Faded Memories Arc One: Hoenn League

Chapter 1: Chapter 1

The offshore wind blew with a gentle salty tang. Small breakers lapped the beach on the bottom part of the East Coast of Hoenn. Two men were walking down the beach.
"You know, I really don't see the problem. So what, this fucker took down two squads? We are talking about grunts here, so I'm not entirely surprised. If it were admins, then I'd be worried." The speaker was a young man with a Fedora over his bleached hair and an open shirt, showcasing his muscles for anybody who happened to be nearby. At the moment it was almost midnight, and the beach was deserted except for him and his companion, an older man who was dressed in a simple black suit with red trimming. This man spoke now.
"Ahh, the voice of youth. It is not the fact that he took out two squads. It is the ease of which he took them out. Didn't even break a sweat... According to the survivor."
"As in singular? Survivor?" The first man asked.
"Barely alive when he was found. Didn't even make it out of the room. Died of blood-loss."
"Shit... Ya think that this guy is that Gray Zangoose fucker?"
"What? You mean Gray Shadow? Gray Zangoose was that Jeffery Baird, the guy who went psycho on the Poképhiles in Saffron. Gray Shadow is the guy who dismantled the Rocket Base in Sinnoh, as well as the last remains of Team Galactic." The young man looked confused for a second.
"Agh... Whichever one caused that massive explosion that leveled that Game Corner in Johto." He said.
"The Gray Shadow. It's possible that he could be here. I mean, no one can track him, or even knows who he is. So it's possible. Though his M.O. is not normal. There's usually more than one survivor, and they tend to survive and defect. But the point is... Nobody knows where he is."

[A few Miles North]
The body rolled in with the tide. The owner of the body was no older than 21, and was about 6'3" with dyed black hair with faded gray highlights in it. The belt around his waist suggested that he was a Pokémon trainer, however the single ball on it was empty. The Pokémon from this ball was nowhere in sight. The body lay there for several hours, till a young girl caught sight of him on the beach. She rushed over to him and felt for his pulse,
...
...
Badump
...
It was there... But barely. The girl called out her Lucario who slung the body over his shoulder and ran off down the beach back towards Petalburg City. The girl followed behind him, hoping that this stranger would survive.

-A week later- {PoV Change: 1st Person, Stranger}

I opened up my eyes into a harsh light. I was warm and I was pretty sure I wasn't dead, because Heaven wouldn't have a broken Fluorescent light and The Distortion World? Pretty Dark place. Trust me, I've been there. So where was I? The answer to my question came in the form of a Nurse Joy.
"Good to see you awake! Right now you're in the Petalburg Pokémon Centre Trainer Ward. You've been out for nearly a week since you were brought in, and nobody knows how long before that."
"What... What happened to me?" I asked weakly.
"Well... We don't know. We found a few bullet wounds and a few fresh cuts, but nothing that would knock you out like that. The main thing that cause your brief coma is the fact that you were floating around in the sea for at least a week before you were washed up. Any idea what happened to you?" The nurse asked.
"None. I don't even remember who I am, let alone why I was floating in the ocean." I said. I couldn't remember a thing.
"We can help there. We found your Trainer Card on you and did a search on the database. There wasn't much. Here's the results." She passed me a sheet of paper.

Name: Umbra -UNEXPECTED ERROR:FIELD=NULL-
Age: 21
Sex: Male
Registered Pokémon:
Sabre, Gallade, Male
Salie, Staraptor, Female (DECEASED)
Adam, Abra, Male (DECEASED)
Bruce, Beartic, Male (DECEASED)
-FATAL ERROR: DOCUMENT LOCKED BY OTHER USER. CLOSING PROGRAM.-

"You only had one Pokéball on you when you were brought in, which matches your profile... But the Pokémon registered to the ball wasn't there. Search Parties couldn't find him either." She placed a Pokéball on the bedside table.
"Are we even sure he's still alive?" I asked.
"The ball wouldn't exist if he wasn't. The tethering that binds the Pokémon to the Pokéball would break and the ball would crumble."
"Chaaan!" A Chansey came through the door with a trolley covered with a white sheet.
"Right... Perhaps you can explain this?" The Chansey shut the door and pulled the blinds. Nurse Joy pulled the sheet off of the trolley. There was a metal case lying on the trolley. Nurse Joy gingerly picked it up. It looked heavy, but Joy managed to pick it up after a bit of effort. The Chansey moved forward and pressed a button on the side of the case and it unfolded into a scythe. It had a matte black blade with a gun-steel grey handle. -/A-N: Look up Ruby Rose's scythe from the RWBY series by Rooster Teeth. It looks like that with the color scheme I mentioned. The case itself is probably only 10cm wide by 1m long by 5 cm high. Explains how he carries it. It's strapped to his back.\-
"This was found strapped to your back. Damn near killed the trainer who set it off. But it explains why your body is used to high stress situations like fighting and running. I get the feeling that you'd be able to carry and use this with ease. But before I can test that, you need rest. And professional care. So, on that note, time to change your dressings." Nurse Joy refolded the scythe and replaced it on the trolley.

