Disclaimer: I do not profit in any way from this story. All creative rights to the characters belong to their original creators.
A/N: Quick shout out to EliteDog for his review! Thanks for leading the charge, man.
*Ahem* Now, on with the story.
~~~Chapter Two: Bonds and Bounds~~~
Alex awoke slowly, his mind thoroughly doused with sleep's heavy fog as he stared at the ceiling. He yawned, stretching a little, hardly noticing that his bed was a little... stiffer than normal. And smaller. And that he didn't have a blanket... Of course, touching the small green and white pokemon next to him while he stretched snapped it all into perspective exceptionally quickly. He groaned a bit in exasperation. 'Fantastic... I was kinda hoping I'd wake up and realize all this crap was just a dream.'
His eyes turned to the small pokemon beside him, and he couldn't help but smile. Sometime during the night, she'd shifted closer to him, curling up in the crook of his arm. It amused him that such a timid little pokemon could stand to be so close to a human, even be subconsciously drawn to him. And that the human she was drawn too was Alexander, King Outcast? Alex the Antisocial? That was just priceless.
He placed a hand on the pokemon's tiny shoulder, hoping to rouse her gently rather than completely freak her out, as he had yesterday. He paused to wonder again how he knew she was female... And realized the little pokemon was practically broadcasting her emotions to him, even as she slept. This intrigued him, since in the pokemon games this didn't usually happen until ralts evolved into kirlia or gardevoir, if at all. He still wasn't quite sure how he had extrapolated her gender from that, but he knew that's what he had done at the very least.
The ralts stirred under his hand, returning him to the present. She looked up at him through her "hair" in the cutest manner imaginable. His sister probably would have had a squee-gasm, but Alex simply smiled broadly at her. "Well, good morning to you, little one. Feeling a little better today?" He already knew she was. On top of the advantage of knowing the little pokemon's feelings, she didn't flinch away from him as she had the night before. It was simply reassuring to see her nod, even if she did do her best to hide her embarrassment.
He nodded back in satisfaction, rubbing her head a little as he did so. "Good. I also seem to be feeling just fine, so I guess it's okay for you to stick around, if you like..." Before she could answer, Hana all but burst into the room, smiling broadly. Instantly the little pokemon bolted behind him, holding onto his shirt nervously. "Gooood Morniiing, Alex~!" Alex grimaced at both the fact that she was speaking Japanese and the singsong tone she used. 'Yep... definitely not my type. No one should be that happy in the morning.' He sighed, waving a little to Hana. "Good morning... What's up?"
She laughed a little. Not a girlish giggle, but it certainly wasn't entirely unpleasant. "Well, since you're stuck inside the facility, my father and I figured we'd try and help to get you fully back on your feet. Being in the Revitalization Chamber for so long probably did a number on your physical strength and stamina... Oh, and you'll need vaccinations, though we won't be sure which ones until we take some blood..." As she spoke, Alex quickly became less and less enthusiastic about staying in the facility. Not that it was exactly his first choice, anyway.
"That... does not sound fun. Why my blood? And why do I need too?" She cocked an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip. She looked like she was about to simply shrug and walk away, but instead she simply sighed. "Well, like I said, you've been in that chamber a long time. Longer than you realize. There are a lot of new pathogens that your body simply won't be able to handle without proper preparation." Her smile returned to a degree. "Basically, to minimize the number of times we need to poke you, we need to take some blood so we know what you can already handle."
Alex nodded. "Suppose it can't be helped... but how long have I been...?" He wasn't precisely sure how to phrase the last part, so he let it trail, assuming she knew he meant "How long have I been in the tube?". Her face blanked as her mood turned solemn. "We believe you'd been dead for at least a couple thousand years prior to our discovery... We've had you here since... well, since I was born." Alex heard only "dead" and "couple thousand years", everything else faded into the background.
"...Dead?" He was shaking, his stunned mind struggling to wrap itself around that. "That's... I died when that...?" He'd known he should have died that night, but he'd assumed he'd lived through it! 'I mean... I still remember it! It was only the night before last!' He felt worry that wasn't his own and a tiny hand on his back. He looked back at her as she moved around to stand beside him. He knew she still wasn't completely comfortable with him, but she was beginning to trust him... Alex put a hand on her head, and took a deep breath. "That's probably... That is the most disturbing thing I've ever heard... But I think I might be able to come to terms with it."
He looked at Hana's blank stare and realized he'd slipped back into English in is state of mental disarray. "Um... Sorry... Didn't realize I'd died." He grinned nervously, keeping a hand on Ralts' head for emotional support. She frowned at him, looking contemplative. "Really? You remembered everything else, which was strange in and of itself..." She paused, then looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry. I thought you already knew... We can do the tests later, if you like, though I'd like to ask you a question before I leave, at least..."
