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Anima Ex Machina (PG-15)
- Thread starter JX Valentine
- Start date
katiekitten
The Compromise
...I was so sad when I'd realised I'd caught up. xD This story has been entertaining me for two evenings - I've been really enjoying it! Your characterisation in particular was great, I really like Adam and dear Bill. x3 The last chapter as well... <3 It was funny seeing where you'd edited, as well - I kept on reading parts of the reviews as I passed them, and it was neat noticing the changes. And of course the relationship between Adam and Bill - Adam is officially my favourite character, haha.
There were a few typos dotted around but they get us all. :3 Great job~!
There were a few typos dotted around but they get us all. :3 Great job~!
JX Valentine
Ever-Discordant
Indeed he is, Diddy. Indeed he is.
Totally okay. I was actually heavily surprised that you dropped by at all, what with the involuntary hiatus you're on and all. Which makes you awesome, but still, I applaud you, sir. o>
Thank you! Glad to hear it!
This comment really pleases me. I've worked hard on my characterization, and while I know there's some characters who are just a bit on the cliche side (lolnettle), I'm happy with the results. So, it's really awesome to see someone who enjoys that part of the story.
Especially the relationship between Adam and Bill, for that matter. Because those two are a lot of fun to write.
Haha, yeah. XD That's one of the reasons why I didn't just start a new thread, even though parts of this version are completely different from the original. What's even more fun is watching people try to guess what the original was actually like before the edit blitzes of last year.
(The typos you'd mentioned, meanwhile, will totally be hunted with extreme prejudice. *fistshake at them*)
Thanks for the review! Remind me to tackle your fic later. ♥
The Great Butler
Hush, keep it down
First of all, I unwittingly saw Diddy's review before I began reading the chapter and laughed heartily.
I don't recall if there was explicit confirmation before that Nettle was a formal member of Team Rocket, but with this, I'll say I always knew she was.
She's reminding me of Paxton from Annihilation Earth now XD;
Because Domino is a stickler for the rules, Nettle. She's Scanty.
First time I've ever heard that surname for him. Clever variant on the typical.
Also, bargain with Giovanni. That's real bright, Domino.
Wow that was badass. A nice and short but exciting action scene.
Damn. Who would have thought a couple of lesser-memorable Gen 3 Pokemon would be capable of simply saying "**** you" to two high-ranking Team Rocket members like this?
Lanette stop making me want to love you.
Spinda continues to impress me with its adorable usefulness.
I'm honestly surprised that it took this long for Domino to just go after them herself. Of course, she never had a chance.
Okay, show of hands. Is Bill the most badass Pokemon ever? It almost is a GOOD thing he's infected by a parasitic alien virus right now!
Damn, Bill, how long have you been bottling this up? Good on you for finally standing up for yourself!
Pardon MY interruption, but shut the **** up, Nettle.
Because he loves you, Lanette. That's why.
Also, I feel conflicted about Lanette. I want to like her because of all the badass things she's done, and for the fact that she's just survived all of this, yet I can't help but want her to be at least a little nicer or somewhat grateful for Bill's efforts. I mean, I can understand because she's sure seen some ****, but...
Wait, he only noticed now?
It seems like being in a ball actually made Bill grow a spine.
If Lanette didn't exist, Bill probably wouldn't mind being owned by Domino. XD;
And Domino learned to lampshade. Brilliant.
Oh Lanette, you possessive *****. Just admit your feelings for him already.
If this is how it sounds, it's certainly a very interesting angle on how Poké Balls work.
I'm not sure who's being the most awesome here. Lanette's totally owning Bill, Bill's kicking ***, and Domino is actually holding her own against a freaking mutant possessed by an alien parasite using her bare hands.
I get the feeling Nettle's more about tactics. Domino seems to be the action-oriented one of the two.
Oh ****. Definitely did not see this coming.
Wait, what? That really came out of nowhere.
That is a really awesome and very appropriate description of Stone Edge as used by a Solrock.
So Giovanni STILL hasn't learned his lesson after Mewtwo beat his ***? Wonderful.
AW ****. I guess they should have called Giovanni after all.
I don't know why I just thought of htis, but do the differing types of Ixodida have differing levels of sentience/intelligence?
No more specific thoughts from here.
I have to be honest, you're really good at keeping me on the edge of my seat, that much I'll say. I think that my favorite part was Nettle's sudden and gruesome death; like we discussed elsewhere, good horror should embody not only the physical definition of the word but also the mental definition. The way you presented Nettle's death, at least to me when I read it, gave me a vivid image of a person in that situation, and that made me just as uncomfortable as the concept itself. I have to admit, though, I was greatly amused by the significant amount of bickering over who owned Bill, too. Poor guy just can't cut a break.
I don't recall if there was explicit confirmation before that Nettle was a formal member of Team Rocket, but with this, I'll say I always knew she was.
She's reminding me of Paxton from Annihilation Earth now XD;
Because Domino is a stickler for the rules, Nettle. She's Scanty.
First time I've ever heard that surname for him. Clever variant on the typical.
Also, bargain with Giovanni. That's real bright, Domino.
Wow that was badass. A nice and short but exciting action scene.
Damn. Who would have thought a couple of lesser-memorable Gen 3 Pokemon would be capable of simply saying "**** you" to two high-ranking Team Rocket members like this?
Lanette stop making me want to love you.
Spinda continues to impress me with its adorable usefulness.
I'm honestly surprised that it took this long for Domino to just go after them herself. Of course, she never had a chance.
Okay, show of hands. Is Bill the most badass Pokemon ever? It almost is a GOOD thing he's infected by a parasitic alien virus right now!
Damn, Bill, how long have you been bottling this up? Good on you for finally standing up for yourself!
Pardon MY interruption, but shut the **** up, Nettle.
Because he loves you, Lanette. That's why.
Also, I feel conflicted about Lanette. I want to like her because of all the badass things she's done, and for the fact that she's just survived all of this, yet I can't help but want her to be at least a little nicer or somewhat grateful for Bill's efforts. I mean, I can understand because she's sure seen some ****, but...
Wait, he only noticed now?
It seems like being in a ball actually made Bill grow a spine.
If Lanette didn't exist, Bill probably wouldn't mind being owned by Domino. XD;
And Domino learned to lampshade. Brilliant.
Oh Lanette, you possessive *****. Just admit your feelings for him already.
If this is how it sounds, it's certainly a very interesting angle on how Poké Balls work.
I'm not sure who's being the most awesome here. Lanette's totally owning Bill, Bill's kicking ***, and Domino is actually holding her own against a freaking mutant possessed by an alien parasite using her bare hands.
I get the feeling Nettle's more about tactics. Domino seems to be the action-oriented one of the two.
Oh ****. Definitely did not see this coming.
Wait, what? That really came out of nowhere.
That is a really awesome and very appropriate description of Stone Edge as used by a Solrock.
So Giovanni STILL hasn't learned his lesson after Mewtwo beat his ***? Wonderful.
AW ****. I guess they should have called Giovanni after all.
I don't know why I just thought of htis, but do the differing types of Ixodida have differing levels of sentience/intelligence?
No more specific thoughts from here.
I have to be honest, you're really good at keeping me on the edge of my seat, that much I'll say. I think that my favorite part was Nettle's sudden and gruesome death; like we discussed elsewhere, good horror should embody not only the physical definition of the word but also the mental definition. The way you presented Nettle's death, at least to me when I read it, gave me a vivid image of a person in that situation, and that made me just as uncomfortable as the concept itself. I have to admit, though, I was greatly amused by the significant amount of bickering over who owned Bill, too. Poor guy just can't cut a break.
Phantom Kat
Hobo Writer
Oh, Bill. I love your rant. Seriously. He's about the most pacient, politest Pokemon canon character I know, and seeing him just blow up on Lanette (in Bill's case, this is him blowing up) made me fall into a fit of giggles that I had to smother due to being the only one awake in the apartment. Yeah, that's right, Bill grew a spine, and with Lanette his trainer, he's ready to kick some butt. (And this may be the most Adam-less chapter since the transformation.)
And on that note, I utterly loved how after the discussion of who owned Bill it ended up with Lanette claiming ownership; it's like he's a dog or somethi ng. xD Bill's "utter horror" had me laughing. Of everything he was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. Yet, maybe this is a good thing? I don't think the ixodida will wait for Bill to get the hang of battling. Lanette, as crazy as she may be, knows much more than him. Maybe some good will come from this. (That, and Bill being owned by Lanette is funny on so many levels.)
Nettl burned to a crisp. Bill almost burned alive. All I can say is that this is one hell of a cliffhanger. Yes, pun intended.
Awesom job, JX! You never disappoint and always leave us wanting more. I wish you luck on your real life stuff! I'll very eagerly be looking forward for any kind of update.
(I want to do some sort of fanart for AEM. Like, DESPERATELY.)
- Kat
And on that note, I utterly loved how after the discussion of who owned Bill it ended up with Lanette claiming ownership; it's like he's a dog or somethi ng. xD Bill's "utter horror" had me laughing. Of everything he was expecting, it certainly wasn't that. Yet, maybe this is a good thing? I don't think the ixodida will wait for Bill to get the hang of battling. Lanette, as crazy as she may be, knows much more than him. Maybe some good will come from this. (That, and Bill being owned by Lanette is funny on so many levels.)
Nettl burned to a crisp. Bill almost burned alive. All I can say is that this is one hell of a cliffhanger. Yes, pun intended.
Awesom job, JX! You never disappoint and always leave us wanting more. I wish you luck on your real life stuff! I'll very eagerly be looking forward for any kind of update.
(I want to do some sort of fanart for AEM. Like, DESPERATELY.)
- Kat
JX Valentine
Ever-Discordant
Diddy's reviews are always an accurate summary of this fanfic. No exceptions.
Yeah, I think it was way back in chapter three was the initial reveal. And then she was present for the entire conflict that led up to Bill being kidnapped by Abel and dragged to Hoenn. But that was way back when, and the chapters involved are almost two years old. So, I really don't blame you there. XD
Also, as you should. ;D Nettle is all kinds of shady. Or was, rather.
ALSO AS SHE SHOULD. :V
I love professional ***** characters.
I am absolutely adoring this analogy, and it's my regret that I can no longer take advantage of it.
...Although it now puts horrifying images of who Panty and Stocking would be for this fanfiction. I really don't want to imagine Bill taking off a pair of stockings after dancing on a stripper pole (although in his human form, I have to admit that would be hilarious), and I'm pretty sure Lanette isn't half the skank Panty is.
Thank you! My lessons in Italian have partially paid off. *bows*
Absolutely! He would be proud of her. Probably.
Thank you! Lanette and her Pokémon know how to make an entrance.
She's trying really hard, but... :<
I know! Ever since writing this fic, I've fallen for all kinds of underrated Pokémon. Chansey. Altaria. Spinda. Solrock. Probably Jynx in a few chapters, too. (Yes, folks. Nettle may be dead, but Jynx is not leaving the cast.)
Oh Domino. She's trying really hard to lead. *pets her*
Or at least he tries to be. ;D If you said that a couple of chapters ago, then that might've been hilarious.
Since forever. The poor guy takes a beating, but he tries so hard to see the best in every situation. (Or at least most canon universes' Bill does. Oh, Special. Your reactions are so out-of-nowhere, but we still love you.)
But with a list this long of all the ways the universe has tried to screw him over, even the most patient people can snap under pressure.
XD Seems like everyone's reaction when she opens her mouth.
And this is why I like you.
Yeah, I can understand. He's trying so hard for her sake, so it's a little difficult to watch her treat him so coldly. But she's already slowly turning around. After all, she did go after Domino to rescue him. It'll probably be a bit more time before she actually thanks him for anything he's done, but it'll happen eventually.
And it'll probably be something like this.
(Yes, I did just link to a video of Kung Fu Panda 2. And yes, I do imagine Tigress's voice whenever I think of Lanette speaking.)
Bill's not exactly the king of perceptiveness. XD
Well, he is, but sometimes, he misses key details.
Also! There is headcanon involved here, so maybe in a chapter or two, what Bill experiences thanks to the Master Ball will be cleared up (including why he can suddenly use his powers so long as he obeys every word his trainer orders).
Or adding that to the already lengthy list of why his life sucks. XD
Probably not. Save for the entire Team Rocket thing. XD And probably their idea of experimentation if Domino succeeded in transferring him to a Rocket laboratory. (I'm just imagining the hilarity that would ensue if someone attempted to cut open his armor in order to dissect him. Oh, the places that scalpel would ricochet to.)
Only the most awesome skill ever!
But it's more fun to beat up the ones you love by being a massive tsundere!
Seriously, that's probably the closest to a confession you'll get from her out of this fic.
I feel like I need to do an entire headcanon post about how I think Poké Balls function. There's just way too much detail there to add to the story.
Oh, Nando. I should just ask you for ideas for AEM Extras. Every time you review, you give me more ideas for what to write.
Correct answer: All three! Yay for World of Badasses!
Pretty much, yep.
;D
Admittedly, the Fire-type ixodida did (although you'll be seeing a lot more of him later... and he's a hold-over from the last version of the fic), but the head... not so much. You'll find out later on where that came from.
Thank you! Years of ASB reffing pay off. ;D
Nope. Because does Team Rocket ever?
Kind of.
Among infected forms, there's two different kinds of ixodida: drones and monarchs. Drones include Abel and the Poison-types Adam fought way back when. They're brutes and primarily used for physical tasks, and they possess only rudimentary intelligences. (They can recognize monarchs and figure out problems, but ultimately, their idea of intellect is just following the orders of the monarchs. In other words, they're not too bright, but they can get anything a monarch asks done.) Meanwhile, monarchs like Adam and the Lord of the Skies possess sapient-level intelligence because they're the ones who are head honchos among the Ixodida species. It's the monarchs who order the drones, after all, so they've got to at least understand their hosts and form tactics decently enough to survive and control the drones who serve them. (Except the Lord of the Skies failed miserably at this, and Adam doesn't give a crap. This Fire-type ixodida really would be a better example of a monarch.)
In terms of elemental types, nope. A Steel-type monarch can be just as intelligent as a Fire-type monarch. The only differences between them is the same as the differences between each race. Everyone has their fair share of complete idiots.
Thank you! And I'm glad you liked it. That part was a bit fun to write, I have to admit, because I always like the challenge of trying to make readers cringe at the sight of a character death. Because you're right. It should be an event that's taken seriously and that messes with a reader's emotions.
No. No, he can't. XD
But he will eventually, probably!
Thank you! That part was fun to write as well. Oh, Bill. You're so adorable when you're angry.
Or near ready. Lanette will see to it that he eventually becomes ready, whether he likes it or not.
It looks like this is literally everyone's favorite part. XD Even on another forum, one of my main reviewers pointed it out.
But it's cool because that was the most amusing part to write for me. And that argument certainly isn't done yet. Domino's still alive, after all. ;D
Nope. Not one bit. XD
But at least it's a step in the right direction (towards getting Lanette to like him again). Sort of.
We shall wait and seeeee~!
Thank you! And thank you for the well-wishes, too. Grad school starting soon, so I'm just slightly nervous, but don't worry! I'll find time to write more AEM~!
DO IT.
Phantom Kat
Hobo Writer
:O Not only is your birthday eight days after mine, but it's also on Mexico's Independence Day. You have earned one more cool notch on your totem poll. my friend. *le bow*
I'm sure Lanette will raise Bill to be a top-notch fighter. Who knows? Maybe Adam will take a liking to herand try to do more than just kiss her for finally shaping Bill to be the ixodida he was meant to be. And Bill will complain all the way through and make her try to see the light of reason; Lanette will just make him see the business end of her crowbar.
Haha, oh trust me, I plan to do fanart on this. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I don't think I fanfic has ever made me laugh, cringe, and gasp as much as this one.
- Kat
I'm sure Lanette will raise Bill to be a top-notch fighter. Who knows? Maybe Adam will take a liking to her
Haha, oh trust me, I plan to do fanart on this. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I don't think I fanfic has ever made me laugh, cringe, and gasp as much as this one.
- Kat
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JX Valentine
Ever-Discordant
*high fives* I'm quite fond of my birthday too for this reason. Also, because it's my birthday.
Oh, Adam has already taken a liking to her, if you know what I mean.
Shame. It's literally not a word in the Ixodida language.
