07

Karma

~ Birth of the Sage Commander ~

By: The Sandwich

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Chapter 7 ~Lunar Battle~

[March 28th, 6:55 PM]

When Vikram returned to camp, the sun low in the sky and filling the forest with shadows. Yzak was in his face almost immediately, grabbing Vikram by the front of his jacket and pulling him forward angrily.

"I should pound you into the dirt for that disgrace, Pramesh!"

"Pardon?" Vikram looked at his teammate in confusion as the hair on the back of Vikram's neck raised, a shadow of a pain flaring on Vikram's left eye. Recognizing the flare for what it was, Vikram tried to break away, but before he could move, Yzak had already struck. Pain shot through his head as Yzak's fist impacted his face - his left eye.

"Don't you have any PRIDE? First sign of trouble, and you get down onto your knees and GROVEL?!" Disgust welled up in the silver-haired tamer's face. "To escape from trouble in such a manner is disgusting!"

"What use is your pride if it gets us killed, Yzak, like it would have, had you kept on insulting the lot of them?" Vikram growled back, shoving Yzak away. Covering his pained eye with one hand, his other eye glared back at the Edo tamer. "Can your Shiho fight off an army?"

"And as if that weren't bad enough, you manipulated them!" Yzak continued his rant as if Vikram hadn't replied. "Of all the underhanded and cheap tricks-"

"Cheap tricks? I'll note how it wouldn't have cost YOU anything if I'd had to leave Zhao behind, and don't think I didn't notice how quickly you jumped on the idea, you ungrateful bastard! Are you so determined to beat me that you'd-"

"That's enough!" Dearka boomed. "Break it up and chill out before your girls end up killing everybody! That goes for both of you!" And sure enough, both Shiho and Zhao were close by and standing on eggshells, waiting for the right moment to strike the enemies of their master down. Vikram scowled and motioned for Zhao to stand away.

< That's enough, Zhao. Don't hurt him. He's a friend, okay?> Vikram said, wincing though, from the pain his eye was giving him, and wondered just how much of a 'friend' he really could count Yzak as. As for Zhao, she blinked and covered her ears in shock.

"Zhao just hear Biikram voice in head!" She crouched down, hiding. "Is not crazy. Is not crazy."

"It's okay. It's just me." Vikram said, patting the spooked girl on the head. < Is not crazy.>

The amazon jumped up and turned to Vikram in surprise.

"Biikram speak in mind-voice?! Biikram strange. "

Vikram laughed. Ain't that the truth.

"I won't forget today, Vikram." Yzak said, glowering.

"Don't. Maybe you'll get some sense into that head of yours."

"Dammit, Vikram, shut up!" Dearka barked. "You're no better than him right now."

"Hmph. Alright. Should we meet up here tomorrow and decide where to go from here?"

Dearka nodded, and after a prolonged wait, Yzak gave a curt nod as well. "Let us adjourn for today. I think we need some rest."

"Agreed."

Yzak disappeared into the forest, Shiho giving Vikram an apologetic look as the walked away. Odd.

"I know he's hard to deal with, Vikram, but try and keep it together, alright? You know there's other forces at work." Dearka said. "I've had years to get used to you. He's only known you for maybe a month. These things take time."

"I can't assume everything is always because of my curse alone. While he probably went father than he would have otherwise, the issues he took fault in are issues he would have had anyway." He chuckled.

"Sooo...uhhh...Hi." Lynn said awkwardly, waving to Zhao, not entirely sure what to do. "This is the first time we've had a chance to- GWAH!"

So that's what being tackled looks like. At least she was careful to make them land on their sides this time and not her back.

"Big sis!"

"S-s-s-sis?!" Vikram tried not to laugh at Lynn's expression, a very definite blush spreading across her face.

"You new family, right?"

"Uhh...I guess you could say that. I-I'm Lynn."

Zhao beamed. "Rin!"

"Uh, no, Lynn."

"Rin."

"Lynn."

"...Your name hard too."

Vikram laughed.

"Rin not hurt too bad from game?" Zhao asked, appearing slightly guilty.

"Huh? Err...no, I'm all okay now." Lynn said, causing Zhao's face to brighten like the sun.

She asks this after tackling me? I can't tell if she's careless or what.

"A-Anyway," Lynn said as she and Zhao stood up, "What makes you say I'm the older sister, anyway? You don't even know my age, girl."

Zhao shook her head. "Not older. Bigger." She said matter of factly, reaching forward and cupping Lynn's breasts to make her point. "Lucky."

"WHAWAWAWAWAWA-" Lynn jumped away in a blur, arms flailing in embarrassment before folding them protectively over her chest, her heart pounding in surprise. "You can't just go and grope people!"

"Nyaahaa~ Is not groping. Is touching." Zhao said, looking at the Boobisaur in confusion.

"IT'S THE SAME THING!" She roared.

"Is not. That touching. Groping come later." Ignoring the incomprehensible stream of 'wawawah's coming from Lynn's direction, Zhao turned to Vikram. "What Rin problem?"

Vikram coughed. "How should I say this...she's not used to people touching her..."

