XD002: Return of Cipher
Cipher, the evil organization, may have been defeated, but new evils rise. After only 
five years of withdrawal from the world, they have come back with a new dangerous 
allegiance and two new weapons: XD002 and a mysterious project called ESP001...

	The darkness shrouded her as she crawled up the bloodied streets. Her dazzling 
auburn hair was tangled; the originally white t-shirt was stained with crimson blood. 
The formerly azure eyes that were so alive with life were sapped out from the horrors 
she had seen, dulling them with a thin film of gray. All around her, the bodies of the 
ones she had lived with lay scattered, staring through unseeing eyes. She, Koari Akina, 
was the only survivor. She winced at the pain in her legs as she crawled. Her legs 
were horribly mangled, torn asunder by some sinister brute. Akina continued to creep. 
She must get to the Silph Co. building; it was her only chance of surviving. They 
might come back any moment. Often, she found she had to rest, but Akina's mind 
would not let her. As she was halfway, she stopped. It was too much for her and she 
closed her eyes, ignoring her brain's protests. Was it too much to ask for a rest? As 
Akina fell into a deep slumber, her memories stirred and haunted her dreams as the 
reddened sky wept crystal tears...

<><><><>

	The day was so brilliant and clear when Akina had woken up in the Saffron City. 
Today was the day! She had thought excitedly. The day to get her first Pokemon! 
After getting ready quickly, Akina undressed herself out of her pajamas and into her 
t-shirt and faded jeans. After doing a quick check in the mirror, Akina dashed to the 
stairs.
	"Morning!" Akina shouted as she clumped down the stairs.
	"Oh, Akina," her mother frowned. She was cooking some Corpish. "You should 
be quieter you know? Your father sleeps in late."
	"I know that!" Akina hugged her mother, but stepped back instantly when she 
saw the sizzling Corpish. "But mom, I'm going to get my license, and you know what 
that means! I'm going to go away and become the best Pokemon Master ever!"
	She was surprised to see tears in her mother's eyes, and quieted a bit.
	"I remember your brother saying those words," Akina's mother whispered, 
"when he was ten also." She gave Akina a quick hug. "Write often, alright? And be 
careful."
	Akina solemnly gave the hug back. "I will mom," she answered. "Wish me 
luck!"
	"Not so fast young lady." her mother's tears dried out and she was back into 
stern mother mode again. "You're not going anywhere until you have something to 
eat."
	"Aw mom!" Akina complained. "I'll get something to eat at the train station!"
	"I don't trust the food they have there."
	"Mom, the food is perfectly fine! I have to go okay?"
	"Alright than, if that's how you want it." her mother grumbled.
	Akina slung the emerald backpack over her shoulder. "Good-bye mom!"
	"Good-bye Akina. Write often and drop in every now and then. If anything goes 
wrong, go to Silph Co. where your dad works."
	Akina turned away, surprised at herself when she felt tears run down her cheeks. 
She brushed them away and ran out the door before she could change her mind.
	She slammed the door shut and walked out into the yellow streets of Saffron. She 
had to ride a train to get to Pallet town and get a Pokemon from Professor Oak. Then, 
she might come back to give the real final farewells. The train station was of course 
busy and Akina had to push her way through the crowd to show the conductor her 
ticket. He nodded, bored, and ushered her into a train to Pallet Town as he got in after 
her. As she got on, she noticed oddly that this train barely had any people on it. She 
had expected it to be jammed full of Pokemon trainers.
	"So missy," the conductor grunted. "You're going to Pallet town, eh?"
	"I am." Akina nodded. "Why?" 
	The conductor gave a hoarse laugh. "Mainly because not many trainers come 
here no more, so this train has a little less per day."
	Akina nodded and the conductor went to the front to drive the train. Two boys 
across from her seat began to glance at her and whisper.
	She tightly ignored them and pretended to pay attention to the passing scenery 
outside. Boys! Thinking that they were better trainers because they were males! Akina 
yawned and began to feel sleepy. The trip had only started and already she was tired! 
Some trainer she was! Abruptly, the train came to a halt. Everyone was almost jolted 
out of their seats and Akina heard the conductor mutter in frustration. She held her 
breath. In a few moments, Akina tried to think positive thoughts, the train will start 
again. Then, we will continue on and I will get my...
	A pained scream shattered her thoughts. Akina jumped up and the other trainers 
uneasily shifted down their seats. What had happened?
	"Mister Conductor?" Akina called. No answer but a faint dripping.
	She glanced at the two boys who were now shivering and cowering. Akina felt 
her mouth go dry, and suddenly, the world seemed to go in slow motion.
	"I'll go check what's wrong." she timidly said. Frantically, the trainers nodded in 
agreement and Akina began to walk to the front car.
	Why did she feel so scared? It was probably nothing, maybe he had a seizure, but 
that would be easily cured. Than why did she want to run?
	"Mister Conductor?" this time her voice came in a squeak. Akina was now in 
front of the whitewashed door, trembling from head to toe. She thought she heard 
crunching behind the door, and Akina wanted nothing but to run away and sit back 
down in her seat. Firmly convincing herself that she had been daydreaming, Akina 
gently pushed the door open. Then, her eyes widened and she let out a terrible scream.
	A two headed Arcanine was there, chewing the conductor's dead body. She was 
paralyzed with fear as it turned its four crimson eyes on her. It gave an eager growl 
and turned away from the conductor and stared at its new meal, ready to pounce.
	"No!" she screamed, but it was too late. The Arcanine pounced and incredible 
pain filled her mind. She shrieked until she was sore and then gave into 
unconsciousness.

