Chapter Text
What would you do if you were nearing the end of your life?
He didn't know. He knew he accomplished everything he wanted in his life. Friends, a new family, accomplishments... He did everything.
So why did he remain unsatisfied?
He sighed. He knew his time was almost up, and yet he felt a hole in his heart. Despite all he did... Despite the lessons he learned... He still wasn't satisfied. He felt like he wasn't ready to face his end.
He wanted to keep living, wanted to see more of the world. But how could he since he passed his prime? He wasn't as young as he was 20 years ago. Neither his usual reliance on his abilities won't help him as much to hang onto his remnants of life. There was nothing he could accomplish at this point.
Wrong. Not all of it.
He gasped. He never thought he could hear him again before his end.
Hardy-har-har. Real funny.
He smiled. "Is that your way to cope with the inevitable?"
Maybe... He heard a sigh. I...never experienced death before. I'm not like you. I got used to my old life. The fact I have to go down with you makes me...uneasy.
"But you chose to stay by my side, right? Why not leave me be and continue your travels?"
Hmph... Like I ever leave you alone after everything, partner. Besides...I just don't want to be alone again. You are my friend after all. My brother.
He smiled as he stared at the flickering candle on his bedside table. Like him, it was also on its last legs. He could see little candle wax surrounding the lit wick and the flame was getting smaller by the minute. He sighed as he turned to stare at the ceiling.
"Brother and friend, huh? You have a point. But I feel guilty. If I go while you're inside me, you go. I feel like I'm dragging you to face something you don't want to face someday."
That's true. But this is different. You're by my side and as long as we're together, I know this is not the end for us. Not by a long shot.
He nodded. Because of him, his partner, they accomplished everything together, faced several kinds of adversaries, and aided the coming of the new era. Everything happened because of him. No, not him. Them . It was both of them that changed the world.
Then, he sighed again. He felt like his chest was pushed in by a large anvil. He couldn't breathe for much longer and his eyes were getting heavy. This was it. It was almost here. Yet, his smile remained and he made a realization.
"You're right. This isn't the end. This...is the beginning... This...is where it all...starts...for both of us..."
With one final breath, he closed his eyes, and the man who helped the founding of the new universe had passed away.
And in several years, he would return with a new name and new role in the modern era.
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Arcanum Universe: Re:SHROUD Evolution
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By: SpinnerNite
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Prologue: Reboot
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"A...a..."
"Ar...nd...?"
"Armand...?"
"Augustine Sycamore, wake up."
A man with black curly hair gasped as he got up from the ecru sofa and gasped with sweat falling from his face. He looked around and found himself in a room with several monitors and keyboards near him and a second ecru sofa in front of him. He would have calmed down as he slowed down his breathing. But then, he turned and gasped to see a blue-haired woman wearing glasses.
"Oh, sorry to scare you, Professor," the woman apologized. "But there's an incoming call for you."
Video call? Oh, right. He did hear a ringtone coming from the computer nearby. The professor yawned as he stretched his limbs and got out from the sofa.
" Merci , Sophie. I'll take this one," he said. "By the way, how long was I asleep?"
"About an hour. Although I did hear you mutter about someone, I didn't hear clearly what you said."
"Oh." He hummed in thought for a while. Then he shrugged it off with a smile and walked towards the ringing computer. "Well, maybe I was sleeptalking. You can go back to your work, Sophie."
"Alright, Professor."
His assistant, Sophie bowed to her boss before she left the room. As for the professor, he took a deep breath and adjusted his white lab coat before he accepted the call on his computer.
"Hello, this is Professor Sycamore. How can I help you?" He said with a smile.
"Augustine, it's me, Tenebrae."
His eyes widened to hear a familiar baritone voice on the computer's phone. "Oh, Ten! What's the matter? I just paid my apartment's rent and..."
"I know, Augustine. It's just that you left your blue pen on the table earlier."
"Oh, right. Just put it in the usual drawer on the counter. I'll pick it up once I'm done here."
"Alright. I have your usual dinner ready tonight. Sorry to disturb you, Augustine."
"It's okay. I'll see you tonight. Au revoir ."
Once he dropped the call, Augustine took a deep breath as he walked out of the room and into a small park filled with greenery, small trees, and a pond where several creatures gathered to his feet and exchanged several cries to the professor.
"Hello, everyone!" He greeted. "How's everyone today?"
Everyone cried happily as Augustine watched them in delight.
Welcome to the world of Pokemon! I am Augustine Sycamore, the Kalos region's very own Pokémon Professor.
