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Pokemon: Way of Life Chapter 14
🕑 Added 2022-10-28 03:42:28 +0000 UTCDisclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Gamefreak.
Hi all,
Some trigger warnings for this chapter as there are scenes of torture and death. I suggest you skip these parts if you find them offensive.
What the hell did Giovanni want with him? Lucas tried to comprehend why the man would go through all this trouble.
Giovanni walked back to his desk and picked up the phone. “Get me, Goldman. We have the specimen.”
Lucas tried to contact Dante over the bond, but there was only silence. Was he too far away from his partner? Lucas fought the rising panic consuming him.
“Persian.”
Lucas almost screamed when a Pokemon purred in his ear, its tongue flicking out to lick his face. However, it did not feel like an affectionate act but one of hunger. He tried moving away but still felt too weak to make an effort.
“Leave him alone, Persian,” Giovanni said.
Lucas looked at the unsettling man in bewilderment. “You said Goldman? He was the one who created the serum. Does he work for you? I thought Team Saber was doing the experiments. How are you involved?”
Giovanni sat down behind his desk. “You know that much? Clever. But you are mistaken about one thing. Team Saber has always been a part of Team Rocket. I knew their research was too radical for me to have my name associated with them, so I pretended to kick them out of my organisation.”
Cunning bastard. “Do you think you will get away with this? It is only a matter of time before my family find me, and you will be sorry.”
“Yes, you are the grandson of Tobias Walker.” Giovanni chuckles. “On my best day. I do not think I could defeat him in a Pokemon battle. However, that is not an issue. They will not find you here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I shielded this place from all surveillance devices, including satellites. They won’t be able to track the Pokeball in your pocket,” Giovanni said. “You are too important to my plans to make any mistakes. Do you know how extraordinary you are to survive the serum when so many others died?"
"You are a monster," Lucas said flatly.
"Wrong. I'm merely a businessman with a very pragmatic outlook on life. The specimens who died were regrettable but not a significant loss in the overall scheme of things."
"It's funny that you say that when you have the whole villain monologue down to a tee."
Giovanni seemed to tire of the conversation as he read through something on his desk. Lucas used the time to {Meditate} and regain his {Aura}.
Five minutes later, there was a knock on the door, and an older gentleman appeared. The man looked ordinary enough, dressed in a lab coat and having the general air of someone who ignored their appearance. He carried a strange metal collar in his hands.
"You have the specimen?" Goldman asked, looking at Lucas with a hungry expression.
"Put him under," Giovanni said. "Then run your tests."
Lucas eyed Goldman with apprehension as he approached. What the hell was he going to do? He considered using {Telekinesis} against the man but decided it wasn't worth the effort. With Giovanni and the Persian in the room, his chances of escaping were slim to none. It was better to bide his time until a better opportunity presented itself.
As Goldman crouched next to him, the facade of an ordinary man disappeared. His eyes were dead, as if he was an empty shell that his soul had long abandoned. He smiled evilly, full of twisted intent. The dichotomy between the two was seriously scary.
"Hello, Mr Walker. We are going to be spending a lot of time together. Call me Alan since we will be best friends soon enough."
"How about I call you demented?" Lucas retorted.
Goldman sighed and tapped his cheek with a mournful expression. "That is not a proper way to start a relationship. I'm afraid I must take it out of your hide."
Lucas recoiled, but Goldman grabbed his neck and leaned closer. "Do you know what happened to the last person who disobeyed me? Let's say, while she is still alive, I think she would prefer death if only I gave her a choice."
"You will not harm the specimen beyond the tests necessary to determine his condition,” Giovanni ordered. “If you damage one extra hair on his body, I will feed you to Persian."
Persian raised its head and purred.
Goldman attached the collar around his neck, which locked into place with a click. He reached inside his pocket, took out a small device, and pressed a button.
Immediately he felt his thoughts dim, and he struggled mightily against the sensation. Soon, he couldn't move his body, but he was aware of what was in front of him. It was like sleep paralysis, but the terror it invoked was on another level entirely.
=====
The Puppeteer Collar has affected the player.
Detriment: Puppet on a String has been added.
