Haha, you didn't think that I'd abandon this, eh? Chapter 6, ahoy!

Chapter 6 - Nightmares

The hovertank sped on full engines back towards Celadon. Inside the tank's cramped interior, the remaining men of Kalkas' squad were shaking with fear. The creatures that they had seen in Saffron... that was unnatural. Sure, they had seen many corpses in their time as elite soldiers, but these things were like nothing they had ever seen.

While the men climbed out of the hovertank, McAllister strolled over to Kalkas and greeted him with a pleasent wave.

"Ah, hello there!" he laughed.

Kalkas stared bluntly at him. McAllister backed away slightly and lowered his tone.

"So you have the data?"

Kalkas handed him the sphere and the journal with a look of weariness.

"Study these all you want," he muttered, "but remember what happened to Saffron"

"Hmm?" McAllister enquired, "What did happen to Saffron?"

"Read the data, and you'll find out"

McAllister sighed, and then he noticed the two Eevees cowering in Kalkas' arms.

"What are those then?"

"We found them in a lab. They had been in a stasis chamber since before the containment field collapsed. They only escaped from the chamber when we entered the labs"

Kalkas stopped for a moment and wondered.

"Sir, with your permission, may I take care of these Eevees?"

"You have no experience with Pokemon!" McAllister chuckled, "Why would you want to start with the hardest Pokemon to raise?"

"I don't care about raising or battling. These guys need a home, and if I let them go, they'll be lost by themselves in the world"

McAllister sighed.

"We'll need to check them for biological contamination. After that, we'll give you them back"

"Thank you sir!"

McAllister lead Kalkas and the Eevees to a quarantine field in the medical bay. The smell of sterility and cleanliness filled Kalkas' nose. All around him as they passed, he could see wounded, crying men; husbands and wives kneeling next to their beloved. This was such a wasteful war.

Inside the quarantine field, scientists in white protective suits were studying fragments of the creatures from Saffron that had stuck to the hovertank, and when McAllister entered, they dropped their work and shook his hand. They then took the Eevees out of Kalkas' arms and laid them down gently onto a large white machine that was gently humming. A blue light suddenly began to eminate from the centre. It spread out, covering the Eevees. They began to cry loudly.

"What are you doing?" Kalkas yelled.

"Don't worry, sir" one of the scientists comforted, "it has no effects on health"

The data regarding the Eevees flashed up on a visi-screen next to the machine. The scientists mumbled to each other hurridly.

"Good news," they announced, "the Eevees are clear. You can have them back"

The scientist tossed them unceremoniously back to Kalkas.

"Looks like you can keep them" McAllister chirped.

"Thank you sir!" Kalkas cried.

"Consider it your reward for your mission," McAllister laughed, "now I think that you should rest up for the remainder of the night!"

Kalkas yawned and nodded. McAllister showed Kalkas to the sleeping quarters and returned to business. Kalkas chose a bunk, and collapsed into it. He dragged a sheet over himself and began to snore. He was nearly asleep when he heard the shufflings of the Eevees on the floor. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he picked them up and placed them on the bed. They wormed under the sheets and lay there next to his warmth.

Kalkas slept uneasily that night. He tossed and turned, trying to get the image of the terrible creatures out of his head. When dawn broke, he had barely slept two hours.

He stumbled out of the room and into the mess hall, where he wolfed down a bowl of cereal and some ancient defrosted bread. As he was eating, McAllister arrived at his table.

"Now," he said in a quiet voice, "I know that you've been through hell last night. But we need you for one more task"

Kalkas' eyes lit up. A mission would be the perfect thing to get his mind off the image.

"We've loaded most of the civilians onto the transports. We only have a few more people left. We leave tomorrow, at least if your mission succeeds. To the north of the town of Cerulean, a man named Cid lives. He is a decendant of the famed Researcher Bill, but that is beyond the point. He knows more about navigating than all our scientists together"

Kalkas could guess where this was leading.

"And we need you to fly up to his mansion and bring him down here. If you can escort any other civilians back to Celadon, then that would be appreciated as well"

Kalkas interrupted, "So you mean that the rest of Kanto isn't evacuating?"

"Of course not! To co-ordinate such a large scale fleet is impossible, even for our engineers! We are taking any refugees that reach us in time, but we cannot afford to waste time picking up every citizen of Kanto!"]

Kalkas would have yelled something rude, but then a PA resounded through the facility.

"Alert! Johto Warfleet has been sighted to the west! Scramble all fighters!"

"Looks like you'd better hurry"

Kalkas groaned and ran to the hanger. He was a sucker to go along with this plan.

It is a pretty cool story...
i like it

Oh no! What's going to happen to the people who stay in Kanto?

