Tri-Kappa Labs

[Noblejanobii]

Hey guys, so here is an update because the two of you that actually read this deserve it. So here it is. Um… well after midterms… I will be honest I had a four day weekend and I went down to the beach. The plan i originally had for doing stuff down there went out the window when I started playing pokemon again and wasting hours on it. So, I didn't get to work on chapter 6 or fix up the other chapters. That being said, most of my exam grades were good… except… well let's just say one of them I made a fantastic on without the curve. My grade didn't suffer that much. I'm still passing with a mid-B but… that was a real self confidence shaker. As a result, in order to try and focus on school, I will not be working on the story this week very much. Mostly because when my parents find out that two of my exams were… not very good… well let's just say you guys better hope they find my corpse.

[Noblejanobii]

Tri-Kappa Labs
Chapter 6

Casey and I peered silently from behind the cover of a few trees, watching the few base users in the clearing in front of us. We had been tracking them for days now, trying to figure out if they knew where I was supposed to go. We had had no luck so far. They had pretty much been patrolling the woodland area the past few days, not doing much beyond that. It was boring business, I could tell. Still, learning about these base users had proven interesting and been a source of entertainment for the past few days.

The team we had been tracking had split into two groups. The group Casey and I were watching now were all single base users. If I had to guess the other group was the group that had attacked Casey, Shaymin, and I the other day. This group contained a Arbok base user (named Imfezi), a Serperior base user (named Quetzalcoatl), a Dunsparce base user (named Tsuchinoko), and a Seviper base user (named Habu). All snakes. Lovely. Though I have to say that the mythology lover in me did find some humor in all of their names.

For the most part this group is pretty calm. For the most they don't do anything except… well be boys. It's be kinda fun watching them be idiots and lazy for the past few days but my patience is wearing thin. No offense but I want this test to be over already. As much as I love Casey's secret bases, I'd rather be back with civilization than in the woods. Still, these guys haven't gone anywhere lately and I am starting to get the feeling that they won't be any time soon.

"Shayla!" I heard Casey hiss. I turned slightly to make eye contact with Casey. He motioned for me to come closer. I got down into a crawling position and moved over to him. Casey bent down to meet me. "I just heard Habu mentioning something about heading back to base."

"Are you thinking we should follow them?" I replied in a whisper. Casey nodded his head a little, his hair falling on his face as he glanced back up.

"Yeah I do. We need to get you and Shaymin back." Casey whispered to me. He looked over the bush and frowned as he scanned the small camp. "They're packing up. We need to get moving if we want to follow them."

"Right." I signaled Shaymin then followed Casey as we trekked around the camp in a semi-circle. Then we hid in the trees, waiting for the base user team to start moving. It wasn't long, ten minutes at most, before the snakes were all packed up and heading southward. With Shaymin holding onto his shoulder and myself close beside him, Casey lead the way, keeping track of the snakes as we hiked through the large forest.

The sun seemed to move quickly, moving just as we moved and only slowing when we decided to rest. I was amazed how it appeared that only moments ago it had been early in the morning, but once we rested for the fourth time, it was almost sunset. It was like we were in another world where time suddenly flew much faster than before. For all I knew I very well could be. However, real or no, there was no sign of lies in my relief upon the mention of the final stop.

"Not long now Quet!" Habu said. The seviper base user showed off his fangs at the panting Serperior base user. Quetzalcoatl groaned and glared at the others standing around him. None of them seemed bothered by the amount of running and given the looks on their faces, Quetzalcoatl usually wasn't either. He spit on the ground and straightened up.

"Man I don't know what's wrong. It's like I can't breathe." Quetzalcoatl rasped out as he linked his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"Could it be that Dustox gijinka poisoned you earlier?" Tsuchinoko proposed. Quetzalcoatl shrugged a little while taking deep breaths.

"It's very well possible. In which case we need to get there soon. Otherwise I might not make it."

"I can carry you if you want." Habu proposed.

"No. I'll be fine." The other three boys looked at one another with worry but did as Quetzalcoatl commanded. If I had to guess, he was either the leader of this group or of the entire team.

"Will he live?" I asked Casey as we started off after the snakes again. Casey frowned a little and shook his head.

"I cannot say for sure. It depends if they get him treatment soon and how long ago he was poisoned." The Quilava gijinka trekked onward slowly. "But he is of no importance to us right now. Our main priority is to get you back to the Roman Charioteers. We do not have the supplies nor the time to help him."

"But-"

"That is final Shayla." I watched Casey, a darkened look in his eyes. There was something he hadn't told me about his past. Something that had happened that he didn't want to say to me about why he was against curing this base user. I decided not to press, for now.

We continued to follow the group of snakes and it was not long before we spotted three familiar faces. It was the female base users, the Empoleon, the Raichu, and the Charizard. I saw Shaymin bristle at the sight of them. Casey pat her head and nodded his head a little. That seemed to soothe Shaymin a little. We waited in the darkness of the forest a little ways away from them as they got reacquainted and then resumed our trek as the team of base users did. The sun began to move swiftly across the sky once more as we ran through the forest. In the blink of an eye the sky changes from blue to orange to black and the stars were out as decorations. Moonlight led us along after our unknowing leaders. I was going through the motions, my body moving but my mind asleep. It wasn't until Casey said my name that I woke up.

"Shayla!" Casey whispered with an edge of caution to his voice. I jolted a little and blinked my eyes before looking at him. He smiled a little. "I think I found your way home." He said, pointing ahead to a clearing. I followed where he was pointing and squinted. At the back of the clearing against a large wall of rock were three white cylinders. They had a blue glow around them that was very faint, my eyes barely even picking it out.

"How do you know?" I asked Casey as I watched the base user team run towards the cylinders. Casey frowned and creases appeared on his forehead.

"I… can't really remember… but something in my brain is saying that takes you home." He explained in a hushed voice. I decided that Casey's intuition had been right so far. I had no reason to question it now.

"How do we get to it then? We can't exactly just walk up and say, 'Oh hey I need to get back to the Roman Charioteers and sorry for attacking you earlier.'" Casey snorted a little and shrugged with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Oh yeah. I would love to see their faces if we actually did that, but I had something else in mind. Here's what we do…"

***

Quill drummed his fingers on the arm of the couch as he watched the TV screen. He was watching BBC, the only reliable news network when it came to finding out what crap was going down in America. He frowned as a map lit up, showing just how much of the United States had fallen to the Greek Riders.

"And as you can see here, the majority of the United States has fallen. Only Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon remain, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. China, Mexico, France, and many African countries have also fallen to these new terrorists. Great Britain fears that these 'Greek Riders' will soon arise in her own country, but we have been assured that our government is taking extreme caution to protect the country and the citizens within it. We can only hope that those around us, in countries that have fallen and in those that haven't, have at least begun to take the same precautions."

The TV turned off suddenly, making Quill blink a few times before spotting the culprit. Sloane was standing at the edge of the couch with her arms crossed.

"You're worried." She said accusingly. Quill rolled his eyes and shook his head at the younger girl.

"The idea of me being worried is absurd." He said, "I am a trained soldier that-"

"Knows no fear and has no emotions. Yeah yeah I know. I've heard that BS speech before and I still refuse to believe it. In case you haven't realized it yet Mr. Emotionless, you watch the news when you're worried. It takes your mind off of your problems."

"I find that hard to believe." Quill replied with a stern look. Sloane returned it, her brown eyes filled with accusations.

"I don't." She said in a low voice. Sloane turned her back and added, "Dr. Mullins wanted me to inform you that Shayla has almost reached the transporters." With that she promptly exited the relaxation area. Without a second thought, Quill was on his feet and running to the labs, a Cheshire Cat smile following him the entire way.

***

Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump! Whoosh!

Casey's feet beat against the ground as he used the flames that burned inside of him to force power into his leg muscles. He shot forward at high speeds, the sleeves of his blue jacket starting to turn red as he ran. The base user group was directly in front of them and if his plan was going to work, they had to stay there.

Casey reached the edge of the clearing and launched himself high in the area. He spun quickly and a ring of fire formed around him. Eyes glowing the same color as the fire, the base users watched him carefully. He spun three times before starting to fire balls of lava at the users. They scattered, slowly starting to shift into their base forms. Casey narrowed his eyes, aiming with precision as he made sure not to actually hit anyone, no matter how tempting it might be.