<><><><>

	When Akina woke up, she found herself in a bed. Her skin felt raw and exposed 
while throbbing in pain. Raindrops pounded the rooftop as the storm thundered. 
Where am I? Who am I? She sleepily thought. Akina tried to remember, but the effort 
was too much. She shut her eyes again, wanting to go back to sleep. The room was 
dim and there was no light. Akina heard a door open and close, the sound of soft 
footsteps coming closer. She felt a gentle yet cold hand touch her forehead and Akina 
drew back. Akina felt a cup pressed to her lips, and a voice softly commanded: 
"Drink."
	Akina drank the strange liquid in the cup. It tasted bitter, yet sweet. Akina 
eagerly drank it dry, she was extremely thirsty. When she finished, her pain had dulled 
down, the cup taken away. She heard the person get up to leave. Immediately, her 
mind was full of questions, and she squinted in the darkness to try to see the person.
	"Who are you?" she asked in a hushed voice just as the person opened the door. 
The person stood in the doorway for sometime.
	"I cannot tell you now. Your body and mind needs to recover from the attack, 
Akina."
	Before Akina could ask how the person knew her name, the door shut.
	
<><><><>

The next day, Akina woke up to the silence of the dawn. Normally, the air would be 
filled with rapturous birdsong, but it was eerily silent with only the sound of drizzling 
rainfall. Akina only remembered a bit of what happened last night. 
	Someone had helped her last night, and saved her from certain death. But who 
was it and where was he or she? As Akina looked around, she saw that the room was 
simple and plain. Two doors labeled 'EXIT' and 'RESTROOM' were to her left. A 
drawer and cabinet were on the right hand side. A wooden table and chair were in the 
middle of the room. The giant window had velvet curtains covering the light. Akina 
sat up, groaning from the pain.
	"So you are finally awake Akina." the door opened as her rescuer stepped in.
	Akina blinked and saw a woman about twenty or so with long dark black hair. 
She had cold dark blue eyes and was wearing a red suit. She had cold brown eyes as 
she watched Akina. Akina immediately recognized her from all the magazines she had 
read.
	"Gym Leader Sabrina, so it was you who rescued me?!"
	Sabrina shrugged and sat down on the chair nonchalantly.
	"How did you find me?"
	"I found you in front of my gym," Sabrina coolly answered, "With your injuries. 
I helped you recover for the past few days."
	"Oh," Akina looked around again. "Whose room is this?"
	"Mine."
	"Really?" Akina was embarrassed. "I'm so sorry for being such a bother..."
	"It is nothing," Sabrina dismissively waved her hand. "It is after all what I had to 
do."
	"So," Akina sat up. "What happened? Where's everyone? What happened to my 
family?"
	"You don't remember." It was not a question. It was a bitter statement.
	Akina glanced down, blushing now in discomfiture and remembered the two 
headed Arcanine. "All I remember was a two headed Arcanine and..."
	"That," Sabrina continued over Akina's words, "was the work of Team Rocket 
and has nothing to do of what happened here."
	"Team Rocket?!" Akina shot up in astonishment. "They let loose a two headed 
Arcanine?!"
	"What happened here," Sabrina acted like the outburst didn't happen. "Was that 
the Chiper organization came here with their Shadow Pokemon and destroyed, or in 
