Personal Meeting (Wolf)

[Sam]

People bustled through the city of Calava. Teenagers were laughing as they walked home from school, men were arguing over the phone after work, mothers were bringing home children who were showing them art projects. No one took notice to an old shed at the edge of the city. The roof was caved in, the walls were beginning to collapse, yet it was still standing. Against the house, just as unnoticed as it, stood a man. He was in his early thirties and his face was covered in the shadow of the shed. A glint would occasionally come from an area near his hands and a pistol could be seen. He was twirling it around his finger, casual, as if it was totally natural to have a gun out in clear sight. Finally, he looked to the side and saw that the people were gone and inserted it into his pocket. He stepped out carefully into the streets, stood at the front of the shed for a moment, then disappeared inside.

Tables were overturned, glass covered the floor, a door stood on one hinge. There was absolutely nothing of interest. James walked slowly through the house, his footsteps making a slow, soft thud as they touched the floor. He arrived in the kitchen and opened the freezer. He felt cold wind blow in his face. There was something he needed to do, the reason he came in the house. There were plenty of other things to do today, and one of them he gave up daily for this: Katherine. He smiled as he thought of her. He loved her so much. He always wished she would come with him to this place, but, for some reason, she never did.

James reached into the freezer and took out a small ice cube. It was cold, but not as cold as a regular ice cube. It, in fact, wasn't even an ice cube. It was a small chip in the form of an icecube. He placed his thumb on the side of the cube and muttered softly, "James of Aero. Confirmed member of council." The cube softly glowed a bright, pale blue, then turned green. The refrigerator opened, but it wasn't food inside, it seemed to be a hallway. Taking care not to hit his head, James walked through the passage. He came out in a small room with a long table and numerous chairs. He went and sat down at the far end. A small control panel was in front of him, with a small key insert. James took out a miniature silver key and put it in the slot. He turned it and the control panel blinked on. A mechanic women's voice came from it. "Welcome, James. Is there anything you wish to command right now?" James smiled and nodded. Talking to the control panel, he said, "Always allow Aaron of Aero, unregistered member of the council." A small green light flashed on the control panel to tell him that it confirmed his request.

About a week ago, James had been told about a young man named Aaron who traveled Aero as a loner Aeroian. He was said to be extremely skilled in the wild and was said to have much knowledge on the Malum. The members of the Aeroian council had gotten together and discussed the topic of this boy. One of them had the idea to summon the boy to the council and have him talked to about what he knew and if wanted to accompany some Aeroians on a mission against the Malum. James had volunteered to speak to him, as he had thought that the boy may feel uncomfortable around so many people. A messenger had been sent out to find Aaron and tell him to meet them here at noon and had told him how to get into base. Now James sat at the table, patiently waiting for his quest to arrive.

[nightwolf84]

Aaron took his first steps into society since he was born. It had been a strange sight, with houses and towering office buildings. Everything seemed so....civilized. He had never seen cell phones, computers, or even radios before. It was a very strange experience for him - as if Aaron was an outcast. A few of the women who were picking up their children from school shot him nasty glares, Aaron believed, because of the way he was dressed. He had picked up most of his clothes in dumpsters in the places he visited. He really smelled. A week ago, a messenger arrived at his base of operations in the Sierra Mountains. Since then, he had traveled day and night to get here. He never liked to be disappointed.

After a fair bit of walking, he came upon a forlorn shed that looked like the place that the envoy had described to him. As soon as it was in sight, Luna had gotten tense, smelling blood and gunpowder. Aaron thought: "There must have been some fighting around here." He entered, as the door was unlocked. Inside the house, it was a terrible mess. The furniture was overturned, glass covered the floor, and muddy footprints were all over the place. He sat down on the sofa, wondering if this was the right place. He couldn't get back to the mountains without some extra supplies - he had lost most of them while trying to escape a Malum patrol on his way here. Aaron had killed most of the bastards, cutting their throats and smashing their skulls in with rocks.

He sighed, for the first time realizing how tired he was. After five days of constant traveling with minimal rest the boy was exhausted. Still, his resolve never faltered, and neither did his partner's. Aaron walked over to the kitchen, hoping to salvage some food, and find something to drink. He checked the pantry first, and discovered some oatmeal and some bottled water. He put them in his sack. Next he checked the fridge. Surprisingly, it was nearly empty, save for a few ice cubes. He picked one up. It was not cold, for some reason. Aaron pressed his thumb on it. A great rumbling was heard, and the freezer swung open. All he could manage was a flabbergasted, "I'm here." Then he fainted

[Sam]

It was a while that James sat there, waiting for the boy to come in. He stared down at what he held in his hand: some papers, a notebook, and a yellow folder. He had been told not to open the folder until Aaron had come in and they had started their little chat. He sat there silently, his thoughts roaming. Now, according to the papers he held, there was a battle going on somewhere in the Sierra Mountains, though it was small and none where sent to help, believing the battle to be over. There had apparently been a great storm near Cryse Cove and a flood was taking place. Then, he thought of Katherine. Where was she whenever he had meetings like this? It was curious, that she always was nervous around the Aeroians and the Malum, as if she didn't have a side. She had specifically told him she was a lone, unbothered Aeroian that seeked only to become stronger in skill and maybe to find Pokemon as well. So, what's wrong with at least going into an Aeroian ruled town or city? Whatever. She loved him and her loved her and their relationship was strong.