-Three Days Ago, Dewford Island- {PoV Change: 1st Person, Sabre} (All speech is normal, since there are no humans around.)

I woke up on the beach under some mangrove trees. Small waves broke against my feet. I leapt to my feet and looked around. I vaguely remembered watching a submersible vehicle explode on the ocean. A flaming lump of steel smashed down onto the getaway boat we were aboard, scuttling it and sending my trainer, Umbra, smashing into the side of the boat knocking him out cold. I remembered keeping him afloat for days until exhaustion claimed me and I sank into sleep. The piece of flotsam that lay on the ground was probably my savior. But I was worried about my Trainer. But he was nowhere to be seen. A twig snapped behind me.
"Ahhh. The Jackass is awake." A rough, unmistakably male voice rang out from behind me. It had a taste of an Irish accent to it. I spun around. A group of five Mightyena were spread out behind me. The leader, obviously the one who had spoken stepped forward.
"So, what kind of fuck-up are you? Cause you're not a water-type. You can't breathe underwater. So why the fuck have you been floating around clinging to a piece of rotting wood? You fuckin' suicidal or summin'?" He asked.
"Nah. Just yah mom. She fuckin' sank our boat, that's how fat she was." I said.
"You talking smack about my mom, you bastard?" He growled.
"No, no, no. Just the truth. What'd yah do to her, eh? Feed her a bit too much shit, neh?"
"You're really ticking me off asshat." He settled on his haunches.
"What can I say? It's a talent. Or maybe you just hate hearing the truth in front of your mates, no? Not that it should matter, you guys are the biggest bunch of small-brained, knuckle-dragging Primape pussies I've ever seen." This really rankled the gang.
"You know, you really are a cocky S.O.B, considering that you are a Psychic-type, facing off with a gang of Dark-types." Another one of the gang spoke, this one with a nasal voice that come from a smashed jaw.
"I could fuck all of you up with one blade tied behind my back."
"Grr... Fuck this. Give him a taste of pain, boys!"

{PoV Change: 1st Person, Battle [Battle Music: Dead! By My Chemical Romance, The Black Parade album]}
-/A-N: Usually, battles will be in 3rd Person, but because this is just Sabre fucking up a few Mightyena, I'll do it in 1st. As for the music, by the time the scene ends, it should be finished. All big scenes like battles, evolutions or possibly even contests, will include music if possible, I'll try and make a playlist of Music on YouTube so you guys don't have to go and search it up. It's there, and tailor made from or the story. But for Evolutions, I'll mainly use the opening for RWBY, Volume 1. It suits the theme of the story. But anyway, do continue reading. Siri, Play Dead! By My Chemical Romance!\-

The Leader of the pack was the first to leap towards me, having already been prepared to spring. I punched him in the gut and sent him flying into a tree. I unsheathed my arm blades and settled into a defensive position. The next comer received a quick jab to his jaw, dislocating it. He screamed in pain and flailed into his leader, who head butted his jaw back into place. The last three of the Bite Pokémon leapt upon me and I had no time for mercy. The closest one was impaled upon one of my blades and immediately died. The other two had their heads removed by my second blade. That left the leader and the one whose jaw I broke. Only the leader seemed to have the will to fight left. The other one took one look at the carnage I had caused and hightailed it into the mangroves. The leader watched him go.
"Weak fucker. Still, gotta cut 'im some slack. Poor fucker survived being by one Gallade, traumatic shit, to be completely fucked up by another one with one punch. Just... No more dude... I-I yield. Just... Let me live. Ok?" He was quaking, terrified of the chaos of caused in just a few seconds.