this case, demolished the city." Sabrina paused, in sudden thought. Akina took the 
chance to jump in with a question.
	"How many?"
	Sabrina stared at her for a while and answered, "One."
	"Only one?" Akina gasped.
	Sabrina nodded and Akina's mind began to whirl with questions. "It was 
XD002," Akina thought she heard a bit of harshness in her voice. "Their ultimate 
weapon. In other words, a Ho-oh." 
	Akina shook her head. "Even so, it can't destroy a whole metropolis like this, 
can it?"
	"I think you will find it possible," Sabrina swiftly got up. "I must go now. Sleep, 
Akina and recover. I will answer your questions tomorrow."
	Akina felt suddenly sleepy. The questions still were in her mind, but she could no 
longer resist the hypnotic command and fell asleep as Sabrina left the room.

<><><><>

	Sabrina watched the setting sun on the damp porch, seeing the devastation and 
death XD002 had caused.
	"Ala," her Alakazam floated near her, communicating with telekinesis.* Are 
there any other survivors?*
	Sabrina shook her head and continued to gaze at the sunset.
	*You do know that they suspect you.*
	*I know.* Sabrina replied back, using her telekinesis.
	*It won't be long before they come.*
	*Let them come. I have nothing to hide.*
	*They wish to destroy you.*
	*Let them.*
	*So you will do nothing?*
	Sabrina did not reply, and the Alakazam sighed.
	*The girl has a strong aura of psychic surrounding her* Sabrina almost startled 
her Pokemon. *I wouldn't be surprised if she was almost as good as me*
	At that the Alakazam snorted. Sabrina was rarely surprised. *Of all the humans, 
Mistress Sabrina, why her?*
	*I saw the attack of that two-headed Arcanine as a memory in her mind when I 
was scanning through it. The attack could have killed two people very easily, but she 
survived. Somehow, the Arcanine's attack was redirected. She might be one of them.*
	*So you say her powers awoke when she was in mortal peril?*
	*Most likely. If she does have the powers, she might be able to get rid of Chiper.* 
Sabrina got up from the bloodied porch. Her eyes glowed slightly gold, and without 
turning around, said "Good day Koga. To what pleasure do I owe this unexpected 
visit?"
	From behind her, a man jumped down. He had a stern face and wore a black 
ninja suit. He had a red cape fluttering behind him in the wind and had his black hair 
spiked up.
	"You should know by now," Sabrina turned around to face him, her Alakazam 
hovering near her. "That it is almost impossible to sneak up behind me by now."
	"Sabrina," Koga grimly replied, "Under the orders of the Elite Four, you are 
under arrest."
	"Then you should tell me in front of my face, not while sneaking up on me." The 
glow left her eyes. "Or is there another reason?"
	"Do not talk to me like that!" Koga snapped. "You know what you did and you 
will pay for it!"
	"I did the best I could," Sabrina answered in a conversational tone. "You cannot 
charge me of treason or massacre. I did my duty."
	Koga frowned at this, and regarded her suspiciously. "If so," Koga had regained 
control of his anger. "Then who let in Chiper? Who gave the information? You have a 
record of dealings with..."
	"Do not mention it." Sabrina cut in. "You can believe anything you want, but I 
stay with what I said: I did my duty." With that, Sabrina teleported along with her 
Alakazam, leaving Koga alone in his own thoughts.
	"I fear," Koga spoke aloud in the moist air, "that you are possibly wrong."

