FSE

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Ray heard nonstop gunfire while he and Crystal were escorted out of the room and was sick, knowing Jenna and Bizzy's death were among it. He didn't know how to feel-- enraged, sad, alone as he has been. It resembled an out-of-body experience, and he wanted to die on the spot.

Crystal shut her eyes and tried to drown it out by hiding her face in Ray's shoulder. She'd have a hard time getting over Bizzy. He was the first pokémon she'd spoken to in forever, would have been a great friend, and he was gone as quickly as they'd met.

The soldiers took them to a room down the hall and opened the door, leading them inside with roughly a hundred other people and many accompanying pokémon. There was still constant coughing and groans present.

The room had several barred windows with sunlight slipping in. "What is this?" Ray turned and asked upon stepping in with Crystal. He didn't understand why he was being shoved in with the sick if he wasn't like them.

"Any ill that chose to be let off the ship and back into Sinnoh will be held here until we arrive at the drop-off tomorrow," a male soldier said.

Ray nearly choked. So they did see him like the rest. They didn't and couldn't care, as every citizen here was a threat to humanity. "We're being tossed back into Sinnoh? Then what are you guys here for?"

"We needed more data on the virus to hopefully understand and defeat it. Our best and bravest option was to head to the source. You all have significantly aided the cause," he chuckled. "What did you expect? We can't let you guys off in clean regions and doom the rest."

Ray didn't know what he expected. That made sense. He just didn't want to be in this region anymore. He _couldn't _be. He thought they were finally free. "Where's the drop-off?"

"Sunyshore. Canalave is overrun, so we're letting off on the other side of the region." He looked around at all of the tainted. "On the bright-ish side, if you survive long enough for us to develop a cure, we'll be coming back to restore Sinnoh, so sit tight."

Ray watched them leave and lock the door behind them, leaning against the wall by it and sitting with Crystal. Neither of them could walk properly and had no weapons, food, or water, which they desperately needed.

"I tried..." Ray held Crystal with one arm and wiped any tears that came with his other. At least his efforts helped the rest of the world.

She nudged his cheek with her head and wiggled so he would let her down in his lap, which he caught on to.

"Pi." Crystal wasn't surprised by the news. She was done too. They did everything they could. It would be difficult to seek further motivation to survive, but they had each other for it.

Ray gazed at everyone standing around, some sitting and some lying on the floor. "I... can't anymore."

The night dragged, and the room was essentially pitch black during it. Ray hadn't gotten any sleep, and neither had Crystal, as they feared a potential attack from the infected around them and stayed on high alert.

It was now morning, and the ship had started moving hours ago. A most dreadful cruise. No one bothered to check on them, or to bring food or water, and why should they? All of these people were dead anyway.

They were living corpses that no one would remember. They would end up a statistic on paper, recorded and discussed in a history lesson decades later, and as far as Ray was concerned, so was he and Crystal. Sinnoh was getting no better.

Ray heard the ship creaking and looked aside as the door opened, many armed soldiers stepping in with guns trained.

"Everyone line up. Single file!"

Each individual stood sluggishly and approached the door, lining up as told and revealing people and pokémon lifeless on the floor that had presumably died during the journey.

Ray got up and got in line with Crystal behind a few people, glancing behind as many followed. He had to get away from them the moment he and Crystal got off the ship. He couldn't trust them in the slightest and knew everyone was desperate.

"You will follow us to the deboarding ramp. If anyone tries anything, you _will _be shot and killed without hesitation."

After everybody was organized, they were taken down the corridor with eyes all over them and out on the top deck where the ramp was let down.

Ray looked and saw the city when they stepped onto the deck, feeling sick and discouraged thinking about heading back into the fray.

"Green light to deboard!" Every soldier stood back, their rifles trained on the crowd for the slightest movement.

Ray was among the first to step off and walk into Sunyshore's harbor, holding Crystal to his chest and looking back at plenty of others following. "Time to break off..."

