Disclaimer; I own all rights to this story but not the characters, creatures or places herein, this disclaimer is for the whole content of the story and any chapters that may follow it.
Gotta Kill 'em All Pokémon!
By Hanpolo
Chapter one; Hope reborn
Story warnings; Language, violence, gore, substance abuse and Maybe sexual scenes. British spelling and uses of slang.
The television shone amongst the darkness of the stuffy and cramped room of the B&B. Brown eyes watched as the female reporter continued to report the same information in the latest developments on the pandemic that had struck the Kanto region several months back.
"And reports indicate heavy casualties across the Fuchsia City area, but this has yet to be confirmed. Also in other news, Borderline coastal forces have released a statement informing that the outbreak of the poke'virus has indeed been confined to the Kanto region, as water type Pokémon continue to apparently be immune from the particular strain. Researchers of the Ilnod university are continuing to study and understand the reasons as to why they are unaffected by the virus in a hopes that inoculations for the virus can be given to prevent further casualties or in the event the virus reaches the Jhoto region. I'm June Gasher with the channel 2 news, reporting from Goldenrod City, goodnight."
A gloved hand reached for the remote and flicked the television off showering the room in darkness. So much yet so little had been explained into the whys and happenings of the outbreak. Communications had been down with the region since the first week of its discovery, an brief and hasty explanation was given but seemed highly unlikely, something which was decided amongst the media and officials that was not to be spoken of again. Which of course led many conspiracy theorists claiming it was a cover up of some sort. Many theories as to who the cover up was for and how it started wafted around, but the truth remained either unknown or simply covered up. The news stations had said it had started during a de-fossilization of a Kabuto that had at the time of death a new strain of virus that might have been the cause of the early Pokémon population decline of the prehistoric era. Truth be told he had believed that at the time, but now he was unsure.
"Pika pika" A small yellow paw rested on his blue jean covered leg as large black eyes tried to look past the over shadowed face of the figure from underneath a white and red cap.
"It's still the same." The teenage boy's shaky voice filled the silence as he reached down to give a reassuring pet to his Pokémon friend Pikachu. "They keep saying the same things and expect the rest of us to just sit here and wait, but I can't do it anymore, I can't just sit here and wait until the news finally reaches me that it's too late... I just..." Brown eyes began to water as shaking fists tried to fight back the wave of anguish that found home in the boys stomach. "I can't just sit here and wait anymore. Not when they need me, not when they could be in danger." The silhouetted form stood from his chair abruptly, the inner turmoil that plagued his mind became mixed with a small sense of determination as he checked his pockets and belt that held his Pokémon. With all accounted for he gave a final glance around the small rented room.
"Come on Pikachu, I've had enough, we're going to Kanto." The boy made his way past the cheap bed and opened the door looking over his shoulder for his loyal and best friend to follow. With a small pause in hesitation the small yellow mouse like Pokémon gave a nod and followed his master to the cold night air of Azelea town. The little lemon coated creature could only hope that his friend knew what he was doing.
The bitter wind did nothing to calm the adrenaline that pumped through the teenagers veins as he made his way through the deserted streets of the sleeping town, the only eyes that followed his path was that of Pikachu and the slowpoke that took residence in the area. A few turning up their fat pink dreary heads to eye the boy as he made his way through the darkness of night.
His feet carried him further into the night, his mind praying that the rumours from the locals in town were indeed true. If not, then he would just have to find a way through the caves to the Pokémon league, then over the giant electric fences and past the endless army platoons that stationed themselves along the border with fully armed and ready to shoot weaponry. An unlikely scenario that would most probably end in failure.
No.
The hushed rumours of a fisherman living out in the outskirts of town close to the shore ferrying people to Kanto was his only hope. Some called him a martyr of sorts for his brave actions to those that wanted to get home. Some called him an idiot with a death wish and even a few called him an evil piece of work, some stated he would drop them in Kanto knowing they would never make it alone and charged outlandish fees for such a 'privilege'.
But the raven haired teen cared nothing for the rumours as to why the man would help people across the borders, all he cared for was the fact that he would.
The golden glowing reflective eyes of HootHoot owls followed him as he journeyed through the near pitch black pathway of the towns adjoining forest, the moons rays offering him a form of torch along his path through the cracks of the thick trees.
After almost an hour of falling, stumbling and hitting random low bearing branches he finally spotted the woodlands clearing with a familiar smell of sea salt hitting his nose and the accommodating sounds of rippling waves in the distance.
Reaching the forests edge he stood in the shadows of the trees that hid him from the knowing rays of the silver moonlight. The small cottage that sat with lit windows on the shore line's edge gave him some hope that maybe what he had heard had held some fruit. If not, he might just be about to wake up some old fisherman in the middle of the night to ask for aid while he attempts to break the law. If that were to happen, he could only hope that the old man would take pity on him for just wanting to get home to his family and give him a slap on the wrist and send him back on his way.