<><><><>

	Akina blearily woke up, seeing Sabrina teleport into the room.
	"Sabrina?" Akina was still partially in the Hypnosis' influence.
	"Relax," Sabrina's eyes glowed gold, much to Akina's surprise.
	"Sabrina? What are you do- ARGH!"
	The room seemed to spin and Akina clung onto the bed covers tightly, hoping the 
world would stop. Sabrina just stood there, her eyes still glowing, and she stepped 
toward her.
	"Tell me," Sabrina quietly asked. "What do you know about psychic Pokemon?"
	Akina shook her head, too dizzy to speak. Why was Sabrina doing this?
	"Relax, Akina," Sabrina's eyes grew brighter. "If you are tensed up, then the 
illusion will not be comfortable for you, I can assure that."
	Akina closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down with deep breaths. The 
world stopped spinning and her woozy feeling sapped away.
	"Now," Sabrina seeing Akina calm down sat next to her on a floating chair. 
"What do you know of psychic Pokemon?"
	"Not much," Akina muttered. "But, Sabrina, do you know what happened to my 
parents and my friends? Can you tell me, please? I would really like to know!"
	The tension Akina had built up inside herself made the room spin again and her 
dizzy feeling returned. She calmed down again, and the feeling left.
	"I will tell you later..."
	"Why? I have to know, Sabrina, please." Akina managed to keep her feelings 
from overflowing to avoid the dizziness.
	"Not now." Sabrina regarded Akina with a hollow look. "Do you know what 
telekinesis is?"
	"Yes, isn't it the power of psychics?"
	Sabrina nodded. "And?" 
	"Sabrina!" Akina screamed in frustration but the nauseous feeling instantly 
returned.
	Sabrina's glowing eyes dimmed and Akina found herself back in the room, the 
sensation of sickness gone.
	"Later, than." Sabrina remarked as though they were talking over how the 
weather was.
	"Will you answer my questions?" Akina growled.
	"Maybe." Sabrina maintained a casual attitude.
	"What happened to my family and friends?"
	"Dead." the answer came easily, with no apparent difficulty in saying it.
	Akina started to feel sick again. "What?"
	"They are dead," Sabrina's words seemed to mock Akina's woes. "Killed by 
XD002."
	Akina jumped out of bed, crashing into the floor, but was furiously looking at 
Sabrina still.
	"I cannot stop what had happened," Sabrina's calm voice infuriated Akina. "It 
was entirely out of my hands."
	"Out of your hands?!" Akina shrieked in anger, tears running freely. The 
memories of her stern but kind mother, her lazy father, and her faithful friends...now 
dead floated back to her in her rage and sorrow.
	"You are the greatest psychic in the whole world and you say that you could not 
stop XD-"
	"Enough!" Sabrina's voice became slightly louder, startling Akina out of her fury. 
Sabrina's voice resumed her normal tone when she continued. "I did what I could. 
You do not understand truly what happens when you cross a legendary with the 
shadows. You do not remember what had happened years ago."
	"Why then?" Akina was still crying. "Why couldn't you?"
	Sabrina made no sign of emotion and turned away. "Get dressed. We will search 
the city again to look for survivors after lunch. I have something to tell you later. 
Understood?"
	Akina made no indication of agreement, but Sabrina knew that she had agreed. 
Akina waited for Sabrina to leave, than threw herself against the bed and cried until 
her tears ran out.

