05-17-2016, 08:19 AM
Three days had passed since Matrix, AndrAIa, and Syril arrived in Bilgewater. They were impressed with the view of Blue Flame Island from their ship, coming into port, but had quickly put the sightseeing aside and gotten to work as soon as their feet hit dry land. Tracking down the Liberation Front had not been easy, even though they were looking for a recruiter. While Matrix and AndrAIa had stayed hidden, for the most part, their blue Yoshi companion had made as much noise as he could without drawing too much attention. Syril had done little things like mention off-hand that he was a resident of Cinnabar, but was displeased with their policies. He’d mentioned wanting a more hands on approach to politics. The theory had been that word would travel through the grapevine, and the Liberation Front recruiters would reach out to him.
It had worked.
One night, while returning to the inn he was utilizing, Syril had been approached by a Pokemon known as a Mewoth, and told to be at a certain bar at a certain time, and that a Hypno wanted to speak with him. The time had come, and Syril entered the bar, scanning the crowd as he did. No one stood out immediately, and he certainly didn’t see the heavily scarred Hypno they had been tracking. It was mostly the typical ruffians that were encountered in this end of town, made up of various species. Human was probably the most common, but there was no shortage of other anatomies.
He did his best to stay discreet, but also noticeable. The Yoshi ordered a drink and made his way towards a booth, so he could sit facing the door. It was all he knew to do, since there were little other instructions given to him. He could barely cross the room before he spotted the same Meowth that had stealthily contacted him prior, and watched it slip out a back door.
Now or never. Syril downed the drink in one gulp for just a bit of added liquid courage, and made his way out the back exit, too. He stepped into a dark alleyway, with just enough room to be surrounded. He didn’t like it.
Of course, that’s exactly what happened, next. Four Pokemon, half belonging to the species known as “Scyther” and the other two taking the label of “Pinsir” stepped from the shadows and had all the corners covered, suddenly. Syril resisted the urge to reach for his pistols, and instead watched as the Hypno they were seeking emerged from the shadows, and stood before him. There was no escaping and no fighting in this situation. He was trapped.
“Syril, the Yoshi,” the Hypno sounded amused as he spoke. “You’ve made a lot of noise around town the past few days.”
“I’ve been looking for the Liberation Front,” the Yoshi replied, bluntly, as he tried to maintain his cover. “My time on Cinnabar has come to an end. I want to make a difference in this world.”
“Please, Syril,” the Hypno merely scoffed in response. “Don’t take us for fools. We knew there would be some retaliation for abducting the Charmander. I know you’ve come looking for him. The only real amusement I find is that you’re the best that island of cowards could drum up.”
“You wouldn’t have liked the Charizard,” Syril narrowed his eyes. He didn’t go for his guns, only because he knew he’d be cut down in an instant by the blades that surrounded him. Still, the facade was over; he had been found out.
“I wish it had been him,” the Hypno said with a chuckle. “After all, as you can imagine, I could convince him to do a couple favors for us.”
“So, you do have Coal then?” Syril went ahead and asked for confirmation on the young Charmander’s location.
“Yes, of course,” Hypno nodded matter-of-factly. “Just like I have you, now. While the young one has some additional use, I’m afraid all you’re good for is sending a message back to your little community.” Hypno waved to one of the Scythers. “His head, please.”
Syril reacted by going for his own pistols, but the Scyther was already closing in as he was drawing them. The distance was far too short for him to remove his firearms from their holsters in time to act. Fortunately, his silent prayer had been answered.
Shots rang out, and the Scyther that threatened to decapitate the Yoshi collapsed to the ground, bleeding from its abdomen. Hypno looked around in a panic, while the remaining Scyther and two Pinsirs also scanned the area.
Matrix emerged from around a corner, with Gun leveled. He locked onto the next target, and quickly blasted a Pinsir in what was closest to him in its forehead. It dropped in an instant. The remaining enforcers were so distracted and panicked by the arrival of the green sprite that they didn’t notice Syril drawing his own weapons right before them. Just as quickly, and without remorse, the Yoshi gunned down the remaining two, leaving only Hypno.
Hypno, however, took off running. He passed Syril in the brief moment of chaos to run away from Matrix, but was clotheslined by a trident coming from around another corner. Hypno dropped to his back, slamming his head against the stone walkway. He looked up to see AndrAIa standing over him, with her trident hovering just above his neck. The recruiter could only groan in pain and anguish.
“He confirmed they have Coal,” Syril snarled as he holstered his guns, walking beside Matrix as they approached AndrAIa and their prisoner.
“I heard,” Matrix said, making no effort to hide his rising anger.
Matrix fired a shot into the last surviving Scyther as they walked past, finishing it off. He then released his gun and let it snap to his hip, where it typically rested. AndrAIa stepped back as they neared, and Matrix reached down and grabbed the yellow Pokemon by the white tufts of fur around its neck, and hoisted it to its feet. Just as soon as he did, Matrix slammed the Pokemon into the brick wall nearest to them, and held it there.
