Blueysicle
Master Procratinator
EDIT (4/8/07): Due to the fact that I take uberly-long to update, I've decided to start a PM list. Just ask me if you want to be on it and I'll put you on. ^_^
PM List:
Master Blastoise
Rated PG-13 for violence and mild swearing. (Although there's not too much of that in the beginning)
I guess I better post this before I back out at the last minute. Because I liked Pokemon XD so much and I was bored in Study Hall, I decided to write a Fan Fiction about the events after XD. (Although the Prologue takes place before XD) I first began writing this on paper and only now did I decide to get off my lazy bottom and type it.
DISCLAIMER: If I owned Pokemon, would I be writing a Fan Fiction? I barely own anything. As a matter of fact, only a few of the characters in this fic I made myself.
So let's begin, shall we?
Prologue:
The crisp fall air was carried throughout the forest by the cool breeze. Dead red and brown colored leaves dragged across the ground as the wind swept them away from the trees they fell from. The sky was painted with a golden hue from the sun mixed with scarlet colored clouds.
Michael reached for one of the leaves that skidded past him. He sat down glumly on the pavement and began twirling the leaf by the stem. Moving a strand of red hair away from his emerald eyes, he depressingly laid his hand on his cheek and sighed.
Everything had been so chaotic at the Pokemon HQ Lab for the past five months. The entire staff was running around the place non-stop, talking about a hero that defeated some organization somewhere in the desert, and about a new project that they were working on. They've been focused on those two things and nothing else. Even Michael's own parents were caught up in the mess.
The electronic door from behind the nine-year old boy opened and was followed by a set of footsteps. The tall man spotted Michael sitting down glumly on the pavement, and began to approach him. His snowy white lab coat swayed with the gentle wind, as did his long red hair. The words "Pokemon HQ Lab: Director" was stitched on to his lab coat.
"Mind if I sit down?" he asked Michael, his voice calm and cool just like the breeze blowing past them.
Michael didn't bother looking into his father's yellow eyes as he slightly nodded. The director sat down next to him and laid his hands on his knees. He stared into Michael's saddened face while his own began to copy the negative emotions.
Breaking the silence, the director spoke up while staring at the ground, "I've noticed you haven't been acting very happy lately. You've been looking rather sad, as a matter of fact. Is there something wrong?"
"You're always busy and going places. You never have time for anything else." Michael moaned, keeping all eye contact away from his father.
"So that's what this all about," the director whispered to himself. He moved himself closer to Michael and looked him straight in the face, "Michael, I know things have been pretty hectic around the lab lately, meaning that me and your mom have been very busy."
Michael still avoided looking at the director and began picking at the sides of the leaf in his hand. Being the head of the lab, Michael's father was always under a sea of work and stress. If he wasn't at the lab working on the new project, then he out in other places researching.
"Of course, that's no excuse for being so inattentive. I should be spending a lot more time with you and Jovi than I have lately.” Michael’s father admitted, full of sadness and regret.
At first, Michael believed that his father couldn't understand how he felt, but the tone of his voice was enough for the boy to finally look into his face. The director seemed about as sad as Michael was just moments ago, staring at the ground dully and watching the leaves blow past him.
“What are you working on, anyway?” Michael asked, changing the subject.
“Well, it’s a machine that we call the Purification Chamber. We’re trying to make it so that it will purify Pokemon whose hearts have been closed.” Michael’s father tried to explain, not exactly sure how to.
“What does it mean when a Pokemon’s heart has been closed?” questioned Michael. He had heard a lot of people talking about closed hearts, but he never understood what it meant.
“It’s hard to explain. You’ll understand it better when you’re older.” the director told him, knowing that the concept was too hard and complicated for a nine-year old to comprehend.
“Is that why you have to go away again?” Michael asked glumly, staring into the forest. The leaves from the top of the trees concealed the sunlight from the forest floor, just like loneliness shadowed Michael's emotions.
“Unfortunately, yes. I’m not too thrilled about it either, trust me.” he admitted, giving out a small laugh, hoping that he could lighten up his and Michael’s mood.
But Michael refused to smile. He failed to find any joy or happiness when his own father couldn’t spend time with him, even though that was all he ever wanted. Before this "Purification Chamber" came up, his father would spend time with him every day. Now, Michael would be lucky if he spoke to his father once every day.
The director sensed his son's negative sentiments; he didn't even have to look in Michael's direction to know how Michael was feeling. Ever since the day that the boy was born, the director knew there was a tight bond between them. He always compared such ties with a Spinarak and its web. The Spinarak was connected to the web, feeling the tiniest vibrations through the strands of the web, similar to the way the director could tell what Michael was feeling no matter how much he tried to keep his emotions hidden from everyone else. If the Spinarak's web was ever destroyed, then the spider-like Pokemon would just rebuild it, restoring the web back to its tight and firm state.
“However, I don’t know exactly how long I’ll be gone. Since things might be awfully lonely for you while I’m away...” the director began as he smiled and reached into his pocket.
Michael’s attention shifted to the object that his father slowly pulled out. His eyes widened and his face banished all of the sadness that was present in his emotions once he saw his father hold a small red and white sphere in his hands.
“I know you’re not quite ten yet. But your birthday is in a couple months and I wanted to give you this before I leave, just incase I don’t get back in time.” the director explained, handing him the Poke Ball.
Michael couldn't believe what he saw for a moment. Once he was sure that it wasn't a dream or an illusion, he reached for the Poke Ball and held it in his hands. He moved his fingers across the ball, soaking in the feel of the cool, smooth metal.
A smile widened across Michael’s face as the gloom that once filled him vanished. He flung himself into his father’s arms, nearly knocking him backwards.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Michael repeated over and over, hugging his father with more force each time.
Once he regained his balance, the director wrapped his arms around Michael, holding him close. He relished every moment of the embrace, as if it was the last time he'd ever hug Michael again. The director reluctantly released himself from Michael, still trying to maintain a smile to hide his own negative emotions.
"Well? Aren't you going to open it?" the director asked, his attention on the Poke Ball.
Michael took his arms away from his father and excitedly pressed his finger on the small button in the middle of the Poke Ball. The top, red half of the sphere opened and released an orb of glowing ruby-colored light. The light rapidly formed into a brown, furry, fox-like creature. She had a mane of snow-white fur and a fluffy tail. She stared up at Michael with big, black eyes that would be able to melt anyone's heart.
"Veeee?" the Pokemon squealed in a soft, endearing voice.
"A... An Eevee!" Michael exclaimed, picking up the small and young Eevee.
Michael cradled the Eevee in his arms, petting her velvety fur. The Eevee reached up and gently licked Michael on the cheek, obviously taking a liking to the boy. Michael laughed joyfully as he scratched the Eevee behind her long ears.
As a flurry of leaves swept past Michael, the Eevee eyed them curiously, not taking her attention off of them. The Eevee squirmed in Michael’s arms, eager to examine the leaves. Michael bent down and carefully placed Eevee on the ground, excited to see her reaction.
The Eevee slowly crept up to one of the leaves once the wind had subsided for a moment. She sniffed the leaf and began swatting at it playfully. When the breeze had picked back up, the wind had picked the leaf up into the air. The Eevee chased after the leaf and jumped at it when it floated above her. The Eevee eventually found herself in a large cluster of leaves. She swatted its paws frantically after the leaves twirling in the air around her, trying to catch one of them.