Casey pulled back his arm and launched another lava ball at the Arbok user. The Arbok dodged and slithered away as the Dunsparce prepared an ancient power attack. Casey kept looking out the corner of his eye as he attacked, knowing he couldn't keep this up for too long. He was a goner if they all ganged up on him. Finally, much to his relief, Casey saw a figure dart quickly from the woods to the white cylinders. Casey smiled a little as Shayla entered one of the cylinders. Then, Casey heard a loud crack, pain shoot through his leg, and everything went black.

***

"Casey!" I watched in horror as an Empoleon released a hydro cannon, hitting Casey square in the left thigh. His ring of fire disappeared and he began to plummet towards the ground where the hungry base users were awaiting the Gijinka. "CASEY!" I screamed as my friend's fate was almost sealed.

My muscles in my arms and legs suddenly stiffened. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I felt my emotions surge forward in a force of power. Blue light surrounded Casey and he froze midair. His body was completely still, leaving the base users confused until Casey's body shot towards Shaymin and I. As Casey's body reached us, I saw the Empoleon say something to the Raichu and automatically knew what that meant. We were screwed unless I got this cylinder to work in the next ten seconds.

Casey's unconscious body flew inside the capsule. I started pressing random buttons, unsure of what to hit or push. However, I must have done something right because the door slammed shut and there was a loud whining noise. The cylinder began to shake and I shut my eyes in pain when the entire place erupted into white light. Pain filled my skull and I pressed my fingers to my throbbing head but it wasn't long before it all disappeared and we weren't in the cylinder anymore.

***

Quill knocked on the door loudly, breathing hard as he waited for someone to answer. After a minute he beat on it again.

"Alright alright! I'm coming! Calm down! I have a patient in here!" Dr. Mullins shouted as he reached the door and opened it. "Oh Quill, how nice to see you. I'm assuming you want to see the girl?"

"Yes I want to see Shayla. How is she?" Quill asked, trying to look around Dr. Mullins to attempt to see Shayla.

"She just woke up. She is a little startled and confused, but otherwise she appears fine." Quill started to push forward past Dr. Mullins when he felt the man dig his nails into Quill's arm. Quill glanced down at the scientist. "Be warned though, she appears to be hallucinating a little. When I left the room she started speaking to the wall."

"I thought you said she was fine." Quill said with a stern look. Dr. Mullins shrugged.

"Medically yes she is. But I do not know how the test may have affected her brain." Quill pinched his nose.

"That is medical doc!"

"No it is not!" Dr. Mullins countered.

"Yes it- oh I don't have time for this!" Quill pushed Dr. Mullins out of the way and walked into the lab room. "Shayla?" He called.

"Quill?" I looked up as I heard him call my name. Casey gave me a weird look before shrinking back as Quill entered the room. He smiled broadly and hugged me.

"Oh Shayla! I- we were all so worried that you wouldn't make it. It took so long for you to wake up." Quill said. I blushed a little at his lack of bashfulness.

"Q-Quill! I'm glad to see you too. But it wasn't that long was it?" I asked. Quill pulled back and nodded.

"It was. You've been out almost a week." My jaw dropped. Almost a week had passed in the woods too. Could it be then…?

"No way."

"Yeah. Time passes the same inside the test as outside. It's weird but luckily you won't have to do it again." I cast a glance at Casey, who shrugged slightly in return.

"Well, that aside, do we know what my base is?"

"Not yet." Dr. Mullins said as he reentered the room. "However, we will know by tomorrow at the latest. The data of your test has to be fully processed. For most people it doesn't take long but the longer the test the longer it takes to process it."

"I understand." I replied, keeping down my eagerness. I really wanted to know my base, now more than ever after the events of my test. But if I had to wait then so be it.

"Come on, we can get you registered on the team and get you a dorm in the meantime." Quill said.

"What about Casey?" I asked. Quill paused, giving me a confused look.

"Who?"

"Casey? The guy standing right there?" I pointed to Casey. Dr. Mullins and Quill both looked over at Casey before looking at me.

"There's no one there Shayla. You must be still feeling the affects of the syringe. Hallucination right afterwards is common. Don't worry it will wear off." Dr. Mullins assured me. I wasn't convinced but I decided not to push it. Quill extended his hand to me. I took it and stood up. My legs wobbled a little, not able to handle my weight just yet. Quill put one of his hands on my right shoulder to steady me.

"Careful. You've been out for several days. Your legs aren't going to be steady yet." He warned me. I nodded shyly as Quill wrapped his arm around my shoulders and said, "I'll help you until you feel strong enough to walk by yourself. Deal?"

"Yeah sure." I mumbled, blushing a little out of embarrassment. Quill lead me out of the room and back out into civilization, if that is what you would call it. It took me a minute to readjust to the environment around me. It felt like forever since I had been here and the part that perplexed me the most was that I was glad to be back. I was somewhat appalled at myself for moving on from my old home so quickly, but at the same time I knew there was nothing else to do but accept it and move on.

"Shayla! You made it!" I looked up as I recognized the male voice. I saw the small charmander push his way through the people walking nearby to meet Quill and I. "I was so worried!" Trebble added as he hugged my left leg. Quill released me as I bent down to Trebble.

"Hey little guy. I missed you." I replied, rubbing his head a little as I did. "You kept everyone in check for me right? No one has gone crazy yet?"

"No ma'am. But we were all worried you wouldn't pass your test. You were out for so long, almost a week! Most people finish in a day. i was really worried." I smiled at Trebble and lifted up his head a little.

"Now Trebble, you should know better. I may be new but I'm not going to leave just yet and not without a fight first. Got it?" Trebble's tail began to wag. He saluted me and said,

"Yes ma'am!"

I frowned as a low beeping noise emitted from the walkie-talkie strapped on Quill's waist. He unclipped it from his belt and pushed a button on it before holding it up to his ear. Quill listened to voice on the other end before groaning loudly.

"Again?" He said. He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Yeah ok. I'll be right there." I gave Quill a confused look as he puts the walkie-talkie back on his belt. "Sloane got into a fight again. We have to go bail her out of jail. Come on." He turned without waiting for a response and started off. I jogged after him, having to almost run to keep pace with him. Trebble followed behind us, running on all fours. After a minute I stopped to let him climb onto my shoulder.

"What did he mean by again?" I asked as I resumed my run after Quill.

"Sloane gets into a fights a lot." Trebble said, "As you know she tends to go out on the roof a lot. She's really the only person who does it and there have been conspiracy theories going around for a while now. Many of the other Greek Rider members are convinced she's in league with the Roman Charioteers or something." I frowned at that. Sloane seemed like a really nice girl. Why would people spread rumors about her like that?

"Is she a traitor?" I asked cautiously. Trebble shook his head. "I severely doubt it. Sloane hates the Roman Charioteers with all her heart. She especially hates one of their admins who is an ice type gijinka. He's the reason she joined us. If anyone's a traitor, it's the guy who started the rumors about her."

"And who might that be?"

"Troy. He's the leader of the Team Theta-Heta Harpies. He has a Wigglytuff base." Trebble said with a growl, "I hate him. He treats me like I'm a pet or something." I raised my eyebrows in surprise. So… Trebble didn't like being treated like a pet? That's going to be a hard urge to resist from now on. "But worse, he treats our whole group as if we're traitors even though we obviously aren't."

"Sounds like a great guy." I said sarcastically.

"Exactly." Trebble replied as we neared the dungeons. I recognized this area from when I exited it earlier. It didn't seem like that long ago yet it also felt like forever ago. Time was confusing to me ever since I entered this place and it made me wonder if something made time flow differently here or if it was just me.

Quill, Trebble, and I traveled down the same hallways that I could remember walking through on my first day here. Guards didn't cast us a second glance as we made our way to the dungeons. Quill opened the door and walked inside, scanning the cells until he spotted Sloane. It would not surprise me that Sloane had been in fights before. Unlike myself in that situation, Sloane was perfectly calm in the cell. She was lying on her back on the metal bed, arms crossed behind her head, and her eyes closed. She appeared to be listening to some music in her headphones but she still heard us approach as her eyes opened when Quill stopped in front of her cell.

"Hello captain." Sloane said, gazing at him with a bored expression.

"Same reason as usual?" Quill asked.

"Same reason as usual." Sloane confirmed as she sat up. Quill unlocked her door and let Sloane out. She stretched a little then yawned. "You'd think he'd get tired of arguing with me and just not pick a fight with me anymore. Especially since he loses all the time."

"Maybe you should just not get in fights with him anymore." Quill replied.

"And let him walk all over me? Yeah. Sure." Sloane said.

I walked behind them in silence as I listened to them bicker. My head was elsewhere though. I couldn't help but wonder what my base was. I was eager to find out but at the same time somewhat terrified. What if it was lame? How could I be useful then? I just had to hope for the best I guess.