Wow...

My brother is 20 and has never been as crazy about Pokemon as me, even when we were both in school, but I printed off this story and sent it to him and he loved it. He and I used to play Resident Evil together all the time. Combining the two is going really well. I love it.

Hurry up with the next chapter already. I need to know what happens man...

And so you will receive a new chapter...

Chapter 7 - The Navigator

The Aurora was half-way out of Celadon when the radio crackled into life.

"Kalkas!" McAllister's deep voice roared through the cracked casing, "They've caught us off-guard! We have about four hours until they reach us!"

"Sir," Kalkas replied, "I've set a course for Cerulean, ETA 09:00 hours."

"That's cutting it close" McAllister growled.

"The Aurora's engines are at full power, I can't get them any faster"

"Fine. Celadon out"

Kalkas switched off the radio and sat back in his chair. There was nothing that could be done. The Eevees jumped into his lap. Kalkas petted them.

"Heh," he laughed, "if we get to Hoenn alive, then I'll train you guys a bit!"

The Eevees smiled, and one of them nudged against the radio. Kalkas took a few seconds before he realised what the Eevee was trying to tell him.

"The refugees!"

He remembered what McAllister had said. He should pick up as many refugees as possible! He turned on the radio and broadcasted on all frequencies.

"This is The Aurora of the Kanto fleet!" he yelled into the microphone, "Transmitting to all citizens of Kanto! We are evacuating from the country, and we need all available ships to join the convoy! Fly south immedietly! The Johto Warfleet is almost here!"

The voice on the receiving end was much less enthusiastic.

"This is Air Traffic Control. While we appreciate the thought, there is no evacuation. We would have been informed long ago by Celadon if such a momentous project was underway. Thank you for your time, now please leave our airspace."

Kalkas swore into the mic and kept the frequency open. Every few minutes, he would shout the same warning into it, and the responses were mixed. A few farmers and hamlets sent transports southwards, others still simply ignored him, and most simply dismissed him as a fool.

Finally, as the sun rose higher in the sky over the green fields and mountains of north-west Kanto, Kalkas sighted the glass spires of Cerulean. Even before the war, Cerulean was known as a centre of intellectuals and education. The humongous university that dominated the skyline was home to over ten thousand students from all corners of Kanto. In the odl days before the war, scientists and lecturers from all across the continent had flocked to Cerulean, but at the outbreak of war, they had, at best, been deported. At worst, they were hung by lynch mobs.

"This is Cerulean University Airspace Control," the dull, monotonous voice droned from the speakers, "how can I help you?"

Kalkas was delivering his message, and was expecting ridicule, when a second, eccentric voise was to be heard in the backround.

"...from Celadon? The Aurora? ...Warfleet... evac...?"

Kalkas found the voice eerily familiar. Its next words would confirm this.

"Ah, Kalkas!" it laughed. It was definitly a fusty, male voice.

"Holy God," Kalkas exclaimed, "how many years has it been, Professor Muldoon?"

"Oh, maybe five or six." Prof. Muldoon chuckled.

Prof. Muldoon and Kalkas had known each other for years. Muldoon was one of the few people in Kanto who could remember the days before the war. He had been a lecturer at Goldenrod University, and had taught Kalkas in Psychology and Anatomy. When Muldoon saw for himself what the Johto armies had done in the name of the war, he ran away from Goldenrod and made a bargain with Kanto. The governent desperatly needed more medics, but knowledge of medicine was poor in Kanto. Muldoon was given a position at Cerulean University, in exchange for his services in teaching new doctors. Kalkas began to consider defecting when he heard about Muldoon, and one month later, he had his chance.

"So I see that you deserted Johto as well!" Muldoon grinned.

"Yep. I had enough of the burecracy at Goldenrod bank!"

"Heh. Well, I hear that you need us out of here! I'm mobilizing the University's fleet!"

"You have that much influence?"

"Influence? No, my dear boy. I have no need to influence the head of the Uni. I am the head!"

"Woah. I guess that I missed a lot of stuff."

"Only voted in last week."

"Congrats! I'll meet you on the way back to the convoy, but I have business to attend to further north."

"I'll see you again soon! Cerulean Airspace Control out!"

Kalkas butted in quickly.

"Say, why are you in the Airspace Control area?"

"I'm not! They passed your transmissin onto me. I'm in the middle of a lecture!" He paused for a second. "What's that noise in the backround?"

"Oh, that's the Eevees. It's a long story, I'll tell you later..." Kalkas began as the radio switched off.

