Not What You See

[Plapti]

Nice chapter Sem.

As per usual, it's awesome. Can't wait for the next chapter to come out.

 

[Secad MS]

Sorry I haven't commented in a while, but Sem, I must say that the idea of Tara and Lysis being psychic is amazing. I cannot wait to see Tara develop her abilities more.

 

[112% Elusive]

Nice Sem.

What next? Finish the next chapter soon, it will be awesome =D
Yes, Black Gardevoir! This shall be an interesting fic.

 

[Chibi]

Awww poor Tara. ;-;

And that chapter was amazing, the lil bastard who killed Tara gets paid back (wh00t!) and Lysis gets a flippin' bazooka. Which I totally want and wonder why she even needs it if she can break a door into fifty pieces with a single kick.

Like Jet said, can't wait for the next chapter.

 

[Sem]

Like she said. She likes her toys xP She'd find an excuse to use it.

 

[Pheonix]

Sem, you amaze me with every new chapter of this story! Never can quite tell where this is going to go and I can't wait to find out. Keep up the good work! ;D

 

[Linkachu]

Bazooka... How I adore that word and weapon. I could see myself reacting to one IRL the same way Lysis did to hers x3

Also, I'm still wondering if you're going to pull a certain plot-twist, and I'm kinda hoping you do... but something tells me if it happens at all, it won't happen for a long while. As for this chapter, reading how Lysis reacted to the firearms was so fun. I giggled a few times through out. It's nice seeing that Tara is making steps to take back her life, too... Intrigued to see where it will lead her when sharing her existence with Lysis. So much mayhem could occur on Lysis' part, lol.

Random note - I wish I lived in a house like that XD

Also, payback's a bitch. Good one on Lysis killing that guy. So says my revengeful side

 

[Sem]

-Chapter 4-

"Strange," Tara stated as she sat at a blue PC, looking at the storage system for her Pokémon. "Some of these guys should be back home and not at the lab,' she muttered as she logged out of the computer. She took the Pokéballs into her hand curiously and put them with the rest in her jacket.

The center was a bit full with trainers, in for a free lunch, since it was about that time of day. The air was full of their chatter, how their Nidorino could beat their Sandslash, how her Venomoth had prettier wings than so-and-so' Pidgeot. Very excited atmosphere, there was a buzz in the air. A buzz that normally got Tara itching for a battle, or to join in some of the banter.

Valaura stood nearby, ever vigilant, though, as out of sight as she could manage; she was quite the oddity with her coloration, and would stick out like a sore thumb to Team Rocket surveillance. Her face was not worried however, and she carried a look of biting ice in her gaze. Only the incredibly brave or the incredibly stupid dared to wave or comment, though, even they stood wary, anticipating the idea that Valaura would lash out at them and slash their necks. Tara seemed to either not mind that the Gardevoir struck fear into the hearts of those around her, or she was too occupied in her own thoughts to notice.

"Valaura," she addressed as she approached. She was still mad at the psychic, and didn't attempt to hide it. "I would like to go home, to see my parents."

Valaura nodded simply and took hold of Tara's hand in hers and in a moment, vanished.

Tara was completely unprepared for the jump and was left jarred, stumbling as she reappeared in another part of the world. She gathered herself quickly and looked around her. She was back on the familiar street on which she grew up. They appeared right before her house, which she had left only four months prior.

The street was silent and the sun seemed to be in a slightly different position. A sudden cool breeze caught Tara and made her shiver, used how warm the day had become in Saffron.

It was eerily silent and something felt very off. The grass of her house was barely green, dead in many places. She walked up to the door of the house, finding a large lock, disallowing her to open the front door to her home. Valaura came up silently and without a word touched Tara's shoulder - in less than a moment they appeared on just the other side of the door.

Tara looked back at Valaura and shrugged off her hand. She looked around with sudden wide eyes, gasping. All the furniture was gone, the walls were bare, and all was silent.

"Hello?" Tara called loudly so that anyone inside could hear her.

Valaura closed her eyes for a moment. "There's no one here. There hasn't been for some time."

"What?" Tara responded, looking puzzled. "I was here just a few months ago…" she murmured. Frantic now, she ran around to all the rooms to see for herself, finding that all the rooms were empty. She walked back, holding a hand to their head. "Did they move? Why wasn't I told?"

"No, they didn't move…" Valaura said in a solemn whisper, eyes still closed. Her reply was so quiet that Tara did not hear and walked towards the front door, which Valaura helped to teleport to the other side.

Tara was surprised to see a man coming up the sidewalk with a sign. He was in a long coat and suit, looking very professional. Without noticing her he stopped at her house and plunged the pointed spike of the sign into dried grass. Tara was more confused once she saw that the sign read 'For Sale'. The man was attaching a plastic tube with flyers when Tara approached him.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, even though it would seem quite obvious to anyone else what he was doing.

"Oh!" he jumped, a bit startled. "I'm, erm, putting the sign in to let people know it's for sale."

"Yes, I can see that," Tara rolled her eyes. "But this house isn't for sale."

"Yes it is, it was put on the market today," the agent argued, looking a bit irritated.

"What about the people who live here?"

"No one lives here," the man replied as he finished tying on the tube.

"Yes, there's a family who lives here, a husband and wife and their daughter," Tara's heart rate picked up, a sudden feeling of dread overtook her as Valaura approached from behind her, as if the psychic was channeling the already morbid energy of the place.

"Not anymore, didn't you hear?" the man furrowed his brow as he straightened himself, looking past Tara towards Valaura.

"Hear what?"

"Tara," Valaura said in cautious tone.

The teen looked back and shot the Gardevoir a glare. She turned back to the man, "Hear what?" she repeated.

"There was a break in about a few weeks ago during the night. Guy got in, thinking he'd find something that he could sell for some good money. The daughter is away, but the parents, they were killed."

Silence reigned once more for a few moments.

"Killed?" Tara leaned in, turning her head. This couldn't happen to her. Too much was happening to her right now for this to happen on top of it all.

"Y-yeah," the man nodded.

"How did he get in without waking them or the neighbors?!"

"He had a ghost or something, I don't remember all the details!"

"Well, what about The Watch? Where were they?!"

"I don't know all the details, miss!" the man repeated, raising his voice.

Tara blinked, not noticing that she had been walking towards him. Blinking again, she fought back tears and felt something stirring in the back of her mind, something not of her. "Weren't there any Pokémon in the house to protect them?" she asked, because she did leave a number of Pokémon with her parents.

"Hypnosis or something was used on them," he explained. "Did you know the family or something?" he asked, seeming to want to leave but too polite to do so.

"And the daughter?" Tara ignore him. "Does she know?"

"No one could get a hold of her," the agent shrugged, looking apologetic. He studied her face and her appearance, seeming to find something familiar about her. "Why are you so interested in knowing anyway?" the man asked curiously when Tara backed away. He did not receive an answer and simply watched as the strangely-colored Gardevoir took the girl and teleported away.

-------

Back in the penthouse, Tara had spent the remainder of the afternoon in the bedroom, enclosed to allow her time alone, to grieve. Valaura sat patiently in the living area of the dwelling, keeping her mind to herself out of courtesy. It was not until dinner that Tara emerged. She saw Valaura and waved weakly before heading to the kitchen. Her was face flushed in red and her eyes were puffed.

Valaura rose, gliding across the floor and up the step. She stood silently as Tara threw together a meal. The girl took a drink from the fridge and sat at the table. The Gardevoir followed and took a seat, eyeing the girl, who made no attempt to actually eat any of the food she had prepared.

"I feel destroyed," Tara stated, choosing to talk to the only person she could at that moment. "What more could happen? My lifelong friend is dead, my parents are dead, I have no home, and I'm sharing my body with a person who used to be my friend and only used me for her benefit in the end."

"Yes, might as well give up on life now," Valaura's voice was so serious it seemed like she was agreeing with Tara. "Never mind the fact that you are alive, your other Pokémon are alive, and that you have a place to call home."

"Don't you dare patronize me," Tara shook here head as it rested in her palm. "I didn't ask for any of this."

"I do not know anyone who wishes bad situations upon themselves. They find us anyway." Valaura blinked. "Such is life. Learn to take it and adapt to it."

"What, adapt like you?" Tara rubbed her forehead and sighed heavily. "I'd rather ice not run through my veins."

There was a silence. After a while Tara pushed away her plate and sunk back into the chair. "So what else has Lysis got planned? More illegal business, more killing? I'm dying to know what else I'm going to be used for," Tara smiled in spite of herself.

"You owe her your life, you must realize. She stopped the bullet."

"Hnn, she wasn't saving me so much as she was saving herself. She can't exist without me," Tara retorted with a glower as she crossed her arms.

"You should speak with her, that would do some good,"

"Yes, I'm sure it will," Tara responded sarcastically as she was about to stand. She was stopped and forced back into her seat by a psychic force.

"You must come to terms if you are to coexist," Valaura pressed.

Tara struggled as she felt movement withiin her mind. The penthouse suddenly vanished, as if a switch was hit and all the lights such off. She was still conscious, though the feeling was strange. She couldn't see anything and looked around her. There were no smells, and there didn't even seem to be air. Tara raised her hand to her face, seeing it just fine, but nothing else existed.

"Hello, Tara."

Tara twirled around, blinded by a sudden light as the world around her changed from black to a wide range of color. In only moments she were in a vast field next to a large tree. The girl could feel a rush of scents, only they were different, as if they were only memories of scents. She looked and saw Lysis, only older than when she last saw her.

"You!" Tara pointed, she felt her anger rising again.

Lysis frowned. She stood, twirling a flower in her hands. She was in her team rocket uniform. "Yes, me, nice to see you too."

The younger girl's nostrils flared, but remained silent as she looked around. The silence of this world was almost unbearable, as if watching an environmental program with the volume on mute.

"Where are we?" Tara asked.

"A plain inside your head where our minds overlap," Lysis explained as she plucked a petal from the flower in her hand. "Valaura brought you here, since you can't do it on your own. This is the only means for us to talk," she shrugged.

Tara was fuming. Lysis seemed perfectly calm and at ease with herself. "You're not sorry at all are you, for what you did?"

Lysis frowned once more. "Don't come here to make me feel guilty, I felt that enough last time I saw you," she said crossly. "I did what I had to to survive."

"To survive?" Tara glared. "Did you even ask me? ‘Oh, Tara, mind if we share a body?'"

"Don't give me that, Tara-dear. Without me you'd be buried under six feet of dirt and crap," Lysis returned the glare.

"So I should be thankful that you… possessed me?"

"I did what I had-"

"No, you didn't have to. You did it out of selfishness."

Lysis looked down, fiddling with the now-bare stem she had in her hand.

"Yes it was," Lysis agreed. "It was selfish of me."

Tara waited for more, but there was only silence as Lysis let the stem fall to the ground. "And?"

"And what?" Lysis asked. "If you're expecting me to just pack up and leave that's not going to happen, love," Lysis smiled as she shook her head.

"We can't share my body!" Tara countered. "I'm my own person! I have things of my own to do, I shouldn't be forced to follow your warped agenda!" she stomped her foot.

"Tara, love, I'm doing you a favor. You need me. You're not strong enough anymore," Lysis told her as cocked her head and frowned in a way that looked like pity.

"I was just fine with Muku!" Tara yelled and ran at Lysis with her arm raised. She felt like she punched a wall - her fist was held firmly in the older girl's grasp. Lysis smirked and effortlessly pushed Tara away.

"Yes, well, he's not around anymore. And you can't blame that on me."

Tara faltered at the bluntness of Lysis' statement and fell to her knees, breathing quickly.

"You can't blame all your troubles on me, because in reality, I've only done you good so far." She looked directly into Tara eyes, as if piercing through them into the girl's soul. "I saved you from the bullet,, got you out of danger, I got you out of Goldenrod, I've brought you to a secure location, I've taken care of your needs by providing food and clothes, you have an ID, you have a bank account with some money in it. And believe me, you'll soon find that you'll have more money than you'll ever need," she explained, using her fingers to list the things she said. "You have roof over your head - a very nice roof I might add, you have someone to keep you safe and to keep you company, and you're in a Pokémon trainer hotspot,"

Lysis paused, crossing her arms and grinning again. "I've done you only good so far. Muku is not my fault, your parents are not my fault. And I offer my condolences to you for all three of them."

Tara was silent for a while, eyes smoldering as she looked down at her legs. Her fingers reached for the dream-grass. Finding it's texture both familiar and foreign, once again only the memory of the touch of grass. Pluck out a handful, she let it all fall. "Thank you," she replied flatly. "But, that's not all you've done. Despite all those good things you still used me and have brought dangerous things into my life. Mainly Team Rocket, but that's enough if you ask me." Tara's eyes flicked up, looking directly into Lysis'.

The young woman rolled her eyes and leaned to the side, arms still crossed. "Team Rocket won't be in your life for long. And I don't plan to just go around and kill anyone. I have desires beyond the slaughtering of people who have wronged me. The sooner I deal with them the sooner they go out of your life. Once that's done, I'm sure we can settle for some agreement." She uncrossed her arms and smiled kindly. "We used to be friends, dear. I saved your life, don't you want to save mine? I'm sure we could be friends again."