I was so deep in my thoughts I didn't even notice where I was being lead until Trebble poked my cheek gently. I glanced up and noticed I was being taken to a sector of the building meant to serve as quarters for the members.

"You're in room 747. I checked you in while you were out. Here's your key." Quill said as he tossed me my key. "Get a good night's sleep. We'll talk in the morning."

[Noblejanobii]

Tri-Kappa Labs
Chapter 7

'Casey? Casey! CASEY PLEASE!! Save me Casey! Save me! CASEY!!'

"Violet!" Casey sat up gasping for breath, hand over his chest. It took him a minute to slow down his breathing, trying to regain his sense of being. Casey cast quick gazes at his surroundings. He was in what appeared to be a small apartment. He was sitting on a light blue carpeted floor. To his right was a small wooden dresser that was a bit dusty, as if it had not been touched in a while. On top of the dresser was a small purple vase, lacking flowers. The door was a little ways in front of him. To his left was a small bed. Casey could hear a faint breathing coming from the bed. Someone was sleeping there.

Casey stood up slowly and approached the bedside. He recognized the sleeper immediately. It was Shayla. He sighed a little, glad to know she was alive. Still, it was odd. He vaguely remembered speaking with her in a laboratory-like room but that seemed like so long ago. Had it really happened? Casey shook his head and nodded to himself. Yes it had happened. His memories were just degrading.

"That damn serum still affecting me even after I've escaped." Casey muttered. He wasn’t sure how much of that serum they had injected into him, but whatever they had done to him was ultimately still affecting him. He would have to wait until it had fully exited his system before he could even hope to see a lag in the effects. But that was assuming this stuff could actually exit his body. For all the science he knew, this stuff could be building up in Casey’s body and never leaving, forever degrading his mental power.

Casey frowned when he heard a loud crash outside. It sounded almost… demonic. Casey turned to the door to Shayla’s room. Something in his mind tugged at his instincts, wanting him to investigate. Casey wasn’t sure if it was the serum or his own will, but Casey felt his curiosity starting to awaken and he wanted to settle it. Setting one foot in front of the other, Casey made his way to the door and wrapped his fingers to the doorknob. He gripped it hard, the bronze metal felt cool in his hand. Twisting the doorknob as quietly as he could, Casey opened the door, creaking in protest.

“You’d think that for such as high tech place they’d fix the doors in this place.” Casey mumbled under his breath. He stepped out into the hallway and glanced back and forth. He could barely hear some voices down the corridor to his right. Closing Shayla’s door behind him, Casey started to follow the voices.

“Bro I can’t believe you did that! She’s so going to kill us!”

“Who the hell cares? She’s a diva anyway?”

“A dragon diva!”

“If I had realized you guys were wimps I wouldn’t have brought you. Now come on.”

Casey trailed after the three pairs of footsteps. He only paused momentarily when he reached what he believed to be the scene of the crime. A girl’s door was wide open, and a quick glance inside her room told Casey that these boys either were digging for something personal of hers or were on a panty raid. He hoped it was the latter but boys these days were devious little men. Always wanting to hurt women instead of respecting them. Casey sighed and continued down the corridor, the sounds of the trio in front of him gradually becoming louder. This meant that either he was gaining on them or they were moving to another area where the echoes of their footsteps were louder than where Casey currently was. Casey began to pick up the pace when the footfalls in front of his suddenly ceased. Casey pushed himself up against a wall and slowly moved alongside it. There were some shouts very close to him. Casey peeked around a corner and spotted three individuals bickering.

The first and appeared to be the leader of the group was a man with pink hair. It had a large cowlick in the center of his head. He had large blue eyes and fairly light skin. The man was most likely Caucasian. He had a brown and red poncho on with a pink shirt and pants underneath. He had his feet (which were in pink boots) crossed in the same way that girls cross their feet when they’re mad. His cheeks were a bright red from anger, and the way he clutched the apple in his left hand and the cassette tape in his right, the guy was obviously angry.

Arguing with him were two shorter guys. The first appeared to be a bird base user. He had black hair and wore colorful clothing, a mix of greens, blues, and yellows. He had on a pair of glasses that he occasionally pushed up in frustration as he bickered with the man who appeared to be the leader. He had brown eyes and was light skinned but had a darker tint to his skin than the pink guy did.

The other male was the taller of the shorter males bickering with the leader. He had a large set of wing like shells on his back, mainly blue with a few other colors. He had on sand goggles and was mainly dressed in the same colors as his shell wings. His skin was very dark, leading Casey to assume he was African American or close to it.

"It is necessary! That ***** is a traitor! We'll get it out of her one way or another! Even if it kills us!" The leader shouted.

"I don't think this is needed at all! She's probably not even the spy sir! Why on earth would Sloane of all the people here be a spy? She hates gijinkas!" The bird boy protested.

"I'm with Troy on this one. Sloane has to be the spy. There's no way she's not. Otherwise why would she go on the roof so often?" Shell boy countered. Casey stepped out into the light, cracking his knuckles.

"Now now, you should listen to bird brain over here. Going and touching a girl's stuff isn't a well respected move, even from my kind." Casey smirked a little at the color draining from all three boys' faces. It was like they had just seen a ghost. Maybe they had. Even so, Casey left fire start to burn on his palms. "I might have to punish you if you don't return everything you've stolen. And let's be honest, I have the advantage."

"What makes you say that gijinka?" The pink boy replied, venom slipping past his lips as he uttered the word Gijinka. "There's three of us and only one of you."

"Yes, but I've been trained to know your weaknesses." Without waiting another second, Casey ran at the ring leader. He grabbed the pink boy, wrapping his arms around himself, and then proceeded to knee the guy in the nuts from behind. The boy collapsed and Casey brushed his hands off. "See? I didn't even have to use my powers." He said with a smirk. "Now I'll take this." Casey picked up the cassette tape and ducked down as bird boy leapt at him. The boy hit the ground as he missed Casey. "Now that was just rude." Casey said. He sidestepped another attack before sighing. "Fine if it has to be that way." Casey put the tape in his pocket and clenched his hands into fists. They began to glow a bright green. He looked between his two other opponents, the minions, before lunging at the bird boy.

The boy's eyes widened in surprise as Casey's fist met his stomach. Instantly green sparkled in his eyes. The boy's eyes closed and he fell to the ground fast asleep. Casey looked over his shoulder to find the other boy. Bug boy was fleeing the scene. Casey snorted and smirked, his eyes flashing with pleasure at this sign of a chase. He took off after the boy, tackled him to the ground, and grabbed the sides of his head. The boy started to scream but Casey muffled the sound with his hand.

"You're lucky I don't kill you, activating my instincts like this." Casey whispered in the boy's ear. "You're lucky I don't burn you alive and then feast on your corpse." Warm wet tears trickled down the boy's face, hitting Casey's hand as they went. Casey felt the boy shaking underneath him. Good. His prey needed to be frightened. "However..." Casey breathed, "I've vowed to turn away from that life. So how about we make a deal? You just take a nice deep breath when I say so and I won't do any of the aforementioned things. Ok? Blink twice if you agree." The boy blinked so many times one would think he might be having a seizure. Casey's hand that covered the boy's mouth glowed green again. "Ok, breathe." He felt the sharp intake of air against his fingers. The boy's eyes fluttered then closed as he fell fast asleep.

Casey got off the boy and made sure the tape was still intact in his pocket. He turned down the hallway and made his way back to the room with the door still wide open. Stepping inside carefully, he heard the heavy breathing of someone inside. He looked around before spotting where he assumed the tape was meant to go. Quietly tidying up everything, Casey made sure everything was in place before exiting the room. He paused after a moment, recognizing the victim of the robbery to be Sloane, one of Shayla's teammates. He could recall them mentioning earlier that she was actually a spy but he doubted that was true. The Greek Riders has tried that kind of thing before and the Roman Charioteers were like bloodhounds for these spies. They would find you and they would kill you within a matter of months of you joining them. Given that Sloane had been implied to have been here a while, there was no way she was a spy.

Casey closed the door behind him and made his way back down the hallway to Shayla's room. Stepping inside, he walked over to a chair in the room. Casey felt himself suddenly overcome with fatigue as he collapsed in the chair. He was fast asleep in minutes.

***

"Casey? Are you really there? Casey?" Casey's eyes fluttered open. It took them a minute to focus on me. They flooded with recognition as they registered my face and he smiled.

"Shayla! It's good to see you!" He said, jumping up and hugging me tightly. I was startled by the action and tensed up before hugging him back.