And everyone will take bets on how long Bill lasts in that fight. XD
Woot! \o/ Thanks muchly; that means a lot to me. And, of course, I can't wait to see what you cook up in terms of fanart. ♥
JX Valentine
Ever-Discordant
Author's Note: Happy anniversary to AEM! Technically speaking, the fic itself is three years old, when it made its debut on October 1, 2008, on Fanfiction.net and Pokécommunity. Two versions, twenty-one chapters, countless edits, craploads of characters, tons of real-life shenanigans resulting in hiatus after hiatus, and more references than you can shake a stick at later, it's still going strong in the year 2011. And to celebrate, most of the versions of this fic you'll find across the vast intertubes will be updated at some point or another today, starting with right here on SPPf!
Unfortunately, I didn't finish the edit spree and therefore can't really post all of the new chapters, but as a consolation prize, have a chapter twenty-one!
Anima Ex Machina: Twenty-One
So the phoenix burns.
Forward.
Bill had no idea where he was or even if it was possible to break free from the Gray Forest, but nonetheless, he walked forward, eyes straight ahead, hands balled into fists. He didn't care that he could feel Adam's stare bear down on him. His mind remained focused, and his pace never slowed.
He didn't know how much time passed before anything happened, not that he particularly cared. It simply felt like an eternity before he saw a flash of silver at the edge of his field of vision. Suddenly, he was aware that it was to his left, slightly behind him but walking at the same speed.
"What are you doing?" Adam asked.
"Walking." Bill was slightly surprised by how blunt his voice sounded, but he tried his best to appear stoic.
"Are you aware that you will never reach the end of this forest?"
"I don't care."
The flash of silver disappeared from Bill's view, but the sound of leaves crunching under metal feet and a cold chill in his bones told him he still wasn't alone.
"What people say about you is true," Adam drawled. "You certainly are impressive. Quick to adapt. Quick to learn. Your mind yields to change so easily. Yet, at the same time, your heart always stays the same. Determined, chivalrous… stubborn." It paused for a few seconds. "You will never reach the end of the forest, you know."
Bill gritted his teeth. "I. Don't. Care."
"You should. I only wish to speak to you this time."
At that, Bill stopped. He looked skyward briefly before whirling around and glaring at Adam.
"What?" he demanded. "What do you need to tell me this time? That I'm weak? That I'm easy to manipulate, but it's necessary that I serve as your host for some aggravatingly vague reason? Go right ahead, Adam. Belittle me. It's not as if I have a choice to listen to you, considering it seems that you decide when I can wake up."
Adam cocked its head, but its face remained blank. Unnervingly blank. Bill felt his own emotions waver as he gazed into Adam's all-too-familiar, soulless eyes.
"Belittle you?" Adam questioned. "Hardly, I should say. In truth, I wish to congratulate you. I knew you would be powerful in your own right someday. You have my abilities backed by such a keen mind, after all. But never would I have imagined that you would take to fighting so quickly and so abruptly. The way you responded to Lanette and how you fought those humans… it was quite interesting to watch, if I may say so."
Bill cracked a grin. He normally wasn't the kind of person who would stoop to being petty, but at that point, he wanted the catharsis of arguing with someone. The parasite just happened to be convenient.
"I'd hate to disappoint you," Bill said, his voice nearly a purr, "but I wasn't in control of what I was doing. Perhaps it wasn't you who was acting for me, but I most certainly wasn't deciding whether or not I should attack. I refuse to fight, and I will always refuse to fight."
Adam lifted its chin. Although its expression didn't change, there was something in its face that told Bill it wasn't as amused as it had been a second ago. Its features seemed to darken, to gain a shadow that wasn't there, even though its mouth was still a line and its eyes were still glassy and wide.
"Is that so? Are you certain?" Adam's eyes flicked to the side. "Poké balls are fascinating devices, are they not? A symbol of human ingenuity. You happen to know quite a lot about them, if I understand your memories correctly. They convert pokémon to energy and energy to data, a concept in direct violation of the sciences that apply to humans. They harness the purely pokémon ability to manipulate the fabric of reality itself in order to function. They turn those laws against the creatures that use them in order to draw nets over them. Yet… humans have not been able to use this ability to its fullest. The device only works on a physical level."
Bill felt as if the ground beneath him was being pulled from under his feet. He knew he was about to lose this argument, to lose his power over Adam, and he wasn't ready to admit it.
"I know this already," he told the parasite bluntly.
"Then you know that your logic is invalid," Adam told him. "You cannot blame what you did on the device that holds you captive because you know very well that they do not function in that manner. Lanette did not force you to obey. You chose to obey her, just as every other tamed pokémon chooses to obey their respective humans."
"Why would I choose to hurt people?" Bill growled.
Ignoring him, Adam continued, "Is that why you are walking? You wish to defy me, do you not? You are upset because you feel as if your life is being dictated to you by fate, by Lanette…" It took a step closer as its eyes moved back to its host. "…By me. Yet, you fail to realize that no one is forcing you to do anything. You simply choose to let us control the events around you."
"That's not true. If I had the opportunity to decide, I wouldn't—"
"Have become an ixodida? You had the opportunity to call for help in Polaris Institute, but you did not. You underestimate your strength, Bill, yet I cannot complain. It makes things far more convenient." Adam's eyes closed halfway. "Or perhaps, to be more specific, are you upset that I kissed Lanette? I told you she fascinates me."
Bill couldn't help himself. He felt a sudden burst of emotion, and before he knew it, his hands lashed out to encircle Adam's neck. Just as soon as he felt the cool metal beneath his palms, Adam vanished, leaving Bill to choke thin air. A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, and with a yell, he flailed, his fingers clawing for any part of Adam he could grab. Adam's hands quickly grasped Bill's wrists, its claws scraping his smooth skin. In the meantime, its tail lashed up to take the place of its arms around his waist, and only then, after he realized that he was caught, did Bill finally stop struggling. He panted angrily as Adam leaned close to his ear.
"You see? The only thing truly controlling you are your emotions. You must learn to master them, or our body will master you."
"It's not true," Bill hissed. "I wouldn't ever…"
"Fight? Are you still curious as to why you obeyed Lanette's orders without thinking about them? The answer has always been within you, Bill." Adam's voice lowered to a whisper. "'Getting inside its skin helps me get inside its head.'"
Bill drew in a sharp breath. He didn't say a word. His teeth clenched as he tried to wrench himself free from Adam's grip, but this only caused the ixodida to hold him tighter.
"You see it, do you not? The way you are now becoming an ixodida inside as well as out, I mean. How your imagination is forcing you to become not only a pokémon but also the pokémon of that woman." Adam leaned a little closer until its lips brushed Bill's ear. "Well, Bill? How far have you gone? How much of an ixodida have you let yourself become?"
Adam waited for a few moments. When no answer came, it unwrapped its tail from its host's waist and shoved him to the ground. The impact with the wet earth jarred just enough to shake Bill out of shock. Picking his head up, he looked over his shoulder at Adam. By then, the parasite was already walking away, its tail switching behind it with every step.
"Humans are fascinating creatures," it said, "but your humanity will kill you, Bill."
Just as Bill pushed himself to his feet to confront his partner, he noticed the gray world fading around the edges. With that, he sighed and closed his eyes, waiting for his reentrance into the real world.
Which hurt like hell.
It took every ounce of willpower he had not to scream, but somehow, Bill managed. His fingers dug into something soft as every inch of his body felt like it was on fire – which, given what he remembered from before he slipped into unconsciousness, wouldn't have surprised him. All around him, he could hear the sounds of muffled voices, and as he began to focus on them instead of the pain, they slowly became clearer and clearer.
"—waking up." Ellen's voice, Bill realized.
"Finally." Lanette's. "How much longer do you think it'll take for him to fully recover?"
"Any moment now, I think."
"Any moment now?"
"Yes. He's recovering faster than anything I've ever seen apart from ditto, and with Chansey's Softboiled helping him, the worst of his injuries are almost healed. Once that's complete, there are only a few minor burns left, but if he continues at this rate, he can even take care of those on his own."
"Fascinating."
"What we should be more concerned about is how much energy he's using. If we get more of a reaction than this tonight—" A soft hand brushed Bill's fingers. "—then we should count ourselves lucky. He'll need to rest, and he hasn't been fed lately, either."
"No worries!" Thom's voice now. "I've got that all taken care of! Look what I got!"
Bill heard the rustling of cloth. All of a sudden, the room filled with the scent of blood and something musty. He felt his stomach begin to rumble, and at that, he dreaded to know what Thom had just pulled out. Ellen's gasp and sharp whisper didn't really help.
"Thom! What are you doing?! This is a hospital room!"
"What? You told me to go out and catch something Bill can eat, and here it is!"
"He's not awake yet! Besides, do you know how unsanitary that is?!"
"Oh, come on! It's not like you've never had one in here!"
"Not dead!"
"They're not much different when they're alive, right?"
Lanette sighed. "Nurse Joy, let me take care of him. You keep an eye on Bill and tell me if he regains consciousness."
"Too late for that, Lanette," Bill told her hoarsely.
He opened his eyes to see Ellen hovering over him as a pinkish blotch on a stark, white background. When his eyes focused on her, he could see the concerned look in her eyes and the worried frown stretching the corners of her mouth.
"Bill!" she exclaimed. "How do you feel?"
"Weak," he admitted.
"Do you feel any sort of significant pain?" she asked. "Does anything hurt inside?"
Bill forced himself to sit up. Instantly, a sharp pain hit his side. He yelped and wrapped his arms around his torso. Ellen reached out to grab him as she glanced over the bed to where Chansey had been standing.
"Chansey, I need a Softboiled," she said.
The happiness pokémon trilled and yanked the egg out of her pouch. A yellow light glimmered across its surface for a few seconds before pulling away to form a tiny, yellow bubble. It floated lazily to Bill before touching the skin of his forehead. He lifted his head, feeling the warmth of the bubble pass into his body and flow across his skin as a yellow glow washed over his body. The pain dulled, and gradually, he relaxed. Smiling, Chansey slipped her egg back in its pocket and promptly collapsed.
"Chansey!" Ellen cried as she scrambled around the bed.
Bill opened his eyes and looked her way before reaching out to her. "What happened?!"
Ellen knelt and pulled her partner into her arms. The egg-shaped creature panted and curled up close to her master.
"She's exhausted," Ellen explained. "You sustained serious burns all over your body. Chansey spent all day healing the worst of it."
"I'm so sorry," Bill murmured.
"You wouldn't have been able to avoid it. Besides…" Ellen held Chansey a little closer. "She wanted to help you."
"Wanted…?" Lanette's voice was nearly inaudible, but Bill caught it. It was soft, uncertain, and not that far from him.
Doing his best to force her voice out of his mind for now, Bill kept his attention on Ellen and Chansey. "Please let her know I appreciate it, but you must let her rest now. I feel fine."
Ellen bowed her head. "Thank you. I'll be back to check on you as soon as I take care of her." Then, glancing over the bed, she caught sight of Thom. "Thom, come here. I need you to help me carry Chansey to a room where she can rest."
"Sure thing, Nurse Joy!"
Thom strode forward quickly, but before he reached her, he glanced at Bill, smiled, and plopped something at the foot of the bed. Bill looked at it, and in his horror, he realized that it was a headless zigzagoon.
"By the way, it's good to see you awake, buddy! We were all worried about you, you know!" Thom exclaimed. "Hope that'll help you recover a little. I caught it myself!"
"T-thanks," Bill croaked.
"Thom!" Ellen snapped.
The boy jumped and moved to her side. "All right! All right! Jeez!"
He stooped down to scoop Chansey into his thick arms, and as soon as he knew he had a good grip on her, he scurried out the door. Ellen followed but not without stopping at the door to gaze at the only other human occupant of the room, Lanette.
"Please be gentle with him. He still needs to recover," she pleaded.
With that, she disappeared through the door, leaving the human and the ixodida in silence. Lanette turned away from the door, her eyes falling on the dead zigzagoon. One of her pale hands reached over to seize it by the tail, yank it into the air, and plop it smack into Bill's lap.
"Eat," she said.
For a second time, Bill felt a pang of hunger hit him. Shuddering, he put a hand over his stomach, only to realize that for the first time since the Caravan came, he was completely naked. He swallowed and tensed. The air was full of the zigzagoon's scent, and that alone caused Bill's instincts to start screaming at him. At the same time, Adam's words echoed through his mind.
"I'm not a pokémon," he mumbled to himself. "I'm not—"
"What was that?" Lanette barked.
Bill took in a breath through his mouth as he placed a hand on the furry carcass. He forced a smile as he looked at Lanette.
"Nothing. I just…" His mind raced to find something to stall her, to make her forget about the dead zigzagoon in his lap for the time being. "…I just noticed my clothes are gone."
"You were set on fire. You weren't even wearing trainer-grade material. Did you really think they would have survived any of that?" she replied flatly. "I sent Vito to find you proper trainer-grade clothing. Eat."
Bill grasped the zigzagoon and lifted it off his lap, moving it away from himself as carefully as possible. Upon realizing what he was doing, Lanette grabbed his wrists and stared directly into his eyes. He shivered, finding himself suddenly unable to turn away from her steady, cold gaze.
"I'm not about to let you starve yourself to death," she snapped. "Eat. That's an order."
For a long time, they stared at one another until, finally, Bill pulled the zigzagoon back into his lap, let his eyes fall on its back, and used one of his claws to cut through its fur coat. Its skin parted easily, revealing dark red muscle underneath. Bill took a shaking breath as he sliced off a strip of muscle. His mouth began to water, and suddenly, his brain stopped thinking about it. Lanette sat back, watching the ixodida slice off strips of meat and bring each chunk to his mouth. She didn't say anything as she watched him wince the first time, as blood trickled down his chin, as his expression began to get more and more relaxed with each bite he took.
After the sixth strip he took, he hesitated.
"Lanette."
"You can't be done," she said.
He shook his head and brought a hand to his mouth.
She narrowed her eyes. "If you're going to vomit…"
"No!" He lowered his gaze. "Lanette, I need to talk to you about something, but I want to know that you'll listen."
"Go ahead."
His hand dropped to the carcass, and his claws widened the cut in its back. He could see the glistening white of the creature's spine, the purple of its kidneys, the blue and pink of its veins. Suppressing a shiver, he sliced off another piece of muscle.
"I want you to get rid of the poké ball."
"No," Lanette replied quickly.
"I'm asking you as a friend."
"No." Her voice took on a slightly more forceful tone. "Give me one reason why I should."
"Lanette," Bill said, his voice heaving in exasperation, "I think I've gone too far."
"What do you mean?"
By then, his claws were acting on an almost mechanical manner, slicing off parts of the zigzagoon's muscles without needing his conscious thought to direct them. Soon, the bed sheets were red with blood as a pile of meat strips sat in a pile on top of the creature's rib cage. A window formed in its flesh through which Bill could see the pokémon's slick, winding intestines.
"The only reason why I followed your orders in that last battle… it may be because lately, I've been thinking more and more like a pokémon, not a human being."
Even as he said it, Bill flinched. He didn't want to admit that Adam had a point, but he didn't have any other explanation. Not only that, but he realized right then the disturbing truth: that he was staring at he innards of a dead zigzagoon – eating them, even – but he felt nothing but the relief of having his hunger satisfied. It felt natural to slice off parts of that pokémon. It felt right.
He wondered what else had changed about himself. That was what scared him about the dead zigzagoon in his lap.
"Lanette, you must destroy that poké ball," he said. "I need to be free. I'm afraid that the more you treat me like a pokémon, the more likely I'll forget that I'm human."
"Are you afraid of hurting someone?" Lanette asked quietly.
Bill looked up. "Yes. Yes, that's exactly it, Lanette. I don't want to hurt anyone. I want to be me, but—"
The zigzagoon was knocked out of his hands. It landed with a wet slap on the tiled floor, but Bill was too preoccupied to notice. The reason why was because at the same time, Lanette forced him back, her hands shoving his shoulders into the bed. When he was down, she sat on his stomach and seized one of his wrists. With a sharp yank, she pulled his fingers to her neck, forcing his claws to circle her soft flesh.
"H-hey!" Bill stammered. "What are you—"
"Kill me," she snarled.
"W-what? What are you talking about?"
"Kill me, you coward!" she yelled. "If you're the monster you insist you are, then do it!"