The Aurora sped northwards for a few more miles, when they reached Cid's mansion; a vast sprawl of ancient design, with turrets and buttresses. After Cid's ancestor Bill discovered important gene data in the years before the war, he became rich and built a mansion on top of his old cottage. It had been inhabited by his descendants ever since.

There was a landing strip in the gardens of the mansion. A few triangular pleasure sky yachts lay spread around, their solar sails retracted. Kalkas brought The Aurora downwards.

"Hang on a minute!" another voice, presumably Cid's, barked through the speakers, "Ain't you goin to tell me what the f*ck is going on? First I get a call from the head of the Uni about some evacuation, and then some random son of a b'tch is trying to land his pile of crap in my yard???"

"I am Kalkas of the..." Kalkas began, but Cid interrupted him.

"So you are that goddam spy that Proffessor Muldoon was yappin' to me about! Well, hurry up and get in here!"

The inside of the mansion was almost as grand as the exterior. Suits of armour and busts of ancestors and Pokemon lined the walls. Kalkas walked on through the hallway, escorted by a service robot. Hmm, thought Kalkas, this guy must be rich to afford robots.

Cid was waiting at the end of the hall. He was tall, fat and pompous. He glared at Kalkas as if he was a particularly nasty thing on his shoe.

"So," he bellowed, "McAllister wants me to navigate for his fleet, is that correct?"

Kalkas nodded in agreement, muttering ever so quietly.

"Hmph. Celadon thinks that they're the sodding masters of Kanto. Like I care about a bunch of war-mongering bastards!"

"Have you even seen what Johto will do when they reach here?" Kalkas yelled, without thinking.

"Eh?" Cid guffawed, unprepared for Kalkas, "Are you defying me?"

"When Johto get here, they will pull apart your machines. They will burn your mansion to the ground. As for you, they might be merciful and kill you. If they're not... well, the work camps at the Lake of Rage are running low I hear"

Cid stood aghast at this insolent man.

"Well I never..." he stuttered, "I... I... I have no idea what to say..."

"Are you joining me or not?"

"If McAllister requires it..."

"Good. Get those yachts powered up as well. We might need to pick up some people on the way."

"Now you listen to me, those yachts are..."

"SHUT UP!" Kalkas bellowed.

"I'll fire up the yachts, sir" Cid mumbled weakly.

All the staff in Cid's mansion boarded his main cruiser. Robots commanderd the rest. The small convoy of ships rose up into the noon sun and swooped southwards, towards home. Every so often, Kalkas brought the ships down to pick up scattered civilians on the ground.

At 11 o' clock, The Aurora came into radio contact with the S.S. Airdancer, a olive, block-shaped carrier. It was the Head Scholar's personal ship.

"Good day, Kalkas!" the chirpy high-pitched whistle of Muldoon erupted through the speakers, "We packed the whole of Cerulean into our little skyhoppers! I see that you brought along Cid!"

"He certainly ain't happy about it." Kalkad laughed.

"I never expected that he would be!" Muldoon replied.

Up ahead, they could nearly see the first transports of Celadon rising into the sky, the towers of the city piercing the skyline. Something didn;t feel right. The Eevees were the first to notice. They began to sob loudly. Kalkas' mood dropped as he saw the explosions on the hulls of the ships ahead...

Enjoy it, Psyches?

If anything happens to those Eevee's I'm going to be opening a can of woop-a$$ on every piece of Johto scum I can find.

Question, is Johto supposed to be the enemy or is supposed to be impossible to tell which side is at fault and they're both just doin what they need to do to survive the war?

Right now I feel like Johto are bullies but I'm not sure if you want a definite good and bad side or if you want it to be all grey.

Johto is definitely not my favourite region right now.

I like that the Pokemon aren't being used much, it keeps it fresh.

That McAllistor is a little suspiscious. He seems to care very little about keeping Kanto alive and a lot about getting Johto to be dead.

MORE!!!

I've been a bit suspisious about Allistair for a while, too. Hmmmm...

I'm more suspicious about the eevees.

Psyches (BTW, you sort of share a name with one of my classmates! ), in real-life, no-one is fully good/bad, and I did that here. Trust me, it'll become clear now...

Chapter 8 - Flight from Celadon

"Holy sh/t!" Kalkas screamed into the radio, "Can you hear me?"

"Warfleet..." the garbled reply came, "civilians... dead... HELP!"

The radio fizzed into silence. Kalkas transmitted to the scholar fleet for assistance.

"Get over there already!" he yelled.

A huge number of small, antique, silver Charizard Mk. 3 fighters swerved out of the convoy and joined up behind The Aurora. Their squad leader called in:

"Sir!" he shouted, "We are under your command!"

Prof. Muldoon interrupted.

"Just like the old days back at Goldenrod, eh?"