"Hey. Glad to see you too. What's wrong?"

"Oh…" Casey looked somewhat embarrassed as he released me. "I was just worried because no one else could see me yesterday. I was worried you might not see me today." I smiled a little.

"A reasonable concern. It's alright. I'm here and I can see you. Even if no one else can I can see you."

"Shaymin!" I looked over my shoulder and saw Shaymin fuming on my bed.

"Oh and Shaymin's here too. I found her in my arms this morning." I added. Casey chuckled.

"Nice to see you too Shaymin. I was worried about you. Glad to see you are ok."

There was a tense silence that followed this, no one truly sure what to say. We were glad to see each other, don't get me wrong, but we had quite the predicament. Casey was a gijinka. I was a base user. Shaymin was a pokemon. We were in the heart of Roman Charioteer territory. If the three of us got caught together in any way shape or form, we'd probably be killed as traitors. None of us wanted to die just yet, Casey least of all since he'd already almost died several times from the sound of it.

We all jumped when there was a knock on my door. Casey looked around, a terrified spark in his eyes. He grabbed a blanket and threw it over himself. It was kind of obvious he was there but Shaymin was already hiding under the bed and my door was being opened so there wasn't much we could do. Quill's head poked out from behind the door.

"Everything alright in here?" He asked. I threw a shirt at him.

"Privacy!" I shouted. Quill rolled his eyes at me.

"Maybe I want to watch you though." He replied with a snort. I blushed a little and crossed my arms, turning away from him. I could feel the grin fall from his face. "Kidding." He mumbled. He mumbled. “You and Sloane today. All about your privacy.” My arms unfolded a little.

“What do you mean?” I asked. Quill stepped in cautiously, closing the door behind him.

“Someone broke into Sloane’s room last night. We found the culprits unconscious a little ways out of the dorm hallways. They’ve been taken to the medical ward due to mysterious injuries. We think they ended up getting into a fight with one another and don’t want to admit it. Instead their claiming a gijinka has infiltrated the facility and attacked them.” I noticed the blanket Casey was under shift a little. Quill noticed it too and I felt the my stomach hit the floor. “What was that?” He asked.

“What was what?” I replied, stepping between Quill and Casey.

“The blanket.” Quill responded, moving closer, “It moved. It looks like someone is under it.”

“What? No. Of course not.” I stepped back a little, keeping myself between Casey and Quill. Quill narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. A frown fit itself firmly on his lips as he watched my movements carefully. I could see the trained soldier in him observing me for any sign that I was a traitor. I pleaded with my body to not give me away. I had just joined, I had gotten a base, and I had questions that needed answers. I couldn’t leave just yet.

With a swift movement, Quill wrapped his arm around me and gently pushed me aside like a river does a twig. I couldn’t react in time to prevent him from reaching the blanket. He grasped the fabric firmly in his left hand and yanked it aside. I held my breath for one tense moment, before confusion flooded through me as Quill began to laugh.

“I had no idea you were into magic Shayla!” He said with a loud chuckle.

“Wh-What?” I stuttered. Quill turned to me and smiled.

“You really had me convinced there for a moment that you were hiding a gijinka. I mean the blanket looked like it had a person under it and everything! How'd you do it?" I blinked at Quill twice before looking at the chair. Casey was sitting there, frozen in fear, plain as day. But Quill couldn't see him. It was just like the day before.

"Uh… a magician never reveals her secrets!" I finally managed. Quill laughed loudly.

"Very nice! But you have to teach me that sometime! Promise?"

"Promise." I replied, glad to be off the hook for now. "Can I finish getting dressed real quick and then I can meet you right outside?" Quill blushed a little and nodded.

"Ah right yeah! I'll get out of your way!" He quickly made his way out of the room and shut the door. I turned my gaze to Casey. He nervously shrugged and said,

"I was helping a damsel in distress?"

"And nearly got yourself killed. Be more careful. We're lucky no one can see you yet for some reason, except those boys and me."

"Right. I'll stay here for the day then, hide under the bed or something. Stay out of sight and you update me tonight."

"Sounds like a plan."

I went over to the closet and quickly got dressed. I exited the room and walked to Quill who wasn't that far away. He explained to me that we were going to discover my base now and possibly test it. Sloane planned to meet us there because she didn't want to play any first person shooter with the boys. Apparently they were sore losers and Sloane kicked butt. Sounded like a fun time to me but sadly I couldn't watch the fun.

I was still very excited though. I was very curious as to how this system for bases worked. I couldn't quell my excitement, nor could I hold back the nervousness that boiled within me. Casey was here but only I could see him. Was it possible I was imagining him? Or was it something else? So many questions so little answers and I didn't know who I could trust for this.

'You can trust me.' A voice rang out in my thoughts. I nearly jumped out of my skin and glanced around, recognizing the voice to be Casey's.

'Casey?' I thought, testing to see if what I thought had just happened had actually happened.

'Yes Shayla?'

'Oh my gosh. Is this…?'

'Telepathy? I believe so. Not uncommon amongst gijinkas of the same DNA.'

'What?'

'It means they were either related by human DNA or Pokemon DNA. One of their DNA sources had been siblings and in rare cases it was both. Usually if they were related they had telepathy and the closer related they were the stronger the telepathy.'

'But I'm no gijinka.'

'Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on how this base system works.'

I frowned. Was he proposing that I might be part gijinka now? That's… well I'm not sure what that is. But it was an interesting proposal.

'At least we can communicate now.' I replied.

'This is true. Keep me posted. And note, I can hear all your thoughts so just say my name if you want to chat.'

'Ok. Will do.'

I nearly bumped into Quill as we reached the lab. Quill opened the door for me and I stepped in. Dr. Mullins was waiting, a suspicious look on his face that completely unnerved me. I shrunk back a little but Quill nudged me forward.

"It's alright." He whispered, "We just need to discuss something." I felt my pulse begin to race as I was forced onto a table. Dr. Mullins stare seemed to pierce into my very soul. I was terrified. Whatever excitement I had felt earlier was gone, sucked right out of me. Dr. Mullins sat down in a chair in front of me, Quill leaning against the wall behind Dr. Mullins. Dr. Mullins opened a file folder and glance down to read it, then looked back up.

"Shall we begin Shayla?"

[Noblejanobii]

Tri-Kappa Labs
Chapter 8

A bird cawed in the distance as it circled overhead searching for its next meal. Its wings beat silently as it waited for prey to show itself. In the forest below, a group of nine individuals trekked through the humid area. The sun was relentless and it was hard to breath with the air being so thick. Over the puddles of water, steam arose and swear beaded down the backs of the group.

"Why do we have to walk again?" A young girl asked. The leader groaned loudly, the sound coming out as more of a growl.

"We've been over this. If we fly then they'll either see or hear us then attack us before we can get the jump on them. Stop asking."

"I'm sorry." The girl whimpered, "I just don't know how much further I can go in this heat."

"I agree." Another girl mumbled. The rest of the group remained silent, all of them stopping when their leader stopped. The man turned to the two girls. The fear was evident in their eyes. The man shook his head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I wonder how headquarters would take your complaining." The girls swallowed roughly as their leader glared down at them with a cold stare. "They might even demote you if I were to report this back." The man tapped his chin, as if he were thinking it over. "To think, you had just regained control over your minds too." He shrugged and turned his back to the girls. "No matter. You can both be easily replaced." The leader began to walk away when both girls cried out. They bowed to him in respect and remorse.

"We promise not to complain anymore." They said simultaneously, their nerves obviously on edge. The leader observed their movements carefully before smiling, his teeth sharp like the fangs of a demon.

"Excellent. Now hush, the prey is close by."

***

I walked silently next to Quill as they hiked through the forest. I hadn't stopped reviewing the conversation with Dr. Mullins in my head since they had had it, and I could feel that Casey was starting to get tired of hearing it. Still the conversation had been a complete shocker and it was going to be tough keeping it on the down low.

Casey sighed as he walked next to Shayla. She was terrified of her secret. In her situation he couldn't blame her but still, Casey did find it a little bit irritating that she wouldn't stop thinking about it. It wouldn't be that bad except that they did still have telepathy and so anything she thought he could hear. He didn't mind being linked to Shayla. It would be useful in the future, but still very annoying in the present.

On the bright side, Casey and Shayla could communicate undetected in this mental state. They had also established that at least Shayla’s team could not see Casey. It appeared that he was in some sort of invisibility state. Some people could see him, or at least that’s what they assumed after the incident earlier that week. However, most people who encountered him couldn’t see him, yet he still had a physical substance. This meant if he touched someone they would feel him touching them. As a result, Casey had to be extra careful, because even though Shaymin was in the same state as he was, Casey was at a much higher risk than Shaymin because he was a gijinka after all.