"You only saved me because you needed me-"

"He's dead you know," Lysis butt-in. "The one who tried to kill you two, who killed Muku," Lysis continued as she walked closer to Tara. The younger girl felt the woman's presence grow in her own mind as she neared. "I killed him for you." She kneeled before Tara. "You can say he was already half-dead from fright before I ended it. He was begging you know," Lysis smiled.

"I-I," Tara stuttered. "You can't expect me to be happy that you're killing peopl-"

"The man who got your parents? I can find him. I can kill him; I can kill him for you." Her voice echoed into her mind like poison.

She leaned in closer, caressing the younger girl's face.

"I can make him suffer pain you wouldn't even imagine. I could make him cry, beg, for me to end his life, to pay for what he did to you." Leaning in even closer, she whispered into Tara's ear. "I could have him watch in horror as he puts a gun to his head against his will. He can sweat gallons as he watches his finger slowly pull the trigger. He would be sorry. He could pay in full for what he did, and I would do it all for you."

The younger girl felt nauseated, fighting hard to keep her balance even when sitting. "You're evil," Tara managed to say, her heart beat rapidly and her breathing was fast.

"Nonsense, just think of how many people are safe because that man's dead," Lysis stood and walked away, much to Tara's relief. "Think how many more would be safe once the other one's dead."

"It's not your right to play God," Tara muttered as she also rose.

"Then whose is it?" Lysis laughed. "No one can challenge me, no one can conquer me."

"Someone did," Tara stated. "That's the reason you're in my body."

Lysis' smiled vanished instantly and she glowered at Tara. "Yes, and he and that Hypno will get what's coming to them. There's no coming back for them!"

"If there was one, there'll be more who will be able to beat you," Tara continued confidently. "And are you going to keep running? Keep cloning yourself? You can't do that forever."

"I'll do what it takes."

"Even betraying friends? Look how much you've changed," Tara shook her head. She felt she was getting the upper hand, she felt her confidence rising. "You act for yourself! If it doesn't benefit you, you won't bother. You blocked the bullet to save yourself, you killed that man to get money. Don't you dare say it was for me."

"That's the only way to live in this world, Tara. That's the best way to survive, and intend to survive by the abilities I was born with," Lysis replied calmly, sure of her own words.

"So you're not sorry?"

"I'm the best thing to happen to you," Lysis grinned. "I'm not sorry."

"I see…" Tara replied simply. She was through talking, only one solution was available to her, and it would take her a lot of time to do. She would do it though, to reclaim herself, and not let Lysis get the better of her. "Think how many people would be safer without you," Tara thought in her head.

Sensing that the conversation was over, Valaura returned Tara into a conscious state.

-------

"I would tell you that did not go well, but I know you have a motive," Valaura said as Tara took hold of her head due to dizziness.

"The only way to get my body back is to develop these psychic powers that I have. I noticed that I've started using them without meaning to. I need to become stronger than her," Tara said firmly, gazing straight through the wall.

"She has had years of merciless training." Valaura pointed out rather dryly with a raised eyebrow. "And what of your parents?"

"I…" Tara fell silent. Though she loved them dearly, she had only seen them for a few days out of the past four years. She was very sad, but she was at the point where she could only handle only so much before pushing it from her mind. "I miss them…" Tara stated. "But, I can't stop because they're not here. Keep moving, gotta keep moving. That's what I tell people, I figure I should take my own medicine. That's what they would want me to do."

In this moment Tara felt a strange feeling come over her. It was a feeling of utmost peace that she could not describe. It was familiar somehow, and it fought with her negative emotions, strengthening her positive outlook.

Tara looked over at Valaura, whose eyes were following something in the air, as if she were tracking an insect.

After a moment the feeling faded away, leaving Tara bewildered, but more at ease. She wondered what it was. It couldn't have been Valaura, couldn't have. "What was that?" Tara asked.

"What was what?" Val replied, returning her eyes to Tara's own.

"Nothing…"

-------

"So, you are not sorry?" Valaura asked as she and Lysis stood out on the balcony of the penthouse. The Saffron night air was crisp and fresh. Cars rushed by far bellow.

Lysis looked down at the street with a solemn expression. "Of course I am."

"Why did you lie?" Valaura stood beside the young woman, hands resting on the railing.

"Because…" Lysis started. "She's right, it was selfish. I have no excuse for it." She took one of her Strata from its holster on her belt and removed the magazine, looking to see that all the shots were there. "Though, half of me doesn't care. It makes me guilty, but it's true. This life… I couldn't give it up for anything."

The Gardevoir remained silent. She, of course, knew all of these answers, but it was her way to have people admit it so that they could hear themselves say it.

"Don't let anything happen to her…" Lysis turned, looking directly into the psychic's expressionless eyes. "If there's danger, remove the danger, or remove her from it." The teen's blue eyes were full of emotion in contrast to Valaura's, and rather different to how they normally looked when she was in control of the body. In seconds they assumed their mechanical sharpness. "Fabian gave us a good lead on this guy; let's go settle a score," she grinned and vanished, leaving only the hissing of air as it rushed into the space where she once was.

Both beings appeared before a house seemingly in the middle of no where. It was surrounded by trees and the house itself needed some fixing up, though it wasn't too bad aside from the single, boarded up window. The paint had all peeled, leaving just the wood, which was gray from years of exposure to the elements.

"I do wonder where Salem is tonight," Lysis thought aloud as she looked around. "I swear, one second he seems like he wouldn't leave my side for the world, and the next it's like he has his own things to do."

"There is someone in that house." Valaura pointed out, avoiding talking about the ghost and reminding Lysis of the reason she was here.

"Oh, good, let's say hello," Lysis' mouth form into a crooked smile as she walked silently and briskly to the door of the plain house. The boards creaked as she stepped onto the porch. She leaned to one side and knocked twice with the back of her hand.

"Who's there?" replied a voice from inside.

"Just an old friend!" Lysis replied kindly, recognizing the voice as the last voice her real self ever heard. She took a look around the dark house. It smelled dusty, and the boards whined with every breath she took. She closed her jacket to conceal her weapons.

"Don't lie to me, lass," came the voice of a man as he rounded the corner into the foyer, where Lysis and Valaura were. He looked at them for a moment as they looked at him. He was tall, early forties with short brown hair and five-o-clock shadow. He looked fairly muscular and was dressed in simple lounge pants and a tank top.

"Oh, it's you…" he said to Valaura. "And you, you look familiar." He looked back and forth between them a few more times before asking, "Well, what do you want?"

"We knew you when you were back in Team Rocket," Lysis began to craft her words carefully, lacing her them with telepathic impulses as she looked directly into the man's eyes. "You were a major inspiration to me and I was sad to know you left. I wanted to come talk to you for a bit."

"Really?" the man looked harder at her, trying to remember the vagueness of her familiarity.

"Yes, Mr., Mercer, I served under you for a little bit, back when we were doing those missions in the Lavender town area."

"Come in then…" the man's voice trailed as Lysis and Valaura passed by, though the man eyed the Gardevoir warily. "What's she doing here?"

"She's assigned to me," Lysis called back as she took a seat on a moth-eaten sofa. "Where I go, she goes."

"Ah, I didn't realize she was back, well," he replied as he took his seat in a chair opposite, letting his arms fall to the sides, on arm hidden from view. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Why did you leave?" Lysis asked straight-out as she sat with her legs crossed, her hands clasping her knee.

"Didn't quite do it for me anymore," he said. "I did my time there, but I wasn't getting anywhere."

"You had a lot of respect though," Lysis replied.

"Yeah, well, don't care much for that. Got to knock a few heads; it was fun, but that's it," he leaned back, stretching out his arms over the top of the sofa, causing him to burp. "S'cuse me," he managed. Lysis wrinkled her nose. As much as she was enjoying toying with this man, she had a timeframe.

"Where's your Hypno?" she asked, looking around.

The man froze. Slowly he let his arms drop to the sides of the chair.

"I don't have a Hypno," he stated, gripping something unseen with his hand.

"Yes you did, when I last saw you," Lysis replied, pretending not to notice that man was probably ready to blow a hole in her at a seconds notice.

"I only ever had a Hypno once; I was allowed to borrow it for one mission," the man chuckled, resuming as if he weren't on his guard. "Damn useful that thing was, otherwise I never would've taken care of that wench."

Lysis grinned all the more and stood, exposing her jacket to the dim light of the room, letting it opened to reveal her weapons. Suddenly it all came back to the man.

"You!" he pointed with his free arm and stood, bringing out a gun with the other.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Lysis quickly teleported closer, avoiding being shot. She kicked the gun away and grabbed the man by the throat. She lifted him easily into the air, reinforcing her muscles.

"How?" he choked as he grabbed at her arm, legs flailing.

"You have worse things to worry about right now," Lysis smiled, tossing the man like a ragdoll across the room. He hit the floor with a crunch, splintering the wood and possibly more as he tumbled across the floor and into an old armoire.

The girl walked swiftly and lightly across the room in a powerful stride, stepping over debris with ease and pulling out a Strata. The man groaned as she dragged him up with her free hand, pinning him to a wall.

"I could kill you right now," Lysis' eyes were bright as she smiled. "It'd be the fair thing to do; after all, you killed me…" Lysis growled as she pressed the weapon painfully to the man's temple and pulled his hair.

"Then why don't you?" the man winced.

"Because," she started, looking around at the house and at the man. "I could leave you to your pitiful existence here," she withdrew her weapon. "Seems more fitting for a swine like you anyway." She stepped back, allowing him to fall to the floor.

He did not say anything at first, quickly looking around, most likely in search of something he could use as a weapon. Part of him knew that whatever he did would be useless. "You're just going to leave?" he asked, massaging his throat.

"Yes, I'll leave you be. Just don't show your face anywhere ever again," she looked straight into his eyes. After a moment she walked out of the room and out the front door with Valaura following. They both teleported away before Lysis even stepped off of the last step of the porch.

When they reappeared they were in a confined space, a small cabin of sorts. The space was still and the windows showed that there was activity outside. They were in the engine car of a freight train.

"Move, I'm taking over," Lysis told the conductor, who just noticed them and jumped in shock. She placed a hand on his shoulder and vanished for a split second, reappearing without him. "Separate the car, please Valaura," Lysis chimed as she took a moment to look at the controls.

The engine care rumbled and move a bit as it was unlatched from the rest of the train.

"Hnn, let's get started." Lysis smiled as she pulled gloves over her hands. She pulled on a lever and adjusted some of the controls. Before anyone could do anything about it, the head of the train was off down the tracks. The pace was slow at first but they rapidly gained speed as the wheels pumped faster and faster.

The scenery was just rushing by and soon they were in the country, plowing past greens fields and thick groves of trees. The girl pushed a certain lever all the way up and the vehicle moaned as it went even faster, creaking and whining as it skated across the tracks.

"Now let's see if this number Fabian gave us is any good…" Lysis said as she pulled out a piece of paper and a phone. She quickly punched the numbers in and crumbled the paper, letting it drop to the floor.

Ring…

Lysis purred.

Ring…

Lysis looked at Valaura, who simply stood, calmly surveying the area as if she were merely strolling by it, instead of at an unhealthy velocity. Lysis looked ahead to a grove of trees coming up on their right, seeing an old house between the trees.

Ring-

"Hello?" answered the pained voice of a man in his forties.

"Oh, Mr. Mercer?" Lysis asked kindly into the phone as she gripped the console of the machine firmly with her hands, knuckles popping.

"W-what?" came his nervous reply.

"I lied."

The psychic warrior shut the phone and exhorted all of her psychic power into her action. If you were to somehow see the engine car from above, you would've seen it simply vanish.

The train appeared mid-air and continued with its momentum. Lysis had just enough time to see her killer's incredibly confused and fearful face through the window before Valaura teleported her out of the car to a safe distance, just in time to see the train car burrow down into the house and explode.

 

[Chibi]

Hahaha! Train crashing into a house is EPIC. Epic I say!

And even more of poor Tara. But, I wonder how she could enhance her psychic abilities without Lysis knowing, they do share the same mind after all.

 

[Pheonix]

Ooohhh drama in the head! ;D Interesting plot twist you have going on, can't wait to see how it resolves itself! Keep up the good work!

 

[Psycho Monkey]

"Oh, Mr. Mercer?" Lysis asked kindly into the phone as she gripped the console of the machine firmly with her hands.

"W-what?" came his nervous reply.

"I lied."

XD It doesn't get much better than that. Your work is incredible Sem, keep it comin'!

 

[112% Elusive]

I've got to agree with Psycho Monkey.

That was awesome =D

Also, you used some incorrect forms of words.

 

[Teapot]

INCOMING TRAIN! DUCK AND COVER!

Dammit, Sem, you just get better and better. Death-by-train is amazing

 

[Shiny Motley]

... *cries*

Oh my gosh. Lysis is EVIL. I thought she was okay at first, but she's, like, EVIL. I can't comprehend how someone could just do what she wants for her own selfish needs or wants. That's, like... wtheck. *cries*

 

[D]

There is so much Lysis win here I lost count on how much she won XD
She's so evil it makes me feel fuzzy inside. Oh, and Valaura. She gives me fuzzy insides too.