It held high risks, but breaking the strict regulated laws while risking imprisonment for even contemplating crossing the borders to reach his family was, to him, worth it. The people of Jhoto would never understand the pain of waiting and unknowing like himself and the other Kanto born citizens did. Their laws for the people and Pokémon's protection came like a slap to the face when the restrictions first came into place for those stuck here. He could understand them and why they were there to keep people safe, but being told he couldn't go home and see his family and friends was a hard blow to his gut. By the amount of other supposed borderline trespassers that had been caught in the past he was sure he wasn't the only one who had taken the said news badly.
With a quick and weary scan of the open area the boy made a dash through the open field followed by his Pikachu. The moonlight seeming to feed his paranoia with every step as his mind played out the unwanted scenarios; he would get caught by borderline control then questioned and break under pressure, finding himself locked away with the other criminals of Jhoto in the Goldenrod City jail. He doubted he would last in prison, even for a small amount of time. His mother had always told him stories about the sorts of people that resided in jails and the living conditions in which they would endure. Most likely a way of getting him to abide by the law. Up until now, it had worked.
With his breaths coming out ragged and legs pounding from sprinting through the grassy plain, he came to a stop at the small cottages side wall. Regaining his breaths he chanced a glance through the lit window that should have been shrouded in darkness at the given time of 11:30 at night.
His small yellow companion climbed his shoulder and both eyed the contents of the room in wonder and a new forming of hope. Five men sat talking around a table with duffel bags waiting at their sides, three of the males looked much older yet the hidden intruder noticed that two of the men looked young, older teens at most. This must be it; the rumours must be true, why else would an odd assortment of people be gathered round at such a time of night with bags packed as if just waiting for their ride to come.
He pulled his eyes away from the window and squatted low speaking in a whispered voice to his furry friend. "This is it I take it, there's no going back after this. Are you sure you want to come with me?"
The red cheeked Pokémon gave no hesitation in his nod and confirming low whispered 'pika'. The boy could almost feel his heart pouring out at the level of sheer loyalty and trust his friend had in him. With a small smile and gentle pet on his Pikachus head he squatted beneath the window and made his way around to the front of the house.
An old-fashioned thick green wooden door welcomed him as he raised his gloved clad balled fist to knock. A long exhale that showed his inner tension released from his mouth as he rapped on the door gently. His heart thundered loudly in his chest as he heard the scuffling sounds of the occupants within. Maybe he had this all wrong, maybe this was a local gang of some sort, yet, if that were true then he would know of them during his travels through the area during the more blissful times before the outbreak.
The few hard sounds of the doors bolts unlatching caused the boy to jump, with each unbolting he could feel his blood pumping harder and faster through his cold shaking body. His mind ran over endless scenarios of what type of people these men could be. Of all the times to doubt himself, now was not the time. Frankly, it was too late for that.
Every small scrap of his logic screamed for him to run to the safety of the hills, but he had to be strong, if at least not for him, then for his mother who would be wondering why he hadn't arrived sooner and questioning if he had even cared about her in the first place.
The light from the confines of the house spilled out into the night's darkness causing the young boy to raise his hand over his eyes to protect them from the sudden invasion of light.
"Who are you boy? What do you want?" An old smoker's voice demanded causing the younger male to lower his hand and look towards the one who had answered the door.
An older man who if placed, would perhaps be in his late fifties, stood long and thin in the warm glow of the doorway. His attire did seem to fit that of a local fisherman, being all water-proofs and a hook looping through his woollen cap that almost hid his matted greying hair.
The man took a long drag of his cigarette and eyed the boy from head to foot with an impatient grunt "Well?" He pushed.
The outsider stammered trying to find the right words discreet enough so that if the rumors weren't true then he wouldn't land himself into a mass of trouble from which there was no return.
"I...I..."
"Well boy spit it out, I'm letting all the heat escape just stood here."
"I need help." The boy blurted out in desperation, he couldn't let the man think he was wasting his time if he was actually indeed the alleged ferryman.
"Help Aye?" The man took another inhale of his white stick blowing the smoke into the face of the desperate boy "With what exactly?"
The young teen wanted more than anything to fan the thick white fog of smoke away from his face yet he wouldn't risk offending the man, so with a slight cough clearing the toxic fumes from his lungs he spoke "I...I need a boat."
The other man smiled slightly raising the hope in the cold night wanderer "A boat yeh say? Well that I can do. But, problem is ya see, is where you wanna be goin'." A period of silence descended upon them both that only amplified the sounds of the waves from the beach a mere stone's throw away.
"I'm from Kanto." Was all the boy could muster in a slight whisper looking down to the booted feet of the man before him. His eyes closed tightly in expectation of being sent away back into the cold night with no chances of seeing his family ever again.
"Kanto? Well my boy come on in. There jus' so happens to be a few other Kanto folk visiting me this evening." The man ushered him inside with a yellow toothed smile.
The warmth hit his face instantly, his cheeks feeling burnt in the heat wave that bombarded against him as he stepped into the building and watched as the other man closed the door behind them both. He could feel the paws of Pikachu on his shoulder tense up as both men eyed each other with reserve and suspicion.
