Chapter 1
Running and Hiding
Kiera leaned cautiously out from the alleyway. Looks clear. "You sense anything, Espeon?" she whispered, turning to the Pokemon beside her. Espeon shook her head. "Good." She turned to the other Pokemon next to her. "All right, Sceptile, bring the others up."
Sceptile vanished back through the alleyway. She was soon back, a small group of humans following her. Around them were the other four members of Kiera's team: Gardevoir on point, Glaceon and Arcanine to either side, and Garchomp bringing up the rear. They'd been moving carefully through the streets of Goldenrod in this manner for a while now, and had almost reached their destination.
"Okay," Kiera said, "it looks clear. The bad news is that we'll be in the open the rest of the way, so we'll have to move quickly. It shouldn't take us more than a couple minutes, but it'll be the longest we've been exposed for. If we're seen, just keep moving and let me handle it. And you stay with them," she said to the four Pokemon surrounding the humans. "Espeon and Sceptile will stay with me." She leaned out again for one more look. Okay, looks like we're good to go. Damn it, this is not how I wanted to be spending my birthday. 'Happy 25th! Now go run for your life!' Well, let's do this. "Now!"
(Incoming. Two of them.)
Kiera turned to Espeon. "From where?"
(Northeast of us.)
From behind us. Damn. Okay, they'll need to be dealt with. She turned towards the group. "Okay, people, it looks like we've got some unwanted company coming. Like I said earlier, just keep moving. Go!"
Kiera turned around as the group continued on, only Espeon and Sceptile remaining with her. Before long, the approaching Pokemon came into view. A pair of Marshtomp. Easy. "Okay, Sceptile, this one's yours."
Sceptile nodded, stepping forward as the two Marshtomp noticed Kiera. They immediately charged.
As expected, Kiera thought. But why? There's no denying that they're deliberately hunting humans, but why? It's not savage instinct; that's clearly not what this is. They haven't lost their minds. This is deliberate. Planned. And judging by the fragments that came in before the power went out, it's not just Goldenrod. So they're coordinating, too. But why are they hunting and killing humans? What would cause them to go straight to 'kill everybody'?
Sceptile made short work of the two Marshtomp. Which is to be expected, Kiera thought as she, Sceptile, and Espeon started after the group. They may be organized, but they aren't any stronger individually than they were before all of this. They still can't come close to matching well-trained Pokemon. Which, Kiera knew, was the only reason there was any chance of surviving this. But even so, she knew that surviving on her own wouldn't be easy, so she was more than willing to stick with a group. Although this one is a bit larger than I'd like. And too few of them looked to be trainers, although it did look like most of them had at least one or two Pokemon. Which was pretty normal. A lot of people had one or two Pokemon. Without training, of course, they wouldn't do any better than wild Pokemon, but in a situation like this, anything was better than nothing. Still a few more bug catchers than I'd like, though, she thought, using a common slang term. But this group's what I have, so I guess I'll just have to deal with it.
Kiera had stumbled upon the group as she'd moved through the city, although it had been smaller at that time. It wasn't any organized group. They'd simply all run into each other, and had banded together in the hope that it would increase their chance of survival. Which was smart, but wouldn't have been enough on its own, as all of them were panicking to one degree or another. And although panicking was understandable, it still wasn't helpful. None of them were really able to think completely clearly, whereas Kiera was. So she'd found herself leading the group through the city, trying to find a place to hide out.
Kiera quickly caught up to the group, and they went the rest of the way without incident.
"Well, here we are," Kiera said as the group approached the building. The store, a SuperMart, looked to be in pretty good shape, and would be a good place to hide out. Although whoever came up with that name is an idiot.
Kiera led the group inside. Running for our lives, staying out of sight, banding together in desperation, and now we're hiding out in the local big box store, she thought as she recalled her team. I feel like I'm in a goddamn zombie movie.