{PoV Change: 1st Person, Sabre [End Music]}

"Why shouldn't I? After all, you attacked me. Shouldn't I be pleading for mercy?" I asked after a few moments.
"I... I-I can help you! I run the best gang on the island. Find anything, well mostly, fight off most foes, excluding people like you, naturally." The leader was flustered. He certainly didn't want to die.
"First, tell me, why attack me?" I knelt down on one knee in front of him and he flinched.
"We needed food. The hunters had been ambushed by a troop of Machop around one of our best hunting grounds. They managed to get away, but the pack has been starving. We decided to risk a dangerous hunting ground, only because we knew that the Machop were still there. Two of the initial group got badly injured while taking down some Sableye, so had to leave two more to guard them... Then we found you and thought it was a stroke of luck. An injured Psychic-type, passed out on the beach. But you woke up, so we tried to tire you out using Taunt... But you turned that against us..." He slumped to the ground.
"But... Why not eat berries?" I asked.
"Because, as meat eaters, we never claimed territory near sources of berries. And claiming new territory is difficult. Especially when it is held by Machop."
"Did you guys ask for help?" This seemed like a big problem. I felt kinda bad for killing them now.
"Why would they give us help? We're monsters. The war between the Mightyena Packs and Machop Gangs got so bad that the Alakazam Elders that live deep in Granite Cave once rose to quell the fighting. But whatever they did isn't working as well now. War is inevitable." He looked dejected.
"Where does the leader of the Machop Gangs reside?" I asked.
"On top of the Granite Cave. His name is Ar'kiri. He's a Machamp. The Royal Guard are Machamps too. They're the only Machamps in the Gangs. Why do you want to know?" He stared at me.
"Just a little something called charitable theft." I smiled. "Where should I meet you?"
"There's an old abandoned mine to the east of Machop Territory. Meet me there." I nodded and turned away.
"Hey! Wait up. Is there anything I can help you with. I mean, you're helping my pack..." He trailed off.
"Well, I'm looking for my Trainer. He probably got washed up on some other part of the island. See if you can find him. If not, well, I'll figure it out later." I turned away and walked off.

Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the post-script A/N. But I'd rather get straight into the storyline, rather than just dicking around. Yes, there will be coarse language, violence, gore, adult themes and other things that will make this story deserving of its 'M' rating. No Lemons though. Some people might have recognized the reference of the Grey Zangoose and Jeffery Baird. He is a Character from Skarmory's "Saffron", a story form Fanfiction.net.
Anyway, enjoy, let me know what you think

 

Finally! Some decent advice!

Thanks for pointing out the geographical error... I really should've pinged on that As for the gore and language, well yeah that definitely could be toned down. I don't think I can do much about the next few chapters, considering that they are already online, but after that, I shall change them.

PoV... To be honest, I've caught myself writing in 3rd Person more than once, so I think I should probably change that. I've never particularly liked 1st Person stories, except non-fiction ones, so I honestly don't know why I began one...
I'll try and keep it strictly 3rd Person from now on.

Most of my in-text annotations will actually be removed. I read through my story on my other site recently and it looked rubbish... I'll remove the fore and afterwords too, as they mostly apply to the other site.

The dialogues aren't that good, surely? They all come from the conversations I hold with myself when I'm planning. Since I write in down periods of class time, most of my classmates think I'm a bit batty Oh well, you have to suffer for your art. Perhaps I should've taken up drama...

Anyway, thanks for the advice, and I will definitely try to follow it from now on. (You probably won't see a change for about 5 chapters. They've already been written.)
I'll try and post about one chapter a week until I reach the end of my pre-made content. Then it will probably appear on here about a week after the original.

 