"Alright kid," The man straightened up with a naively sniff easing his suspicious glare slightly. "You wanna boat to Kanto don't ya.? Well I'll take yeh," The boy opened his mouth to speak his gratitude but the man raised a hand to silence him "But on one condition. Yeh see, I isn't one for trusting me safety to others, so I need Pokémon. Pokémon that are tough enough to have ma back if the virus gets over this way, yeh get me?"
The boy swallowed hard and gave a slow nod of his head. He understood what the man wanted yet he didn't know if he could just hand over his cherished friends to some random sailor/fisherman, but it was either keep the Pokémon or risk losing his mum to the casualties of the virus outbreak. Would he do this? Hand over his friends that had worked so hard alongside him to get him throughout his journeys? These were very Pokémon that had comforted him when he first heard of the pandemic and had stood by his side when he seemed almost lost to the world. Would they understand if he did hand them over? Would this man even look after them and treat them like the amazing creatures that they were?
"You'll…" Ash started to speak not believing himself that he was willing to do such a thing to the ones that had been so loyal. "You'll look after them properly? Right?" It sounded more like a desperate plea then a question to which the fisherman nodded his head.
"Of course kiddo, I aren't gonna be nasty or pushy to me new body guards now am I?" The older man sighed "Look, how about this; When ya get back from ole Kanto and all this shit with the virus is over, you can buy these guys back, how's that?"
The man seemed to understand his worries about the treatment of his Pokemon, and the offer seemed rather fair. The only problem that remained was Pikachu.
"Pikachu stays with me though." The raven haired boy stated as if agreeing to this shady situation he had put himself in. He didn't know himself if he was actually going to go along with the 'trade'.
"Fine by me kid, like I said I want the tough sort to keep me safe. No offence to yer little yella fella." He held out his hand waiting for the teen to detach the pokeballs from his belt holder. "But jus' for sakes of knowin' that you ain't dumpin' me off with some shitty little weaklings lets know what ya got."
The teen held the small red and white spheres in the palm of his hand running a loving finger over each not taking his eyes away from them. "This one here is Noctowl and that one's Pincer, he's really great at physical attacks and eats anything you put in front of him." He smiled slightly at the Pokémon's antics " This one is Espeon, she can be alittle stubborn sometimes but she's the best Espeon out there." His palms started shaking as salty tears began to envelop his eyes. "This was my first Pokémon in the whole of Jhoto, Feraligtar. He was only a small Totodile at the time…I can't believe he's grown so much since then." Small rivers began to flow down his cheeks landing into the hand that held the small spheres as his emotions began to overwhelm him while remembering the times he had spent with his cherished Pokémon.
"MmHmm nice, nice, carry on." The fisherman pushed.
With a sniff of his reddening nose he apologised and finished off with the last ball in his hand "And this one is Houndoom, me and her haven't seen eye to eye since she was a Houndor but she…she never let me down when it counted." The balls began to tremble in his hand as his body shook in an attempt not to break down. His fist clenched around the balls protectively as if not to let them go. Was he really about to hand them over?
Pikachu gave a few gentle 'chus' as the fisherman gently held his palm out above the boys, the yellow Pokémon was sure his trainer new what he was doing and would get them back after they return no matter the cost, but still…It just felt like it would be their final goodbyes. It felt…wrong.
Practically forcing his hand open he watched through water clogged eyes as the man gently took them from him, handling the small spheres as one would a new born baby.
"That's it," The man whispered with a gentle voice to the teen as he placed the Pokémon in his pocket "Don't worry now kid, I meant what I said 'bout lookin' after em okay?"
The boy nodded his head slowly with wide eyes that remained glued to the other mans pocket.
" Well then," The fisherman brought his voice once more back to a more normal level "Welcome aboard kiddo. Boat's leavin' at twelve so if you ain't got ya shit packed then tough 'cause I ain't waitin' around for yeh...So you wanna meet the others?" The man walked briskly past the boy opening another door into the room he had observed through the window.
"Y-Yeah, I guess so." His voice was as broken as he felt at that moment. His regret and guilt taunted his very being as he began to follow the fisherman.
They walked down the small corridor in silence. The boy's head continued to hang low as they entered a room distinctive to a log cabin filled with different faces that looked up to check over the new arrival. A rough hand on the opposite shoulder to Pikachu startled the boy as the smokers voice boomed through the small space.
"Ay there fellas, we have another one joining us tonight...uh...What's your name kid?"
The boy looked around the room then back into the grey eyes of the man whose hand still rested on his shoulder.
"Ash...Ash Ketchum."
"Alright kid, take seat over there and get acquainted while I make sure you weren't telling no lies about what's in these pokeballs. I'll be back in five."
So the first chapter has been newly edited in hopes the characters are more in character and grammar and spelling mistakes are corrected to as much as I can. Be warned though, grammar is'nt my strong point so any mistakes, point them out and let me know, because frankly, I'm not that of a professional writers quality by a long shot and every little helps. Thank you to 2 reviewers who pointed this out and let me know about rules when it comes to multiple copies of stories and AN chapters.