Casey and I were shocked out of their thoughts when the group around them stopped walking. Sloane was leading the way for them, her supersonic hearing guiding them through the dangerous forest. Sloane adjusted her headphones a little bit, closing her eyes as she listened carefully.

“What is it?” I whispered. Sloane hissed a little, signaling for total silence. After a moment Sloane opened her eyes and growled.

“It’s them.” She said.

“Of course it is.” Dew answered, obviously irritated by the proposition. I glanced over at the baker. In the past few days that I had gotten to know him, I realized that despite his kind nature, Dew was very easily ticked when a person pushed his buttons in the correct order. “That’s who we need to encounter right now.”

“Easy Dew.” His twin sister, Mew, replied. “We can deal with them. Plus this was to be expected. After all, what we’re after could bring the downfall of gijinkas as a whole.”

“That’s true.” Dew mumbled under his breath.

“Either way, we need to get a move on. We have to reach the temple before they do.” Oh did I forget to mention that we’re in Latin America right now? Yeah. We’re in the jungles of Mexico I believe. Apparently this whole gijinka problem is either not a new thing or something very similar happened during the time of the Aztecs. We aren’t completely sure but that is what one of the Roman Charioteer scouts said so we were sent after it. I had to admit I was excited for the mission but I could do without the heat. The other did not seen too bothered by it (except for Oliver, because his usually white shirt was transparent right now), but I preferred cooler weather than this. The humidity had sweat running down my skin like a river, which is never a pleasant feeling.

We resumed our trek through the forest, Sloane continuing to lead us carefully through the treacherous wilderness. I found it quite odd that we had yet to encounter a single bug or animal. I wasn’t sure if it was the way Sloane was taking us or maybe the aura we gave off, but once again, I seemed to be the only one who took notice or cared. For what seemed like days, but in reality was only about an hour, there was only silence. No one spoke as we made our way to the temple. Then it happened.

Sloane let out an ear piercing screech, covering her actual ears (not her headphones) as she collapsed to the ground. Joey quickly made his way to her side, scouting around for the source of the attack. Sloane writhed on the ground in pain, murmuring incoherent sentences with only the occasional understandable word. She began to growl after a moment and when she opened her eyes again, they were filled with an intense burning hatred.

“Dylan!” She screamed. Pushing Joey out of the way, Sloane jumped up and let out a loud screech. I covered my ears in pain as I could literally see the shockwaves form in the air and shake the nearby trees at their foundations. Well I totally wasn’t in Kansas anymore, even though I’ve never actually been to Kansas. With the whole area shaking from Sloane’s shockwave emissions, I barely saw the figure backflip off one of the branches of the tree and land on the ground perfectly. Immediately my mind screamed that he was a gijinka, and man did he look it.

This character was obviously male. He had wide shoulders with toned arms and legs. HIs skin was fairly light in tone, a littered darkened, showing he had only just recently seen the sun. His eyes were a glimmering emerald green. His hair was brown, a dusty sort of color. From his hair sprouted two long green horns, pointing straight to the sky. He had on a white t-shirt that clung to his skin slightly. He had on what appeared to be brown jeans and combat boots, both meant for fighting and flighting. Plus, he had on green fingerless gloves. On top of it all, he had on what appeared to be a cross between a vest and a trench coat. It was sleeveless, came down to the ground on his, and was the same green as his eyes. The collar popped up so that it was the same height as his neck, maybe a little shorter. And to finish it all off, the man appeared to have glowing yellow tattoos on his arms. There were x circles going down, one on his shoulders, one on his mid-biceps, one on his elbows, and one on his mid-forearm. With the gloves on, I couldn’t tell if he had the same circles on his hands too but given that the glowing yellow lines connecting the circles on his arms led underneath his gloves, it would be a fair guess.

This man, Dylan as Sloane had called his, growled while he observed us. His eyes lingered on me a fraction of a second longer than the rest of the group, and if I had to guess, it was probably because he didn’t recognize me. It appeared that Quill and co. had met this gijinka before so it was also a reasonable assumption. His gaze returned to Sloane and his growling became louder. Sloane growled at the same volume in return and tension crawled across my skin like a bug. After a moment, both released large amounts of flames, Sloane morphing as she attacked. When they both stopped, Sloane had assumed her pokemon form. She appeared different than any normal noivern but before I could get a good look at her, Sloane and Dylan had taken off into the forest.

"Um… are we-?"

"Nothing we can do about it." Quill interrupted, "Happens all the time. I wouldn't be too surprised if the rest of the gang showed up soon enough. We need to keep moving."

"But Sloane-"

"Can handle herself." Oliver interjected. "She's done this before and obviously lived to tell the tale. What makes now any different?" I glanced into the forest where the sound of screeches and dub step bursts. I'd just have to leave it for now. We needed to move.

Leaving Sloane behind, the group of base users moved on. We didn’t make very far if I’m honest. We quickly encountered the rest of the group Dylan was a part of. They were all gijinkas. Each base user seemed to have a specific opponent.

The first pair up was between Dew and a female gijinka. She was in a skin tight green suited, covered with what looked to be vines and leaves. There was a yellow scarf around her neck. Her eyes were brown and her skin even darker than her eyes. She grinned at Dew with an uncanny confidence, plucking one her vines and shaping it into a rapier. Her brownish green hair flowed behind her as she charged in, rapier glowing a bright green as it tried to implant itself into Dew’s flesh. Dew dodged easily as he began to transform. He shrunk quickly, taking on the shape of an otter on two legs. Fur began to replace skin as he turned blue and sprouted wings from his back. He took the scallchops from his legs and blades shot out from them. He shot forward and blocked the glowing rapier with his two shell blades. The two were locked into fierce battle, with the sound of metal echoing throughout the air. It rattled against my eardrums as I looked the second pair.

Nearby I saw Joey shrinking. He slumped down onto all fours, his body consumed in darkness. When it dispelled, Joey was a gray canine with blue rings on his legs and on the center of his head. His long tail swished behind him, flames burning at the end and majestic wings fully unfurled in the air above him. He growled at the gijinka before him. The gijinka smirked at Joey and held out his scythe in front of him. He was dressed in a heavy white winter jacket and white jeans with black combat boots. He had on a black t-shirt underneath with a cross necklace hanging around his neck. He had on black gloves that had a dark aura swirling around them where he was clutching the scythe that seemed to be made of shadows. His hair was white, pulled back into a short ponytail with black bangs hanging over his right eye. His left eye glowed an eerie red, the color of blood sparkling inside. His skin was pale, as if he had never encountered sun in his life. He had two black dots right underneath his left eye and his one visible eyebrow was black, sculpted like that of an Ancient Egyptian's. "تأتي مع مرتبة الشرف والخداع بلدي المنافس." The gijinka said, beckoning Joey.

By the time I spotted Mew, she was already in her fusion form. She looked to be a quilava in neon colors. Bright blues, tans, greens, pinks, and oranges were her palette. But what was most noticeable was her long tail, small bug-like wings, and two antennae. I could see the Celebi and Mew in her. She released rainbow flames at a nearby gijinka, who merely teleported out of the way. He had an aura of pride about him. His hair was a whitish pink, eyes a dark brown, and skin only barely tanned. He had on a white hoodie that was brown and black at the bottom. His pants were black as well. He appeared to have no feet, or possibly no need for them as he floated in the air. His black tail swished back and forth in the air, the purple aura around this gijinka most visible around his tail. He had three silver rings on his right hand, one on his index, middle, and ring fingers, and one on his left, on his thumb. The gijinka held his right hand into the air and gazed at it. Before long, a black ball of energy formed. He smiled then shot it with impeccable speed at Mew. She barely dodged in time.

Before I could become too drawn in by Mew’s fight, a cry of pain that sounded like Oliver echoed in my ears. I followed the sound and saw Oliver’s fusion on the ground. He was small, barely bigger than a puppy. He was all white, the body of a chickorita with the color of a togepi. Except, instead of a leaf, he had three shoots that looked like pieces of grass on his head. They glowed and shook with each of his attacks. His opponent, who was laughing like a gaudy rich woman at the moment, was gorgeous. She was perfect in just about every appearance. Her skin was just the right color, her eyes a perfect shade of red, and her hair was just the right mix of pink and gray. Her hair swirled and curled, caressing her body shape until it reached her waist. She wore a diamond necklace and a pearl bracelet on each wrist, with a ring on every finger, each ring holding a different stone. She was in a short golden dress with a pink trim, a pink robe tied with a hot pink ribbon covering her upper arms. She had on pink ballet shoes with high white stockings and pink wings that sparkled in the sun hung out from her back. Oliver stood up, his grass shoots beginning to glow. At the same time, the woman shook her finger. Their eyes briefly glowed before the woman shot rapid fire ice shards, Oliver intercepting each one with a burst of fire.