Michael held his hand over his mouth, stifling his laughter. Watching the Eevee play around cutely with a bunch of leaves was so hilarious in his eyes, he couldn’t resist himself. Even his father let out a chuckle under his breath, struggling to keep the serious expression that was normally on his face.
“Come on, Michael. It’s late. We should be getting inside now.” the director told Michael, who was still in a fit of laughter watching the Eevee’s antics.
Michael nodded to him and ran after his Eevee. Even after the Eevee was lifted of the ground, she was still swiping at the leaves on the ground. She tried to jump out of Michael’s arms and attack the leaves again, but Michael’s hold on her was too strong. Michael found his Eevee’s stubborn and adamant behavior amusing and failed to stop laughing.
Once the Eevee had finally calmed down, Michael dashed back into the lab with his father. Seeing Michael that happy had brought a great amount of joy into his heavy heart. He turned to Michael and smiled at him, fearing that it would be the very last smile that Michael would see on his face.
* * *
Michael slept soundly wrapped up in the warm cotton blankets. His Eevee was curled up next to him, her paws twitching as she was trying to swat at something deep in its slumber. Both of them, absorbed in pleasant dreams, barely stirred at any noises that the occurred outside of their sleep.
A thin ray of light pierced through the darkness as the bedroom door slowly and silently opened. The director peered through the crack between the door and the wall. He quietly entered the room and tiptoed to his son’s bed. He stood above his bed for a moment, trying to keep back the flood of tears that gathering behind his eyelids.
Michael’s father bent down stroked the child’s head, letting the crimson hair pass gently through his fingers. He then kissed Michael on the forehead, hardly wanting to lift his lips up away from the boy’s skin.
"Goodbye, Michael." he whispered in his son's ears before he lifted his head away from the boy.
The director remained in the room minutes after he said his goodbye, staring at Michael as if he would never see him again. After imprinting the sight of the child in his memory, the director halfheartedly left the room, looking back several times.
* * *
The darkness of night fled away as the bright yellow sun rose over the hills. The small droplets of water that collected on the blades of grass sparkled dazzlingly when the light hit it just right. From deep within the forest, the morning songs of birds echoed through the trees.
In the road in front of the lab, an average-sized transport boat was hooked up to a rusty-looking truck. The truck was obviously aged, with the pale-white paint peeling and various scratches and dents covering the exterior. Instead of wheels, the truck was supported by disc-shaped devices that would cause the truck to hover in the air when it was turned on.
The boat, on the other hand, appeared to be fairly new. The black metal was polished enough that the reflections of the forest in front of it could be seen. On the side of the boat, the words “Black Dragon” was painted on it in a noticeable white paint.
A young man, whose head was covered in shaggy brown hair, observed the boat admiringly. His narrow eyes stared into the shiny metal that coated that boat, admiring every inch of the vessel and envying the owner.
As the man adjusted his glasses and continued to stare at the boat, the woman that was leaning against it shook her head and sighed. She didn't understand him one bit, obsessing over anything new and shiny that he laid his eyes on, whether it was a boat, automobile or a new piece of computer software.
A professional air surrounded the tall, slender woman. Her face and deep emerald eyes was straight and serious, like many of the other people that worked and lived at the Pokemon HQ Lab. Her light brown hair was fashioned into a beehive style. She was dressed in a light, lavender skirt and black high-heeled shoes.
“You wish, Krane.” a voice from behind the man laughed while he was circling the boat, looking like he was about to take it for a joyride in the nearest body of water.
The director strode down the concrete steps, smiling and laughing at Krane's obsession with the boat he rented. Krane stop examining his fascination for the moment and laughed back at the director. “When you get back, perhaps I could buy this beautiful thing and take it out for a spin.”
“When you learn how to drive a boat, that is.” the director chuckled, failing to imagine Krane on a brand new boat and keeping control of himself.
The woman couldn't help but laugh at her husband's joke, as it was hard to imagine Krane in a boat and remaining sane at the same time. She and her husband found out the hard way that Krane should stay away from anything with a wheel when they foolishly let him drive a brand new truck not long after they had graduated from college.
"You did say goodbye to the kids, right?" she asked the director once her laughing subsided.
“Of course I did, Lily. I’m not that caught up in my work.” he assured her as he wrapped his arms around him and tenderly kissed her on the lips. The melancholy aura around him that was present around Michael was present when he hugged Lily as well; though he didn't dare to show it.
“And don’t worry. We’ll be sure to keep the lab in order while you’re gone.” Lily guaranteed the director after she slowly pulled herself away from his lips.
“Good. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get what we need and come straight back before all havoc breaks loose in the lab,” the director joshed around before putting his serious face back on, “From the rumors I’ve heard, the island where I’m heading has been said to hold of the many shrines dedicated to Celebi. And if has to do with Celebi, then I might be able to find something having to do with purification.”
“Speaking of Celebi, the Relic Stone in Agate Village would be a much more logical place to research, since that was where the Shadow Pokemon was purified in the first place,” Krane mentioned after finally separating himself from the boat, “Are you sure about going to some far off place for research, when you could study in a place much closer to home? I mean, Timeshift Island isn‘t even close to the Orre Region.”
“I’m sure. We can’t just rely on one place for our studies. For all we know, everything we need could be on that island.” the director refused Krane’s advice, in a rather unwilling and forced manner.
Saying goodbye to his wife and friend, the director opened the creaky truck door and sat himself down on the driver's seat. He stuck his head out the window and waved goodbye one last time. After taking his eyes off Lily, Krane and the Pokemon HQ Lab, he turned to the wheel and started the engine. The truck's hover-devices forced a blast of lightweight, invisible gas at the ground, causing the vehicle to float in the air. The devices then faced the HQ Lab and thrust the truck forward down the forest road.
Once the Pokemon HQ Lab was concealed from sight by the branches and leaves of the forest, a sudden feeling of dejection leapt out of the director's darkest thoughts and overwhelmed him. He couldn't help but thinking about his family every minute as he drove down the dusty road, but he also couldn't help but being taken over by the fact that his entire life at the HQ Lab was a lie. As much as he wanted to turn the truck around and return to his family, the consequences of doing so would be fatal to them. Besides, he knew that they couldn't handle the truth. The truth that revealed the life he kept hidden in the shadows.
* * *
The Eevee skidded across the smooth, polished floor as she chased after a rubber ball that bounced past her. She clumsily dashed after the ball, not used to running on such a slippery surface. The ball ricocheted off the wall and flung itself straight over the Eevee’s head. The Eevee abruptly stopped running, but continued to slide across the floor as if she was on a sheet of ice. She slowed down and came to a stop only inches away from the wall.
The ball bounced back into Michael’s hands, who was standing above Eevee, chuckling. His father was right; the Eevee provided him relief from the usual boredom of the lab. The furry little Pokemon knew how to keep both itself and Michael amused. The Eevee playfully chased after nearly anything that moved, whether it was a rubber ball, dead leaves or Michael’s feet as he walked around. The Eevee’s tireless spirit meant that Michael had to play with her for hours at a time. Which wasn’t much of a problem, as Michael would just be staring off into space in his room otherwise.