 

[Plapti]

Forgot to read. Just finished. Awesome Sem.

No more than three words per sentence, though this one talking about it isn't.

 

[Linkachu]

She felt like she punched a wall, her fist was held firmly in the older girl's grasp. Lysis smirked and effortlessly pushed Tara away.

ADORE this imagery. So very, very much. But that's not saying much because I'm in love with the entire sequence/exchange between Tara and Lysis. It's just... so... bloody... epic. The dialog was incredibly gripping at times, too. I think this might be my favourite chapter yet ^-^

For having writer's block going into this, it's amazing, Sem. I've pointed things out to you, but it doesn't change the fact that the character interactions were just done so very well... And that final scene? So much win. I less than three Lysis. Don't know whether to call her a protagonist or an antagonist. I want to say "anti-hero", but she's just too fucking evil to be one XD

Happily awaiting the next chapter! ^^

 

[Sem]

RAWR. This one took a bit. It's all your guys' fault. >:0


-Chapter 5-

A few days had passed and Tara had spent them all concentrating solely on the development of her abilities. She had an idea of what she needed to do, having trained with Muku, as well as teaching Fida and Elvia. By now she found she could move small objects. Not really lift them, but she could make them shiver when she willed them too.

Valaura kept her distance, watching with interest as the girl attempted to teach herself. Given time, she could do it, Val did not doubt, though, at this rate it would take years for her to reach Lysis' level.

After a particularly long session, during which Tara sat on the floor facing the glass wall with a small sphere before her, she rose and stretched. The teen released a groan as her muscles worked to keep her in motion. She walked to the kitchen for a glass of water, ignoring Valaura, who sat politely at the table.

"You are doing well," the Gardevoir commented offhandedly as Tara raised the crystal glass to her lips. The girl did not turn, simply shot her gaze over to the psychic and blinked blankly. "You will never get anywhere at this rate, however."

Tara set the glass down gently and placed her hand on Sefer, who had flown in from another part of the room. Tara had allowed most of her Pokémon to roam the penthouse, just so that they would not be ignored. The girl grinned as her mothim fluttered away, knowing that even he had some psychic power.

"I will never understand the minds of insects," Valaura commented as she too watched Sefer ascend towards the ceiling.

Tara shot her another gaze and began to descend the steps back to the main living area.

"That human, Sabrina, she has a school," she remarked as Tara was about to take a seat. "I saw her in person once; I hold a certain respect for her. Here I can feel the vague tendrils of her mind as they snake through her city, but it is so much different up close."

"I don't want to go to a school; my progress will be slow because of the fact that they have to work with everyone at once instead of individually." Tara bent her knees and sat cross-legged. "I need a tutor."

Valaura lifted her head, amused because she knew Tara was too prideful to ask the black-hearted Gardevoir to be her tutor. Even though she had loyalties to Lysis, she wouldn't mind teaching Tara if she did indeed ask her.

"Is it not worth a look? It would only take a few moments."

Tara closed her eyes and inhaled, irritated. "I need money to enroll in a school."

"You have money, quite a lot,"

"Stolen money, I have stolen money," Tara retorted.

"Why does it matter? It is not as if its previous owner obtained obtained it legally, and he almost murdered you. If you do not use it then it will only remain there unused. Put it to good use."

"Fine!" Tara yelled as she stood up, clenching her fists. "Let's go." She grabbed a coat and stood by the Gardevoir, mumbling, "You're as bad as her."

Valaura said nothing and simply placed her hand on Tara. Not even a moment later they were outside of the Saffron gym.

-------

"I don't like it," Tara stated about an hour later as they walked out of the building. "Feels weird, and it felt like everyone was looking straight through me."

"However, now you can confidently say that you explored the option and that you did not approve of it," Valaura commented, gliding silently beside Tara under the afternoon sun. She had to admit to herself that she was growing fond of Tara. The steps she was taking to win herself back, it showed that she was strong, and that she was striving to be stronger. She was regaining herself.

"Is that all? That's what this was about?" the girl asked, turning her head towards the psychic. "What now then?"

"Ask yourself, not I." They walked into a park that was dense with trees and appeared empty of people. "You only require practice, but a tutor could assist you with… ‘fine tuning' your abilities."

Tara was silent for a while as they progressed into the park. She realized she would have to give in. "Would you?" she asked quietly.

Amused, Valaura responded, "I have nothing better to do with my time, so I suppose I could."

The air was silent as they walked. A gentle breeze tugged at Tara's long pony-tail and her dark coat. It seemed very peaceful. A bit too peaceful for Valaura's liking. She closed her eyes, extending her consciousness, finding other minds nearby. It didn't take much probing to find out who they were, or what they wanted.

"Show yourselves!" she commanded calmly yet forcefully.

Figures in black appeared not far off. They looked like a special task force a government would utilize, only red R's were proudly displayed on their uniforms. They approached slowly. They obviously had weapons, though none were drawn.

"State your purpose."

"Her," one of them, obviously the leader, pointed at Tara. "Caused quite a bit of trouble for us,"

"Leave now."

"Quiet, you've caused us a bit trouble as well. She's never alone, this girl, you're always watching or hidden," he growled, slightly muffled from the helmet. "We've had to wait till now to bag her."

"Are you at all intelligent?"

The air rumbled above as clouds quickly converged over their heads, darkening the sky. Valaura stepped out in front of Tara, one hand palm-up, crackling with the power of the electric energy it held, her other arm ablaze with pure psychic power that burned blood-red.

"You're not a goddess, despite what you think," the man chuckled.

In the blink of an eye three pokémon stood around Valaura. One, a vaguely humanoid creature with large ears. It somewhat resembled a fox and held two spoons in its hands. The other was a feline creature with purple fur and a red gem on its brow. A long, forked tail flicked and long ears twitched. The other was very ape-like bipedal creature with yellow fur, white fur around its neck, and a pendulum in its hand.

Three psychics surrounded Valaura, linking their minds in a combined effort to subdue her. She attempted to teleport away, but a Disable from the Hypno ensured that she could not. The four of them stood very still and silent, however, their minds were a battleground as Valaura fought against them for dominance.

"While that bitch is pre-occupied…" the leader mumbled as he advanced around the psychic duel towards Tara.

"Get away from me!" Tara yelled at them. She did not back away and stood her ground, despite being outnumbered and defenseless.

"What are you going to do now, Tara-dear?" echoed a voice within her head.

"Get out of here…" Tara gritted her teeth, staring defiantly at her opposition as she tried to stay in control. Looking around, frantic, she tried to summon up some of her power.

"Ha, you're took weak to help yourself," the voice replied with smuggly.

"Get out!"

"I don't think we will, missy, there's a price on your capture," the squad leader answered, thinking that Tara was talking to his unit.

"Better do something quick! C'mon, Tara, be strong!"

"Leave me alone!" Tara whimpered then, backing away further and giving up her attempt at protecting herself with psychic power..

"Stop your whining and come quietly," the man was getting angry now.

"Get away from me…" Tara looked at them with wild eyes.

"She's going crazy! Better lock her up, boys."

"Stop it!"

"That's enough, come here!" the man shouted.

"And they will lock you up, and you're too weak to do anything about it," the voice echoed with pity.

"Get her before she goes berserk!"

"Don't touch me!" Tara yelled.

"Good thing you have me," she purred.

Tara felt a sharp pain and her vision went white for a moment, and then black.

-------

The man watched as the girl's neck twisted to the side, him having slapped her. She put a hand to her cheek and then looked at the man with cold, calculating eyes. There was a twinge of a smile on her face. "You have no idea how much hell you're in," she said.

Cart-wheeling back, she landed on balls of her feet and used the momentum to spring forward, twisting mid-air and bringing her leg around to the man's head. His life ended as soon as she made contact, breaking his neck and breaking in his skull. She slid on the grass as she landed in front of the rest of the men with an expression on her face that could only be described as ecstasy.

"Kill her now!" the men barked while they un-holstered their weapons and grabbed Pokéballs, taking up precious seconds - seconds they didn't have.

Lysis strode quickly across the little bit of grass separating her from her enemies. With a powerful swing of her leg, aided by psychic reinforcement of her muscles, she connected with a man's ribcage, shattering the side instantly and driving the sharp fragments into vital organs.

Grabbing the top of her latest victim's head, she drove him to his knees and used him as support, flipping into the air. She forced herself down square onto a man's shoulders with her feet, causing him to collapse. She turned, punching straight through a man's helmet before twisted around and slapping another, sending him spiraling several feet back as a pulse of psychic energy resonated from the point of the slap's impact. She continued like this for a few more moments, her movements became rhythmic as she spun, flipped, and twirled. If she were to be rated on her skill with her movement, and how fluid her death-dance was, she'd receive high scores from all judges.

Meanwhile, Valaura was fighting off the three psychics. They assaulted her mind as one, bashing relentlessly against her protective walls. She attacked the weaker of them, the Hypno, in-order to break the chain. After a few minutes she succeeded in penetrating the Hypno's mind while defending her own. The other two flinched from the chain breaking, giving Valaura the opening she needed.

Red energy concentrated in her right arm and hand, pulsing and throbbing as it wished to break free. The Gardevoir aimed her arm at the Alakazam and fired her Psychic attack. The blast sent out rings of red energy in its wake as the attack flew through the air like a beam, hitting the unprepared Alakazam. The fox-like psychic flew back and hit a tree, knocking it out momentarily.

Espeon regained its senses faster than expected and was about to attack when Salem materialized out of the air and tackled the feline.

"There you are," Lysis commented as she walked over to where Valaura and Salem were, the thump of a falling body sounded behind her.

Salem did not acknowledge the woman as he ended the Espeon with a sinister grin.

Lysis did not flinch at the scene and instead turned her gaze to the Hypno, examining him for a while. The yellow pokémon did not move and stood quietly, knowing it stood no chance against the three of them. "You're the one, aren't you?" she asked.

After receiving no response Lysis grinned, loading a machine-gun she had borrowed from a guard. "It's not all bad: you mark the end of my list," she chirped, adding a bounce to her steps as she walked over to the psychic. She stood before it and stared it in the eyes. Looking into the eyes of most psychics was confusing, as there was so much within them that nothing appeared on their surface. However, in its last moments, Lysis sensed fear, and that was all well to her; a perfect end to her revenge. And end it did.

"Let them all fear me," Lysis muttered as she threw the gun down and removed the gloves she had put on.

The Alakazam stirred and opened its eyes in surprise as it was lifted into the air, surrounded by a red aura. "They will have to try harder than this," she stated, holding up her right arm. An explosion of red aura engulfed Valaura, it streamed out of her eyes like smoky wisps.

The Alakazam struggled more against the psychic constraints, but it was useless. There was a silent flash of red that blocked the Alakazam from sight for a few moments, and when it faded, there was nothing left.

Lysis smiled. "Best we get out of here; such theatrics won't go unnoticed," she commented, teleporting away from the scene along with Valaura and Salem.

-------

"I hate her!" Tara roared as she stormed the penthouse.

"She saved your life," Valaura responded flatly and she sat very politely on one of the sofas. "Once again."

"I have to get her out, I gotta get her out," she babbled, walking back and forth in the orange light of the setting sun that streamed through the glass wall. "She saved my life at the cost of a dozen others."

"They were going to kill you."

"So, she didn't save my life! She saved hers!"

Valaura rolled her eyes and decided to look out of the window. Tara was back to where she was: complaining and whining instead of doing something about it.

Tara's Pokémon had crowded around her when she returned back to the penthouse, immediately sensing that something had happened. They weren't quite used to their trainer's new predicament yet. She had told them that there would be times where someone else would be in control of her. There was a distinct difference in Tara and Lysis' personalities for them to notice, but they seemed bewildered all the same.

Tara stood at the sink and downed a glass of water, wiping her brow as she set it down; her fingers trembling as she pried them off of the glass. She walked out of the kitchen and down step, taking a seat at the other couch.

The girl inhaled deeply, "I'm ok, just gotta keep doing what I was doing. Keep training," she turned her head and looked at Valaura. "And you said you would help me."

"Yes I did," she responded, shifting her eyes away from the window towards Tara.

Tara forced a smile, which she quickly chose to withdraw as she sensed a brooding presence behind her. It was pure dread, and despair, and fear. It made her skin crawl.

Salem looked at neither being as he appeared in the room and passed through the glass, phasing out into the outside world.

The females sat in silent for a moment as the feeling that the Haunter had brought to room faded away, allowing Tara to breathe. Valaura wasn't so bad, Tara had to admit. But Salem? Lysis kept odd company, that was for certain.

"Who is Salem?" Tara asked after a moment had passed.

Valaura looked at her, taking a while to respond. "I am not quite certain myself - he is one being that I have not really looked into the mind of." she started. "I do not know why, I simply have not. But I feel something from within him, a sinister thing. His motives are unknown to me or Lysis. He assists her, but often goes off. Sometimes I believe that he joins her simply because of his obsession for killing."

"So he's attracted to Lysis?" Tara asked.

