In the tranquil corridor partially filled with white smoke, Kota stepped forward towards the control room door.
'No wait, I think I should get all my pokemon before fighting them.'
He thought. By now, after seeing the intruder's uniforms he had already guessed that they were from the mysterious organization.
Clank!
Kota had already turned back and was heading to his room but the sound of the door opening stopped his movements.
Turning his head, his eyes caught the three figures standing at the end of the corridor. Because of the mask, he could see them so could they.
"Hey, who the hell are you? What are you doing here with that mask!"
One of the two female intruders, with a voluptuous body, her belly and long smooth legs exposed, shouted. Her voice, however, sounded familiar to Kota.
"We don't have time for this! We need to hurry and leave before the police arrive."
The sole male of the three, voiced out. Now Kota was sure that he had heard it somewhere before. He couldn't have made two consecutive mistakes.
"Come."
Kota whispered in a soft voice, his shadow on the floor started flickering and swaying as Gengar came out of it.
"Gege! Gengar!"
Seeing Gengar, the three intruders were alarmed. They immediately grabbed their pokeballs and called out their pokemon for battle.
On the very front, the gigantic Torterra appeared. The corridor was big enough for it to stand there, while also letting one to see the back.
Behind, a Hydreigon floated. And at last was a pokemon rare and very difficult to catch normally in the wild.
Dusknoir, a ghost type pokemon. It is known as the 'Gripper Pokemon'. It was first discovered in the Sinnoh region by some unlucky trainers who later were killed in a supernatural incident.
"It's too tight here!"
Qeen said as he recalled his pokemon. The other female intruder did the same, recalling her Dusknoir.
"I will fight."
Jenny pulled her mask off in frustration. Her face was sweaty and her brown hair was messy and stuck on her face.
"Jenny! Why did you show your face to him! Are you a fool!"
Qeen asked aloud, his voice high pitched with surprise and shock. The other female intruder was also stunned by Jenny's action.
"If you can't recognize the bracelet he is wearing then you must have balls in there instead of eyes."
Jenny pointed towards Kota, her face was furious when she first recognized the bracelet he wore. The defeat and setback from weeks ago appeared fresh in her mind.
"Really?"
Queen narrowed his eyes and focused on Kota, scanning his figure and the bracelet, his eyes widened because he found him very familiar.
"Bastard! It was you! You broke my nose! I will kill you bastard! Motherfucker!"
Qeen had an outburst, the female intruder next to him had to grab him and hold him tightly.
"Seen through the mask it seems."
Kota commented. He pulled the mask off and revealed his face. There was a small cut on his left cheek and a bruise below the lips.
"Jenny, let me fight! I want to kill that kid! I want to bathe in his blood! I want to rip his flesh! I want to break every single bone in his body!"
With red eyes, Qeen approached Jenny even though he was held back by the other female intruder.
His voice was desperate. It was the first time Jenny saw Qeen behaving like that.
"No, you were right. We don't have time for this. Torterra, Frenzy Plant!"
"Tor~terra!"
Roaring, Torterra stomped the floor tiles and broke all of them. The ground shook violently as waves rippled off from Torterra.
Multiple thich roots ripped through the flood and locked the entire corridor. Jenny quickly stuck a small bomb on the wall to the right.
Boom!
The small bomb exploded and created a hole wide and big enough for them to pass through. Jenny, Qeen and the other female intruder rushed out but Qeen gave a last look towards Kota.
"Gengar, stop the-!"
Crack!
Kota looked up at the ceiling, the thick roots had made the walls and concrete inside to crack and started falling.
Torterra was recalled and the three ran away in a hurry leaving behind Kota and Gengar.
"Shit!"
Kota cursed.
Boom!
The ceiling above his head collapsed entirely, he felt a push from behind but before he could see what it was his vision turned black.
* * *
Several hours later, outside the practical field. Seven ambulances, ten police cars and three fire trucks were parked.
On one of the ambulances, Kota sat with his head bandaged up. There were a few bruises on his face and two cuts.
The light in his eyes were dim, his face lost all the color and his head was lowered. Behind him on the stretcher, inside the ambulance, was a dead body covered with white cloth.
Unable to see her son in such a state, Plum quickly approached him with her nervous face.
"Son, about what happened to Alice… It's not your fault. Things happen, and some think that it happens because of them but it's not. I believe tha-"
"Get away from me."
"Son, listen to me. It really is not your fault."
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Bam!
Kota slammed his clenched fist on the ambulance, his face looked straight at Plum. His dark eyes, dead and empty, terrified her to the soul.
A shiver ran down her spine as her legs trembled and back on their own. Plum couldn't help but turn away from Kota in fear and tension.
After she left, Kota started gasping for breath. His heart raced and his head screamed in pain. From the shadows, Gengar rose up with a dejected mood. He faced Kota, wanting to say something.
"What is it? Speak."
Kota looked at Gengar. Most of his feelings truly died today after experiencing someone's death due to him once again.
No, it wasn't any different. Everywhere, everyone and every time it happened… It happened because of him.
Just because he had come into this world, he seemed to have forgotten most of his past. But now the gods reminded him of what he was and what he has been.
A murderer, a killer and a misfortune.
"Gengar! Gen Gengar! Gengar!"
Watching Gengar try to explain that Kota wasn't at fault but him because he wasn't able to react and take action on time, brought a pitiful smile on Kota's face.
"It's fine. No one is at fault other than me. I am to be blamed. I shouldn't have taken her with me. I should have gone there alone."
Tears won't fall down his eyes, his heart won't feel any grief, his mind had no mental breakdown and he appeared only slightly sad.
It was, after all, not the first or the last.
* * *
After bidding farewell to all the professors and fellow trainers, Kota returned back to the Kanto region.
It was a long journey, filled with excitement that Kota never welcomed and a death he never expected.
Kota's Mension___
Inside the basement, Birkang held the bright and shiny Mega Stone and examined it under the energy reading lens.
"From what I see, it's basically a battery. It can temporarily charge up a pokemon to the limit and help it evolve to the next stage."
"You study it as much as you can while I go back to Johto region to collect gym badges. Don't destroy it."
"I know it."
Birkang waved his hand at Kota. He was spending his free time lusciously watching episodes until he was disturbed and introduced to the Mega Stone.
"Sir, your bag is packed. I put all the things you have requested and included some snacks for Larvitar."
Ariya came down the stairs to the basement and informed Kota. Since there was nothing more to do in the mension, he decided to give Professor Oak a last visit.
"And about the tracking device you planned, what's the updates on it?"
Kota asked Birkang before leaving the basement. Birkang signed and shook his head in disappointment.
"I am missing the needed numbers. Once I get it, I will try to finish the device."
Kota nodded his head, then stepped up the stairs together with Ariya. In the basement, Birkang was alone surrounded by machines and equipment.
"Nothing much changed after all…"