Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any characters in this story (so far…)
Prologue: Thoughts of the Outcast
It had taken months- months? Nay, years!- but his greatest creation was once again complete. The thin young man, the world's greatest (at least in his eyes) collector of Pokemon artifacts (and indeed, Pokemon), was almost ready to take his ultimate fortress into the air once again to resume his quest.
Lawrence Jiraudan III gave a small smile, though there was no one to see it, looking down for a moment from his control deck at the top of the Hikokyu towards the ocean vista below, then resumed his adjustments of one panel of wires.
"And that's a wrap," said the young collector, as he placed the final wire in a socket and locked the panel back on. Standing up, he registered with ecstasy the restored hum… and then…
"It's a pleasure to be of service again, sir," said the female voice emanating from unseen speakers.
"And another to have you back," replied Lawrence. Perhaps "back" wasn't strictly accurate. During the repairs, Lawrence had programmed some more advanced AI into the system; the ship could practically run itself. It also seemed self-aware… whether or not it truly was such was next to impossible to discern. After all, what really was self-awareness? A worm might be aware of its existence, but it never truly thought, "I am", simply because that wasn't what it did. And could a building's security system be called alive because it could see and hear everything around it? Not that Lawrence cared about such things, of course. He was satisfied with a good autopilot and someone who appeared to be a good conversationalist. It wasn't that he didn't desire human company (that was the point in the conversation part, after all); he'd learned from experience that no one desired his company… or at any rate they couldn't , or wouldn't, share his passion for creating a greater picture of the Pokemon world….
Better stop that, he thought, shaking his head and sitting back in his chair. There were some thoughts best left undisturbed.
He ran his hand lazily over the controls, not really paying attention, as his mind flew across his next goals faster than the Hikokyu could ever go, his fingers activating the flight system thanks to years of practice.
"So what do you have planned next, Lawrence?" inquired the computer's voice.
The collector subconsciously frowned a bit, playing with a lock of green-blond hair. He hadn't realized just how informal his new programming was; and there seemed to be a tone he couldn't quite place, too. Was it… anticipation? "Next I'm starting to think you need a name; I don't think I'll be comfortable just saying 'Computer' now. Any preference?"
The voice was silent for a moment, then replied, "I'm not the one familiar with human names."
"Fine then. Let's see… Hikokyu… H… Hilary? Yes… that's from "cheerful" in one of the older languages, Latin. It suits you."
"Will that be all, then?" the newly christened AI asked.
"Yes, I'll take it for now." Lawrence Jiraudan III turned his attention to the controls. He had a lesson to teach to a pair of unruly girls who called themselves Pokemon thieves….
Anyone guess who he's after? Not that they'll come into the story again for a while….