"I believe that would be the reason. I am wary around him to be honest; I know enough about him to know that he has terrible power and no moral limits."

"Like you?" Tara smirked.

"Compared to him, Tara, I am an angel," Val replied grimly, honestly. "I do not kill because I enjoy it, I kill because I must."

Tara sat silent for a moment.

"If it is any comfort, you are one of the safest people in the world between Lysis, Salem, and I - he will let no harm befall you."

"For now maybe; I don't like the vibes I get from him," Tara muttered, hugging herself.

-------

A few months had passed and Lysis had stayed rather dormant, watching Tara live her life. She went out a few times, never saying were, but every time she did there was a large sum of money in her account the following morning. That, coupled with news reports of criminals going missing or being found dead allowed Tara to guess what her 'alter-ego' was up to.

In those few months Tara excelled under Valaura's supervision. She was able to move objects around telekinetically with relative ease, objects that were almost as large as people. She had begun working on her telepathic powers only a few weeks prior. She and Valaura would go to a public place and simply sit as Tara picked out a few minds to glance at. Tara only delved as deep as surface thoughts; things that they were thinking right then and there, and even then she detested invading their privacy. She understood it was one of the best ways for her to practice, though, and continued with to do it.

It was during this time too that she became noticeably happier and was beginning to move on with her life. She began battling again, and though rusty, she picked up fast. Tara went to bed each night with more smiles on her face. She would also receive that strange presence of peace on occasion, helping her further.

-------

"She is doing very well."

"Hmph, good for her," Lysis replied as she leaned her back against the balcony railing. "She's finally doing something for herself instead of moping," she added as she looked up at the moon above.

"She is doing better than I expected as well, but still: it will require quite some time for her to ascend to your level." Valaura faced the city with her hands resting on the railing.

"That doesn't matter. The harder she tries the better for me. The more powerful she is the more capable she is of protecting herself."

"Of protecting you?"

"I don't need protection," she laughed light heartedly. "If she can take care of herself, she won't need you, and then you can go off and do what you please."

"Mmm, except I do not think I would go anywhere."

Lysis paused, looking over at Valaura. "You're fond of her aren't you?" she smiled.

"In my own way I suppose. I admire her for her willingness to fight."

"Like me?"

"Indeed; like you," the Gardevoir blinked. "I have nowhere else to go at any rate."

"Well, just stay here and we can have our merry band of over-powered-beings," Lysis exclaimed with a slight grin as she turned and looked at the buildings. "And may they weep at our might."

"Are you afraid of her?" Valaura asked, ignoring the drama.

"Hm?"

"Of Tara, if the day comes where she can best you."

"If the day comes where she can best me then she deserves to."

A breeze blew through the balcony.

"And no. Not afraid," Lysis looked down at her hands, staring sadly before turning to walk inside. "Just proud."

 

[Linkachu]

... Huh XD
That was not quite the ending I was expecting, but it still played out nicely in my mind. Lysis just proves once more to be an intriguing person.

That said, I adored the mental struggle between Tara and Lysis when the TR agents were advancing. All of these characters are so likeable... I'm finding it hard now to determine which I like most.

And more hints at Salem. Veeeery interested to see where the plot takes him. A lovely description of his nature by Valaura.

The time jump kinda reminds me of the jump you made in the middle of WL. That only leaves me pondering just what's about to occur in the coming chapters...

 

[Shiny Motley]

Just proud, eh? Well, this makes me look at Lysis with a bit more light for some reason. At least she has a heart, one way or another. She sounds like a mother commenting on her kid or something from what she said there. ^^; And as a random side note, I think Valaura's somehow nicer. Maybe it's just me

I'm starting to like this fic more and more; each chapter keeps revealing more, and yet each question answered makes even more sprout up. Like, I used to think Salem was just some random Pokemon of Lysis's. Now, I'm all like, "what the heck is Salem's true intent?" and stuffs.

That little internal struggle between Tara and Lysis was epic. Kinda hard to follow, with the little TR things in between and Tara talking to both Lysis and those TR peoples at the same time. But it went very nicely.

Well done on another chapter, Sem. ^^

 

[Sem]

Ha, it was meant to be confusing, as that's how it would feel irl. Glad you all liked it ^_^ And yes, we'll see what Salem has in mind...

 

[Plapti]

Since when was it my fault. I haven't been around, for what seems to be an ice age now.

That aside, the chapter was awesome. Love the descriptions and the battle scene.

Simply swell.

 

[Pheonix]

Wow, well done Sem! I love character development and you threw heaps at us to digest. Tara slowly improving herself, Valaura showing a softer side, heck even Lysis showing that she isn't a total monster! Great interaction and wonderfully described fight scene. I wait in eager anticipation for the next installment. ^_^

 

[112% Elusive]

I can't really improve on what people have already said on this chapter. nice job Sem. =D

Did Salem suck out the Espeon's Soul or something? That's what I can't figure out XD

 

[D]

Lysis actually cannot think about murder for a minute?! What a twist!

So is Salem going to double-cross Tara or something? Because when Valaura described him (or it), it sort of casted suspicion on him (or it). The way you wrote it, it's like Salem has a hidden reason why he hangs out with Lysis all of the time... Or is it just me?

As always, can't wait for the next chapter. ^^

 

[StellarWind Elsydeon]

Took me long enough to get back to reading this... >>;

Really liking this story so far, Sem. Just the right amount of What-The-Flying-Fuck-Was-THAT to make things interesting. Lysis is a VERY interesting character - and yes. I am looking forward to see what else happens in this story. ^^

 

[Sem]

This one turned into a lol-fest. XD I hope you all enjoy.


-Chapter 6-

"Focus."

"Alright…" Tara closed her eyes, breathing in softly before opening them again. She was facing Valaura with her feet slightly apart, her arms held out before her, loose but ready.

Without warning a large vase flew through the air at Tara.

Tara shifted her stance, stretching out her left arm. She used her telekinesis to stop it and set it down gently, just in time to catch a chair coming at her from the right.

"Ha, this isn't so bad," Tara breathed heavily.

"We'll see…"

A cushion flew from the sofa towards Tara, who instead of stopping it was only able to dive out of the way. The cushion was followed by another chair along with a plate. Tara stood her ground and stopped both, making sure to be extra careful with the plate.

Again the large vase moved from where Tara left it and flew at her. Again she stopped it, though needing to exert more force as it had been thrown harder this time. Tara managed to stop it and forced it away but it came back, circling around her before having its course redirected away by the girl. She jumped away as it returned and then pushed at it with her telekinesis.

The vase stayed completely still in the air as Valaura exercised more force. Tara stayed firm, pushing against Valaura. The Gardevoir exerted her power as hard as she thought the human could handle, not surprised when cracks appeared on the surface of the object and shattered.

Tara rested her hands on her knees and caught her breath. "That looked very expensive…" she commented, moving a lock of hair out of her face.

"If Lysis was actually fond of it she could acquire four of them without paying a dime," Valaura blinked dismissively.

"Right…"

Again they resumed their practice. The practice was something that occurred daily, most of the time more than once per day. It allowed Tara to better control her power, since the nature of the exercise forced her to act quickly.

"You are almost ready to perform blindfolded."

Tara paused. "…What?"

At that moment she was assaulted by every single pillow in the room, forcing her to the ground.

"Almost…" Valaura replied with a hint of amusement.

Tara was splayed out on her back with her eyes closed, everything was completely silent.

Then laughter.

The girl chuckled as she stood, smoothing out her clothes. Valaura looked at her strangely.

"What is so amusing?"

"Nothing," Tara smiled as she lifted her arms, moving all of the cushions back to their proper places, as well as all the other projectiles from the last round. After that she got her coat and turned to the Gardevoir. "Let's go on to the telepathic training."

-------

"And that one, what is he feeling?" Valaura asked, darting her eyes at a man passing by her and Tara as they sat at a table in a mall. They were in a food court and many people all around them. The smells of different types of food wafted into their noses, always with the dull roar of all the shoppers in the background.

"Bored, wants his wife to finish shopping so they can go home," Tara answered telepathically as well she sat opposite of Valaura, eyes closed.

"And the small child?" Val continued, directing Tara's attention to a young human that sat close by.

"Feeling guilty for just putting gum under one of the tables."

"The old woman?"

"Wishes she was young enough to wear one of the dresses on display,"

"Young man in oversized clothes?"

"Wary, doesn't want anyone to know he stole some cell phone covers."

"Young woman at the table near us,"

"Happy, she thinks her new boyfriend to be caring and a perfect match for her,"

"And her boyfriend?" the Gardevoir moved to the man in the seat next to the woman, who looked at her as she spoke.

"He wants-" Tara's eyes fluttered opened and she coughed.

"Do not answer," Valaura replied with a sigh. "You are doing this quickly and efficiently, very good. It is good to be aware at all times, aware of the feelings around you. They will be your first and best warning for any sign of danger. Being empathetic to those around you is simple, and is not mentally straining in most cases. There are times when there will come to be too many or some too strong that you must block them out, but try not to do this."

Tara nodded, listening intently, taking in every single word, opening her mind to allow the emotions of others to come in.

"As you practice you will be able to keep the emotions at bay while still in reach, still readable when your attention is shifted towards them."

She nodded again, even now shifting through the various emotions. There were happy emotions as well as sorrow and anger, glee, shame, longing. It wasn't very hard, she could get used to it. She went through more, expanding her reach. Mischief, love-

Tara blinked again.

The teen checked the emotion again. It wasn't at all like the others; there was a hint of malice, of ill-will. She tracked it, locating the source - a man, above them on the second level, though not at all far away from her and Val. Tara probed further, going deeper into the mind in search of actual thoughts.

"We might have some trouble," Tara heard him say in his mind as he also spoke verbally into a small device hidden in his collar. "Like you said, that Gardevoir is with her." Tara moved further in, being as discreet as possible, focusing on what the man was looking at, though she already had a fairly good idea.

Tara receded from the man's brain and into her own.

"Just our luck," she muttered as she receded from the man's mind and back into her own. "Valaura," she whispered.

"He has been there this whole time," the psychic replied dryly.

"Then why are we still here?" Tara hissed, eyes wide.

"The intent is there, but also know that there was no emotion to suggest he was about to take action."

"So what? We should be going," Tara stood, pushing in her metal chair, causing it to make a screech on the granite tile.

Valaura shrugged and rose most elegantly, pushing in her chair without a sound and walked off after Tara. They winded casually through the tables and into the crowd, exiting the mall out into a busy street. Tara checked the emotion again, feeling that it a bit faint, but the man was definitely on the move.

"Why don't we just teleport?" she asked as they paused at a stoplight.

"Why should I be forced to teleport in the face of danger? If they wish to face me, then by all means I will let them, and may whatever deities they serve be with them."

"I'm not as confident as you are," Tara replied as she looked down at her feet. The signal turned white, allowing them to cross. They continued walking for a quite some time until they reached the quieter parts of Saffron. The man had been joined by a couple of others and they had been following along behind them at a safe distance.

Soon the two females were on a wide and quiet street. Some houses and some small businesses stood on either side. Few people were out, some in the yards, others walking in and out of the shops.

"This isn't the way back to the penthouse…" Tara murmured. Though she knew that already, the penthouse wasn't at all far from the main downtown area, being on the outskirts of downtown itself.

Valaura stopped and turned to Tara, making gestures with her hands that would seem to imply some sort of reasoning had she also been speaking - but she was totally silent, vocally and telepathically. She nodded her head twice and then vanished.

Tara stood looking at the empty space where Valaura stood. "What?" she whispered, confused. She darted her eyes around, turning her head, unsure if she should continue walking. While she was deciding, the screeching of tires was heard and she turned around, watching a black van pull up in the middle of the street. The side door slid open and three men stepped out. Tara looked them over quickly, noting they seemed almost identical to the Team Rocket agents from before.

"You're all alone now," the middle one said as he loaded a dart into his weapon.

Tara took one look at the weapon, realizing it would put her out in a matter of seconds if the dart managed to break her skin. There was nothing she or Lysis could do if that happened, and who knew what situation they would be in once she woke up. It was definitely in her best interest to avoid being shot and to avoid capture.

She looked around, panicked at first, but soon fixed her gaze on the men and took a stance; her feet slightly apart and her hands held out loosely but ready to act on a moment's notice. "You're ready for this, you're ready for this," she told herself over and over.

"This will make sure you give us no problem, girly, which is good; the higher-ups want to talk to you."

"No way I'm letting you do that," Tara stated strongly, lifting her chin, her eyes defiant.

Slow motion then. The man had simply shook his head, aimed briefly, and fired. To Tara this happened very slowly, as she was mentally keeping up with his every movement, down to every muscle involved in the action. Swiftly and forcefully she threw out her left arm straight in front of her. The red-tipped dart whizzed through the air straight towards its target. By the time it had reached Tara's hand a half-sphere of blue energy had formed, faintly visible in the brightness of the day. The tranquilizer hit the shield and bounced off, tumbling and twirling wildly through the air and landing harmlessly on the ground. The impact had caused ripples in the psychic shield, the rolls went to the very edge of the barrier and then vanished, along with the shield.