She examined the group. "Okay, it looks like we're all here. Good. All right, we should be at least a little safer here, but I don't think there's anywhere in the city that's completely safe. Let's see here... you and you." She pointed at two who looked less shaky then the rest. And who have several Pokemon on them. "You're one pair. And you, you're with me. We need to sweep the place, make sure there aren't any surprises waiting for us. And we need to seal all the doors as best we can. Am I right to assume that all three of you are trainers?" They nodded. "Good. You two take the left side; we'll take the right. As for the rest of you... you. Are you a trainer, too?" Another nod. "All right, then. You take everyone over to the outdoor department. We'll set up camp there-and I guess that's where the camping gear is, so pardon the pun. Get everyone there and wait. Once the four of us get back, we'll see about food and other supplies. Got it?" Everyone nodded. "All right, then. Two more things. First, we may not be the only people hiding in here, and even if we are now, someone else may show up later. If anyone else is here, they'll probably be just as on edge as we are, so be careful. But try not to hurt them; any humans we see will be in the same situation as we are, so we should join together, not fight. And second, we're at risk even here, so nobody goes anywhere alone. Always move in pairs at the minimum. Do not go anywhere alone. Don't even step out of sight of your partner. I don't care if you need to take a piss, or what. Have another human with you at all times. Got it?" More nods. "Good. All right, then, let's get to work."
The sweep was uneventful. The store, as it turned out, was completely deserted apart from Kiera and the group. The two sweep teams had rejoined the main group, which was, as Kiera had instructed, in the outdoor department. In fact, they'd already gathered quite a bit of basic gear, and Kiera found herself amused by what all was there, especially the pair of tents. I know I said we'd set up camp here, but I didn't think they'd take it literally. I mean, we're already inside. Although I suppose a big store is different than a small bedroom. And then there's the fact that there's a fair number of us, as opposed to one or maybe two people in a bedroom. Well, if sleeping in tents helps some of them, then they can go ahead. Although if they want them if or when we end up in the wilderness, I'll expect them to carry the things.
"Okay," Kiera said once the other pair had arrived, "I know you're all probably eager for a little rest, but we still have a little work to do. First, I want to repeat the 'never be alone'' thing, because it's important. I'm not exaggerating when I say never. Do not go anywhere without at least one other human with you. And make sure you're in sight of each other at all times. I don't even want you closing the stall door when you're on the toilet, okay? I know some of you probably won't like that, but deal with it. Privacy is secondary to safety.
"Now, we can stay here for the time being, but at some point, we may very well need to leave. And it's quite possible that we'll have to do so on a moment's notice. So we need to keep supplies packed and ready at all times. Would everyone with… at least a year's experience as a trainer step forward, please."
Three people stepped forward. Only two the ones Kiera had selected earlier stepped were among them; the other two, presumably, had been trainers for less than a year. That makes four, including me. And we've got a total of eighteen people here. Okay, then, two groups of four and two groups of five. "Okay," Kiera said, "I'll get everyone's names later, but I'd like the three of you two give me yours right now."
From left to right, the three identified themselves as Seth, Alicia, and Daniel. "Okay, you three" Kiera said, "here's how this is going to work. The four of us are the most experienced trainers here. I assume you've all spent extended periods in the wild."
Daniel and Alicia nodded, but Seth did not. "Kind of," he said. "I don't go off the established routes very much, but I've been in those areas for extended periods, yes."
"Good enough for current purposes," Kiera said. "The four of us are experienced wilderness travelers. We've got a good idea of how to properly supply one's self for such excursions. So here's the plan: we'll divide everyone into four groups, with one of us in each group. We'll go one group at a time on supply runs. Since we have experience, we'll be helping the others pack appropriately. I don't want anyone dictating what they pack; our job is just to make sure they get the necessary supplies. If someone wants to bring something else, it's probably okay, although you can forbid them to pack something if having it would provide absolutely no benefit. As well as anything that would be a real hindrance, of course. You know what to watch for, I'm sure. Any questions?"
"I'm not sure why we're splitting into groups," Alicia said. "Why can't we just go all at once?"
"A couple reasons," Kiera said. "First, I don't want the same person to be in charge for everyone. Different people pack differently. We all need the basics, but outside of that, there's room for variation, and if multiple people take turns leading supply runs, we'll have a greater variety, as one of us may grab something that another would pass over.
