A Journey's Link

Chapter 54 - Close

"Master, they're headed closer to each other," A said. "At this rate, they'll get too close," he added, standing before his master in the familiar room, which was dark and small. "I know of their location," the master said, rubbing his hands on his mask. "The girl's clone has informed me that her counterpart had made it to Snowbelle City," the master explained in an annoyed manner.

"Oh. I was unaware," A responded flatly. Why didn't she contact me? He thought to himself. Does she not trust me as her fellow scouter? He shook his head at having such a self-doubting and dumb question and turned his attention back to his master.

"Aren't we supposed to physically intersect?" A asked. "Maybe I could steal his Pikachu, or kidnap the little one?" A suggested, trying to find ways to help out his master. Instead, his master sighed and stood up, towering over him. "Don't you remember why we can't do that?" The master growled. "If we use brute force, then both you and your partner could be put in danger. If something happens to either of you, then the plan can't be carried out," The master explained.

"Besides, we need them to be in good condition," he added, tapping his foot on the floor. "The plan can't work if the whole reason we started it is gone." "Right," A responded, remembering the speech that his master gave him the first day. After his creation, his master sat him down in this very room where he was currently kneeling to explain to him the plan. He was incredibly dazed and inexperienced on his first day and remembered exactly what had happened.

"You've been created by the power of Zygarde," The master had said to both him and S directly after their creation. "We were able to use Z2's powers to create life forms, which is how you two came to be," The master explained. A remembered that he and S looked at each other in confusion. "Then who are we?" A had asked, feeling like he had memories, but couldn't quite make them out as they were all blurry like an old film.

A didn't understand it at the time, but he remembers his master flinching, almost as if they weren't expecting A to have any questions. "You're... just some people that I've chosen to help me advance this concept," The master had answered, pausing for a moment before answering fully.

"And what are we doing in this plan?" S had asked the master, seeing how A had spoken up, and also was confused about the situation. Something about A made her feel different, but she knew he could be trusted in some way. The master seemed thrown off again by the newly created counterparts.

"You two will be used to stop the specific people you were created from," The master answered honestly. "By stopping them we'll be able to save them from their demise," The master explained, earning some side glances from A and S. "Got it," A and S both said, nodding their heads in unison.

Back in the present time, A smiled, remembering how unprepared his master was when both he and S started asking questions. "What are you smiling at?" The master grumbled, seeing that A had formed a slight, almost toothy, grin on his face. A quickly wiped the smile from his face and quickly stuttered, "N-nothing! Nothing..."

The master grunted, then sighed quietly before sitting back in his chair. "I hope you realize why I tend to scold you more than your scouting partner," he suddenly said out of nowhere. "Because you want to teach me a lesson?" A reasonably guessed, truly believing that his master most likely just hated his guts due to his lack of time management and failure to see the big picture.

The master's head shook as they responded, "No. While that is true, I do it because I have a feeling that you'll be the one to counter him." A tilted his head in confusion. "Him?" A repeated, not quite getting what his master was saying. "Yes. Him. As in, your counterpart," The master answered. "The chosen one."

"My counterpart is the chosen one?" A asked, dumbfounded. His master had told him countless times that a hero would stop the corruption of the third Zygarde Core but never knew that the hero would be the person he was modeled after. "How will I be able to battle against a person with such strength?" A asked innocently.