The man looked dumbfounded at the girl for only a moment before realizing what he had seen.

"Don't let her escape!" he yelled and all three of the men fired tranquilizers. They too knew that there were different things to this girl. Right now she was in her helpless state, her 'weaker' personality. Of course, she hadn't exactly been weaker just then, so either the weaker personality was getting stronger, or the other personality had taken over. Either way, she had to go down.

By then Tara had managed to duck behind a couple of trash cans on the street, wincing as the darts bounced off the aluminum of the containers. She took hold of one of the lids, breathing heavily. Tara looked around one can to locate her foes and then threw the lid at them like a Frisbee, only much faster thanks to her telekinesis. The men dived out of the way as the top of the can flew towards them, hitting and digging into the side of the black van. The lid clattered to the ground.

Tara had ducked back behind the trash cans after that once more, and by the time she looked out again the men had split up, with two of them coming around. She pursed her lips and then tossed both trash cans at different angles, each one towards a different Rocket agent. The action sent garbage flying everywhere, but it caused her enemies to do the same, scattering away from her.

The teen ran to a manhole as the agents reloaded their weapons, ripping the heavy disk of metal from the street and holding it out in front of her like a shield, a faint blue glow around the object's circumference. This probably wasn't her best move, the cover was heavier than she realized. Another dart whizzed past her and another pinged off of her makeshift shield.

This unit was obviously better trained than the last, despite their fewer numbers. They moved with quick, sure steps, always in communication with each other. By now several people had come out of their homes and shops, half-staring, half-fleeing from the scene. Quite a few were talking into cell phones hurriedly, no doubt calling the police.

Tara hoped that they wouldn't take long, she wasn't so sure of herself at the moment. Another dart came, one which she was just barely able to deflect by moving the manhole cover. The object was heavy, and had she been any slower the fight would have ended and she would have been taken to gods knew where. Her breathing quickened and she started to panic even more.

"If you can just stall, they'll be forced to leave before the police get here," she thought to herself. The men indeed weren't expecting this much of a fight, thinking they could anesthetize her before she could turn into the psycho-killer-personality. Despite their sure movements, sweat from worry dampened their brow.

It was then that Tara experience the strange sensation of peace come over her. It was mingled with confidence, and she felt it somehow boost her own strength. "Right," she thought. "You've come too far to give up like this."

Focusing her mind, everything but her and her adversaries vanished. The lid moved about her where she directed, blocking darts very efficiently as it darted around quickly. Confident, she threw the metal circle at the leader, who had rushed in to stand before her, forcing him to roll out of the away as the object dug even more fiercely into the van, breaking through the metal with a screech and even broke through the other side of the vehicle and skidded and groaned as it slid against the asphalt and pinged off the curb.

The two other men tried again with the tranquilizers. The darts were stopped mid-air by Tara and were turned around and fired back at the men. They didn't even see it coming and they stared curiously at the red barbs sticking from their bodies before falling to the ground in heaps.

Nostrils flaring with her effort, Tara took hold of the sedated bodies with her power and rolled them across the asphalt towards the leader, who received the same treatment with a dart picked up from the ground. She forced the bodies back into the van and walked to the driver, leaning against his door with her arm resting on it.

"Drive," she instructed with a serious frown. The driver did just that and the squealing of tires sounded through the neighborhood.

Tara stood there watching the car drive off. She realized that she had just faced three of them on her own, and she came out on top. Tara couldn't help but allow a small smile to form on her face as she looked at her hands, which had commanded such strength.

Tara felt the warm brush of air caress her face before leaving once more.

She smiled bigger for some unknown reason and then looked around again, paying no mind to the very confused faces peering out at her from barely open doors and window-blinds. The teen began walking in the general direction of the penthouse. A strange noise sounded behind her as she started walking. She turned and saw Valaura standing there.

Silence was held for a few moments as the psychics stared at each other.

"You vanished so they would attack me didn't you?" Tara finally asked, leaning to one side and crossing her arms.

"Indeed." Valaura nodded her head. "I was close by however, so nothing could have gone wrong."

Tara nodded.

"You did well."

Nodding again Tara took noticed of the pink box Valaura held in her arms. It was cardboard and the top of the box was held down by a single piece of tape. Tara covered her mouth, suppressing her need to laugh.

"Are those donuts?" she asked, failing to hide her grin.

"Yes they are," Valaura answered flatly.

A giggle escaped the girl's mouth. "Why do you have a box of donuts with you?

"I understand that it is customary for humans to indulge in fattening sweets after achieving certain accomplishments," she responded matter-of-factly.

"So…" Tara started, still giggling at the image of the dark and imposing Valaura holding a hot pink box full of donuts, "You got me donuts because I managed to tranquilize some guys and escape from a pretty dangerous situation?"

Valaura nodded.

"Did you buy these?"

"Of course."

Tara could not help but laugh openly at the mental image of Valaura walking very gracefully into some dinky donut shop and ordering a dozen of the pastries.

"I can return them if you do not like them," the gardevoir responded a bit sharply, even though she knew Tara wasn't actually rejecting the donuts and instead laughing at her.

"No, no," Tara grinned, taking the box and undoing the tape. "I love donuts." She took one covered in chocolate icing and bit into it. After she swallowed her bite she cleared her throat and looked at the Gardevoir. "Thank you," she bowed her head.

Valaura nodded and started walking, eager to get away from the awkward situation she had found herself in. Tara turned around and caught up, lifting the box to the psychic. "Want one?"

Valaura stopped, looking at the container of assorted pastries as if each one might wish for her destruction.

"Perhaps later."

-------

"Is that so?" Lysis asked, squinting up at the afternoon sky as a breeze played with her hair. They were on a rooftop, overlooking a certain street and she had a black tarp over her head.

"Yes, she did quite well. A bit clumsy, but she will become accustomed to her abilities in time," Valaura responded as she stood over Lysis, who was sitting near the ledge of the rooftop. The Gardevoir looked elegant as ever in the afternoon light, the wind also causing her short hair to sway and her 'dress' to flow, as well as toy with the dark cloak she had around her, shrouding most of her appearance from view, making her appear simply human at a distance.

"Well, that's good," Lysis replied absent mindedly as she put a stand of sorts before her. "Seems you're quite the teacher," the ex-agent added as she played with the knobs on the tripod, adjusting the height.

"She has had personal experience already; she understood what to look for," Valaura stated, attempting to imply that her role in the matter was minimal.

"Even so," Lysis said with a lowered voice as she reached for a napkin on her right, lifting it to her mouth and taking a bite of the food wrapped within the paper cloth. "Who brought donuts by the way?" she asked after she had swallowed, making sure no stray crumbs remained on her face.

No answer.

Lysis placed the food down and looked to her other side, hefting a large object out of a black case and placing it onto the tripod with ease. "Been waiting to try this out…" Lysis muttered as she adjusted the scope on the sniper rifle she had purchased a few months prior.

"Who is this new target?" Valaura asked, looking at the weapon for only a brief moment before peering down at the street below.

The young woman shrugged. "No one special. Just a fat, rich man - a fat, rich man who's far too rich," she paused, adjusting another knob on the stand as she viewed the street with the scope, "and also way too fat."

Lysis was aiming at the opposite side of the street from atop their building, which was surrounded by plenty of taller buildings. She had no doubt already been spotted and authorities alerted. Police forces were no doubt on their way in squad cars and perhaps even a helicopter. They would have Growlithe and Arcanine to track her scent and even attack if necessary. There may even be a swat team or two.

She smiled at this thought, for it did not worry her.

The cloaks would hide their faces and appearances from facial and body scans, and Valaura had an invisible psychic barrier around Lysis to protect her from psychics detecting her own psychic signature. Valaura did not worry about herself in this matter, for she could shield her psychic power so much that it was all focuses into her mind, not in the rest of her body or outside of it, thus leaving about as strong a trace as a normal human, which wasn't all that strong.

The young woman put herself into a proper position and moved the rifle, searching for her man. She located him inside an office of sorts on a lower level of the building opposite them. He was indeed a large man with a balding head, wearing a gray suit. He had taken a metal case from the desk before him and was talking the individual behind it, who was unseen due to a wall. After a moment the man left the office, appearing only a few minutes later in front of the building, exiting out the front entrance.

Lysis grinned and applied a bit more pressure to the trigger, waiting for the perfect shot.

The man looked around, jowls flapping along after his chins as his small eyes looked for his transport. After a mere moment an expensive looking car pulled up along side the curb, a side door opened to allow him entrance.

"Here we are," Lysis whispered, pulling the trigger at the exact moment a that small girl bumped into the man accidentally, causing him to move.

The shot missed.

Lysis blinked.

Valaura stared wide-eyed at the scene for a moment, before her expression returned to normal and focused on Lysis.

Lysis blinked again in disbelief.

By now panic had sprung from the area and people ran in all directions. The target had scrambled into the car, which had started moving before all his bulk was even inside.

"I missed."

"Yes, I saw…" Valaura answered. "Though, had it not been for the girl, you would not have."

"Yes, I know, but I missed. I haven't missed a shot since my early training days," Lysis had sat up by this point.

"Your quarry is escaping," the psychic said in attempt to get the girl back on track. "Along with the money," she said the magic word.

Lysis blinked once more. "Yes, yes," she stood, looking at the street. She heard sirens in the distance as well as the beats of a helicopter rotor. The girl could also sense a team making their way up to the roof; they were only two flights of stairs away from bursting through the door. "Do me a favor and get my toy back home; I'm still planning to have my fun."

Valaura nodded and called the equipment to her with her telekinesis, teleporting away. Lysis did the same, leaving only the tarp and a crumb-riddled napkin behind.

Lysis appeared on the street, walking quickly after a man who was running to his parked car. Before he could even close it she stopped the door, holding it open with her left hand as she pulled him out with her right.

"W-what are you doing?!" the man yelled as he fell back onto the concrete.

Lysis whipped her head around to look at him as she slid into the seat. Her face could be easily ready as "what does it look like I'm doing?" Still the man looked utterly confused. "I'm stealing your car, dude, tough luck," she cocked her head and clucked her tongue, putting the keys into the ignition. Valaura appeared in the passenger seat looking perfectly calm as usual.

"I hope I still remember how to drive one of these," the girl muttered as she shifted into reverse and looked out the back window.

"I have heard it said that it is like riding a bicycle: you never forget," Valaura stated.

The car stopped abruptly as Lysis shifted the gear into drive and went out into traffic.

"That's good, though, I've never actually ridden a bicycle…" she swung her head and smiled, putting her foot down hard on the gas. Screeching tires pierced the ears of everyone as the duo sped off in a bright-yellow car, weaving through traffic. "Now where is he…" Lysis purred looked around constantly, avoiding other cars and pedestrians and all manner of objects and children.

Sirens blared behind them.

Lysis simply glimpsed her mirror, seeing the red and blue lights flashing behind them. She swerved, rounding a corner. "Told you I would have some fun."

After a few moments of excessive speeding she spotted her target once more, rounding another corner up ahead. She lifted her head, looking out in front of her, seeing the area leading up to the turn free of vehicles. She gripped the wheel fiercely, turning her knuckles white. A split second later they were in the area she had seen. More screeching of tires and she rotated the wheel hard in order to make the turn. Valaura simply stared out the window blankly throughout all of this, as if she wasn't sitting next to a sociopathic person speeding through busy streets with police on their trail, and was merely sitting on some bench in the park, looking at the trees.

"I'm probably more likely to be on the six o' clock news now," she commented as she sped up even more to catch up with the car. The target was even closer now, and the driver obviously more frantic to get away, swerving through traffic whenever they could. The huntress looked out in front of her again, seeing another empty space up ahead and teleporting the car there. Now she was practically right behind the man's car.

"Right-o, I'm going in to get my money, I trust you can take care of our noticeable-as-the-sun car?"

"Certainly," the Pokémon nodded.

Lysis vanished from the driver's seat, reappearing in the man's car in the seat next to him.

Meanwhile the man who just had his car stolen had finally stood up, mashing buttons on his cell phone and fuming as he started walking away. Before he had walked even a few steps there was a massive crash as his car was dropped into its original spot from the sky.

Back in the car Lysis had pulled out a Strata and held it up to the man's head. The man was leaned up against his side of the car, chubby fingers held up in the air and his chin threatening to consume the lower half of his face. Lysis had instructed the driver to keep driving.

"W-what d-do you want?" He was sweating bullets and breathing heavily with his mouth agape, stealing as much air as he could.

Lysis answered him with a face that could easily be read as, "Oh, come on." She rolled her eyes.

Still, the man's eyes darted too and fro, wanting to avoid locking with hers as his previous question still hung on his expression.

"I hate people," Lysis held her forehead with her free-hand, looking down at her lap.

"D-don't k-kill me!" His face was utterly white at this point.

"I want your money!" Lysis yelled, pressing the barrel against his head as she bit down her lower lip.

"M-money!?" he fumbled around, searching within his rolls of fat for his pocket, and struggling as he forced his hand inside, and straining as he pulled it out. He threw something onto her lap.

She looked down at the wallet, her finger literally trembling on the trigger of her gun.

She inhaled and exhaled slowly.

