“The main problem that I’ve heard growth enhancing type affinities face is the inability to control or effectively use their energy, I believe this is because their body’s energy output outgrows their energy proficiency.” the matron explained as she took my outstretched hand into hers, she grasped it and I felt a pulse of unusual energy enter my body through my hand.
”My energy is of the fairy type, making it especially useful for quelling intense emotions, though it is weak to the steel type energy you have, my strength level allows me to simply ignore that. Hmm…I’m sensing some kind of deep and heavy emotion within but…I can’t seem to find the source, unusual, I should book young Kane for an appointment with an energy specialist.”she muttered barely loud enough for me to eavesdrop.
The energy steadily worked its way up my energy channels and into my heart, the whole process only took twenty seconds but it felt like an eternity because of how much I was learning about energy.
The way she was controlling it, it was as if instead of forcing the energy to move how she wanted it to, she just somehow imagined how she wanted it to move and it obeyed flawlessly.
I think this is about intent, like if you imagine something vividly enough then the energy will change its form to most match that imaginary picture, though I’m unsure, for now I’ll just think of it as a possibility.
The matron interrupted my thoughts on how she was moving her energy by speaking aloud suddenly, “My goodness, you have already explored your energy channels! What inspired a baby to do such a thing…luck most likely, well I guess I can shorten our session by a considerable amount little Kane.” she said with a chuckle before speaking again, “Now, all you must do is spin the energy in your heart like a washing machine…oh right, you were literally born two months ago, and I completely forgot that I was talking to a basically newborn baby *sigh* I’ve gotten old haven’t I. How am I supposed to expl-” she stopped talking once I finally figured out that gentle approach to controlling my energy and began circling my energy around my heart.
It accelerated quite quickly until I couldn’t even see it anymore and I felt myself become very sleepy, like I had just studied for the whole night and then had someone try to very enthusiastically sell me a vacuum cleaner at my front door levels of tired.
The last thing I saw before I succumbed to the allure of a good night's rest was the matron staring at me in open mouthed shock once again as she caught me before I would’ve fell face first on the ground, then my world went black and I fell into slumber.
-some time later-
My eyes crawled open, it feels like I haven’t drank or eaten anything in days, and why can’t I see anything even after I opened my eyes, wait, did I die again!?
No, this is bullshit! It was all going so well, I had weird magic powers, I was just getting to meet pokemon for the first time and I felt like I had finally figured out my second life, and now I just go and die?
As I was about to continue wallowing in my despair, there was suddenly a flash of light and I squinted and rubbed my eyes while I waited for them to adjust.
After a few seconds, my eyes could finally see again and instead of the pearly gates, I saw an auditorium? Huge metal walls , hundreds of seats and most alarmingly is the several hundred children seemingly passed out on the seats, I estimate them all to be around 5 to 10 years old.
To my relief none of them looked injured and they all seemed to be breathing fine, but everyone was wearing a black jumpsuit with the words ‘flicker’ printed on the front and back in bold golden letters.
I tried to calm myself down with a deep breath but as soon as I began, I looked down at my body and noticed I was the size of a goddamn 5 year old!
Did spinning that energy around accelerate my growth even more or have I been locked in some sort of test tube like mewtwo for the past year? “What the fuck is happening?!” I shout in shock and anger, as I try to understand what the hell is going on, I remember to inspect the huge room for any sort of escape route.
The auditorium is a sort of third-circle shape like an ancient greek amphitheater but with less stone and more cold black metal.
There is a giant screen facing towards the seats that every child is currently knocked out sleeping on, while I have long since stood up and began walking down the shallow steps towards the several meter tall and wide door shaped indent in the wall placed perfectly underneath and to the middle of the huge cinema-like screen.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
I feel my hands over the grooves in the wall, noticing that i feel a faint energy in them, I try to feel deeper into the indent in the metal wall but I feel my energy being repelled whenever I try to cycle it closer to the wall, just as I’m about to knock on the door with my right hand, the metal suddenly pulls apart from the middle and disappears into the sides of the wall, melding seamlessly with the walls on either side.
The opening led into a hallway, though I can’t tell how deep it goes because of the somehow deep darkness. Just looking at it sends a shiver down my spine.
I slap my face with my hands, trying to psych myself up to enter the ominous, surprisingly tall hallway when i start to hear a faint tapping noise, *tap* *tap* *tap* and as I finally realize that the sound is someone slowly stepping towards me from within the ominous hallway, they already begin to come into view “well how surprising is this!” the man says with a beaming smile on his face and a very happy voice, after a moment, he continued speaking.
“To think one of you would wake up early, you must have great talent to be able to disperse that ghost type energy that was put inside of your head!” the man says with his smile unchanged and a very charismatic voice, I almost find myself agreeing with him, as I was about to kneel to show my due respect to my clear superior I felt a hand clamp down on my throat, my hand.