“Maybe next time, I’ll throw the ball a little easier.” Michael laughed under his breath, tossing the ball up and down in the air.
The Eevee quickly sprang onto her feet and sprinted over to Michael with her tail wagging excitedly. She hopped up and down repeatedly like it was on a trampoline, trying to reach the ball in Michael’s hands. Even as she failed each time, the Eevee refused to give up. The ball had to be in her paws, no ifs, ands or buts about it.
Michael grasped the ball firmly once it landed back in his hands. He stretched his arm back and proceeded to toss the ball, aiming it away from the windows which Michael knew he'd be in serious trouble if they were broken.
But just as Michael began to thrust his arm forward, something had jumped up and grabbed a hold of his hands. At first Michael flinched at the feel of somebody suddenly grabbing him, afraid that somebody was trying to kidnap him. But once Michael realized that the hands weren't firm and hard like somebody was trying to hurt him, and that they were soft, small, and gentle, he grew less shaken and more annoyed.
"Jovi wants to play with Michael's Pokemon too!" the little blue haired girl squealed, tugging at Michael's hands. Her high, childlike voice rang in Michael's ears, annoying him in nearly every way possible. Michael may have been free of boredom, but he certainly wasn't free from his little sister aggravating him every three minutes of his life.
"Jovi! Not now!" Michael moaned as he tried to free his arm from his sister's grip.
Only after constant struggle did Jovi finally release her hold on Michael. When tugging at her brother's arm didn't work, she moved on to her next strategy of persuasion. Her cheerful demeanor quickly transformed into a saddened state. She attempted to win Michael over with her big green eyes that began to look glossy from the tears forming. Jovi lowered her head, but continued to stare at Michael depressingly.
She's not going to fool me this time, Michael thought to himself as he rolled his eyes. Whenever Jovi didn't get her way, she'd always act sad and cute just to get sympathy. It might've worked on her and Michael's parents, but Michael was determined not to be gullible enough to let Jovi win him over.
Just as Michael was about to tell his sister to bug off, his attention shifted to the room next to him. His mother, Prof. Krane and a police officer had been in there for almost half an hour and they still haven't come out. Michael began to grow curious of what was being discussed inside as he stared pryingly at the closed door. A cold, chilling feeling came over Michael while his attention grew more focused to the room. Judging from the bad premonition that rushed through his thoughts, Michael knew that something was horribly wrong.
"Alright, fine." Michael blurted out, forgetting that he told himself that he wouldn't fall for Jovi's tricks.
Michael carelessly tossed Jovi the rubber ball, his attention barely on her. Once Jovi had the ball in her grasp after reaching for it clumsily, her fake tears disappeared and a smile replaced the frown that she believed won Michael over. Jovi's already rosy cheeks grew brighter as a joyful and victorious grin spread across her face. Charming other people easily was entertaining enough; but making somebody that isn't easily tricked -like Michael- to cave in was even more enjoyable to Jovi.
Michael tiptoed over to the metallic door as his Eevee pursed the ball that Jovi flung across the room. He looked behind him several times, not only to make sure that one of the staff members wouldn't catch him eavesdropping, but also to be able to dodge out of the way in time if the rubber ball came flying towards him. Michael laid his hands on the cold, steel door and pressed his ears against the metal. Luckily, neither the walls nor doors in the lab were soundproof, so Michael was able to make out faint voices through the door. Michael blocked out every other sound around him, which included his sister giggling annoyingly, so that he could focus on the voices he wanted to hear.
"How do you know it was his boat?" the voice of his mother asked, mixed in with mournful sobs.
"Some of the debris from the boat managed to survive the explosion. We recovered a piece of metal that had the words ‘Black Dragon’ painted on it with white paint. And if I'm not mistaken, the boat that your husband rented a week ago was named the 'Black Dragon'" another voice -who was obviously the police officer, since Michael had never heard that voice before- explained.
Michael's heart immediately sank at the officer's words. It couldn't be true. They couldn't be talking about his father. Michael shoved himself with his hands, hoping that he could wake up from such a nightmare. But he failed to jolt himself back into reality, because it was reality.
"But why? Why would somebody plant explosives in his boat? He would never hurt anyone! I don't even think he's made an enemy in his entire life!" Krane stuttered, full of shock and disbelief.
"Well my best guess is that some of the remaining members of the disbanded Cipher must've got word of the project. They probably figured that if they could kill off the director of the Pokemon HQ Lab, then the Purification Chamber project would fall apart and they would be able to rebuild Cipher." the police officer guessed with uncertainty.
The name "Cipher" rang a bell to Michael, as he heard it several times by the staff members. He then recalled that Cipher was brought up every single time that the news about the organization that used to be elsewhere in the region. It wasn't long before Michael realized that "Cipher" must've been the name of the organization.
"But no one outside this lab besides you has heard that we were working on a new project! We've hardly left the lab since we began working on the Purification Chamber!" Lily sobbed, pausing in between sentences.
"Did your husband leave for research at any time before this?" the officer asked, his voice full of sympathy for the woman weeping in front of him.
"Once. He said that he went out to the desert to try to find information about the Shadow Pokemon a while back, but it was only for a day," Lily answered, sniffling while trying to get herself together, "And besides, he would never leak out such information like that, knowing that there might have still been scattered members of Cipher!"
Shadow Pokemon? Michael questioned to himself. The topic of Shadow Pokemon was mentioned a few times, but only in whispers. Although Michael had heard Shadow Pokemon being discussed without rest inside the Purification Chamber room. Suddenly, he remembered his conversation with his father just the evening before. His father mentioned that the Purification Chamber was supposed to heal Pokemon that had their hearts closed. Michael began to wonder if the Shadow Pokemon and the Pokemon with closed hearts were the same things.
"Cipher must've heard about the Purification Chamber somehow. That's the only possibility I can think of." the officer sighed. The sound of his footsteps came closer to the other side of the door. Michael still had his ears planted on the door, knowing that from the sound of it; the officer wasn't close enough the door to leave the room.
"We still haven't managed to recover his body yet. And as massive and fiery as the explosion was, there was no way he could've survived it. If he did manage to live through the explosion, then he would've drowned in the ocean, since it was about five miles away from shore. We'll notify you once we do manage to find his body," the police officer glumly informed Krane and Lily. He came right up to the other side of the door and stopped in his tracks before he opened the door, "I'm sorry. I truly am."
Michael backed away from the electronic door seconds before it opened and the officer walked out. The tall man, dressed in the standard blue uniform of all police officers in the region, glanced at Michael solemnly before leaving the lab. Lily and Krane walked out of the room after the police officer did and stopped as soon as they saw Michael at the door. At any other time, Lily would've scolded Michael for eavesdropping, but with the grief filling her head, the thought never crossed her mind.
Michael stared at his mother's tear-filled eyes, hoping for some reassurement that what he just heard wasn't true. He wanted to ask her if it was a lie, but the mournful silence was enough of an answer. Krane lowered his head and clamped his eyes shut, preventing a flow of tears that were about to burst out. The loss of his best friend was too hard for even him to fathom.
