Pokemon - From the Brink

Chapter 41 - Crackles in the Dark

The emergency alarms shut off and all the doors in the compound became unlocked.

"Is it over...?" I blinked, still shaken up.

Just then, Azelf warped back into the room.

"We're safe for now." He said, floating over.

"What happened?" Nelly asked.

"Well, I went to help but by the time I got there, it was under control. But you might want to keep the lights on, because it's gotten pretty dark outside."

He went on to explain how we were now completely underground.

*

"That ought to do it." Midorima said as he and the others made their way back inside, looking out at the darkness while Kiria rushed off to make sure everyone else in the complex was all right.

"Fair play. I wouldn't have thought of pulling us underground." Caleb nodded.

"But what happens next?" Hikaru asked, Virizion standing beside her. "Do we just hide down here from now on? It's pitch-black out there."

"Well, I believe we should maintain this plan until the military forces cease their search." Uxie said. "It may take a day or two, but the likelihood is that they won't find any trace of us and leave empty-handed."

"Damn idiots..." Megan sighed. "That big shot kept saying that they wanted our tech to protect people, but I have a hard time believing that if he storms up to our doors with a whole army when he's told 'no'."

"I don't know..." Hikaru looked around. "Their methods were off, sure, but I think he had some kind of point. The tech that you guys have – wouldn't it be better to share it?"

"That's the issue." Megan shook her head. "Of course, ideally, we'd want to deploy our shield technology as far as we could, but we just can't trust that everyone would use it for its intended purpose. The tech is new, and full of possibility – but not every outcome of experimentation is passive. I won't risk letting it fall into the hands of people who would turn it into a weapon to hurt others."

"I understand that your outlook on this is for the long-term..." Midorima nodded slowly. "But, to be blunt for a moment – we may not have a long-term future if we aren't able to stop Bedlam."

"You sayin' you don't think we can win?" Caleb crossed his arms.

"Not necessarily." The Korean replied. "Rather... We're close, but we're not quite there yet."

"Indeed." Uxie nodded. "Our power now is not at a level that can rival the beast. Myself, Terrakion, Meloetta, Azelf and now, Virizion, too, are not strong enough."

"You say that," Hikaru looked at her new partner. "But I find it hard to believe, y'know? When I felt Virizion's power flowing through me, it felt like I could do anything..."

"I would say that that feeling is only natural." Virizion said. "After all, from a base human state, adding our power to yours will feel immense – but even then, I imagine it must pale in comparison to this creature who skulks in the shadows."

"Precisely." Uxie agreed. "Not to mention the fact that it gets stronger each day as it incites conflict across the globe."

"So we're in a race to get stronger before Bedlam does, that right?" Caleb asked.

"In simple terms, yes." Terrakion affirmed.

"Well, geniuses, how much more power do we need?"

"That's not so easy to figure out." Midorima admitted. "Right now, I'd say we're fairly able to take on and wipe out Bedlam's army of shadows when they appear – but..."