<><><><>

	Outside of the ruined Saffron City, out into Indigo Plateau, plans were being 
made in secret. It was in a lab, where XD002 was held...
	"So," a man in the shadows drawled. "You say that this girl is the missing 
project?"
	"Yes sir," the Rocket Grunt nodded. Best to look enthusiastic or he would be 
killed. "Her data matches exactly."
	"I see,"
	A shriek of rage escaped from a giant shadowed cage, red eyes glaring in hatred. 
The sound of chains rattled as whatever was inside there tried to escape. The Grunt 
took a step back, but the man gave a stern look that commanded him to stay.
	"Capture her. Kill anyone that tries to hide or restrain her."
	The Grunt bowed, and was glad that his cap hid his face which was full of fear. 
"As you wish, the Squad will proceed immediately."

<><><><> 

	Sabrina stared at the mirror and played around with the brush for a minute. She 
hadn't laughed or smiled for a long time. But she did remember the time when a 
Haunter made her laugh, Sabrina remembered fondly. But that was a long time ago. 
Too long. Sabrina sighed and saw her Alakazam trying to teleport in.
	"Give me some privacy," Sabrina instructed it before it could fully materialize.
	*I need to watch you, Mistress.*
	"Not in the restroom. Somewhere else, yes. But the restroom is restricted."
	*As you wish* The Alakazam faded away.
	Sabrina put the brush down and looked at herself. What she saw was an 
expressionless mask, incapable of feeling any love or hate. Her training had 
demanded that she was to be emotionless, but she did have her feelings still. They 
were just very tiny now, as though they were folded up into a tiny paper square. Hmm, 
perhaps she should do some origami to ease her mind. Sabrina's eyes glowed, they 
always did when she was using her powers, and a white paper square appeared in her 
hand. Working in memory, Sabrina began to make a paper Jurachi. I her childhood, 
they had always said that it was good luck to make a string of one hundred. Sabrina 
was lost in her work and had not been expecting a rough hand to seize her from 
behind.
	She managed to turn her head and see a hulking figure wearing only a pair of 
shorts. He had bulging muscles and bristly brown hair. His skin was deeply tan and 
Sabrina instantly knew that he was Bruno of the Elite Four. Sabrina couldn't break out 
of the death grip, she knew that. What she did know was that Bruno wasn't very well 
trained in the mind. Sabrina's eyes glowed and sent a psychic attack at his brain. 
Bruno groaned in pain and released her. Sabrina dropped to the ground and fell 
through the shattered door. Nearby, her Alakazam was unconscious. Sabrina knew it 
wasn't a good situation if something had knocked her Alakazam out.
	As she got up, she saw the shadows move and a woman came out. She had an 
old fashioned dress and her black eyes had a startling depth. She looked old enough to 
be someone's grandmother, but she would be a killer grandmother if she was.
	"So," Agatha, the ghost master of the Elite Four, gave a tight smile. "This is how 
the almighty Sabrina acts? Come, we have no time."
	"I will come," she got up and held her hands out, a sign showing that she was no 
danger, the psychic flame in her eyes dwindled out.
	"Oh," Agatha's wicked grin grew wider. "We were looking for ESP001, which I 
think you know..."
	Sabrina's emotionless mask dropped to a frown. "You cannot take Akina," 
Sabrina spoke in a harangued voice
	"I think you will find we can. Sableye, Shadow Ball!"
	Too late Sabrina noticed the waiting Sableye on the ceiling as it formed a dark 
sphere in its hands and dived down. Sabrina closed her eyes, mentally forming a 
barrier...
	It was too late. The Shadow Ball struck at full force and sent Sabrina reeling 
from the impact. Sabrina was almost knocked out, but barely managed to cling onto 
her consciousness. Through her blurry vision, she saw Agatha walk away in triumph, 
and felt Bruno throw her over his shoulder. Then, the blissful darkness clouded her 
mind as she fell into a dark sleep.
<><><><>
<><>End of Part 1<><>