[IC] SoA-Ep1: Passage

[Felicity]

Now Nikki was conflicted. She stood, staring at the woman out of the corner of her eye, yet to turn around and face her. Nikki really didn't care about what popes, the terrorism, any of the motives. Hell, we're here now because the pope thinks pride trumps beating the threat.

However, the woman had said one thing that caught Nikki's attention.

"Train them, brief them, help them grow stronger, use it's power unlock the hidden potentials of themselves and their partners..."

If Nikki knew anything, it as that training was arduous, naturally. If she could expedite that process, she could be back to take on the league again. Take the title for herself. As Nikki pondered on what to do it also occurred to her that the other people here were strong. At least at a higher level than any of the normal trainers or wild pokemon she might find in Kanto. Who better to spar against?

"When you say train us, help us, what do you mean by that? Facilities? Information? What?"

[Sutoratosu]

Valeria

"Well someone changed their mind pretty damn quickly..." The woman turned to Nikki, virtually ignoring Johanna's already repeated proclamation of apathy and que sera sera at this point. "We reteach them the things that humanity has forgotten through the course of it's advancement." She said. "And we show them the power lying dormant inside a human heart- the same type of power that can activate a mega evolution in a pokemon -and we help them hone it, train it to a point where it surpasses the normal bounds of strength into entirely new territory...territory we haven't even found the exact limits of yet. If their hearts are strong enough to unlock that force, then they can potentially make the regional champions look like a bunch of little kids just having mock battles on the playground..."

Yuuki and Felix

Before long, Yuuki's wandering seemed to only bring him right back to the staircase from which he'd started. It seemed both the trainer and his Gallade had gotten disoriented and turned about in the utter blackness of the vessel's inards...

Felix stumbled about in the darkness for a few more moments, following the curvature of the nearest wall with the sparce amount of guidance the torch provided. The hallway he'd chosen... seemed a bit off though. Almost like... he was passing the same exact doors, the same exact signs. Before long, though, he spotted an all two familiar staircase, flashlight beam falling upon two forms in the darkness, one of them obviously a pokemon...

The stair would surely lead back up to the deck. But before they could make any type of acknowledgment to that fact or to one another, music came from nearby. Faint. Quiet. As if it were being played over a speaker further down in the ships depths...

And it seemed to be emanating from behind the stair case. If they looked close enough... they might have noticed a door slightly ajar in the darkness, more steps leading down to a soft glow far below...

((IT's your choice. Either go upstairs to the deck or descend into the righteous side of hell. And there's nothing at all saying you both have to choose the same path.))

[Felicity]

Nikki's eyes went flat, losing the sparkle of curiosity they had briefly held. "So, friendship power, heart of the cards crap? I'll take the next stop off." Nikki said. Why had she let herself think for a moment these people might have some clue? Hell, what she said was the 'power of the human heart' is probably something they mistook for an actual training technique. Or drugs. Adrenaline was useful in a fight after to kick the mind into high gear and make the right calls.

[Sutoratosu]

Valeria

"So, friendship power, heart of the cards crap? I'll take the next stop off."

"Well then, That's your decision..." She said, face deadpan as she stared at nikki, eyes as cold as glaciers. This woman... she was truly proving to be an annoyance. She was obviously thirsting for power, Valeria could see it clear as day; it seemed to be the one thing the fool cared about most in this world. So hungry for it that she changes her mind on a dime the moment it's mentioned, and foolish enough for it that the moment she hears some route or method to it that she isn't familiar with or acknowledge, she automatically disclaims and disregards it as false and invalid...

She'd have no trouble when this particular vixen would be let off in Goldenrod. let her walk whatever path she wanted, she would have enough trouble already with Khan, she had no need for the even greater trouble that having to also keep her eye on a power-hungry fool of a trainer would produce. She had no need for fools here, and neither did the Church.