Puppet on a String
Description: When this detriment is in effect, the player’s body is no longer under his control. The owner of the collar manipulates him to do their bidding. The player's mind is still his own, so any skills with purely a mental aspect are still available to him. Passively increases the player's mental resistance.
=====
New Quest received!
Escape from Team Rocket
Description: The criminal organisation known as Team Rocket has captured and controlled the player. Escape the island before the sadistic Doctor Goldman grows impatient and starts experimenting on the player.
Current Objective: Raise Mental Resistance to level thirty to escape the collar's control.
Time Remaining: Two Months.
=====
"Get up, Mr Walker." Lucas followed the man's orders and got to his feet while internally screaming at the situation. He promised himself he would seriously hurt Goldman once he got free of the collar. That held true for Giovanni as well.
{0(((..)))0}
Lucas sat on the floor in his room, going through another round of {Meditation}. Goldman had relaxed the mental restraints enough so he could move with a bit of freedom inside his room.
He was subjected to several medical tests. Thankfully, the tests were nothing too outlandish for the moment and something he would receive if he got a general check-up at the hospital. The Doctor took some blood, urine and tissue samples. Next, he entered another room, where he underwent several x-ray scans that took images of every part of his body. Finally, he finished with various tests for body functions and reflexes.
The tests hadn't been too invasive, but the lack of control was a serious violation. Being a passenger in your own body and completely helpless was an upsetting experience. Even though he had some autonomy in his room, he was not stupid enough to believe they wouldn't be watching him. Even the bathroom wasn’t safe because he assumed they didn’t care about his privacy.
To confirm his suspicion, he walked around the entire room, observing everything with his sense of sight enhanced. He found many hidden cameras and microphones around the bedroom, strategically placed to cover every inch of the room. To his surprise, he couldn't say the same for the bathroom. It seemed that they had some scruples, at least. Or maybe he was missing something.
However, there were still some things he could achieve without his watchers noticing. Lucas could operate his menu, and no one could see his actions. He even had the idea of placing the collar in his inventory with a mental command. However, he didn't even know if it would work because it was tightly attached to his neck.
Lucas reviewed his current skills and concluded that they wouldn't suffice if he were going to make an escape attempt. There was not enough information on his location or the security he had to contend with, so for now, he was helpless.
He wished he had kept the last choice for {Arceus Blessing} for such a situation, but he had been too eager when he thought of a good idea for the last skill.
His attention turned to his skills in his skill bank, and he perused through them, hoping to gain a magical solution that would solve all his problems. Lucas would not escape with force, as they outmatched him. No, it would take cunning and patience.
One skill in his skill bank that may help him with the situation was the {Persuasion} skill.
=====
[Persuasion] (Active) [Lv:1] (Next:0%) [Cost: 5]
Description: The player uses words to convince a person or group of persons to change their beliefs or behaviour. The higher the skill, the easier it is to persuade someone. The success rate will differ with every person, depending on their strength of mind or relationship with the player.
Chance to persuade a person + 6.05% [Charisma Modifier].
Chance to persuade a group of people + 6.05% [Charisma Modifier].
=====
Lucas reminded himself that he still had to complete the next stage of his Awakened quest.
=====
New Quest received!
Awakened 02
Stage Two
Description: The player has controlled the first transformation. However, it is only the beginning. Confront Doctor Goldman and learn his secrets to unlock the ability to continue levelling {Immutable}
Current Objective: Discover the location of Dr Goldman.
Time Remaining: Three Months.
Rewards: Continue levelling {Immutable}, Fire Stone.
Failure: Uncontrollable transformation.
=====
He still had three months left to complete it, which wasn't reassuring. Did that mean he would be here for a few months at least? Or was the 'System' being generous with the time limit? Somehow, he didn't think it was the latter.
A knock sounded on the door, and it opened. A cloaked figure entered the room, and Lucas tilted his head in puzzlement. The strangest thing about the newcomer wasn't that it covered them completely head to toe in the cloak, but it was their body shape. There was something wrong.
The figure carried the food tray to the dining table and placed it down. Lucas involuntarily gasped as he saw the person from the side, and the person jerked its head up and stared at him. He saw yellow eyes before they hurried back out the door, closing it behind them.
The side on view showed the figure's dimensions were severely malformed. The closest comparison Lucas could make was the movie character Quasimodo. What the hell was that? Was that a Pokemon?
