. Batoy sighed again and patted the Jolteon's head. "But that wouldn't fix anything, would it? I... I just don't know what to do..."

"What you should do is hand over that crystal, kid!" a harsh feminine voice demanded, and Batoy, the Umbreon and the Jolteon leapt up, shocked and startled. From the trees, two men and a woman, all dressed in blue pants and striped shirts, approached. Batoy backed away as the Jolteon and Umbreon moved to block their path. The woman grinned and held up a hand. "Now, now, there's no reason to fight. We wouldn't want for these two cuties to end up dead." Her eyes wandered over the pedestal and narrowed over the sight of the Eevee. "Disgusting thing... My name is Alisha. I doubt you want your friends to end up the same way as that, so hand over the Weatherite to us and you won't be harmed."

His eyes wide with fright, Batoy continued to back away until his sneaker scraped the edge of the cliff side. Glancing back proved to be a mistake as vertigo quickly overwhelmed him, and Batoy sank to the ground, tightly clinging to the stone. "Please! Just... leave me alone!" he cried out. Alisha started forward, her two accomplices following suit, but the Umbreon growled. A foul odour began to drift through the air as it began to secrete its toxic sweat. The Jolteon turned and barked at Batoy. The boy glanced up. "But... you guys... are you sure?" The Jolteon nodded as the boy climbed to his feet.

Alisha shook her head. "Enough playing around kid. If you're not going to hand over the Weatherite, we're going to just have to take it from you. Ralph, Jack!" At her command, the two men hurled Pokeballs, and in a flash of light, two massive red Pokemon appeared, snapping their pincers with unbelievable might while the golden stars on their head glinted. Alisha grinned before releasing her own Pokemon, a pale blue Pokemon that resembled some mutant cross between a duck and a human. The Jolteon and Umbreon began to back up before they were just in front of Batoy. "Golduck, Crawdaunt, get them!" she roared and the three Pokemon leapt at them.

The Jolteon crotched and growled and the Umbreon hissed, but before the group could meet in combat, a stream of dark violet fire struck between them. The two fox Pokemon yelped and leapt back beside Batoy as the Golduck held out its webbed claw, holding back the two Crawdaunt. The flame came to an end, and Batoy glanced about. "Wh-what was that?" he stammered. "What now?"

A Houndoom followed by two Mightyena waltzed out of the trees, followed closely behind by three more people, all men in red and brown uniforms similar to what Batoy wore. The leader, slightly taller than his partners, stepped forward. Batoy recognized him as Melroc, a lower Admin. "Glad we got to him in time... let's get the kid and get out of here!" With that command, the two Mightyena stepped forward, their angry glares causing the Golduck to back away just a bit. But the Crawdaunt stood firm.

Battle exploded instantly. Streams of bubbles poured out of the Crawdaunt's claws, while a massive plume of water gushed out of the Golduck's maw. Another stream of fire from the Houndoom, and identical screaming golden beams of light from the Mightyena met those attacks, and steam and energy lanced out everywhere. Batoy took a step backwards as a Bubblebeam impacted in front of him, and immediately yelped as he lost his balance and fell. Shocked, both the Jolteon and the Umbreon leapt after him. Melroc cursed and ran to the edge. "Shit... get medic out here!" he roared to the other two men, and the Magma members disappeared into the forest.

Alisha sighed and shrugged. "What a tragedy. Such a child should not have met his end so soon. I suppose it couldn't be helped." She pulled out a small ear-phone. "We may have lost the Weatherite, but at least Magma didn't get it either. What are your orders?" After a brief pause, she nodded and looked towards the two other Aqua members. "Let's pull out for now." The three then vanished without paying Team Magma any attention.

A grim calm overcame Batoy as he watched the trees race towards him at frightening speeds. He recalled the two Pokemon that followed him into their Pokeballs and then closed his eyes. It was unnerving to see death rush towards him, and perhaps when he hit, he wouldn't feel it if he didn't see it. Suddenly, something cool, like mist, enveloped him. Batoy squeezed his eyes shut. It almost felt as if he were slowing down. He'd impact any moment now.

He felt a soft pad as he landed softly on grass, and he opened his eyes to see a boy staring back at him. Immediately, Batoy recognized him. "Y-You're that kid... from the Penal Center...." Crawling to his feet, Batoy looked around. "How... how am I still alive?"

"You would've been dead had Murkrow not seen you and Haunter not caught you," the boy said nonchalantly. "And yeah, I was at Penal Center. You're that kid with the dead shiny Eevee, right?" Beside him, a ghostly figure materialized, its large claws floating detached from its body. The black bird Pokemon Murkrow perched on the boy's shoulder.

Cringing, Batoy nodded slowly. "...Yeah... Anyways, thanks a lot, pal... I gotta get going...." He mumbled as he pocketed his hands and began to walk off. The Murkrow suddenly flew and hovered in front of him, blocking his path. "Huh? Hey, get out of the way..."

"You're Batoy, huh? I dunno why, but I expected a bit... more from someone who robbed that institute by himself," the boy said from behind, and Batoy turned, grimacing. "Alisha said that you had something we wanted. So why don't you just had it over to me?"

Batoy pulled his hands out of his pockets and clinched them. "Why... you... what's with this damn thing anyways! Why's everyone so obsessed about it! I lost Meto because of it! What's so bloody important about it!?" he cried bitterly.

The boy gave him a strange look. "I'm surprised you don't know. But then again, I guess if you did know, you wouldn't have stolen it. What do you think Weatherite does?"

"I don't care! I just wanna know why everyone's keeps trying to take it from me!" Batoy yelled.