"But just for the record, if you asked anyone who's ever mega evolved their partner, they would be quick to tell you that it's anything but a farce. But eh whatever, it's your life, you do with it what you want." She's just like them... that same drive, that same reckless ambition...how typical.

[Hiss13]

Yuzuki was astonished about how off their rockers the other two women in the initial group were. One seemed too apathetic about the whole situation and the other was playing an odd game of 'Will I, Won't I?" Neither had any foresight and neither were focused on the matter at hand enough. Yuzuki's earlier observation of them as tunnel-vision cases may not have been as inaccurate as she may have expected.

The problem was that she was the only one taking advantage of the fact that the hooded woman was answering any of their questions for them. So, she decided to press further on the nature of the so-called Brotherhood (without the obligatory "Hold it!" shout).

"With regards to the Brotherhood, I have a few more questions. You said that they were an amalgamation of the remnants from the various organizations. But something does not add up. Would a group of people like that actually be able to put aside their ideals for such a nebulous goal as 'revenge'? The group is an amalgamation of those organizations which each had different goals. Of course, those organizations were composed of individuals as well. Humans chasing after their own ideals. One would think that such a large organization with such a nebulous goal would eventually break apart from the inside out or could easily be broken apart by some concentrated efforts at disturbing the organization from within. So, why go through all of this effort?"

Edited December 18, 2015 by Hiss13

[Sutoratosu]

Valeria

Thank god... anything to not have to talk to her anymore... Valeria turned away from nikki, gazing back at Yuzuki "Because this isn't as simple as your evaluation just now makes it out to be." She said. "Yeah, we thought that at first too, when the reports started coming in. We just sat around convinced that it was no threat, that they would dissolve almost immediately from infighting and we wouldn't have to raise a finger... but then they started actually operating, and guess what? They had their shit together better than any of their individual predecessor organizations. If you looked at them with no knowledge of their varied backgrounds, you would never be able to tell that most of them once had completely conflicting missions with another... What the man leading them has done, is not as simple as just taking together a few differing, conflicting elements and slapping them together into a half baked little army of rebels who just so happen to be putting aside their own views for a common goal, destined to fall apart and disintegrate the moment it's achieved.

No. Not at all. What he did was create an entirely new force from the ruins of those who came before him. He approached the survivors with a new goal in mind entirely, gave them something different to fight for; to create a new order. an order where everyone of them wins in the end. If the current order falls, if the Church and the Regions no longer exist, then who will be left to control the world? The Brotherhood will. And at the end of the day, what were the heretics after at their core? Control. regardless of proclaimed ideology, or methodology, that's all it ever boiled down to. Control. "

[Hiss13]

Yuzuki still found it odd. Even control seemed to be too nebulous of a goal for this kind of amalgamation. The idea of filling in a void by destroying the world's current structure was just as nebulous. At this point, it seemed like pressing from that angle would only lead in circles. But, the woman had provided another existence to press for information about--the so-called leader. "So, who exactly is this leader, then? From what you're saying he seems to have simply emerged from obscurity and created this organization. What exactly is this person like?"

[Sutoratosu]

Valeria/ Hecate

"I think that's enough for now." Valeria sighed. The spot of darkness they had escaped thanks to had faded to a mere speck on the horizon by now, the gengar who had conjured it now sitting with her ghastly legs dangling over the ship's cabin, watching the deck and the humans. Valeria glared at the specter as she continued. "It's a few hours time both to and back from the nearest port... we'll have plenty of time to talk and get everything explained for those who choose to stay onboard. Trust me, there's no need for us to try to plow through and digest everything in just 10 minutes. But you've gotten the basic gist of the situation, it should be about enough for you and everyone else to decide whether or not you want in or out... I suggest you just think over what I've said for now."

