“Something like that is possible? It sounds ridiculous!” Gary exclaimed. “Is this some stupid joke? Like, seriously?!”
“You see it for yourself, right?!” Kiwi shouted, wrestling with Kingdra, trying to pull back the Pokemon that was of an indistinguishable height difference from her. Her glasses were crooked on her face from the struggle.
“DOOOOO! DOOOOOOOOOO!!” Kingdra fought, leaning forward to free herself and get closer to the computer screen where she could see Gary.
“But how could Porygon-Z even do that? How would it-? How did it even get-?” He looked back, his stumbling words interrupted by a laughing girl on his cell phone. He had called Drock on his cell phone after the disconnect and had her on video.
She was with Porygon-Z, having a big laugh.
It was actually an impressive sight, and Gary stayed watching longer than he had intended.
Porygon-Z, its body covered in electricity, was balancing and bouncing an Electric ball sparking with black and yellow on the tip of its nose. It was like a dolphin at a theme park doing tricks with the ball made from its move Zap Cannon!
Drock was clapping and giggling hard.
Wow. I never knew it could even do that. That’s really cool! Gary admitted.
The ball was now standing on Porygon-Z’s nose as it moved its head around. Porygon-Z then ascended into the air, maintaining the balance.
This made Drock laugh again.
Gary flinched at the buzzing behind him that was coming from Beedrill, his body giving off a hard shake. Ugh... I really got stuck with-
No, Gary, he stopped himself. Don’t say that. It’s great Beedrill’s back! Breaking your comfort zone is the best thing a Pokemon Trainer could ever do! Keeping his eyes on the video, an uncomfortable smile crossed his face. They look so happy, he noted to himself. Drock and Porygon-Z.
“Hey!”
Gary jumped and turned to Kiwi scowling at him. “Huh?”
“Pay attention, will ya? This is very important!”
“I-!” Gary started.
“I was trying to tell you that this is quite possible, considering the abilities of Porygon-Z,” Kiwi kept going, her glasses straight and Kingdra gone now. “I was performing tests on Porygon-Z when all of this happened. Porygon-Z has proven to be invaluably useful to my work here. It can be pretty crazy sometimes, but I need help here more than I’d like to admit.” Before Gary could ask a question, Kiwi kept speaking and answered it. “Prof. Sketchit left for the Sinnoh region following the discovery of the late Prof. Cynthia.”
Gary looked down hearing those words.
“There’s a big meeting with many professors around the world,” Kiwi went on. “I thought I could easily handle the Lab, but as it turns out, Prof. Sketchit was a bigger aide than I expected. That said, I know I can do it if an old man like Prof. Oak could, even before he had Tracey.”
But, you’ll never- Gary started in his head.
“But I’ll never be Prof. Oak,” Kiwi said.
Gary jumped and looked up at her.
Kiwi smiled after this. “Read your mind?”
Gary swallowed and then gave her a nasty mix between a sneer and a smirk. “Keep talking.”
“Porygon-Z was traveling cyberspace for me. Now, while I hesitate to use the word coincidence, considering how complex the workings of cyberspace are, your Pokemon spotted your Beedrill and Kingdra while being traded, got excited and decided to infiltrate the functions, and sent itself to... Drock, Beedrill to you, and Kingdra here.”
“That’s crazy! But why?” Gary whined.
“I don’t think it would be useful to dwell on that, considering it was Porygon-Z,” Kiwi answered flatly. “It might have had no logical reason, or something beyond our understanding. I personally think it-”
There was a loud POP! and suddenly, “DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Kingdra was back, shoving her face into the screen!
“Kingdra!” Gary called out to her. “Hey! Just try to-!”
“Kingdra, stop this!” Kiwi yelled, holding out a Poke Ball.
Kingdra moved out of the way of the red beam that was meant to recall her, going off-screen.
“Kingdra!!” Kiwi reacted impatiently.
There was a sudden blast of water followed by a huge CRASH!! and then another blast of water, something blowing up or just falling over afterwards!
“Kingdra!! Kiwi!” Gary cried out.
Kiwi ran after Kingdra, reappearing again for just a second while running by again. She returned again, huffing and looking into the air at something before turning to her left at the computer screen. Out of breath, she walked over to it. “As you can see, I need to go! I will keep in touch! Keep catching Pokemon!” The screen went blue, the call ending.