The boy shook his head. "Idiot... that's what I'm trying to explain to you. I see why Alisha meant by saying conversion is something not easily done. You Magma guys are as thick as wood."

"You just gonna insult me?" Batoy growled, an urge to hurl a Pokeball at the boy's face growing. He was not in the mood to be patronized by anyone. He'd failed to give his Eevee a decent burial, and even the prayer had gone unfinished.

"Fine, whatever. Just don't go crying when the world falls apart because you've killed Kyogre..." the boy mumbled.

"What?! What're you talking about? All the problems with the world exist because of Kyogre! It's because that demon that I don't have a home!"

"Demon? Where do you get off calling a Pokemon a demon? Had it not been for the stupid power struggle between Maxie and Archie, that `demon' as you call it would've still been sleeping. It's a Pokemon, and it deserves the right to live like you and me."

"Don't blame everything on us! You're the guys who let Kyogre kill Groudon and upset the balance!" Batoy protested with his fists clinched.

The boy brushed him off. "I didn't blame everything on you, but whatever... but if you give the Weatherite over to Magma, you'll be responsible for Kyogre's death and the collapse of the world. Your choice, but I'd hand it over if I were you. Otherwise, you're just gonna end up seeing the ugly face behind Magma," the boy said stoically.

Batoy faltered slightly. "...Who are you?" Batoy asked after a bit of a pause. "And... if I give you the crystal, then what happens?"

The boy smiled. "Call me Aaron. As for what happens to you, you get Aqua's gratitude and Kyogre continues to live its life the way it wants. Meanwhile, we'll continue to search for ways to keep Kyogre's power in check."

Clearly troubled, Batoy pulled out a Pokeball and looked at it. However, a sudden screech from the flapping Murkrow caught his attention. Aaron grimaced. "Damn, no time. Can't let them catch me..." And with that, he turned and fled, disappearing moments before Melroc and the two Magma grunts rushed out of the bushes with two more people, medical personnel.

The man halted and glanced over Batoy. "You're... alive?! That's a miracle if I've ever seen one... praise Groudon... you okay, kid?" he asked. Batoy nodded slowly, troubled thoughts running through his head. Melroc smiled with relief. "Alright. We need to get you to Amethyst quickly before Aqua realizes that leaving was a mistake. As much as I'd like to crush them, getting you to safety is priority."

Nodding again, Batoy sighed. "Is it me you need safe... or the Weatherite...? I just don't know anymore..." he mumbled. No one overheard him. He glanced up into deep purple sky. The stars had already begun to twinkle in the twilight air. The grunts took up flanking positions behind him while the two medical personnel walked on either side of him. Melroc led the way.

The remaining trek through the forest was uneventful, and soon the tall violet spires of Amethyst City loomed overhead. Batoy gazed up at the massive structures as the final rays of light caused the buildings to sparkle. They marched into town down the main thoroughfare. Even the streets were paved with the amazing purple gem. But in the growing dark, Batoy could not see as much as he would have wanted. They group made their way into a building.

"Oh wow..." he murmured. Even the very walls of the inside had been fashioned out of amethyst. They were in some sort of business lounge room, simple in design, but incredibly elegant in approach, an effect enhance by the almost overwhelming violet gemstones. They moved through without stopping. From the lounge room they came into an empty hallway. From the hallway into a crystalline elevator they went.

As the elevator rose from the ground, nervous anxiety began to overtake Batoy and he glanced up at Melroc. The man looked forward, not even casting a glance in his direction. Sighing, Batoy looked down as the elevator rose ever higher. Suddenly, the cityscape opened up in front of him as the elevator rose ever higher. He gasped at the glistening buildings that spanned every direction. They rose as high as he was, reaching towards the clouds, or so it seemed. But as soon as he'd seen it, the view disappeared and the elevator dipped back into the interior of the building.

With a dinging of an electronic bell, the elevator hissed open, and Batoy was escorted down another translucent hallway. Another door loomed in front of them; this one far more majestic and imposing with its designs and curves. It seemed almost fit for royalty in appearance. Melroc took the door by its handle and pulled it open, and Batoy nervously walked in.

To his surprise, no one was in the stunning room. Melroc and Batoy's escorts left him to gaze about the place. Unusually bare in terms of furniture, the room merely had a large oaken desk and several comfortable looking teal sofas. But on the crystal walls hung massive portraits of Pokemon, landscapes, and people. Each one was incredibly gorgeous, but the one that caught his eye was that of a single man. Well groomed hair longer than his shoulders and as silver as the moon only highlighted the man's hypnotic ice-blue eyes. He turned around to ask Melroc who it was in the picture, but the man had already left.

"Well... now what..." Batoy mumbled to himself as he sat down on one of the sofas. The thought of waiting pulled at his gut, and he grimaced. Minutes passed, and Batoy began to entertain thoughts in his head. "What if... they knew..." he mumbled softly. "Did... they see me with him? It... it's treason. They're gonna kill me... I just know they are..." His pulse began to race.

Suddenly the door opened, and Batoy spun around in his sofa much faster than he would have liked. His entire body was shivering. In the doorway stood just one man. Batoy's eyes widened. "Y-You're... that guy... from the picture!" he gasped. The man's uniform was quite a sight to behold. It was completely silver with stripes of teal; a great lavender cape flowed from his shoulders.

"My name is Gidan," the man said coolly. His voice was as smooth as silk and rich as red wine. "Though I'm sure you've never seen me before, I'm certain you've heard of your own `Leader' before, haven't you?" He laughed as Batoy's eyes grew wide. "At any rate, I believe we have things to discuss." Batoy slowly nodded.