James looked up, finally, when he heard the sound of the refrigerator opening. He slowly stood up to meet the boy, but heard a weak line of words, then a thud as if he had fallen. James carefully walked to the door of the meeting room. There was a boy on the ground, his clothes were rags and a strange reek came from him. Next to him was an Absol, standing over him as if to protect him. James blinked a couple of times, knowing he had seen the pair before, but the thought ran away as he realized how starving the boy probably was.

He let out Blazzer and Crystal, telling the Snorunt to calm the Absol down as he and the Feraligator helped the boy into a chair. James walked over to the control panel, pressed a button that had a fork and knife on it, and a platter of food rose in the middle of the table. He put some of it on Aaron's plate, then ordered Blazzer to use Hydro Pump to wake him. He sat back in his seat and stared at the boy before saying, "You are Aaron, I presume. My name is James and this is the main Aeroian headquarters. Eat, and we will talk."

[nightwolf84]

Aaron sat in the chair, soaking wet and much relieved to meet a fellow Aeronian. It had been quite a few weeks since he had bathed - or even gotten in contact with clean water. He smelled so bad, even Luna teased him about it. He looked at his plate, then at James. He seemed honest enough, and Aaron needed help. Still, Aaron was uneasy about sharing crucial information with a stranger, especially knowledge that might turn the tide of the war. He decided to trust James. Pulling out a map of Aero, he gestured to the center of the region, toward the Sierra Mountains. "So the Malum are constructing a base here, directly into Mt. Horn. That's just what the whole disturbance out there was all about. If they manage to establish a forward operations base there, they'll be able to invade pretty much all of southern Aero. Since most of our forces are trying to take back Fitzgem, their men will face little opposition, and crush our resistance once and for all." Aaron slammed his fist onto the table for good measure.

"But," he added "If we can forestall the Malum just by a few weeks, we'll have the resources and the manpower to defend Nevali. I suggest we move battalions in Nevali and Valedsea to cut off their supply routes. It would be better if we had some Aerial support from Skyridge. Thus, we delay their attack, and gain an extra two weeks time to call our battalions home to defend Calava." He tossed the map to James, as an offering, and sat back. On his face he wore a cold smile.

[Sam]

James stared intently at the map, imagining how everything looked like at the moment. This was all news to him. Once Aaron had finished, he caught the map and looked at it for a few seconds. He traced his hand along the line of the Sierra Mountains. It demanded the most attention out of both sides. Constant war...Fitzgem always under attack...Nevali a huge attention to the Malum...and his own information...definitely, the Malum were worthy opponents.

He looked back up towards Aaron. "Thank you. That was some very valuable information to the Aeroians. Now it's my turn to share." He put the map back down on the table and took out a pencil and the papers. "Now, the Sierra Mountains seem to be a rather large war area at the moment. We have many soldiers there, fighting the Malum and finding out ways to claim the mountains as our own once and for all." Next, his hand went to Cryse Cove. "Malum soldiers have been spotted, sneaking around. Apparently, there's a lone Aeroian trapped there. We were thinking of saving him, but it may cost us some lives." Next, his hand went to the Pokemon League. "We've lost all contact with the Champion. We sent some men over and found the entire family dead. They looked for some clues and found three different bird feathers. The feather from a Pidgeot, Straptor, and Braviary." Last was the Secret Base. "There have been many mysterious shippings from other regions. Our biggest mystery yet is what they're shipping. Our biggest three projects right now are to find out what the shippings are, take back the Sierra Mountains, and uncover the mystery behind the leader's death." He turned towards Aaron. "Now, I need two things from you. The first is your opinion on all of this. What should we do? The second is the answer to a question; do you know an Aeroian by the name of Rose? She is part of the mystery, being the champion's daughter."

[nightwolf84]

Aaron slowly took in the information. He sat there, with no expression on his face. Strange shipments...Cryse Cove....champion murdered. Well obviously, the Malum were no fools. They needed something from Jaden. Aaron had limited knowledge of most of the affairs. He didn't know much beyond the war. Still, he knew that the man had been trying to develop something.....a weapon perhaps. And Cryse Cove...wasn't that where the oil deposits were? He looked back at James, deep in his thoughts, and then looked back down. There was some kind of connection between everything. Aaron just didn't know what. Then there was Rose. He knew that she was somehow related to the champion. A sibling perhaps? He had heard of here from time to time, and of her tragic tale. He brought out his map again. Cryse Cove was directly connected to Albatros Lake. It would provide a direct route of invasion for the Malum into Nevali. It was a well-known fact that the Aeronian forces were severely under equipped. On the other hand, the Malum troops had tanks, planes, and a navy.