"What the f*ck are you doing???" Kalkas bellowed.

"Who says that an old lecturer can't fight?" Muldoon chuckled.

"Just don't get killed, alright?"

"Heh!"

Kalkas swore again and bashed the radio.

He brought the ships into the fray. He could see that all was not going well on the Celadon fleet. The lumbering evacuation transports were coming under fire from the rapid Johto scourge fighters. One had already sustained hull damage. The Kanto defences were all but destroyed on the ground, and the air troops were faring almost as bad. There were already nearly all of the hundred-strong fleet out in the sky, but they were amost defenceless.

"Kalkas!" McAllister's voice crackled through, "Thank God that you're here! We need a little more time!"

"To get the transports out of here?" Kalkas enquired.

"No, that'll take longer than you can hold them off for. We just need some more time."

"What for?" Kalkas repeated.

"You'll see soon enough!"

---

On board the S.S. Immortal Spirit the passengers were in a state of panic. The hull had been torn through, and the crew predicted that they wouldn't make it past Vermillion. They had already started to load the emergency ships. Missile after missile battered the side of the oblong cruiser. Children screamed, and the men began to riot.

"Civilians!" the PA boomed weakly over the clamour, "Please make your way to the exits! You will be escorted to escape ships from there! Please remain calm!"

The chaos that ensued was even worse than before. People began to shove others out of the way. Suddenly, the ship juddered one last time. The engines had been destroyed!

In the control room, the captain resigned himself to despair. He gave the order for disembarkment.

---

The Aurora charged headlong into the formations of cruisers and bombers. Kalkas rolled the ship upwards to dodge a spray of laserfire, and let a rocket detatch from its holds as it straightened. The bomber in front of him burst into flames.

The scholar soldiers were fighting wildly. They blasted the cruisers with all their ammunition, but it was no use. There were simply too many.

"Kalkas!" Muldoon shrieked, "We can't hold them off!"

"They've nearly got all the cruisers out of Celadon airspace!"

A stray bullet glanced off The Aurora's windshield. The super-strong glass left it without even a mark.

Meanwhile, in the holds of McAllister's personal frigate, the engineers were desperatly hauling several strange rockets onto a mobile launcher. McAllister glanced over out into the sky.

"What's taking so long?" he barked at the staff. They shivered and continued work.

---

The S.S. Immortal Spirit's emergency carriers jettisoned off, leaving over five thousand crying, screaming people aboard. Slowly, the stern began to drift earthwards. The captain prayed to God for the souls of the passengers, and then took his knife and edged it towards his neck...

---

"Fighter to starboard!" Muldoon roared.

Kalkas unleashed a burst of flame on the target and swooped towards the cruiser at the head of the fleet. He locked five missiles on it, and hit the "fire" button. The cruiser's armour was barely even scratched. They didn't have much time left, thought Kalkas.

He saw the falling evacuation transport and sighed. The Eevees whimpered quietly.

---

As the ship descended into the skyline of Celadon, explosions began to rack the decks. The trapped passengers screamed even loader.

With the captain's body lying pitifully on the floor, the first mate stood silently, waiting for death. He observed the stern crashed through a skyscraper, he saw the inferno consuming the people, he watched as terrified men and women scrabbled upwards, trying to keep away from the flames. He dipped his head and took the knife from his captain. He raised it up to his own head. It was his turn.

---

The engineers finally got the computer to run the priming sequence. The numbers flashed down from ten, slowly, as if the whole Earth was watching. 10... 9... 8... 7...

---

Kalkas swerved again out of range of the cruiser's sights. He double-looped and shot down a fighter that was tailing Muldoon's Charizard. He rotated his cannons and spread a hail of bullets at the squadron of bombers heading for the convoy. He ended by performing a triple-twist into another squadron of fighters, guns blazing.

---

6... 5... 4...

McAllister gleamed, as Cid's yacht glided into the hanger.

"Ah," he smiled to Cid as he stepped out of the ship, "you've arrived! Enjoy the demonstration of our power!"

3... 2... 1... Firing Bio-Rockets....

---

Kalkas took down the enemy like flies. He throttled downwards, whe he saw five odd missiles flying out of McAllister's hanger.

"What are those???" he wondered out loud.

He saw soon enough as the hull of the cruiser below him was pierced, and fumes began to eminate from the rockets.

"What the..." he stumbled.

---

The commanders of the Johto cruiser Sweet Deliverance were lounging around in the control room, toasting eachother on their success and on Johto's future, when they heard the death throes of pilots from down the hall. Slowly, unnoticed, a strange gas enveloped the room. The officers did not realise this until they were writhing on the floor, excreting bile on the floor. Minutes later, an eerie state befell the bodies. The chief engineer rose inelegantly to his feet. The others followed him.