Once Michael couldn't hold it in any longer, a river of water rushed down from his eyes as he threw himself in Lily's arms. Lily fell down to her knees and held her child tightly in her arms. Her shoulder quickly become soaked as Michael cried incessantly on it. His yelling and screaming for his father were muffled by his endless sobs.
"Dad..." Michael cried, still unable to fully believe that this was happening to him.
Michael's crying began to calm down after a few minutes, but he was still unable to see with the wall of water blurring his vision. Just as another cascade of tears was about to flow down Michael's face, a tiny, scratchy tongue licked Michael on the cheek. Michael looked over to his side, barely moving his head, and saw his Eevee sitting next to him, purring sympathetically. Michael reached his hand out to the Pokemon, stroking her soft fur. He hoped that the Eevee could help take his mind off his father, but no matter how hard Michael tried, the thought of him lingered in his head despite the Eevee’s attempts to cheer him up.
Jovi stood in front of Lily and Michael, confused at the sudden feeling of grief that conquered them. Too young to understand the concept of death, the four-year old girl failed to understand why Michael was crying for their father. But even though she didn’t understand, Jovi felt sadness take over her while looking at her family’s depressed state.
But even as Lily, Jovi and the Eevee offered him their sympathy, Michael eventually paid no attention to them. He was blind to the others around him for the moment. Sadness wasn’t the only thing that overwhelmed Michael’s thoughts and emotions. Anger ignited into a fiery hatred towards those people, this Cipher group, that killed his father. Michael simply didn’t understand. Michael didn’t understand why anyone would kill his father, why anyone would be so evil to do such a thing.
But that didn’t matter now to Michael. Michael was sure that with the right training, Eevee would become strong and adept at battling. He was confident that he would somehow obtain new Pokemon and build a strong, unstoppable team. Then, and only then, Michael would track down these Cipher people and get revenge, the only thing that Michael now longed for.
* * *
The molten hot rivers of lava oozed out of the crater of the volcano. Towers of steam erupted from the melted rock as it met the cold sea. Fierce waves crashed upon the rocky shores of the foreboding island. Dark, gray clouds surrounded the island, concealing it from the rest of the world. A large, silver dome rested above the volcano’s crater, overlooking everything below it.
Michael... Lily... Jovi..., the former director of the Pokemon HQ Lab thought painfully to himself. He stared out into wide open sea around him, regretting every second he stood on the wretched island. He betrayed the entire lab, his friends, his family. For all he was concerned, he no longer existed. He was dead to his family. At least that’s what they thought. He was no stranger to emotional pain, but nothing could ever amount to the heartbreak that he felt every moment. As long as he was with the very organization that the Pokemon Lab tried to stop, he could never see the faces of his family again. The family that was his children and wife, that is.
Another man that resembled him a great deal, obviously his brother, stepped next to the former director. He was a tall, slim man with soothingly blue hair that stretched down beyond his shoulders. Like his brother, the man wore expensive-looking and elegant robes, although it was marked with blue and gray patterns, instead of red and gray. Blacks shades like the ones that his brother wore concealed his eyes and seemed to symbolize authority. Premature wrinkles formed around his mouth where a sinister smirk usually spread across his face. But no such smile was present at the time. Instead, his entire face was straight and calm, failing to show any other sort of emotion.
“Eldes.” he addressed the former director, in a voice similar to his own.
Eldes simply nodded, his spirits too low to respond with words. Eldes’ brother stared out into the sea with him, but neither were exactly sure what they were staring at. For some people, screaming or punching at something was a way to release negative emotions. A few others talked about their problems to get their worries and pains off their chest. But Eldes did neither. For him, the only way to relieve the pain was to see his wife and children. But his position in Cipher forbade it, meaning that the pain and misery would linger in him until Cipher finally crumbled.
“Grand Master’s orders.” Eldes’ brother reminded him, breaking the silence.
Eldes’ head filled with anger at the reminder, though his face didn’t show it. His word meant nothing against the Grand Master’s, which meant that Eldes wasn’t able to stop him from ordering him to do such a thing. Forcing him to fake his own death and sever his bonds with wife and children just to cause the Purification Chamber project to crumble; Eldes was beginning to wonder if the Grand Master was completely insane. Of course, the fact that the Grand Master barely even considered Eldes and his brother his own sons anymore was enough of an answer.
Eldes never once thought that the Grand Master would command him to be separated from his family. The moment the Grand Master gave his orders, Eldes realized that he had somehow found out about the Purification Chamber, despite his attempts to keep it secret. If it was anyone else that had tried to commit treason against Cipher, they would’ve been put to death. Eldes figured that either the Grand Master still had compassion for him somewhere in his corrupted heart, or that Eldes was just too valuable of a trainer to throw away.
Of course, there was obviously consequences for trying to destroy Cipher. The Grand Master was well aware that Eldes loved his family more than anything in the world, and losing them would be a much more painful punishment then simply killing Eldes himself. Surprisingly, a small, tiny bit of mercy appeared in the Grand Master’s soul that day. He gave Eldes a choice of which punishment he would rather have. Either the entire staff of the Pokemon HQ Lab would be killed and all the data collected for the Purification Chamber would be deleted, or that Eldes would have to forever leave his family and fake his own death.
Shocked and horrified at the choices he was given, Eldes’ heart plunged into a sea of shadows and nightmares. Eldes would never be able to live with himself if the people he grown so close to was murdered, especially at the orders of his own father. But Eldes couldn’t stand never seeing his family again either. Both choices proved difficult and painful for Eldes to bear. However, he chose the latter, since he would much rather have his family live, yet never be able to see them anymore, then to have them killed.
Not even a day after the Grand Master’s orders were given, the way Eldes would fake his death was planned. Using a rented boat, Eldes would claim to his family and the rest of the staff at the Pokemon HQ Lab that he was using it to travel to research at Timeshift Island, where a shrine dedicated to Celebi exists. However, the boat would be set on autopilot while a time-bomb was set to explode after an hour at sea. The boat would sail off without Eldes while he was being transported by his brother to the Cipher Headquarters. By the time the time-bomb exploded, it would be a few miles off of the coast of the sea-side town, Gateon Port. The vessel would be far enough away that no one would notice that there was no one inside, but close enough that the explosion could clearly be seen.
“I know.” Eldes responded to his brother in a hardly audible tone.
His brother looked at Eldes one last time before heading across the bridge leading into the silver dome. Eldes wasn’t even sure if his brother was giving him his sympathy, or just rubbing it in. Lately, he failed to show any positive emotion whatsoever. As a matter of fact, the only emotion that ever came out of him recently was anger, and that was only when he was putting incompetent peons in their place.
As Eldes began to follow his brother, he questioned if the bond he used to share with his brother and father was severed as well. If he had any real family left was beyond him. His family back in the lab thought he and been killed, and the Grand Master just considered Eldes a pawn in his plan for all he was concerned.
Eldes knew for sure that the only way that he’d ever have his family back was if Cipher was defeated. But with the Shadow Pokemon that supposedly can never be purified in development; all Eldes could do was stand back and hope. Hope for a miracle.
Apoligies for the uber-long prologue. >_< I seriously didn't expect it to be this long.
I'm writing a fic about Eldes. I bet no one saw that coming. [/sarcasm] And I'm well aware that Eevee as a starter is terribly overused. But since it was Michael's starter Pokemon in Pokemon XD, I couldn't really get around it.