Chapter 2: Overseers
Some few days after Chapter 1

Umbra PoV
Dusk fell softly over Petalburg City. The final rush of trainers visiting the Pokémon Centre slowed. I finished eating and started heading off into my temporarily assigned room. Since I no longer required Hospital care, Nurse Joy had given me a room to keep beds free in the Trainer Wing for people who needed it.
My strength was almost recovered and I could tell that Nurse Joy was eagerly awaiting the day that she could run the tests she promised on me. But floating around on the ocean for a week is quite a bitch. I hadn't long recovered from Hypothermia. 'Maybe tomorrow' I thought. Hell, I was feeling strong enough.
Back in my room, I flopped down on the bed, grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV. I surfed through the channels, nothing really catching my eye. I flipped past a channel showing a burning warehouse, stopped and flipped back. Maybe it was a movie. Nope. Kalos News. I turned up the volume a little bit.
"Authorities are looking to question an unidentified man, known only as the Gray Shadow." The back of my neck prickled. "Witnesses at the scene of the Kalos International Dock explosion last week have placed him at the site. He was not seen leaving the site and his body has not been recovered. Police have circulated the description of the young man, in hopes that someone may be able to identify him. He is approximately 6'3" tall and looks to be about 21 years old. He has dark black hair and hazel eyes. According to witness reports and CCTV footage, he is dressed in a long black coat over a tight, black shirt. He has dark navy cargo pants. Again, no name has been released for this young man. We now cut to a press conference held by the Kalos Police Force." The screen cut to a large burly man dressed in the dress uniform of the Kalotian Police Commissioner.
"We would like to warn the public that this individual is armed and highly dangerous. He is believed to have been involved in several other cases such as this." He said.
"We've heard rumors that he wields a rather distinctive weapon, is this true?" One of the reporters asked.
"Yes, this is true. He does wield a rather distinctive weapon; a black Scythe, with a gun-metal grey handle. He fights alongside a Gallade." The press was silent, save for the scratching of pens. "Is there any other questions?"
"Yeah, another rumor has it that he has Psychic powers, any truth to that?" Another reporter asked.
"There are none that we know of. We know he fights alongside at least one Psychic type, but no evidence has come forward that he himself is psychic." The commissioner replied.
A black light began to fill the room. A dark chuckle filled the silence. Where there had previously been no-one standing beside the Commissioner there now stood a Hooded man, his face obscured by his cloak's cowl.
"Since your Police force is largely incompetent, I'll take that question. The answer is that yes, he does. But the esteemed commissioner has preferred to spend his department's money on designing stylish uniforms and emblems, procuring fast and stylish cars and weapons for his officers and offer unnecessary things, rather than spending money on recruiting Psychic Sniffers, devices and other Psychics who can detect the residue left over from the use of Psychic powers." The man said. I took a closer look at him as the camera zoomed in on him. He was wearing a long black cloak which hid his clothes from view. The cloak itself seemed to shimmer with his own internal light, which seemed to be black similar to the light which preluded the man's arrival. The upper limb of an unstrung bow protruded from behind his left shoulder, the sting of the bow holding it on the man, and the shafts and flights of several arrows, held in a back quiver, stuck out just to the left of it.
"And I can quite confidently tell you that he's no longer in Kalos. He escaped into the ocean and was knocked out by falling debris. I'm not telling you where he is now though. I think I'll let you figure that out. And now, before any of you recover your wits and try and arrest me, I'm leaving." Black light swirled around him again and he disappeared in a flash of blinding light.
The words that had been spoken rang in my mind, but before I could begin to make sense I felt my consciousness slipping from my body, answering an ethereal calling. It tugged insistently, dragging me through the electrical impulses that made up the world. Eventually I was standing before a shining white light above a cloud. A young woman stepped from it.
Greetings child. The voice seemed to reverberate from the air around me, humming resonantly with the universe. Instinctively I knew it came from the woman in front of me. I studied her. She wore a simple white combat skirt (Search it up, I'm paying homage to RWBY's Weiss. Don't mess with the combat skirt bitches.) and white combat boots/heels. Over her shoulder rested a strap of white leather that held a white sniper rifle, a Bartlett M107 .50 Cal, to her body. You've been brought here for a reason. You may be the one who can prevent the destruction of your world.
Orbs of different colours of light flickered into existence around us. The woman seemed to notice my interest but showed no reaction. There are others, many more than me, but only me and my counterpart remain free. The rest are unable to leave their various prisons. You have witnessed my counterpart, just before I called you.
"Who... What are you?" I asked, finding my voice.
Ahhh. The all-important question. It has been a long time, we have been forgotten even in myth. We are the Overseers, beings born of the power of each of the Pokémon Types. I will tell you more, but you have another vision first.
She placed a shining palm on my brow and I slipped into the vision.

Yeah Yeah Yeah, I said one a week... I lied...

 