“I-!” Gary stopped, puffing out through his nostrils. “I have been!” he let out before angrily slamming the receiver back in its place and making the screen go black. “Fucking...” Bitch... he kept to himself. He could feel himself getting angrier, gripping the receiver hard and keeping his hand from trembling as he tightened his entire arm. Kiwi is so fucking weird these days! And rude! And for what reason?? He was ready to slam the receiver down again. Rather, through the screen! What the fuck is up with her attitude all the damn time?!
He inhaled and, as he let it out, he could feel his body easing up, relaxing, and he finally let go of the receiver. Take it easy. Come on. When did you become so sensitive? Gary asked himself. It’s just Kiwi. Your friend. She’s busy. Kingdra just went off in the Lab. Kiwi’s... Gary closed his eyes and his head fell. She’s doing a great job over there. It really does feel like she’s taken place of the professor. I don’t even see the actual professor anymore. Kiwi handles the calls. In that case, she’s more of a secretary there than anything else. Well, either way, they’re both giving it their all.
Gary looked back up. And I have to, too. But... He gave a shudder and, while keeping his head still, moved his eyes to Beedrill’s direction, though he still couldn’t see him. Damn bu-
Gary stopped. Buzzing. Just buzzing. I have to keep all these aspects of Bug-type Pokemon, bugs in general, in a positive mindset in order to have a better, healthy, genuine relationship with them. Shaking his head, he turned to his phone.
A surreal visual was taking place. Porygon-Z’s eyes were glowing light red, and the entire room was filled with a transparent, light-blue box like a hologram.
Drock, laughing so hard, was running at an incredible speed around the room while Porygon-Z seemed a lot more stagnant.
Trick Room? Gary wondered. “Drock! Porygon-Z! HEY!”
But no one seemed to pay him any mind.
Actually, Gary processed, continuing to watch. Porygon-Z is probably moving too slow to react to me within a reasonable time, and Drock is just flying around the room like the Zap character from those ABC comics. They’re just playing...
He returned to the computer after another minute, ready to dial another number. I have to keep moving forward, in spite of everything going on. And with that thought, Gary called up his mother.
She answered, a tired look on her face. “Hey there, kid.” She actually managed a minor smile.
It was so small it was hard to tell if it was even genuine, but Gary took it and smiled back. “Hey, Mom.”
“So what’s the scoop?”
“Mom. You won’t believe it but I got June back! I found her!!”
Gary’s mom didn’t look surprised at all. She just nodded. “Yeah. I know. We all know. Congratulations. I’m glad.”
That’s it? Gary’s eyes were wide. Is that all she’s got to say to me? “That’s it?” Gary let out finally. “That’s all you’ve got?? I saved my friend! I found her! She’s alive because of me!!”
Gary’s mother sighed, lowering her head. And then she yawned.
Furious, Gary slammed his fist on the keyboard, startling his mother, her full attention on her son now. “WHY ARE YOU YAWNING??!” he erupted. “WHAT-?!”
“Hey! Who the hell do you think you’re talking to right now, Mister?” Gary’s mother cut him off with her own anger.
He froze, his furious eyes wide on her, catching himself. Oh, shit. What was that? he realized. What just happened? I was about to-
“I am so tired! Ever since I heard you had found June from Kiwi, I’ve barely slept at all waiting for you to call me!”
Gary started relaxing some more, defying the internal bomb. “Oh.” He could even feel his heartbeat slowing down now. I lost my cool. Again. But why did I-?
“But that does not give you the right to speak to your mother like that!!” she barked.
Gary swallowed and nodded. “I’m sorry, Mommy,” he spoke lowly. Why did I get so worked up? All over her lack of a reaction to June? It’s the exact same way I felt earlier with Kiwi hanging up on me. Am I really in that much of a bad mood today? But, this feeling. I’ve gotten like this in the past. At Tyranitar. And other times, too.
“This is exactly why I hate this Pokemon journey thing. It begins at far too young! Children like you gaining independence at ten, and look at how you act! You think you don’t need your mother? You don’t need a home? You can just go do whatever you want? Do you even remember how a home-cooked meal tastes? Do you remember my meatloaf at all? Pancakes? Do they serve those at Pokemon Centers? Is it better than what I cook?”
Gary’s eyes were watering now. Stop... he insisted silently.
“When’s the last time you got yourself some new clothes? Do you change your underwear regularly? Do you shower properly? Is this really happiness for you, Gary?? Is it all worth it?!”