Bill shot her a scared look. "I would never do something like that! What's gotten into you?!"
She scoffed and released his hand. Then, she swung her leg over him and pushed herself off the bed.
"The Master Ball will not be destroyed," she said. "I'm keeping it to ensure that you don't do anything. If you want to be treated like a human, work for it. Did you have this much of a problem pretending to be any other pokémon?"
"There's a difference between my costumes and this. I can't take this off," Bill replied as he sat up.
"As far as I'm concerned, you still have a human brain. Use it."
She grabbed the zigzagoon from the floor and threw it at Bill. He caught it but not without letting one of its organs splatter across his chest and fall to the floor on the other side of the bed. Staring at it, he let her words sink in.
"You're really not the Lanette I knew six months ago," he commented.
"And you're not the Bill I knew six months ago either. The Bill I knew wouldn't have succumbed to fear so easily. People change."
"Yes." He let the zigzagoon rest on his legs again. "Lanette… what happened to you?"
"It's none of your business," she replied quickly.
He looked at her. "I want to help you."
"You can't. Not with that thing listening."
"Thing?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't mean the parasite, do you? He isn't listening to us right now."
"I'm sorry if I fail to have any confidence in that claim," Lanette replied with as much sarcasm in her tone as she could muster.
"Lanette, I'm serious. We were friends at one point, weren't we? We can be friends again if you'd trust me."
"You can't even trust yourself," she sneered.
Bill recoiled. "Perhaps not. Lanette, I…" He took a deep breath. "I can't do any of this alone. Neither can you."
"What makes you think I can't?"
"Why am I still here?"
This time, it was Lanette who stopped. For the first time since the day they were reunited, a shocked expression crossed her face, and unlike the moment they found each other, this one lingered on her face. Bill studied her expression closely, trying desperately to figure out what she might be thinking.
"You had every opportunity to get rid of me," he pointed out. "You could have killed me in the gym, but you chose to trap me instead. When I came to find you after escaping, you had pokémon with you, but instead of using one of them to weaken me, you chose to fight me with a crowbar of all things. When Team Rocket captured me, you went after them, and just now, when you could have let me burn to death, you had me brought here."
"That was because the citizens of Mauville actually insisted that you be saved."
"But what about the other times? You didn't have to rescue me, but you did. And when you had the opportunity to kill me, you didn't." Bill tilted his head. "The truth of the matter is that if you plan on keeping me – which you are, as you're holding onto my poké ball – we'll need to rely on each other to overcome our problems. I need you to help keep me human inside. And I'm not sure what you need me for, but you do."
Lanette huffed, and her expression turned stony once again. "You keep telling yourself that, Bill."
"Does it have anything to do with Brigette?"
Instinctively, Lanette jumped. Quickly, she turned her back on Bill to hide the expression on her face.
"It does, doesn't it?" he asked, his voice dropping until it was nearly a whisper.
"The fire-type ixodida went through Mauville before it found us," Lanette told him. "It killed most of the Caravan and burnt down large portions of the city. When it found us, it was already weak, but it took all of our efforts and help from a group Altaria had led to us to drive it away. It's going to come back, so as soon as you regain your strength, I'm going to take you to meet the people who helped us. They offered to help train you. You're not going to be very useful in a fight against a fire-type, but we'll need you to be in fighting condition to serve as support anyway. Your job will be to keep Hope away from the fight." She looked over her shoulder with the same stony expression she always had. "It's your responsibility to take care of her anyway."
"Hope… Well, yes, but…" Bill hesitated. "What does this have to do with—"
"I never thought ixodida would be merciful," Lanette continued. "They didn't kill Altaria. Perhaps they just weren't interested."
Bill let his shoulders sag. "…You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"No." Lanette faced forward and started walking towards the door. "And it would be a good idea not to ask again. Eat. I'm expecting you to get back on your feet by tomorrow."
Her boots thudded heavily on the floor as she left the room. In her wake, Bill sat motionless on the bed, not even making an effort to stop her. Once she was gone, he turned back to what was left of the zigzagoon and stared deep into its furry body.
"Brigette—"
Clipping off the thought, he bowed his head.
"Oh Lanette…"
"Sir."
First sat calmly at the head of the Committee's table. His fingers were laced, elbows propped on the table, and hands hovered close to his mouth. He waited for the voice, Fourth's, to speak.
"Sir, our technological experts have been able to glean the information from the storage system's poké ball assignment protocol that Codename Adam has been captured. Within the last twenty-four hours, a user logged in with the ID of the Hoenn storage administrator to reassign Adam's trainer manually. Here is his new trainer information."
Fourth passed a paper to First. The leader accepted it and held it up with as few fingers as possible, as if the ink that crossed its surface was laced with cyanide.
"Of particular interest here is the name of this trainer," Fourth continued.
First craned his neck. "So I see."
"What should we do, sir? Codename Adam is no longer wild. Even more importantly, XP-650 activity is increasing, particularly around Mauville City where our data indicates Adam is currently located. We have reason to believe Adam is somehow connected to the rise in activity, and if this trainer is involved…"
"Then we will have a difficult time convincing John McKenzie not to interfere," First finished. "Perhaps it would be prudent to make our move at last. I propose that we send one of our own to lead a few members of the Agency in locating Codename Adam. Once found, we should inform him of exactly what he is up against. All those in favor?"
The other four members of the Committee raised their hands and, in unison, chanted, "Aye!"
"And opposed?"
Silence.
"Then it is done. Fourth, for delivering this information to us, I assign you the task."
Fourth bowed. "It would be an honor, sir."
"Of course."
First placed the paper on the table in front of him. His fingers smoothed over its surface, but they lingered over two particular words: the name of the trainer.
Hope McKenzie.
Unfortunately, I didn't finish the edit spree and therefore can't really post all of the new chapters, but as a consolation prize, have a chapter twenty-one!
Anima Ex Machina: Twenty-One
So the phoenix burns.
Forward.
Bill had no idea where he was or even if it was possible to break free from the Gray Forest, but nonetheless, he walked forward, eyes straight ahead, hands balled into fists. He didn't care that he could feel Adam's stare bear down on him. His mind remained focused, and his pace never slowed.
He didn't know how much time passed before anything happened, not that he particularly cared. It simply felt like an eternity before he saw a flash of silver at the edge of his field of vision. Suddenly, he was aware that it was to his left, slightly behind him but walking at the same speed.
"What are you doing?" Adam asked.
"Walking." Bill was slightly surprised by how blunt his voice sounded, but he tried his best to appear stoic.
"Are you aware that you will never reach the end of this forest?"
"I don't care."
The flash of silver disappeared from Bill's view, but the sound of leaves crunching under metal feet and a cold chill in his bones told him he still wasn't alone.
"What people say about you is true," Adam drawled. "You certainly are impressive. Quick to adapt. Quick to learn. Your mind yields to change so easily. Yet, at the same time, your heart always stays the same. Determined, chivalrous… stubborn." It paused for a few seconds. "You will never reach the end of the forest, you know."
Bill gritted his teeth. "I. Don't. Care."
"You should. I only wish to speak to you this time."
At that, Bill stopped. He looked skyward briefly before whirling around and glaring at Adam.
"What?" he demanded. "What do you need to tell me this time? That I'm weak? That I'm easy to manipulate, but it's necessary that I serve as your host for some aggravatingly vague reason? Go right ahead, Adam. Belittle me. It's not as if I have a choice to listen to you, considering it seems that you decide when I can wake up."
Adam cocked its head, but its face remained blank. Unnervingly blank. Bill felt his own emotions waver as he gazed into Adam's all-too-familiar, soulless eyes.
"Belittle you?" Adam questioned. "Hardly, I should say. In truth, I wish to congratulate you. I knew you would be powerful in your own right someday. You have my abilities backed by such a keen mind, after all. But never would I have imagined that you would take to fighting so quickly and so abruptly. The way you responded to Lanette and how you fought those humans… it was quite interesting to watch, if I may say so."
Bill cracked a grin. He normally wasn't the kind of person who would stoop to being petty, but at that point, he wanted the catharsis of arguing with someone. The parasite just happened to be convenient.
"I'd hate to disappoint you," Bill said, his voice nearly a purr, "but I wasn't in control of what I was doing. Perhaps it wasn't you who was acting for me, but I most certainly wasn't deciding whether or not I should attack. I refuse to fight, and I will always refuse to fight."
Adam lifted its chin. Although its expression didn't change, there was something in its face that told Bill it wasn't as amused as it had been a second ago. Its features seemed to darken, to gain a shadow that wasn't there, even though its mouth was still a line and its eyes were still glassy and wide.
"Is that so? Are you certain?" Adam's eyes flicked to the side. "Poké balls are fascinating devices, are they not? A symbol of human ingenuity. You happen to know quite a lot about them, if I understand your memories correctly. They convert pokémon to energy and energy to data, a concept in direct violation of the sciences that apply to humans. They harness the purely pokémon ability to manipulate the fabric of reality itself in order to function. They turn those laws against the creatures that use them in order to draw nets over them. Yet… humans have not been able to use this ability to its fullest. The device only works on a physical level."
Bill felt as if the ground beneath him was being pulled from under his feet. He knew he was about to lose this argument, to lose his power over Adam, and he wasn't ready to admit it.
"I know this already," he told the parasite bluntly.
"Then you know that your logic is invalid," Adam told him. "You cannot blame what you did on the device that holds you captive because you know very well that they do not function in that manner. Lanette did not force you to obey. You chose to obey her, just as every other tamed pokémon chooses to obey their respective humans."
"Why would I choose to hurt people?" Bill growled.
Ignoring him, Adam continued, "Is that why you are walking? You wish to defy me, do you not? You are upset because you feel as if your life is being dictated to you by fate, by Lanette…" It took a step closer as its eyes moved back to its host. "…By me. Yet, you fail to realize that no one is forcing you to do anything. You simply choose to let us control the events around you."
"That's not true. If I had the opportunity to decide, I wouldn't—"
"Have become an ixodida? You had the opportunity to call for help in Polaris Institute, but you did not. You underestimate your strength, Bill, yet I cannot complain. It makes things far more convenient." Adam's eyes closed halfway. "Or perhaps, to be more specific, are you upset that I kissed Lanette? I told you she fascinates me."
Bill couldn't help himself. He felt a sudden burst of emotion, and before he knew it, his hands lashed out to encircle Adam's neck. Just as soon as he felt the cool metal beneath his palms, Adam vanished, leaving Bill to choke thin air. A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, and with a yell, he flailed, his fingers clawing for any part of Adam he could grab. Adam's hands quickly grasped Bill's wrists, its claws scraping his smooth skin. In the meantime, its tail lashed up to take the place of its arms around his waist, and only then, after he realized that he was caught, did Bill finally stop struggling. He panted angrily as Adam leaned close to his ear.
"You see? The only thing truly controlling you are your emotions. You must learn to master them, or our body will master you."
"It's not true," Bill hissed. "I wouldn't ever…"
"Fight? Are you still curious as to why you obeyed Lanette's orders without thinking about them? The answer has always been within you, Bill." Adam's voice lowered to a whisper. "'Getting inside its skin helps me get inside its head.'"
Bill drew in a sharp breath. He didn't say a word. His teeth clenched as he tried to wrench himself free from Adam's grip, but this only caused the ixodida to hold him tighter.
"You see it, do you not? The way you are now becoming an ixodida inside as well as out, I mean. How your imagination is forcing you to become not only a pokémon but also the pokémon of that woman." Adam leaned a little closer until its lips brushed Bill's ear. "Well, Bill? How far have you gone? How much of an ixodida have you let yourself become?"
Adam waited for a few moments. When no answer came, it unwrapped its tail from its host's waist and shoved him to the ground. The impact with the wet earth jarred just enough to shake Bill out of shock. Picking his head up, he looked over his shoulder at Adam. By then, the parasite was already walking away, its tail switching behind it with every step.
"Humans are fascinating creatures," it said, "but your humanity will kill you, Bill."
Just as Bill pushed himself to his feet to confront his partner, he noticed the gray world fading around the edges. With that, he sighed and closed his eyes, waiting for his reentrance into the real world.
---
Which hurt like hell.
It took every ounce of willpower he had not to scream, but somehow, Bill managed. His fingers dug into something soft as every inch of his body felt like it was on fire – which, given what he remembered from before he slipped into unconsciousness, wouldn't have surprised him. All around him, he could hear the sounds of muffled voices, and as he began to focus on them instead of the pain, they slowly became clearer and clearer.
"—waking up." Ellen's voice, Bill realized.
"Finally." Lanette's. "How much longer do you think it'll take for him to fully recover?"
"Any moment now, I think."
"Any moment now?"
"Yes. He's recovering faster than anything I've ever seen apart from ditto, and with Chansey's Softboiled helping him, the worst of his injuries are almost healed. Once that's complete, there are only a few minor burns left, but if he continues at this rate, he can even take care of those on his own."
"Fascinating."
"What we should be more concerned about is how much energy he's using. If we get more of a reaction than this tonight—" A soft hand brushed Bill's fingers. "—then we should count ourselves lucky. He'll need to rest, and he hasn't been fed lately, either."
"No worries!" Thom's voice now. "I've got that all taken care of! Look what I got!"
Bill heard the rustling of cloth. All of a sudden, the room filled with the scent of blood and something musty. He felt his stomach begin to rumble, and at that, he dreaded to know what Thom had just pulled out. Ellen's gasp and sharp whisper didn't really help.
"Thom! What are you doing?! This is a hospital room!"
"What? You told me to go out and catch something Bill can eat, and here it is!"
"He's not awake yet! Besides, do you know how unsanitary that is?!"
"Oh, come on! It's not like you've never had one in here!"
"Not dead!"
"They're not much different when they're alive, right?"
Lanette sighed. "Nurse Joy, let me take care of him. You keep an eye on Bill and tell me if he regains consciousness."
"Too late for that, Lanette," Bill told her hoarsely.
He opened his eyes to see Ellen hovering over him as a pinkish blotch on a stark, white background. When his eyes focused on her, he could see the concerned look in her eyes and the worried frown stretching the corners of her mouth.
"Bill!" she exclaimed. "How do you feel?"
"Weak," he admitted.
"Do you feel any sort of significant pain?" she asked. "Does anything hurt inside?"
Bill forced himself to sit up. Instantly, a sharp pain hit his side. He yelped and wrapped his arms around his torso. Ellen reached out to grab him as she glanced over the bed to where Chansey had been standing.
"Chansey, I need a Softboiled," she said.
The happiness pokémon trilled and yanked the egg out of her pouch. A yellow light glimmered across its surface for a few seconds before pulling away to form a tiny, yellow bubble. It floated lazily to Bill before touching the skin of his forehead. He lifted his head, feeling the warmth of the bubble pass into his body and flow across his skin as a yellow glow washed over his body. The pain dulled, and gradually, he relaxed. Smiling, Chansey slipped her egg back in its pocket and promptly collapsed.
"Chansey!" Ellen cried as she scrambled around the bed.
Bill opened his eyes and looked her way before reaching out to her. "What happened?!"
Ellen knelt and pulled her partner into her arms. The egg-shaped creature panted and curled up close to her master.
"She's exhausted," Ellen explained. "You sustained serious burns all over your body. Chansey spent all day healing the worst of it."
"I'm so sorry," Bill murmured.
"You wouldn't have been able to avoid it. Besides…" Ellen held Chansey a little closer. "She wanted to help you."
"Wanted…?" Lanette's voice was nearly inaudible, but Bill caught it. It was soft, uncertain, and not that far from him.
Doing his best to force her voice out of his mind for now, Bill kept his attention on Ellen and Chansey. "Please let her know I appreciate it, but you must let her rest now. I feel fine."
Ellen bowed her head. "Thank you. I'll be back to check on you as soon as I take care of her." Then, glancing over the bed, she caught sight of Thom. "Thom, come here. I need you to help me carry Chansey to a room where she can rest."
"Sure thing, Nurse Joy!"
Thom strode forward quickly, but before he reached her, he glanced at Bill, smiled, and plopped something at the foot of the bed. Bill looked at it, and in his horror, he realized that it was a headless zigzagoon.
"By the way, it's good to see you awake, buddy! We were all worried about you, you know!" Thom exclaimed. "Hope that'll help you recover a little. I caught it myself!"
