A Journey's Link

Chapter 51 - Intentions

"Master, it seems that my counterpart is heading towards an undesired location," A said, kneeling before the chair that held his master, a person whose identity remained unknown to even A and S. "The Ninja Village?" The master softly whispered, almost to the point where A could not hear him. "That is of no concern. Whatever training he receives there will be helpful," the master reassured, leaning back in his chair menacingly.

A frowned, unsure of what to think of his master's answer. He never questioned the statements that were uttered from the master's mouth, but he was currently contemplating if he should do so at this very moment. "The Ninja Village is home to a variety of powerful people, some of which weren't able to rival Zygarde in its previous rampage," A stated, not quite challenging his master's intelligence, but offering a truth of his own.

The master grunted and said, "I am aware of its power." The master picked up a nearby cup and took a sip of water that A had just retrieved for him. "However, harnessing its power against Giovanni is our best course of action," the master added, with A nodding at his master's answer. "I...understand, master," A stated, not sure if he had full faith in his master's knowledge even after his understanding, but still obeyed nonetheless.

The master chuckled and stood up, towering over A. "I can sense your unsureness," the master said knowingly. "But, your obedience is also present, so I commend you for that." He began walking around the dark room they were situated in, causing A to tremble slightly. "Master, I should get back to scouting out the targets," A spoke up, still in a kneeling position.

"Do you remember your creation and purpose?" The master spoke, completely ignoring A's request. "I do," A hesitantly answered. "It was in the building where I was made using the second Zygarde cell." A recalled back to his first memories, where he stared up at his master who stood before him now.

"Do you remember the first words I spoke to you? The ones that explained everything?" The master asked, raising an eyebrow at A in an expecting manner. A nodded and answered, "You said that any action I did should benefit the progression of your objective." He answered word for word what his master had said in those very first moments of his life.

"Very good," The master said smoothly, raising the hairs on A's arm. "And what did you do exactly after that moment?" The master asked in a cold tone. A grimaced as he recalled what he did upon being told all of this. "I ran away from you in fear," A said reluctantly. "Yes, so you must understand why I am incredibly wary of your questions," The master said. "I promise not to do it again," A recited in an almost robot-like manner. He knew the consequences of what would happen if he were to fight back against his master.

"Speaking of understanding," The master began, filling in the gloomy silence that lingered between the two. "Am I to understand that your partner is returning from scouting her counterpart soon?" The way he asked was full of malice and hatred, something that A was all too familiar with these days. "Her very recent message to me was that she was going to be looking for her counterpart's route and reporting it back to you," A answered as honestly as he could, which received a nod from his master.

"I'm bored of waiting. Summon her now so that she may report back useful information," The master commanded, with A nervously nodding and pulling out the device with the large red button. A had never fully questioned what the device was, but knew that it was some sort of teleportation tool that could summon anyone who owned one as well.

Pressing the button, A began to see a figure forming next to him. It was S, who seemed very annoyed. "Where have you been?" A aggressively whispered to S. "You were supposed to report back a while ago." S gave him a stink eye and turned towards her master with an apologetic face. "I am deeply sorry for being this late," S said sarcastically, which A thought was a plea to be punished by the master, especially since she was so late.