---

"All personnel!" McAllister ordered into the radio, "Return to the fleet! We have commenced the flight-path to Hoenn! Congratulations, gentlemen and women, we have left Celadon airspace!"

Kalkas pulled The Aurora towards McAllister's giant, black, prawn-shaped cruiser. He could hear the jovial laughter from the hanger staff. He was not as happy.

The convoy soared into the afternoon sky, towards the ancient land...

*panting* God, that was a lot...

They used to virus they found in Saffron? That's awesome!

Duh, pwetty update:
[color=gold]
[size=150]Chapter 9

Hurray! One of the good fanfics are back.

Man, this chapter was a sight for sore eyes.

*finally* An update!

Chapter 10 - City of the Past

On the ground at Slateport, dozens of nervous, tired workmen shifted debris and litter off the citiy's deserted, weed-infested landing pad. It had not been used in years, and yet it was now to be the set-down point for the saviors of Hoenn.

"Hurry up!" the foreman yelled, clad in an old uniform from the days when Kanto was allies with Johto, and when the cargoes of oil flew in daily.

Overhead, the titanic convoy of ships began to circle in readiness for landing.

"You there!" the foreman bellowed at a young worker who was dragging a vine-entrenched crate out of the way, "Send a message to the Council that they should start letting them cruisers down here!"

"Yessir!" the man replied and scurried off to the old communications centre that had been re-inhabited ever since the fleet had first been sighted.

The first craft, a sturdy, grand, General's ship started to glide downwards into the airspace. It was almost shrimp-like in design, with turrets and armour plating covering its hull and top-decks.

---

The Turbulence's crew were wasting no time, despite their exhaustion and the dimness of the deep night sky. They activated the landing gear and turned off the main engines. As the ship came to a stand on the tarmac, the combined excitement of everyone aboard could have powered five dozen warfleets.

McAllister was standing in the entrance bay, in formal clothing, surrounded by his most trusted guard. A tinge of worry passed his mind, but was quickly replaced with the customary military expression. His guards loaded their weapons in case of any threat to the Kanto president.

The bay door lowered at an agonising pace, every inch increasing the tension. Finally, the mechanical hinges let out a hiss, and McAllister began to step outside.

---

When the cruiser had began to land, the Council of Slateport had been rushed out of the comm centre straight to the strip of tarmac. They were tired, but they attempted to look presentable. The five men were dressed in their best suits, and the five women were spledid in their antique flowing dresses. Their pale, sombre features belied their excitement.

The man who was obviously the leader of the arrivals walked silently over to the Council. He smiled, and shook each Council member's hand. He then spoke in a proud, booming voice:

"My friends, the people of Hoenn! We have come to your grand island seeking peace and refuge! We humbly thank your hospitality!"

The ground crew cheered, and the guard eventually joined in. The man who would lead Kanto and Hoenn to prosperity had arrived!

---

Kalkas, as he was simply a spy and not of any political importance, remained on the ship until the greeting comittee had began to leave for the city hall. Then he, along with the thousands of other passengers onboard, made his way out into the night.

All around him, more and more of the ships were berthing on the strip, their passsengers spilling out into the surrounding streets. A new problem arose in that there simply wasn't enough room in the port for the entire fleet. Ships began to land in the outer fields and suburbs around Slateport. Millions of citizens poured into the city, where the beleagured residents welcomed them with amazement. The first outsiders since over 50 years ago, before many of the populace had even been born! What a magnificent sight!

---

Inside the majestic city hall of Slateport, one of the few remaining facilities in the city to have electricity thanks to rows of solar panels on the roof; the reception comittee sat down with the Kanto high generals and McAllister for a sumptous banquet. Ponyta steaks, torchic eggs and all manner of strange foods were served up before the throng of guests and residents.

While they were eating, the Council told the story to the Kanto people of what had happened to Hoenn after the war began:

When war broke out, Kanto had cut off shipping and flight to Hoenn to save valuable resources. Unfortuantly, this was the only means of supplying oil and metal to the mineral-poor land of Hoenn. Slowly, all the fuel was used up, and the island was cut off.

As less and less communications were able to be powered, each of the cities were lost from eachother. No-one in Slateport knew how the other cities were doing, and as the forests on the roads began to choke the paths, no way of reaching the cities was possible. Now, the Kanto ships were the only way of finding the rest of Hoenn's population.

Even more importantly, power needed to be restored to the island. With that, inter-city travel could resume and buildig could commence. Alternative power sources were no option: solar power was too costly and risky to collect, wind turbines needed too much metal to be productive, water and tidal harnessing needed vast construction, and nuclear plants needed radioactive material, all of which was only available in the mainland. There was no other way to power the cities, except...