Chapter 3: Allies and Enemies

{PoV Change:Sabre, 1st Person}
The harvest had been a successful one. The new grove of trees, established under the care of the Mightyena packs had flourished. The trees, grown from seeds which had been "acquired" from the Machop Gangs, had produce a bumper crop on their first crop. Two other groves had produced a bumper crop, but not to the extent that this grove had.
I stood upon the upper limbs of a tree staring out at the distant sea. This tree was one of the tallest, and largest (circumference-wise), on the island. It even towered above Granite Cave. It was home to the Seedot EVO line, and as such had been completely hollowed out. The younger Seedot were kept inside, attached to the walls and roofs of each part of the tree. Eggs were kept at the topmost part of the tree, guarded by two Nuzleaf and a Shiftry. The rest of the species lived elsewhere on the island, coming back to visiting their ancestral home occasionally.
I heard the sound of fighting off in the distance. The heavy grunts of Hariyama and the grating rocky calls of Rhydon. A Pidgeot, upon noticing the noise flew over the area. After completing a few loops, it turned and double-timed it in a the direction of this tree. Something else beat it however, a small shadow that skittered up the tree. When it reached the top I realized it was a Sableye.
"Sabre," it panted, " Ambush at one of the berry groves. Several Rhydon have tried to take over the grove. They would've succeeded had it not been for a pitifully few Hariyama training nearby. They're requesting help."
"Thanks Sid. You go and get some rest, I'll head over with Cloud-Slicer here." Cloud-Slicer was the Pidgeot I'd noticed flying this way before. She was almost at the tree now. Sid nodded and headed off, most likely back to the gem-rich abandoned goldmine his species called home.
Cloud-Slicer alighted gracefully upon the branch.
"Human-like Bladed One. I see the gem-eating sharp shadow has already informed you of the fight between the rock drillers and the big-handed mountain wrestlers. Am I right?" Yeah. The birds always have the weirdest way of speaking. I am not going to make a pun about them always being high.
"Yeah. Reckon you can take me over there?"
"Not impossible, human-like bladed one." She launched off of the branch, turning around and gripping my outstretched hands, carrying me towards the distant fight.
As we flew I thought over the previous six weeks. After leaving the leader of the Mightyena, whose name I later discover to be Michael, I headed towards the cave where Ar'kiri was located. When I got there Ar'kiri was nowhere to be seen but there were several piles of berries, which I appropriated. As I was securing the last pile, Ar'kiri showed up, surprising me. He charged me, hands swinging dangerously.
Concentrating my Psychic power, I loosed a huge amount of loose energy into the faults of the rock that made the cave. With a sickening crack, the cave began to collapse. There was a tug at my gut as I teleported away. Unfortunately Ar'kiri also managed to escape, though he was badly injured. Since then, the conflict has been mounting, other species coming and swearing loyalty to the leader of one side of the war. The Pidgey evolutionary line, the Sableye and the 'Yama EVO line, all had sent representatives to Michael to join his cause. The 'Bat EVO line, Rhys and the Medis all had chosen to join the Machop gangs. The rest of the Pokémon on the island remained neutral.
"Almost above the drop zone, human-like bladed one. I will let you go in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Drop." She released my arms and I began to fall towards the ground. As I fell I surrounded myself in energy, literally becoming a meteor, one that was supercharged with Psychic energy. The only downside of the attack was that I had to angle myself slightly away, so as to not hit the Hariyama with the attack. The energy around me began to become too strong, probably because I wasn't keeping as tight of a leash on it as I should have. In order to keep the power in balance, I siphoned some of the power and used it as a, well a fuel, I suppose, in order to descend faster.
The force of my fall caused a crater in the middle of the Rhydon. Every Pokémon present, with the exception of two Hariyama, flinched. The shockwave of kinetic energy, amplified by the Psychic power is imbued into the attack. Several of the Rhydon were knocked out. Others took severe damage or just shook off the attack. But the damage was done. They hesitated. The two Hariyama who didn't flinch spotted the opening and fell upon the Rhydon. Momentum was the key to any battle, mental or physical, ranged or close-combat. If you lost momentum, you lost the battle. It was that simple. And the Rhydon lost momentum. That first tentative step back that they took set into motion their defeat, akin to a Golem rolling like an avalanche down a hill.
I barely had to do anything, the Hariyama recovered faster than the Rhydon and routed them. Only two Rhydon managed to escape, leaving the rest of their comrades behind.
I bowed to the Hariyama, the deep respectful bows of their public greeting, not the superficial bow of a preparedness for combat.
"Greetings Lord Sabre. We thank you for your assistance." Rumbled the most senior of the Hariyama.
"It was my pleasure, Yamato. But it wasn't all my doing. Thank Sid the Sableye and Cloud-Slicer there. They were the ones who alerted me and got me here." I waved off their grateful bows.
"Do you have any orders?"
"No, you seem to have everything under control here. I'd dump these fellas down on the beach. They'll wake up rather confused. Providing the water types leave them alone." I bowed again.
"What are you going to be doing in the meantime?" Yamato returned the bow.
"I have a revenge attack to plan..."

 

Chapter 4

WARNING!: The following chapter contains excessive violence and gore. If you find this offensive, well... I try.