Whatever it was, it seemed more scared of him than anything else. Lucas promised himself he would try to talk to the thing next time.
Mental Resistance has increased to Level 16.
His {Mental Resistance} was increasing passively from wearing the collar, which meant that he was still subconsciously fighting the effects. However, how long would it take to reach level thirty? Was there a way to increase the levelling speed? If the good Doctor started using psychological torture, then maybe he would, and it was something the creep would definitely enjoy.
Lucas's eyes widened when he realised he had forgotten his new function. Opening the Map, he scanned it for any clue where he was, but it obscured the area beyond the places he had already walked. But he zoomed out further until he saw the entire Kanto Map and discovered that he was far south and a little east of Pallet Town. He must be on an island as there was nothing but ocean south of Pallet Town. Lucas recalled his knowledge of Kanto's game map and concluded that he must be on Cinnabar Island.
Lucas walked over to the tray of food and used {Observation] on the plate of spaghetti. It revealed nothing negative, so he sat down and began eating.
The next day, Goldman brought him into an exercise room with expensive equipment.
"Why am I here?" Lucas asked.
"Because your test results are confusing," Goldman said. "You have achieved the first stage of my serum by achieving Balance, but you should be already in the second stage. Yet you haven't developed at all. It goes against my fundamental research, which is aggravating. So, I will push you to evolve into your true self."
"By exercising?' Lucas asked doubtfully.
"You are going to be crying very soon," Goldman said sadistically.
"Let's start with the treadmill."
{0(((..)))0}
June 15th
One week later.
=====
The player has failed the quest: Number One in Camp.
=====
Lucas read the message and grimaced. There went his chances of getting a Charmander, but it wasn't the only way of getting the Pokemon. Not that he could afford to worry about that at the moment.
The last week had been demanding as Goldman pushed him to the edge of exhaustion every day , hoping to trigger an evolution. Lucas almost felt like telling the man it was useless to get him off his back. The transformation was a part of the 'System' now. No matter how far he pushed, he would only begin transforming once the quest time limit reached zero.
There was something much worse than the physically demanding workout, though. It was sheer isolation and inability to speak to Dante over the bond. He had become accustomed to it, and the absence felt like he had lost a part of himself. Then there was his worry over Faith and the students at the camp. Were they okay? Not knowing what happened to Faith was unsettling. What about his family? They must be frantically looking for him, and he could imagine the pain they were going through. They had already lost their son once before.
The door opened again, and a familiar figure shuffled in with a food tray.
Lucas activated [Persuasion].
"Hello, Nora. Are you going to join me for dinner today," Lucas asked.
Persuasion success!
Nora sat down, and Lucas joined it at the table. It was a surprise that the skill worked after so many failed attempts. He had to work his way up to inviting her, so he first started greeting her and asking a few general questions. The initial response wasn't encouraging, but he gained a couple of levels in {Persuasion}. After that, he made more progress and eventually discovered she was a female named Nora.
What happened to the girl to become so disfigured this way? Then he recalled the words Goldman said before about a girl who wished she was dead. It horrified Lucas that anyone could do this to a human being. What experiments did Goldman do for her to become this way?
Forget about hurting the man; he straight out needed to die.
"Are you going to show your face and give me a smile?" Lucas asked.
Nora lifted her head and took the hood off, revealing a horrific face. The closest to describing it was an orc from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. There were hints of a feminine look, but you had to squint hard to see them. Her yellow eyes were the most heartbreaking, as they were full of despair. On her neck was the same collar as his but probably less restrictive.
Lucas used his {Persuasion} skill for every question he asked, hoping to find more information. It left a sour feeling in his stomach to use the skill on her, but needs must. He promised himself that if he got out of there, he would take her with him, no matter what it took.
Lucas expected whoever was monitoring them to come in and break up the conversation, but they didn't seem to care too much.
"Did you cook the food?" Lucas asked, eyeing the onion soup and the freshly baked loaf of bread. It smelled heavenly.
"Yes." Her voice was deep and hoarse.
"Well, thank you. It looks delicious. Do you want some?"
Nora shook her head and absently smoothed back her stringy hair. Her hands were still normal, wildly contrasting with the rest of her hulking body.