Once again I found my attention be drawn away to another fight. A girl with black hair tied into a braid with long black ears coming from her head and red goggles covering her soot colored eyes was locked into battle with Being. Being looked exactly like a quilava, except for he had red stripes that cut across his body like scars. They, like Oliver’s shoots, glowed whenever he released fire. The gijinka’s eyes did the same when she breathed fire as well. Her shirt was orange, her scarf was red, and her overalls were brown. She had on black farm hand gloves and bright gold boots. The gijinka seemed to know Being’s weakness very well, getting in close and personal whereas it appeared Being liked to attack from far away. It was a game of cat and mouse between those two, but I couldn’t stay focused on them either.

Trebble seemed to be holding his own. Releasing one focus blast after another, Trebble was able to keep his opponent at bay. His opponent was a big guy too. He had to be at least six and half feet tall, probably closer to seven feet. He had on a blue shirt that was a grayish blue in the middle, with red on the bottom of the sleeves, and a collar that hid the man’s neck. His eyes were sharp, a reddish brown that could pierce the soul. His hair was a navy blue with two bright red streaks in the front, and three blue horns shot out like half of a star on each side of his head. He had fangs that stuck out past his lips, reminding me of a vampire as I observed him. His fingers looked to be claws, the nails sharp enough to be small talons. His pants were the same navy as his hair with the same red undertones on the backs of his pants. Large red wings that matched the colors of these undertones protruded from his back. The gijinka didn’t seem frustrated with Trebble, in fact, he seemed somewhat cocky. He was getting hit with a barrage of attacks and seemed to be taking no damage, much to the frustration of Trebble.

Yet, the fight that called the most attention to me, was the fight of Quill against his own rival in power. Quill was, like many others, a Quilava in body base but his fur was a mix of greens and blues. His fire was a deep forest green, his paws and eyes that same color. He had two long ears that could be seen as wings extending from his head, a flower on the left one. He growled and spewed forest green flames at the gijinka before him. She danced out of the way, blocking most of the attack with a large boulder for a shield. The gijinka had skin as black as chocolate, what appeared to be a tiara of diamonds on her head. She barely wore anything, but what she did wear looked heavier than a car. Plated on her outer arms and legs were what appeared to be terracotta, working as armor that blocked most of Quill's fire attack. On her chest, back, and lower body, similar terracotta plating barely covered those parts of her body. Yet it was just as effective, because none of Quill's attacks were getting through.

"Hey kid! Your opponent is over here!" Stars littered my vision as I suddenly found myself on the ground. The world seemed to move in slow motion as a man appeared in my vision. He was a skeleton, or at least he appeared to be. His skin was ghostly white, his eyes sunk in making his face appeared like an exoskeleton. Two white horns peeked out from his head, sticking out like sore thumbs in his black hair. Fangs hung out from his top lip, reminding me once again of a vampire. His skin was sunk in along his arms and legs, making him seem like no more than bone. His outfit was a grayish white, with flashes of purple on his sides. He was barefoot, I noticed, a tail tracing behind where he walked. But the part that drained the color from me was not his skeletal appearance, but his wings. They were strictly bone, making a whistling noise any time they moved that sounded like the groaning of a ghoul. He peered at me with piercing red eyes, the look striking me at my core.

"Leave her alone!" Casey screamed. A ball of flames tackled the man. He grunted and stumbled back, obviously disoriented. I realized quickly that he couldn't locate Casey. I could see him though, and, in a word, he looked pissed. Flames coated Casey's body, rippling across his back, arms, and legs. Even as he breathed, smoke and sparks flew out with each of Casey's breaths. My… er our opponent stood up and looked at me.

"Hm… an illusionist it seems." He said. The man clapped. "Well done little girl, this will be fun." Then he charged. I scrambled up to my feet and ran away as fast as I could. My feet slammed across the forest floor with loud thumps as I ran. I couldn't hear the man behind me but as soon as I hit a vine, I knew I didn't matter. My ankle shrieked in pain as I took a tumble and hit the ground. I tried to stand up again but it was useless. I was useless. Casey attacked the man from behind, jumping onto his back and trying to cook the bag of bones. The man roared in more anger than pain as he threw Casey off, tracking him with the visible smoke in the air. "Hm…" The man hummed, "Your illusions are somewhat annoying now. I might just have to dispose of them before I can dispose of you." His bones extended before they let out a noise like nails on chalkboard and came off the man's body. They hovered in the air, sharpened at deadly points, aimed right at Casey. Casey, who didn't see them, was on the ground holding his head, having hit a rock headfirst on that last fall. The bones shot forward at Casey.

"No!" I shrieked, extending my hand. Suddenly the bones froze, and my hand wasn't a hand anymore. The world looked so much bigger and time seemed to be frozen as I felt like lava was coursing underneath my skin. With each passing second that failed to pass, I grew smaller and smaller until the jungle seemed much more massive than before. All I could see were my white as snow paws, but I wasn't too focused on that. As time drew back into its normal pattern, the bones remained frozen, a blue aura around them. Casey and the man looked at me, shock registering on both their faces. The man snarled and snapped at me,

"Release them you wench!" Even if I knew how I wasn't planning on it. Casey plucked one out of the air and stabbed the man in the shoulder with it, the rock sharp enough to break through his arm. He cried out and suddenly yelled, "Retreat!" I didn't realize he actually meant it until he began to flee, blood black as night pooling down his back. Several out footfalls could be heard a ways away but I couldn't get over the fact that what had just happened was too easy. That guy was obviously strong and yet he let Casey and I off. Something was up.

Then my vision began to swim. The world began to enlarge again and somewhere in that vast jungle, someone was calling my name. I could barely make it out, but before I could register it, the world spun into darkness, Casey's voice ringing in my head.

[Noblejanobii]

I am glad that you like it! I actually have the sprites for everyone except Sloane made up so when it comes up I will post their sprited so you can see what they look like. As for generations and such, I felt there needed to be sort of a class system since every person's DNA is different, meaning they can only tolerant certain DNA implants. Plus, you have to think about it. When this first started, they weren't just instantly able to fuse an Arceus' DNA into a person. They had to start small and work their way up. That's why there are different generations with different restrictions and strengths. As for natures and characteristics, because they have Pokemon DNA in them, I felt it was understandable that they would share as many qualities as possible with these pokemon, which included natures and characteristics. While the natures and characteristics don't usually reflect the individual, they do reflect something else that may become more clear in the next chapter or so.

Just as an update I am working on the next chapter but I do plan for it to be a much larger chapter. Currently I am debating whether I want to split the events into more than one chapter or not. So what is your opinion? Would you prefer quicker but shorter updates or longer but slower updates?

[Suicune's Fire]

As you know, I haven't read it yet, but I'm answering your question anyway. :] I prefer slower but longer chapters. Mine average on 10,000 words per chapter. xD But that's just me. I prefer detailed accounts of events, because it allows room for feelings and emotions, as well as a nice, fleshed-out description of what's going on. I mean, sometimes it works when things move faster, but for other things, I find that more detail is a great way to go.

After I read it I may be able to give you a more detailed (haha) or specific answer!

[Noblejanobii]

Alright then. Slower longer chapters it is.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

I generally prefer shorter chapters, only because I don't often have a lot of time to sit and read. xD So if a chapter is short, I feel like I can just read it in-between doing other things, while if its long, I feel like I need to set aside time for it, which may not happen for a while. But I think you should just do whatever you prefer. :) I'll keep reading either way!

[Noblejanobii]

Well most of my chapters won't be too long. Chapter 4 will be probably one of the longest chapters. for the most part they might be the length of chapter 3.

[Noblejanobii]

Tri-Kappa Labs
Chapter 4

I couldn't make any sense of what Quill had said to me before I fell into this darkness. Well, to be fair I can't make sense of anything right now, much less what Quill meant by the rabbit hole. All I've been doing for the past who knows how long is fall through this darkness like I'm in a bottomless pit or something. It's a weird sensation because I can't see us falling but I sure as heck can feel it. It would suck to have motion sickness right now.