"Whaaaat? That strange too. Zhao fix." Nimble as a cat, Zhao slid up to Lynn, grabbing the weaker girl in a secure hold and sliding a lithe hand down her front.

"Waaah! Master!!! The new girl's a pervert!" Lynn squirmed as she tried unsuccessfully to escape the amazon's grasp.

"Is one more any different?" Vikram managed to say with a bored expression, though he felt like he was about to break just trying to hold back his laughter.

"Aagh!" Lynn tried to ignore the touch, but the long day of laying in the sunshine had left the poor plant frustratingly, achingly horny, and the tanned-skinned amazon's touches only made that ache in her grow deeper and harder to suppress.

"See? This groping."

"U-Uh...M-Master...are you s-sure we can't- y-you know..."

"Oh, don't mind me. You two need some time to bond, anyway." Vikram shook his head, smiling. "I'd watch, but I need to go sit and treat this eye. You two just go and have fun." Waving as he walked away Vikram smirked. "Besides, Lynn, the experience will be good for you."

"Yes! Need time to get to know sister very well. " Zhao said, sliding a finger in the sensitive cleft between Lynn's legs.

"Aaah! You don't have to get to know me that way! W-Wait! Master! I can help treat you! Don't leave me heeeere!"

"Silly Rin. Sisters must know what sisters liike~."

Forgive me, Lynn. Vikram thought as he walked away into the woods.

* * *

He wasn't sure if Lynn would forgive him for this, or if separating even this short distance alone was quite the safest thing, but the two were close enough by, and right now, Vikram wanted to think, and Zhao was a welcome distraction.

Pulling out the potion dispenser, and shaking it to mix the contents, Vikram mused. Making sure his eye was closed, he changed the potion to a spray, and sprayed it lightly over the eye, hissing at the almost burning, fizzy feeling of the potion doing it's job. Less effective against humans it may be, a bruise over one's eye was a minor injury, and he'd rather have full vision in the dangerous wilds.

He thought back to Yzak, a strange curiosity nagging at him. He'd never really bothered to think about it, but his ability to predict other's movements never really made sense. He knew Yzak's strike had been coming before the striking arm had even begun to move, yet had been caught completely off-guard when Yzak had moved to grab him. He could predict people's movements ahead of time, but only when he concentrated.

Everything he'd read about the ability suggested that the gift let those who possessed it predict movement based on an acute, innate understanding of movement and velocity, based on what they could see...or something like that, at least. The research he had found had been vague.

So how could he predict things he couldn't see, and yet be caught off-guard by things he could?

He shook his head and sighed. So much he did not understand, even about himself.

He thought to Lynn. Abandoned by her family after her threshold.

He thought to Zhao. Orphaned by...something...in the wilds of the jungle.

He thought to himself. Sitting in that sterile hospital bed, two unfamiliar faces before him.

And before that, an endless, painful blank.

"I wonder...who my birth parents were..." It was an old question, though one he rarely asked. The Pramesh family was his home. They were his parents, related by blood or not, so he did not mourn for the loss of parents he had never known. It was, at best, a meaningless curiosity, a detail lost to him before he woke up that fateful day and his first memories began.

Vikram reached up to touch his eye. The potion had done the job, it seemed, and the pain around his eye had all but faded. He nodded, pleased. Modern medicine really is incredible...it's a wonder people survived without it. But then, they didn't have to deal with Pokegirls way back then, either. Hah. I wonder who had it worse?

Then again...even in this age there are illnesses we cannot treat.

He shook his head and looked at his watch. Maybe being alone wasn't such a great idea. Forty minutes had past, and from the sounds of it, the two girls were still going at it strong.

Vikram smirked. Sometimes, thinking was a curse. Right now, what Vikram needed was a nice set of distractions to keep him from thinking too hard...and he had all the distraction he could want waiting for him. He chuckled, heading back, hoping Lynn wouldn't be too displeased to see him.

Thankfully, such heavy thoughts left him be the rest of the night.

* * *

[March 29th, 7:07 AM]

Vikram was awoken with a grandiose 'Ooof'. Taking a guess, he opened one eye, and was not surprised to find Zhao plastered atop of him, her face right in front of his own.

"Biikram wake up. Morning time." She said with a smile.

"The hell? How do you still have so much energy?"

"Silly Biikram. Zhao always have energy." Somehow, Vikram couldn't bring himself to doubt the truth of that statement. She grinned. "Besides, Rin stay up, not me. Zhao sleep, so Zhao have fun again with Biikram!"

"Lynn did?" Vikram looked over to the side, where Lynn was sitting, waving at him, looking embarrassed.

"Well, I figured you'd need to spend some more time with her. Besides, I don't seem to tire out as easily nowadays. One of the perks of being who I am now, I guess." She shrugged, waving it off.

"I appreciate the gesture, but if you don't rest at night, how are you supposed to be active during the day, when the sun is up?" He sighed. "You should get some rest for now. I might need your help later, and I still want to talk with you about your attitude during your fight with Zhao."

"Urk." Lynn nodded nervously.

"Though, if you're so intent on staying up -" Patting Zhao affectionately on the head, Vikram pushed her off, which she reluctantly did. Getting up to his feet, he brushed himself off and began rolling up his sleeping bag. "Lynn, finish packing things up and show Zhao how it's done. Try not to let her break anything, okay?"