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In a city with a large white tower standing in the middle, several people were playing with a yellow mouse with red cheeks, a red fox that coughed out an ember, a blue frog that spat out a stream of bubbles to some children, and a green and brown hedgehog being chased by some angry park-goers who tried to recover their lunch.
This world of ours is widely inhabited by creatures known as Pokémon!
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On another street, several people and Pokemon passed by the sidewalk. The humans fed several berries to a blue and cream bipedal bear, brushed a white fluffy dog, and chatted with each other while their gray bipedal cats with wide-eyed purple eyes stared at each other.
These mysterious creatures can be found in every corner of our world...
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On the sandy beach of another region, a black and red cat was chasing an ecru and green owl who was flying away in panic. By their side was a small blue seal swimming beside them.
Some run across the plains, others fly through the skies, and others yet swim in deep oceans...
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In some kind of stadium in a different region, two people were facing each other at the opposite sides of a rectangle-marked field where one has a green leaf creature with a yellow flower on its head and another in blue has a large blue turtle with a large jagged orange jaw.
We live together with these Pokémon, lending our strength to one another to live and prosper.
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Time passed as Augustine found himself pouring some kibble into several bowls as the Pokemon around him started scarfing it down. Then, as a brown beaver approached his leg and nuzzled it, he smiled before he patted its head.
As a Pokemon Professor, I study Pokemon to unlock the mysteries behind their existence and handled the distribution of Pokedexes to starting trainers, including their very first Pokemon.
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Back inside the lab an hour later, Augustine and his assistants observed a blue shark-like dragon with a dorsal fin on its back and two small ones on its arms. It stood inside some sort of a scanning machine, yet it remained still with a stoic expression on its muzzle.
However, there is one large mystery I'm trying to solve: Mega Evolution. It's where a few Pokemon can evolve beyond their limits and revert to their normal forms. Not every Pokemon can achieve this as they need a special bond between them and their trainer. I heard some Pokemon can Mega Evolve without them, but I never say I'm very doubtful about them.
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As night fell, Augustine removed his lab coat and put it on the coat rack. As he left the lab, he waved goodbye to his assistants at the door before he walked away.
But as much as I'm happy with the path I took, my job can be stressful when it comes to paperwork, especially with overnight research. Sometimes, I wish I can take a break and get away for an adventure.
As he walked down the sidewalk, Augustine looked up and stared at the darkening sky where he saw stars start to shine above him, causing him to smile.
Then again, I already left my days as a Pokemon Trainer behind. If anything, the only wish I have is to enjoy my life to the fullest and experience what many mysteries they have in store for me. But look at me rambling, it's not like something big happened to me lately.
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"Someone, help!!!"
That was all the man could say before he screamed as a knife stuck on his back. The other men started to back away from their fallen ally as some started to panic while others grabbed pipes and bats nearby as they turned to their attacker, who was wearing a black coat, fedora, and gloves and wielded something, yet they couldn't see it clearly since they only saw nothing.
"D-Damn it! Just what do you think you're doing, you bastard?!" One of the men demanded as he aimed his bat at them.
The attacker turned around, which revealed he was wearing black sunglasses and a face cloth mask, and to their shock, they heard him chuckle under his breath.
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm shutting your business down for trafficking illegal weapons," the attacker calmly answered with a slight baritone voice. "If you're willing to come along quietly, I promise you're not going to follow your fallen friend's fate."
The thugs looked at each other, shocked at the attacker's offer. But they turned back to him again, narrowing their eyes, and prepared their weapons against him.
"Hmph... Well, you asked for it."
With a battle cry, they charged toward their attacker. But just as they could strike him, the mysterious man suddenly disappeared in black mist and just as they could realize what happened, two of them were knocked down by a kick behind them. When they witnessed this, they turned around and gasped to see the black coat attacker appear behind them.
"What the hell?!"
"How did he get there?!"
"Forget about that! Don't let him get away!"
Everyone screamed as they raised their weapons and charged toward the mysterious man. For some reason, he seemingly smirked under his mask.
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Augustine took a deep breath as he placed a spoon and fork in the bowl and a small plate. He just had a Katsudon with soy sauce from the Kanto region on the side along with a slice of red velvet cake with Cheri Berries and a chamomile tea on the top for his dessert in the Black Sky Cafe, located at the South Boulevard of Lumiose City. He had a long day from his work as a Pokemon Professor and he needed some time to relax and have some "him time" before tomorrow came.
Then as he leaned back against the back of his chair to rest his stomach, someone in a black shirt and apron approached him and gathered most of the dishes and eating utensils from his table onto a tray he was carrying. Augustine looked up and saw the older figure's face, who has black slick hair and red eyes as he smiled at him.