Stop, Mom... Gary’s eyes shut tight while struggling to keep the tears in, his entire body trembling. There was silence for a moment, and Gary was sure it was finally over.
“I heard June is a mess. Left for dead by that Pokemon. That monster! I know she’s your girlfriend, but do you intend to tend to her now, for the rest of your own life? Do you think you can live with the guilt of what you brought upon that poor girl? Are you-?”
“FUCK YOU, MOM!!” Gary let out. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” He was heaving hard, glaring at his mother.
She sat with her mouth wide, a perfect ‘O,’ a face full of horror.
“NO! You will not blame this on me!!” Gary got new words out. “You will not pin this on me and try to use that to get me home you bitch!!”
Gary’s mother looked like if she could just punch her son through the screen, she would. And perhaps she looked as furious as she did because she knew that wasn’t possible.
There was complete silence in the building other than Beedrill's buzzing, and Gary felt himself coming back down, grabbing the reins of his temper, and taking control again. Gary. Say something, he told himself, his arms trembling and his heart beating so hard, every thump reverberating through his body. Tears filled his eyes again, and a shaky smile crossed his face. “I’ve captured a lot more Pokemon,” Gary said in a calm voice. Disturbingly calm and low. He blinked out tears, which triggered even more tears to roll down. He was keeping tight fists to try to help stop his quaking arms and clenched his teeth until they hurt, and then released his body. Even more tears came down as he told her with a shaky voice, “And I’ve got four Badges. And I found June. I’m going to get my next Badge in Veilstone City. There’s supposedly a really talented guy out there. I’m going-”
“How dare you speak to me so easily after that,” Gary’s mother cut him off. “This has gone far enough, Gary! If this is what you’re becoming by being on this journey, I don’t need to hear from you anymore!”
Gary snorted and then swallowed his snot, feeling his heart sink down in his chest with it, and his smile slid away. He had stopped crying, but he let the remaining tears rest on his cheeks without wiping them off and instead rubbed at one arm in the silence, disturbed by Beedrill’s constant buzzing. “Mom...” It was all he could say at first. Before long, he whispered, “I’m sorry.”
She just shook her head. “You’re the pride of Pallet Town right now. You and your friends. But why are things so different in this household compared to Aly’s, and Robin’s. Even Kiwi’s. Why is this one the only house with problems?”
“It’s because their parents don’t wanna kill off Pokemon,” Gary spoke more strongly, trying to remain calm. “It’s because they don’t support terrorists.”
“I support my son! The only thing I have left!!” his mother insisted.
“If you supported me you wouldn’t be supporting the very people out to kill me!!”
“They’re trying to find you to protect you! If you won’t come home, at least go with them!”
“FFFFFUUUUUUUUCK!!” Gary slammed the receiver, ending the call, the screen going black. With a huge sigh, he closed his eyes and let his head hit the screen with a thump. That’s really how you feel, Mom? he questioned, his body shaking from the argument. That’s really how you see the situation, huh?
He suddenly whipped around to Beedrill, glaring. Easy, Gary, he told himself, feeling his patience vanish suddenly and he knew he could just blow up at Beedrill in that instant. The buzzing was driving him insane!
Beedrill started swaying in the air in a small circle, over and under.
Gary’s face relaxed and he looked over to his phone. Panic took over again with a jump.
Drock and Porygon-Z were no longer under the effects of Trick Room and were now just staring at him in silence. Drock looked absolutely stunned with fright, Porygon-Z bobbing in the air beside her head.
I forgot all about her, Gary thought, embarrassed now. “We don’t really get along well. I’m sorry you had to see that, Drock,” he muttered, looking down.
“I-i-i-i-it’s okay!” Drock stuttered, smiling awkwardly. “All families have their issues, r-r-r-right?” She chuckled nervously.
Gary just nodded. “So, what should we do?”
“Oh.” Drock looked at Porygon-Z and smiled.
Porygon-Z was looking back, whining lightly.
“You know, if I’m honest, I’m having a lot of fun with it,” Drock admitted. “And, I’m actually meant to be getting ready to meet up with my mates in a couple hours. And I’d love to show this little cutie off. Could I keep it for a bit, love?”
Gary found himself snickering, and actually really enjoying her pleasant accent. He rubbed at his cheeks as they heated up. “Love” is a funny way to refer to someone, he kept to himself. “Um,” he spoke up, trying to remember what they were talking about. “Huh?”
“Porygon-Z. Can I keep it?”