"How did you come to be here? Did Goldman kidnap you? Do you have a family somewhere?" Lucas questioned.
"I've always lived on the island with my father," Nora said.
"Then where is he?"
Nora looked down. "Goldman is my father."
"What?!" Lucas dropped the spoon back into the bowl and stared at her incredulously. The sheer magnitude of the callousness shocked him. Was there no end to the man's depravity?
"It was punishment for trying to free Mew," Nore said.
"Is Mew still here?" Lucas asked.
"No, it escaped somehow," Nora turned her head to the left in a classic sign of deception. Lucas wouldn't rat her out, especially when someone was listening to the conversation.
"Your father is a monster and needs to be put down," Lucas pushed his food away, having lost his appetite.
Nora didn't reply but fiddled with the collar at her neck.
Lucas continued to ask a few questions, but she was unresponsive. It looked like it would take more time to get her to open up more.
{0(((..)))0}
July 7th
Three weeks later
Lucas lay on the ground, panting for breath after another intense workout that had him nearly fainting with exhaustion. Being pushed to his limit had helped him incredibly in his physique, but he was tired of the monotony. People were not supposed to train this hard every day for seven days a week. He didn't even think that Vegeta could be this hardcore.
Lucas looked up as Giovanni and Goldman entered the room and stood over him on the floor.
"This is not working," Giovanni said.
"I don't know what the problem is," Goldman grabbed his hair in frustration.
"You promised me results," Giovanni reminded him.
"Haven't I already achieved something meaningful? The kid has Balanced Aura. If the scientific community heard about my discovery, they would go crazy."
"But it is not something you can replicate," Giovanni said impatiently. "The kid is a miracle, but not something we can bottle and sell. So I am relying on the second option to gain a tool for my ambitions. A legendary Pokemon under my control."
"Perhaps physical exercise is not enough?" Goldman paced up and down. "We must add an additional dimension to push him to evolve."
"What do you mean?"
"Give a healthy dose of pain," Goldman's eyes gleamed. "We torture him until he is forced to respond. And we have to do it without the helmet. There is a chance that the collar is affecting his evolution."
What? Did they want to torture him? Lucas tried to resist a deep well of terror at the thought of his coming ordeal. Why hasn't his mental resistance levelled up to thirty yet?
Mental Resistance has levelled up to 21.
Lucas mentally cursed. Was he being trolled by the 'System?'
"Fine, but if you do any permanent damage to him, you will be the one being tortured," Giovanni turned and walked away.
Goldman turned towards Lucas. "Well, Mr Walker, we will have so much fun together. Follow me."
Ten minutes later, Lucas was strapped to a table, restrained by thick straps that kept him from moving an inch. He struggled fiercely against the restraints fruitlessly as he watched Goldman walking over with a taser in his hand.
"Electrocution is such a beautiful way of torturing someone. It affects their entire body and feels like thousands of needles piercing the skin."
Lucas was so close to throwing the man out against the wall. However, the straps that tied him down were something he couldn't release himself from, so the effort was probably futile. Could he unravel the straps with {Telekinesis}? But he wasn't used to manipulating smaller objects. He usually used the skill to throw heavy things. Lucas cursed himself for not realising the potential applications of the skill sooner.
"Unfortunately, I can't damage your body. So, I have to start on a low voltage. But since your body is more resistant to damage, I'm sure you can take a lot."
Lucas wasn't afraid of potential damage since he had the {Armament} active, but he could still feel the pain. It would not be fun.
Goldman pointed the taser at him and fired two darts that hit his chest. Lucas screamed as he jerked uncontrollably on the table. Goldman held it for ten seconds before stopping.
Goldman leaned closer. "This is hands down the best part of my job. Watching others suffer through the pain. It is glorious music to my ears."
Hours later, Lucas lay weakly on the table as his body spasmed with aftershocks of the electrocutions he had endured. The pain was overwhelming, and his voice was hoarse from screaming. There were traces of tears on his face and blood on his chin from where he bit his tongue. Apparently, {Armament} didn't protect him from hurting himself.
Goldman placed the helmet back on and untied the restraints. "Go back to your room." He walked out of the room, whistling a tune and looking utterly relaxed.
