Karma
~ Birth of the Sage Commander ~
By: The Sandwich
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Chapter 5 ~ Lotus Pride ~
[Date unknown, Location unknown...]
Vikram slowly rose from the abyss of sleep, the world around him strangely fuzzy. His head pounded like a Moogirl on the dance floor, and his eyes burned. He turned his head to look around the room, unwilling to lift his head from the pillow, and his headaches tripled in score. The entire room seemed to turn in slow motion - no, the motion repeated itself, again and again. The urge to hurl surged within Vikram, and in an desperate burst of movement, he threw himself off the bed, landing with a painful thud onto the ground. He let loose a painful cry, turned his eyes in desperate search...
And then he blinked, and was in his bed again. Except his body still ached from the impact.
That's not right, he thought. I'm still in the bed. Why would I do something so uncharacteristic, anyway? Where AM I?
Eventually, his addled vision focused enough to recognize the sights of his familiar...dorm room?!
What am I doing back here?
"Vikram! You're awake!"
"Vikram! You're awake!"
"Vikram! You're awake!"
"Vikram! You're awake!"
Vikram swore internally as Lynn's relieved voice exploded within his head repeating the same damn line a thousand times over. Turning to face his relieved ally, his eyes widened at the sight of Lynn - sleeping, of all things - in a chair next to him on the bed. Err. Wait, what?
"What the fuck?"
"What the fuck?"
"What the fuck?"
"What the fuck?"
With the second chorus of voices praising the lords of cacophony in his head, Vikram vowed to never speak again...or at least until this epic hangover went away. Except I don't drink. What the hell happened to me? Why am I in my room, and why is my head so damn...
His face grew white in dread realization. The medicine!
The urge to hurl surged within Vikram, and in an desperate burst of movement, he threw himself off the bed, landing with a painful thud onto the ground. He let loose a painful cry, turned his eyes in desperate search...
Hearing the loud thud, Lynn drifted awake, quickly coming to her senses as she saw Vikram lying on the floor, his form sprawled across the floor, desperately searching for his pack and the critical supplies it contained.
"Vikram, you're awake!" Vikram winced as Lynn noticed, once again, for the first time, that YES, he was quite awake indeed, thank you very much. Ignoring the demons dancing in his head, Vikram faced Lynn with a demonic eye of his own, his pupils once again shifted to a piercing yellow.
"My medicine! Where is it?! I need...!" Vikram's voice was strained.
Lynn gasped, quickly pulling out the small container from her wrist-pocket. Desperately grabbing it from her, he pulled out one - or was it two? - pills from the container. Suddenly, his hands were empty, and Lynn was looking at him with worry, as if he hadn't even asked Lynn for the medicine. And thus, the process started all over again...
Until at last, he had downed the pill(s) with a greedy relish and lay on his side, as he waited for the visions to lay down and die with him.
Some twenty minutes later, Vikram warily pushed himself off of the floor, gratefully accepting Lynn's help in bringing him to his feet, and sat down weakly in one of the room's chairs to rest his limbs.
"My apologies about you having to see that," Vikram said with a sigh. "That, you see, is what happens when I skimp on my medicine. Thankfully, it seemed to be just a minor attack, but..."
Lynn stared at Vikram, a sick feeling twisting in her gut. Minor...? "Are you alright now, Master?"
"Yes. Yes, I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern." He smiled, though it was forced. Minor attack or no, it had felt disturbingly familiar. But that was impossible. The only times he'd had to endure such attacks were before he had the medication - and he had little to no memory of the events.
What exactly is happening to me?
Trying to change the subject, Vikram spoke up. "More importantly, Lynn, what happened? Why are we back at the dorms?"
"You...don't remember?" Lynn asked, her voice soft yet astonished. Could he really...?
"Err...not really, no. We had just escaped from fighting that Beshemoth, when Eshmael decided to be an ass...and then...I woke up bed." He shook his head. "I suppose I might have hit my head, but then...how long was I out?"
"You...fell in the river. You've been unconscious for over two days. It's Saturday morning."
"WHAT?!" Vikram nearly fell out of his chair, stopped only by his muscles' refusal to listen to him. No wonder I had an attack. "What about the practical exams?! The competition?!"
"It's over. Dearka and Yzak's group won it."
"Eh? Dearka did?" Vikram sighed and gave a melancholic smile, sliding deeper into the chair. "Well, I suppose I can live with that, then. He deserves a bit of limelight, considering how hard he works for it."