"There is, however, a more important reason. There may very well be times we'll need to split up. I want to have ready teams for us to split into. And this is a chance to start in on that. I intend to send out teams whenever I get the chance. I'll be shuffling people around, looking for the best combinations. Hopefully, we'll have good teams figured out by the time we need them.
"Okay, then. I'll take the first group. Seth, you'll go next, then Alicia, and then Daniel. There are eighteen of us in total, so we'll do two groups of four and two groups of five. Any preferences for your group size?" Nobody responded. "Okay, then. I'll take a group of five. The other group of five will be… yours, Alicia."
Kiera turned to the rest of the group. "Okay," she said, pointing, "I'll take you, you, you, and you. Everyone else, stay here. Okay, then, let's go."
The first step was to grab packs from the outdoor department, which, conveniently, was where they'd set up camp. Kiera got the names of her four-Kate, Serena, Brandon, and Abel-on the way over.
"Okay," Kiera said as she handed out packs to everyone, "here you go. They should be fully charged, but check the power levels anyways."
"Power levels?" Kate said. "These things take power?"
Definitely a non-trainer, then, Kiera thought. And it doesn't look like she even has just one Pokemon. "Yes, they do," she said aloud. "These packs have compression fields. They're intended for use by trainers, who are likely to need more room than you can get with a non-compressed pack."
Kate seemed completely lost. "What are compression fields?"
Seriously? "Well, the name's pretty descriptive. They compress things into smaller spaces. It's the same thing Pokeballs use."
"I see."
"Okay, then," Kiera said, "bags on. Kate, to turn it on, just pull this out. Good. Okay, then check the power levels. Kate, just open this up to see the display. Good. You're fully charged." She checked her own as the others checked theirs. "Everyone full? Good."
"How long does the power last?" Kate asked
"Depends on the model," Kiera said, "but usually for quite a while. They're intended for trainers, remember. I grabbed particularly long-lasting ones; they'll be good for the better part of a year without recharging. Pokeballs are good for even longer-a smaller field needs exponentially less energy-so we won't need to worry about them. And we can get them all recharged at any Pokemon Center-in fact, balls are automatically recharged as part of the standard procedure, and you only need to hand them your pack to get that charged, as well."
"Assuming we can even find an intact Center," Abel said. "And for some reason, I don't think there is one around here. And who knows when we'll find one? We don't know how many other cities were hit."
"That's why I'm taking an extra," Kiera said as she grabbed another bag from the shelf. Since it was empty, it was easy enough to fit easily through the opening into Kiera's active bag, the most commonly encountered limitation to the size of objects placed in it. "Do the same if you want to. Just be sure you don't turn the second bag on," she told Kate.
"Why?"
"Stacked compression tends to produce some… interesting results. As a result, all compression-field devices have built-in safety features to prevent this from happening. Allow me to demonstrate." Kiera took one of her Pokeballs and moved to place it in her bag. But before she was able too, both objects reacted. A high-pitched alarm sounded from the bag, while the Pokeball automatically opened, releasing Glaceon. "No cause for alarm," she called out to the main group as the alarm ceased.
"See?" Kiera said as she recalled Glaceon and returned the ball to her belt. "The bag sounds an alarm, and an absolutely obnoxious one at that. Pokeballs, on the other hand, automatically open and release the Pokemon inside. This has the effect of shutting off its compression field; as a power-saving feature, the field turns off when there's no Pokemon in the ball."
"I see."
"All right, then," Kiera said. "We've got our packs. Let's get moving."
"We're back," Daniel said as he and his group, the last one, returned to what everyone had taken to calling 'the campsite'.
By now, Kiera had learned everyone's names. Seth's team had consisted of himself, Mara, Louis, and Jeremy. Alicia had led a group of Darren, Matthew, Tamara, and Semora, while Daniel had been in charge of Michelle and two Jacks, Jack Nelson and Jack Liener. And Michelle, Kiera noticed, looked a bit upset. "Any problems?" Kiera asked.
Daniel looked at Michelle. "Yes, actually. Michelle here doesn't seem to like your 'never alone' policy."
"I was using the bathroom!" Michelle said.
"And I told you we'd make a stop!
"You weren't going to let me have my privacy!"