"T-thanks," Bill croaked.
"Thom!" Ellen snapped.
The boy jumped and moved to her side. "All right! All right! Jeez!"
He stooped down to scoop Chansey into his thick arms, and as soon as he knew he had a good grip on her, he scurried out the door. Ellen followed but not without stopping at the door to gaze at the only other human occupant of the room, Lanette.
"Please be gentle with him. He still needs to recover," she pleaded.
With that, she disappeared through the door, leaving the human and the ixodida in silence. Lanette turned away from the door, her eyes falling on the dead zigzagoon. One of her pale hands reached over to seize it by the tail, yank it into the air, and plop it smack into Bill's lap.
"Eat," she said.
For a second time, Bill felt a pang of hunger hit him. Shuddering, he put a hand over his stomach, only to realize that for the first time since the Caravan came, he was completely naked. He swallowed and tensed. The air was full of the zigzagoon's scent, and that alone caused Bill's instincts to start screaming at him. At the same time, Adam's words echoed through his mind.
"I'm not a pokémon," he mumbled to himself. "I'm not—"
"What was that?" Lanette barked.
Bill took in a breath through his mouth as he placed a hand on the furry carcass. He forced a smile as he looked at Lanette.
"Nothing. I just…" His mind raced to find something to stall her, to make her forget about the dead zigzagoon in his lap for the time being. "…I just noticed my clothes are gone."
"You were set on fire. You weren't even wearing trainer-grade material. Did you really think they would have survived any of that?" she replied flatly. "I sent Vito to find you proper trainer-grade clothing. Eat."
Bill grasped the zigzagoon and lifted it off his lap, moving it away from himself as carefully as possible. Upon realizing what he was doing, Lanette grabbed his wrists and stared directly into his eyes. He shivered, finding himself suddenly unable to turn away from her steady, cold gaze.
"I'm not about to let you starve yourself to death," she snapped. "Eat. That's an order."
For a long time, they stared at one another until, finally, Bill pulled the zigzagoon back into his lap, let his eyes fall on its back, and used one of his claws to cut through its fur coat. Its skin parted easily, revealing dark red muscle underneath. Bill took a shaking breath as he sliced off a strip of muscle. His mouth began to water, and suddenly, his brain stopped thinking about it. Lanette sat back, watching the ixodida slice off strips of meat and bring each chunk to his mouth. She didn't say anything as she watched him wince the first time, as blood trickled down his chin, as his expression began to get more and more relaxed with each bite he took.
After the sixth strip he took, he hesitated.
"Lanette."
"You can't be done," she said.
He shook his head and brought a hand to his mouth.
She narrowed her eyes. "If you're going to vomit…"
"No!" He lowered his gaze. "Lanette, I need to talk to you about something, but I want to know that you'll listen."
"Go ahead."
His hand dropped to the carcass, and his claws widened the cut in its back. He could see the glistening white of the creature's spine, the purple of its kidneys, the blue and pink of its veins. Suppressing a shiver, he sliced off another piece of muscle.
"I want you to get rid of the poké ball."
"No," Lanette replied quickly.
"I'm asking you as a friend."
"No." Her voice took on a slightly more forceful tone. "Give me one reason why I should."
"Lanette," Bill said, his voice heaving in exasperation, "I think I've gone too far."
"What do you mean?"
By then, his claws were acting on an almost mechanical manner, slicing off parts of the zigzagoon's muscles without needing his conscious thought to direct them. Soon, the bed sheets were red with blood as a pile of meat strips sat in a pile on top of the creature's rib cage. A window formed in its flesh through which Bill could see the pokémon's slick, winding intestines.
"The only reason why I followed your orders in that last battle… it may be because lately, I've been thinking more and more like a pokémon, not a human being."
Even as he said it, Bill flinched. He didn't want to admit that Adam had a point, but he didn't have any other explanation. Not only that, but he realized right then the disturbing truth: that he was staring at he innards of a dead zigzagoon – eating them, even – but he felt nothing but the relief of having his hunger satisfied. It felt natural to slice off parts of that pokémon. It felt right.
He wondered what else had changed about himself. That was what scared him about the dead zigzagoon in his lap.
"Lanette, you must destroy that poké ball," he said. "I need to be free. I'm afraid that the more you treat me like a pokémon, the more likely I'll forget that I'm human."
"Are you afraid of hurting someone?" Lanette asked quietly.
Bill looked up. "Yes. Yes, that's exactly it, Lanette. I don't want to hurt anyone. I want to be me, but—"
The zigzagoon was knocked out of his hands. It landed with a wet slap on the tiled floor, but Bill was too preoccupied to notice. The reason why was because at the same time, Lanette forced him back, her hands shoving his shoulders into the bed. When he was down, she sat on his stomach and seized one of his wrists. With a sharp yank, she pulled his fingers to her neck, forcing his claws to circle her soft flesh.
"H-hey!" Bill stammered. "What are you—"
"Kill me," she snarled.
"W-what? What are you talking about?"
"Kill me, you coward!" she yelled. "If you're the monster you insist you are, then do it!"
Bill shot her a scared look. "I would never do something like that! What's gotten into you?!"
She scoffed and released his hand. Then, she swung her leg over him and pushed herself off the bed.
"The Master Ball will not be destroyed," she said. "I'm keeping it to ensure that you don't do anything. If you want to be treated like a human, work for it. Did you have this much of a problem pretending to be any other pokémon?"
"There's a difference between my costumes and this. I can't take this off," Bill replied as he sat up.
"As far as I'm concerned, you still have a human brain. Use it."
She grabbed the zigzagoon from the floor and threw it at Bill. He caught it but not without letting one of its organs splatter across his chest and fall to the floor on the other side of the bed. Staring at it, he let her words sink in.
"You're really not the Lanette I knew six months ago," he commented.
"And you're not the Bill I knew six months ago either. The Bill I knew wouldn't have succumbed to fear so easily. People change."
"Yes." He let the zigzagoon rest on his legs again. "Lanette… what happened to you?"
"It's none of your business," she replied quickly.
He looked at her. "I want to help you."
"You can't. Not with that thing listening."
"Thing?" He furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't mean the parasite, do you? He isn't listening to us right now."
"I'm sorry if I fail to have any confidence in that claim," Lanette replied with as much sarcasm in her tone as she could muster.
"Lanette, I'm serious. We were friends at one point, weren't we? We can be friends again if you'd trust me."
"You can't even trust yourself," she sneered.
Bill recoiled. "Perhaps not. Lanette, I…" He took a deep breath. "I can't do any of this alone. Neither can you."
"What makes you think I can't?"
"Why am I still here?"
This time, it was Lanette who stopped. For the first time since the day they were reunited, a shocked expression crossed her face, and unlike the moment they found each other, this one lingered on her face. Bill studied her expression closely, trying desperately to figure out what she might be thinking.
"You had every opportunity to get rid of me," he pointed out. "You could have killed me in the gym, but you chose to trap me instead. When I came to find you after escaping, you had pokémon with you, but instead of using one of them to weaken me, you chose to fight me with a crowbar of all things. When Team Rocket captured me, you went after them, and just now, when you could have let me burn to death, you had me brought here."
"That was because the citizens of Mauville actually insisted that you be saved."
"But what about the other times? You didn't have to rescue me, but you did. And when you had the opportunity to kill me, you didn't." Bill tilted his head. "The truth of the matter is that if you plan on keeping me – which you are, as you're holding onto my poké ball – we'll need to rely on each other to overcome our problems. I need you to help keep me human inside. And I'm not sure what you need me for, but you do."
Lanette huffed, and her expression turned stony once again. "You keep telling yourself that, Bill."
"Does it have anything to do with Brigette?"
Instinctively, Lanette jumped. Quickly, she turned her back on Bill to hide the expression on her face.
"It does, doesn't it?" he asked, his voice dropping until it was nearly a whisper.
"The fire-type ixodida went through Mauville before it found us," Lanette told him. "It killed most of the Caravan and burnt down large portions of the city. When it found us, it was already weak, but it took all of our efforts and help from a group Altaria had led to us to drive it away. It's going to come back, so as soon as you regain your strength, I'm going to take you to meet the people who helped us. They offered to help train you. You're not going to be very useful in a fight against a fire-type, but we'll need you to be in fighting condition to serve as support anyway. Your job will be to keep Hope away from the fight." She looked over her shoulder with the same stony expression she always had. "It's your responsibility to take care of her anyway."
"Hope… Well, yes, but…" Bill hesitated. "What does this have to do with—"
"I never thought ixodida would be merciful," Lanette continued. "They didn't kill Altaria. Perhaps they just weren't interested."
Bill let his shoulders sag. "…You're not going to tell me, are you?"
"No." Lanette faced forward and started walking towards the door. "And it would be a good idea not to ask again. Eat. I'm expecting you to get back on your feet by tomorrow."
Her boots thudded heavily on the floor as she left the room. In her wake, Bill sat motionless on the bed, not even making an effort to stop her. Once she was gone, he turned back to what was left of the zigzagoon and stared deep into its furry body.
"Brigette—"
Clipping off the thought, he bowed his head.
"Oh Lanette…"
---
"Sir."
First sat calmly at the head of the Committee's table. His fingers were laced, elbows propped on the table, and hands hovered close to his mouth. He waited for the voice, Fourth's, to speak.
"Sir, our technological experts have been able to glean the information from the storage system's poké ball assignment protocol that Codename Adam has been captured. Within the last twenty-four hours, a user logged in with the ID of the Hoenn storage administrator to reassign Adam's trainer manually. Here is his new trainer information."
Fourth passed a paper to First. The leader accepted it and held it up with as few fingers as possible, as if the ink that crossed its surface was laced with cyanide.
"Of particular interest here is the name of this trainer," Fourth continued.
First craned his neck. "So I see."
"What should we do, sir? Codename Adam is no longer wild. Even more importantly, XP-650 activity is increasing, particularly around Mauville City where our data indicates Adam is currently located. We have reason to believe Adam is somehow connected to the rise in activity, and if this trainer is involved…"
"Then we will have a difficult time convincing John McKenzie not to interfere," First finished. "Perhaps it would be prudent to make our move at last. I propose that we send one of our own to lead a few members of the Agency in locating Codename Adam. Once found, we should inform him of exactly what he is up against. All those in favor?"
The other four members of the Committee raised their hands and, in unison, chanted, "Aye!"
"And opposed?"
Silence.
"Then it is done. Fourth, for delivering this information to us, I assign you the task."
Fourth bowed. "It would be an honor, sir."
"Of course."
First placed the paper on the table in front of him. His fingers smoothed over its surface, but they lingered over two particular words: the name of the trainer.
Hope McKenzie.
I'm getting a real Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy vibe from "The Committee". It'll be nice to see what they've cooked up in regards to our favourite researcher and his kin.
I loved the Bill/Lanette dialogue, (not as much as Thom though, he rocks xD) I like to feel that a lot of things were solved in this conversation. A lot of things were put into the air and the ball is in Lanette's court, if she wants to resolve something, then she has to get it started because Bill is balls out at the moment.
They are literally sitting on the table.
I loved the Bill/Lanette dialogue, (not as much as Thom though, he rocks xD) I like to feel that a lot of things were solved in this conversation. A lot of things were put into the air and the ball is in Lanette's court, if she wants to resolve something, then she has to get it started because Bill is balls out at the moment.
They are literally sitting on the table.
Phantom Kat
Hobo Writer
You know, this morning, I didn't want to get out of bed, what with it being Saturday and all. Then I realized what day it was and sat bolt upright. "AEM update!" Needless to say I pulled off the covers and rushed to eat breakfast.
First off, a mistake!
Should be twitching.
Adam, Adam, Adam. *shakes head* I think everybody should have a parasite that's not afraid to tell them the harsh truth. It's especially effective since Bill has nowhere to run to. You know, this is one of my favorite parts of transformation stories: the realization that the transformation has started to become something more than skin deep. With someone like Bill, this will certainly to lead to some very interesting developments.
Oooh, delicious Lanette/Bill dialogue. I don't know how many things were resolved exactly, but for once Bill was able to make Lanette listen to everything he had to say. And in perfect Lanette-style her anwer is simple: think like a human and you'll continue to be one. Since they'll be no destroying of the Master Ball he doesn't have a choice really. x3
Speaking of the Master Ball, we come back to the Committee. What a creepy bunch. They're like a corrupted Kid's Next Door. With Hope being the official owner of Bill and them knowing, well, I don't think things will turn out so pretty. D:
Lastly, I wish AEM a happy birthday! Three years is certainly something to celebrate and I hope that it keeps going strong to the end, whenever that might be. More fanart is in order to celebrate this! :> Away!
P.S. Awesome chapter as always, JX! ^-^
- Kat
First off, a mistake!
Should be twitching.
Adam, Adam, Adam. *shakes head* I think everybody should have a parasite that's not afraid to tell them the harsh truth. It's especially effective since Bill has nowhere to run to. You know, this is one of my favorite parts of transformation stories: the realization that the transformation has started to become something more than skin deep. With someone like Bill, this will certainly to lead to some very interesting developments.
Oooh, delicious Lanette/Bill dialogue. I don't know how many things were resolved exactly, but for once Bill was able to make Lanette listen to everything he had to say. And in perfect Lanette-style her anwer is simple: think like a human and you'll continue to be one. Since they'll be no destroying of the Master Ball he doesn't have a choice really. x3
Speaking of the Master Ball, we come back to the Committee. What a creepy bunch. They're like a corrupted Kid's Next Door. With Hope being the official owner of Bill and them knowing, well, I don't think things will turn out so pretty. D:
Lastly, I wish AEM a happy birthday! Three years is certainly something to celebrate and I hope that it keeps going strong to the end, whenever that might be. More fanart is in order to celebrate this! :> Away!
P.S. Awesome chapter as always, JX! ^-^
- Kat
Bay
YEAHHHHHHH
Soooooo, since it looks like you might not post the story at PC anymore, I'll post my reviews here from now on. XD
I always enjoyed Bill and Adam’s talks in this story, hehe. Always intriguing stuff. A couple of my favorite parts in this chapter:
Haha over Thom brought something dead in the hospital room. I know he’s trying to help, but yeah dead and alive Pokemon aren’t the same—especially when the Pokemon is headless.
Bill and Lanette's conversation is nice and like Phantom Kat I too love Lanette saying to him to think like a human. One thing I want to say though is Lanette mentioning Hope and Bill stuttering seemed a bit rushed. Perhaps have Bill thinking why she said Hope's name all of a sudden would make things flow better IMO.
Wee, back to the committee again. I too think things won’t turn out well for Hope. ._.
Overall, another great chapter there. Looking forward to more!
I always enjoyed Bill and Adam’s talks in this story, hehe. Always intriguing stuff. A couple of my favorite parts in this chapter:
LOL, ouch. Nice use of Adam getting Bill like that there.
Okay, I know you didn’t meant this to happen, but I’m suddenly thinking “Are you seducing Bill now, Adam” XD *drank too much caffeine this morning :x*
Haha over Thom brought something dead in the hospital room. I know he’s trying to help, but yeah dead and alive Pokemon aren’t the same—especially when the Pokemon is headless.
Bill and Lanette's conversation is nice and like Phantom Kat I too love Lanette saying to him to think like a human. One thing I want to say though is Lanette mentioning Hope and Bill stuttering seemed a bit rushed. Perhaps have Bill thinking why she said Hope's name all of a sudden would make things flow better IMO.
Wee, back to the committee again. I too think things won’t turn out well for Hope. ._.
Overall, another great chapter there. Looking forward to more!
The Great Butler
Hush, keep it down
Congratulations, first of all. Sticking at it this long ain't easy.
Little confused here, going to keep reading.
Okay, I think I have a better feel on what's going on. They're inside the ball, aren't they? Seems like a dream sequence.
I have nothing really specific to say yet, but Bill just got really badass again.
I didn't realize until here that they were two separate entities in this vision. Good touch on his emotions, though.
Oh you, Bill. Oh you smooth mother****er.
And yet, this scene is a great window into Bill's moral code, despite how over the top and almost silly it is right here.
Aaaaand then it hits me what he might be hinting at was driving him if he wasn't making his own decisions. Without scrolling down, I just cracked a smile.
Not quite where I expected it to go, but I don't think my suspicion was invalidated just yet...