"Haah...." Lynn took a breath. "Master, about the practicals..."
"Yeah?"
One of the teachers came by earlier, saying you were dismissed from the school on account of mental instability and failing the practicals. Lynn thought silently. And then, not two hours later, that same teacher came by angry, saying that the decision to expel him had been annulled. What exactly happened there? She shook her head. No, Vikram doesn't need to know about that. He's had enough to worry about as is right now.
"A-ah, A teacher came by. The ceremony's tomorrow, so you should probably rest until then."
A frown flickered across Vikram's face, but he nodded. "True enough. My body feels like a horde of elephants ran over it. Or inside it."
"And you'd know that feeling how?"
"Call it a hunch." Vikram shook his head. "Out of curiosity, Lynn, did you notice anything odd about that Beshemoth encounter?"
"Anything...odd?"
"The entire scenario. It was nonsense. We didn't exactly have time to think about it, but something felt wrong about it. I think I understand why, now."
"Of course there was something wrong with it. It was a feral inside the training grounds!"
"Other than that!" Vikram grumbled impatiently.
Lynn frowned and concentrated. "I...don't know, really. I mean, it must have been pretty weak for a Beshemoth if we could hold it off as long as we did, but...are they normally tough enough to survive that much concrete falling on their heads?"
"Honestly, I don't know, as this is the first I've seen in person. However...." Vikram's face was a blank mask of deep thought. "During the battle, I scanned the Beshemoth's aura. As you know, I can get a general idea of a Pokegirl's strength and experience through these scans, but when I scanned her...I have never seen anything like it in my life. Not the teachers, not my mother, not any of the girls I've seen in Pokecenters or those of any of the student's." His expression was sharp. "That wasn't a feral at all. For one thing, Beshemoths can only be created at high altitudes...or by human intervention. Though there were mountains in the distance, we were much too far away to make any sort of encounter with one likely."
"Are you sure it wasn't one that just happened to take a stroll down in the plains or something?"
"Quite possible. It could indeed have been a Beshemoth that simply had taken a liking to the lowlands - were it not for the fact that it could have killed any one of us in a blink if it wanted to. She wasn't even trying."
"What the hell? You mean that something that powerful belonged to one of the students?!"
"No, not a student. That Beshemoth...was way too experienced. League military level, at the least. That Beshemoth belonged to a teacher, or someone else in the area. Someone sent her in...as a test." He shook his head. "If she had wanted us dead, we would all be dead. That's how I knew how to beat her - I knew she wasn't fighting seriously, so I took a gamble that the Beshemoth would play along."
Though it certainly didn't feel like a gamble at the time. Vikram shuddered. Could I really have made such an risky gamble without any doubt like that?
"That's..." Lynn stared at Vikram incredulously. "WHY would there be someone like that out there?"
The short-haired boy shrugged. "I have a few guesses, but nothing certain. Naturally, the school has much to account for."
"By the way, Master."
"Yeah?"
"I understand the reasoning behind not wearing any clothes...but if you expect me to have to run like that again, you're buying me a sports bra. Soon."
Vikram blanched. "Yes, that might be a good idea. I didn't think of that, did I?"
"No. You didn't." Lynn sighed. "But I didn't really think of it, either. I guess you get away this time."
"Ehehe." Vikram chuckled, embarrassed.
"Anyway..." Lynn shifted uncomfortably. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke up.
"Master? Do you mind if I go out for a bit?"
"Sure, go ahead. Would you like some company?"
"I think I'll be fine. I just need some fresh air, is all. Watching over you is tiring."
"Hmm." Vikram chuckled. "A fair point. I'll see you when you return, then."
* * *
"So, we won't learn what the prize is until graduation? Isn't that kind of inconvenient?" Milly asked plaintively, watching Traxia stare blankly at her through her camera lens. "Oh, come on, girl, smile more."
"So it would seem. It would be nice to know what it is, but considering the scenario, there's isn't much we can do about it." Dearka replied, carefully cleaning the compact revolver his father had granted him as a graduation gift. Next in line to inherit the Lensman Weapons Group, despite his tamer dreams, Dearka knew it was probably only a matter of time before he took over the family business. He sighed, setting the half-completed gun down, just as a knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Come in."
The door opened to reveal, to his surprise, neither a staff member, nor Vikram, nor even Yzak, but Lynn, who stood in the doorway with a serious expression.