Meanwhile, the Ghost type returned her glare from it;s lofty perch... with a shit eating grin spreading wide across it's ugly maw, stretching from ear to vile little ear as Valeria watched. Before Any of the four of them could respond, she said to Yuzuki "Just think on it, if you're still uncertain, alright? If you still want more details, well.. sorry to say this, but there's no point in me going to the trouble of a full and indepth briefing right now if I don't even know how many of you will actually be staying and have any use for it." then without another word more, started to walk off towards the stairs leading down into ship's cabin...

And the Gengar kept sneering at the little group all the while...

[Chim]

Joey followed the interaction between Nikki and Steele with interest. In his mind he imprinted the image that they were fighting over him and a dumb, satisfied grin showed on his face. He couldn't help but agree a little with Nikki. He too came her to look for Arcadia and a way to remove the roadblock that he was unable to pass for quite a while now.

The water type trainer was considering to follow Nikki's lead when he thought back at Khan's little power display. He's strong... the type of trainer I've been looking for. What if I can find my answers here but don't realize it yet? I have to take the risk and jump into the unknown or else I would be pondering about what could've been.

His attention was drawn back to the conversation when Valeria started to answer some questions. He would take everything into consideration before making his decision, but when she mentioned Mega Evolution his internal struggle came to an end. He was definitely going to stay. Satisfied with his decision, Joey decided to stay out of the conversation for now. Ishmael had other plans.

The giant serpent was still out of his Pokéball, closely watching that Gengar. Strong. Could he beat it? Probably not considering the current situation he and his human were in. His gaze turned back to the sea as he let the humans bicker. Ishmael wasn't paying too much attention when he also heard ways to become stronger and Mega Evolution. He slithered over, right behind his trainer and waited for Joey to say they were going to stay. This was exactly what they were both looking for and what that dumb human of his needed! But Joey didn't speak a word and Ishmael grew impatient. Now, when it truly mattered, he kept his mouth shut? The water type craved for silence whenever his trainer had found a female to talk to but right now wasn't that moment. And when Valeria walked away he couldn't help but let out an angry and mighty roar for everyone on deck to hear.

[Chevaleresse]

Interesting choice in music, given the circumstances. Rather fitting, though. And, at least music is preferable to the chaos above the deck. He waved a perfunctory greeting at the other man. . . Felix, his name was? No matter. He followed the impression of the doorway down further into the ship, pulled by curiosity and a simple desire to find a place to sit and write the log of his experiences today.

[Hiss13]

With that, the path to more answers was cut off. Though, that was fine. The woman had a fair point. Even Yuzuki herself was undecided as to what to do. Even if she had a base idea of what was going on, she still did not know what she wanted to do. She had made the declaration to take in more of the world but was this the way she really wanted to do that? She still had to figure this out before they reached the port. But, at least she had to some time to let her decision collapse into one. Until then, she decided it would simply be best to watch the sea and think it over.

[Sutoratosu]

On Deck...

The gengar tipped forward as the Serpent unleashed his roar, eyes wide in shock as she tumbled forward through the air, arms wailing at her side as she tried to stop herself. But alas, her fate was ensured, as she descended like a stone, landing face first on the charred wood of the deck. They often said that Gengars float like butterfrees, sting like beedrills; obviously though, the former part of that seemed to not be the case here.

Valeria suppressed a satisfied, coy laugh as she watched the ghost's literal fall from her lofty perch. Hecate's eyes burned as she gradually lifted herself, arms straining under the weight until she finally remembered the fact that she was not bound by the laws of the mortal world. Within mere moments the ghost was high above them all once more. There was no sneer from this time though, only a scowl. A Scowl so deep, so profound, that it could've well melted the scales off a dragon with it's intensity. A Scowl directed at Ishamael... and Ishamael alone.

"ha, nice one!" Said Valeria, the amusement on her face not even hidden anymore as she glanced Joey's way. Hecates eyes only grew more contemptuous as she did.

At the Stairs...

((Darvan... don't think you ever made a decision to go up or down, but you're here now, so...))

The other figures in the darkness seemed to make their choice. They had already descended towards the crack of light in the depths by the time Felix heard any of the ruckus outside.

