24 Never Surrender

10th July 1993

Hoenn Region, Underground Lab:

It had been a good year and some months since Laura had accepted joining the Masked Association, It was not like she had a choice in the matter, either she did or her head would have been blown up.

She valued her life very much so she couldn't say no and let herself die, She still had lots of things to do in this world but after joining the Masked association, She didn't actually see any profit.

So far, They had been researching on Legendary Pokemon and doing a lot of experiments on Pokemon. Laura had literally hurled up her breakfast the day she saw an experiment that combined Zigzagoon and Bidoof...

Another thing to note was that everyone was wearing masks and she had been given a Gastly mask, Everyone had different masks so it was impossible to impersonate another person.

Today, Laura sat in her quarters, her eyes seemingly blank and devoid of life. She had no reason to live, It was almost as if Arceus hated her.

She knew when to give up and when not to give up and this was one of the moments when you gave up and faced reality.

She drank a bottle of beer and recalled how her life went haywire because of a bottle of soda. She wanted to turn back the hands of time and change her future but only the legendary Pokemon, Dialga could do something as obscene as that.

...

She paced around the underground laboratory, an expression of worry plagued on her face. She wasn't allowed in this part of the Underground Lab as it wasn't part of where she worked but she wanted to see it so bad.

The secrets that this organization was hiding there, In this very wing of the Laboratory. Laura Kernel adjusted her glasses as she used the ID she had 'Borrowed' from one of the high ranking members.

As the machine door slid open, A dim hallway crept into view. She let in a deep breath and gulped before stepping into the hallway.

A shiver went up her spine as she continued walking but nevertheless, With determination laced in her every step, She made her way through the hallway.

There were some doors but it seemed like they required Identification to go through, a different sort of identification, Finger prints, Retinal scans and the others.

Somehow the biggest door was left hanging open, as if it was calling out to someone but before she could step inside, A hand touched her shoulder.

Her entire body froze up as she felt the burning sensation in the person's palms, Her shoulder was gripped with such ferocity that you'd wonder if the person was human or Pokemon.

"Gastly, You don't have the proper identification to be here," He said, his voice sounding haggard and rough, almost like that of a feral dog.

"I... I do," Laura could barely whimper out.

Her body was numb from fear.

"I'll take you to the big boss," The man said, Laura turned around and saw his mask, Houndoom.

Houndoom was really popular for being one of the greatest security guards, She couldn't believe she thought that she overtook the 'Houndoom'...

Houndoom's mask crumpled a bit as he looked at the door.

"The door isn't locked... huh?" Houndoom said and walked over to the door, Moments before reaching the door flung open, He was cut into hundreds if not thousands of slices of raw meat.

Laura felt the air around her grow thinner, so this is what they were working on... A Pokemon was emerging from the door, It's body changed form again and again, so much that it was starting to look like it was scrambled.

The hallway's stifled air was soon replaced by a new one, An air of pure madness, Unprecedented and raw as it was, The terror she could feel when she was in front of this monster... was scary and frightening, The two feelings contradicting in her very being and creating something very different, Something calm and serene about the situation.

Her feelings of serenity were crashed as soon as an Arcanine fired Flamethrower at the Pokemon.

"Get out of here, Gastly!"

Her legs began moving on their own and she ran away, Seemingly all doors in the base were open. All she wanted to do right now was run away and leave here... behind.

…

Laura didn't know much of what that secret was but what she knew was that it was important and they were taking the fact that she was too scared to tell Oak as an advantage, to finally get rid of her once and for all.

The admin of this mission, Gengar stared at her and made a small smile although she couldn't see it through the mask but she knew it was a smile.

"Alright, You know what to do, She'll be sentenced to death by..."

"Flamethrower!"

An unfamilar voice called out, It was filled with might and determination and the bright color coming their way seemed like a sign of their salvation... only for it to be revealed as a powerful Flamethrower that crashed upon the people at the right.

Power spewing flames spread from person to person until the masked men were dancing in the hot flames.

Gengar looked at the boy in question and folded his hands, He seemed all too calm since his men were burning.

"Who are you?"

"I'm your worst Nightmare," Red said.

-

Author's Note:

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