There were rumours abound about an experimental base up inside the humongous volcano in the centre of the island. No official records proved this, yet many people swore that they had seen odd lights over the volcano, many years ago. If the rumours were true, then that meant that there was still a chance at getting electricity.

McAllister listened intently to all of this. He eyed his food, and took a few small sips of a delicious-looking soup. His mind was racing with ideas. Everything was ready for his plan...

---

The Eevees were fast asleep on the bed, but Kalkas couldn't embrace the darkness. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the monstrous figures of the undead creatures. Only, this time they were on the Turbulence. Finally, he got up out of his chair and left the comfort of the large hotel room in Slateport's central sectors.

He strolled out of the building into the wide, disused yet beautiful arcade of grand houses, hotels and shops, and he proceded towards the oceanside.

On the way to the pier, he passed by brothels packed with crowds of Kanto airmen enjoying the new land; he passed the once-empty motels now full to bursting point with the new inhabitants; he saw the overgrown gardens, filled with the hulks of ancient worker-mechs; the rusted hulls of small air-yachts that had once flown the skies around Hoenn. The city, until now had been a ghost town, now it was transformed once again into a metropolis.

On the seafront, moored fishing boats and cargo liners, dead for many decades slowly rocked in motion with the waves. Kalkas gazed out into the horizon, wondering, wishing.

Along the the pier, a pretty, brown-haired young woman, maybe 20 years old, stood, staring out into the distance, just like him. Kalkas remarked to himself about her beauty, when she turned round and saw him. He stepped over to her, and she looked back at the sea.

"Funny," she spoke in a quiet, sad voice, "all these years, we've waited for our salvation. I'd never thought I'd live to see it"

"We're your salvation? We came here for salvation ourselves!" he laughed.

"What happened to make you come here?"

Kalkas told the story of the war, the fighting, how the warfleet had roused Celadon into a retreat, how the city had ended up in Hoenn. The girl tossed her flowing brown hair into the wind and spoke again:

"My name's Aen. I've lived in Slateport ever since I was born. I come to this pier every night, waiting for the Kanto to return. I guess that now, I won't have to come here any more"

She laughed weakly, and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Kalkas enquired gently. Aen's eyes flickered, and tears began to form.

"It's nothing, honest" she replied, as she tried to control her tears.

"You sure?"

"Definitly" she began to smile meekly, "hey, you never told me your name!"

"It's Kalkas!" he chuckled.

"Well, Kalkas, I'll be here tomorrow night!"

"I'll see you there!"

Aen smiled and began to walk away from the pier.

"Wait up Aen!" Kalkas yelled, "don't you need someone to walk you home?"

"Oh, get out of the past, chivalry boy!"

Kalkas stumbled, and fell on his face.

"See you later!" Aen grinned, and dashed off to her home.

Kalkas eased himseld up and stood there for what seemed like hours, just staring at the ocean, dumbstruck by the beautiful girl that had entered his life so rapidly.

---

Back in his hotel room, Kalkas lept onto the bed just as the Eevees woke up at the early morning sunrise. He smiled, and laughed out loud, something that he hadn't done in many years. The Eevees looked at each other, and shrugged as much as an Eevee could.

Sorry for all readers who detest romance, okay?

Eh, every hero needs a love intrest. It's ok.

I like the description of Hoenn.

Right, I'm off to Hungary for two weeks, so now is the last chance to write the next chapter. Enjoy, but don't expect a new chapter for a while.

Chapter 11 - Light of Beauty

The winds blew across the barren, empty sands of the desert. Nothing moved, and the glaring sun smothered the land. A stray clump of bones gleamed in the heat.

In the distant horizon, a group of shimmering black shapes slid through the heat. What was once wildeness was now to be reclaimed.

---

When the troops had been chosen for the reclaim of the power plant, Kalkas had for once been struck off the list. Maybe they were giving him a rest, he reasoned.

He took a stroll with the Eevees into the promenades that; choked in darkness the night before, were turmoils of joy and festivity. The citizens, knowing of the plan (McAllister had made a public announcement that morning), were laughing, swilling beer, and enjoying themselves.

Kalkas weaved in between crowds of partygoers dressed in fine clothes. He had heard of the dance that was to take place at noon, and he had someone in mind for a dance partner...

"Aen!" he cried.

Aen turned round, and her green eyes lit up with mirth at the sight of Kalkas.

"Hey!" she replied, "Shouldn't you be on that mission?"

"Nah," he chuckled, "they gave me shore leave, so to speak!"