Then it occurred to him. Jaden wasn't just developing a weapon. He was developing a power core - one that could destroy an entire continent. Aaron looked up suddenly and explained to James his theory. "The Malum are constructing a huge ship. That's why Jaden was found dead and also explains the shipments. Cryse Cove has most of Aero's oil reserves as well. " He paused for a moment, yawned, and continued, "As for Rose, I think she's somehow related to him, in some way. Maybe she has some of his research." At the same rate that this was going though, the Malum super ship would be well on its way into Nevali before Aero troops could intervene. "I think we should gather up whatever air power we have and lead a bombing raid over Fitzgem, and disrupt their efforts. Eventually, we'll have to take the city as well, if we are to win this..."

[Sam]

OOC: FWI, I deleted that ending. It's sompletely against the rules and against what the title of this thread is.

James nodded as Aaron finished. There was a moment of silence after he had finished as James summed up everything. He ended up picking up the folder and opening it. Inside were papers about Aaron, describing his life in detail. He saw the words 'devestation at Shadow Peak, only survivor" then realized were he had seen this boy before. He looked up at Aaron and realized that it was true. This boy was a living miracle. "Aaron, there's somthing you need to understand. The Malum are very very powerful. They destroyed our entire air force a long time ago. We have nothing like that left. They've taken weapons as well, most of our more powerful ones, like the machine guns and tanks. The only kinds of guns we have now are," he took out a pistol, "these. Now, we've got more weapons, of course. Swords, knives, spears, bows. But, I'm afraid, we're living in past technology. The Malum have the upper hand. We can't simply barge into a city and kill everyone. It would be suicide. We have to plan carefully. Firstly, the Malum have a number of spies and assassins they send to kill and take over towns and cities. There's is a certain place that was crushed by unknown Malum spies many years ago. They annihilated evey advantage it gave us, except for one thing." He pointed a finger at Aaron's face. "You, I know you. I've seen you before. You're the survivor of Shadow Peak. I don't know how you did it, but I know you survived. I was sent there to see what had been done to the place, but, unfortunately, there was nothing left. I gave up hope, until I saw you. It's you I'm talking about. Now, Aaron, this is very important. Did you, or did you not, see any Malum soldiers from that mountain? We must weaken their force one by one."

[nightwolf84]

A tear trickled down Aaron's face as he remembered his horrible past. The Malum had taken everything. They had killed an entire island full of innocents. His friends, his family. All gone. They had murdered hundreds. Tortured and killed. Again and again. Powerless to do anything. The only thing he could do was watch. The dead's bodies thrown into fires, ridiculed. A nightmare to him and Luna. The Malum had absolute power over millions. And they used it to kill, without a single bit of mercy or compassion. Then they flew away in their helicopters and jets, as if absolutely nothing had ever happened. He was so caught up in the memories that he could not comprehend what James had said. Spies? Malum? Of course, before the massacre, both Aaron and Luna had noticed strange men, with technology beyond their comprehension. More began to come, and soon the Island was overflowing with them. The planes came, and the peace was shattered.

He paused for a moment, still grieving over his lost friends, then straightened up and wiped his eyes. Aaron blinked a few times, then said, in a hoarse voice, just above a whisper: "There were." It was all he could manage. Luna nudged him gently, as if to say < You did everything you could. You cannot change what already has been done, but you can shape what is yet to come.> Aaron's emotions settled down, and he relaxed. Comprehending James' words, he realized how powerless the Aeronians were against the Malum bastards. No air force, no guns, nothing! Aaron got up, and said to James: "If we're done here, then I'll be on my way. I have business to take care of."

[Sam]

James nodded, sensing that Aaron obviously didn't want to talk about it. When Aaron stood, so did he. It was out of a proper respect habit. When Aaron asked if they were done, he shook his head. They were far from done. This? Was was only a small part. This would be over once the Malum retreated or the Aeroians are destroyed. He almost ripped every file in his hand just thinking that the Malum could overpower the Aeroians. Then he remembered seomthing. He held out a hand for Aaron to wait, then opened the file again. He came to the back, where a bunch of pictures of different Malum spies were. He was lucky. If he had taken the care to go through the pictures, he would have come across the picture of a certain women that was betraying his trust as this very moment. He handed the pictures to Aaron. "Tell me, do any of these people look familiar to you?"