PM List:
Master Blastoise
Rated PG-13 for violence and mild swearing. (Although there's not too much of that in the beginning)
I guess I better post this before I back out at the last minute. Because I liked Pokemon XD so much and I was bored in Study Hall, I decided to write a Fan Fiction about the events after XD. (Although the Prologue takes place before XD) I first began writing this on paper and only now did I decide to get off my lazy bottom and type it.
DISCLAIMER: If I owned Pokemon, would I be writing a Fan Fiction? I barely own anything. As a matter of fact, only a few of the characters in this fic I made myself.
So let's begin, shall we?
Prologue:
The crisp fall air was carried throughout the forest by the cool breeze. Dead red and brown colored leaves dragged across the ground as the wind swept them away from the trees they fell from. The sky was painted with a golden hue from the sun mixed with scarlet colored clouds.
Michael reached for one of the leaves that skidded past him. He sat down glumly on the pavement and began twirling the leaf by the stem. Moving a strand of red hair away from his emerald eyes, he depressingly laid his hand on his cheek and sighed.
Everything had been so chaotic at the Pokemon HQ Lab for the past five months. The entire staff was running around the place non-stop, talking about a hero that defeated some organization somewhere in the desert, and about a new project that they were working on. They've been focused on those two things and nothing else. Even Michael's own parents were caught up in the mess.
The electronic door from behind the nine-year old boy opened and was followed by a set of footsteps. The tall man spotted Michael sitting down glumly on the pavement, and began to approach him. His snowy white lab coat swayed with the gentle wind, as did his long red hair. The words "Pokemon HQ Lab: Director" was stitched on to his lab coat.
"Mind if I sit down?" he asked Michael, his voice calm and cool just like the breeze blowing past them.
Michael didn't bother looking into his father's yellow eyes as he slightly nodded. The director sat down next to him and laid his hands on his knees. He stared into Michael's saddened face while his own began to copy the negative emotions.
Breaking the silence, the director spoke up while staring at the ground, "I've noticed you haven't been acting very happy lately. You've been looking rather sad, as a matter of fact. Is there something wrong?"
"You're always busy and going places. You never have time for anything else." Michael moaned, keeping all eye contact away from his father.
"So that's what this all about," the director whispered to himself. He moved himself closer to Michael and looked him straight in the face, "Michael, I know things have been pretty hectic around the lab lately, meaning that me and your mom have been very busy."
Michael still avoided looking at the director and began picking at the sides of the leaf in his hand. Being the head of the lab, Michael's father was always under a sea of work and stress. If he wasn't at the lab working on the new project, then he out in other places researching.
"Of course, that's no excuse for being so inattentive. I should be spending a lot more time with you and Jovi than I have lately.” Michael’s father admitted, full of sadness and regret.
At first, Michael believed that his father couldn't understand how he felt, but the tone of his voice was enough for the boy to finally look into his face. The director seemed about as sad as Michael was just moments ago, staring at the ground dully and watching the leaves blow past him.
“What are you working on, anyway?” Michael asked, changing the subject.
“Well, it’s a machine that we call the Purification Chamber. We’re trying to make it so that it will purify Pokemon whose hearts have been closed.” Michael’s father tried to explain, not exactly sure how to.
“What does it mean when a Pokemon’s heart has been closed?” questioned Michael. He had heard a lot of people talking about closed hearts, but he never understood what it meant.
“It’s hard to explain. You’ll understand it better when you’re older.” the director told him, knowing that the concept was too hard and complicated for a nine-year old to comprehend.
“Is that why you have to go away again?” Michael asked glumly, staring into the forest. The leaves from the top of the trees concealed the sunlight from the forest floor, just like loneliness shadowed Michael's emotions.
“Unfortunately, yes. I’m not too thrilled about it either, trust me.” he admitted, giving out a small laugh, hoping that he could lighten up his and Michael’s mood.
But Michael refused to smile. He failed to find any joy or happiness when his own father couldn’t spend time with him, even though that was all he ever wanted. Before this "Purification Chamber" came up, his father would spend time with him every day. Now, Michael would be lucky if he spoke to his father once every day.
The director sensed his son's negative sentiments; he didn't even have to look in Michael's direction to know how Michael was feeling. Ever since the day that the boy was born, the director knew there was a tight bond between them. He always compared such ties with a Spinarak and its web. The Spinarak was connected to the web, feeling the tiniest vibrations through the strands of the web, similar to the way the director could tell what Michael was feeling no matter how much he tried to keep his emotions hidden from everyone else. If the Spinarak's web was ever destroyed, then the spider-like Pokemon would just rebuild it, restoring the web back to its tight and firm state.
“However, I don’t know exactly how long I’ll be gone. Since things might be awfully lonely for you while I’m away...” the director began as he smiled and reached into his pocket.
Michael’s attention shifted to the object that his father slowly pulled out. His eyes widened and his face banished all of the sadness that was present in his emotions once he saw his father hold a small red and white sphere in his hands.
“I know you’re not quite ten yet. But your birthday is in a couple months and I wanted to give you this before I leave, just incase I don’t get back in time.” the director explained, handing him the Poke Ball.
Michael couldn't believe what he saw for a moment. Once he was sure that it wasn't a dream or an illusion, he reached for the Poke Ball and held it in his hands. He moved his fingers across the ball, soaking in the feel of the cool, smooth metal.
A smile widened across Michael’s face as the gloom that once filled him vanished. He flung himself into his father’s arms, nearly knocking him backwards.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Michael repeated over and over, hugging his father with more force each time.
Once he regained his balance, the director wrapped his arms around Michael, holding him close. He relished every moment of the embrace, as if it was the last time he'd ever hug Michael again. The director reluctantly released himself from Michael, still trying to maintain a smile to hide his own negative emotions.
"Well? Aren't you going to open it?" the director asked, his attention on the Poke Ball.
Michael took his arms away from his father and excitedly pressed his finger on the small button in the middle of the Poke Ball. The top, red half of the sphere opened and released an orb of glowing ruby-colored light. The light rapidly formed into a brown, furry, fox-like creature. She had a mane of snow-white fur and a fluffy tail. She stared up at Michael with big, black eyes that would be able to melt anyone's heart.
"Veeee?" the Pokemon squealed in a soft, endearing voice.
"A... An Eevee!" Michael exclaimed, picking up the small and young Eevee.
Michael cradled the Eevee in his arms, petting her velvety fur. The Eevee reached up and gently licked Michael on the cheek, obviously taking a liking to the boy. Michael laughed joyfully as he scratched the Eevee behind her long ears.
As a flurry of leaves swept past Michael, the Eevee eyed them curiously, not taking her attention off of them. The Eevee squirmed in Michael’s arms, eager to examine the leaves. Michael bent down and carefully placed Eevee on the ground, excited to see her reaction.
The Eevee slowly crept up to one of the leaves once the wind had subsided for a moment. She sniffed the leaf and began swatting at it playfully. When the breeze had picked back up, the wind had picked the leaf up into the air. The Eevee chased after the leaf and jumped at it when it floated above her. The Eevee eventually found herself in a large cluster of leaves. She swatted its paws frantically after the leaves twirling in the air around her, trying to catch one of them.