First there was a roar, a deep, guttural surge of fury, indignation... determination. And then there was a thud. A Loud one.

If Felix looked up, he may have seen a purple, amorphous blur descend from through the air suddenly, crashing into the ground outside, just at the top of the stairs, easily visible in the daylight beyond. And he may have also seen it slowly levitate back into the air...

The Righteous Side of Hell

Beyond the heavy vault like door not too unlike the one in the conference area lay a quaint hall, easily narrower than the corridors he had just left behind. And far more cave like infact- all four sides of the space made up of pitch dark, glossed stone that bore a reminiscence of obsidian. Yuuki could see that the light he'd noticed was produced by the series of strange, near crystalline fixtures in the craggy, coal black rocks forming the ceiling overhead, each one of them blazing a soft, iridescent yellow that pained his eyes if he looked directly at them. In the walls, he could see a nigh perfect reflection of him and the Gallade as they stood there in the entry way.

Yuuki could spot that the strange hall led straight, then took a bend just a bit ahead. The music emanated from further within, louder now that he was closer. And down here, he could pick something he hadn't before- a voice, singing along to the lyrics... in near perfect pitch and synchronization.

[Chim]

Oh? Was that Gengar picking a fight with him? Perfect. Ishmael was itching to go head to head since the Gengar had displayed her power. Could he win? Maybe. He hadn’t seen quite on opponent like this ghost before. Maybe if he could land a nice little Crunch… But his human trainer would never allow it. Ishmael knew that. So what about a friendly sparring match? Just taking a little nibble out of this Gengar sure wouldn’t hurt, right? And he longed for it. The bloodthirst he felt after the giant from before went down was intoxicating. Not to mention the adrenalin that kept pumped through his veins this entire time. He wanted to let loose so bad. And if this Gengar was looking for a fight, Ishmael would give her one. The Gyarados quickly glanced at his trainer before slithering over to the levitating ghost.

In the meantime Joey was confused. He had no idea why this girl just complemented him. “Err, thanks, I guess? I’m not sure what I did though,” he mumbled while scratching the back of his head. The water trainer turned towards his oldest partner to see if he had done something. He was just on time to see Ishmael move over towards the Gengar. Joey instantly realized that his Gyarados was trying to pick a fight. Again. And this time he was challenging a powerful ally while they just barely won their last battle and weren’t safe at all.

“Ishmael, stop it! This is not the time to be picking fights!” Joey stopped his Gyarados on time. “Don’t forget that Gengar’s trainer is the one who allowed us on this ship.”

Ishmael froze. His human had a point. That guy was something else and if he wanted to become even stronger, maybe that guy could give his trainer some advice. The Gyarados was torn but decided to back down. For now. He glared at the Gengar, trying to make eye contact, so he could make clear their battle was on hold. He would definitely battle her later.

[Darvan Korematsu]

Felix stood there for several moments to take in his surroundings once more while the scholar waved at him turned his back on him before he could utter a response, and proceeded further into the shadowy abyss. Hmm....where to go from here? The music while alluring, did not peak the curiosity of the young tinkerer. He felt...uneasy again. An unholy chilled feeling crawling down his spine like a skittering Joltik. He squinted back into the abyss for the once dull footsteps of the other scholar, however no audible response echoed up the stairs.

He stared down into the abyss and back up to a sole window. A faint ray of light outshone the creeping shadows of below, and he swiftly made his choice to frantically dash for the nearest set of ascending stairs he could lay his eyes on.

However came the sound. He believed from above. That roar. A cacophony of different sounds, all seemingly from one lone source. He stopped dead in his tracks before fully sprinting to better hear the sound.

Nothing.

One thing did however catch his eye. Outside another porthole window, he caught the brief glimpse of a purple blob rocketing off the boat - from above he assumed. Felix mused as the violet mass gathered itself and floated back up toward where it came from originally. Surprised by the sight of this, he hauled ass for the next set of stairs, climbing it like a ravenous Primeape in search of a banana.