"Enjoying your dinner, Professor ?" The man asked Augustine.
Augustine was startled to see the older man. But he took a deep breath and smiled. "Yes, merci , Ten. That was a marvelous dinner as always. Learning Kantonian and Johtonian cuisine was one thing, but enjoying some dishes I had never seen before was eye-opening. Perhaps you can share your secrets behind it."
The man smirked as he closed his red eyes. "Oh, you flatter me, Augustine. But you know the policy around my cafe..."
"I know. I'm just joking. Still, I am honest about your menu. I'm impressed with the number of dishes and desserts you offer here. It's a crime you weren't noticed by Lumiose than usual."
"If I do, it will be a bigger crowd than I used to. And it's currently short-staffed at the moment. So I should stick with fewer customers until I find some people who are willing to help me behind the counter."
Augustine hummed as he stared at the said counter. "Speaking of which, have you seen him lately?"
"Him as in..."
Augustine sighed. "You know who am I talking about. All I want is to rest for tonight and prepare for tomorrow as usual. The only thing I don't need right now is him messing with me."
"Well, who knows? I can't say where he is right now though. You have to know that he's very sensitive when it comes to his privacy. I know you're annoyed, but remember his boundaries."
He sighed again. "Good point. But I'm still paranoid after yesterday." Augustine then yawned as he stretched his arms. "I should head back to my apartment. Thank you for the marvelous dinner again, Ten."
"You're welcome. Be careful on your way down from your apartment tomorrow."
Augustine nodded before he stood up and headed into the apartment building connected to the café. But then, he raised his eyebrow as he went up the stairs. What did he mean by being careful on his way down tomorrow?
-----
The leader was horrified at what he witnessed. Originally, there were 50 of them against a man in a black coat who broke in and started destroying the weapons they were supposed to sell. They were supposed to win because of their advantage in numbers. Instead, he and 5 other men were the only ones left to fight as the others were scattered to escape from the intruder.
Still, he wondered who the heck was that man?! He not only dodged his men's attacks with no effort, but he managed to defeat them with one swing of his hand. Not only that, not even one of them managed to get close to him as they were somehow thrown by a mysterious force. It's as if he was protected by ghosts or something. No, it couldn't be... It's impossible...
"So that's where you're hiding..."
The leader gasped. He turned around and his eyes widened as he saw the man in a black coat smirking under his hat. "Y-You... How the hell did you get here?!" The leader demanded. "We already locked the doors! You can't unlock it without a password and key!"
The man huffed and tossed something at the leader's feet. He looked down and gasped to see not only a broken lock but also a broken keypad and fingerprint scanner.
"In all honesty, I managed to get the password through your goons, but they broke it by accident," the intruder calmly explained. "Regardless, I suggest you get a better security system."
The leader growled as he glared at the intruder. "Well, you won't get too cocky when my remaining men get here to protect me!"
But as soon as he said this, he heard some groans nearby. The leader turned around and gasped to see several men in hoodie jackets fell unconscious with wounds around their bodies.
"I forgot to mention that I stopped by to meet your men. Let's just say they shouldn't try to attack me as their first impression."
The leader's eyes widened when he heard this. First, he ambushed them without any warning. Now, he somehow found his remaining men's hiding spots and knocked them out in a flash. This was certainly impossible. Impossible! That man... That man wasn't human!
"W-Who the hell are you?!" The leader demanded. "What are you?!"
The intruder smirked under his hat as he approached the leader and raised his right arm.
"You want to know who I am?" As the leader looked up, he noticed a purple and blue aura gathered around his palm. When they did, they combined to form a sword with a black hilt and velcro handle with a purple-slitted eye-like gem in the middle and a dark blue blade as he grabbed it with his right hand. He swung it around and aimed the tip of the blade towards the leader's chest. "Let's just say I'm here to make sure you're not going to escape justice."
Before the leader could say anything, the intruder thrust the sword into his chest...
All of the sudden, the leader found himself unresponsive with his eyes remaining open and his mouth drooling. The intruder smirked as he made his sword disappear and took out his phone as he dialed a number.
"It's me. The job is done," the intruder said as he removed the hat from his head.
"Good job. But shouldn't you get back home? It's already past midnight here."
"I'm already on my way. Besides..." The intruder started walking away from the warehouse. But just as he reached the door, he stopped and turned around into a lone spotlight, revealing his black curly hair with sideburns and blue-gray eyes.
"We don't want the professor to be late for work."