Michael held his hand over his mouth, stifling his laughter. Watching the Eevee play around cutely with a bunch of leaves was so hilarious in his eyes, he couldn’t resist himself. Even his father let out a chuckle under his breath, struggling to keep the serious expression that was normally on his face.
“Come on, Michael. It’s late. We should be getting inside now.” the director told Michael, who was still in a fit of laughter watching the Eevee’s antics.
Michael nodded to him and ran after his Eevee. Even after the Eevee was lifted of the ground, she was still swiping at the leaves on the ground. She tried to jump out of Michael’s arms and attack the leaves again, but Michael’s hold on her was too strong. Michael found his Eevee’s stubborn and adamant behavior amusing and failed to stop laughing.
Once the Eevee had finally calmed down, Michael dashed back into the lab with his father. Seeing Michael that happy had brought a great amount of joy into his heavy heart. He turned to Michael and smiled at him, fearing that it would be the very last smile that Michael would see on his face.
* * *
Michael slept soundly wrapped up in the warm cotton blankets. His Eevee was curled up next to him, her paws twitching as she was trying to swat at something deep in its slumber. Both of them, absorbed in pleasant dreams, barely stirred at any noises that the occurred outside of their sleep.
A thin ray of light pierced through the darkness as the bedroom door slowly and silently opened. The director peered through the crack between the door and the wall. He quietly entered the room and tiptoed to his son’s bed. He stood above his bed for a moment, trying to keep back the flood of tears that gathering behind his eyelids.
Michael’s father bent down stroked the child’s head, letting the crimson hair pass gently through his fingers. He then kissed Michael on the forehead, hardly wanting to lift his lips up away from the boy’s skin.
"Goodbye, Michael." he whispered in his son's ears before he lifted his head away from the boy.
The director remained in the room minutes after he said his goodbye, staring at Michael as if he would never see him again. After imprinting the sight of the child in his memory, the director halfheartedly left the room, looking back several times.
* * *
The darkness of night fled away as the bright yellow sun rose over the hills. The small droplets of water that collected on the blades of grass sparkled dazzlingly when the light hit it just right. From deep within the forest, the morning songs of birds echoed through the trees.
In the road in front of the lab, an average-sized transport boat was hooked up to a rusty-looking truck. The truck was obviously aged, with the pale-white paint peeling and various scratches and dents covering the exterior. Instead of wheels, the truck was supported by disc-shaped devices that would cause the truck to hover in the air when it was turned on.
The boat, on the other hand, appeared to be fairly new. The black metal was polished enough that the reflections of the forest in front of it could be seen. On the side of the boat, the words “Black Dragon” was painted on it in a noticeable white paint.
A young man, whose head was covered in shaggy brown hair, observed the boat admiringly. His narrow eyes stared into the shiny metal that coated that boat, admiring every inch of the vessel and envying the owner.
As the man adjusted his glasses and continued to stare at the boat, the woman that was leaning against it shook her head and sighed. She didn't understand him one bit, obsessing over anything new and shiny that he laid his eyes on, whether it was a boat, automobile or a new piece of computer software.
A professional air surrounded the tall, slender woman. Her face and deep emerald eyes was straight and serious, like many of the other people that worked and lived at the Pokemon HQ Lab. Her light brown hair was fashioned into a beehive style. She was dressed in a light, lavender skirt and black high-heeled shoes.
“You wish, Krane.” a voice from behind the man laughed while he was circling the boat, looking like he was about to take it for a joyride in the nearest body of water.
The director strode down the concrete steps, smiling and laughing at Krane's obsession with the boat he rented. Krane stop examining his fascination for the moment and laughed back at the director. “When you get back, perhaps I could buy this beautiful thing and take it out for a spin.”
“When you learn how to drive a boat, that is.” the director chuckled, failing to imagine Krane on a brand new boat and keeping control of himself.
The woman couldn't help but laugh at her husband's joke, as it was hard to imagine Krane in a boat and remaining sane at the same time. She and her husband found out the hard way that Krane should stay away from anything with a wheel when they foolishly let him drive a brand new truck not long after they had graduated from college.
"You did say goodbye to the kids, right?" she asked the director once her laughing subsided.
“Of course I did, Lily. I’m not that caught up in my work.” he assured her as he wrapped his arms around him and tenderly kissed her on the lips. The melancholy aura around him that was present around Michael was present when he hugged Lily as well; though he didn't dare to show it.
“And don’t worry. We’ll be sure to keep the lab in order while you’re gone.” Lily guaranteed the director after she slowly pulled herself away from his lips.
“Good. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get what we need and come straight back before all havoc breaks loose in the lab,” the director joshed around before putting his serious face back on, “From the rumors I’ve heard, the island where I’m heading has been said to hold of the many shrines dedicated to Celebi. And if has to do with Celebi, then I might be able to find something having to do with purification.”
“Speaking of Celebi, the Relic Stone in Agate Village would be a much more logical place to research, since that was where the Shadow Pokemon was purified in the first place,” Krane mentioned after finally separating himself from the boat, “Are you sure about going to some far off place for research, when you could study in a place much closer to home? I mean, Timeshift Island isn‘t even close to the Orre Region.”
“I’m sure. We can’t just rely on one place for our studies. For all we know, everything we need could be on that island.” the director refused Krane’s advice, in a rather unwilling and forced manner.
Saying goodbye to his wife and friend, the director opened the creaky truck door and sat himself down on the driver's seat. He stuck his head out the window and waved goodbye one last time. After taking his eyes off Lily, Krane and the Pokemon HQ Lab, he turned to the wheel and started the engine. The truck's hover-devices forced a blast of lightweight, invisible gas at the ground, causing the vehicle to float in the air. The devices then faced the HQ Lab and thrust the truck forward down the forest road.
Once the Pokemon HQ Lab was concealed from sight by the branches and leaves of the forest, a sudden feeling of dejection leapt out of the director's darkest thoughts and overwhelmed him. He couldn't help but thinking about his family every minute as he drove down the dusty road, but he also couldn't help but being taken over by the fact that his entire life at the HQ Lab was a lie. As much as he wanted to turn the truck around and return to his family, the consequences of doing so would be fatal to them. Besides, he knew that they couldn't handle the truth. The truth that revealed the life he kept hidden in the shadows.
* * *
The Eevee skidded across the smooth, polished floor as she chased after a rubber ball that bounced past her. She clumsily dashed after the ball, not used to running on such a slippery surface. The ball ricocheted off the wall and flung itself straight over the Eevee’s head. The Eevee abruptly stopped running, but continued to slide across the floor as if she was on a sheet of ice. She slowed down and came to a stop only inches away from the wall.
The ball bounced back into Michael’s hands, who was standing above Eevee, chuckling. His father was right; the Eevee provided him relief from the usual boredom of the lab. The furry little Pokemon knew how to keep both itself and Michael amused. The Eevee playfully chased after nearly anything that moved, whether it was a rubber ball, dead leaves or Michael’s feet as he walked around. The Eevee’s tireless spirit meant that Michael had to play with her for hours at a time. Which wasn’t much of a problem, as Michael would just be staring off into space in his room otherwise.