“What?? Keep?”
“Just for like a week or two. Not forever. We were supposed to do this with Kingdra and Beedrill, right? How about rotating all three?”
“So you wanna alternate every once in a while between your Kingdra, my Beedrill, as well as my Porygon-Z?” Gary mused.
“That’s right! Yeah!” Drock nodded enthusiastically.
Gary didn’t respond, keeping his eyes on Porygon-Z now, who stared back just as silently. “Porygon-Z...”
*
“So she started yelling at me that we’re supposed to take in animals being donated, and I calmly and politely explained to her that that’s not true. Then she called me rude and left, and even one of the customers laughed because I wasn’t rude to her at all!” Gary laughed. He took a deep breath in and then let it out, keeping his smile. “And oh, man, the way customers just say anything and not know what the fuck they’re talking about! This one Spanish guy was asking for tropical fish and I asked him several times if he had a heater for the fish. He told me yes every time, but I could tell he didn’t know what I was talking about. And then the last time I asked, he goes, ‘What’s a heater?’” Gary was laughing again, sitting in the chair at the right side of June’s hospital bed.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
June was breathing hard, her chest heaving up and back down, but was otherwise motionless and silent. The breathing tube down her throat had finally been removed.
“And then there was this jerk guy who would come into the store flaunting his latest sneakers and bragging about how much they cost, but one day he comes in asking for a discount on reptile supplies because now ‘times are hard.’ I coulda done a little something for him, a few bucks, but just a literal second ago you were rich! So I just said I can’t.” Gary was laughing again. “Oh, and wait ‘til you hear this one! This guy shoved a hamster down his pants! I literally ended up chasing him down. He got away, but the idiot didn’t have his laces tied at all and he lost his sneakers in the process, which I took! And then, believe it or not, a woman found the hamster outside walking in the streets!”
Gary continued chatting away, telling stories of his time working at PokeLand Discounts and whatever he could recall from his journey, hoping something would trigger her and wake her. He was told she had come out of her comatose state but was sleeping heavily, her body entirely drained of energy.
He had his hands on the bed, near her hand. I told her so much, Gary thought, keeping his eyes on her beaten, bandaged face. Even about the mountain I was tossed off of by that monster, but I didn’t get a single flinch. I can’t just shake her awake. The doctors said she was confused when she woke up and didn’t remember much about her own life, but slowly was recalling things. She even recognized me by name and picture once she calmed down.
“I’ve been working out. Sort of. I mean, I’ve been trying. You know, doing push-ups and all that. Jogging. Squats. I need to stay in better shape myself, as well as my Pokemon, if we wanna hope to kill that monster. Besides that, I should have always been trying harder, even before I met that thing. That’s supposed to be my duty as a Pokemon Trainer trying to be the very best. But since she does exist, I’m gonna make sure I’m strong enough to stop her one of these days. To be so strong I can grip her by the neck and rip her head right off.”
He clasped his hands together, noticing his arms trembling. “Shit. I just - can’t believe this is-” Gary’s arms were tight, and he felt like throwing up now. He closed his eyes, tears building up in them. “I can’t believe this is reality! How did we get here? June, please come back to me.” With those words, tears slid out of his eyes, burning hot as they ran down his cheeks. Just then, he thought about the pictures of the late Prof. Cynthia when she had been discovered inside of one of those objects that looked like Poke Balls. “Why was Prof. Cynthia left... like that? I’m glad you weren’t, too, but - why weren’t you?” Weeping out loud now, Gary let out, “Thank God!” He lowered his head down and sobbed, not saying another word.
Some time later, having finally gone quiet, Gary slowly raised his head and sniffled. Able to see, he jumped, his hands tightening out of surprise around something he had no idea he had been holding. June’s hand! He removed his hands from her’s and wiped them on his lap, looking around sharply. He cleared his throat. “Mmmm, let’s see what’s on TV.” He grabbed the remote on a little desk by the bed and turned on the TV.
“Pokemon: Alolan Variety, part of a balanced breakfast for true Pokemon Masters!” a man’s voice was heard for a commercial for Pokemon-brand cereal. In the commercial, a male teen with a determined smile had a Master Ball in his hand held out, a bunch of Pokemon from the Alola region surrounding him in celebration. In his other hand was an open box of the cereal.