“I think you know how this part goes,” Matrix said as he narrowed his eyes, and his cybernetic one began to glow red.
“If you think I’m afraid of you, you’re very mistaken,” Hypno said as he met Matrix’s gaze with his own cold, dead, solid black eyes. “You have no idea who I am, what I represent, and what I can do to you.”
“Why don’t you explain it, then?” Matrix met intimidation with intimidation. “Because I’m not very afraid, yet.”
AndrAIa calmly watched. Syril shot her a look, then went back to looking at Matrix and the Hypno. AndrAIa knew this was a delicate walk. Matrix’s life had made him ruthless and borderline psychotic. It was only through her loving touch that she was able to reel him in and prevent him from doing horrible things. Sometimes, however, she had to tactically step back, enough that he could take advantage of his strengths, but not enough that he might lose himself entirely.
The Hypno, however, let out a low, ominous laugh. Not only did the three of them hear it with their ears, but it was also piercing their minds. Matrix watched as the Pokemon held up a pendulum made of just string and a small ball, and rocked it before his eyes.
“Relax, my green friend,” the Hypno said, continuing to gaze into Matrix’s eyes. “The Charmander is at an island not far from here. We will go there together. Syril will join us, after all. Your girlfriend will be the sacrifice and the message. You, you are the middle ground, so we’ll find a use for you.”
“Where…?” Matrix asked, slowly, not breaking eye contact but loosening his grip considerably.
“It’s in your head, now. Like me,” The Hypno taunted him now. “We will go there now.”
Matrix released the Hypno entirely, still watching the pendulum swing. The Hypno let out a loud chuckle, content with its three newest slaves. Or at least, that’s what he thought was happening. He never got to know any different, however.
Matrix moved in an instant. He swung his right hand with the palm wide open, catching the Hypno’s face. He continued that momentum and smashed the Pokemon’s head into the brick wall. One powerful slam from the overpowered prime was all it took to reduce the fragile Pokemon’s head and brain to mere splatter within the dent wall, and all over his hand.
The pendulum fell to the floor, alongside the now headless corpse. Matrix shook his head to get his thoughts clear, while AndrAIa and Syril did the same. The psychic takeover had failed, but it had still been a mentally jarring experience. Fortunately, they had been prepared and expected such a maneuver. Like the Liberation Front, they were trying to stay one step ahead.
“We got what we need. Let’s go,” Matrix was short and to the point before exiting to the street.
Syril silently followed the prime, but AndrAIa lingered over the carnage for a moment. Violence was in her skill set as well, but she didn’t relish it. She understood its place and purpose, however. She was a realist, and knew that there was no eliminating it entirely. The most important thing to her was Matrix, so she always focused on keeping him centered, despite his own tendencies. As she looked over the corpse of the Hypno, she could only wonder if she’d let Matrix wander too far towards his own darkness.
It had worked.
One night, while returning to the inn he was utilizing, Syril had been approached by a Pokemon known as a Mewoth, and told to be at a certain bar at a certain time, and that a Hypno wanted to speak with him. The time had come, and Syril entered the bar, scanning the crowd as he did. No one stood out immediately, and he certainly didn’t see the heavily scarred Hypno they had been tracking. It was mostly the typical ruffians that were encountered in this end of town, made up of various species. Human was probably the most common, but there was no shortage of other anatomies.
He did his best to stay discreet, but also noticeable. The Yoshi ordered a drink and made his way towards a booth, so he could sit facing the door. It was all he knew to do, since there were little other instructions given to him. He could barely cross the room before he spotted the same Meowth that had stealthily contacted him prior, and watched it slip out a back door.
Now or never. Syril downed the drink in one gulp for just a bit of added liquid courage, and made his way out the back exit, too. He stepped into a dark alleyway, with just enough room to be surrounded. He didn’t like it.
Of course, that’s exactly what happened, next. Four Pokemon, half belonging to the species known as “Scyther” and the other two taking the label of “Pinsir” stepped from the shadows and had all the corners covered, suddenly. Syril resisted the urge to reach for his pistols, and instead watched as the Hypno they were seeking emerged from the shadows, and stood before him. There was no escaping and no fighting in this situation. He was trapped.
“Syril, the Yoshi,” the Hypno sounded amused as he spoke. “You’ve made a lot of noise around town the past few days.”
“I’ve been looking for the Liberation Front,” the Yoshi replied, bluntly, as he tried to maintain his cover. “My time on Cinnabar has come to an end. I want to make a difference in this world.”
“Please, Syril,” the Hypno merely scoffed in response. “Don’t take us for fools. We knew there would be some retaliation for abducting the Charmander. I know you’ve come looking for him. The only real amusement I find is that you’re the best that island of cowards could drum up.”
“You wouldn’t have liked the Charizard,” Syril narrowed his eyes. He didn’t go for his guns, only because he knew he’d be cut down in an instant by the blades that surrounded him. Still, the facade was over; he had been found out.