When I awoke from the visions, the lady in white was nowhere to be seen. In fact, I was back in my room at the Petalburg City Pokémon Center. And judging from the light, I'd been out for a few hours. I rubbed sleep from my eyes and stood. A rumble sounded somewhere outside the Center. I didn't pay any attention to it. I open the door and left my room. Outside was chaos. Injured people and Pokémon lay on the floor of the Center. Nurses for both people and Pokémon were rushing around, treating wounds. Outside the front door, police and citizen volunteers had set up a barricade and were obviously defending the Pokémon Center from some threat.
Nurse Joy finished treating a young boy's Zigzagoon that had a bullet wound to the side. As she turned, she caught sight of me. She hurried over to me.
"Where have you been?" she asked me. "You gave me a heart attack."
"I was asleep in my room." I lied, not exactly eager to tell the truth about the visions.
"And you slept through the invasion that's happening at the moment?" She asked sternly.
"Well, yeah. I can pretty much sleep through anything." This was another lie. I woke up, instantly alert when anyone approached me or entered my room. Yet, instictively, I kept my breath regular and not many people knew that I was awake when it happened. "So what's going on?"
"Nobody is quite sure. Some people say it's an invasion from the Kanto Region, another lot of people say that it is the Kalos Region. The reports are so conflicting that it is hard to be sure." An explosion sounded outside.
"I'm going out to help." I said. Joy glanced at me.
"With what? You're unarmed." She said.
"What about the Scythe that was on me when I was found..." I asked. Joy didn't look happy.
"Follow me." She sighed. She led me behind the nurses desk. We passed several scurrying interns, who were rushing back and forth between the supply room and the front desk, gathering resources for the wounded. In several rooms that we passed, I saw bodies covered by white sheets, often stained with red.
Joy saw me looking. "We're not miracle workers. We have only limited supplies. We only treat those we're sure we can save. It breaks my heart, so much for the hippodonocratic oath..." Beside one of the bodies I saw an injured Charmander, crying for its owner. It made me want to tear apart the enemy with my bare hands.
Eventually Joy led me into an empty storeroom. Sitting on a wheely trolley was my Scythe. As I went to it, Joy opened a cupboard and pulled out something on a hanger. She turned and threw it to me. It was a black, full length trench coat.
"This is yours too. You were dressed in it when you turned up. You had other clothes too, but they were torn to shreds. I had to get rid of them." Joy told me. "But the clothes I gave you the day I discharged you are replacements."
"All good. But... Did I have shoes?" I was barefoot, as I had been for most of my stay here.
"Shoes? Oh right." Joy turned back to the cupboard and pulled a set of sturdy black combat boots from the bottom. She threw these to me as well as a pair of socks. I pulled these on and strapped the Scythe over my back with the shoulder strap.
"You look... Very intimidating..." Joy said. I felt it too. Joy undid a strap on the side of her thigh. She then produced a M9 pistol in fairly good condition.
"Thigh Holster eh? Never thought that nurses would go armed..." I said.
"Policy. In times of crisis, we keep a standard-issue M9 on us at all times." Joy said.
"Nice. Anyway, is there a backdoor or roof access here?" I asked.
"Only a roof access. What do you plan to do from there?" She asked, pointing me in the direction of the access.
"Take back this town." I said as I swept past her and towards the access.
"Good luck, Umbra!" Joy called behind me.
Huh... When you look at the chapters from this perspective... They are rather small...

 