* * *

[March 31th, 11:55 AM]

"Is everyone ready?" Yzak asked Vikram, who swiftly relayed the message outward.

A few seconds later, Milliaria appeared in front of the three tamers standing on a large flat stone off in the wilderness. A good distance away, they could see a tremendous tower of dirt and stone rise out of the earth, though only Yzak could see the land around it with any clarity.

"Traxia is in position. Shiho and Zhao are also ready, with Lynn and Izumi standing by for their part." Milliaria reported. "Nest activity is normal. We do not appear to have been seen yet."

"Excellent. Keep watching the perimeter and let us know if things start getting too hot out there. If someone gets isolated, we're counting on you to bail them out. Got it?"

"Sir!" Milliaria bowed curtly, then vanished as soon as she came.

"I hope this works."

"Why so negative? You said yourself that opportunity and restraint are only opposites of the same coin." Vikram grinned.

"Besides, no time like the present to find out, right?" Dearka nodded towards Vikram. "Let's do this."

< We begin the plan on my mark, everyone.> Vikram's voice boomed in the minds of the entire squad. < Three. Two. One. Mark!>

Hundreds of feet away, Zhao and Shiho leapt down from their lofty perch in the trees, coming down upon the smattering of Annts nearby like a hammer. Ugly sandy reddish things, more insect than girl, they hardly noticed their charge until the two were already upon them, sending Annts flying in all directions. Shiho's blade flashed thrice as she charged through the crowd, cutting deeply through the hard exoskeleton shell of several Annts while Zhao danced through the chaos that followed, striking the confused survivors down before they could have a chance to recover. The group down, the two front attackers charged towards the gigantic stone mound that was the Annt colony as fast as they could, knowing that plenty of enemies would soon stand in their way.

* * *

Deep inside the mound, the queen stirred. Again? She thought to herself, before sending thoughts of alarm through the hive, preparing the hive for battle. Out of the cracks of the colony, dozens of Annts began to surge outwards, the will of the queen driving them to eliminate any intruders.

* * *

"Here they come!" Shiho called out as the first group of reinforcements arrived.

"Wha-CHOH!" Zhao leapt onto her hands, delivering a devastating spin kick to the nearest Annt and knocking another one down. "Need more than ugly bug children to stop Zhao!"

"Be careful! We're not trying to fight them all, here!" Shiho hissed as another Annt leapt at her. "Let's fall back for the moment!"

"Zhao follow!"

The two leapt away from the growing mob, just there was the crack of gunfire and an incendiary bolt slammed into one of the bugs, knocking it out cold. A second later, a second bug fell. A second later, a third. Fiery bolts rained down upon the insects in a constant, steady rhythm, picking them off one by one, striking down Annt after Annt.

"Moving on to the next location. I will cover you." Traxia said to herself, a small smile on her face as Milliaria teleported next to her. "Ready to go?" The Cameragirl asked.

With a nod, the two disappeared from their perch just as the first retaliatory Annts began to near her tree, reappearing a hundred feet away in a different tree. Traxia smiled and leveled her rifle towards the Annts still coming out of the den, striking them as they came out.

* * *

"Yow! Quiet-girl scary there." Zhao said, laughing as they ran. "This fun!"

"Don't get cocky, girl!" Shiho said, panting slightly. "We aren't even halfway through this yet!"

"Zhao not cocky!" Zhao yelled indignantly. "Zhao not even have one!"

< Shiho. Zhao. You're doing well. Keep running and attack from a distance.>

"Will do!"

"You DO know your master can't hear you, don't you?"

"What that matter?" Zhao griped back, when an aerial blur shot from the skies to strike down one of the chasing Annts.

"You're late, Izumi!"

"Sorry! We're almost ready!" The rack said apologetically, her mottled white wings heaving great gusts of wind as she launched a volley of feather shuriken at another Annt . "If we can keep going for just a while longer, we'll be ready to finish this!"

"Understood." The brown-haired Slicer said, before the ground underneath her suddenly collapsed as an Annt clamped onto her leg. Swearing, she cut the tiny girl away, but the damage was done. "Have we drawn out enough yet?!"

* * *

"Dammit, Shiho's damaged. Vikram, we're out of time. We've drawn out all we can."

"Understood. Lynn? Are you ready?"

Lynn, unlike the rest of the group, was not fighting. She sat in the sunlight, focusing on herself, creating as much of her toxic powders as she could. In a first since Vikram had stolen them first away, however, Lynn wore clothes, or at least something resembling them. A dark sports bra - which felt uncomfortably restricting, though she was loathe to admit it - shoes, which felt just as awkward as the bra, unable to feel the earth beneath her feet, a belt with two of Vikram's pokeballs on it, and one of Shiho's borrowed daggers. A small flashlight strapped to her shoulder as a makeshift lamp completed the utilitarian ensemble. "Ready, boss." She called up to her master standing on the natural stone platform they perched upon.

Milliaria popped into place next to her, brought no doubt by another of Vikram's signals. "Hang on tight."

Lynn frowned, trying to quell the nervousness she held within, but nodded. "Yeah, let's do this!"