"I want the case, the me-tal case," she said slowly, annunciating each syllable.

"Th-that's just d-diamonds," he replied hastily. "Th-the money's in my wallet!"

Lysis flung her head against the head-rest. "I want the diamonds too!"

The man nodded, causing his whole face to jiggle. He wedged the case free from underneath his legs and gave it to her.

Taking it, she looked at the combination lock on the front. "How do I op-en it?"

"Y-you need the combination."

How she stopped herself from shooting this man she did not know.

"What is the com-bi-na-tion?" she asked with her eyes closed through clenched teeth, not even facing him as she still held the Strata at him.

"It's o-on a piece of paper in my p-pocket,"

A minute passed before he was able to produce it.

Lysis snatched the paper from his sweaty hands, quickly putting in the proper numbers and opening the case. Her angry expression softened for a moment as the dazzle of diamonds played across her face. "Very good," she nodded, shutting the case.

Begrudgingly she turned to face him speaking to him as she reached into his mind. "You will not remember me after I leave your car." Her voice was hypnotic as she telepathically ordered his brain to do so once she left.

She put the Strata away took hold of the handle of the metallic container. "Pleasure doing business with you, fatty." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"B-business? What are you giving me in return for the diamonds?" he sounded slightly intrigued, aside from his fear.

Lysis' mouth formed a harsh flat line. "Your life," she answered after a moment, forcing a smile and patting the gun-holster at her hip. The thief grabbed his wallet, about to offer it back at him, before taking it back, opening it, removing the bills inside, and then flinging it at his head, where it was deflected harmlessly away by his layer of face-fat. With that she vanished, and the man spent the rest of his way home wondering where his diamonds had gone and why his driver, who had been silent during the whole ordeal due to fear, was asking him so many questions.

 

[D]

"I WANT YOUR MONEY!"

I WANT TO LAUGH SO HARD BUT I'LL STOP BREATHING! ;-;

Lol-fest indeed. I can't imagine how fat the fatty is looking at how much fat he has :0 This is probably one of my most favorite chapters yet, despite Valaura offering Tara donuts... That's just wrong.

But on the other hand, I saw more Lysis win which made me die... again XD

 

[Tatile]

Oh lovely Lysis, she really is a charmer, isn't she?

As fun and as intriguing as I've come to expect from you Sem, though I do often wonder how Tara's body can cope with what Lysis does to it sometimes.

 

[Pheonix]

Awesome chapter Sem, definitely for the lulz. Neat how you show the training progressing and you always have to appreciate a well executed and befuddling robbery in broad daylight. Kudos! I eagerly await the next chapter!

 

[Shiny Motley]

Donuts, fat man, Lysis kind of acting like a baby by yelling, "I WANT YOUR MONEY!"... this was an epic chapter indeed, Sem. And definetly a lol-fest. XD

I'm getting some sort of idea that Tara's a bit like Lysis now... but then again, they always had their similarities, no?

"Who is this new target?" Valaura asked, looking at the weapon for only a brief moment before peering down at the street below.

The young woman shrugged. "No one special; just a fat, rich man; a fat, rich man who's far too rich," she paused, adjusting another knob on the stand as she viewed the street with the scope, "and also way too fat."

Loved that so much. Especially the last sentence.

 

[Psycho Monkey]

That was a fun chapter Sem. I think my favorite part was when Lysis starts talking syll-a-bol by syll-a-bol so Fatty McFat Fat could understand her.

Tara beating those Rockets was another favorite I had.

I wonder though, was the girl bumping into the fat man coincidence or was she saving him? I ask because you throw in these twists all the time.

 

[Sem]

XD Nah, just a coincidental accidental bump by a hyper girl out of her mother's reach.

 

[Sem]

Double post w00t. I was working on this all night/mourning (Yes I said mourning instead of morning.) XD This isn't teh lulz but I hope you'll like it all the same.


-Chapter 7-

Tara awoke slowly, not wanting to remove herself from under the covers of her bed. She felt warm, not unpleasantly so, in fact it was quite the opposite. The girl found herself smiling as she felt a strange warmth move over her. It felt utterly familiar and comforting and almost real, like she could reach out and touch the small figure that she saw forming in the air.

She opened her eyes.

Tara blinked, looking at her arm that was outstretched before her towards the ceiling. The warm feeling had gone.

"A dream?" she thought to herself as she lazily rolled out of bed. Her feet dragged along on the plush carpet as she made her way to the bathroom for a shower.

Taking a towel, she dried her hair as best as she could with it and then let it hang about her head, dampening her top. She glanced quickly out the window of the bedroom as she slipped into some slippers. It was late in the morning, but a gentle breeze blew through the open glass doors, causing the curtains to billow.

Yawning and stretching, she walked out into the main area of the penthouse. She smiled as she was greeted immediately by her Pokémon; Sefer, as well as her Drapion and Carnivine. T, her unown, floated around in its own world as usual, stopping only to blink at Tara before resuming its examination of the mineral-veins in the marble wall, as if within them lay the secrets of the universe. The trainer's remaining two Pokémon; Namoraw, her Tentacruel, and Amaro, could not be let out in the penthouse.

She felt guilty about Namoraw, and promised him that she would take him to a body of water that day. He was too big for the luxurious bathtub or the fountain, and even though the building had a pool; the Tentacruel did not like the chlorine, and could not very well process the chemical through his body without causing him some sort of harm.

As for Amaro… buildings were never designed with Onix in mind.

Valaura was standing out in the middle of the room with her eyes closed, obviously meditating; though the commotion of greetings caused her to snap her eyes open. Tara's Pokémon gave the psychic her space, but weren't exactly afraid so much as respectful of her.

"Good morning," the Gardevoir greeted the human as well.

"Yes, good morning," Tara nodded as she went up the steps to prepare a breakfast, which was simply a bowl of cereal just like every morning, to start off with at least. Her appetite rarely stopped her from making a, as a Hobbit would say, second breakfast, which usually consisted of something heavier and far more delicious.

Tara took the bowl and sat down at the table, noticing a slip of paper. She took the paper, recognizing it as a receipt for a bank deposit. It was her bank account, or, the one Lysis had provided her. About to take a bite of cereal, her spoon clattered onto the table as her eyes widened. The balance, it was unbelievable.

"She deposited money into your bank account yesterday," Valaura informed as she picked a rather large berry from a bowl on the kitchen island. "If you are interested then you should read today's newspaper; or watch last evening's six o' clock news: Lysis recorded it."

Tara shook her head. "I don't need to; I can only imagine what happened." She finally took a bite of her breakfast. "A few more illegal actions from her and I'll have enough money to be set for life," she rolled her eyes and remembered the older girl's words, in which she had said exactly that.

Nothing was said as Tara ate her cereal, her crunching silently filling the air as she stared curiously out the window.

"It is a lot of money though isn't it?" Tara said finally, looking again at the receipt as if to make sure.

"I suppose it is," Valaura had finished half of her berry by this time.

"It's there, might as well use it right?" Tara was reasoning with herself at this point. "Yep, I'm going to use it."

"We do not require more food; we are out of space," Valaura said sarcastically, knowing full well that wasn't the girl's intent.

"No, no, not food. A house," the girl corrected as she put the bowl into the sink. "I'm going to buy my parents house."

"You should hope that it is still on the market,"

"I've been checking - no one seems interested," she explained.

"Why do you wish to have it? Do you wish to live there?"

"I don't think I could live there… But, the memories, and who knows, maybe someone will need a place to stay?"

Valaura shrugged lightly.

Tara spent the remainder of the morning and a good part of her afternoon in contact with an agent. Tara had produced all of Lysis' information; since her ID said she was old enough. Tara set up a meeting with an agent that week, meeting with them in Sinnoh and starting on paperwork. Everything went smoothly and everything was soon sorted out.

"Well that wasn't too hard…" Tara explained as she and Valaura appeared back at the penthouse after it was all said and done. It would take a few weeks for the paperwork to go through and be officially finalized, the house was practically hers. The girl plopped herself onto one of the sofas, sighing contently.

"Congratulations, I am happy for you," Valaura expressed as she too settled into a seat.

Tara was quiet for a moment, contemplating the Gardevoir's words.

"Are you really?" Tara asked.

"Happy? Of course."

The human smiled as she lay back across the cushions, her forearm resting on her forehead. "You've changed."

Valaura blinked, shifting her gaze to actually look at the girl. "What do you mean?"

Tara shrugged, her arm now acting as a shield for her eyes as the orange sunlight of the dying day flowed through the windows. "I'm just noticing that you've changed. A few months ago you wouldn't have cared what I did."

The discolored psychic looked away, staring uncertainly out the window. No one spoke, and the Gardevoir's mind was full with thoughts. Her eye moved back to the girl, showing her the uncertainty she. She looked like she dearly wished to say something, but was forcing herself not to for the life of her.

"I…"

Tara stirred; sitting up to looked at the Gardevoir directly. Valaura had never shown this behavior before. "You can tell me…" Tara said softly, not wanting to stop the psychic from admitting anything.

"I have…" Valaura closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "I have grown fond of you."

Tara's expression became puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Valaura's eyes darted about the room. "In these past months in your company, I have grown fond of you, your personality, your person, your behaviors,"

Tara's mind was reeling. Ice-cold, black-hearted Valaura was melting.

"I admire your strength and your resolve, your humor, your determination in the face of depressing odds," Valaura looked out the window once more. "I am fond of you… I mean to say…" she inhaled again. "I… I care about you."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

As if even the world had stopped to listen.

As if time and the universe itself had stopped to listen, ready to implode at any moment.

Before Tara could respond the Gardevoir teleported away without a word.

-------

Valaura did not return till later that evening, after the sun had set and moon had risen. Tara prepared a dinner in silence; cooking some steaks as well as she could on the barbeque, which was out on the balcony. She made two for herself and quite a few for Drapion and Carnivine.

The girl also ate in silence, curled up on the couch with her plate pretending to be watching TV when Valaura walked in from the balcony. They eyed each other briefly before Valaura began to hastily walk away.

"Wait!" Tara called out.

Valaura stopped moving, her back turned to Tara. She looked over her shoulder, using her eyes to ask ‘What?'

Tara fumbled for the remote, shutting off the TV and setting the plate down on the coffee table. "Let's talk."

The psychic made to turn around, though paused as if she were questioning herself, before turning around fully and walking over to Tara. They sat in more silence as Tara looked for what words to say.

"I am sorry," Valaura started instead. "I should not have left; but I did not feel comfortable. I felt exposed, it was unpleasant,"

"Unpleasant to express yourself?" Tara asked, derailed. "What happened to you? Really, what happened to you? You're unlike any Gardevoir I've seen or heard of. Never mind your power, but your personality…"

"I was not always so…" Valaura's vision went out of focus as she stared at Tara, as though she were not actually looking at Tara but at the past.

"What happened?" Tara repeated, looking earnestly at the Gardevoir.

"I was young, very young… not even two years of age, but I was old enough to know how it felt to be close to someone, to become attached. When I was captured and brought to Team Rocket, I met a boy, likely only a bit younger than you at the time…"

"I had just begun to be experimented on, to test new advances in the Team Rocket technology. The tests were painful and both physically and mentally straining; I'm certain I only barely survived each one. The boy was a new recruit, a homeless boy picked off of the street with the promise of purpose and opportunity. He wasn't the type, he didn't belong there. He had stumbled across me as I was being led back to a cell for rest. I must not have looked well, because he snuck into my cell with some food sometime after, and offered me water out of a bottle."

"He would do this constantly, whenever he could. He would talk with me for as long as he thought he could risk. He would tell me silly things, from emotions that he felt to how his day was, to more serious issues, such as his feelings on Team Rocket and his duties. Many times he would share memories with me, both amusing and sorrowful. I enjoyed his company, very much, it was the only thing I looked forward to day to day. I communicated back with him when I could - I was still learning English, picking up words as I heard them. I became very attached to him, fiercely loyal. We were friends, good friends, and he would tell me that he would find a way to escape with me."

"One day, he was caught. The officers became furious with him, since I was part of a secret project. I remember that one went to harm him… I do not remember what happened then, only that I had managed to completely destroy the binds holding me and almost killed several of the guards. I was still a Ralts at the time, but even then I had power, and more so because they had wished to harm the boy. They managed to sedate me somehow…"

"I never saw him again. It was not till years later when I read over his file to discover his fate. He had been eliminated."

"Of course, I did not act out in anger then, since I had blocked major details of the incident from my mind; I do not recall any emotions I felt, towards him or anyone else, or the faces of people involved, I did not even remember what he looked like until I reviewed his profile. I blocked it all out, it was too painful to live with otherwise. I erased from my mind the memory of how it felt to care or to love. I erased my memory of many feelings, along with most of my memories of the boy. I only remember that we were friends, and even then I forced myself to forget what that word even meant, what that sensation even felt like. I only remember that he would speak with me, I remember barely anything he told, or anything that I told him."

"The experience made me the way I am now…" she said, sitting absolutely still, eyes coming back into focus.

Tara listened quietly, taking it all in and trying to imagine this in her head. Valaura was silent for a moment, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion. Tara thought she felt the room tremble.