Faded Memories Ch. 5

If you want some more Immersion, listen to this after this symbol )( .
https://soundcloud.com/nightcorerealityreuploads/nightcore-this-is-war
I emerged from the stairwell onto the roof of the Pokémon Center. Two snipers had set up positions there, obviously some military members home on leave. Each was acting as the spotter for the other. One noticed my approach and called a warning. In unison they turned and trained their sights on me.
"Clear, non-hostile!" Came the cry. One of the snipers returned to his position and the other stood to greet me. It was the worst thing he could've done. The enemy weren't stupid and had obviously had a sniper trained on the rooftop, waiting to take out the first one to show his head. The bullet passed straight through the back of his skull and lodged in his brain, killing him instantly. Both the remaining sniper and I dropped to the ground.
While I was down there, I relieved the dead sniper of his rifle. It was a Remington SR-8, ex-military and in superb condition. Bolt-Action, it took .338 Lapua Magnum ammunition, designed for long-range sniper rifles. I checked the chamber, a single bullet rested there. In the part of my mind that wasn't occupied by inspecting the rifle, I wondered how I knew what to do. I ignored that part.
Another round whistled over the wall that we were sheltered behind. I counted the seconds between the shot passing and the next shot. 5 seconds. As soon as the next bullet had passed, I poked my head over the railing of the wall and looked around. I spotted the opposing sniper when he fired, the muzzle flash giving away his position. I ducked back under cover as the bullet passed, then up and aimed at where I last saw him. His rifle came out of cover first, and I tightened my finger on the trigger.
Breathe in, out, in and hold. The words came to me from somewhere, somewhere in the dark corners of my mind. The place I though no memories existed.
The sniper's head came around the corner and I fired. I took my time pulling in the trigger, somehow knowing that rushing could cause the bullet to fly high as the rifle moved. Even after the bullet had gone, I stayed in position, the only movement to pull the bolt on the rifle to load another bullet into the chamber. But the sniper didn't get back up. The bullet had passed straight through his forehead, I could see the wound on his forehead and the pool of blood growing around him. I slowly lowered the rifle. The surviving sniper was staring at me in amazement.
"That was some marksmanship! I've been in the Scouts Corp. for years and never seen marksmanship like that.
"If you require a new spotter, you'd best fetch one now, I won't be staying." I spoke to the sniper without facing him. He hastened to obey with military precision. I activated the safety on the rifle and rose. I slipped the neck strap over my neck and positioned it on my back. The dead soldier wouldn't need it anymore.
)( [Repeat if you want]
I began to leap from rooftop to rooftop. Soon, I was far behind enemy lines. I was looking for the command post. If I took that out, it'd leave the enemy confused and leaderless. Along the way, I used the rifle and the pistol to rescue civilians trapped by the enemy. Eventually, I found the Command Post, or so I thought.
Soldiers were everywhere. It wasn't as simple as just strolling in through the front door. That would get me killed for sure. I no longer had the rifle, having passed it on to a civilian to return it, after I ran out of ammo. As for the pistol, I checked the clip. 5 bullets nestled there. I had one left in the chamber as well. Six shots, best make them count.
I scanned the buildings ahead of me, searching for a point of access into the building. The roof was a viable option, however there were several guards patrolling it. Without a sniper rifle with a silencer, as well as a distraction, there was no way to take them out without raising the alarm. There had to be another way in. A quote from my murky past, from a place where I believed no memories to exist, came to mind. "Nowhere is really impassable"
I scanned the building again. Back past. The windows were out, guards patrolling in front of them on each side, never leaving another patrols sight. Guards on the roof and at the front door, not to mention the soldiers outside. I scanned the courtyard, mentally noting the number of soldiers in it. There! An unguarded air vent, it's entry hidden behind an incinerator. I backed up from the edge of the roof, careful to not be seen, then began to leap from roof to roof to the incinerator.
I inspected the ventialtion duct. It was made of lightweight aluminium. Far too noisy to cut it open. It would be far easier, but more risky to slide down the duct and enter from, the bottom. So I did. And as I did made the biggest sin, I used a cliche entrance. There's a reason it is only used in movies as a stealth tactic.
Number one. Rattattas and Raticates. Usually quiet when they lope along in the vents, these guys make a hell of a noise when they scarper away. Normally it'd be the fact that these vents are often booby-trapped in military buildings. This one wasn't, presumably due to the fact that the invasion started just over an hour ago. Secondly, have you ever seen a grown human put weight on a thin piece of metal? It bends doesn't it? And when that weight is removed, it tries to recover it's shape. In an enclosed space, it makes a dull boom, that echoes down the vent. Finally, this kinda adds on to the second, but thin metal is really, really weak. As such, it breaks easily. I found this out when I fell through the vent floor into the CO's office. I just lay there on his desk staring at him, as he stared at me.
I recovered faster and shot him as he fumbled for his revolver. I inspected his body and realised my mistake. He was the leading officer, I knew that. What I didn't know was that he was only a Staff Sergeant, of the Kanto Mariner Corps. A completely seperate division of their army. And nowhere near the head of the snake. From what little I remembered, a Staff Sergeant, SSgt, had a rank of M-6 out of 9. He had obviously been put in charge of the base. I could hear footsteps running towards me. Obviously the gunshot had drawn attention, I needed to get out of here.
I burst out the door, surprising the two soldiers on the other side. I shot one of them before he could even ready his weapon. The other one managed to squeeze off a few wild rounds before I put one into his head. 3 bullets left. I started running off down the hallway. I could hear footsteps running up the stairs ahead of me. A leiutenant ran up the stairs and ran into the bullet I had just sent at him. It passed through his temple, decorating the ugly peach walls with brains and blood, drastically improving the interior decoration of the room. Two privates met the same fate, emptying the clip. I began pounding down the stairs. One more private was coming up the stairs, and I Knocked him out, perhaps killing him, but the gun remained stuck to his forehead. I left it there.
As I continued to run down the stairs, I could hear doors slamming open behind me and the clatter of pursuit, getting closer all the time. At around the third floor landing, the door slammed open in front of me. Marines began pour out. I glanced over the railing and vaulted over it. I rolled as I hit the floor and fled out the door. I made my way into the foyer. Soldiers, presumably back-up, were coming in the front door, and soldiers were behind me. I grabbed out my scythe and unfoldered it. Once it was unfolded, I charged the soldiers outside the door, as the soldiers behind me opened fire. One bullet hit a plate of something that seemed to be ceramic behind my left shoulder. Several others hit other plates or passed through the fabric, missing me.
The soldiers in front of me either allowed me to pass or defiantly stood in front of me. Either way, they were ripped apart from the scythe. More bullets hit me from behind. The plate on my left side shattered and a bullet lodged itself in my shoulder.
I finally pushed my way through the congestion of soldiers, leaving a mess of blood and bodies. More plates shattered in my coat. I kept running, using the scythe and used it to climb up the walls of a nearby building. Several more bullets bypassed the plates and buried themselves in my back. I could sense myself fading. My vision blurred as I continued to flee from the murderous mob or marines behind me.
I felt dizzy and I stumbled. That stumble was fatal. I missed the edge of the ledge and fell. My last thought was "Fuck." Then I hit the ground, my body not registering the pain. I slipped into the void.