Grabbing onto Lynn's wrist and closing her eyes in concentration, the two of them vanished. Lynn felt disoriented for a second as everything seemed to spin around her, and then suddenly she was still and on solid ground, standing -

Inside the upper entrance to the Annt mound. A nearby Annt turned to look at her, as if confused, but just as soon was sent falling out of opening, cuts from multiple razor leaves sending the Annt hurtling towards the ground below. "See you in a few minutes, Milliaria!"

"Good hunting!" The Cameragirl said with a grin, and then she was gone.

* * *

< She's in position! Izumi, GO! > The rack quickly shot back up towards the skies, breaking off her attacks on the Annts below and charging towards the tower, where Lynn waited.

"Do it!"

Lynn took a deep breath, and then launched as much Lust dust into the air as she desperately could. The pink cloud filled the chamber, but Izumi didn't let it escape. Instead, she blew great gusts of wind into the tower, forcing the dust to go not out, but down. Some of it, they knew, would be wasted, as the dust had no effect on Annts proper - but some, they hoped, would drive deep into the ventilation shafts of the tower.

Down towards the Queen.

* * *

The queen frowned from her earthy throne deep inside the mound. The attackers were much more difficult than the last group. She was being attacked from the sky and the trees, seemingly from all sides, her children falling to the two dangerous ones on the main grounds and who knows how many targets in the trees.

It was no matter. The ones on the grounds would be soon overwhelmed, then she would hunt down the slippery one in the trees. The flyer was annoying, but the queen had no fear of her, so deep in the earth.

She frowned. Was that a breeze she felt? It was light, but unmistakable. Why would there be a breeze...?

Her eyes suddenly grew wide as the dust did it's work.

* * *

It took only about a minute. The Annts swarming outside and chasing after the invaders began to stumble and twitch, unable to fight or even stand while their sole ruling mind, the Queen, could not even control her own thoughts.

Yzak, watching from far away, couldn't help but laugh in amazement. "I'll be damned, Vikram. It's working."

< Now's our chance! Lynn! Go!>

Lynn leapt down into the darkness of the tunnels, her heart pounding.

As long as the dust filled the tunnels, the entirety of the hive was helpless to defend itself, leaving the queen dangerously vulnerable. The only problem with the plan was that same dust likewise made it impossible for Zhao, Shiho, or any of the other Pokegirls from actually entering the lairs to attack, lest they become affected as well.

Impossible, at least, for anyone but Lynn herself.

You can do this. You can do this. She told herself as she ran down the tunnels as fast as she could, led only by the makeshift light on her shoulder and the density of the ghoulishly twitching bodies around her.

Focus, Lynn, focus....

Finally, Lynn found herself in a large, dimly lit chamber. In the center of the chamber, atop of a throne/bed of dirt, lay the Annt Queen, moaning, desperately thrusting her fingertips in and out of her, desperate to sate the urge that had overwhelmed her, stolen her voice that might have allowed her children to aid her.

Lynn recoiled for a moment at the Queen's bloated belly, but frowned and stepped forward, vines whipping out towards the Queen and wrapping around her legs, pulling the Queen from her throne as she began throwing razor leaves towards the helpless, weak Queen as fast as she could throw them.

She's just a feral. Just another feral.

Leaves cut away at the queen in a vicious rain. Lynn winced as each hit, but she kept her binds taught, kept throwing the leaves, as desperately as she could, until at last she lifted up one of the pokeballs and threw it at the queen at full force. The sphere connected, beaning the Annt Queen squarely in the face. The red light of capture enveloped the queen as she vanished into the ball, and Lynn breathed easy - for about a second, before the ball overloaded and the Queen broke free.

"Da-Da-J-Just hurry up and g-give UP damn you!" Lynn's vines shot in again, capturing the still-struggling queen and throwing her to the ground. Fear began to shoot through her. What if she couldn't do it?

The effects of the dust wouldn't help much longer, with all the damage she was doing acting as a distraction to it's effects. If this continued, she would be trapped in the heart of an angry hive. And there would be no hope for her then.

"I won't have it!" Lynn growled, the quiet book-reader distinctly unnerved. What was she doing here? She just wanted to relax and read tales of epic adventures or a good romance, not find herself living out the black realities of those adventures in a world where the dream of true romance now lay dead to her.

"I WON'T HAVE IT!" Lynn threw the second pokeball at the queen, now covered with wounds. The red light of judgement struck out, enveloping the queen once again. Lynn stood as the ball twitched and shook, seemingly forever.

And then the ball broke, and Lynn's hope crashed with it.

"WHY?! Why didn't they work?!" Lynn looked around the room in a rush. "I...what do I..."

Lynn watched in horror as the Annt Queen got back to her feet, her eyes ablaze. A single finger outstretched, as if proclaiming her assailant's doom.

* * *

"Master, we've got trouble! The hive is recovering!" Milliaria cried breathlessly, appearing in front of Dearka and the group. Try as she might, the repeated teleports were wearing at her badly, but now was not the time to give up just yet.

 Yzak, watching the battle from afar, turned away from watching in confusion. "What?!"

"Traxia and everyone managed to kill all of the Annts outside of the tower, but there are some still inside that are beginning to move!"