" I lost my resolve, opting never to become close to any person. The only thing I did was focus on my training."

A gust of wind slammed against the windows.

"I do not know why, but they became my obsession; my powers. Perhaps I did it for him; if I was stronger I could have protected him. Part of my suppressed subconscious knew that had I been more powerful, I could have killed them men who found him and escaped with him just like he wanted."

The sky rumbled above them as the patter of rain drops fell against the glass.

"I succeeded in my efforts… look at me now."

Tara came to believe that Valaura was not consciously aware she was implementing her powers. Valaura began levitating and objects in the room began to shift.

"I can protect anyone now, and most certainly myself. I will kill all who try to hold me down, destroy those who wish to harm me or anyone I chose to care for."

Her eyes went completely red, crimson energy streaming from her eyes like smoke as power coursed through her body. The Gardevoir's mouth fell open as her body convulsed. Things began floating in the air, orbiting around Valaura as the elements rocked the outside of the building.

Tara yelled as she felt herself being caught up in the psychic current. She felt her Pokémon latching onto her; Carnivine held her down with his vines as Sefer struggled to keep her still with his own psychic abilities.

"Valaura!" Tara yelled as her hair whipped about her face. She had to calm her down, she would bring down the building.

It was no use, the psychic was unreachable.

Tara looked distressed as she thought of things to do. She looked at her drapion, the dark-type being unaffected by this storm. "Drapion! I'm going to try to calm her down! If I can't stop her then you do, however you can!" she told her Pokémon.

With that Tara felt her mind extend past herself, hitting the solid wall that was Valaura's. She probed around, expressing her concern, seeking entrance. In response to Tara's concern there was a fluctuation in Valaura's defenses. Tara shot for the weak spot with all she had and broke into the psychic's mind. At once she was overwhelmed by a flurry of emotions and memories, lost in a cyclone.

"Valaura!" she tried again, already dizzy. "It's ok! You need to control yourself; you're going to bring down the building!"

There was only a mournful groan in response.

"Please!" Tara pleaded. "It's alright to vent, but not like this! Let me help you!"

Tara paused as she felt Valaura's mind slowing down slightly, as if to listen.

"Because… because I care about you too…" the girl admitted.

There was a momentary halt of emotions before she forced out of the psychic's head, back into her own body.

Tara gasped and opened her eyes, looking around. The room was still. All the air-born objects were frozen in place. There was no noise, simply stillness, as if time had stopped. Valaura stood at the center of it all with her eyes closed; a tear fell from her cheek to the floor. It was so quiet that one could almost hear the plop of the tear as it hit the tile.

Valaura opened her eyes, her red aura shining like a beacon as it flared around her. Then she channeled all of it into her arm. In a verbal yell of frustration she released the condensed psychic energy in the form of red lightning out of the open window.

The flash was so brilliant that there were reports of it being seen from cities across the continent.

The shockwaves reverberating back into the penthouse, gnashing at Valaura's figure and breaking a few objects in the room. Immediately afterwards, the still-suspended objects, including Tara, were placed back on solid and stable surfaces exactly where they had been before.

Tara stood where she was, watching Valaura as she in turned looked at the night sky, the wind dying away and the clouds fading. The rain could no longer be heard and the rush of cars could be heard from the open balcony doors.

Tara waited for her heart to slow down, patting Sefer and Carnivine and thanking them. She looked around, seeing that nothing major had been broken."What was his name?" she asked finally.

"… His name? Yes… I allowed myself to remember his name. It was Stern. I have read that it means ‘star'."

"I'm sorry," the girl bowed her head. This one past event seemed to explain Valaura completely, and Tara could finally understand.

Tenants that lived below them began banging on the door, wondering what on earth was happening. Valaura reached into their mind for only a moment and the neighbors began walking away, wondering why they were even there. She did the same with the police when they arrived, bypassing their meager psychic defenses with ease.

"I should not have lost my temper, I apolo-"

"No!" Tara shook her head. "Why should you apologize? Do you know how much stress you just let out? How much anger? How many suppressed emotions? Years worth," Tara looked at her. "Years… probably since that day he was taken from you." The teen walked over, slowly raising her arm to touch Valaura's shoulder. "But you survived…" she closed her eyes. "You need to forgive yourself, and then honor him; I don't think he would like to see you now, cut off from everything."

Valaura nodded simply.

"To tell you the truth, I've been feeling close to you for some time. Like you're slowly filling a hole in me," Tara shifted her eyes away. She really wasn't used to such intimacy. "You're a pillar of strength, more so than me, and your presence has become a comfort. I don't feel alone…"

"What will you do now?" the Pokémon asked.

"I'm not sure… I want to start over, somewhere new…" Tara looked down guiltily at herself. "but, I also want to find Fida. If I don't, and she finds me later, she'll wonder why I didn't look for her."

"She is currently becoming accustomed to life without you, if you return, and something happens again; could you make her go through that loss once more?"

"No, no I couldn't," Tara admitted, not even knowing to what extent the girl suffered.

"If you found her, she would also be subjected to Lysis, and perhaps be put in danger. I would protect her with all my power, but my duty is to you; something could happen where I could not protect you both." she explained. "Her companion keeps her safe, keeps her hidden…"

"Elvia…" Tara murmured. "What if you could contact only her? Tell her that I'm alive, tell her what's happened, and that if she senses me… keep Fida away from me…"

Valaura blinked her eyes, nodding in approval. "That is wise, I will tell her."

"Then, I just need to start over…" Tara began walking away into the kitchen. "Hoenn maybe, but I need to get back to my life." She turned to Valaura. "If I go, will you come with me?"

Valaura nodded, "Only death can stop me."

Tara smiled; she herself now began to feel emotional. The girl hadn't been this close to anyone for months, it felt good, but still, sadness lurked within. She knew that she could not recover fully, but Valaura could help, they could help each other. Muku would be happy for her.

"I'm tired…" she yawned and stretched. "I'm going to bed."

"Sleep well…" Valaura said. She was still quite unused to feeling so open and exposed. The Gardevoir would have previously explained this as a horrible weakness and given her enough reason to close up again and suppress more memories; but she felt strangely whole. As if some undying hunger, one that had been eating her from the inside, was finally being satisfied. She had known this would happen. She had seen in it in a vision as soon as Lysis found her. Valaura didn't know what to think at the time, knowing her visions, as seldom as they occurred, were either highly accurate, or subject to change.

However, as time passed, she realized that she was indeed becoming fond of the young woman. It was also the presence that liked to visit her almost constantly that helped the Gardevoir decide that she would try again. It was the same presence that was in the room even then.

"Tara…" she called before the teen had closed the door.

"Mm?" Tara paused, looking back.

"You were never alone."

Tara felt a loving warmth brush against her shoulder.

 

[D]

0.o *dies*

That's so wrong...

*dies again*

 

[Picnicker Virgil]

This is definitely my favorite of all your stories. Your writing is awesome, and the plot and everything is really well thought out. Everytime I read this I have a clear image in my head of what's happening, moreso than when I read other things.


It's nice to see Tara taking control. I like Valaura a lot more now, I hope you don't have anything horrible planned for her...

 

[Pheonix]

Sem, your character development skills are off the charts. Never have I cared so much about a fanfic in what was going to happen to the people/characters involved rather than just the general plot. You sir are a superb writer. Keep up the phenomenal work. I can't wait to see where you go with some of my favorite characters I have read about in a long time. ^_^

 

[Plapti]

Totally awesome. I sort of saw parts of this coming, but the perspective you took it in is amazing. I love your descriptions and how everything flows in your fic. Spectacular.

 

[Sem]

I've been in a writing frenzy @_______@ I couldn't sleep because of it. It was awesome. I've been updating a whole bunch lately, so make sure you've read Chapter 6 and Chapter 7. As well as all the chapters before then of course, xP but I reminded you of those in case you missed them due to my constant updating.

It's all winding down now: what will be the fates of our beloved Tara, dark Valaura, and Lysis the femme fatale?


-Chapter 8-

The following days were strange, but pleasant all the same. Tara had gone to a public arena in Saffron, participating in a small tournament and taking one of the top places; earning her some money and a cheap trophy. Both meant little to her, she had plenty of trophies, including the ones from home that were repossessed, along with everything else in the house. It was something she had done two nights before, taking back memorable things that the government had taken from the house.

Tara placed the trophy onto a shelf with some others back at the penthouse. After sitting for a while she stood and began to pack a bag.

"We're leaving tomorrow," Tara explained as she began running throughout the room. "We'll head south to Vermillion and grab tickets for a ship to Slateport, Hoenn." Valaura stood at the door, leaning against the frame. The girl grabbed clothes and supplies from various drawers, taking only what she would need for a journey.

"And when where you going to ask me if I wanted to go to Hoenn, love?" Tara heard the polite voice speak in her head as she packed her bag. Her eyes darted to Valaura, who simply blinked.

The trainer brought her attention back to her packing. "I don't need your permission to go anywhere," she paused, looking up. "In fact, it should be the other way around."

Before she could go back to her work she felt herself being forcibly pulled within herself, seeing only black until a familiar scene lay before her. The endless meadow of flowers was once again alive in her mind, with blue mountains in the background. Lysis reclined under the large tree on a stone bench.

Lysis smirked.

"So I need your permission to do what I want?" she again had a flower in her hand, twirling it in her fingers.

Tara blinked. "Yes! Yes you do: it's my body."

The older girl looked away, as if interested in the bark on the tree. "I don't know about that…" she said, tracing a line in the bark with a finger.

"You…" Tara started, looking back and forth. "know you should ask me, ‘Hey, Tara? Can I go kill so-and-so? Or can I go steal this-and-this?'"

"You bought a house," Lysis remarked changing the subject slightly. "Using who's money? Your money? The money I gave you?"

Tara closed her eyes, stopping herself from screaming by biting down her lips. "Don't talk to me about that! The money's there and isn't going anywhere; I might as well use it."

"Good," Lysis smiled as she closed her eyes, taking a whiff of the flower. "I'm glad that you did use it. Now, there's an arms deal going down in Viridian, can I go get some toys?" she asked politely, looking up at the sky, as if she were a small girl asking her mother if she could go buy candy.

"If I say no will you still go?" Tara crossed her arms.

"Yep."

"You won't be stopped? Valaura can stop you."

"She can but she won't - only you can stop me, dear," Lysis responded. "But will you?"

"I'll try," Tara growled. "I can't be in Hoenn and have you teleporting across the world every night; I've never been more tired in my life than the past few months."

"You can't ask me to leave either; all my friends are here on this side of the planet," Lysis chuckled as she pulled a petal off of the flower, watching it fall to the ground.

"It's my body! I can do what I want! I can't let you do this."

"Then do something about it!" Lysis stood, the sky darkened. "Don't let me! Stop me!" Lysis walked casually over to Tara. "Can you?" she asked, tickling the younger girl's nose with the flower. "Because…" Lysis leaned in to Tara's ear. "I don't think you can," she smiled gleefully.

That did it. "Argh!" Tara exclaimed, swinging an arm at Lysis, who caught it easily and jumped back.

"Tsk, tsk, love," Lysis waved a finger before grinning devilishly. "You know that doesn't work." Spring forward, she brought her left arm forward in a punch.

"No!" Tara yelled as everything went into slow motion to her senses. She watched as Lysis drew closer, hair flowing fluidly behind her as well as the tails of her coat. As the punch came within range Tara stuck out her own left arm, grabbing Lysis at the elbow and directing the punch away from herself, causing everything to return to real time. Lysis looked shocked for barely a moment before smiling in what one would describe as some form of satisfaction.

Both young women stood eyeing each other for a moment, the sky becoming brighter and the mental plain a bit cheerier.

"Fine, Tara," Lysis shrugged, walking away back to the bench. "Have it your way." She plucked a new flower from the ground as she lay on her side. Closing her eyes, she let the aroma of the new flower fill her nose. Her eyes shot open as she pulled the flower away, looking directly at Tara. "I can always find new friends."

Tara thought for a moment, shuddering at Lysis' tone, before nodding in acceptance. Satisfied, she turned around and began walking away towards the dark portal behind her.

"Oh, Tara," Lysis called after her.

She stopped, not turning around to face her.

"I will be going out for the next couple of nights then," she informed. "with or without your permission. If I'm to relocate I'll need a new base of operations. Perhaps a luxurious condo on the Lilycove shoreline?"

The trainer did not answer and simply walked into the portal, watching everything go black as she rushed forward, back into conscious control of her body.

-------

"If I can't talk to Giovanni directly, then I want to talk to the highest ranking agent available," Lysis demanded, casually placing one of her Strata flat on the counter.

She was back at Team Rocket headquarters, having just arrived there. Normally she would just barge in on whoever she wanted to see without permission, but she couldn't do that with Giovanni. The man had the best protecting him, people and Pokémon that even Lysis would have trouble getting past unscathed, if at all.

"I-I'll see what I can do…" the receptionist replied nervously, who happened to be the same one when Lysis visited months prior.

