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.