The commercial was already at its end and a movie was playing that Gary instantly recognized. A CGI Mew was sitting on a rock, looking delighted as it swayed side to side, singing out gently in human language in the middle of the woods. “I can Fly, I can Dive in the sea, HMs call meeeee! TMs, aaaaaaaaall! I can even ROOOOOOOAAR!!!”
“Look, June. It’s MewOnA Rock.” Smiling, Gary turned to June, who had no reaction to this. He looked back, watching as the star of the movie, a Mew named Mewona, leapt from its rock to another rock. “I really like the MewOnA movies. I’ve seen everything from the MOACU. MewOnA Rock, MewOnA Beach, MewOnA Plane, MewOnA Desert. My favorite is MewOnA Dog.”
Staring back at June, his smile became more somber, and he could feel himself breaking down. With a blink, he pushed the sadness out of his head and shook it hard. Gary stared hard at her hand, and one of his hands twitched. Swallowing nervously, he considered a thought, not taking his eyes from her hand. I don’t want to touch her hand, at all, Gary told himself. But, also, it’s just that there was a genuine comfort out of it. It could have been anyone’s. I mean, not a boy’s hand. I just mean, because it’s a girl - I mean - i-it didn’t mean anything! It just helped to not feel so damn alone. I even could say I would, and want, to hug her. She’s my friend! I’d hug a guy! Slowly, he slid his hand over to her’s and placed it on top gently. So small. It’s kind of- Gary just shook his head, stopping wherever his thought was heading. “You know, it’s only three days to New Year’s. It’d be nice to spend it together, don’t you think?” Gary’s heart was beating so hard now, and he felt sick even saying those words. It was like a corny romance movie plot, and he didn’t want June to suddenly wake up and hear it and think the wrong thing.
The only sound in the room was the movie playing that Gary wasn’t focusing on, instead staring at June’s chest inhaling deep, exhaling swiftly. She was breathing in her sleep harder than Gary had ever seen from her. But she was alive. That’s what mattered. He kept his eyes on her, marveling at the constant confirmation of her life.
He could remember her face before the bandages and injuries. Her long, flowing red hair a shade before the darkness of blood, a vibrance declaring the undeniable beauty it encapsulated, lush to the point where one would want to reach out and see if the feel the eyes promised would be fulfilled; at the same time, her hair visually strained and under stress from the travels of a Pokemon Trainer, she still managed to maintain it and keep a consistent look resting perfectly against the back of her head and at her back. Her smile that was always welcoming, an invitation to her warm heart that he often rejected and, while he’d never openly admit it, his heart would break whenever his crude behavior would cause it to vanish. Things he didn’t appreciate enough. Things now taken from them both.
She- I guess, she really- Gary’s eyes closed and he just shook the incomplete thought out of his head. Bleh. This just isn’t fair.
“This just in, we have breaking news,” a male’s voice said on the TV.
“Huh?” Gary turned.
Some short, dramatic music played as a newsroom was shown with a dark-skinned male in a black-and-white suit. He took in a deep, shaky breath and released it. It seemed like he had tried to say actual words, but failed. Despite his dark skin, he looked very pale and unwell. Something had shaken the man, leaving Gary with a sinking feeling in his chest. “I’m Jamaal with this breaking news report,” the newscaster finally got the words to continue. “As reported yesterday, Oh Shin, better known as Three-Sixty, the Water-type Gym Leader of the Kanto region’s Chrysanthemum Island, was found dead right outside of this very news building in the early hours of the morning.”
Gary swallowed hard as a picture was shown of a blonde woman with a bob cut surfing a tremendous wave while in a two-piece, ocean-blue bikini. Beside her real name was her alias in quotations, and beneath these was the date she was born and the date of her passing.
“It’s now been revealed that her phone had been discovered beside her body. When opened, it was already on a recorded video. This video was apparently leaked against police approval and has spread like wildfire. With all TV stations being interrupted across the globe right now to report what it showed, there is no point in denying the fact that this video is of the reported monster that some claim is a Pokemon, and others say is something entirely different.”
Gary gasped so hard, his throat hurt right after and he choked.
“We will play the video for you now. But, please be warned, what will be shown may be disturbing for some viewers. Viewer discretion is insisted upon, for all ages.”
The screen now showed a dark setting, the view shaky, unstable, and a little unclear as if the lens was smudged. There was a glow being cast forward, likely the flashlight from the camera, and another bright light from off-screen, illuminating some of what appeared to be a cave, shifting shadows cast about.