He then turned to a door at the back of the room. He took out a bunch of keys and used one to unlock the door. He opened it and beckoned to Aaron. "I think before we part today, I should let you leave with a little thank-you gift. All I must ask you to do is swear never to speak of this. It's very important and I had to do a lot of pleading to let this happen. Follow me and try not to go crazy."

[nightwolf84]

As Aaron stood, he noticed James stand as well. Why? He had no idea. People and their courtesies were so mysterious. The man reached into his book of knowledge and pulled out yet another file. This one contained several pictures of what seemed to be Malum authority. He looked at the several pictures lining the pages of James's folder. Inside were some portraits and biographies of Malum spies. None of them looked especially familiar, except a grey-haired man of about fifty or so. He gestured to James. "Yeah, I think that one seems familiar. Him, Scipio-whatever." A moment passed before he truly recognized the man. The guy in the photo was the exact same man leading the raid on Shadow Island - aka the slaughterer. A cold feeling went down his spine, and Aaron shivered. Luna seemed to grow somewhat angry, although she only showed it by baring her teeth and uttering a low, ominous growl.

Nearly thirty seconds passed before Aaron got out of his trance-like state, and loosened his grip on his knives/daggers. He then proceeded to follow James into the back of the room. His ears perked up in curiosity as he heard thank-you gift. A weapon perhaps? No, the Aeronians had no advanced firearms. Then something else, perhaps. Then the other words. Keep this a secret. Why the hell would he go around spouting classified information like a sprinkler? He'd rather go to hell than to let the Malum win the war. Aaron took one last look at the room, turned off the lights, and followed James through the door.

[Sam]

James led Aaron down a dark hallway with very little light. He, being used to going down, was used to it, but not as sure about Aaron. To check that he was still right behind him, he looked back and, sure enough, there he was. He gave him a smile and continued, almost laughing to himself. He could already tell what kind of person Aaron was. He would kick-ass any day, as though his life depended on it, which of course, in many cases, it did. Weapons, though, were something he knew Aaron prized and James chuckled to himself that what they were going to see was more than just a weapon.

They finally reached the end of the hallway and James turned to Aaron. "Remember what I said. No one can know. Also, don't touch anything unless I tell you to. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will supply you with the right answer. Okay?" He nodded and pulled open the door. It was even darker in the room then it was in the hallway. He stepped inside and knew that Aaron probably couldn't see him anymore. He turned to the side and found a large switch on the wall. He flicked it and the whole room was lit and the contents were revealed.

War planes. Bomber jets. Torpedoes. Everything, though their numbers were small. Each one bore the Malum symbol. Some of them were slightly dented or burned, the painting ripped off, a metal patch on the side. James smiled. Everything was the same as before. He turned back to Aaron. "Captured. The Malum don't know we have these. Some of the newer looking ones were stolen directly from their base, the worn ones stolen in battle. Nonetheless, they're ours now. I said we had a thank-you gift ready. Well, we're going to use one of these. We're going to take back Fitzgem City once and for all. Like you said, they're constructing a base at Mt. Horn? I'll have soldiers sent there right away. For now, though, we're using one of these." He pointed at one of the ones in the corner. It was a bomber. There were two medium sized dents in the side and a bit of rust, but, otherwise, it was ready to destroy. "We'll be using her." He ran towards it, eager to step inside the plane. James had only been in a real bomber jet once and had always hoped to do it again, but as the captain this time. He was trained of course, so he could fly Aaron all the way to Fitzgem city and back again with ease. He opened the door of the jet and hoped inside. He beckoned to Aaron and sat back, looking at the controls. He felt a wave of hunger for battle and tightened his fist, ready to unleash his revenge.

All of a sudden, Blazzer came out of his Pokeball and roared loud and strong. Of course, he would be ready and eager to fight. Crystal popped out two and the two Pokemon screamed war together. James nodded, ready for the upcoming battle.

OOC: If you could put end thread after your post, that would be great, Wolf.

[nightwolf84]

Planes. Firearms. A stash of arms that could supply a small army. Aaron stared in awe at the engines of war that had once been the Malum's. He stood there for a while, surveying the arsenal of mass destruction. He pulled out the old war rifle that he had stolen from a unsuspecting guard, and threw it away in disgust. It was garbage compared to what was amassed here. Aaron bent over and picked up a few frag grenades, some medical supplies, and a standard Malum machine gun, with an abundant supply of ammunition. He slung his new possessions over his shoulder, and proceeded to follow James to a bomber. It wasn't in too bad condition, and looked operational.

He got on the gunner's seat, and set down his sack. It was a type II class Minigun, capable of tearing holes in aluminum armor. Aaron motioned for Luna to get on the plane. James was already starting the engine. She hesitated, picking up a sack of war rations, and curled up on top of the cargo bay. Aaron motioned for James to commence the takeoff cycle, and within a few moments, the jet sped onto the runway, circled a few times, and flew off toward the setting sun.

END THREAD