“I wish it had been him,” the Hypno said with a chuckle. “After all, as you can imagine, I could convince him to do a couple favors for us.”
“So, you do have Coal then?” Syril went ahead and asked for confirmation on the young Charmander’s location.
“Yes, of course,” Hypno nodded matter-of-factly. “Just like I have you, now. While the young one has some additional use, I’m afraid all you’re good for is sending a message back to your little community.” Hypno waved to one of the Scythers. “His head, please.”
Syril reacted by going for his own pistols, but the Scyther was already closing in as he was drawing them. The distance was far too short for him to remove his firearms from their holsters in time to act. Fortunately, his silent prayer had been answered.
Shots rang out, and the Scyther that threatened to decapitate the Yoshi collapsed to the ground, bleeding from its abdomen. Hypno looked around in a panic, while the remaining Scyther and two Pinsirs also scanned the area.
Matrix emerged from around a corner, with Gun leveled. He locked onto the next target, and quickly blasted a Pinsir in what was closest to him in its forehead. It dropped in an instant. The remaining enforcers were so distracted and panicked by the arrival of the green sprite that they didn’t notice Syril drawing his own weapons right before them. Just as quickly, and without remorse, the Yoshi gunned down the remaining two, leaving only Hypno.
Hypno, however, took off running. He passed Syril in the brief moment of chaos to run away from Matrix, but was clotheslined by a trident coming from around another corner. Hypno dropped to his back, slamming his head against the stone walkway. He looked up to see AndrAIa standing over him, with her trident hovering just above his neck. The recruiter could only groan in pain and anguish.
“He confirmed they have Coal,” Syril snarled as he holstered his guns, walking beside Matrix as they approached AndrAIa and their prisoner.
“I heard,” Matrix said, making no effort to hide his rising anger.
Matrix fired a shot into the last surviving Scyther as they walked past, finishing it off. He then released his gun and let it snap to his hip, where it typically rested. AndrAIa stepped back as they neared, and Matrix reached down and grabbed the yellow Pokemon by the white tufts of fur around its neck, and hoisted it to its feet. Just as soon as he did, Matrix slammed the Pokemon into the brick wall nearest to them, and held it there.
“I think you know how this part goes,” Matrix said as he narrowed his eyes, and his cybernetic one began to glow red.
“If you think I’m afraid of you, you’re very mistaken,” Hypno said as he met Matrix’s gaze with his own cold, dead, solid black eyes. “You have no idea who I am, what I represent, and what I can do to you.”
“Why don’t you explain it, then?” Matrix met intimidation with intimidation. “Because I’m not very afraid, yet.”
AndrAIa calmly watched. Syril shot her a look, then went back to looking at Matrix and the Hypno. AndrAIa knew this was a delicate walk. Matrix’s life had made him ruthless and borderline psychotic. It was only through her loving touch that she was able to reel him in and prevent him from doing horrible things. Sometimes, however, she had to tactically step back, enough that he could take advantage of his strengths, but not enough that he might lose himself entirely.
The Hypno, however, let out a low, ominous laugh. Not only did the three of them hear it with their ears, but it was also piercing their minds. Matrix watched as the Pokemon held up a pendulum made of just string and a small ball, and rocked it before his eyes.
“Relax, my green friend,” the Hypno said, continuing to gaze into Matrix’s eyes. “The Charmander is at an island not far from here. We will go there together. Syril will join us, after all. Your girlfriend will be the sacrifice and the message. You, you are the middle ground, so we’ll find a use for you.”
“Where…?” Matrix asked, slowly, not breaking eye contact but loosening his grip considerably.
“It’s in your head, now. Like me,” The Hypno taunted him now. “We will go there now.”
Matrix released the Hypno entirely, still watching the pendulum swing. The Hypno let out a loud chuckle, content with its three newest slaves. Or at least, that’s what he thought was happening. He never got to know any different, however.
Matrix moved in an instant. He swung his right hand with the palm wide open, catching the Hypno’s face. He continued that momentum and smashed the Pokemon’s head into the brick wall. One powerful slam from the overpowered prime was all it took to reduce the fragile Pokemon’s head and brain to mere splatter within the dent wall, and all over his hand.
The pendulum fell to the floor, alongside the now headless corpse. Matrix shook his head to get his thoughts clear, while AndrAIa and Syril did the same. The psychic takeover had failed, but it had still been a mentally jarring experience. Fortunately, they had been prepared and expected such a maneuver. Like the Liberation Front, they were trying to stay one step ahead.
“We got what we need. Let’s go,” Matrix was short and to the point before exiting to the street.
Syril silently followed the prime, but AndrAIa lingered over the carnage for a moment. Violence was in her skill set as well, but she didn’t relish it. She understood its place and purpose, however. She was a realist, and knew that there was no eliminating it entirely. The most important thing to her was Matrix, so she always focused on keeping him centered, despite his own tendencies. As she looked over the corpse of the Hypno, she could only wonder if she’d let Matrix wander too far towards his own darkness.