Suddenly I hit a hard ground. I stood up and looked around me. Still pitch black but at least I am no longer falling. I looked around, trying to make sense of… well at this point really anything. Then I heard a voice. It's Quill's! I'm sure of it!

"Welcome Alice, to the rabbit hole!" The voice echoed throughout the darkness. I paused. That phrase again. What does it mean? "Please choose your partner." The voice then said. There was a flash of bright light and I found that there are three Pokemon around me now. To my right was a water type, Manaphy, in front of me was a fire type, Victini, and to my left was a grass type, Shaymin. I looked between the three as the voices boomed again, "Please choose your partner." I bent down and looked more closely at the three. Manaphy seemed a little bored by the whole charade. It didn't even look the slightest interested in my presence. Ok not picking that one. I shifted my gaze to Victini. This guy was like a little ball of energy. He couldn't seem to sit still, moving backwards, forwards, sideways, up, down, diagonal, and in directions that i don't have a name for. Too much energy would be hard for me to handle. Pass. That left Shaymin. I looked over at Shaymin and I could immediately tell she was right for me. Shaymin was very calm, looking happy to be here, bobbing back and forth, but not so much that she was going all over the place. I reached out and pet Shaymin. She let out a cry of joy and nuzzled up to my embrace. I picked Shaymin up and said,

"I pick Shaymin."

"So be it!" A light flashed again and the other two starters had disappeared. "Now let your adventure begin!" I felt myself falling again. Shaymin began to cry out as she was wrenched from my arms, my heavy body falling much faster than hers.

"Shaymin!" I yelled.

"Min!" She screamed back as she desperately tried to catch up to me. The darkness fell away replaced by a blue sky. Shaymin continued to scramble to catch up to me but I was unsure of what to do to help. So instead I flipped over so that I had my belly facing downward and focused on hitting the ground. We were about to land in a meadow of flowers in the middle of a forest. The flowers might cushion our falls but there was no guarantee. I decided to go for it anyway. I tucked myself into a ball and began to spin, hoping this would help break my fall.

I hit the ground hard and exploded from my ball state onto the ground, my back sore from where I landed on it. The flowers had helped some but not as much as I had hoped. I guess it was too much to wish for a soft landing. I felt something hit me in the chest and groaned. I opened my eyes and saw Shaymin curled into a ball of green fur on my chest. I reached out and pet her. She slowly came out of her ball form and chirped at me. I sat up, picked her up into my arms, and then stood up. I had no idea where I was but heck if that was going to stop me from wandering all over the place. I started into the forest without a second thought.

The forest was breathtaking. Light shimmered through the few openings in the trees to reach the deep green floor. The trees were tall, reaching towards the sky as if it were their lifeline, big long roots and branches shooting in every which direction. Leaves were plentiful on the branches and the trees looked plenty healthy. Flowers, bushes, and other plants decorated the floor, creating a dazzling sight as I walked through it all. It was as if I was walking through the Garden of Eden. However, my garden daydream was soon interrupted by a few shouts. Who could be angry in a place like this? I needed to find out.

I picked up the pace to a run and followed the sound of the shouts. I was met with another clearing, but this place was riddled with destruction not beauty. Scorch and evaporation markings scarred the flowers and ground across the meadow. Fires blazed in certain spots across the field, not spreading but certainly killing what it was placed upon. I searched the area for the cause of this destruction and found it in the certain of the clearing. There, an individual holding a trident had another individual on the ground, the weapon aimed at their neck.

The one holding the trident had long black hair with a crown on her (I assumed it was a her) head. She wore a long black and blue dress with white spots across the front. Her fingers were clutched tightly around the trident and anger burned in her blue eyes with a steady flame. She appeared to be an African American given the dark tone of her skin but that was all just a guess to me. Given her current rage I didn't think asking her would be the smartest idea.

The other figure was very different from the trident wielder. From the looks of it, this figure was male and… on fire? His legs had patches of flame on them, as did his chest. Or at least the clothes on them did. He had navy blue hair and his eyes were a bright orange, currently filled with fear and regret. He had on a navy blue hoodie that matched his hair with tan fur around the edge of the hood. His jeans and shirt were the same color as well, but his sneakers were the same tan as the fur on his hoodie. His skin was pale like that of a computer nerd's but he didn't seem like the type to sit behind a computer all day. Still, it was obvious, the boy was terrified.

"Now gijinka," the girl with the trident said, "I banish thee!" She raised up her trident to strike him.

"No!" I shouted. Shaymin jumped down from my arms and released an energy ball. It went flying faster than the eye could detect across the field to the girl, hitting square on the trident. The trident went flying from the girl's hands and stabbed into the ground several feet away. Both heads turned to look at Shaymin and I. Shaymin growled as the girl's expression turned from confusion to rage.

"How dare you!" She screamed, "I was about to execute the guilty! This is treason! For that, you must be punished." I then noticed a few light particles gathering around shaymin as the girl drew her hands together. She closed her eyes and seemed to concentrate, a ball of water forming in front of her. I recognized that move. She was using Hydro Cannon. Well... crap. I began to back towards the forest line but Shaymin didn't follow.

"Shaymin. We need to go." I said. Shaymin didn't budge. She didn't even look at me. The glowing particles grew in size and number around Shaymin. "Shaymin. Come on!" I said louder this time. She shook her head this time and I didn't know what to do. The girl's eyes flew open and I ducked behind a tree for cover as the Hydro Cannon let loose. The ball of blue energy went flying straight for Shaymin. But then, just as I thought Shaymin was a goner, Shaymin released her own attack. A large beam of sunlight erupted from her, bursting through the Hydro Cannon and hitting the girl. She was sent flying into the nearby woods. I stood up from behind my tree and ran over to Shaymin. She burped and a cloud of smoke came out. Shaymin sighed with relief then looked at me with a smile plastered on her face.

"Min! Shaymin!" She said to me triumphantly. I couldn't help but smile at her as I picked Shaymin up.

"You're very strange. You know that?" I said to her. Shaymin just shrugged a little. I walked over to the boy, who was paralyzed with fear on the ground, and gazed at him. His eyes came into focus and he seemed to just be noticing me for the first time. His eyes scanned over me as he took Shaymin and I in. Finally he opened his mouth to speak.

"That was a Solar Beam attack right?" I frowned and looked at Shaymin. She nodded to answer his question. He rubbed his chin and seemed to contemplate Shaymin's answer. "Interesting. A human has tried to save me. That is very unusual. Unless..." The boy looked up at me. "Is this possibly your base test?" He asked.

"How'd you know?" I asked in reply.

"Your appearance is very dream-like. It is somewhat fuzzy looking. Almost like a hologram." He explained, "I have heard of it before but never seen it myself." His eyes suddenly filled with alarm. "Does that mean you have come to kill me?"

"Kill you?" I asked, the shock obvious in my voice. "Why on earth would you think I have come to kill you?" The boy swallowed roughly and nervousness entered his voice very quickly.

"When your kind come to take base tests, usually if they see a gijinka, they kill them. Usually they help those who attack us and befriend them." He explained quietly. I shook my head, appalled by the sight.

"I see no reason to kill you. Unless you have committed a crime worthy of it I don't believe you should die. That woman was a base user was she not?"

"Yes she was."

"And most base testers befriend the base users out here?"

"Yes."

"Well then. How about I don't do that and instead befriend you. Sound good to you?" The boy's eyes began to sparkle with joy and he nodded quickly.

"That would be great. Please. I don't want to die." I extended a hand to him and said,

"I am a defender of the defenseless not a killer of the innocent."

***

"That is very unusual." Dr. Mullins said. He scribbled something down on his clipboard as he watched the TV screen before him. The whole scene was being played on the TV screen for those in the room to watch. Currently, only Dr. Mullins and Quill were in the room to watch.

"I agree. Has this ever happened before?" Quill asked Dr. Mullins as he took the scene in.

"Not that I am aware of Quill. For most, that is their first gijinka kill. Usually the base user they befriend is a purebred, and the DNA base of that purebred determines what their fusion base will be." Dr. Mullins explained without looking back at Quill.

"I remember." Quill replied, "I befriended a Quilava base user." Dr. Mullins nodded. He watched as the gijinka took my hand and I helped him stand up. "Dr. Mullins, I have always wondered. How do you manage to transport our minds into the field?"

"That, Quill, is my little secret." He said, a cruel smile playing on his lips.

***

"So what is your name?" The gijinka, Shaymin, and I all walked through the calm forest. Shaymin currently rested in my left arm. I was carrying the trident in my right hand. I didn't really know how to use it but I felt better being armed with it just in case the others couldn't protect me. At least now I wasn't completely defenseless. The gijinka boy looked over at me, his confusion and curiosity having never left his eyes since the moment I helped his from his doom. He shrugged.