 

Chapter 6.5​

Note: This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 6. It was supposed to be the ending of Chapter 6; however I uploaded the wrong file. So, without any further hesitation, I welcome you to Chapter 6 ½!
The Aggron were proving to be a challenge to subdue, despite the countless number of attacks raining down upon them. They had ravaged nearly a quarter of the island. The Ranger Union had even flown in a specialist team of Rangers to deal with the problem. These guys were the best of the best. But even the best have undefeatable foe. Even as a searched for a weakness in the Aggron's impenetrable armour, one of the Aggron destroyed a Capture Disc that had been looping around one of the nearby Aggron. The half-caught Aggron loosed a Rock Blast at the Ranger's Partner Pokémon. The Ranger dove in and rescued his partner.
It was a stupid move. Normally, the attacks from wild Pokémon might leave Trainers with a few bruises, maybe some broken bones, or a concussion at the worst. However, these Aggron were holding nothing back. Already, several wild Pokémon and a Ranger had died from the lethal attacks of the Aggron. Now this Ranger was caught between Aggron, trees and a secondary Rock Blast. With a sigh, I teleported over there and dragged his ass out of the way. The Rock Blast hit the trees and decimated parts of the forest. The Ranger frowned up at me. Even though we were both fighting to save the island, none of the local Pokémon would go anywhere near the Rangers. And, quite frankly, none would probably even care if they all got splattered. Plus, Gallades are fairly rare, and not one of my evolution line lives on Dewford Island. Brawley, the former Fighting-type Gym Leader here on Dewford, had one, but he was busy with his new job as a new member of the Hoenn Elite Four.
I nodded to the Ranger and teleported back to where I had been previously. At a distance, I was useless, save for my Psychic abilities, which weren't very effective, being disrupted by Steel, or Dark-Type moves. I had tried using Hypnosis at the beginning, but the rampage caused a similar effect to the move Uproar. Even moves like Rest didn't work. And my Shadow Ball was bouncing off the defences of the Aggron, usually hitting a friendly. Until there was an opening that I could exploit to sneak in a few physical attacks, I was stuck saving Pokémon and Rangers that were in trouble.
I scanned the horde of Aggron. The Queen, the key to this rampage, had retreated to the centre of the horde. As I watched, she roared, drowning out all other sounds on the battlefield. Every Aggron froze, sparks of electricity crackling on their horns.
'DOWN!' I cried telepathically. I teleported between the front line of wild Pokémon and the Aggron and used a weak barrier of Psychic energy to sweep everyone away from the danger, with the exception of the few Dark-types, namely Mightyena and Sableye. Both of these species were quick on the uptake, however and fled. It was only me left near the Aggron, the Rangers had been swept away by the Psychic barrier as well.
Once I was sure that everyone was safe, I planted one of my arm blades in the ground, point first, and extended the other point into the sky, forming a rudimentary lighting rod. Normally, lightning attacks wouldn't be so bad for me. However, with the bolt's power amplified by the multitude of Aggron and the storm above, the attack was deadly. As the electricity coursed through my body, destroying nerves and muscle tissue, I noticed the rage clear from the Aggron's eyes. They stood, quiet, as the last of the electricity left my body and began to slowly stamp away as my vision faded.