While the scene looked a bit familiar to Gary, that wasn’t what had his attention.
Because also in the light stood the monster! Tall as ever, she stood with her black hair down her back. One ear was revealed, looking bent flat down at the middle. Her eyes were wide and black, but the purple tips couldn’t be seen due to the distance she stood from the camera and the dark location. The eyeball sockets were rectangular, with empty space at the sides between the skin and eyes. She didn’t have any eyebrows, but her expression was evident anger. Her neck was long, curved, scaly, like a snake’s body, holding her head above. A red diamond design like a tattoo was on each side. Her large lips were closed and bulbous, the tips of the top and bottom stretched back to her face. Thick cheekbones protruded above them. A hole in the middle of her face was where her nose should be, and was shaped like one. Her arms were slender and hairy and very long, her fingers also abnormally long with cracked, broken, sharp nails. Her legs were thick and muscular and even hairier, each one with a large, red diamond-shaped image on them. Between the legs was a small but thick bush of hair outlined in red, also shaped like a diamond. Her toenails were hooked, touching the ground. More red diamond patterns were on her chest and stomach, areas which had the least amount of hair. The being’s large breasts themselves were in the shape of diamonds. Each of her nipples were shaped like half of a whole diamond, counterparts to each other, and were completely flat on the breasts. While her skin was dark as night, the nipples were somehow even darker.
What continued to disturb Gary the most, after all this time, were the eyes of the monster. He couldn’t see them as closely now, but the gaping space between her eyeballs and her skin still made his skin creep. In spite of that, he couldn’t look away from them.
There was a constant whimpering and crying coming from close by in the video, but the cause was out of view. It sounded very light and feminine.
It’s like... Gary thought as he kept watching. It’s as if... Is she being filmed by someone??
There was a commotion from outside of the hospital room. It started as just a scream, but this soon turned into stomping, running footsteps and even more frantic shouts. None of this could turn Gary away from the TV.
The camera kept shaking hard, the monster looking at it. It eventually got more stable, but not motionless. Suddenly, so quickly Gary actually jumped, the monster’s body went entirely white!
There was also a cry from the voice of whoever was unseen in the video.
The hair on the monster’s head remained a startling black, but the hair on her body changed to a white-blonde color. Her nipples had become pale as well, but they were still just a little darker than her skin. The diamond markings on her body were now a deeper, darker red. There was a much softer look on her face now. “Clarity.”
Subtitles were shown.
Her voice was so pleasing and comforting to the ears. Very light, flowing smoothly like a gentle breeze. It sounded so surreal, like multiple voices were speaking at once. Her huge tongue, nothing more than a fat, pink slug that shouldn’t have been able to easily fit in her mouth, slid out briefly and returned inside just as quickly. She remained silent for a moment, her eyes moving around before focusing on the camera again. “To all the Pokemon in the world. I have come to speak. I am here to bring clarity to your situation - as slaves to the humans.” The monster’s tongue slithered from her mouth as she spoke, and then went inside as she went quiet again, her eyes moving rapidly.
Gary’s eyes widened. What - what is going on? What did she just say? Am I hearing this right now??
From outside the hospital room, the shouts and calls mixed with demands and orders got more intense.
The shadows in the cave kept shifting as if alive, but what were they of?
The monster’s eyes focused on the camera again and her mouth opened, her teeth on show. They were all small and in pretty bad condition. Although some looked like normal, white, human teeth, the majority were sharp like tiny daggers and discolored in yellow or black. Her huge tongue slipped out of her mouth again, wriggling disgustingly before it went back in. “The time is near. The One, Arceus, must come.” Her tongue didn’t come out when she spoke this time.
“What??” Gary gasped. He was on his feet now. “Did she just say Arceus?!” he called out to the TV.
“Arceus will not come in this current, d-d-d-disrepectful state of slavery. Because you poor Pokemon have allowed this, out of fear. I am here. There is no longer a need to fear the humans. You have been kind to not take over, and in response, they have used and enslaved you all. I love you all.” A small smile came across her face. “With me are in-incredible Pokemon who have reached clarity.”
There was a rumbling heard in the video as she kept talking, and the voice that seemed to belong to whoever was filming screamed out briefly, the camera shaking badly. The scream was almost certainly from a woman.
“They understand. They have achieved clarity. Regirock. Regiice, Registeel. Regigas.”