Crystal watched everyone as Ray sped up and entered Sunyshore. It would be pointless to scan when so many people were around, so she'd have to rely on her eyes and fur for abrupt movements.

Ray winced while walking and tried not to limp. His leg would get worse before it got better and could end up like Jenna's hand without proper treatment. "I can't make much distance. We'll find a building to stay in for now."

He didn't know where to begin when it came to searching for goods or finding a place to stay. The hundreds of people behind him would also be occupying the city while looting what they could. They'd have to sort it out later without waiting for too long.

That was fine. They needed time to regroup, and Crystal wouldn't be able to walk either but had enough in her now to psybeam a hole through any attacker that tested them. However, that wouldn't last the longer she went without nourishment.

As they entered the city and came upon its skyscrapers and abandoned stores, Ray glanced at every building, overwhelmed as infected could be residing anywhere. The good news was that he now knew he and Crystal were immune to the virus, but they could still be killed.

"Need high ground." More floors meant they had a better chance of hearing someone coming and could watch the ground from above.

Crystal saw no one in sight and wanted to be of more assistance. She was practically useless in Ray's arms, so she wriggled, asking to be put down.

"Crystal-"

"Essi." She pushed his chest with her hind paws.

"Fine." Ray slowed and set her down before continuing, breathing quickly from the strain. "But keep up."

Crystal was already ahead of him, putting less pressure on each step with her injured leg. With fewer people around, she shut her eyes and scanned, sensing a few faint blue auras but nothing too close. She winced from the pressure it put on her head but could handle it. With likely no one watching them move, she sought out a five-story apartment building ahead and trotted toward it.

"That works." Ray followed, grunting with his next step as a sharp pain shot up his leg. Crystal tended to make good decisions when he couldn't. His thought pattern was all over the place right now.

When they arrived, he pushed open the door and entered the lobby, where an elevator, broken statues, and shattered plant vases were on the floor. Stairs were to their left, which they'd have to take, unfortunately.

Crystal led, trotting up and nearly stumbling on her bad leg.

"Slowly." They'd be okay. Ray didn't want her rushing due to panic. "S-Second floor. We need to sit." He was out of breath and felt as if he couldn't take another step.

She obeyed, taking a right after the next couple of steps into a corridor with wooden floors lined with doors, some open. Crystal stopped and raised her tail to feel the air out while staring down the hall.

"Anything?" Ray stood behind her. He'd barely be able to fight, so he hoped not.

She glanced back and shook her head. Nothing so far. They could take one of the open rooms.

He walked with her, pushed open a cracked door three down the hall, and then peeked inside. It was a studio, quite congested with a bed, dresser, couch, and TV. There was a window above the bed, which would be convenient for keeping an eye on the road.

He let Crystal in first and shut the door behind them, slumping against it and sitting while holding his leg and working to slow his breathing. He had to check his injury but was almost afraid to, and he'd have to rewrap using the same gauze. Maybe after he recovered from the walk.

Crystal sat by him and took a breath. She was thirsty and had a dry throat, but she'd be able to hold off. She was just glad they were secure for now.

"How's your leg?" Ray knew their best bet was returning to Celestic, but he would have to go knowing he would spread the virus. He didn't know how the base would feel about him returning without Jenna either. Would they even believe the story he'd have to tell?

Crystal stretched it and lay down. It could be better, but she was grateful she could still walk on it.

"We need to get back to the base..."

She looked at him. It did have everything they needed, and they may be able to wait out a cure there. She agreed, but getting there would be more difficult than the trip to Canalave while they were injured and unarmed.

"We'll go and try to gather supplies nearby later." Ray didn't want to wait forever and let the other citizens empty the city, and he didn't want to stray too far from this building in case they had to run back to safety for any reason.

---

Ray opened his eyes to rapid gunfire outside. He must have dozed off against the wall. He sat up and saw Crystal standing, her eyes shut. "How many?"