[Sutoratosu]

On Deck

"It's just nice to see that ghost get what's coming to it for once." The priestess- at this point, a priestess was probably the best way the group could refer to her- said idly as Joey rushed to stop the Serpent. The spectre had been just as ready to fight as the water type, it seemed. Or at least the black haze gathering around the twin crimson orbs serving as it's eyes proclaimed as much as they began to swell and burn with black light. The same that had impeded the police not long ago. Before the attack even fired though, it looked as though the Ghost's attention was drawn elsewhere, body craned to look behind her... as if someone were calling.

She turned back to Joey and his dragon before long. A long, venomous hiss escaped her maw as she backed away, slowly. Then vanished from sight altogether. Valeria too seemed to have gone. Or at least, she was nowhere to be seen by the time anyone took their eyes off the retreating phantom. Instead in her place was none other than Felix stumbling out of the stairwell like he was being chased by a man brandishing a spanner... looking rather shaken at that.

**********************************************************

Sunset, on Deck

Approximately 5:13 PM

The sun sat low in the heavens. Hours had passed, just as had countless miles of ocean. The seven strangers stood where they pleased on the deck. Asking for any more information on their situation had proved pointless since that morning- Khan had oddly been nowhere to be found since he vanished earlier and Valeria still refused to be any more generous on the subject than she already had. It was obvious that they had to make their choices soon. Goldenrod wasn't that far now. Probably just an hour more before it showed it up in the distance... even if the horizon was cloaked in fog.

The rest of the daylight hours hadn't been too overly eventful. Not that they honestly could've, after the insanity they had all participated in. Oddly enough though, the mute Tatsuya seemed to have recovered enough from his wounds to come from below deck and gaze the setting sun like the rest of them. Even odder, The supposed "Captain" of the vessel had made a reappearance as well. The only way any of them even knew this however, was because the man had accompanied Tatsuya up from below deck.

Neither one spoke a word about that morning. About the three assailants in black, the beast, how Tatsuya had been injured in the first place, or where Recci had been for so long. Nothing at all, no matter how hard anyone pushed. All they got was that the "Higher Ups" had ordered relevant silence onto them for now.

As for who exactly these "Higher ups" referred to, either the entity called Khan or the Priestess Valeria... well, that remained up to anyone's speculation. It was obvious neither of them was going to go any further on it...

Somewhere below deck...

"Well I'll be, that's a new record..." Black lenses gazed down at pale and flaccid skin on the smooth, steel coroner's table. Khan turned his sneering smile up towards the others gathered there, at least four in all. One a ragged young man who looked more at home bumming it up on the streets than standing in that tiled room. Another a bespectacled man in a lab coat, busying himself on a tablet, stylus flying across the screen. The third, naught more than a massless, shapeless presence, really... an amorphous being enshrouded in fires of snow white, eyes like twin dying stars boring through all who dared stared back at them. The last of them meet his gaze with a smoldering glare of her own from under her white hood. Khan didn't seem to be all that perturbed by the fire crackling at Valeria's fingers. "Not that I'm surprised, of course... an angel versus mortals, well, it's a clear cut match right then and there. Still though, Reshi, twenty? All in one go? I honestly expected you to be at least a little merciful about it... always thought it was your brothers who were more for the crowd killing."

"Don't patronize me, you pathetic little lamb." The being bedecked in white flame responded. "I've destroyed countless more fools than those who fell to my fires this day, you yourself should know this fact better than any other. Even besides the point though, you should watch yourself... I've yet to decide whether to add you to the count or not."

The thing's smile did not fade. "You might want to make that decision soon though." He answered. "Looks like Valeria may well beat you to it otherwise." He prodded the cheek of the body, loling the head to the side with his finger, gazing right at her. "I really did do you a favor here today though, child. You should thank me, really... had I have let this one get away, you would've been sent for him. You know it just as well as any of us. Master dispatched to kill the prodigy she helped mold... the prodigy who would burn up almost anyone else sent for the job. It only makes sense, afterall."