"I don't have one." I stopped walking and stared at him.

"You can't just not have a name." I protested. He shrugged again and said,

"At the Greek Riders, we didn't usually get names unless we're of a higher rank than where I was."

"What rank are you?"

"Were." He corrected, "I was a grunt. You have to be a Head Grunt or higher to have a name."

"I guess you can't go back to them given your use of past tense."

"I could, but I'm not." The boy sighed and looked towards the sky, "I never was very good at my job anyway and no one really liked me. I don't want to go back to a place where I wasn't appreciated, liked, or good at something. With you, I have friends and I can help protect you."

"That means you can have a name then." I concluded, "So go on, pick whatever name you like." The boy smiled a little and closed his eyes, thinking it over.

"I like the name Casey." He finally said. I smiled back at him.

"Well then, it is nice to meet you Casey. My name is Shayla and this is my partner Shaymin."

"Shaymin! Shay! Min! Min!" Shaymin said to him with excitement. Casey laughed and replied,

"Well thank you Shaymin but I should be thanking you. Without your solar beam I would surely be dead." Shaymin smiled and raised her head with an aura of arrogance around her. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh now look what you've done." I hesitated then frowned at Casey.

"Wait can you understand her?" I asked.

"Mm yes. Because gijinka are half pokemon, we can understand their language. The Roman Charioteers only have bases of Pokemon DNA in their body so they can't understand Pokemon. They just hear their calls instead of the actual words." Casey explained. This confused me even more.

"But I can understand Trebble just fine?"

"Who?" Before I can answer there was loud boom and the ground began to shake with such a force that I could not keep my balance. I covered Shaymin with my body and covered my head and neck with my arms. Finally the shaking ceased and I came out of my position. Shaymin had curled into a ball underneath me and Casey had assumed the same position as I. We exchanged confused looks. Neither of us had a clue what had just happened.

"That's her! That's the girl who attacked me!" I suddenly realized what was happening. I couldn't hold back my enthusiasm for our lovely base user's return. That was sarcasm in case you didn't get that. I looked over at the base user and saw she had backup this time. Little girl had to hide behind her friends. No matter. From what I could observe, the two behind her were a fire type and and an electric type. I'm thinking a Raichu and a charizard but they were not full Pokemon so I could not tell.

The three of us split up, the Empoleon girl going for Casey, the charizard chick going for Shaymin, and the Raichu lady coming for me. I spun the trident and lunged for the base user. She punched me in the gut and sent me flying backwards. I gripped the trident and bit my tongue as I slammed back first into the trunk of a tree. I spat blood to the side as I slumped on the ground and didn't see the girl coming until she had me by the neck.

"Not so tough without your Shaymin are you now huh?" She said, crushing my wind pipe with each passing second. My lungs screamed in my ears as the oxygen inside of me ran out. My vision was starting to fray at its edges and in a last ditch effort to save myself, I tried to punch the Raichu girl. Then I realized that I was still holding the trident. I stabbed the girl in her shoulder with the trident. She screamed and reeled back, releasing me. I took a big gulp of air and began to cough as my lungs filled with sweet sweet oxygen.

I tilted my head so I could see my opponent. She was on the ground, trident still in her shoulder, trying to stop the bleeding. Shaymin was nimbly dodging the barrage of attacks the charizard gijinka was delivering. Guess being small can be a good thing. Casey, on the other hand, was handling this much like I was. Which translates to, we're getting our butts handed to us. And that doesn't fit so right with me.

A feeling of something red and hot began to bubble inside of me as I watched the fight in slow motion. I watched as the charizard girl got one good hit in and sent Shaymin sliding across the ground with her body in flames. I watched as Casey became distracted at the sight of Shaymin and I. I watched as the Empoleon girl took this opportunity and cold cocked him. Casey fell to the ground and she pounced on him. I recognized the emotion that began to take its hold on my mind. Rage boiled within in me and I suddenly had the strength to stand. I took a step forward and the ground began to shake. Everyone froze in confusion before magma spouts erupted from the earth. The Empoleon base user scrambled away from Casey and the eruptions set up as a barricade between us and those who wished to bring him harm. The girls fled quickly and the magma slowly seeped back into the ground. My knees gave out from beneath me and I fell to the ground, swallowed in darkness.

***

"Has someone ever done that before?" Quill asked, intrigued at this development.

"No." Dr. Mullins said, "Not without a base which she lacks." He smiled and chuckled. "I can see why the Greek Riders wanted her. She is more powerful than anything I have ever seen."

***

"Shayla?" I groaned a little as my name echoed in my head. It took me a moment to realize who the voice saying my name belonged to. It was Casey. Everything suddenly came flooding back and my eyes snapped open. I started to sit up but Casey pushed me down.

"Shaymin!"

"What she said." Casey added, "Just wait a few more minutes. That seemed to take a lot out of you."

"But what did I do?" I asked. I was so confused. The earth erupted when I got mad. Had it really reacted to my emotions? No way. I don't have a base yet. I couldn't have done that. Could I?

"I…" Casey sighed and bit his lip. "I'm not sure. I think you did it because Shaymin and I didn't do it. We just assumed you somehow used Earth Power."

"Like the pokemon move?"

"Exactly."

"But I have no base. This is my base test. How can I use a move without a base?"

"Is it possible you already have one?"

"No. Not a chance."

We lapsed into silence at my negation of his theory. But the facts were still there. I wasn't your normal human being. I somehow could tap into a base I didn't have yet. No one else had ever done it. So why could I?

Finally Casey stood up. He offered his hand to me and I took it. He helped me stand up and I picked up Shaymin. We resumed our trek. Then it hit me. I didn't have a clue as to where I was supposed to be going. Oh well. Straight was better than nothing I suppose. Worse case… I wasn't truly sure. Ask a tree for directions? Meh. Wouldn't be the weirdest thing that had occurred these past two days. So we walked. And we walked. And we walked a little more. And we walked some more. And we kept walking. Slowly the sun began to sink and the sky began to turn orange. My stomach growled a little bit and I sighed. We weren't making any progress. I wasn't sure was to do.

"We should find shelter soon." Casey said. I nodded and added,

"Food and water as well." Casey began to search around us. Finally he settled on a large patch of tangled grass. He walked over to it and cracked his knuckles.

"Alright. Let's see if this still works." Casey said. He held his hands out to the tangled grass patch and his hands began to glow green. The patch of grass glowed in response and slowly opened. After a minute, both sets of glowing ceased. Casey ducked inside the opening for a minute before coming back out. "Looks good enough to me. Come on in." He said. I ducked inside after Casey and gasped. This place was a lot bigger on the inside than it appeared. Grass made up the walls but the floor was all twigs tied together to make a solid floor. The entrance closed behind us. Casey touched the wall and three beds made of leaves grew from the floor, each custom to the user. When he finished, Casey looked to me. "Is this ok?"

"Yes. But what about food and water?" Casey nodded and touched the wall again. Berries began to grow from the walls and a small spring bubbled up from part of the floor. Another hole opened in the floor on the opposite side of the room from the spring. When I have Casey a confused look he just shrugged and said,

"We all have the need." I frowned but I understood what he meant. Slowly twigs and leaves grew around the hole so that whomever needed to use it had some privacy which was better than nothing I guess. With that taken care of, Casey stopped doing whatever he was doing and looked over the bush.

"What move is that?" I asked.

"Secret power." Casey replied, "Allows me to do these kind of things in certain bushes, trees, and mountains. Cool huh?"

"Very useful." I agreed. I picked one of the berries from the wall and chewed it. It tasted great. I watched as Casey went to the spring and took a drink before heading to the hole. I picked a few more berries then laid down on my bed. I ate them while staring at the ceiling, my mind beginning to wander. I couldn't help but wonder what everyone else was doing. Was time only passing here or was it passing there too? So many unanswerable questions flew through my mind I lost count of how many very quickly.

"What's it like being a gijinka?" I asked quietly. Casey looked over at me from his bed. He then stared at the ceiling, pondering my question. He shrugged and sighed. I could tell he wasn't sure how to answer.

"It's odd. Especially when you're a grunt gijinka."

"How so?"

"Well, grunts have their memories wiped when they are made Gijinkas so we don't rebel against the admins and such. Most grunts act like mindless drones because of this."

"You don't though."

"No. I don't."

"Why?" Casey but the inside of his cheek and continued to focus on the ceiling.

"There was a glitch in the system." He said. Casey took a deep breath and began to tell me a story.