"No!" Vikram swore. < Lynn! You've got to get out of there!>

 

* * *

< Lynn! You've got to get out of there!>

Vikram's panicked message gave Lynn all the information she needed. The hive was moving!

What do I do? Run? I can't fight my way out of here. Fight? Thoughts raced thought Lynn's head in a rush. But then I'd have to kill her. How can I kill her?! We're the same thing! We're both...

Stay? Run? Stay? Run? Fight or flee. Fight or flee...FightfleefightfleefightfleeFIGHT!

"RAAAAAAHHH!" Lynn screamed, ripping Shiho's dagger out of it's holster as she charged towards the injured Annt Queen as fast as she could run, vine whips rushing out from her outstretched hand.

The queen stared at her, eyes wide and paralyzed with pain and fear as the plant in front of her rammed into her, driving her to the ground with a slam.

"I'm...I'm...I'M DIFFERENT FROM YOU!" Lynn screamed, bringing the blade down and stabbing through the Queen's soft outer shell. The queen screamed and thrashed about, but Lynn kept the blade moving, stabbing through the shell again and again, through the neck, the chest, that disgustingly wide belly-

And through it all, she kept her vines taught, until the Queen's movements stopped and she breathed no more, the Annts coming to her rescue collapsing into catatonia mere feet away.

Breathing hard, her mind still racing, Lynn fell back from the Annt Queen's prone form.

Dead.

If there was one sole advantage, Lynn thought as she looked over the chaos of the room, in being what I am now, it's that I couldn't throw up even if I wanted to.

Nearly tripping on something, she looked at the floor...and noticed the half-naked corpse, propped against the wall, probably of a tamer she and her master had trained alongside, just weeks ago.

Killed in self-defense? Or...

 In the dark silence beneath the earth, Lynn fell to her knees and cried. She had killed...killed, dammit, and in the future, she would have to kill...again. This was the burden Vikram, and the world had asked her to bear - that Vikram had asked her to bear alongside him.

There's no difference between me and a feral. I was a fool to have not seen that before now.

"We kill to survive." Lynn said dully. Yes, for better or worse, this was her path now. She turned to leave the room and wander to the surface, where, she hoped, everyone was waiting.

"I'm sorry." She whispered to the ruined form of the Queen, before leaving the dark chamber as fast as her feet could take her.

* * *

"Lynn! Hey, Lynn!" Vikram said, rushing up towards the tower as Lynn stumbled out of one of the open entrances. The battle was over - Izumi wandered around the tower, blowing in great gusts of air to clear it out as Shiho prepared to go into the tower and clear out the rest of the Annts before a new queen could pick them up. "Are you alright?!" His heart fell when he saw her broken expression, and she ran up and grabbed him desperately, shuddering sobs running through her body as she sought to find something, anything to console her.

Vikram could only bite his lip and hold her tight as she cried.

* * *

[April 1st, 10:04 AM]

"Completely destroyed...?" The mayor repeated, looking at the group in quiet disbelief.

"Yes, that is correct." Yzak said again, pulling out a number of photographs. "As you can see here, we have documented evidence of the Annt Queen's death as well as the defeat of her hive. We weren't able to capture the Annt Queen alive, but the hive's threat is nevertheless removed. We've left the hive itself intact, for you do destroy or leave be at your pleasure."

The mayor shook his head in surprise. "Give us a day to verify your report, and we will credit you three your payments for removing the Annt threat for us. Is that all?

"No, I'm afraid there is one more thing."

"Yes?"

Yzak frowned, setting a box down on the table. "We found the body and pokedex of a tamer by the name of Keir Niles in the hive. Please see to it that his family is notified, with our condolences."

The mayor paused for moment and then nodded. "I understand. Thank you for bringing this information to us."

"Thank you for your patronage." Yzak bowed to the man, and the three tamers left the building.

"250,000 rupees? That's bogus. We should have gotten more than that." Dearka complained. "Seriously, we rocked that place. I don't see them storming a full-size Annt Hive and getting away with it!"

"Well, we could have made some more if we'd managed to capture and sell the Queen, but from what Lynn has been willing to tell us, that couldn't have been helped - though in hindsight, we should probably outfit her with more than just a single backup pokeball in the future. In any event, it's a fine paycheck for a day's work."

"Yeah, but we've got ammunition and supplies to keep stocked, too. Those elemental shells aren't the cheapest things around...Hey. Vikram. You listening?"

"Huh? What?" Vikram blinked, breaking himself out of his inner musings.

Not missing a beat, Dearka grinned. "We've decided that you need to wear a dress."

"W-What?!"

Dearka and Yzak burst into laughter. "Kidding, dude, just kidding." Dearka said between breaths. "Man, stop spacing out so much. You scare me sometimes."

"Well, sorry." Vikram managed a weak smile. "Anyway, what were you saying?"

"Eh, nothing important. Should we get ready to head on to the next town? The people here can probably handle things for a while."

"Sounds good to me. Next up is...Kakinda, right?"

"I hope it's more interesting than this place," Yzak grumbled. "Back in Edo, we-"

"Yes, yes, we can hear all about glorious Edo some other time." Dearka laughed. "I say we go and get some food."

