Chapter 1 - Awaken, Glacius! “Oww! Let go of me!” The young man was thrown into the nearest holding cell as the metal door slammed shut behind him, vibrations echoing all around the bright, hollow room. He covered his ears in slight pain before looking toward a large sheet of glass. Crossing his arms in frustration, he glared through it at his captors. “I know what this is all about! You guys got me here because of what I was saying to that little number back in Saffron. Well, let me tell you something; she was coming onto me!” Derek Frost briskly combed a misshapen hand through his hair, the cobalt blue highlights shining even more due to the fluorescent panels above. “At the very least, let me---!” “Shut it, yoo! Ye’re in no position tae be makin’ demands.” Although Derek couldn’t make any images out through the one-way glass, the voice over the speaker was clearly possessed by a surly Scotsman, given the strong accent. “An’ another thin’! Ya hit like a wooman!” Derek’s cheeked flushed with anger before another voice came over the intercom. The calm, sober tone was possessed by a female, cauing him to relax a little. “Derek Frost. We don’t care about any flings you were trying to get. We want you to join us. You have special talents that we could really use.” The prisoner slowly shook his head as a wry smile came across his face. He glanced back up into the empty glass panel. “You must be pretty desperate for recruits if you dragged me in here so violently, eh? Or were you just so overtaken by my masculine wiles?” A gagging sound came over the speaker. “The talents we’re looking for are more aimed at combat than your oh-so-suave personality.” Derek frowned at the rejection. “So, what is it that you want me for, anyway?” “We’re leading a rebellion against the Trio. I’m sure even while whittling down women’s inhibitions left and right, you’ve managed to hear about them.” He scowled into the glass and responded coldly. A thin coat of ice swept across the panel as he pressed his hands against it. “I’ve heard of them. Why’re you fighting against them? They’re the ones who’ve restored Kanto to what it is now.” There was a small break in the conversation, and Derek smiled triumphantly. The ice recessed from the window, and the captors could see Derek through the fog, his arms crossed in an arrogant display of victory. “And what exactly have the Trio done to benefit you since they took over?” The woman’s voice grew colder than his own, forcing him to stare down at his feet in thought. “Well…ask not what your country can - .” “We didna ask fer a history lesson, bub!” The Scotsman was clearly annoyed at Derek’s inability to answer the question. “What have the Trrrio done fer yoo?” Derek stared harder at the floor, obviously losing his position. “So, why me? What makes me so special?” “You didn’t even see what you did to that window, did you?” Another voice loomed over the intercom. However, this one seemed younger, almost teen-aged with its higher-pitched voice. “Look at the freakin’ window!” Although the ice had slipped away, the fog it had caused was still very thick. The atmosphere was still condensing the vapor that rolled off Derek’s hands. He looked up and smiled. “Big deal. So I can make things cold.” The original, mature female returned to the intercom. “You don’t seem to understand exactly how lethal your powers are. Why don’t we show you the potential you may have?” Before he had any say in what was happening, Derek turned around to see the large metal door swing open. A young woman stepped inside as the click of her combat boots reverberated off the walls. Derek guessed she was no more than 25, given her mild tan and shoulder-length red hair. The black tee shirt fit snugly over her chest, barely covering the midriff, though her jeans were having trouble staying around her hips. Derek could barely keep his eyes focused. “Until we get to know each other better, you may call me Pyra. I’ll be your opponent.” Derek scoffed. “Not much for wit, are you?” “I’ll leave it up to the experts.” Suddenly, with a rapid vibration through the floor, Pyra was airborne, lunging straight at Derek. He dove out of the way just in time to watch her rebound off the wall into a backflip, her legs whirling around as her left foot caught him in the jaw. He fell over again before clutching his mouth in pain, spitting out a small trace of blood where he had bitten the inside of his cheek. “What the hell was that!? I don’t remember doing anything to you!” He sprawled himself out on his hands and knees as Pyra’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth in mocking surprise. “Oh! Did I hurt your purdy, wittle face? I’m sorry, Der-bear! It won’t happen again!” She laughed at herself, clearly amused with pissing him off so easily. Derek stood up, sliding his jaw back and forth before a random pop put it back into place. “All right, Pyra! I think playtime’s over!” Pyra only smiled tauntingly. “I was getting bored at your level.” Derek’s eyes widened, hazing over into a deep shade of blue as he began to groan. A white mist began to swirl in his hands, condensing into an airborne pool of water before it began to freeze into numerous icicles which floated all around his body, held up by a mysterious bluish white aura. “Why don’t we crank it up, then!” The spears of ice shot forward at an alarming rate toward Pyra. Several pierced into the wall behind her while others were wildly blown off course, shattering off the steel room and further enhancing the noise level. Others still were halted inches from Pyra’s body, suspended in midair, as she held up her hand to project a similar reddish aura. Snapping her fingers, the icicles instantly ignited