Oh snap son, here we go. **** just got real. Adam just crossed the line.
Even though my humorous guess is now becoming more likely, this part is suitably creepy. I'm visualizing this scene, and if I was watching it in a movie, I could see this being the part where the hero and the creature are in the same room staring at each other, but they're not attacking yet. You just feel the tension.
Yes Adam, "the Pokemon of that woman." He's always been her Pokemon.
All joking aside, this is really a chilling metaphor for how outside influences can change a person, and for the loss of humanity. That one question - "how much of an Ixodida have you let yourself become?" - has an incredible amount of punch to it.
Is this being released from a ball or is he just unconscious? I'm having trouble telling.
Oh Thom, you're just trying to do the right thing. We can't blame you for bringing literal dead meat into a hospital room.
Something hurts inside alright. I'm sure he won't tell them though...
Excellent description of Softboiled.
****, okay, I laughed. Talk about dead meat.
Did he decapitate it himself too?
Suddenly Lanette doesn't seem so bad anymore. Now that she trusts him more, it seems like she's really got his back.
Ever so modest, Bill. You're a steel-bodied alien mutant and still concerned about your modesty... only you could do it.
Man, she totally owns him, both figuratively and literally, doesn't she? I guess it's better than being left to die though.
My heart sank a little here, I'll admit it. Things are getting intense, not action intense but emotional intense. Again, it goes back to the whole loss of humanity concept.
October 1, 2011: the day Bill McKenzie learned that some things aren't just done in pictures on the internet.
Or not. What the ****, Jax?
Somehow I get the feeling Lanette is vastly underestimating this situation and will soon regret it.
Okay, I'm quite certain now that something happened to her. Something pretty bad. And I'm suspecting it was personal, not just people dying around her.
Again, the fact that he's able to keep his logic surprises me. Bill and Lanette actually make a good pair due to this - he uses logic, she is driven by emotion.
Now I'm really starting to think I know what happened.
Oh ****. Here we go. These guys.
As an aside, that little bit about the ink was a great touch.
Okay, when I read that, I just pushed my chair back, put my hands against my forehead, and pushed them through my hair. I don't even KNOW how to react to that.
This is absolutely excellent a chapter. Almost no action, but so heavy on development that it's more than made up for. I really can't find anything to complain about at all.
JX Valentine
Ever-Discordant
Ooh, interesting comparison. I have to admit I never made the connection, although I will say that, yeah, there's totally some conspiracy stuff going on in the background.
Also, that I totally need to read/see that title.
Pretty much. Now the question is, does she actually want to reconcile with him?
She's on a horse. *shot*
*high five* Awesome to hear that it's the highlight of people's days.
Good eye, although I'd hate to be a right ***** and say that it could be either. As a verb, "to switch" has two meanings. One is more of an umbrella term that can be summed up as "to change." (This can be broken down further, but for simplicity's sake, let's leave it at that.) The other is "to flick or beat as if with a switch." ("Switch" here would mean "thin twig or rod cut from a tree.")
I'm not sure if the latter is actually getting to be obsolete, but if it is, I have to say I'd be severely disappointed in the English language. ;_; That definition of switch rocks... and it's the only way I can describe how a cat's tail moves. (Cats are far too dignified to wag.)
I'm certain Bill would totally (not) agree. XD
Amen to the part about transformation stories. It's my favorite part too -- and one that not a lot of TF fics touch upon for some reason. If done right, the psychology of the whole thing can be beautiful and lead to some pretty awesome character development. Of course, there's also the high risk that an author completely screws it over, so maybe there's a reason why I don't see it done too often.
Also also... *cackles* Yes, it's going to lead to a lot of fun things for Bill. Seriously, I'm going to have a lot of fun playing with the implications of his transformation from this point onward because Adam is totally right: Bill does this for a living. So in a way, he's completely different from the standard TF star in that he knows about the risks of going too far but is also more likely to do it because he's already figured out how to delve into a Pokémon's mind. It's like anime!Bill, thanks to canon, already walks on the line between being a human and being a Pokémon (in mindset anyway), so it's just easier to shove him either way and see what happens.
And she so totally enjoys this.
Oh, probably. Hope in general is someone you'll want to keep in mind because, yep, she's pretty much at the cross between so many characters.
After all, she's John's daughter, and the Committee is worried that John is about to do something insane that will screw up Project Stardust for them, what with the fact that he doesn't trust any of them as far as he can throw them. Not to mention that with Domino nearby and considering that Team Rocket wants John to come back to them...
And then, of course, there's also the fact that she's Bill's sister. Remember Bill mentioning back in chapter fourteen or something the fact that he has a sister roaming around Hoenn? Yep, say hi to her. In any case, Bill's a hell of a lot easier to manipulate than John, and given the fact that she's his sister and the fact that she's also his trainer, obvious conclusions can be had by all.
This is, of course, not even considering the fact that she has a knack for something that's been hinted at already but will become a plot point later.
Also, there's the hilarious fact that Bill doesn't know Hope is his trainer. Keep that in mind whenever Lanette orders Bill around. And then lol forever as Bill happily obeys the woman who is most certainly not his trainer by any means. (Yay placebo effect?) I'm not sure when Bill will figure it out/find out, but it's most certainly not going to be right away. Lanette's totally enjoying this.
And then, of course, there's also the fact that she's Bill's sister. Remember Bill mentioning back in chapter fourteen or something the fact that he has a sister roaming around Hoenn? Yep, say hi to her. In any case, Bill's a hell of a lot easier to manipulate than John, and given the fact that she's his sister and the fact that she's also his trainer, obvious conclusions can be had by all.
This is, of course, not even considering the fact that she has a knack for something that's been hinted at already but will become a plot point later.
Also, there's the hilarious fact that Bill doesn't know Hope is his trainer. Keep that in mind whenever Lanette orders Bill around. And then lol forever as Bill happily obeys the woman who is most certainly not his trainer by any means. (Yay placebo effect?) I'm not sure when Bill will figure it out/find out, but it's most certainly not going to be right away. Lanette's totally enjoying this.
Thank you! And definitely. I've got way too many ideas to let it die.
WOOT! \o\ \o/ /o/ I am looking forward to this like you wouldn't belieeeeeeeeeve~!
Thank you!
Yeeeeeeah, best to put your behind in the past.
...Uh.
*shot for gratuitous Disney reference*
And I always enjoy writing them. ;D Those two need more heart-to-hearts.
Oh, don't worry. I totally did. XD I'm a sad, sad individual who thinks Adam would probably be the kind of promiscuous snake that would seduce anything that moved just because it could.
Also, I wrote up until the part where Adam grabbed Bill, and then I was like, "You know, this is a rather boring chapter so far. What can I do to entertain myself? I know! Attempt to create crack pairings out of these characters!"
You'd be surprised by how many conversations in this fic happened with that kind of mindset. (Hint: If you finished a chapter feeling as if you were getting vibes towards Nettle/Bill, Nettle/Domino, Veronica/Thom, Veronica/Ellen, Veronica/Bill, Bill/Chansey, or Nettle/Domino/Lanette/Bill... you're doing it right. Adam just makes it blatant because it doesn't believe in subtlety.)
Haha over Thom brought something dead in the hospital room. I know he’s trying to help, but yeah dead and alive Pokemon aren’t the same—especially when the Pokemon is headless.
"But it's still a Pokémon, amirite?
"Hmm. That's definitely an interesting thought there. I do have to admit I see where you're coming from. Lanette's dominating that part of the conversation, and Bill seems more interested in what happened to Lanette than "oh wait a second why is she mentioning Hope." I'll play around with that part, and when the other locations catch up with this one, I should have a plan formed there, I think.
Nope! Poor girl. She's been seriously traumatized as it is.
Thank you~!
Thanks very much! And teeeell me about it. Real life keeps trying to kill me before I can finish the fic. But I swear, I'll finish it! Even if I'm nearing thirty by the time I do it! Oh God that's actually a possibility.
Yep! All scenes that happen in the Gray Forest are actually taking place in Bill's mindscape. There's a more detailed explanation here, but to fast-forward, whenever Bill is knocked unconscious or goes to sleep, Adam has the option of directing his mind to form a backdrop known as the Gray Forest. This resembles a section of Route 25 in order to make Bill feel comfortable. Hence why Bill is trying to find the edge of the forest in the beginning of the chapter: it's meant to imply that he's trying to walk back to his home on Cerulean Cape. The problem is that one of the few rules of this world (besides the usual scientific ones) is that Bill can never reach the end of the forest because that would be too much of a distraction.
The reason why it happens is because Adam finds it's easier to communicate with Bill in this manner. (This is also why the parasite takes a physical form in these scenes. It's easier for Bill to comprehend Adam if Adam is more than just a disembodied voice.) Every scene that takes place in the Gray Forest is one where Adam tries to relate to Bill an important concept about being an Ixodida, so it needs to have him be calm and comfortable so he can focus on what's being told to him.
In short, Bill's actually unconscious in this scene, but it's really because he fainted from the Fire-type's attack. This is why he doesn't leave the Gray Forest until after he's out of the ball and recovering: because it's what he sees when he's out cold, not what he sees while in a ball. (I may describe what he would see while in the Master Ball at a later time, but for now, let's just say it would probably be... uh, pretty damn surreal.)
Also, I'm thinking of ways to show this in the fic without being too info-dumpy or awkward about it. I think I might've briefly explained it the first time it happened, but I'm really not surprised if that scene just made it seem like the stuff it mentioned was only true for that particular vision.
Which is a feat for him. XD
Thanks muchly!
There's a mental image I don't get every day: Bill in a pimp hat.
XD Oh, what about Bill isn't over-the-top and almost silly?
Seriously, yes. That's what I like about writing Bill in this fic. It's like he's surrounded by sadists, perverts, sociopaths, the mentally disturbed, or generally unpleasant people, and he, meanwhile, is probably the only one going, "THE POWER OF GOOD WILL PREVAIL OVER ALL. SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS AND FRIENDSHIP." Besides Chansey. And maybe Spinda. And Ellen doesn't count because she's a massive Stepford Smiler.
And Adam would gladly cross it again, if you know what I mean.
Headcanon says absolutely. ;D
(Oh, the things I've written concerning sane!Lanette, Bill's habit of turning into Pokémon, and the basis of their relationship. Part of it deserves a headcanon LJ post. Another part deserves an entire fic. Which I may or may not have already written.)
Brofist for thinking like an English major, by the way. You've just hit on one of the many random themes I've scattered all over the place.
Pretty much just unconscious. I'd say that by that time, he's been out of that ball for hours.
Good because the Mauville survivors can. XD
Haha, this is assuming that Bill's even got it figured out himself. He totally thinks his feelings are just for strong friendship.
Yep. According to Bill, Lanette is just his close friend. That he would like to spend the rest of his life with.
...Bill doesn't interact with people much, so... he doesn't really know any better. *pats him on the head*
Thank you! I always enjoy describing Pokémon attacks. It's just not much of a Pokémon fic (with Pokémon in it, anyway) without something sparkly happening.
Haha, probably. AND NOW WE HAVE TO WONDER WHERE THE ZIGZAGOON'S HEAD IS.
Probably scaring the crap out of poor Hope.
Yep. Or she just doesn't want to deal with him if he's dead. Y'know. Either or.
Just wait until somebody asks him whether or not everything below the neck got mutated. (To those of you who are now trying to imagine the intimate details of Bill's anatomy: YOU'RE WELCOME.)
PRETTY MUCH.
Also, Bill secretly prefers it this way.
Or in your roommate's bedroom.
(Everyone has a roommate like that in college, amirite?)
;D
She definitely is, and most likely, Adam is amused by it. We'll see if it comes back to bite her on the rear later.
Oh, you'll see. *cackles evilly*
Most of the time, yep. And the times when he's driven by emotion, she's driven by logic (like in the heat of battle).
You probably aren't too far off, either.
Thanks! I've noticed that lately, my writing hasn't been too focused on metaphors or similes, which is a little weird for me and something I'd like to add back in with moderation. Because who doesn't like a good comparison?
Awesome.
I've totally done my job, then.Thank you! I'm glad you liked it, especially because, yeah, you're right. It's not really an action-oriented chapter at all, and I was a little afraid that it'd be a pile of tl;dr instead of something that actually makes it seem like the plot is advancing in any way (even if it's just to clear up a bunch of stuff). Hopefully, next chapter will have a bit of fighting going on, especially after I reveal what happened to Domino and who those random newcomers that Lanette was talking about are. (Hint: The first version of the fic ended with their introduction.)
Phantom Kat
Hobo Writer
:O I didn't know "switch" could become a verb. I may have heard it used before, or maybe I'm thinking of seeing the noun "switch". You know what this means? I spotted no mistakes! That, and I learned a new word that I will now abuse in my writing until I get bored. I also recently learned that "intimate" can be used to mean "to communicate delicately and indirectly" (and that there's a different pronunciation for it as well.) Oh English. No wonder my sister calls this language "dumb". xP *shakes head*
Your comment about the zigzagoon's head scaring Hope reminded me of the "Matazetas" (a rebel group)of Mexico leaving the heads of the "Zetas" in front of schools. Poor children. D: As for where Thom left the head, maybe he's saving it for Bill? Let's hope he didn't leave it in those ice machines they have in hospitals.
Yeah, it seems not a lot of authors spend time on the psychological aspect of a TF story. Like you said, if not done right it can pretty much just fall flat on its face, but isn't that the whole point of fan-fiction, to experiment and improve in areas you don't feel comfortable in? Writing a fan-fiction without risks or challenges can get boring.
- Kat
Your comment about the zigzagoon's head scaring Hope reminded me of the "Matazetas" (a rebel group)of Mexico leaving the heads of the "Zetas" in front of schools. Poor children. D: As for where Thom left the head, maybe he's saving it for Bill? Let's hope he didn't leave it in those ice machines they have in hospitals.
Yeah, it seems not a lot of authors spend time on the psychological aspect of a TF story. Like you said, if not done right it can pretty much just fall flat on its face, but isn't that the whole point of fan-fiction, to experiment and improve in areas you don't feel comfortable in? Writing a fan-fiction without risks or challenges can get boring.
- Kat
GastlyMan
Ghost Type Trainer
Oh gosh...Right at that line I knew there was going to be something disgusting. XD
That’s pretty cool. I’m liking Lanette more and more as the plot progresses.
Great chapter (and I apologize for the extremely short review
). I enjoyed the characters’ interactions especially - Bill and Adam’s conversations are always so interesting, as well as Bill and Lanette’s. Awesome job.
JX Valentine
Ever-Discordant
Aaaand catching up on replies!
Indeed it can! It's such an awesome word and pretty versatile too, so I highly encourage its use. That and it's just all-around classy.
Inorite? Just the other day, I taught someone about the various uses of the word "elaborate," and then there's my favorite, "envelope." And of course, "desert."
Okay, Mexican history officially freaks me out, then. Poor children indeed. Seriously, wat?
Knowing him, that's exactly where he put it. XD
Exactly! But oh, please tell oh so many fic authors this. ;_; So many people just think it's about doing whatever they want with the character designs and whatnot to pull trite storylines (and call it [genre] fic), but... that's kinda missing the point. And it makes me sad-face because, seriously, this fandom needs more clever fic. Not another reborn story that everyone flocks to because it's a reborn story. :| /incoherent rant
*cackles madly*
In that case, that's a mission accomplished for Thom. ;D
Awesome! I'd really like her to come off as an ice queen but at the same time redeemable, if that even makes sense. Or, y'know, just a character people can enjoy watchingas she beats up our main protagonist repeatedly. So I'm really glad you're enjoying watching her (and the other characters interact, for that matter).
Thank you, and not a problem! I know it's a busy time for everyone, so I'm glad you were able to sit down and relax a bit at all.
That being said, which person thanks to NaNo wrote a chapter and a half in the past two days? This person. So, chapter twenty-two and twenty-three might pop up soon? We shall seeeeee~!
Indeed it can! It's such an awesome word and pretty versatile too, so I highly encourage its use. That and it's just all-around classy.
Inorite? Just the other day, I taught someone about the various uses of the word "elaborate," and then there's my favorite, "envelope." And of course, "desert."
Okay, Mexican history officially freaks me out, then. Poor children indeed.
