[LE1] E1 - Welcome Back (Prompt Submission)

Welcome Back

Being stuck in the PC was like being wrapped up in an endless abyss. The body was in limbo, dreaming of dreaming as it maintained a state of stasis. Time loses all meaning, the senses almost all cease to function and above all else, you are safe.

That's how V-171, Illume, felt about it anyway. Even if trapped between endless dreams, the nothingness provided by the PC was a safe haven from the outside world. Though her memories of such a place were fragmented at best as dream melded into reality in her hibernation state of mind. The building shook, the lights flickered and flashed as alarms blared. Toxic smoke poured from the vents, obscuring vision to the outside world. Were it not for a researcher thrusting salvation in the form of a Pokeball into that cramped tank, Illume was sure that tank that once offered her some marginal comfort would have been her grave. A pathetic end, but fitting for a helpless subject forced to the bottom of the food chain.

If such an apocalypse were even real, that is. 

Just like the dream of being free to swim amongst the corals in an endless ocean far out of reach from human hands, this abrupt ending to the bubble world she resided was likely nothing more than a fabrication born from a mind struggling to maintain a sense of self amidst full sensory deprivation. Illume would wake up when released and life would go back to normal- as much as her instincts wished to bear their fangs in disgust at the notion. If she behaved well enough, let her scales and blood be removed from her being to spawn new unfortunate creations and flashed her lures just as she was trained, she might be allowed to stay out of this endless limbo and sleep in a tank once more.

Or so she thought. Reality had other plans as the dream within a dream abruptly ended, and reality body slammed itself right into the little angler Pokemon.

Coming out of the ball was an assault on the senses. The air was far too dry and the lights near blinding. The Chinchou flails about, unable to see, unable to smell and unable to hear a thing through the painful ringing as her body grappled with being truly alive once again. Taking a rasping breath, Illume musters all of her strength and uses Mist to replenish her skin barrier to its proper state so that she may finally stop feeling like a literal fish out of water.

As those first droplets activated her olfactory system, Illume grimaces. The air was foul. It smelled of stale smoke, an acrid blend of chemicals and old, festering blood. Not only this, but sensitive receptors picked up on signals from living beings. They radiated adrenaline as though it were all they were capable of producing. Anxiety, terror and apprehension all intermingled in the air making it hard to discern much of anything. There was noise- a lot of noise. Talking, shouting, crying and yowling. Racket enough to hurt even a fish's inner ears.

Illume immediately knew she was in a room of Terrestrials, for there were few other beings as painfully overwhelming as Terrestrials. Her instincts sent conflicted signals, trying to pick out the status of the weakest of the group while still barely understanding just where they even were in the first place. Was this a recycling chamber, or something worse?

Once her body was sufficiently damp enough from her own Mist, Illume peels her eyes open to take better stock of the situation. She is almost instantly struck by something quite peculiar.

The room was indeed full of Terrestrials. Quadrupeds, avians, spirits and even bipeds- yet not a single human stood amongst them. Instead, the artificial lights above flickered from what looked like months of abandonment. The floor and walls were dirty and bore long dried blood stains of some poor creature that likely became a meal. The PC storage system at the front of the room spat out Pokeballs as though it were possessed to do so- seemingly by the small group at the front trying to gather the attention of everyone within the room.

Illume blinks once, then twice, and then a third time for good measure. To her side a biped cried out. To another, some felines sought comfort in each others embrace. They all echoed the same things. What happened? Where are we? Why did this happen? It all meant only one thing. That nightmare, with all of its fire and collapsing walls. With all of its toxic smoke pouring through the vents as humans scrambled like ants- was not a dream. That was real. Meaning this aftermath they awoke to was real as well. 

'How horrible.' Is Illume's first thought, out of pity for those that undoubtedly died. Yet she could not suppress the fanged grin that bloomed across her face as her instincts roared in triumph. 'For them. For me, this is a wonderful new start.'

~~~~

Unbeknownst to the ever growing crowd, one of the first handful of Pokemon released had taken to perching within one of the room vents. It watched with barely contained awe as more and more Pokemon came out of the PC. All of them radiating wonderful and delicious emotions like a full course feast being brought out.

For V-477, this turn of events made them feel like a kid in a candy store... Or at least that's what they heard something really good was supposed to feel like. They heard the humans in lab coats say it time and time again, and the teeny humans in their strange "phones" said similar things too. A candy store was good, and so this was good too.

First was that fire, that sent everyone into a panic. The walls crumbled, crushing scientist and subject alike. Then the air became so over saturated with toxic fumes that the slow and sickly fell to the floor and moved no more. Fire roasted what was left of them to ashes and dust without a care in the world for things like "Rank" or "Grades", and Pain was there to collect every soul they could with a similar indifference! It wasn't an easy job either. Despite being a ghost there had been real dangers of being crushed if Infiltrator wasn't activated fast enough. But leaving those precious, and sometimes so darling and fragile souls to meet their fate just felt wrong. As a requiem Pokemon, it was Pain's natural duty to ensure the souls of all in the facility were remembered by them, well cared for until they were ready to leave this plane. There was no better place for a soul than in side of them! Just a little bit of vital energy in trade for being protected until it was time to go is a pretty nice trade off if anyone were to ask Pain. Though rarely anyone cared. Apathy ran strong amongst caged beasts.

Pain knew it could have had a whole feast of souls too, were it not for that stupid researcher butting in on their fun. Of all the people, the old man who started calling it a Pain, vying for it's removal from his sectors, had no business saving the pest he seemed so annoyed with. Yet he still did, and now they were here. At the very least, the panic all these Pokemon were experiencing made their vital energy all the more potent. It radiated from the core of their souls like steam from freshly baked bread and smelled simply divine. From the vent, Pain could painlessly absorb the essence without alerting those more attuned to that kind of thing. (Who would undoubtedly throw a fit if they knew.)

Not like Pain really understood why so many were against that kind of thing anyway. All souls return to the energy cycle at some point. Who cared how they did it, so long as they made the trip safely and in one piece. All of those plump souls Pain had risked afterlife and limb collecting before being caught disappeared the second they were free from the confines of a Pokeball. It was sad to see them go, but in a bitter-sweet way. May they find peace amidst the endless stars.

For now, they were content to watch the crowds and bask in the swath of negative emotion that radiated from the room. All the crying, the fear, the confusion were a delight to the senses. From that safe place overlooking the room, Pain felt quite content for the first time in a long time.

After all, there weren't any humans here to take this away from them. At least, not anymore.