She opened her eyes. Too many. She felt roughly five entities in the area, a mixture of red and blue, and had no idea what was going on.

"How do they have guns?..." Ray heard more gunfire and stood, nearly falling over as pain flared around his wound, but he had to catch at least a glimpse before he couldn't.

He went to the window and peeked out of it, seeing two rugged men on the road shooting at an unarmed man attempting to flee. Ray saw them fire another few rounds, and the man fell, rolling across the ground before stopping. They then shot him several more times to ensure he was dead.

Ray stepped back and glanced at Crystal. Outside were people shooting others to death for reasons unknown, and they were stuck in a building. If they were killing on sight, no one was safe. "Crystal, we've gotta go." Someone must already have been occupying Sunyshore. Who knew how many more armed individuals roamed the city and how many would sweep it now that they knew people were here?

While it would be beyond difficult with their wounds, Crystal could use her abilities and attacks if absolutely necessary. She didn't know how much more she had in her, but they were needed more than ever to get them far away from Sunyshore.

Ray went and stood by the door, taking a breath before pushing it open and looking down the silent hall. "Tell me if you feel anything."

She followed behind as they went back down the stairs and felt something abnormal in the air already. Crystal stopped halfway down the steps and raised her tail, feeling violent shifts dangerously close. "Esp. Espi."

Ray stopped and looked back, holding his breath. "I-Is someone here?"

Crystal nodded. Perhaps they should have stayed in that room until everything cooled down.

He heard heavy footsteps and looked down the stairs to see an older woman from the ferry running inside with dirty and bloodied clothing while holding her stomach.

She fell into the wall while trying to scramble up the steps and saw Ray and Crystal. "H-Hey, please help! Th-They won't stop fucking chasing me!" She moved her hand, which was covered in red. "I'm gonna die. Please!"

"Pi." Crystal nudged Ray's leg. They had to go back to the room. This screamed trouble. If people were chasing that woman, they couldn't be far, and she had led them precisely to their position.

"I-I know." As he stepped back, he heard the woman scream and shield her face, followed by multiple gunshots and blood staining the wall while her body slid down and rested on the stairs.

Ray stumbled and fell back on one of the steps, nearly onto Crystal. "G-Go, Crystal. Go!"

She started back up the steps but stopped to ensure Ray was following. When he was back on his feet, Crystal made her way up and stood at the top, and when she turned around, she saw a man aiming a rifle at them from the bottom. She widened her eyes. "E-Espeon!" She couldn't attack since Ray was in the way.

He turned upon hearing Crystal and was met with gunshots whizzing past him. Ray brought his arms up to shield and completed the flight, meeting her and turning the corner. One of the bullets grazed his arm, which burned, but he was lucky it hadn't penetrated.

Ray held his arm and looked down the corridor. "Back in the room," he said while jogging after her. They had no choice but to take on their new pursuers, and being unarmed, they needed to find something close to an advantage.

Crystal heard footsteps behind them and twitched her ears, glancing back until entering the room. She stepped back and watched Ray close the door quietly. All fell silent.

"Hide," he whispered and stood behind the door in case one entered the room. He'd have to jump and try to disarm one. The other? Crystal would have to take care of them, and Ray hoped it went as planned in his mind since this was all impromptu.

She went and crawled under the bed, watching the door and ready to beam while glancing at Ray for any signal. She heard slow footsteps out in the hall and doors opening, feeling the air to ensure they weren't at this door. Crystal would notify him by charging a psybeam if so.

He listened as well, trying his best to stay composed. Those bastards on the ship had used him and everyone else, but as they said, he and Crystal were a huge benefit to the cause. A cure could bring Sinnoh back to what it was or close.

Ray heard another door open nearby and knew theirs was next. He held his breath and inched closer to the frame, not knowing what they'd do to win this fight realistically, but he'd try his hardest.