“Maybe next time, I’ll throw the ball a little easier.” Michael laughed under his breath, tossing the ball up and down in the air.
The Eevee quickly sprang onto her feet and sprinted over to Michael with her tail wagging excitedly. She hopped up and down repeatedly like it was on a trampoline, trying to reach the ball in Michael’s hands. Even as she failed each time, the Eevee refused to give up. The ball had to be in her paws, no ifs, ands or buts about it.
Michael grasped the ball firmly once it landed back in his hands. He stretched his arm back and proceeded to toss the ball, aiming it away from the windows which Michael knew he'd be in serious trouble if they were broken.
But just as Michael began to thrust his arm forward, something had jumped up and grabbed a hold of his hands. At first Michael flinched at the feel of somebody suddenly grabbing him, afraid that somebody was trying to kidnap him. But once Michael realized that the hands weren't firm and hard like somebody was trying to hurt him, and that they were soft, small, and gentle, he grew less shaken and more annoyed.
"Jovi wants to play with Michael's Pokemon too!" the little blue haired girl squealed, tugging at Michael's hands. Her high, childlike voice rang in Michael's ears, annoying him in nearly every way possible. Michael may have been free of boredom, but he certainly wasn't free from his little sister aggravating him every three minutes of his life.
"Jovi! Not now!" Michael moaned as he tried to free his arm from his sister's grip.
Only after constant struggle did Jovi finally release her hold on Michael. When tugging at her brother's arm didn't work, she moved on to her next strategy of persuasion. Her cheerful demeanor quickly transformed into a saddened state. She attempted to win Michael over with her big green eyes that began to look glossy from the tears forming. Jovi lowered her head, but continued to stare at Michael depressingly.
She's not going to fool me this time, Michael thought to himself as he rolled his eyes. Whenever Jovi didn't get her way, she'd always act sad and cute just to get sympathy. It might've worked on her and Michael's parents, but Michael was determined not to be gullible enough to let Jovi win him over.
Just as Michael was about to tell his sister to bug off, his attention shifted to the room next to him. His mother, Prof. Krane and a police officer had been in there for almost half an hour and they still haven't come out. Michael began to grow curious of what was being discussed inside as he stared pryingly at the closed door. A cold, chilling feeling came over Michael while his attention grew more focused to the room. Judging from the bad premonition that rushed through his thoughts, Michael knew that something was horribly wrong.
"Alright, fine." Michael blurted out, forgetting that he told himself that he wouldn't fall for Jovi's tricks.
Michael carelessly tossed Jovi the rubber ball, his attention barely on her. Once Jovi had the ball in her grasp after reaching for it clumsily, her fake tears disappeared and a smile replaced the frown that she believed won Michael over. Jovi's already rosy cheeks grew brighter as a joyful and victorious grin spread across her face. Charming other people easily was entertaining enough; but making somebody that isn't easily tricked -like Michael- to cave in was even more enjoyable to Jovi.
Michael tiptoed over to the metallic door as his Eevee pursed the ball that Jovi flung across the room. He looked behind him several times, not only to make sure that one of the staff members wouldn't catch him eavesdropping, but also to be able to dodge out of the way in time if the rubber ball came flying towards him. Michael laid his hands on the cold, steel door and pressed his ears against the metal. Luckily, neither the walls nor doors in the lab were soundproof, so Michael was able to make out faint voices through the door. Michael blocked out every other sound around him, which included his sister giggling annoyingly, so that he could focus on the voices he wanted to hear.
"How do you know it was his boat?" the voice of his mother asked, mixed in with mournful sobs.
"Some of the debris from the boat managed to survive the explosion. We recovered a piece of metal that had the words ‘Black Dragon’ painted on it with white paint. And if I'm not mistaken, the boat that your husband rented a week ago was named the 'Black Dragon'" another voice -who was obviously the police officer, since Michael had never heard that voice before- explained.
Michael's heart immediately sank at the officer's words. It couldn't be true. They couldn't be talking about his father. Michael shoved himself with his hands, hoping that he could wake up from such a nightmare. But he failed to jolt himself back into reality, because it was reality.
"But why? Why would somebody plant explosives in his boat? He would never hurt anyone! I don't even think he's made an enemy in his entire life!" Krane stuttered, full of shock and disbelief.
"Well my best guess is that some of the remaining members of the disbanded Cipher must've got word of the project. They probably figured that if they could kill off the director of the Pokemon HQ Lab, then the Purification Chamber project would fall apart and they would be able to rebuild Cipher." the police officer guessed with uncertainty.
The name "Cipher" rang a bell to Michael, as he heard it several times by the staff members. He then recalled that Cipher was brought up every single time that the news about the organization that used to be elsewhere in the region. It wasn't long before Michael realized that "Cipher" must've been the name of the organization.
"But no one outside this lab besides you has heard that we were working on a new project! We've hardly left the lab since we began working on the Purification Chamber!" Lily sobbed, pausing in between sentences.
"Did your husband leave for research at any time before this?" the officer asked, his voice full of sympathy for the woman weeping in front of him.
"Once. He said that he went out to the desert to try to find information about the Shadow Pokemon a while back, but it was only for a day," Lily answered, sniffling while trying to get herself together, "And besides, he would never leak out such information like that, knowing that there might have still been scattered members of Cipher!"
Shadow Pokemon? Michael questioned to himself. The topic of Shadow Pokemon was mentioned a few times, but only in whispers. Although Michael had heard Shadow Pokemon being discussed without rest inside the Purification Chamber room. Suddenly, he remembered his conversation with his father just the evening before. His father mentioned that the Purification Chamber was supposed to heal Pokemon that had their hearts closed. Michael began to wonder if the Shadow Pokemon and the Pokemon with closed hearts were the same things.
"Cipher must've heard about the Purification Chamber somehow. That's the only possibility I can think of." the officer sighed. The sound of his footsteps came closer to the other side of the door. Michael still had his ears planted on the door, knowing that from the sound of it; the officer wasn't close enough the door to leave the room.
"We still haven't managed to recover his body yet. And as massive and fiery as the explosion was, there was no way he could've survived it. If he did manage to live through the explosion, then he would've drowned in the ocean, since it was about five miles away from shore. We'll notify you once we do manage to find his body," the police officer glumly informed Krane and Lily. He came right up to the other side of the door and stopped in his tracks before he opened the door, "I'm sorry. I truly am."
Michael backed away from the electronic door seconds before it opened and the officer walked out. The tall man, dressed in the standard blue uniform of all police officers in the region, glanced at Michael solemnly before leaving the lab. Lily and Krane walked out of the room after the police officer did and stopped as soon as they saw Michael at the door. At any other time, Lily would've scolded Michael for eavesdropping, but with the grief filling her head, the thought never crossed her mind.
Michael stared at his mother's tear-filled eyes, hoping for some reassurement that what he just heard wasn't true. He wanted to ask her if it was a lie, but the mournful silence was enough of an answer. Krane lowered his head and clamped his eyes shut, preventing a flow of tears that were about to burst out. The loss of his best friend was too hard for even him to fathom.
Once Michael couldn't hold it in any longer, a river of water rushed down from his eyes as he threw himself in Lily's arms. Lily fell down to her knees and held her child tightly in her arms. Her shoulder quickly become soaked as Michael cried incessantly on it. His yelling and screaming for his father were muffled by his endless sobs.