Lysis looked for the camera that overlooked the lobby and stared up into it, tapping her fingers impatiently on the glass counter. She had only been there a few moments, but surprised there wasn't already a ring of armed agents around her; she was of course one of Team Rocket's most wanted at the moment, and here she was on their doorstep of her own will.

Soon enough some guards came rushing out with various psychics on tow, already putting locks on Lysis' abilities. An administrator walked out casually, proudly displaying his uniform which only his rank could wear. His hair was greased back and his white face was sharp, thin hands reached out of his sleeves and were held before him.

"Good evening, Miss Fox," he bowed his head.

"And may it continue to be a good evening," Lysis nodded her head with a smirk. "Now," she holstered her weapon, ignoring the various lasers that instantly locked on her. "Take me to whomever it is who's going to see me."

"With all due respect," the man smiled politely. "You should be taken to one of our cells."

"Please," Lysis rolled her eyes. "Team Rocket doesn't have cells for prisoners - that's what the ditch out back is for," Lysis waved a finger towards the back of the building. "Plus," Lysis raised her hand to cup her mouth, whispering, "You-know-who's watching me right now," she nodded her head eagerly. "You don't want her in here all angry do you?"

The admin blinked a few times, wringing his hands a bit worriedly. "Then, you have an offer to propose?"

Lysis reached down and pulled up a metal case onto the counter. "Of course."

"I see," he looked down nervously. "Right this way then,"

Lysis was led back into a hallway, which they walked the length of until reaching an elevator at the end. The man stepped in with Lysis, along with as many guards as the lift would hold, and went up to the third floor while the rest of the guards took the stairs.

Once the doors slid open they walked down the new hallway, turning right at the soonest opportunity into an elegant room. The only man inside sat at a desk in the middle of a marble floor, expensive artwork covered the walls.

The guards went in first, standing up against the walls facing the center of the room. Lysis then strode in, her stride emanating an aura of confidence and authority as always as she moved with feminine grace. She looked all about the room, taking note of the wealth invested in it. The man at the desk was thin and middle-aged, with short hair and a black suit. He was leaned forward; chin resting on interlocked fingers which were covered in rings.

"Hello," he greeted with a smirk. "Like my office?" he asked, noticing Lysis' wandering eyes.

Lysis glanced around for a few more seconds before turning her cold blue-eyed attention to him and shrugging. "Years of service as a lapdog does pay off I suppose."

He frowned.

"I have this much money and more," Lysis commented as she stopped before the wood desk, smiling wryly. "At eighteen I'm wealthier than you'll ever be, and I'm my own boss on top of that," she winked as she sat down in the seat offered, crossing her legs and cupping both hands over her knee.

The frown grew larger.

"But, I'm willing to share," she noted, flinging a lock of black hair out of her face.

"How much?" the man inquired, head still resting on his hands.

"See for yourself," the girl answered, placing the metal case on the surface. "Combination's already set."

He eyed her before pulling the case towards him and pressed both buttons simultaneously, causing the lid to fly open. The man's eyes widened for a moment before returning to their normal uninterested expression. "What do you want?"

"Simply?" Lysis eyed him at an angle. "Leave me alone. I mean no further harm the organization. Rauss was a part of my personal agenda that I had to see to. The amount I offer is more than enough to replace him and the grunts I took care of in Saffron."

The man nodded, knowing her offer was perfectly acceptable. "But what if I take the money now and still take you in?"

Lysis shrugged. "Then you lose a valuable friend. I'm willing to put our past behind us if this goes through. If it does, I'd be more than willing to perform some odd jobs. You know the kind. I won't be joining Team Rocket again of course; freelancing is much more for me. Still, I'd be an invaluable asset, especially since I'll be in Hoenn for an undetermined amount of time; think of how much longer your reach will be with me over there," she winked again.

"Hmph, your offer is hard to refuse,"

"I know."

The man looked to be considering both options seriously, even though the one he should go with was perfectly obvious. "Deal."

"Excellent."

"Though, it would be nice if you stopped wearing the logo on your jacket," the man commented dismissively as he closed the case and put it to the side.

"Yeah, it would, but you won't take this jacket from me," she shook her head. "I'll kill you if you try, I swear." Tuning her head, she eyed her coat lovingly. "I love it too, too much." Standing, Lysis turned and began walking away.

"We can escort you out, Miss Fox." The man stood.

"No need," Lysis waved her hand without turning out. "Valaura's just removed the mental locks imposed by your Pokémon; I'm gone."

Then she teleported away.

-------

"Everything's ready," Tara told herself as she stood with her hands on her hips, looking at her bag and recounting everything she had put inside.

"We could always return if you have forgotten something," Valaura offered.

"Nah, that takes the fun out of it…" Tara explained as she slung the messenger bag over her shoulder. She was clothed in her normal attire; black jeans, blue shirt, blue arm-warmers, and her sleeveless jacket. With her bag on her she walked out of the room, making sure everything was locked.

"Alright, guys," the girl chuckled as she returned her excited Pokémon, happy that she will be fully able to pay attention to them and better their skills. She made sure all the entrances to the main room were locked before making her way up the steps to the front door.

Looking around one last time, she eyed Valaura. "I guess this is it!" she grinned, reaching for the handle. In the moment it took for her to reach the handle she felt a variety of things. A freezing chill run down her spine, and a feeling of dread and fear overtook her, drowning her senses and making her feel weak. "What's happening?" she uttered woozily before feeling every become black.

She was being pulled back into herself, back to the flower-field. As she appeared she saw Lysis standing by the tree, alert.

"What are you doing?" Tara asked, looking around as well.

"This isn't me," Lysis answered warily, looking at Valaura who had been pulled in along with Tara.

"Nor my doing," the psychic answered. Closing her eyes, the dark Gardevoir expanded her mind. They opened suddenly after a mere moment. "It is-"

"Me."

The word was cold as ice-water and the sickening feelings returned, seeming to poison the land; turning it bare and dead.

The three females looked to see Salem floating towards them. He looked more sadistic than ever as he neared. He had been very absent as of late, so much that Tara had forgotten about him entirely.

"Salem?" Lysis questioned, lowering her guard slightly.

"Yes, Salem, well, not really; you simply know me as Salem," he explained as he drew even closer, stopping a short distance away. His presence was suffocating and thick, feeling as if it could stop them from moving. His voice, despite like ice, was smooth and articulate, sophisticated despite his usage of more modern English.

"What are you doing?" Lysis asked.

Salem closed his eyes, considering her question, contemplating the answer. "I suppose I'm revealing myself."

He received confused looks.

"Don't act so shocked," he chuckled darkly. "You had to sense this was coming; she did," he pointed one disembodied hand at Tara.

"What do you want?" Tara demanded. She'd thought about it, but never really considered something would happen. She had no idea what could even happen now.

The haunter sighed. "I'm planning to take over," he answered flatly.

"Take over what?" Tara demanded once more, narrowing her eyes.

"You, child," he grinned a toothy grin. "You see, you're special. Both of you really. I was planning on doing this years ago," he waved one hand, rolling his eyes. "But then Lysis got killed, so my plans got put on hold - I feared permanently," he looked downcast and Tara thought she even felt a raindrop from the sky. "But!" he looked cheery once more. "Ever-resourceful Lysis found a way to come back. But, then my plans got put on hold again! Though I was happy about it this time," he nodded. "Because you, Tara, developed your abilities as well, making yourself stronger."

"You're going to possess her now?" Lysis questioned. "Why not before? Why did you need her to develop her abilities?"

"Yes, like Lysis," Tara added, glaring at the older girl for a second. "She adapted perfectly to powers I didn't even know I had."

"Yes, unfortunately I do not work like that," Salem sighed. "Lysis could adapt because she was human, and you are human. I am not human. When I possess someone the soul is literally devoured by me, making it a part of myself. Those person's skills become my own, otherwise I would have to start from scratch; and I would rather not do that," he shook his head in disgust.

"We cannot let you do this." Valaura interjected, after listening silently.

"Ah, the elegant Valaura," Salem addressed her, venom dripping off of every syllable. "You think yourself so powerful, though, you have no idea how powerful I am."

"I know that you should be destroyed right now," Val glowered.

"I'm an ancient thing, Valaura. What you know of me is not even real…" his voice changed slightly, as did his appearance. "I, or, we are actually called Ephidel. This was our name centuries ago, and this was our form." He changed from haunter to a cloaked man with piercing red eyes, black hair covered part of his face. His face was beautiful and pale, and betrayed his sinister nature. "We are not even a Haunter; we are the evolved form, Gengar," the man shrugged. "We simply prefer the Haunter-look."

"It's you against us," Lysis told him. "As ancient as you are, you're no match."

"Oh, we're more than a match, Lysis. And once we're fused with both of you; there's no power on earth that can stop us. You see, we've never been able to add people as powerful as yourselves to us. Only weaker psychics, people who had no idea as to what they were doing. But you, you could elevate us to the rank of a god."

"You're not fusing with anyone!" Lysis yelled, defiant.

"Yes, that's what you fear, isn't it? Your death? Your end?" Ephidel narrowed his eyes in amusement. "Do not fear; we may not take over if you do not pass our test."

"Test?" Lysis and Tara said together.

Ephidel nodded. "Mmhm, yes. You see, we have not seen you at the height of your abilities, Lysis. You've never had to give it your all."

"You're about to see…" she threatened.

"Oh, yes, we certainly are." His laugh caused the land to whither to almost nothing. This only caused Lysis to become angrier, and Tara felt the emotion overcoming her, pushing her away. Lysis was taking control of her body.

-------

Lysis yelled in frustration, swinging her leg at Ephidel as soon as she was in control of Tara's body.

Ephidel leapt back, avoiding the kick easily. She sprinted forward after him, raising her arm in an uppercut, which was also avoided. Ephidel had moved to the lower part of the main room. Lysis flipped back, her feet touched the wall well above the floor. Kicking off, she spun until she was able to bring her leg up over herself. Surrounding it with psychic energy, she threw herself down at Ephidel, brining her heel down to hit him from directly.

Again she missed.

The whole penthouse shook as her heel hit the marble floor, causing huge cracks in the marble and shattering many of the windows.

"Let's not destroy such a pretty dwelling," Ephidel said remorsefully at the ruined floor and windows as he watched her straighten herself.

Crackling sounded and a red bolt of lightning shot through the air at Ephidel, which was blocked by a ghostly shield created by him. He turned to Valaura, eyeing her amusingly.

"Let us go elsewhere, Lysis," Ephidel said politely. "Valaura insists to interrupt something to which she was not invited."

Before the Gardevoir could do anything, Ephidel and Lysis blinked out of sight.

-------

Lysis fell to the ground as soon as they reappeared in some other part of the world. She sat up, spitting sand out of her mouth. There was a lot of sand. Everywhere. And it was hot, very hot.

"Here's your test, Lysis," Ephidel explained, handing her the Strata and a belt loaded with ammunition.

"Don't you run from me!" Lysis screamed angrily once he vanished, leaving her in the middle of a desert with only her weapons. She looked around briefly as she put the belt on, attempting to teleport, only to find that it was blocked. More screaming.

Looking down, she breathed deeply, calming herself. She began walking with guns at the ready. The instincts from her training began to take over. First was to locate herself. She knew she was in a large desert by the looks of it, which meant that she was either in the Gran Desert, or she was brought to Orre. She had nothing on her but her weapons, no food or water; no wild animals or sources of water to be seen for miles. Time of day was around midday, where the sun was at its hottest, meaning dehydration was a threat. Tara's bag had been taken, along with any way of contacting anyone. Her Pokémon were also gone.

She had more hope if she was in Hoenn's desert, for it was often traveled by trainers. The woman would not be so lucky if she were in Orre, where the desert was a no man's land.

Possible options.

Create a psychic flare that could be seen by anyone within five miles? It would use too much of her energy and there was no guarantee any one could see it. Best used as a last resort.

Sit and wait? Only worked if anyone knew she was missing.

Her only option would be to start walking and to locate water first and foremost, food later.

With guns raised, Lysis began to trek forward. She realized that Ephidel would not simply bring her to a desert to test her survival skills, there was likely more to it. There would be an imminent threat.

And then the ground rumbled.

Lysis stopped walking immediately, raising her weapons and waiting.

More rumbling.

Lysis expanded her mind, seeking another presence, but she found that her telepathy was also blocked. Telekinesis was her only psychic-tool. She resorted to her senses, closing her eyes so that the rest of her senses could become more effective and acute.

The rumbling started again, much more violently and closer. There was something moving beneath her. The shaking continued until Lysis jumped far out of the way by using her telekinesis. The sand where she had been erupted, sending streams of earth hundreds of feet high.

Lysis landed with a soft grunt, looking at this threat. Whatever it was, it was incredibly reflective; she could hardly see due to the glare. Her mind ran through the number of possibilities, though only one was clear.

The earthshaking roar confirmed it. The deadly female stared directly at the Steelix, who in turn eyed her ferociously.

She could not teleport, and it was at home in this environment; it could move faster than she could, even when telekinetically assisted. Her only option was to bring it down.

"Alright, beastie," Lysis rolled her shoulders and cracked her neck. "Come and get me."

 

[Teapot]

... Wow. You're getting better and better with every chapter. Well done!