Seriously, wat?Knowing him, that's exactly where he put it. XD
Exactly! But oh, please tell oh so many fic authors this. ;_; So many people just think it's about doing whatever they want with the character designs and whatnot to pull trite storylines (and call it [genre] fic), but... that's kinda missing the point. And it makes me sad-face because, seriously, this fandom needs more clever fic. Not another reborn story that everyone flocks to because it's a reborn story. :| /incoherent rant
*cackles madly*
In that case, that's a mission accomplished for Thom. ;D
Awesome! I'd really like her to come off as an ice queen but at the same time redeemable, if that even makes sense. Or, y'know, just a character people can enjoy watching
Great chapter (and I apologize for the extremely short review
Thank you, and not a problem! I know it's a busy time for everyone, so I'm glad you were able to sit down and relax a bit at all.
That being said, which person thanks to NaNo wrote a chapter and a half in the past two days? This person. So, chapter twenty-two and twenty-three might pop up soon? We shall seeeeee~!
JX Valentine
Ever-Discordant
Hey, remember when I said I blitz-wrote an entire chapter for the first part of NaNoWriMo and how I'm halfway through the next chapter? Chapter twenty-two, I choose you! And maybe twenty-three in a few days! And I apologize if the quality is worse than usual!
Also, if anyone spots the references here, you're shiny. That's all I'm saying.
Anima Ex Machina: Twenty-Two
I guess we've lied enough.
The sun was setting the next time Bill awoke. Already, it was nearly dark, save for the dim beam of orange light that filtered through the window. He sat up, allowing the remaining bones and organs of the zigzagoon to clatter to the floor. It took all of his strength to ignore it, to ignore the smell of blood or the spatters on the white sheets or even how stiff his joints felt. Instead, he stared out the window for a bit and waited for the remaining grogginess to ebb away from him.
"Adam?" he whispered.
Yes?
"Are we ready?"
If you mean to ask if all our wounds have been healed, then yes.
"Good."
Slipping out of the bed, he carefully placed his weight on his feet and waited for the strength in his legs to kick in. His muscles felt tense as an ache throbbed from his knees, but thankfully, he remained standing. Cautiously, he crept towards the window, opened it, and leaned out a little to see what was outside. Looking straight down, he realized he was on the second floor facing the back of the building, and beneath him was a small courtyard enclosed by a wooden fence. A few wooden tables and benches sat in each corner of the area, presumably untouched since the last attack on Mauville City.
"That should do nicely," he murmured. "Magnet Rise!"
A golden aura ignited around him, and his insect wings burst from his back. He felt his toes brush the linoleum floor as he began to hover a short distance above it. One of his feet curled around the edge of the windowsill, and with a shove, he threw himself out the window and sailed through the air towards the courtyard.
May I ask what you have in mind? Adam asked.
"We're going to train," he replied.
I thought you said you had no desire to fight.
He landed softly on his feet and let the aura around him fade. Looking up towards the open window of his room, he took pleasure in the fact that there was at least one power he was slowly getting the hang of.
"That's true," he admitted, "but that doesn't mean I can't know how to defend myself. I can use Protect well enough, but I can't use it multiple times consecutively. Iron Defense can only do so much, too. That means I'll need to figure out what other moves I can use, even if I have to spend all night doing it."
He moved to one of the tables and pulled himself onto its surface. There, he crossed his legs and wound his tail onto his lap, and once he was in position, he closed his eyes.
"Okay, Adam. I need your cooperation. I know you don't want me to master my moves this way, but I need to know what else I can do so I can work on it quickly. Can I use Thunder Wave?"
Do we look like an electric-type?
"Double Team?"
Even if we could, your speed would prevent it from being effective.
"Teeter Dance? Substitute? Reflect?"
Unfortunately no.
"Attract?"
There was a brief hesitation.
…Really, Bill?
He snapped his eyes open. "Look, I'm trying as hard as I can to come up with a strategy I can use where no one gets hurt!"
A wise human once said that the best defense is a good offense.
Bill sighed and let his shoulders slump slightly. In the quiet between them, he thought for a moment, listening to the sounds of the chilled wind as he struggled to come up with another possible attack. Behind him, he heard the slight rustle of what he thought was the grass against the wooden fence.
"Detect, then."
If we could learn Detect, you would have already used it to greet our incoming company.
"What?!"
At that warning, Bill flung a hand above him to summon a green dome of light around his body. Seconds after it appeared, a black tulip smacked against its surface, its blossom exploding in a shower of blue powder. Furrowing his eyebrows, Bill watched as the wind carried the Sleep Powder extract and the remnants of the flower harmlessly away.
"A black tulip," he whispered. Then, his eyes widened in realization, and he jumped to his feet. "You! Show yourself!"
From the shadows in the corner of the courtyard, a figure leapt up and slammed her feet onto the wooden table Bill had been sitting on a moment ago. With a smile, the blonde fixed her purple eyes on him and drew her black tulip baton into view.
"My my!" 009 exclaimed. "You've gotten to be quite a battler, even without that stuck-up old hag ordering you around. I'm sure the boss would love to meet you now."
Bill ground his feet into the dirt, anchoring himself to the ground with his claws. He knew he would be seeing a fight shortly.
"For your information," he spat, "that 'old hag' happens to be my partner, and I have absolutely no intention of going with you anywhere."
009 clicked her tongue. "Touchy. Anyway, why are you protesting? I caught you fair and square in a poké ball given to me by my fellow Team Rocket member. For all intents and purposes, you belong to Team Rocket. Completely legally, too!"
"That's hardly true," Bill snapped. "A ball may have captured my body, but my mind doesn't belong to you. And just as soon as I can convince Lanette to get rid of that thing, I'll be free again, but until then, it's in her hands, not yours."
"What's that? You think you belong to that girlfriend of yours? Oh, that's so cute!"
At once, Bill's face flushed. "What?! I beg your pardon, but she is most certainly not—"
"Your girlfriend? Come on, I've heard it a thousand times!" 009 brandished her baton and crouched. "Anyway, if you're going to insist that you don't belong to Team Rocket, I'm going to have to convince you myself!"
With that, she leapt off the table and lunged at him. Her baton swept in an arc beside her, aiming for the ixodida's head. As swiftly as he could, Bill raised both his hands, palms out towards her, as a second green barrier flared to life around him. The baton banged off its surface and flicked harmlessly to the side. 009 twirled it beside her as she crouched in preparation.
"Protect worked twice, but let's see it work three times!" she shouted.
She swung at him for a third time, but this time, he didn't try to block it. Instead, he turned, whipping his tail around him until it curled around the baton. As he turned he wrenched it out of 009's hand and sent her weapon flying across the courtyard. Snarling, he crouched and kept himself between her and it. She straightened her back and gazed at him through half-open eyes.
"Sienna," he barked. "Your name. It's Sienna, isn't it?"
A grin crawled across her face. "Maybe. You're smart, aren't you? What do you think?"
His tail waved back and forth behind him as his claws flexed. With narrow eyes, he studied his opponent, waiting for her next move.
"What's your name, then?" he asked.
"They call me a lot of things. The Black Tulip. Agent 009…"
She flicked her arm towards her opponent, and with a snap of her wrist, she shot a tulip straight at Bill's face. He had no time to dodge before the sharp stem slashed his cheek, and in that single moment, he yelped, flinched, and covered the wound with a hand. That single fluid reaction bought 009 enough time. In his distraction, she darted around him and leapt into the air. Somersaulting in mid-air, she closed the distance between herself and her weapon until she landed gracefully right next to it. Her hand swooped down to snatch it, and with her fingers gripping it tightly, she turned just in time to see her opponent pulling his hand away from his face. As the wound on his cheek visibly began to heal, he scowled at her and assumed a defensive stance: one foot in front of the other, one arm bent at his side with a hand balled into a fist, the other held up with its palm open. Bill knew next to nothing about martial arts, but he imagined, thanks to one kung-fu movie or another, that this stance helped in some way. Adam was at least not arguing about it.
"Your name," he repeated.
009 twirled her baton and walked towards him. "Why do you need to know?"
"I should think it's only proper to know the name of your opponent before you fight them. It separates a pokémon battle from common street fighting, wouldn't it?"
She chuckled. "You're too cute, but I can tell you're stalling. Fine. I'll humor you. It's Sienna."
At her last word, she lunged at him, baton swinging for his head. Bill's body flashed with a dim, blue aura as he raised his arm to block her strike. The sound of metal on metal resonated through the courtyard, and while it lingered in the air, he turned in an attempt to repeat his strategy to disarm her. She was ready this time, ducking low before his tail could touch her.
"Or maybe it's Yolanda!" she shouted.
Her next move came in the form of a swing at his head once again. He leaned back, allowing the blossom to pass over him harmlessly, but in the process, he noticed it spark with electricity.
"Or Saffron!"
She swung again, forcing him to block her with one arm. Once again, the baton banged off his skin, but before she could recover, Bill swung his free arm upwards and quickly channeled his energy into his fingertips. Each one took on a brilliant, white glow just as he slashed at the stem, slicing it in half. He was about to slash at her hand to knock the blossom away when she swung her arms away from him and twirled both ends in her hands.
"But I think my favorite cover was named…"
At once, she pointed both ends at him.
"…Domino!"
Electricity arced off both the blossom and the baton's blunt end with a crack. For a second, Bill could only see light as his entire body went numb – and airborne. Before he could realize what was going on, he came crashing down onto one of the wooden picnic tables, smashing through it until he lay in a heap on top of splintered wood.
Groaning, he opened his eyes and held his head. His vision blurred, but he could just barely make out a black and yellow blotch moving slowly towards him. Squinting, he forced his vision to resolve until he could see 009 standing over him with her broken baton at her sides.
"Well? Did I convince you?"
Bill spat at her feet. "Your real name."
The Black Tulip cocked her head to the side slightly, but before she could respond, something cracked against the back of her skull. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she dropped like a ragdoll at Lanette's feet. The redhead rubbed the edge of her crowbar gingerly, as if she was more concerned about the damages done to it than to the Rocket field agent.
"She would have only lied anyway, Bill," she stated. "What were you doing?"
He coughed and struggled to sit up. "Training."
"Training," Lanette repeated as one of her eyebrows rose.
"Or trying to anyway before she interrupted me."
"Hm. First rule of battling."
With one of her feet, she shoved Domino's body to the side and offered a hand to her partner. He briefly glanced at the blonde to the side before accepting Lanette's gesture and allowing her to pull him to his feet. His legs tingled and shook with the remaining effects of the electricity, but Lanette supported him, wrapping her arms around his waist to keep him upright.
"Don't ask the enemy questions in the middle of a fight," she finished.
"Oh. That?" Bill smiled awkwardly and slipped one of his arms around Lanette's shoulders for stability. "That was stalling."
"That was stupidity."
"I needed time to think of a move that wouldn't kill her!"
"You do what you need to do. She wouldn't have let you kill her."
Bill pulled himself away from Lanette and glared at her incredulously. "Are you suggesting I should murder someone?"
"No," she replied. "I'm suggesting you defend yourself properly. The policy of the Caravan is to do what is necessary to safeguard the lives of everyone we take in. Out there, there are ixodida who will gladly rip you apart without rhyme or reason. We need to be prepared for that, which means you'll need to be prepared to do everything in your power to protect us. And I mean everything."
"And I will, but I don't plan on hurting anyone in the process. Lanette, we can figure this out! Between you and me, we can uncover what the ixodida really want! This doesn't have to be a war!"
For a long moment, she locked her eyes on his. Then, she placed a hand on her hip, sighed, and shook her head.
"You still don't understand, do you?" she said.
"I'm trying to," he told her quietly. "Believe me, I'm trying to."
"Not with that attitude, you're not. But if you need to be convinced…" She looked over her shoulder. "Steven. Wallace."
She stepped aside to reveal two shadows perched on one of the unbroken wooden tables. Stepping forward, Bill squinted, forcing his eyes to adjust to the darkness in order to see them. When he did, he stopped.
Both of them were young men not much older than he was. The one on the right kept pale, narrow eyes fixed on Bill and Lanette as thick fingers played with the smooth surfaces of a stone he held in his palm. On the left, his companion leaned the small of his back against the edge of the table but kept his eyes on the moon. One of his hands curled around the edge of the table; the other held his white beret against his straight, green hair.
Bill didn't need an introduction to know who either of these men were. One of them – the right one, the gray-haired man in the suit – was Steven Stone, son of the world-renowned inventor who ran Devon Corporation. The other, the green-haired man in loose-fitting artist's smock, was Wallace, renowned master of water-type pokémon. Furthermore, he knew enough from Lanette already to realize he was in the presence of both of Hoenn's league champions. With that in mind, he waited, anticipating that something painful was about to happen to him.
Wallace was the first to speak. "What she says is true. The ixodida have no desire to negotiate, and we can't waste our efforts trying."
"Why not?" Bill asked.
"They can't make their own decisions," Steven explained. "At the heart of the Hoenn region is Point Zero, the crater where the meteor that leveled Fortree City fell. Somewhere in that area is an ixodida known as the empress, a creature stronger than any of the others on this island. All ixodida answer to the empress without question, and it's because of her that they're attacking us. Unless we defeat her, she'll continue to order the others to kill us all."
"But why?" Bill insisted. "There must be a reason for it! Perhaps they're simply territorial, or perhaps we've somehow threatened them. There could be any number of reasons why they're attacking us, but it can't simply be because they sociopathic."
Steven slouched and gazed at the rock in his hands. "That may be so, but any other ixodida won't give us that answer. They will attack us on sight, and they won't hold back. We need to work our way to the empress in order to stop her, and in doing so, we'll need to travel through an area with a high population of ixodida. Therefore—"
"Wait. We?"
At that, Steven looked up. "Yes. You, Wallace, the rest of the Caravan—"
"There are children in the Caravan!"
Wallace glanced at Lanette. "You didn't tell him?"
To that, she tore her eyes away from them, moving her gaze to the side. "It was irrelevant."
Steven rapped his hand on the table, hitting the wood with the surface of his rock. "Nonetheless, we need to prepare absolutely everyone who can fight if we want to reach the empress without incident. You're an ixodida yourself. You're better equipped than any of us to do the job for a number of reasons, the least of which is your inherent strength compared to most native pokémon. All you need is training."
"Surely, there's another way to do this."
Lanette huffed. "Why won't you understand? The ixodida will not stop attacking us until we defeat the empress, and they're certainly not going to listen to reason. We don't know whether or not the empress will, but that's irrelevant if we can't get to her in the first place. You need to train because you, as much I'd hate to admit it, are probably our best hope in getting to her in one piece."
"But all ixodida are human inside! I can't kill them!" Bill protested. "If I can think independently, then—"
A growl rumbled out of Lanette's throat, and suddenly, she turned to him and slapped her hands on his shoulders.
"Listen to me, Bill," she snapped. "Try to imagine what would happen if you and Hope were facing an ixodida. The ixodida is trying to kill Hope, and you have ten seconds to keep it from doing the job. What do you do?"
"I…" Bill lowered his head. "I… I don't know."
"The correct answer is you would rip that ixodida apart," Lanette told him. "The ixodida are a real threat to innocent people. You can't rely on the possibility that you might get through to one and convince it not to attack. There's still the chance that someone else will get hurt because you didn't act, and it's better to sacrifice someone who can't think for themselves for someone who can. Do you understand that?"
He lifted his chin slightly and mumbled, "I do."
"So Steven and Wallace can hear you."
After taking a deep breath, he replied in a clear, loud voice, "I understand."
"Good."
She forced him to turn and shoved him back towards the pokémon center. He took a few steps before turning and glancing back at her.
"Get some rest," she ordered. "Tomorrow, we wake up early to move out. You're going to have to learn on the road."
"Learn on the road?"
She nodded. "As soon as Steven and Wallace arrived to fight the fire-type, it fled. The three of us have agreed that there's reason to believe it will come back. We can't stay here to wait for it."
He wanted to protest. He wanted to open his mouth and ask her how she could believe he could fight against something like that – not because he was worried about the human it was inside but instead because she knew how weak he was. Steven and Wallace could spout their beliefs concerning the strength of an ixodida compared to a pokémon all day, but at the end of it all, Bill knew he could be defeated by a chansey and a growlithe. He wanted to help. He didn't want to be a hero, but he certainly wanted to be a protector, a guardian of the innocent people of the Caravan. But the thing he couldn't do was fight, and no matter what he tried to say, he just couldn't make anyone there understand the reasons why. His mouth opened; he found the words to say and was just about to say them.