‘What is the meaning of this’, I thought, thoroughly confused, all I am trying to do is show respect to my superior, the light that shines upon all, to gra- “NOOOO, STOP THIS YOU FUCKERRR!!” I scream, a harsh, grating scream, one that leaves the throat sore, I gasp for air that won’t come as my hand won’t release its hold on my throat, lest I fall under this man’s control again. “Tch, why do you steel type guys always have to be so strong willed, all I ask for is respect and you’ve gone and strangled yourself over it.
“*sigh* fine, I’ll release my hold for now, but if you ever do anything against my wishes-” The man places his pointer finger to his lips in a shush motion, he continues speaking “Know that nothing is sacred under the sun except for the sun itself”, it is then that I notice the man is wearing a suit and cape with the word ‘sun’ written on his chest in maybe actual gold, then the man raises his other hand and clicks his fingers, suddenly I’m back in my seat in the auditorium, one near the back left corner at the top row, like I had never been down there in the first place.
One thing is for certain, I’ll never forget that man’s face, his…shit I forgot, he must have some kind of memory altering power, I can’t even remember how he sounded, maybe psychic affinities can do that? Well I guess I’ll just wait here, no need to go poking the memory wiping bear in the ominous metallic corridor.
Several minutes pass in silence as I try and fail to calm myself down, this might just be the worst possible situation I could have gotten into.
Suddenly I hear a voice down at the first row out of ten of the seats “w-where am I, I want my mommy” i hear the young sounding girl say, then I hear the unmistakable sound of a child crying, always did make me feel really bad whenever my nieces and nephews would cry, this felt no different.
But as I was deliberating leaving my seat, I heard a dozen more voices speak out in surprise at their predicament, then there was a cascade of children shouting, screaming and crying that lasted several minutes.
As I was about to go insane from the sheer amount of noise surrounding me, there was a light click of footsteps on the metal floor.
It felt vaguely familiar for some reason even though I'm certain I haven’t heard footsteps on metal in this life or recently in the past one.
When the person came into view, I was stunned and everyone else in the auditorium was as well, because that had the be the prettiest lady I have seen in my whole two lives combined, as I noticed several of the kids around me genuinely drooling on the ground from some kind of infatuation, I heard a soft and melodic voice speak out over the now deafening silence “Calm down children, you are all going to be all right, you have been chosen for this special opportunity, you should all rejoice!” she shouted in an incredibly friendly way, it felt similar to the mind control from that man, but it was undeniably weaker, like comparing a football to a gumball, just much easier to shrug off.
I managed to get through the effects by pinching myself in the leg and gritting my teeth, once i got through it I felt like a dam had broken in my mind, and then I noticed the effects it was having on the other children, some were standing up and cheering, other simply sat perfectly still with mild smiles on their faces, while more still started laughing and crying in utter elation.
The woman, that despicable bitch, looked me dead in the eyes with a piercing glare for a second and then broke the sudden staring contest and was all smiles again while she totally ignored me.
“Thank you all for realizing how good of an opportunity this is for you! You can all settle down now for my explanation.” she said and suddenly everyone was sitting perfectly still and looking like they were listening intently, like they were soldiers in a military briefing.
Then she began talking again, “Firstly, welcome initiates, to The Shadow of Dawn! Our organization fights for peace and love across the incredible region of Kanto, you all have been selected due to your special powers, your affinities, they allow you to train a certain type of pokemon up to fifty percent faster than normal! While this is certainly a plus, the most important thing about affinities is that they give us humans special abilities, such as short range teleportation, blanket elemental manipulation, levitation and super strength just to name a few, these affinities are categorized into three categories, physical, mental and deviant, while I’m sure the first two are self explanatory, the deviant category can trip some people up, simply put, they are abilities that are either far too strong or far too wide ranging to fall in line with the other two categories, though there is some prejudice around them , I believe that they can reach the greatest heights out of any of human kind.
Secondly, the reason we did not simply wait for you all to come of age and then recruit you is because of secrecy, if the league were to find out about us, we would have a much harder time spreading love and joy across our glorious home region, so do please stay quiet about it” she made a shushing motion with her right hand, and it was then that I noticed she was wearing blouse with the word ‘radiance’ on the front and back as she slowly paced around the room.
She resumed speaking, “Finally, the reason I am here is to announce some wonderful news to you all! You all will be the first round of recruits to experience the trial island! It is an island we have specially controlled the habitats of to allow nearly all pokemon to thrive on it, and you all will be staying there for the next year to prepare you for induction into our three divisions, keep in mind that your performance is being monitored at all times, so make sure to be on your A game alright? Now you all should get some sleep, make sure to be well rested for your introduction to the trial island.”
She finishes speaking and every child but me falls asleep instantly, I can even hear snoring already somehow, mind affinities are something else man.
Then she looks straight at me and flashes me an annoyed look, I nearly ask her what she wants before I remember I’ve just been recruited into some secret, probably evil mind-controlling terrorist group and shut my mouth, then she points a finger at me and my eyelids start to get heavy and I slowly drift off to sleep.