"Lynn? This is unexpected. Come on in." Wheeling his chair around to face the Boobisaur, he motioned her towards one of the other chairs. "You look troubled."
"I'm sorry for bothering you, but I was unsure of what to do." Lynn sighed. "Dearka...you've known Vikram for a long time, right? What exactly happened to him? He was just this way over-serious guy with a penchant for flair when I first met him, but then he nearly went into a panic over Yzak's appearance, then the incident at the river, and now this morning, it was like he'd lost all sense of perspective! I can't figure out what the hell is going on in his head at all!"
Dearka sighed.
"You must have heard it, too, right?! What he said, when he fell into the river?"
"Of course I did. It's...not the first time I've heard it, either."
"Wha...?"
* * *
Vikram floundered in the water desperately, uselessly attempting to keep his head above water, but for all his effort, he had no idea how to swim. Waving his arms uselessly, he called for help with the few breaths he had left. "Dearka! Help me! Get me out of here! I can't...I don't want to -"
Slowly, Vikram's body slipped under the surface of the water, blanketing his screams. Dearka dived into the water to grab him and pull him out, but no amount of water could have stopped him from hearing what followed.
< HELP ME! MOTHER! FATHER! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK THERE AGAIN! MOTHER! FATHER! MAYA! DEARKA! ANYBODY! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK! I DON'T->
* * *
"What happened to him? What's 'I don't want to go back?' supposed to mean? He said he was afraid of swimming, but...that sure wasn't swimming he was yelling about!"
"Honestly...I don't know, either. The first time it happened was actually when I had invited Vikram over to visit my home for the first time . He'd never gone swimming before, and in his excitement, the bum slipped and fell off the deep end, in more ways than one." Dearka shrugged and sighed. "He just...snapped. He'd never lost it like that before, and even after I learned about the medicine he needed to take, never since. It...probably has something to do with his life, before the Pramesh family adopted him."
"...Vikram was adopted? He never told me that." Just how much is Vikram not telling?
"Yeah. Around the age of 10 or so. Vikram's never mentioned anything about his life before the Pramesh family took him in." The tan-skinned man scowled. "I'm under the impression that he doesn't actually remember anything before that point. Except, possibly, during the times that something - like his curse, that phobia of his - forces him to remember."
"I see. But what about this morning? You know about the medication he has to take - that's unrelated to his phobia, isn't it?"
"Yeah, that's something else. I don't know exactly what that is, either. Your boss-" Dearka leveled a finger towards Lynn. " - is annoyingly tight lipped about that. If you do focus on anything, that's probably what you should really focus on."
"Eh?"
"Whatever memories Vikram has of the past...are better off staying in the past. If he remembers, though, he'll remember, and he'll just have to adjust. Whatever his medication's for, on the other hand...I don't know the cause, or the full effects of it. Whatever that problem is, it messes with his mind, and the more it happens, the more it's probably going to get worse. So you make sure he stays on top of that. I don't care if you have to shove the damn things down his throat to do it. Do you understand?"
The green-skinned pokegirl nodded. "Don't worry. I'll keep him safe. Even from himself."
Dearka smiled. "Thanks. Tell Vikram I might stop on by later. Assuming the two of you aren't busy catching up on lost time." He chuckled, shaking his head. Lynn blushed.
"Vikram is really lucky...to have a friend like you." She said, as she walked out of the room, and back into the dangers of the real world.
* * *
[March 23rd, 10:00 AM]
The next morning, all of the students stood assembled in the great courtyard in front of the academy building. There were hundreds of students, and Vikram knew that there were hundreds more across the league now graduating alongside them today. He felt a strange sense of deja-vu - strange in the sense that, technically, he had not participated in the last such ceremony he had been involved in. Irony.
The Principal stood on a raised platform in front of the school entrance. He spoke into a mic, addressing the entire group.
"Those of you who have gathered here have shown your potential and are now ready to begin the final step to becoming official tamers. I would like to congratulate you all on your hard work, and hope that you continue your efforts into the future."
"I am pleased to say that it is our honor here today to be joined by Combat Tamer squad Silver 17, to congratulate you on your achievements."
"Impossible!" A shock ran through Vikram's body, his back suddenly rigid, and for once, the other students around him took no heed - they were just as surprised as he was. Of every squad in the White Lotus, never, ever, would Vikram have dared to believe they would appear here.