"Fine." Yzak said, a bit miffed.

"I'll pass, thanks. I'm going to head back to the 'Center and spend some time with Lynn, I think."

"Alright then. I will see you later, Pramesh."

"Later."

Vikram walked down the street towards the Pokecenter. He had just reached it, and was just about to the door when it opened in front of him, and a man wearing an expensive-looking suit and carrying a small briefcase rushed out of the 'center, nearly ramming into him. Instead, the man stopped in his tracks like a Doe, eyes wide, staring at Vikram as Vikram stared back. Short black hair, slicked back and pale skin, the man looked haggard and nervous.

"God dammit! L-Leave me alone. Just leave me alone!" The man suddenly burst forward and to the side, slipping by Vikram and running away from the center at full tilt...a gun in hand!

"Holy shit!" Vikram dived for the door as two shots flew past him, rushing behind cover.

What the hell was with him? Vikram thought to himself, waiting for his heart to calm down walking into the center and shaking his head. Thank god for that warning sense. If I keep running into people like him, I might not last long out here at this rate.

Walking up the the main desk, he called towards the girl on duty. "Excuse me. Who the hell was that guy that just ran out? He tried to kill me!"

"He did...?!" The Ingenue looked at him in surprise. "He was just in here to purchase a Pokegirl. A Dark Elf. It was the only girl we had, but he said he'd take her, so..." She trailed off as she checked the computer. "That's odd..."

"What is it?"

"Something must be wrong with the computer. We have several more girls here than just the one. I wonder why it only showed her?" The girl scratched her head, looking perplexed. "Oh, well. Should I report this incident to the police?"

Vikram blinked. "You're asking me?"

The girl frowned, as if hesitant to speak. "I've...heard things from my master and co-workers that say you aren't all that well liked by people, sir. I don't know if that counts for the police as well."

"Oh." He frowned. "Yeah, I don't know how they'd react to that." Probably say it was self-defense and lock me up. "He probably thought I was someone else. Just leave it, if you please."

The Ingenue nodded. "Okay." Vikram walked away to his room, leaving the confusing scenario behind and sincerely hoping he and that violent man would never meet again.

* * *

"Zhao booooored." The tan skinned amazon complained, lying down on the bed and fiddling her feet in the air as Lynn sat at the nearby desk, paging through a text on her data reader.

"Vikram should be back from the meeting soon, Zhao. Just relax until then."

"How Zhao relax when nothing to do!" She complained, jumping up off the bed. "Rin bored, yes? We play."

Lynn blushed at that. "N-No, not right now, thanks."

"Awww. Why Rin always looking at flat thing? Flat thing no fun."

"Huh?" Lynn turned to look at the amazon. "I'm reading." Truth be told, she was only barely paying attention to the screen, the memory of her battle still too fresh in her mind to truly immerse herself in reading, though it was, at least, helping her keep her mind off it. A little.

"What this 'reading'...? Looks like nothing doing."

Lynn nearly choked. "You don't know what reading is?!"

"I'm pretty sure Zhao's feralborn, Lynn. A smart one, and raised in a group used to speech, but there's not much meaning or potential to learn how to read when you're a feral." Vikram said as he walked in the door. "Oh god, Zhao, I said not inside-" *thud* "OWW!"

"...Sorry, Master."

"Master, are you alright?!"

Vikram groaned as he got up from the hard floor, rubbing his sore limbs. "Zhao, I'm happy you're glad to see me, but you have to stop doing that so often or you're going to break me, girl."

"Zhao be more careful."

"That's a good girl." Vikram said, patting the amazon on the head. Sort of strange, patting someone your own size. He thought to himself. Ah well, she seems to like it well enough. Indeed, a small content smile crept up on Zhao's face, and she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation, a small blush on her face.

Lynn frowned. "Master, you're going to spoil that girl."

"Maybe so, but it's my policy to spoil everyone evenly." Vikram chuckled. "I think we should go and do some shopping, don't you?" Lynn raised an eyebrow. "For one thing, we should probably get you another bra or two. We picked the one up just for the last op, but I think they might be useful. I think you could handle one every once in a while, if you're up to it."

"Well...that might be nice to have...I guess..." Lynn murmured. "Can I look at other things, too?"

"Yes, but remember - you are not going back to who you were, got it? Light stuff."

Lynn nodded. Yeah, that'd be pretty much impossible, now...

"Shopping? What 'shopping'?" Zhao asked.

"We're going to go and get some new things."

"Things?" Zhao thought for a moment. "Oooh! Oooh! Can Zhao have bubbly drink?!"

"A soda? Sure, we can get some. But you'll have to wait to drink it till we're back here, okay?"

"Waaaai!" Zhao cheered. "Much better than sit around and nothing doing like Rin."

Lynn leapt up. "Ohhhh, no you didn't. I'm not going to just sit and let that pass by. Master, we are getting her a reading T2. No discussion!"

"Now wait a second here-" Vikram looked at the Boobisaur, bemused, as Zhao looked back and forth between the two in confusion.

"None!"

Who's the master in this relationship? Vikram thought wryly. "Alright, alright. I was planning on it anyway, but since you so vicariously insist, Let's go see if we can't get one of those now.