Crystal heard steps in the next room for a solid minute before feeling the air shift at the door. It was time. She opened her mouth and built a psybeam, her heart racing and expression determined. She'd charge it to the max and take no chance.

Ray saw her mouth aglow and shifted so he nearly faced the door, ready to jump the men if he had to. If Crystal took out one, that left one more.

The door opened, and she saw both men, the one in front holding his rifle while looking around the room.

It took him a second to notice her under the bed, and it was too late by the time he did. "Found 'em!"

Crystal had finished prepping her psybeam just as he pointed his rifle, sliding back against the floor. Her beam snapped his rifle in two and burned a clean hole through his face and the door behind him.

He slumped to the ground, twitching. However, the other man was able to avoid it, and now that Crystal's spot was compromised, she had to move with what essentially felt like a migraine.

"Here!" Ray called to her and moved from his spot upon seeing the second man enter with more caution. He grabbed the man's rifle and pushed the barrel down.

"Let go, fucking kid!" The man pulled the trigger and fired several shots into the floor, chipping the wood. He glanced at Crystal approaching with malicious intent while tugging his rifle and attempting to aim it at Ray's chest.

"N-Not so close, Crystal!" Ray was beginning to lose the fight and watched the man push the barrel up. He was using all of his remaining strength, which was, unfortunately, close to none.

She wouldn't be able to psybeam again without passing out, so close combat would have to suffice, and she wanted to aid before the man harmed Ray. Crystal ran up with what energy lingered and was primed to jump and bite.

However, the man read it a mile away and raised his boot, kicking Crystal in her stomach with enough force that it sent her across the room with a yelp.

"No!" Ray watched her hit the wall and the back of her head, then fall unconscious. His grip had loosened significantly, and his focus was misdirected.

The man briefly took a hand off of his rifle and punched Ray in the face, snatched the gun away, and used its butt to hit him in the head, then finally kicked him in the chest while taking glances at Crystal.

"Ghn..." He fell to the floor and scrambled to get up while holding the side of his head. However, he was forced to stop after he saw the position he was in. The man stood in front of him, training the rifle's barrel on his face.

He spoke between breaths. "Why... are there so many of you fuckers invading our city all of a sudden? Are you from the damn base?"

Did he mean the Celestic Base? How'd he know about that? Ray had to stall long enough for Crystal to wake up if she was still alive. "W-We were dropped off on a ferry."

"Liar. No one's coming here from overseas. Don't fucking lie. By who?"

He sat up slowly while rubbing his head that swelled with dull pain, gritting his teeth.

"Don't move and answer. Who?"

Ray swallowed. "U-Unova. People from Unova came to test survivors for the virus." He resisted the urge to look at Crystal. He had the man's full attention.

He lowered his gun slightly. "And they dropped you all here?" He raised it again. "No. Why would they?"

Crystal stirred.

Ray shifted and sat on his knees to take attention from it, despite it hurting his leg. "They're using our blood to try and find a cure, but they couldn't take us back for obvious reasons."

She opened her eyes, and a throbbing migraine hit her instantly. Through Crystal's disorientation, however, she could still make out the situation and had to act, but she had to think before giving herself away.

The man peered and slightly pressed his finger on the trigger. "...Are you infected?"

Ray looked at Crystal as she sat up while charging another psybeam, which caused the man to look as well, and when he did, Ray used the moment to move aside and dart at him.

Crystal heard several gunshots and shot the beam, then blacked out again.

---

She opened her eyes and twitched her ear, still relatively dizzy and lethargic, but she could see clearer. She saw the man lifeless on the floor with a hole through the side of his chest, then she looked over and saw Ray on his back with blood puddled around him.

She walked over while her legs quivered, stomach ached, and stood over his face. His eyes were open, but he wasn't moving.

Crystal leaned and nudged his cheek with her nose, then saw multiple holes in his neck and chest. She stared at him, awaiting movement she knew wouldn't come, then crawled onto his chest and lay down, curling up.