Pokémon:Nexus Asencion

The moon cast a pale glow over the now-silent docks, illuminating the aftermath of the battle. Crates lay shattered, scorch marks blackened the ground, and unconscious smugglers were scattered like discarded debris. Erik stood among the wreckage, his chest heaving with exhaustion, Riolu at his side, still alert but visibly drained.

Across from him, the enigmatic stranger—Kade—holstered his Nexus-modified weapon with casual ease, as if the intense skirmish had been nothing more than a mild inconvenience.

"You've got guts, kid," Kade said, walking toward Erik with a confident swagger. His silver hair glinted under the moonlight, and his Nexus interface flickered faintly over one eye. "But guts only get you so far in this world."

Erik narrowed his eyes, his instincts on high alert. "You didn't just show up to help. Who are you really?"

Kade chuckled, stopping a few paces away. "Let's just say… I don't like seeing Outlanders like you get chewed up and spit out before you understand the game you've been thrown into."

Erik's grip on Riolu's Pokéball tightened. What game?

The Nexus Shipment

Before Erik could press further, the faint hum of the Nexus System pulled his attention toward the cargo container—the very reason for this mission. Its reinforced metal surface was scorched and dented from the earlier battle, but the lock remained intact.

[Objective Update: Investigate the Nexus Shipment]

• Secondary Objective: Recover any encrypted data.

Kade followed Erik's gaze and smirked. "You're lucky I showed up. That tech isn't something you'd want falling into the wrong hands."

With a swipe of his Nexus device, Kade effortlessly bypassed the container's security protocols. The lock hissed open, releasing a faint burst of cold air.

Inside was something Erik hadn't expected.

Not weapons. Not stolen supplies.

A stasis pod.

And inside the pod… was a person.

The Sleeper

The figure inside was a young woman, suspended in a faint blue glow. Her breathing was shallow, her body hooked up to cables that pulsed with Nexus energy. She looked human, but faint markings—circuit-like patterns—ran along her arms and neck, glowing softly under the stasis light.

Erik's Nexus System flared with urgent data.

[Anomaly Detected: Nexus-Hybrid Lifeform]

• Status: Cryogenic Suspension

• Vital Signs: Stable

• Threat Assessment: Unknown

"What the hell is this?" Erik whispered.

Kade's expression darkened. "This, rookie, is what happens when Outlanders and Nexus tech mix in ways they shouldn't."

Erik felt a chill. "She's… human?"

Kade nodded slowly. "Mostly."

Revelations

Kade moved closer, tapping on the pod's interface. Lines of encrypted data scrolled rapidly across his Nexus screen. Erik leaned in, his curiosity outweighing his caution.

"This isn't just a smuggling operation," Kade muttered. "This is experimentation. Someone's trying to create Nexus-enhanced humans… or worse."

Erik's mind flashed back to the memory fragment the Nexus System had shown him—wires, experiments, the pain.

Was that what they did to me?

Before he could voice the thought, the pod's systems glitched. The stasis field flickered, and the woman's eyes snapped open—bright, luminescent amber, unlike any human Erik had ever seen.

She gasped, her body convulsing as the cables detached with sharp mechanical hisses. Without warning, she burst from the pod, collapsing to the floor, coughing violently.

Erik instinctively knelt beside her, cautiously helping her sit up. "Hey, hey—easy. You're okay."

Her glowing eyes darted around in confusion, then locked onto Erik with an intensity that made his heart race. "Where… am I?" she rasped, her voice layered with a faint electronic undertone.

"Haven's Reach," Erik replied carefully. "You were in stasis. We found you."

Her gaze shifted to Kade, then to the scattered bodies of the smugglers. She trembled—not from fear, but from rage.

"They… they were going to sell me."

Who Is She?

Kade crossed his arms, his sharp gaze analyzing her. "What's your name?"

The woman paused, as if the question itself was foreign. After a long moment, she whispered, "Nova. That's… what they called me."

Erik frowned. "They? Who's 'they'?"

Nova's jaw tightened, her expression dark. "The Nexus Syndicate."

Kade's face hardened. "I thought they were just a rumor."

"They're real," Nova replied quietly. "And they're hunting people like me—and people like you."

Erik's heart pounded. People like me.

The Syndicate's Shadow

Nova struggled to her feet, her body still weak but her determination clear. "They're not just experimenting on Outlanders. They're trying to control the Nexus itself—rewriting the system, turning people into… tools."

Erik exchanged a glance with Kade.

This is bigger than I thought.

Before they could process it, Erik's Nexus System blared with an urgent alert.

[Emergency Alert: Hostile Forces Approaching]

• Nexus Syndicate Response Team Inbound

• ETA: 5 Minutes

"They found us," Nova whispered, her glowing eyes narrowing.

Kade grinned, drawing his weapon. "Looks like the fun's just starting."

Erik stepped forward, Riolu by his side.

This wasn't just survival anymore.

It was a war.

End of Chapter 8