"Don't try that with me." Valeria snarled. "I'm not that stupid... you did this out of spite, you beast. Not out of any altruistic desire to try to save me any grief over the inevitability of things. Tringe may be blind, but I see clearly. I know what you are. I sensed it from day one."

"And yet you did nothing, and continue to do nothing. Why is that, if you think me to be some big bad boogie man?" His sneer grew fiercer. His canines had gradually extended to full fledged fangs. As had all his incisors. The air rippled with the charged force of the violet miasma surrounding his frame. The ragged teen and the bespectacled man took a step back from the scene. "Well, Val? Answer me. why? Why didn't you do something then, when trying to tell Tringe didn't work? Why didn't you just burn me to the ground yourself right then and there- it's not like you ran the risk of burning any bridges, hell, you did that long before I came along, didn't you?"

"I-"

"She stayed her hand this long because I commanded as such." It was the being of white flame who broke in, positioning his fires between the two. His eyes met Khan's own without the slightest bit of fear in them. "You owe your entire survival thus far to me, fool. And only because I my brothers have been ordered as such. You stand where you do now only because of our efforts..."

"Oooooooh please, you overgrown lizard... I stand where I do thanks to myself and myself alone. All that matters at the end of the day is that Tringe trusts me, alright? Let's face it, children, I've already-" He stopped. eyes gazing to the sealing. "I see... interesting. You're all going to want to grab onto something in about... 10. 9. 8. 7. 6...5...4..."

They all didn't need his cues. The four of them could sense it themselves by now. That presence... that tugging, that tearing in their chests. It couldn't have been him, they knew. None of them had ever seen him unleash full force in battle, but not even he could be this powerful, to have such an effect with so little sign of being set up.

"Get down, shield your-" Her feet flew out from under her mid sentence. The lights burst overhead and for the second time that day, the ship rocked as if the Lord Groudon himself were reawakening. Her eyes did not adjust as they should've in the darkness. This... was no natural shroud.

Infact... now that she looked at it...

it was surprisingly deep violet rather than black she was expecting.

On Deck

The changes were subtle at first. The fog rolled closer. Then it got thicker. No one really thought much of it. This was the ocean... fog happened sometimes, any mariner would attest to it. Just like Jack and Tatsuya had attested, the first thing they had freely said since they'd been out there.

But it didn't stay mere fog for long. Not even five minutes before they were engulfed in it, the entire world faded from the misty laden grey of the fog to the deep, rust orange of the sun. The temperature seemed to intensify, from the frigid cold of winter to the sweltering heat of an oven. A roar not too much unlike the beast they'd slain that very morning pierced the dusk sky. With came the second tremor the group had felt that day... but this one far more powerful than anything the explosion had wrought.

Jack was screaming something, orders, though they were lost over the din. Tatsuya was motioning towards the Ship's hatch, a clear indication to get below deck, now. Even if anyone had been paying enough attention to it to notice it though, none would've been able to follow the silent order. None could stand in this sweltering storm of heat and sound and fog and light. The air seemed to burn with the wrath of god himself as they struggled for breath on the acidic winds beginning to flow across the area. The roar raised in pitch and power, soon they all felt it rattling their very core. Reality was slipping too fast. Their minds to fragile, minds fit for mortals, not angel slayers. Their lungs seared, their skin too. Their eye's watered. The world itself seemed to slip to black, inch by inch as their bodies began to rebel against the forces working on them...

The last thing the seven saw, before they finally gave in... was gold. The soft, vibrant glow of gold. And the end of the Pain's reign on their nerves.

And then nothing. Nothing but the black of the void. The black of slumber.

...

...

...

...

...?

And then the vessel cracked against the shore, it's hull shattered by stone and light. The Roar ceased.

((End of Chapter 1))