Lynn grinned, rubbing her hands together with an evil grin.

Oh dear. My prayers go with you, Zhao.

* * *

"Woooooooaahhhh." Zhao said, looking though the 'small' clothing store. Small being relative, of course. Even this one had a surprisingly nice selection, which Zhao looked about in wonder and curiosity.

"So much cloth..." The amazon looked around, poking at a few of the outfits.

"See anything you like?"

"Why Zhao get clothes? Zhao not need them. They cover body. Body does not need to be covered!" Zhao said. "Never understand Yunica-mama's clothes. Too, too thick. Hard to feel. Besides, Rin not have clothes."

"Well, Zhao, there's lots of reasons people wear clothes. Sometimes it's to cover themselves, yes, but sometimes it's to be more comfortable, sometimes for protection, or sometimes it's to make someone look sexy. Lynn isn't wearing clothes because it's unhealthy for her, not because she wants to."

"Zhao already sexy." She said bluntly. "No need clothes."

"Yes, you are, Zhao, but I mean that sometimes, clothes can make a person even more sexy than you are now."

"Wha? Clothes can do that?! Truly strange is this. Zhao not sure she understand."

"It's okay, you don't have to understand right now. How about you find something that feels good to you?"

"Hmmmm. Kay!" Zhao rushed into the aisles, testing out the various cloths. Lynn watched the girl run around in amusement.

"Err...make sure you don't damage any of it!" Vikram called out, shaking his head as Zhao ran through the building.

"I wonder what she'll pick..."

On an impulse, Vikram concentrated, remembering the strange feeling he had whenever he tried to predict someone's movements. This time, however, though there were no enemies to predict, he simply pushed forward anyway, trying to recall the sensation.

After a few minutes of concentration and nothing happening, Vikram heard an excited cry and Zhao walked around the corner. Vikram laughed. In her hands was a short white cheong-sam dress, which the poor girl was attempting to put on inside-out. Chinese dress for the chinese girl. How fitting. "Sticking with your roots, are you?"

"Roots? What Biikram talk about?"

"Who the hell are you talking to?"

Vikram blinked. The Zhao he had seen was gone, as if like a ghost, and Zhao's voice he heard had come from behind the walls of clothing, still out of sight. Lynn simply stared at him in blank confusion. Seconds later, Zhao walked around the corner, looking at him curiously...struggling to put on the same short white cheong-sam he had envisioned her with seconds ago.

Vikram's jaw dropped. "What the fuck?!"

-== INTERLUDE 07.2 ===-

-= April 3rd, 11:06 AM =-

 The door to the battered shack's upper rooms opened with a slam. The pale white form of a Daimon entered the room swiftly, crystal blue eyes checking the rooms one by one for unwanted occupants, before calling out to her master.

 "Master Gregorio. It is empty."

 The Daimon's master quickly followed the Daimon into the building and nervously set down his briefcase as his pale-skinned servant quickly closed the doors and windows around them, his thoughts a continual jumble.

 "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable." Gregorio said, his voice laced with a nervous tinge. "Why, why, why did I ever get myself involved with them? This was supposed to be an easy investment, not a complete debacle!" He tossed his outer shirt onto the bed. Why had he gotten involved with Scientia? It had seemed like such a great idea at the time. Find a way to take down the massive Vector Industries company, and nab a big slice of the resulting pie for himself. It was flawless, perfectly flawless....except, somehow, the other Purists among the White Lotus's small, yet wealthy Italian community had found out about it. Funding an illegal, notably pro-Pokegirl organization - what a better way to make oneself a pariah amongst his brothers? Gregorio was as for rightful human dominance as the next man, it was only logical! But now, Gregorio knew, he was in trouble. While they usually ignored the foolish half-breeds, who were irredeemable anyway, for a member of an exalted pureline to go against the Family, was...

...Unacceptable.

It wouldn't be direct, of course. Some sort of accident, or perhaps a street brawl that got out of hand. Gregorio knew, he knew full well how the Purists played their games - carefully, discretely, and as legitimately as possible, to preserve their already fairly shaky reputation within an increasingly liberal league. His mind flashed to the disturbing, dark-haired man, barely more than a child, he'd run into at the center. Assassins could be anywhere, truly anywhere.

He had to run, had to hide. He shook his head in disbelief. Pulling a thin laptop from his bag, he attached a signal scrambler to it's side and, with the fevered speed of the fearful, had the laptop sending a distress signal towards the farthest reaches of the league - perhaps even beyond, if the rumors were true. Calling out to the one group in the league who might be able to save him - the very group who had indirectly gotten him into this mess.

In the meantime, however...

Gregorio lifted up his latest purchase. It was unfortunate, really, that there had only been a mere Dark Elf available for purchase in the hovel that was the village of Mirza, but Gregorio knew there could be far worse choices of guardians. Also, he produced from his pocket a stone wrapped in thin cloth, a stone that even through the fabric could be seen to glow with a pale light. Both the new girl and the stone had been purchased as extra insurance - a single bodyguard wasn't going to cut it anymore.

