From: Marco262, I _am_ the WooMaster (marco262@yahoo.com) Subject: [PW!] [G/S transition] End of an old misson, start of a new life (Part 3) Newsgroups: alt.games.nintendo.pokemon Date: 2001-02-11 12:27:05 PST It took a few seconds for the impact of this message to seep in. Darian stood there, in complete shock. Iqo obviously took Darian's reaction as a sign of acceptance, and was droning on about Darian's next mission. Images and events flashed into Darian's mind, combining into a long, blended narrative of the past year. Darian's arrival at Pewter city. His first glance of Marvin at the Magic show. Famifax pinning him down and leaning over him with her lips pursed. Xerox looking at them bad temperedly from her spot on the bed. Lasser hitting on a girl at the bar. The sign of the PODA. Infiltrating the TR base. A flying Mankey. A man at a card table. And Pardus lying in front of the Diversity Gym. Pardus! A whole batch of memories came back to him. When he first found Pardus, injured from a Spearow attack. The sleepless nights, keeping his friend alive. Their first battle. Pardus nodding happily when Darian first named Ęther and Mens'osc. A Rhydon surrounded by Pardus' and covered in coins. Where'd that come from? Pardus comforting him after an uncomfortable ride on Ęther. Them sleeping together under a cardboard box, keeping each other warm. He'd never see them anymore. He'd never see any of them. "No." Iqo abruptly stopped its explanation of a small, black cylinder covered in purple buttons. "What was that?" "I'm not leaving." Darian tried to stop his knees from shaking. He knew the penalty for disobeying the Superiors. Iqo accidently hit a button and the table behind Darian turned into a paisley colored sofa. It straightened up quickly. Its voice was full of anger. "You realize the penalty for disobeying..." "I don't care!" Hot tears streamed down Darian's face. "I'm not leaving my friends!" Iqo took a step toward him, its finger menacingly close to the box around its neck. "You will obey! They are not your friends! They will turn on you! We are the only ones you can trust!" Darian retreated from the white-robed form, and tripped over the sofa. "No!" "You must!" "NO!!" In a flash, Darian was on Iqo and strangling the life from its bony neck. "You can't make me! Don't make me leave Pardus!" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a movement. The world exploded into millions of different colors. It felt like his brain was pounding its way out of his head with a sledgehammer. He fell backwards off the limp form of Iqo, clutching at his skull, desperate to keep his brain where it should be. Then, for the second time in 20 minutes, a black curtain dropped over the world and Darian went limp. *********** A young nurse peered into the small hospital room. She grabbed a passing doctor. "Sir? Please tell me. The whole ward has been whispering to each other since this boy came in here. What is so important?" The doctor glanced at the battered and bruised body lying unconscious in the warm hospital bed. Electronic devices and IV tubes radiated from his body. The doctor sighed. "He was brought in here by a man that claimed to have seen him drop out of the sky and smash through the roof of his house. He's been completely comatose for the last 3 hours, and everyone seriously doubts he'll make it through the night." The doctor hurried away to another hospital room and the nurse gazed at the boy's pale face. She walked in slowly and sat down on the bed, watching him taking slow ragged breaths. She brushed a strand of sandy brown hair out of her eyes and a sad smile played across her lips. "Don't worry," she said to Darian, "You'll be alright." A Pidgey chirped and flew away outside, leaving a small dust tornado glinting in the sun. 5 long years passed in the real world, but for Darian, that time passed much differently. TBC? -- -Marco262, Aspiring Regular