But instead, he said, "I see."
It was when he was halfway to the door that he realized he wasn't in control anymore. Although his mind made an effort to pry control from Adam's grip, his main concern at that point was the utter confusion he was feeling right at that moment.
Adam, what are you doing? he finally asked.
"Saving you the trouble of arguing for another hour," the parasite whispered. "They are all correct. The empress exists, and we will not be able to rest until she is defeated. Besides, you need to sleep. The way you battled was a decent effort, but you took enough damage to require us to rest. I really wish you would not be so quick to put our body in harm's way."
As soon as it stepped inside, Adam retreated, pitching Bill forward. He wavered on his feet and grabbed his head, trying his best to shake off the disoriented feeling that suddenly hit him hard.
"Even my body is against me," he muttered with a grimace.
Then, without another word or glance back, he continued into the center and headed back to his room.
Outside, Lanette, Steven, and Wallace watched the door close. As soon as it did, Lanette relaxed.
"Well?" she said.
"His technique could use improvement, but it definitely shows potential. The way he disarmed that girl shows that he can be creative in a battle if he wants to be," Wallace commented. "We just need to refine his reaction times and his ability to strategize. That I can do." He glanced towards his partner. "Steven?"
"You've already told me he can use Iron Tail and Metal Claw, Lanette," he said, "but the way he used Metal Claw makes me think he could be taught a few other moves. I'd like to see which ones I can teach him." Then, his gaze drifted over his shoulder, towards the fence. "What about you, Tate?"
There was a long silence. At the height of it, a boy walked out of the shadows. With each step, a long tail with an arrowhead-tip swayed behind him, and the core on his ankle and the bone-white horns nestled in his pink hair glinted in the moonlight. The rest of his body was dressed in blue and red Chinese-style garments, all of which covered his smooth, pale-pink skin. As he brought his claws to his mouth, he stared at the door with blue-eyed wonder.
Taking note of his expression, Steven asked, "Tate? What is it?"
"I don't know," the boy admitted, "but I couldn't read that guy's future."
Lab assistants in Polaris Institute were a lot like vital organs: although one didn't notice his own liver while it remained in full operation, removing it disrupted an entire delicate system. Most of the time, lab assistants were not hired separately from researchers. Rather, many researchers had full-time assistants that they brought with them on the account of being able to trust their ability to remain confidential, keep calm, and work well in a team. Thus, they were permitted in the laboratory to work side-by-side with researchers to collect data, ensure each experiment ran smoothly, and generally perform whatever duties each research team required.
The position thrilled Tracey Sketchit beyond all reason.
Tracey did not have an illustrious background; in fact, he was the first pokémon watcher in his family. By contrast, many of his family members were in the tourism industry, and he was the son of a craftsman on Valencia Island who specialized in turning seashells into souvenirs. Most Sketchits never even had a passing fascination with pokémon save for the facts that some were used to harvest shells and that it was often trainers who came to their shops. So it was a great surprise when, seemingly out of the blue, Tracey announced that he wanted to take his marill and travel the world to study pokémon.
The next few years were a flurry of adventure. For a long while, he traveled by himself, fine-tuning his abilities to observe pokémon and sketch them in a short amount of time. For another while, he traveled with a young trainer from Pallet Town, and that made his life even more interesting by giving him the opportunity to encounter strange and wondrous pokémon he never would have met by himself, the least of which were the legendary birds.
Then, for the next while, he was Professor Oak's personal assistant. As such, his position in Polaris Institute was an important one, although he sometimes shied away from describing it as such. While he was rarely required to step into a laboratory and assist an experiment himself (mostly because Oak was more of a supervisor than a scientist), he performed all clerical duties Oak required, greeted and organized new members to the Polaris staff, and analyzed employee profiles sent by the Committee to help his superior choose new members. Only on occasion, he would set out to the Median and Inner Rings to oversee certain experiments to deliver a report to Oak, and now was such an occasion.
Tracey's steps fell quickly as he raced down the hallway towards one of the laboratories of the Inner Ring. His ID was already in hand, and his mind was struggling to keep track of the time. He knew that he was running late, that the biochemistry team's experiment was starting in fifteen minutes, and that he should have been there five minutes ago.
He also knew that according to Murphy's Law, if one is running late, the chances are greater that there would be one obstacle or another to determine that one would absolutely be late. As such, just as he spotted the door to the laboratory in the distance, a hand grabbed his arm and jolted him back. By some miracle, he didn't tumble to the floor and instead managed to right himself, all while twisting his body until he came face-to-face with a man whose image he had seen on the backs of more than a few books.
"Ah! Tracey Sketchit! Just the assistant I wanted to see!" John said cheerfully. "Do you remember who I am?"
At the question, Tracey widened his eyes and stammered, "Y-yes, sir! You're Professor McKenzie, one of the world's leading experts on pokémon psychology and battle techniques! I'm a huge fan of yours, but—"
"Clever boy, clever boy!" John exclaimed as he patted Tracey on the back. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be busy, would you?"
"Uh, actually…" Tracey's eyes darted towards the end of the hallway. "I'm late for assisting the biochemistry team, and—"
John's face fell. "Oh. Them. Well, in that case, let me escort you! I'd like to make a business proposal along the way, if I may."
"A… business proposal?"
"Yes, yes! Very simple arrangement, really. You see, I need help on a little project of mine, and I can't trust anyone but Professor Oak's finest. I can convince the old arcanine to lend me you for a bit, but negotiations would be much smoother if I knew whether or not you'd like to work closely with me."
"Well, I…"
"Did I forget to mention that it'd get you out of a desk job and back into a laboratory?"
That was all it took to coax the boy into rambling about why he would be thrilled to do it and wasn't entirely sure if it would be okay and countless other things John only half-listened to. The older man simply grinned and put an arm around Tracey's shoulders like he was a close friend, and with that, the two of them walked down the hallway. Along the way, he shot a victorious glance through an open door. Beyond it, he could see Ariana, dressed in the uniform of the chief of security and flanked by two large lab assistants, and while the assistants looked completely nonchalant about the image of Tracey being accompanied by John, the Rocket executive seethed in quiet fury.
And that, in John's opinion, made this all positively worth it.
Also, if anyone spots the references here, you're shiny. That's all I'm saying.
Anima Ex Machina: Twenty-Two
I guess we've lied enough.
The sun was setting the next time Bill awoke. Already, it was nearly dark, save for the dim beam of orange light that filtered through the window. He sat up, allowing the remaining bones and organs of the zigzagoon to clatter to the floor. It took all of his strength to ignore it, to ignore the smell of blood or the spatters on the white sheets or even how stiff his joints felt. Instead, he stared out the window for a bit and waited for the remaining grogginess to ebb away from him.
"Adam?" he whispered.
Yes?
"Are we ready?"
If you mean to ask if all our wounds have been healed, then yes.
"Good."
Slipping out of the bed, he carefully placed his weight on his feet and waited for the strength in his legs to kick in. His muscles felt tense as an ache throbbed from his knees, but thankfully, he remained standing. Cautiously, he crept towards the window, opened it, and leaned out a little to see what was outside. Looking straight down, he realized he was on the second floor facing the back of the building, and beneath him was a small courtyard enclosed by a wooden fence. A few wooden tables and benches sat in each corner of the area, presumably untouched since the last attack on Mauville City.
"That should do nicely," he murmured. "Magnet Rise!"
A golden aura ignited around him, and his insect wings burst from his back. He felt his toes brush the linoleum floor as he began to hover a short distance above it. One of his feet curled around the edge of the windowsill, and with a shove, he threw himself out the window and sailed through the air towards the courtyard.
May I ask what you have in mind? Adam asked.
"We're going to train," he replied.
I thought you said you had no desire to fight.
He landed softly on his feet and let the aura around him fade. Looking up towards the open window of his room, he took pleasure in the fact that there was at least one power he was slowly getting the hang of.
"That's true," he admitted, "but that doesn't mean I can't know how to defend myself. I can use Protect well enough, but I can't use it multiple times consecutively. Iron Defense can only do so much, too. That means I'll need to figure out what other moves I can use, even if I have to spend all night doing it."
He moved to one of the tables and pulled himself onto its surface. There, he crossed his legs and wound his tail onto his lap, and once he was in position, he closed his eyes.
"Okay, Adam. I need your cooperation. I know you don't want me to master my moves this way, but I need to know what else I can do so I can work on it quickly. Can I use Thunder Wave?"
Do we look like an electric-type?
"Double Team?"
Even if we could, your speed would prevent it from being effective.
"Teeter Dance? Substitute? Reflect?"
Unfortunately no.
"Attract?"
There was a brief hesitation.
…Really, Bill?
He snapped his eyes open. "Look, I'm trying as hard as I can to come up with a strategy I can use where no one gets hurt!"
A wise human once said that the best defense is a good offense.
Bill sighed and let his shoulders slump slightly. In the quiet between them, he thought for a moment, listening to the sounds of the chilled wind as he struggled to come up with another possible attack. Behind him, he heard the slight rustle of what he thought was the grass against the wooden fence.
"Detect, then."
If we could learn Detect, you would have already used it to greet our incoming company.
"What?!"
At that warning, Bill flung a hand above him to summon a green dome of light around his body. Seconds after it appeared, a black tulip smacked against its surface, its blossom exploding in a shower of blue powder. Furrowing his eyebrows, Bill watched as the wind carried the Sleep Powder extract and the remnants of the flower harmlessly away.
"A black tulip," he whispered. Then, his eyes widened in realization, and he jumped to his feet. "You! Show yourself!"
From the shadows in the corner of the courtyard, a figure leapt up and slammed her feet onto the wooden table Bill had been sitting on a moment ago. With a smile, the blonde fixed her purple eyes on him and drew her black tulip baton into view.
"My my!" 009 exclaimed. "You've gotten to be quite a battler, even without that stuck-up old hag ordering you around. I'm sure the boss would love to meet you now."
Bill ground his feet into the dirt, anchoring himself to the ground with his claws. He knew he would be seeing a fight shortly.
"For your information," he spat, "that 'old hag' happens to be my partner, and I have absolutely no intention of going with you anywhere."
009 clicked her tongue. "Touchy. Anyway, why are you protesting? I caught you fair and square in a poké ball given to me by my fellow Team Rocket member. For all intents and purposes, you belong to Team Rocket. Completely legally, too!"
"That's hardly true," Bill snapped. "A ball may have captured my body, but my mind doesn't belong to you. And just as soon as I can convince Lanette to get rid of that thing, I'll be free again, but until then, it's in her hands, not yours."
"What's that? You think you belong to that girlfriend of yours? Oh, that's so cute!"
At once, Bill's face flushed. "What?! I beg your pardon, but she is most certainly not—"
"Your girlfriend? Come on, I've heard it a thousand times!" 009 brandished her baton and crouched. "Anyway, if you're going to insist that you don't belong to Team Rocket, I'm going to have to convince you myself!"
With that, she leapt off the table and lunged at him. Her baton swept in an arc beside her, aiming for the ixodida's head. As swiftly as he could, Bill raised both his hands, palms out towards her, as a second green barrier flared to life around him. The baton banged off its surface and flicked harmlessly to the side. 009 twirled it beside her as she crouched in preparation.
"Protect worked twice, but let's see it work three times!" she shouted.
She swung at him for a third time, but this time, he didn't try to block it. Instead, he turned, whipping his tail around him until it curled around the baton. As he turned he wrenched it out of 009's hand and sent her weapon flying across the courtyard. Snarling, he crouched and kept himself between her and it. She straightened her back and gazed at him through half-open eyes.
"Sienna," he barked. "Your name. It's Sienna, isn't it?"
A grin crawled across her face. "Maybe. You're smart, aren't you? What do you think?"
His tail waved back and forth behind him as his claws flexed. With narrow eyes, he studied his opponent, waiting for her next move.
"What's your name, then?" he asked.
"They call me a lot of things. The Black Tulip. Agent 009…"
She flicked her arm towards her opponent, and with a snap of her wrist, she shot a tulip straight at Bill's face. He had no time to dodge before the sharp stem slashed his cheek, and in that single moment, he yelped, flinched, and covered the wound with a hand. That single fluid reaction bought 009 enough time. In his distraction, she darted around him and leapt into the air. Somersaulting in mid-air, she closed the distance between herself and her weapon until she landed gracefully right next to it. Her hand swooped down to snatch it, and with her fingers gripping it tightly, she turned just in time to see her opponent pulling his hand away from his face. As the wound on his cheek visibly began to heal, he scowled at her and assumed a defensive stance: one foot in front of the other, one arm bent at his side with a hand balled into a fist, the other held up with its palm open. Bill knew next to nothing about martial arts, but he imagined, thanks to one kung-fu movie or another, that this stance helped in some way. Adam was at least not arguing about it.
"Your name," he repeated.
009 twirled her baton and walked towards him. "Why do you need to know?"
"I should think it's only proper to know the name of your opponent before you fight them. It separates a pokémon battle from common street fighting, wouldn't it?"
She chuckled. "You're too cute, but I can tell you're stalling. Fine. I'll humor you. It's Sienna."
At her last word, she lunged at him, baton swinging for his head. Bill's body flashed with a dim, blue aura as he raised his arm to block her strike. The sound of metal on metal resonated through the courtyard, and while it lingered in the air, he turned in an attempt to repeat his strategy to disarm her. She was ready this time, ducking low before his tail could touch her.
"Or maybe it's Yolanda!" she shouted.
Her next move came in the form of a swing at his head once again. He leaned back, allowing the blossom to pass over him harmlessly, but in the process, he noticed it spark with electricity.
"Or Saffron!"
She swung again, forcing him to block her with one arm. Once again, the baton banged off his skin, but before she could recover, Bill swung his free arm upwards and quickly channeled his energy into his fingertips. Each one took on a brilliant, white glow just as he slashed at the stem, slicing it in half. He was about to slash at her hand to knock the blossom away when she swung her arms away from him and twirled both ends in her hands.
"But I think my favorite cover was named…"
At once, she pointed both ends at him.
"…Domino!"
Electricity arced off both the blossom and the baton's blunt end with a crack. For a second, Bill could only see light as his entire body went numb – and airborne. Before he could realize what was going on, he came crashing down onto one of the wooden picnic tables, smashing through it until he lay in a heap on top of splintered wood.
Groaning, he opened his eyes and held his head. His vision blurred, but he could just barely make out a black and yellow blotch moving slowly towards him. Squinting, he forced his vision to resolve until he could see 009 standing over him with her broken baton at her sides.
"Well? Did I convince you?"
Bill spat at her feet. "Your real name."
The Black Tulip cocked her head to the side slightly, but before she could respond, something cracked against the back of her skull. Her eyes rolled up into her head, and she dropped like a ragdoll at Lanette's feet. The redhead rubbed the edge of her crowbar gingerly, as if she was more concerned about the damages done to it than to the Rocket field agent.
"She would have only lied anyway, Bill," she stated. "What were you doing?"
He coughed and struggled to sit up. "Training."
"Training," Lanette repeated as one of her eyebrows rose.
"Or trying to anyway before she interrupted me."
"Hm. First rule of battling."
With one of her feet, she shoved Domino's body to the side and offered a hand to her partner. He briefly glanced at the blonde to the side before accepting Lanette's gesture and allowing her to pull him to his feet. His legs tingled and shook with the remaining effects of the electricity, but Lanette supported him, wrapping her arms around his waist to keep him upright.
"Don't ask the enemy questions in the middle of a fight," she finished.
"Oh. That?" Bill smiled awkwardly and slipped one of his arms around Lanette's shoulders for stability. "That was stalling."
"That was stupidity."
"I needed time to think of a move that wouldn't kill her!"
"You do what you need to do. She wouldn't have let you kill her."
Bill pulled himself away from Lanette and glared at her incredulously. "Are you suggesting I should murder someone?"
"No," she replied. "I'm suggesting you defend yourself properly. The policy of the Caravan is to do what is necessary to safeguard the lives of everyone we take in. Out there, there are ixodida who will gladly rip you apart without rhyme or reason. We need to be prepared for that, which means you'll need to be prepared to do everything in your power to protect us. And I mean everything."