A flash of light, and the dark elf appeared before him. He blinked in surprise. The girl possessed the most shocking head of red hair, hair that almost seemed to shine like fire, completely at odds with her dark somber skin. She wore an outfit of white, long sleeves and pants covering her limbs but otherwise left her mostly bare, with straps holding the whole ensemble together beyond the simple, also white bra/panty combination she wore, while a small metal device was strapped to her neck by a thick band that he recognized as an explosive collar. He frowned at that. He wasn't informed about the collar. He'd have to find a way to remove or replace it with one he could control later.

"I am your new master, Gregorio Devalle." He said to the lithe girl. "You are now my servant. As my servant, I expect absolute obedience. You do not speak, unless I have allowed you to, or if you have to warn me of danger or otherwise report information. Act like trash and you'll end up like trash. Do you understand?"

The dark elf nodded, bowing low. "I understand...Master Gregorio."

"This is your partner." He turned to point towards the pale-skinned Daimon. "Kohar, my Daimon, soon to be Droido. We are in danger, and cannot return home. If we are found by my family, I will die, and you'll soon follow after me." Gregorio said quickly. "You are to protect me."

The dark elf nodded.

"Do you have a name?"

"No, sir. I once did, but I have since forgotten it."

"Eh, it is just as well. I will give you a name if I determine that you are worth one."

"Master, about the stone..." The daimon frowned. She did not like speaking up against her master's wishes, but something was bothering her. She doubted her master would have noticed, but the Dark Elf's face had briefly flashed in intrigue when her master had mentioned Kohar's pending evolution.

Gregorio glared at the Daimon. "You will have your stone after I am finished claiming the new girl."

"We are on the run, master. Surely evolving me sooner would allow me to protect you better, should we be attacked here." She eyed the dark elf suspiciously.

"Droidos evolve through the Moon Stone, correct?" The Dark Elf said, suddenly speaking up. Gregorio's expression darkened, and Kohar's own suspicions doubled. "I have heard my breed, too, evolves through the use of such a stone. If you are in need of power, perhaps you may consider-"

"Silence!" Gregorio walked over to the table and picked up the stone. "Know your place, bitch, lest I have Kohar put you there."

"Understood, my master." The dark elf said humbly, bowing low. "Please forgive my impertinence." The Daimon looked over at the elf in disgust. Just who do you think you are, newcomer? Kohar gritted her teeth when she noticed, as the elf bowed, a knowing smirk upon her lips that Gregorio could not see...but the Daimon certainly could.

A thousand thoughts raced through the Daimon's mind. Was she planning something against her master? Was she trying to usurp her position? Was she simply cocky?

Wait. The family was against her Master? The family was powerful. Less so of late, but still considerably rich and influential in certain areas. What if they had predicted this? Was this part of their plan?

Yes. Yes, is must be. The Daimon thought, frowning. No one else could be trusted. No one.

"Master, stand back! This woman is an assassin!" The Daimon quickly interposed herself between the Dark Elf and her master, a blade of energy extending from her hand.

"What the hell is the meaning of this, Kohar?!"

The Dark Elf smiled, turning towards the Daimon, brimming with confidence. Her demure demeanor had evaporated entirely. "Interesting girl. I see it's good to be delusional every now and again."

"What?!"

"My apologies, Master Gregorio, but it's your death for my freedom." She grinned. "And I believe I'll be taking that evolution stone as a little bonus, too."

Gregorio swore. "What the-!? S-Stop that bitch!" He roared, reaching for his pistol.

""Yes, my master!"" Both of the girls said in unison, one voice full of anger, the other full of mockery.

"Gnauc. Gobehoth. Ptusare!"

The Dark Elf grinned, lightning crackling at her fingertips, as she dodged the Daimon's initial stab, slamming the girl in the stomach with her enchanted fist. The blazing light from of her spell sent pain shooting through her eyes, but she had long ago learned to adjust to the light. The pain was just a reminder...

That this was what it meant to be alive!

The Daimon reeled backwards from the shock before readying another blade. The Dark Elf was fast. Too fast. Some sort of magic? "Master, stand ba-"

Before the warning could be completed, however, a hidden dagger slipped out of the dark elf's sleeve and shot out from her hand, piercing the wrist of Gregorio's gun arm. Gregorio screamed, dropping the stone in order to clutch his injured wrist as blood began to stream down his arm from his now useless hand. Pain surged through his body as he fell against the broken wall, his eyes blazing retribution and fear.

The stone clattered, still covered in cloth, to the ground. The dark elf leapt for it, snatching it up off of the ground, but the Daimon rushed in and smacked the arm high as each girl scrambled to acquire the stone for themselves and seal the battle, sending the stone flying into the air.

The loose Moon Stone, flying free of it's cloth covering, began a lazy fall towards the two combatants.

Two girls saw the stone fly into the air.

Two arms reached out in a desperate gamble.

Two hands clasped the glowing stone.

Gregorio could only watch in horror as the room exploded into light.

-==END INTERLUDE==-

 -----------------------------------------------------

 "It is the nature of the military that swiftness rules.

Ride other's inadequacies.

Go by unexpected ways.

Attack where he has not taken precautions."

- Sun Tsu, The Art of War

Chapter 7: Lunar Battle - End