Three people walked out from the main building into the courtyard. The man on the left was tall and lean, and possessed a face full of quiet, keen intellect. His short, green hair was brushed back, and he wore a green cape which wrapped around his body and yet was light and unobstructing, revealing his black and silver uniform underneath. He walked to the stage with a calm, steady gait, yet always light on his toes.
On the right was a woman with long magenta hair that ran down her back, whose clear blue eyes now surveyed the class in front of her. Wearing a business suit matching the first's black and silver styling and a set of black gloves, an aura of determination followed her every step.
And in the middle of the three was a handsome man of about the mid-thirties. His brown hair was cut short, and his beard was well-trimmed. He had an air of confidence around him that few men possessed, and a keen vision which peered out of a pair of spectacles. His uniform was white, splashed with silver, and he greeted those assembled with a warm smile.
Vikram knew those faces. He knew them by heart.
Known across the league as Silver-17, one of the most celebrated Combat Tamer squads in the League for their hard work and heroics. Though it was no longer an active squad, it had left a mark on the league unmatched by any. Of them, though, Vikram watched only the man in the center.
Innes DePrae. One of the longest active Combat Tamers in the league, who had risen from nothing and obscurity to become one of the Nine Gems of the White Lotus, the ruling council of the League's nine best and brightest minds. The highest position in the League Government that could be attained, he had reached through sheer talent and will.
The man who, before his name had even been known, had infiltrated and exposed the largest Team organization to have plagued the league, almost single handedly delivering a crushing blow against organized crime within the league, and had become a model for fair treatment of Pokegirls.
The one man that Vikram secretly held as a model for what he should strive to become.
Here.
The three arrived on the stage, and Innes took the center of the stage, his voice booming, a deep, rich tone which carried throughout the open area clearly, though there were no speakers to amplify it nor any visible microphones to pick it up.
"Release your Pokegirls."
There were a few seconds of stunned, confused silence.
"Come on now, we haven't got all day. Out with them!" Innes rolled one hand in a gesture of impatience. "Out! If your girl is a safety concern, you can keep them held, and try to keep the Infernals from killing the Celestials if you can, but out!"
Slowly, impossibly, the assembled students began to move, spreading out as hundreds of Pokegirls appeared on the grounds, the entire assembly suddenly a rambunctious, confused mess, until there was a stamp of a foot, and slowly, the mass of students and Pokegirls began to coalesce into a half-organized whole. Vikram, too, released a confused-looking Lynn, before a quiet mental thought brought her attention to the fore.
"Good, good!" The white-uniformed man said with an appreciative nod as he turned to face the group anew, his composure suddenly taking on a more serious note, drawing the attendant gaze of the entire group to him as if it were only natural. "Good afternoon, students of the White Lotus, honored Pokegirl servants, and residents from abroad! I would like to congratulate you on your success thus far, and for making the choice to become one of those who safeguard our great land. We of Silver-17 salute you!" A white-gloved hand matched actions to words, addressing the crowd with a military salute. Vikram resisted the strange urge to salute back.
"For those of you who don't know, I am Innes DePrae, of the Nine Gems. Beside me are my companions, Gale Davidson, currently a commander in the White Lotus special forces, and Lutecia Rousseau, ambassador to the Scarlet League." He pointed to each in turn, who nodded towards the crowd.
"To begin, I believe that a few of you are probably wondering about the ferals which appeared during the test area this week. To that, I must apologize, for the details that your teachers gave you, while accurate, were not entirely complete." Innes smiled and spread his hands in apology. "As several groups learned, a number of Pokegirls, belonging to me and my companions, were released into the testing area to act as ferals, to test your ability to respond to surprises, and to act as a warning."
A low rumble of surprise ran through the crowd as Vikram's stomach flipped. Innes gave a small laugh at the reaction, shaking his head, before his voice turned very serious. "My apologies for the deception, but in the real world, the world in which you shortly will be heading, it is impossible to truly know whether a place is safe or not. Consider it an abject lesson for you all. Vigilance and cunning will be your shield against the threats of the wilderness, and, like your precious allies, your Pokegirls, must always be kept close at hand. If you work together with your Pokegirls, and together with your respective squads, the future possibilities are, as me and my companions are living proof of, limitless!" Innes began to pace the stage briskly, one hand held behind his back as the other pointed upward in emphasis.