Lucas slowly walked back to his room, mentally trying to switch off from the painful torture he had endured. The only benefit he had received from that pain session was that he discovered a shortcut to levelling his {Mental Resistance}.
In the middle of one of the torture sessions, he got the idea to try to {Meditate} to ease the pain. It didn't work at first, and he was brought out of it numerous times as the pain became too distracting. However, after an hour, he saw some minor results and felt a slight lessening of pain. Or maybe it was his mind playing tricks on him.
Regardless, he was startled to receive a notification saying his {Mental Resistance} had levelled. Considering it had recently increased, and he wasn't wearing the collar, he attributed it to his own actions. Lucas recalled that he initially levelled the two skills together when he had the awful visions.
His {Mental Resistance} and {Meditation} skills had increased to twenty-four. If he endures a few more torture sessions, he could reach his goal, and the collar will no longer affect him.
Lucas entered the room and collapsed on the bed. He smelled awful, a combination of sweat and a faint smoky aroma, but getting up to have a shower felt like too much effort. Now that he was close to reaching his goal, he thought of a plan to escape. He wouldn't sit idly by while being tortured for the next month.
For hours he thought of a plan, and he came up with a conceivable one, but it hinged on developing a new skill and getting the help of Nora. Lucas didn't bother to sleep as he poured all his efforts into the new skill. When morning arrived, he still had not learned it, but he could feel he was close.
Two days later, he created the skill in front of the mirror in his bathroom. He smiled, but it was a little unhinged. The bastard was going to pay for his crimes soon. Just a little more.
July 15th
Lucas was going through another round of torture. Disappointed with the results so far, the Doctor stopped using the taser and introduced a cattle prod. The pain was far more intense, but Lucas was smiling inside. He was expecting the next notification at any moment.
=====
Mental Resistance has reached Level 30.
=====
Congratulations!
The Puppet on a String detriment has been removed.
=====
The Quest objective has been updated.
Escape from Team Rocket
Current Objective: Escape the compound.
Time Remaining: seven weeks.
=====
Lucas laughed out loud, shocking the Doctor, who was about to prod Lucas again.
"Do you think this amusing?" Goldman asked furiously at his fun being spoiled.
"Tell me, do you have security watching this room?"
"What sort of question is that? Of course, I do. Giovanni insists on it, even though I would rather have privacy. There are so many more delicious tortures that I want to try on you."
"So, if the security cameras suddenly turned off, no one would know what happens here?"
Goldman paused as he realised that Lucas suddenly sounded too confident. He glanced up at one camera and paled when he saw the red light was not turned on. Before turning around, he felt himself lifted off the ground and turned mid-air.
Goldman flailed helplessly in mid-air, the arrogant expression on his face gone. Lucas brought the man closer, satisfaction bringing a demented grin to his face.
"How does it feel to be controlled like a puppet? Since you enjoy controlling me, let's see how it feels to be on the other side of the coin."
Goldman reached into his pocket, no doubt going for the device controlling the necklace. Lucas didn't stop him as the man grasped the remote and activated it, a smile appearing on his face.
"Mr Walker put me down right now," Goldman ordered.
Lucas's grin widened and brought Goldman closer to him. "You're going to release me from these restraints, or I will choke you to death."
Goldman's eyes widened, but he shook his head. "Don't be foolish. You will not get very far once I release you. This compound is too well protected. I don't know how you turned the security cameras off or how you resisted the collar, but it will not be enough."
Lucas didn't speak but manipulated his {Telekinesis] to grab hold of Goldman's throat and squeezed. Slowly, the Doctor's face turned purple as he was starved of oxygen. Just when he appeared to be taking his final breath, Lucas released his throat.
Goldman gasped and sucked in some breaths of air greedily, his face slowly turning back to normal.
"I will not repeat myself. Release the restraints. It makes little difference to me. My friend will be here soon, so it is no loss if I have to kill you."
Goldman did so, and Lucas got up from the bed. He slammed the man onto the metal table and restrained him with the restraints.
"What the hell are you doing?" Goldman yelled.
Lucas picked up the cattle prod and teased the Doctor by holding it above his groin. "Well, it is something I've been dreaming of since I first got electrocuted by that taser."