"And I will, but I don't plan on hurting anyone in the process. Lanette, we can figure this out! Between you and me, we can uncover what the ixodida really want! This doesn't have to be a war!"
For a long moment, she locked her eyes on his. Then, she placed a hand on her hip, sighed, and shook her head.
"You still don't understand, do you?" she said.
"I'm trying to," he told her quietly. "Believe me, I'm trying to."
"Not with that attitude, you're not. But if you need to be convinced…" She looked over her shoulder. "Steven. Wallace."
She stepped aside to reveal two shadows perched on one of the unbroken wooden tables. Stepping forward, Bill squinted, forcing his eyes to adjust to the darkness in order to see them. When he did, he stopped.
Both of them were young men not much older than he was. The one on the right kept pale, narrow eyes fixed on Bill and Lanette as thick fingers played with the smooth surfaces of a stone he held in his palm. On the left, his companion leaned the small of his back against the edge of the table but kept his eyes on the moon. One of his hands curled around the edge of the table; the other held his white beret against his straight, green hair.
Bill didn't need an introduction to know who either of these men were. One of them – the right one, the gray-haired man in the suit – was Steven Stone, son of the world-renowned inventor who ran Devon Corporation. The other, the green-haired man in loose-fitting artist's smock, was Wallace, renowned master of water-type pokémon. Furthermore, he knew enough from Lanette already to realize he was in the presence of both of Hoenn's league champions. With that in mind, he waited, anticipating that something painful was about to happen to him.
Wallace was the first to speak. "What she says is true. The ixodida have no desire to negotiate, and we can't waste our efforts trying."
"Why not?" Bill asked.
"They can't make their own decisions," Steven explained. "At the heart of the Hoenn region is Point Zero, the crater where the meteor that leveled Fortree City fell. Somewhere in that area is an ixodida known as the empress, a creature stronger than any of the others on this island. All ixodida answer to the empress without question, and it's because of her that they're attacking us. Unless we defeat her, she'll continue to order the others to kill us all."
"But why?" Bill insisted. "There must be a reason for it! Perhaps they're simply territorial, or perhaps we've somehow threatened them. There could be any number of reasons why they're attacking us, but it can't simply be because they sociopathic."
Steven slouched and gazed at the rock in his hands. "That may be so, but any other ixodida won't give us that answer. They will attack us on sight, and they won't hold back. We need to work our way to the empress in order to stop her, and in doing so, we'll need to travel through an area with a high population of ixodida. Therefore—"
"Wait. We?"
At that, Steven looked up. "Yes. You, Wallace, the rest of the Caravan—"
"There are children in the Caravan!"
Wallace glanced at Lanette. "You didn't tell him?"
To that, she tore her eyes away from them, moving her gaze to the side. "It was irrelevant."
Steven rapped his hand on the table, hitting the wood with the surface of his rock. "Nonetheless, we need to prepare absolutely everyone who can fight if we want to reach the empress without incident. You're an ixodida yourself. You're better equipped than any of us to do the job for a number of reasons, the least of which is your inherent strength compared to most native pokémon. All you need is training."
"Surely, there's another way to do this."
Lanette huffed. "Why won't you understand? The ixodida will not stop attacking us until we defeat the empress, and they're certainly not going to listen to reason. We don't know whether or not the empress will, but that's irrelevant if we can't get to her in the first place. You need to train because you, as much I'd hate to admit it, are probably our best hope in getting to her in one piece."
"But all ixodida are human inside! I can't kill them!" Bill protested. "If I can think independently, then—"
A growl rumbled out of Lanette's throat, and suddenly, she turned to him and slapped her hands on his shoulders.
"Listen to me, Bill," she snapped. "Try to imagine what would happen if you and Hope were facing an ixodida. The ixodida is trying to kill Hope, and you have ten seconds to keep it from doing the job. What do you do?"
"I…" Bill lowered his head. "I… I don't know."
"The correct answer is you would rip that ixodida apart," Lanette told him. "The ixodida are a real threat to innocent people. You can't rely on the possibility that you might get through to one and convince it not to attack. There's still the chance that someone else will get hurt because you didn't act, and it's better to sacrifice someone who can't think for themselves for someone who can. Do you understand that?"
He lifted his chin slightly and mumbled, "I do."
"So Steven and Wallace can hear you."
After taking a deep breath, he replied in a clear, loud voice, "I understand."
"Good."
She forced him to turn and shoved him back towards the pokémon center. He took a few steps before turning and glancing back at her.
"Get some rest," she ordered. "Tomorrow, we wake up early to move out. You're going to have to learn on the road."
"Learn on the road?"
She nodded. "As soon as Steven and Wallace arrived to fight the fire-type, it fled. The three of us have agreed that there's reason to believe it will come back. We can't stay here to wait for it."
He wanted to protest. He wanted to open his mouth and ask her how she could believe he could fight against something like that – not because he was worried about the human it was inside but instead because she knew how weak he was. Steven and Wallace could spout their beliefs concerning the strength of an ixodida compared to a pokémon all day, but at the end of it all, Bill knew he could be defeated by a chansey and a growlithe. He wanted to help. He didn't want to be a hero, but he certainly wanted to be a protector, a guardian of the innocent people of the Caravan. But the thing he couldn't do was fight, and no matter what he tried to say, he just couldn't make anyone there understand the reasons why. His mouth opened; he found the words to say and was just about to say them.
But instead, he said, "I see."
It was when he was halfway to the door that he realized he wasn't in control anymore. Although his mind made an effort to pry control from Adam's grip, his main concern at that point was the utter confusion he was feeling right at that moment.
Adam, what are you doing? he finally asked.
"Saving you the trouble of arguing for another hour," the parasite whispered. "They are all correct. The empress exists, and we will not be able to rest until she is defeated. Besides, you need to sleep. The way you battled was a decent effort, but you took enough damage to require us to rest. I really wish you would not be so quick to put our body in harm's way."
As soon as it stepped inside, Adam retreated, pitching Bill forward. He wavered on his feet and grabbed his head, trying his best to shake off the disoriented feeling that suddenly hit him hard.
"Even my body is against me," he muttered with a grimace.
Then, without another word or glance back, he continued into the center and headed back to his room.
Outside, Lanette, Steven, and Wallace watched the door close. As soon as it did, Lanette relaxed.
"Well?" she said.
"His technique could use improvement, but it definitely shows potential. The way he disarmed that girl shows that he can be creative in a battle if he wants to be," Wallace commented. "We just need to refine his reaction times and his ability to strategize. That I can do." He glanced towards his partner. "Steven?"
"You've already told me he can use Iron Tail and Metal Claw, Lanette," he said, "but the way he used Metal Claw makes me think he could be taught a few other moves. I'd like to see which ones I can teach him." Then, his gaze drifted over his shoulder, towards the fence. "What about you, Tate?"
There was a long silence. At the height of it, a boy walked out of the shadows. With each step, a long tail with an arrowhead-tip swayed behind him, and the core on his ankle and the bone-white horns nestled in his pink hair glinted in the moonlight. The rest of his body was dressed in blue and red Chinese-style garments, all of which covered his smooth, pale-pink skin. As he brought his claws to his mouth, he stared at the door with blue-eyed wonder.
Taking note of his expression, Steven asked, "Tate? What is it?"
"I don't know," the boy admitted, "but I couldn't read that guy's future."
---
Lab assistants in Polaris Institute were a lot like vital organs: although one didn't notice his own liver while it remained in full operation, removing it disrupted an entire delicate system. Most of the time, lab assistants were not hired separately from researchers. Rather, many researchers had full-time assistants that they brought with them on the account of being able to trust their ability to remain confidential, keep calm, and work well in a team. Thus, they were permitted in the laboratory to work side-by-side with researchers to collect data, ensure each experiment ran smoothly, and generally perform whatever duties each research team required.
The position thrilled Tracey Sketchit beyond all reason.
Tracey did not have an illustrious background; in fact, he was the first pokémon watcher in his family. By contrast, many of his family members were in the tourism industry, and he was the son of a craftsman on Valencia Island who specialized in turning seashells into souvenirs. Most Sketchits never even had a passing fascination with pokémon save for the facts that some were used to harvest shells and that it was often trainers who came to their shops. So it was a great surprise when, seemingly out of the blue, Tracey announced that he wanted to take his marill and travel the world to study pokémon.
The next few years were a flurry of adventure. For a long while, he traveled by himself, fine-tuning his abilities to observe pokémon and sketch them in a short amount of time. For another while, he traveled with a young trainer from Pallet Town, and that made his life even more interesting by giving him the opportunity to encounter strange and wondrous pokémon he never would have met by himself, the least of which were the legendary birds.
Then, for the next while, he was Professor Oak's personal assistant. As such, his position in Polaris Institute was an important one, although he sometimes shied away from describing it as such. While he was rarely required to step into a laboratory and assist an experiment himself (mostly because Oak was more of a supervisor than a scientist), he performed all clerical duties Oak required, greeted and organized new members to the Polaris staff, and analyzed employee profiles sent by the Committee to help his superior choose new members. Only on occasion, he would set out to the Median and Inner Rings to oversee certain experiments to deliver a report to Oak, and now was such an occasion.
Tracey's steps fell quickly as he raced down the hallway towards one of the laboratories of the Inner Ring. His ID was already in hand, and his mind was struggling to keep track of the time. He knew that he was running late, that the biochemistry team's experiment was starting in fifteen minutes, and that he should have been there five minutes ago.
He also knew that according to Murphy's Law, if one is running late, the chances are greater that there would be one obstacle or another to determine that one would absolutely be late. As such, just as he spotted the door to the laboratory in the distance, a hand grabbed his arm and jolted him back. By some miracle, he didn't tumble to the floor and instead managed to right himself, all while twisting his body until he came face-to-face with a man whose image he had seen on the backs of more than a few books.
"Ah! Tracey Sketchit! Just the assistant I wanted to see!" John said cheerfully. "Do you remember who I am?"
At the question, Tracey widened his eyes and stammered, "Y-yes, sir! You're Professor McKenzie, one of the world's leading experts on pokémon psychology and battle techniques! I'm a huge fan of yours, but—"
"Clever boy, clever boy!" John exclaimed as he patted Tracey on the back. "Say, you wouldn't happen to be busy, would you?"
"Uh, actually…" Tracey's eyes darted towards the end of the hallway. "I'm late for assisting the biochemistry team, and—"
John's face fell. "Oh. Them. Well, in that case, let me escort you! I'd like to make a business proposal along the way, if I may."
"A… business proposal?"
"Yes, yes! Very simple arrangement, really. You see, I need help on a little project of mine, and I can't trust anyone but Professor Oak's finest. I can convince the old arcanine to lend me you for a bit, but negotiations would be much smoother if I knew whether or not you'd like to work closely with me."
"Well, I…"
"Did I forget to mention that it'd get you out of a desk job and back into a laboratory?"
That was all it took to coax the boy into rambling about why he would be thrilled to do it and wasn't entirely sure if it would be okay and countless other things John only half-listened to. The older man simply grinned and put an arm around Tracey's shoulders like he was a close friend, and with that, the two of them walked down the hallway. Along the way, he shot a victorious glance through an open door. Beyond it, he could see Ariana, dressed in the uniform of the chief of security and flanked by two large lab assistants, and while the assistants looked completely nonchalant about the image of Tracey being accompanied by John, the Rocket executive seethed in quiet fury.
And that, in John's opinion, made this all positively worth it.
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AbsolXWolf
Well-Known Member
This is me being awkward and reviewing the chapters OUT OF ORDER! YAY! (it actually doesn't help that I was excited when I found out you updated)
LOL. I got this image in my head of Bill using attract like Emolga does in the Best Wishes anime. Oh geez. I know you're trying to hook back up with Lanette, Bill, but I don't think this is the answer. ...Then again, Bill using attract on Lanette might prove to be hilarious (though I can't imagine him purposely doing so). Or heck, even Adam using attract on Lanette.
Never gonna let you down,
Never going run around and desert you(though she tried in the beginning)
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye(she tries though)
Never gonna tell a lie(ok so that part sometimes happens) and hurt you....(at least not without her crowbar)
(Dang, I am too hyper for my own good)
LMAO! What did I tell you, Black Tulip?? XD
Did Bill's father just save Tracey from the same fate that befell Bill?
If the quality is worse than usual, then I must be blind. Your wording and characterizations are as perfect as ever.
LOL. I got this image in my head of Bill using attract like Emolga does in the Best Wishes anime. Oh geez. I know you're trying to hook back up with Lanette, Bill, but I don't think this is the answer. ...Then again, Bill using attract on Lanette might prove to be hilarious (though I can't imagine him purposely doing so). Or heck, even Adam using attract on Lanette.
Whenever I see the word "hag" in the Pokemon universe, I can't help but think of Agatha for whatever reason. Bill with Agatha...UGH. (Tries to scrap image off mind)
Team Rocket catching a Pokemon legally. For once in their existence. Mind turning yourself in while you're in the goody two-shoes mood, Black Tulip?
Lanette is never gonna give you up,
Never gonna let you down,
Never going run around and desert you
Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie
(Dang, I am too hyper for my own good)
Bill's taking a stance he learned from a kung-fu movie and hoping that it will help in some way....oh boy.
Spoken like a true kung-fu action hero there, Bill. You got the lines down, the stance down, the special effects (Tulip's bombs), and now all you need is a stunt double. Ask Black Tulip if she'll let you bring in Bruno and have him fight your place.
So you're not only hitting on him (literally), you're starting to hit on him figuratively as well? Why do I have a feeling that, any moment now, Lanette is going to come in and hit you upside the head with a crowbar?
Careful there, Black Tulip. Bridget and Brigette are awfully similar, and you wouldn't want to anger Lanette anymore than you already have.
LMAO! What did I tell you, Black Tulip?? XD
Steven teaching Bill....oh this is going to be good.
WHAT?
WHAT?
Why am I getting a feeling of deja vu?
Did Bill's father just save Tracey from the same fate that befell Bill?
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The Great Butler
Hush, keep it down
Boy did you have a beautiful description going.
And then, ZIGZAGOON GUTS.
Really a nice touch here describing every bit of his physical being in this scene. It really isn't that easy to flesh out such a thing like that.
See, usually, people would use Fly or other Flying-type moves or the ability Levitate to show this, so using Magnet Rise is creative. It's shown creatively too.
Go Bill! Practice your moves tonight so you can last with Lanette. *runs*
Neither does he, in all fairness.
Teeter Dance
Teeter Dance
TEETER DANCE
Dear God, Jax, make this **** happen. Adam in a dance-off with Miror B., Ludicolo and Maractus.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Bill's true colors FINALLY come out. Infected with an alien parasite? Transformed into a hideous mutant? **** that ****, get the girl!
The only reason why Lanette would get hurt is because she isn't infected too... yet. You know Adam wants it.
It wouldn't have been very useful anyway, considering that it just does the same thing as Protect in the end.
Either way, he better learn how to fight and fast.
See, at first, I thought she was referring to Nettle, and that made me laugh twice instead of once.
Don't do it Domino. You don't want to end up like Nettle did. Don't go there.
I get the feeling Domino dies next. She crossed that line now.
It does happen.
Great description of the action, by the way.
Wait, what? Sienna?
Also, I'm guessing that was Iron Tail? Looks like he's got some moves after all.
Oh WOW. Now that was simply ****ing badass. Domino/Sienna/whatever her name is really is fearless, isn't she?
And Bill learning moves from kung-fu movies. I laughed.
Why do I not believe her?
Pssh, Yolanda. I knew she was full of it.
Okay, I don't know how you did this, but the combination of the (extremely well-described) action, the interspersed dialogue, and the fact this somehow came off as resembling an over-the-top power up sequence for a super sentai team (thanks, watching Future Diary too much) this whole fight is possibly the most badass thing I've read here yet. Really.
You best tell him, Domino. I think you pissed him off.
Why do I get the feeling that Lanette has experience with making that mistake?
Time kind of ran out to be a hippie, Bill.
He's gonna kill someone eventually, I'm calling it now.
WHAT THE...?
Okay, where did these two come out of? Things just got a lot more interesting. Certainly two faces I didn't see coming.
Dare I sense a big battle coming?
Bill needs to begin accepting reality, seriously. Peacenik strategies are clearly not going to work here.
I do think he will learn soon though.