"And he was right to say that." Kiera got to her feet and approached Michelle. She wasn't too surprised that it was Michelle causing problems. The woman has 'rich and spoiled' written all over her. By this point, Kiera had also gotten the Pokemon teams of all those who had Pokemon, so she knew that Michelle had only one Pokemon, a Delcatty, a favorite choice of wealthy women all over the world.
"Come with me for a minute, Michelle," Kiera said, taking her hand. She led her away from the group before turning to face her. "There. Now I won't be doing this in front of everyone. All right, then. So you wanted your privacy while in the bathroom, then."
"That's correct,' Michelle said.
"Well, too bad. I understand wanting your privacy, but safety takes priority."
"What, you think I'll be attacked in the restroom?"
"I'm not going to rule it out."
"Well, even if I am, I've got my Delcatty to protect me."
"Pokemon kept as pets generally don't do well in battle," Kiera said. "Unless you've trained yours for battle, it won't be able to do much."
"She's tougher than you seem to think. She could take on a wild Pokemon or two without a problem."
"And how many wild Pokemon are in this city?"
"Why? You think a group'll come after me?"
"At the moment," Kiera said," there isn't a single wild Pokemon in this city."
"Excuse me? They're all over the place! I mean, we're even here solely to hide from them!"
"Pokemon, yes. Wild, no."
Michelle clearly thought she was crazy. "What, now you're saying this is a trainer attack?"
"No. I simply think that an organized force isn't 'wild'. The attack on Goldenrod wasn't some rampaging horde. It was a planned-out attack. Hell, you know as well as I do that the first thing they hit was the power plants. And they took them all out at roughly the same time. That means they coordinated. And I'm not sure if you know this, but there were reports of attacks from other cities. Vermillion, Jubilife, and maybe others; those are the only two I know about. Reports that got cut off before our power went out, which makes me think they were following the same strategy. Oh, and the attacks all occurred at roughly the same time, so there was coordination over substantial distances, which makes me think there's some variety of centralized leadership. These Pokemon are not wild, and if you want to live through this, you need to realize that."
"Okay, um, sure. What does any of this have to do with the bathroom thing?"
"Nothing, directly. But you mentioned wild Pokemon, and you need to be aware that we're not dealing with 'wild' Pokemon. As for the bathroom thing, you obviously object to that. That's fine. If you have any objections to anything, feel free to let me know, unless of course we're in the middle of something. When we're fighting for our lives is a bad time to object to something. Aside from that, though, objecting is fine. Disobedience, however, is not acceptable. Object if you want to, but do what I say anyways. Understand?"
"So, what, I just let you order me around?"
"Actually," Kiera said, "you are quite welcome to choose not to do as I say. However, if you do make that choice, then you will no longer be a part of this group."
"What? You- you'd just abandon me?"
"No. It would be your choice, Michelle, not mine."
"And you think it's just okay to make everyone do everything you say?"
"Do you think I want this role? Do you think I want to be responsible for this entire group?"
"Do you?" Michelle asked.
"Fuck, no! But someone has to be the leader, and I seem to have that role. I don't fucking want it, okay? But someone has to do it, and I'm the only one of us who was still thinking clearly when we all came together. That's why I have the job, and since I do have it, I'm the one responsible for getting us through this. And if I'm going to do that, I need to know that people will do what I tell them to. If I don't have that, then there's no way we're going to live through this. So either you do what I say, or you leave."
There was a sustained pause. "Fine," Michelle said eventually. "But when you need to use the restroom, we'll see how you like having someone watching you."
Well,
But Michelle's not the only one there'll be issues with, is she? With a group like this, there's potential for all kinds of problems. Something'll fuck the group up eventually, and then we'll be in bad shape. And the enemy Pokemon are bad enough even without any of that to worry about.
Damn it, how the hell are we going to survive this?
Notes:
Note 1: This story is not related to my previous story, Seal, in any way. Those who've read that one may recognize a few things, mostly details about how things work, but the actual stories are not related in any way.
Note 2: Any political, millitary, and/or legal systems that may or may not be mentioned arenot intended to resemble any real-life systems in any way, so please don't tell me I got something wrong
Note 3: I'd like to thank Sakura for the idea for the character of Eva, who I plan to introduce in the next chapter.