She grinned, and then spotted the Eevees. She reached out to pet them, and they nuzzled against her leg.

"I haven't seen one of those in Hoenn!" she remarked.

"As far as I can tell, they're pretty rare"

"Have you named them?"

"Funny, that. I haven't really got round to it"

Aen rolled her eyes.

"Men" she muttered.

She picked up the slightly taller Eevee. She stroked it, and declared: "He's going to be called Darius!"

She then let the other, smaller Eevee jump into her arms.

"And he's going to be called Hektor!"

Kalkas scratched his head.

"Where did you get those names from?"

"My great-great-grand-uncles were called that. They were merchants, way back when, or so I was told!"

Aen sighed and let Darius and Hektor leap off her.

"What's wrong?" Kalkas enquired.

"Its..." she paused, "look, I don't want to spoil the festival. I'll tell you another day, right?"

Kalkas nodded, and began to ask the question that had been burning him up all day:

"Aen, you know about the dance today?"

Aen interrupted, "I know, I know. Sure, why not?"

Kalkas breathed a sigh of relief and twirled Aen around in a circle.

"Hold up!" she laughed, "It hasn't started yet!"

---

The cold, metallic ships landed on a small patch of tarmac on the ridge of the volcano. There were five sleek, insectoid fighters, emblazed with the insignia of the Kanto presidency.

The twenty men stepped out of the ships and arranged into two neat lines, waiting for the final passengers.

McAllister hopped out of the lead ship, and marched in front of the troops. He was holding two Pokeballs, and was dressed in a casual shirt and shorts. Behind him, two engineers pushed a hover-trolley along the rocky path. On it was a large contraption, of which few knew of.

The group staggered forward, towards a small door in the side of a rock.

Inside, a disused, grimy hallway led to a laboratory, where remains of equipment stood waiting for a new owner. McAllister brushed away the wires that blocked his path, and proceeded through another re-enforced door. Beyond the doorway, he could see humongous generators, turbines, cables and computers. Finally, behind the mess, was a vast wall made of solid plasti-glass. On the other side of the glass, was a bubbling lake of fire and magma. Small eruptions shook the glass, but there were no cracks or holes. This facility had been built to withstand hell itself.

McAllister smirked and opened his Pokeballs. The Legendary Birds appeared in a burst of red light, and stood there, preening their feathers.

Stage Two of the Plan was going as he had hoped.

---

Noon came, and the couples from all over the city arrived in a throng of joyful clamour. Kalkas and Aen were among them.

The musicians, decked out in full ceremonial uniform and clutching their instruments, began to play a rousing number.

Kalkas and Aen danced like swans, gracefully mirroring eachother's movements. Darius and Hektor even joined in, bounding between their legs.

The euphoria of the crowd reached a high never before seen. The couples danced for what seemed like hours, each trying to outdo the other.

Kalkas gazed at Aen as the music turned slowly into a grand waltz. He thought of many things at that moment: of the future, of the past, of Aen.

---

The engineers finished connecting the device to the cables and switches after hours of experimentation. They backed away, hoping for the best.

McAllister led the birds towards the device. He inserted a chip into the machine, and it lit up. Wires lashed out from its ports and attached themselves the birds. The machine glowed, and unimaginable volts of power slid down the cables, out of the building. The lights along the corridor turned on, the computers booting up. Power had been restored to Hoenn!

---

It was the evening. The populace had been dancing for over six hours. Kalkas and Aen were still on their feet as the other couples began to sit down. The darkness was pulling in from over the sky. The town was enshrouded in night again.

The song was finally coming to an end, and the couple were exhausted. Aen sighed as the shadows grew longer.

Then, a wonderful sight leapt into the citizens' eyes! The lights on the buildings miraculously switched on. The fountains sprinkled water everywhere. The people yelled with happiness. They cried tears of joy, for the salvation had arrived.

Aen smiled, Kalkas returned the grin. They embraced each other, and they felt as if they were the only two people on Earth.

Yes, I finally worked Ho-oh and Lugia back into the storyline!

Excellent work as always, although I still don't get what's up with Ho-oh and Lugia. Oh well, that isn't what bugged me.

This was:Oh, I'm sorry! Kalkas has just been spending the past years fighting to stay alive. I'm sure he's ashamed that he could let something like naming pokemon slip his mind. Apathetic wench!

Ahem. Sorry about the delay!

Chapter 12 - Experiment

McAllister and his scientists celebrated their success with a few bottles of Verdanturf wine that had been maturing in the hold of the Turbulence for a century or so. He stood up and addressed the small group that were relaxing in the conference room of the power facility:

"Congratulations, my fellows!" he laughed slightly, "Our plan is going as we could have hoped! The next phase is the difficult part!"