"Dad..." Michael cried, still unable to fully believe that this was happening to him.
Michael's crying began to calm down after a few minutes, but he was still unable to see with the wall of water blurring his vision. Just as another cascade of tears was about to flow down Michael's face, a tiny, scratchy tongue licked Michael on the cheek. Michael looked over to his side, barely moving his head, and saw his Eevee sitting next to him, purring sympathetically. Michael reached his hand out to the Pokemon, stroking her soft fur. He hoped that the Eevee could help take his mind off his father, but no matter how hard Michael tried, the thought of him lingered in his head despite the Eevee’s attempts to cheer him up.
Jovi stood in front of Lily and Michael, confused at the sudden feeling of grief that conquered them. Too young to understand the concept of death, the four-year old girl failed to understand why Michael was crying for their father. But even though she didn’t understand, Jovi felt sadness take over her while looking at her family’s depressed state.
But even as Lily, Jovi and the Eevee offered him their sympathy, Michael eventually paid no attention to them. He was blind to the others around him for the moment. Sadness wasn’t the only thing that overwhelmed Michael’s thoughts and emotions. Anger ignited into a fiery hatred towards those people, this Cipher group, that killed his father. Michael simply didn’t understand. Michael didn’t understand why anyone would kill his father, why anyone would be so evil to do such a thing.
But that didn’t matter now to Michael. Michael was sure that with the right training, Eevee would become strong and adept at battling. He was confident that he would somehow obtain new Pokemon and build a strong, unstoppable team. Then, and only then, Michael would track down these Cipher people and get revenge, the only thing that Michael now longed for.
* * *
The molten hot rivers of lava oozed out of the crater of the volcano. Towers of steam erupted from the melted rock as it met the cold sea. Fierce waves crashed upon the rocky shores of the foreboding island. Dark, gray clouds surrounded the island, concealing it from the rest of the world. A large, silver dome rested above the volcano’s crater, overlooking everything below it.
Michael... Lily... Jovi..., the former director of the Pokemon HQ Lab thought painfully to himself. He stared out into wide open sea around him, regretting every second he stood on the wretched island. He betrayed the entire lab, his friends, his family. For all he was concerned, he no longer existed. He was dead to his family. At least that’s what they thought. He was no stranger to emotional pain, but nothing could ever amount to the heartbreak that he felt every moment. As long as he was with the very organization that the Pokemon Lab tried to stop, he could never see the faces of his family again. The family that was his children and wife, that is.
Another man that resembled him a great deal, obviously his brother, stepped next to the former director. He was a tall, slim man with soothingly blue hair that stretched down beyond his shoulders. Like his brother, the man wore expensive-looking and elegant robes, although it was marked with blue and gray patterns, instead of red and gray. Blacks shades like the ones that his brother wore concealed his eyes and seemed to symbolize authority. Premature wrinkles formed around his mouth where a sinister smirk usually spread across his face. But no such smile was present at the time. Instead, his entire face was straight and calm, failing to show any other sort of emotion.
“Eldes.” he addressed the former director, in a voice similar to his own.
Eldes simply nodded, his spirits too low to respond with words. Eldes’ brother stared out into the sea with him, but neither were exactly sure what they were staring at. For some people, screaming or punching at something was a way to release negative emotions. A few others talked about their problems to get their worries and pains off their chest. But Eldes did neither. For him, the only way to relieve the pain was to see his wife and children. But his position in Cipher forbade it, meaning that the pain and misery would linger in him until Cipher finally crumbled.
“Grand Master’s orders.” Eldes’ brother reminded him, breaking the silence.
Eldes’ head filled with anger at the reminder, though his face didn’t show it. His word meant nothing against the Grand Master’s, which meant that Eldes wasn’t able to stop him from ordering him to do such a thing. Forcing him to fake his own death and sever his bonds with wife and children just to cause the Purification Chamber project to crumble; Eldes was beginning to wonder if the Grand Master was completely insane. Of course, the fact that the Grand Master barely even considered Eldes and his brother his own sons anymore was enough of an answer.
Eldes never once thought that the Grand Master would command him to be separated from his family. The moment the Grand Master gave his orders, Eldes realized that he had somehow found out about the Purification Chamber, despite his attempts to keep it secret. If it was anyone else that had tried to commit treason against Cipher, they would’ve been put to death. Eldes figured that either the Grand Master still had compassion for him somewhere in his corrupted heart, or that Eldes was just too valuable of a trainer to throw away.
Of course, there was obviously consequences for trying to destroy Cipher. The Grand Master was well aware that Eldes loved his family more than anything in the world, and losing them would be a much more painful punishment then simply killing Eldes himself. Surprisingly, a small, tiny bit of mercy appeared in the Grand Master’s soul that day. He gave Eldes a choice of which punishment he would rather have. Either the entire staff of the Pokemon HQ Lab would be killed and all the data collected for the Purification Chamber would be deleted, or that Eldes would have to forever leave his family and fake his own death.
Shocked and horrified at the choices he was given, Eldes’ heart plunged into a sea of shadows and nightmares. Eldes would never be able to live with himself if the people he grown so close to was murdered, especially at the orders of his own father. But Eldes couldn’t stand never seeing his family again either. Both choices proved difficult and painful for Eldes to bear. However, he chose the latter, since he would much rather have his family live, yet never be able to see them anymore, then to have them killed.
Not even a day after the Grand Master’s orders were given, the way Eldes would fake his death was planned. Using a rented boat, Eldes would claim to his family and the rest of the staff at the Pokemon HQ Lab that he was using it to travel to research at Timeshift Island, where a shrine dedicated to Celebi exists. However, the boat would be set on autopilot while a time-bomb was set to explode after an hour at sea. The boat would sail off without Eldes while he was being transported by his brother to the Cipher Headquarters. By the time the time-bomb exploded, it would be a few miles off of the coast of the sea-side town, Gateon Port. The vessel would be far enough away that no one would notice that there was no one inside, but close enough that the explosion could clearly be seen.
“I know.” Eldes responded to his brother in a hardly audible tone.
His brother looked at Eldes one last time before heading across the bridge leading into the silver dome. Eldes wasn’t even sure if his brother was giving him his sympathy, or just rubbing it in. Lately, he failed to show any positive emotion whatsoever. As a matter of fact, the only emotion that ever came out of him recently was anger, and that was only when he was putting incompetent peons in their place.
As Eldes began to follow his brother, he questioned if the bond he used to share with his brother and father was severed as well. If he had any real family left was beyond him. His family back in the lab thought he and been killed, and the Grand Master just considered Eldes a pawn in his plan for all he was concerned.
Eldes knew for sure that the only way that he’d ever have his family back was if Cipher was defeated. But with the Shadow Pokemon that supposedly can never be purified in development; all Eldes could do was stand back and hope. Hope for a miracle.
Apoligies for the uber-long prologue. >_< I seriously didn't expect it to be this long.
I'm writing a fic about Eldes. I bet no one saw that coming. [/sarcasm] And I'm well aware that Eevee as a starter is terribly overused. But since it was Michael's starter Pokemon in Pokemon XD, I couldn't really get around it.
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