~~~~~~

It didn't take long for Illume to realize something was missing, or rather someone was missing. No matter how far her eyes scanned, Illume could not see any sign of familiar frills amongst the survivors. Perhaps that was meant to be. In the midst of such chaos and pandemonium before their worlds were confined to the PC, the chances of a subject destined to be destroyed coming away alive were slim to none. Very few researchers would risk their lives to catch a runaway failure when their prized merchandise was on the line. That was the difference between grades A and D. Many of the subjects in the room certianly appeared to follow higher standards... But for those who so clearly broke the mold of desireable, Illume felt a shred of hope.

Despite this, Illume began to flash her lures, just as the scientists taught her and just as the thorn in her side knew.

.-.. .. - - .-.. . / --. .... --- ... - ..--..

"Hello, everyone." The Misdreavus, the apparent leader announces, floating up in the air so everyone may see their figure.

.-.. .. - - .-.. . / --. .... --- ... - / .-- .... . .-. . / .- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- ..--..

A sudden chill blows through the air, bringing with it brackish scent and the distinct feeling of vapor spiraling from above.

Illume smiles to herself as she feels spectral frills wrap around her lures and pull up. Of course it wouldn't have fallen that easily. Even a Pain was worth saving if it brought along fond enough memories. That old fool liked it just as much as he detested it. Illume was in a similar situation. It was just too quiet without a mischievous creature flitting about.

- .... . .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. .

"Here I am!" V-477 proudly announces as its body comes together to the form of a Duskull. It's single eye curves with glee as it motions wildly around the room. "Ume~! Ume~! Can you feel it? They're all freaking out!"

"Indeed, I can." Illume agrees with a nod, before letting out a sigh. "I suppose you must be enjoying this quite a bit, aren't you, little Pain?"

"Hehehe~ Of course! It's practically a feast!" V-477, Pain, cheers. It tumbles in the air for a moment, before disappearing and reappearing right at it's companions side. "Hey Ume? Did you notice?"

"Notice what?"

"There aren't any humans here! At all! I can't sense a single human soul anywhere near us!"

"I did indeed. We seem to be quite the mixed batch of subjects being pulled from the PC right now. This is not the work of any researcher."

"Do you know what that means?"

Illume casts a sly glance over, meeting her companions equally amused gaze as they both descend into a fit of giggles. Sometimes, reality can be much better than the world of dreams. No humans? A lab in disarray? It all reeked of one thing. Freedom.

Who wouldn't laugh when they were finally free from their shackles? Even if no one else understood. Even if they were scorned for their glee. Who cared? There were no humans to snitch to now. It was just them and this new world to explore.

"Please do not panic, you're safe. We'll get everyone settled down before explaining what's been going on." The Misdreavus explains, drawing attention forward as the room begins to quiet down.

Pain bats a star shaped lure around idly, before looking at the front of the room. "Do you think we should listen to them?" It asks before turning its huge eye up toward a vent. "My memory is a bit hazy, but I bet I can navigate this place just fine without the help. We could bail and go see what trouble we can get into out there. You were stuck in the Aquatic testing room, but it and many other rooms probably changed after the fires got to em. I bet there's tons of new places to explore."

"You might be able to navigate all of that, but I can not follow you. I don't do well out of water like this as is." Illume reminds the small ghost, swatting away one of their paws with a fin. "Compared to you, I'm at a severe survival disadvantage right now. Things you can pass by with ease will kill me before I can blink. Leaving is simply not a viable option. I say we stay and listen. Who knows? Maybe they can tell us a bit about how we ended up in this situation and come up with a plan on how we can survive. The weak need to stick together, or else they'll all fall prey to nature sooner rather than later."

"Alright! Sounds like a plan!" The Duskull cheers, finally turning their eye forward to watch their de facto leader speak. They were always so obedient to her suggestions. It was a good trait in a partner who would be essential for survival.

Illume regarded the room with a placid smile, keeping their fangs and excitement as hidden as they could. Whatever the future may hold, it was about to be infinitely more interesting than days trapped in a cramped tank under a researchers watchful eyes.