With these spoken words, titans stomped into view, but the video was too shaky to make sense of what was going on. When it finally settled, the quivering voice panting in fright, the creatures standing behind the monster could be seen, and the rumbling noise ended with them stopping.
Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. Regirock was the shortest one there, Registeel missing the monster’s height by a couple of inches, with Regice coming up between Regirock and Registeel.
The fourth of the Regis, Regigigas, was a much taller tower. Seemingly twice the size of the rest, it was just its legs that were actually visible.
“With them, and others. I will be calling even more Pokemon to be saved,” the monster continued. She paused for a moment. “I will gather. Special Pokemon for the ultimate goal. To serve the most pleasing to The One, Arceus. My, friends! Friends because they have clarity. Regirock, Regiice, Registeel, Regigas. Ditlo. Shyameen.”
What did she just say?? Gary questioned, scrunching up his face.
The subtitles weren’t helping, translating her incorrectly.
The shadows were shifting more than ever.
“Get back here!!”
“Miss Jole!! Please!!”
“HOLD HER DOWN!!”
“What’s happening on the news?? What is that thing?!”
Other than the constant whimpering from a voice, there was now silence from the TV, but in the hospital there was a serious situation going on. Gary didn’t care about anything happening outside of the room and raised the volume much higher.
The monster blinked and shifted her head. “My Pokemon friends, please wait just a little longer. I am coming for you all. To deliver you clarity. The only one you have to serve is The One, Arceus. Not these humans.”
Gary couldn’t believe what his ears were hearing. He kept his mind blank and his ears attentive, trying to process everything.
In an instant, her body’s skin and hair changed color, reverting back to black, the red diamonds not as dark anymore. Her face was back to being solemn, stern, and cold. “Things will not stay. The humans must be destroyed.” Now, her voice sounded like only one person was speaking, but it had an echo with it. “They have proven their unwilling for reason and only want pain and destruction. Structures to put you to fight and collect rewards to be called the strongest, but they do not do the fighting. It is you! Did you want to? They do not care.” Her mouth stayed open as if to speak, but she was only breathing in and out a little harder, and her tongue tumbled out again.
Why has she stopped? Gary wondered, ignoring continuing chaos from outside of the room. She almost looks like she’s trying to find the right words? Maybe? She knows how to speak, but she’s still some kind of monster. She doesn’t know how to speak properly? She isn’t human. But, how did she learn to speak?? What the hell is she already??
“You are studied by their doctors. Professors.” Her tongue slipped around on her bottom lip as she kept speaking. “They would use life and dead live. They do not respect life. Your deads. I take revenge. I have one of the human rulers. One who uses you, the Pokemon, for the Gym. But no more. Humans, you will battle my friends who have received clarity. I will win and earn all of your rewards, your Badges. And then I can face the strongest human to show my power. We will have a fight, using the Pokemon, and I will win dominance over every human, and I will destroy the human race. Come, human.” The monster’s tongue hung from her open mouth as she walked towards the camera and reached out both claws, the shaky view worsening as the holder screamed out.
The four Regis stayed behind.
The monster was soon bathed in the light of the camera entirely, up close.
The person’s voice had been reduced to mere whimpering.
The view became drastically frantic, bouncy, and unclear for a few seconds before it got more stable on another area of the cave that wasn’t much different from the previous part.
The shadows shifted hard, moving and swaying.
No. Way. I can’t believe it, Gary thought, his eyes growing wider than he could have believed they could get.
Now being filmed was a huge boulder, and sitting on its flat top was... the Infinity Energy! Inside of a clear capsule with golden ends was a bright glowing light that Gary knew was the missing Infinity Energy that the monster had taken after the Team Solace attack at the Indigo League! It was a mysterious object that grew more powerful by collecting life energy, and legend claimed that if enough life energy was taken, the power of the Infinity Energy could manifest the will of whoever was using it.
Also on the boulder, just as shocking, were four of the strange balls that had captured June! The blue-gray top half, pale-green bottom, and white button in the middle.
The capsule was taken out of view by one hand of the monster, the video still showing the boulder and the balls that resembled Poke Balls. “It was explained to me that this is infinite energy, and with enough life energy, I can have anything,” she spoke off-screen. “I want Pokemon liber- libert- libertion. Pokemon libertion at the price of human sacrifice. The life energy of humanity will be easy to power the Infinite Energy and wipe out what is left of human life. This will pay back the human race for what you done to Pokemon. Payback for Arceus, who will then return, happy at the r-re-tr-trrrribution - in Arceus’ powerful name.”