The scientists took a moment's pause from their high spirits to remember what their next task was. It certainly wasn't pleasant, and many of them returned to their wine glasses to forget about it.

McAllister cleared his throat and continued.

"I trust that the biological samples are safely contained?"

The scientists nodded and muttered short "yessirs".

McAllister smiled, whether from the wine no one could tell.

---

The next morning in Slateport was different from any morning in almost fifty years. Electricity surged through the long-unused cables. Ancient visi-screens roared into life, and the bustle of people re-learning how to use all these ancient machines filled the air.

Kalkas got up out of bed, stretching his arms. He yawned so loud that it woke Darius and Hektor. They growled at him, and slowly rolled off the bed as well. Kalkas didn't care, he felt as if he was the happiest person ever to have lived. Last night with Aen had been one of the best in his life.

Outside, he passed the bustling streets filled with merry people. He was going towards the market square, one of Slateport's biggest attractions, when a strange bird dived towards him. He dodged it, and picked up its battered form from the ground. It was a Noctowl, with graceful plumage and a letter attached to it's leg.

"Eh?" Kalkas thought out loud.

He saw that the letter was addressed to him. He opened it and read it, while the Eevees revived the Noctowl. It was from Proffessor Muldoon.

"Kalkas," it began, "I need to see you urgently. Come as soon as you can. I'm staying at the old nautical museam."

P.S. Please return the Noctowl. And stop by at the pharmacy on the way over."

Kalkas grinned. Muldoon must have discovered another new form of flea or something. Oh well, good for a laugh.

A nagging thought at the back of his mind, from where he had supressed his deepest fears, rose to the surface. He dismissed it and started towards the other side of Slateport.

---

In the old laboratory of the power station, the scientists were busy constructing machinery and reviving the old computers. Finally, they announced to McAllister that they were ready to begin.

"Perfect," he clucked, "we begin testing. Order a subject from Slateport please."

The scientists rushed to the com system and transmitted an order to their soldiers down the volcano.

---

As Kalkas was striding along towards the port district, he was interrupted by a commotion from a shop. He glanced round and saw three officers dragging a youth from the store. He stood in the way of the group and questionned them.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"Shoplifter," the bulky officer grunted in reply, "we found him trying to get away with a visi-screen."

"I'm innocent!" the boy yelled frantically, "I ain't done nothing! Help!"

"Move out of the way," another officer barked at Kalkas, "or we'll arrest you as well."

He moved aside, and as the soldiers bustled the youth into a hovercar, his suspicion mounted.

He continued towards the museam, trying to ignore his odd feeling.

---

The soldiers tossed the boy into the laboratory, and left hurridly. They did not want to incur McAllister's wrath.

Two scientists grabbed the youth and strapped him to a metallic, sterilized table. Ignoring his screams and pleas, they brought forwards a vial of green liquid. A tall man in a protective white rubber suit ushered the other scientists out of the room, and took a syringe-full of the liquid.

Twenty video cameras were aimed at the two, filming every motion. The man gulped heavily. If anything went wrong, he would end up like his subject.

The needle pierced the boy's skin, and he cried out louder than before. After a second or two, the screams stopped and his head slumped backwards.

Everyone inside the base held their breath for ages, waiting.

Finally, the transformation began.

---

Kalkas reached the museam. He stepped over the ruined entrance hall, and climbed the stairs up to the second floor. With the Eevees and Noctowl following him, he yelled out for the proffesor.

Finally, he appeared, bags under his eyes and a sullen expression.

"You came." he mumbled.

He motioned towards another room. Kalkas followed him. Inside, tubes, monitors, flasks and strange chemicals cluttered the room. In the centre was a computer. He pointed towards it.

"What's the matter?" Kalkas enquired.

"It's a live satelite feed." Muldoon groaned.

"I thought that all the satelites had been blasted out of the sky during the war?"

"One of them survived. And it's showing us this right now."

Kalkas squinted at the screen and stepped back in shock.

"Oh f ucking hell. No. Kanto?"

"Yes, Kalkas. That monitor is showing Kanto. Or what's left of it, anyway."

Off-topic question, Daveshan, have you seen CHARIZARDRAKE anywhere? I PM'd him a while back, and he hasn't responded.

Nice chapter. Leaving us in the grip of suspense with McAsllister experimenting with the zombie virus and Kalkas seeing the ruins of Kanto. So freaking nice.


No, I haven't seen CD in a while. I had to take a spanish class at a community college over the summer so I was gone from the forum for about a month. If I recall correctly, though, school has started for him already.

Eventually...

Aww, fork.