"Stay away from me," Goldman struggled against the restraints.
"As much as I would take enjoyment from torturing you for pleasure," Lucas said. "There is something else I want to know. Tell me about Mewtwo."
"How do you know that name?" Goldman asked.
"Let's just say a little birdy told me," Lucas said. "Now, Mewtwo. Is there a way to reverse the transformation?"
Goldman giggled like a little girl. "My serum is flawless. There is no way to stop it."
"Flawless?" Lucas snorted. "Don’t kid yourself. You wouldn't be trying to force the change if it was perfect. Now, I want you to think with that twisted little mind of yours of any potential ways I can reverse the change."
"There is no way," Goldman said.
Lucas sighed and activated the cattle prod before shocking Goldman's left leg. The man screamed and writhed on the table, and Lucas smelt an awful odour. He looked down and saw the man had pissed himself.
Ten minutes later, the Doctor looked awful. Lucas felt sick to the stomach. Despite what Goldman put him through, he didn't enjoy inflicting pain on the man. It felt like he was sinking to the man's level, which was an awful realisation.
To further increase his disgust, the man wasn't bonded to any Pokemon. So he didn't have any resistance to the damage that electrocution caused the body. So he was probably doing irreversible damage to man's organs and was sure to leave permanent scars on the man’s body.
"Have you any ideas yet?"
"Find the legendary Pokemon Mew," Goldman said weakly. "If there is any chance of finding a cure, then the Pokemon may be the answer. You have its cells running through its veins, after all."
=====
Congratulations
You have completed the Awakened 02 Quest.
Rewards: Fire Stone. Immutable can now be levelled to twenty.
=====
New Quest received!
Stop the second transformation.
Description: The player has unlocked the ability to continue levelling his Immutable skill. Level it to twenty before time runs out.
Current Objective: Level Immutable to twenty.
Time Remaining: Ten weeks
=====
"Do you know where I can find Mew?"
The man shook his head. "I don't have a clue."
"Worth a shot," Lucas muttered. "What about your daughter? Is there a way to reverse her deformity?"
The man started before a look of realisation appeared on his face. "So it was her that betrayed me. I would have put her down ages ago if I knew she would be so much trouble. How did you get around her collar?"
"I didn't," Lucas smirked. "She did that all on her own. How do you think Mew escaped?"
Goldman screamed obscenities at his daughter, suddenly more lively. Lucas slapped the man, and the Doctor went silent. "So, is there a way to reverse the changes?"
"There isn't," a voice spoke from the door. Lucas spun around to see Nora had snuck in when Lucas had been preoccupied. She closed the door behind her and walked over to the table.
"Hello, father," Nora smiled.
"Don't stare at me, you freak." Goldman closed his eyes in disgust. Nora repeated Lucas's actions by slapping the man in the face, only she wasn't as gentle.
Nora was the one who turned off the security. It had taken him time to get closer to the poor girl, but he managed in the end. When he presented the plan to her, she agreed and even added to it with her knowledge of the compound.
Searching his pocket, Lucas found the man's keycard. "Is there anything you want to say to him before we leave?"
Nora reached out and grasped the man's throat and squeezed. Goldman widened his eyes in panic and flailed against his restraints. Lucas watched on, feeling like he should intervene, but if there was anyone who deserved justice against this man, then it was her.
The man stopped moving. Nora looked at Lucas with a strange gaze. "I have nothing to say to him. The man is dead to me."
Lucas winced at the bit of morbid humour. "We need to get out of here. What I'm about to show you is something that cannot be revealed to anyone else. Understood?"
Nora nodded. Lucas activated his new skill, {Shapeshifter}.
"What do you think?" Lucas spoke in Alan Goldman's voice, now sporting the exact appearance of the deceased man. "Do I pass muster?"
So, what do you think? The next chapter is the escape, but they are not out of danger yet. Giovanni has a backup plan, and it’s explosive!
Cheers
Comments
GamerFiction
It was June 8th when he was kidnapped. The day he escapes it is July 15th, so five weeks roughly.
Laharl365
Oh shit. That's a real rollercoaster. I was pretty dismayed at the start, but you brought it back at the end. I'm hype for the escape. I'm also curious to see how long they had him captive