"Nevertheless, though I am pleased with how well you handled yourselves, I must give you a warning. However skilled you may become, however much confidence you may acquire, I urge you to never forget about your allies, and to not to risk your life or the lives of others for the mere sake of one's pride."
For a second, impossibly, it felt as though Innes was looking straight at him. Nonsense. That was impossible. But the thought yet lingered...what if he HAD been? What then?
Vikram shuddered, remembering that feeling of impossible confidence. Lynn looked at him curiously. Instead of guaranteeing everyone's safety by calling for help, I risked their lives on a desperate gamble that could easily have failed and killed us all. Stupid!
For the first time, the green-haired Gale stepped up next to Innes. His voice was low, with a deep, gravelly tone, yet it also boomed unnaturally across the courtyard, cutting into those assembled like an ethereal knife. "We of Silver 17 ask you: What is it that drives you here today? Is it fame? Glory? Wealth? Is it the desire to protect yourself, your family, or your homeland? The desire for prove yourself? Or perhaps even the desire to change the world?"
All are worthy motivations, though it is not my desire to judge any. Rather, whatever your drive may be, always remember: Follow it with compassion, and with honor. Make your honor into your strength, and show the world what it means to be one of the White Lotus."
Lutecia stepped up next, her gaze crossing the crowd slowly and deliberately.
"Not all of you may decide to continue on along this path the next time we meet, for it is a path of danger and of hardship. History has shown the dangers of our job, but also, it's necessity. We have made great strides in our history to weaken the feral populations, to protect our people and lands from their threat, but that task yet remains, and it will be many generations before Ferals become a thing of the past. The task of reducing the Feral threat falls upon your shoulders today. You are the vanguard that protects the White Lotus from danger, both from without and from within! The future resides with you!" Lutecia pumped a gloved fist into the air, her voice rising to a powerful roar.
And the crowd roared alongside her.
"Until we meet again at the Sadie Pokens Celebration," Innes addressed the crowd with a flair, "Alavidha, and best of luck to you all!"
Vikram didn't even notice the principal's speech after they had left, his eyes wide. He had erred, that much he was sure, but that would not stop him now. Oh, no. It would never stop him.
Vikram grinned, subtly holding up his hand before his face. His dream, his ideal, had stood right before him, before his very eyes! Only a quiet nudge from Lynn prevented him from laughing in delight. Never before had he been so close to his 'goal'...and from here on, he knew, he would only get closer!
* * *
"So, how about that for a surprise, eh?" Dearka said, walking up to him, girls in tow, as the crowd began to disperse.
"I'll say."
"Who WAS that man?!" Yzak joined them a few seconds later, excitedly. "He commanded the entire class as if he were born to do it!"
Vikram chuckled. "Maybe he was. Maybe he was. You have just met my standard, Yzak. The best of the best."
"Hmm." Yzak gave a self-satisfied smirk. "Interesting. I was wondering if anything impressed you. Good to know."
"The same could go for you," Vikram countered. "So, did the two of you learn anything about that reward, yet?"
"Actually, that's why we're over here to speak with you. As it happens, ordinarily, graduates would be put into teams for the next three months randomly. However, those who won the competition have the right to choose their own team members." Dearka grinned, letting the implications sink in.
"Seriously?"
"That's right. In other words, you'd better hold up your weight, Vikram. I don't want to have to go running to your rescue again." Yzak's grin widened. "Though I admit it was fun. Maybe you should keep it up."
Vikram laughed. "Like hell I will. I'll be running to your rescue, next time, Fule."
"...Didn't I tell you to not address me by my last name?"
"Oh? But isn't that how it's done, back in Edo?"
"Prameshhh..."
As the group walked towards the dorms, full of chatter about the future, Lynn was simply left quietly wondering. Vikram had never mentioned Innes to her before, and yet, it was obvious that Vikram looked up to him to an unprecedented degree. It seemed like Vikram was trying to be honest with her, but there seemed no end to the mysteries, no end to the questions.
She gritted her teeth in frustration.
Just how many secrets are you keeping locked away from me, Vikram Pramesh?
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"The rush of water, to the point of tossing rocks about.
This is shih.
The strike of a hawk, at the killing snap.
This is the node.
Shih is like drawing the crossbow.
The node is pulling the trigger."
- Sun Tsu, The Art of War
Chapter 5: Lotus Pride - End
Notes: Alavidha - Hindu for 'Goodbye'.