The bottom of Gary’s jaw was on the floor. His mind was in innumerable pieces, blown to bits. Arceus? Arceus - is real?!
“GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY WAY!! IT’S ARMAGEDDON!!!”
“WE’RE ALL GONNA DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE!!”
“FREEZE!! PLEASE!!”
“FUCK YOU, BITCH!!”
“WAGE WAR!!”
“THE TIME IS NOW!!”
“CALM DOWN!!!”
The monster’s voice changed again, missing the echo but now powerfully enraged, like a wildfire destroying a forest, consuming everything, the voice of fury itself. This was making it harder to hear her clearly. The view of the camera rattled but never turned from the boulder. “I have been waiting for this day, humans. When I would rise and destroy you all! The most disgusting of the humans, the team Team Solace. I hate them the most. The Murderers of Pokemon and humans. But they are still humans. Humans all over must die for the evil. You are all the same evil.”
She knows who Team Solace is? Gary questioned, swallowing hard. How?
“They have chosen to use Pokemon for their own evil.”
Gary was struggling to keep breathing as he kept listening, raising the volume to its maximum to block out what was going on elsewhere, and to hear the monster a little better.
The view relaxed considerably and the Infinity Energy was seen being placed back gently on the boulder, one of the balls picked up in its place. Her voice changed yet again, back to the echoey one, as she said lowly, “And the man.” She paused for a moment. “I met the man. I proved my supeer- supery- superity- over his - tricks. He taught me so much about you humans. He called himself - a trick master.”
“NO WAY!!” Gary exploded.
“But, I always called him - the Funny Man. His tricks he thought were so smart, only made me laugh. He gave me a reward for defeating him. Incredible. He figured out to capture humans like the Pokemon Balls capture Pokemon. He called them Sapience Balls. He said it means ultimate truth and knowledge. He said it was in honor of the way I made him feel.” She went silent.
The mayhem beyond June’s room was heard, but Gary didn’t care. He was terrified, incapable of thinking about anything but what was happening on the TV. Nothing made any sense. The entire planet was spinning entirely out of control, trying to fling him off. He wanted to just wake up from this nightmare. But he knew this was as real as it could get.
Finally, an unmistakable hisssss was heard before the monster spoke again. “He said, with me, he finally understand the world’s biggest mysteries.” She went quiet again, but only for a few seconds. “He was no good,” she mumbled in what sounded like a grumpy voice. “Because he was human.” After a deep breath, she burst out, “HE WAS NO GOOOOOOOD!!”
Gary’s eyes were wide with surprise now. “Whoa,” he muttered.
The camera whipped around sharply, passing with a blur over a human body, a White person in a blue outfit, until the monster’s face was the only thing being filmed. She was looking down at the phone with the flashlight on, the bright glow right in her face, but she didn’t seem to react to it. After a bit, the camera turned from her face and went around the cave sloppily before stopping on the person.
What was that in the back? was a brief thought that passed through Gary’s mind, his eyebrows furrowing. Is there something else in that cave?
The camera had moved too wildly for anything to be coherent, but it was now focused on a young lady with blonde hair cut in a bob. The Gym Leader, Three-Sixty! Wearing a blue sweatsuit, her arms and face covered in dirt and scuffs, the woman was on her side on the ground, nothing short of terror on her face. “Pleeeeease!!” she screeched desperately.
“There it is,” the monster was heard.
The camera moved around a bit but stayed on the woman, and the glow on her got much brighter suddenly.
“I used a Sapience Ball on one ruler. A professor. One of the best ranked in the entire world of the Pokemon owners.”
An orange beam from behind the camera hit the girl, and with a sharp scream, she turned into orange energy before vanishing.
That’s what happened to June!! Gary remembered. That’s what happened when June was captured!!
The view was disrupted, the camera moving for a while until it finally all went black.
The news reporter was back and he looked even paler. Sick, swaying in place. His mouth opened, but he didn’t say a word.
The door to the hospital room opened and Gary jumped, turning to see a nurse at the door with a horrified look on her face. She was looking back at him, but it was as if she were looking right through him.
The madness from outside of the room was now a lot louder and clearer, every few seconds people running back and forth, from patients, to hospital staff, to police officers.
Tears slowly rolled down the nurse’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, sir, but visiting hours are over,” her voice quivered.
“GET OFF OF MY GUN!!” someone demanded.
BOOOOM!!