into flames before melting into small puddles on the floor. She smiled at her opponent as she walked from the barrage of ice surrounding her. “Imagine what you could do if you could actually control your powers.” Derek stared at his hands as he slowly realized what had happened. “Control my powers?” His dark blue eyebrows were raised in confusion as she approached him. “Yes. Grasp the power of cryokinesis you were born with. Receive the ability to control ice and all its shapes and forms.” Derek grinned at the sheer prospect. “So, where do I sign up?” “You realize this means you’re committed to our cause if you agree to this, right?” Pyra smiled at him, secretly knowing his presence was very much needed. “If it means being around you more, hot stuff.” Derek smiled at his double entendre. He wouldn’t mind being around her a bit longer. Pyra’s smile faded and, before Derek could react, her clenched fist collided hard with his side. Derek clutched his ribs and crumpled in pain as she turned away, her boots clicking again to emit the same dull echo. “Lars, Emma. Get this clown a friggin’ uniform.” Derek smiled as arms came from both sides. His vision was blurred from the blow, and his ribcage felt like it had shattered. Somehow, he fought off the urge to resist assistance. She wants me… “Hey, this doesn’t look half bad on me!” Derek stared into the glass panel, admiring the new uniform he was donning. The light blue jumpsuit was emblazoned with a black ‘X’ across his chest, which turned into black stripes running down each of his legs to his lightweight boots. Pyra turned him around in the mirror so he could face her. He noticed that she held a small belt with six red and white spheres securely strapped to it. “These pokémon were personally raised from birth by the great trainer, Lorelei. Do us all a favor and take care of them.” She began patting his hand mockingly as he took the belt from her, looping it around his waist and tightening it to keep it in place. “All right. So, now that I’m on the team, how about giving me your real name?” He smiled the pearlescent smile at Pyra expectantly. Pyra’s patience was wearing thin as she stared coldly at him. “Do you want me to break the other set of ribs, Frost?” Her fist was instantly clenched and it took all of her willpower to resist punching him in the gut a second time. Derek’s smile faded away and he turned toward another girl standing close by. She wore a jumpsuit similar to his, with the exception that hers held a vast majority of pink as opposed to his light blue. Her short black hair and mild complexion, coupled with her mediocre height of 5’2, betrayed her into looking no more than ten years old. “So, what brought you here, you little cutie?” Her eyes, initially full of innocence, radiated with a pure white energy. Instantly, Derek felt the muscles in his throat tighten. His arms and legs were becoming numb, and it took all his strength just to fall on one knee in complete pain and exhaustion before Pyra commanded her to stop. “Derek…this is Emma Sparrow, also known as ESP. She’s the psychic specialist in our group.” Derek held his throat, refilling his lungs with oxygen. “No kidding,” he panted. “And I hate being called cute. It makes me sound young,” Emma snarled. “Well, pardon me, but you look young.” “For your information, I’m 18 years old.” Derek felt his insides tighten even more than his throat did. Nobody was easily impressed in this crowd. He crawled back to his feet, only to be slapped hard on the back by the burly Scot, his temperament obviously lighter now. “Ohh, ya called ‘er cute, eh? Heh heh, doin’ that now, laddie, that’ll git yoo in heaps o’ trouble!” “Point taken,” Derek growled. It was the first time he noticed the Scotsman, and it appeared the Scotsman also realized this. “Name’s Lars. Lars MacDonald! O’ course, ‘round here, people just call me Ace.” Derek could already see why. The goofy pilot goggles gave it all away. “Let me guess. You deal in flying-type pokémon, right?” “Ye’re a good guesser, ye are. Aye, that be me specialty!” In a flash, two giant birds were hovering at his side; a pidgeot cooed to his left and a fearow to his right burrowed its long beak into his backpack. “Meet Tornado an’ Cyclone! Best buds o’ mine fer as long as Ah kin remember!” Derek nodded as the birds flitted off in search of food. “Well, now I know Lars, Emma and Pyra who, for obvious reasons, won’t give me her real name.” He smiled at her, followed quickly by a smack in the face. “Oww!” He rubbed his face, glaring hard at Pyra. “You can stop hitting me! I’m trying to fit in with the joking!” Pyra glanced around defensively. “I didn’t hit you…” Derek looked at her, a mixed state of shock and suspicion. “Oh, really? Then, who did?” “Me, you stuck up punk!” A teenage girl swung down from the rafters, landing in front of Derek. She was about as tall as Emma, but Derek could instantly tell she was easily twice as vibrant. Which made her look that much younger in his eyes. The dark green jumpsuit gave way to one conclusion. “You’re the grass specialist, I take it?” The teenage girl stared hard at Derek, obviously offended by not being able to introduce herself first. “Very good, Mr. Smartypants. I’m Angela Forrest, but I go by many other names around here! Mother Nature, Green Thumb-- -!” “Twerp,” Emma rudely interjected. Angela swung around with a balled fist in tow, only to connect with a whitish gleam set in front of Emma. Angela scowled even more. “You and your stupid force fields.” Emma gave in to the urge of sticking her tongue out at Angela. Pyra cut into their argument. “All right, now that everyone’s here and introduced, how about we give Derek the grand tour?”