It looked like she wouldn't leave unless he consented, so he sighed. "Well, I should be okay for the tests in a while, either way... Anyway, ask your question, please." She nodded, then looked at the ralts. "What is that ralts doing in here? I thought my father was going to wait until later to let you choose a pokemon..." Alex looked at the little ralts, then smiled. "She was really scared last night. I'm not sure why that was, but I offered to let her stay here." Hana cocked an eyebrow at him, then nodded. "Alright, then. I'll go let dad know you'll be ready later..."
As she turned to walk out the door, Hana cast an odd glance at the little ralts that was clinging to his shirt nervously again. "She seems quite attached to you. Maybe you should consider her as a partner instead of the lab's pokemon?" Alex and the ralts exchanged look. Alex had his own qualms with owning intelligent beings, but the ralts was nervous for other reasons... Alex assumed they had to do with why she'd entered the lab in the first place.
Hana left the two of them in silence, though the quiet click of the door was more than enough to startle them into realizing they'd been staring at each other. The two of them looked away in unison, blushing heavily. Still, Alex paused. While he did have a problem with "owning" pokemon, he knew that the world was likely riddled with dangerous breeds and people vying for their power. He wasn't sure which was more dangerous... or which one of the two of them would be in more danger outside.
He glanced at her again, this time assessing her petite form... At least, he tried to. He quickly realized he had no prior knowledge of pokemon to compare her to... though her emotions seemed strong enough, and she seemed quite intelligent. Maybe he'd ask the Professor about it? Regardless, a thought struck him and he blurted it out without thinking. "Do you mind if I call you Belle?" She looked at him in surprise, still slightly flushed. Still, she didn't seem completely opposed, so he averted his eyes and continued.
"It's just... I feel kind of weird about how people call pokemon by their breed, you know? It kind of depersonalizes you, and I simply don't think anyone, human or pokemon, deserves that..." The ralts nodded slowly, warming up to the idea. Alex looked to her again, asking, "So... is it alright?" She thought about it for a moment, then nodded with a shy smile. Alex grinned broadly back at her. "Excellent! Well, then, Belle... I was asking you earlier if you wanted to come with me for a while. I certainly wouldn't mind having a friend around for whatever the scientist has in store for me."
Hana came back later with a real, if simple, set of clothes, consisting of a pair of jeans, a plain white shirt, and a pair of generic black shoes. As they set out, Alex set Belle on his shoulder, letting her dangle her legs down the right side of his chest. Hana led him down a few halls, giving Alex a sense of how large the lab must be... And he was sure he hadn't seen very much of it at all. Eventually, she brought him to a long hall with six extremely heavy (and sleekly mechanical) looking doors.
She led him to the last one on the right and turned to the two following her. "Are you sure you want to bring the ralts inside? I'm pretty sure she won't do much but get in the way." Belle wrapped her arm around the back of his neck, holding on tightly and causing him to smile. He gave Hana a one-shoulder shrug to keep from disturbing the psychic type. "Yes... Though I'm not sure Belle would give me a choice, anyway." He felt a little extra heat from the small pokemon on her shoulder as her embarrassment rose, though she showed absolutely no sign of slackening her grip. Alex chuckled slightly, completely ignoring the look Hana gave the two of them.
"Alright, I suppose that's fine. If you've decided to take her on as your partner, though, my father still insists on giving you a lab-raised pokemon. He's stubborn like that." She turned her back to the two of them and entered a code into the keypad beside the door, her fingers moving like lightning from years of practice. The door slid down into the floor with a quiet whir, revealing a somewhat large room. Professor Arcade was sitting at desk in the nearest corner, apparently doing some paperwork of some sort or another.
"Ah! Good afternoon, lad! Glad to see your "funk" passed without much trouble... And I hear you've made a friend!" Arcade eyed the ralts on the young man's shoulder as he entered the room. "Not sure how she got in here, or why you didn't get sick from the pathogens she probably brought in from the outside world, but no time to worry about that now!" He pulled out a tray of six pokeballs, picking one of them out from among the others. "This one's empty, should you choose to take her on as your partner, though I'm sure my daughter told you I'm also offering you one of the lab pokemon, as well. Once you've chosen, we can begin the tests and rehabilitation."
Alex took the spare pokeball, then considered the other balls. He had no idea what pokemon were within them, and the fact that he had no idea how to approach this made him nervous. Was he supposed to choose immediately? Was he allowed to see what was inside? He picked one up, and, oddly enough, his questions were answered immediately. A shock went up his arm, around the back of his neck, and he instantly knew what was inside. Kabuto... a pokemon long extinct by the present time. A male rock and water type, well trained for it's "young" age, and in very good health. He instantly knew all the moves it could use, as well.
The professor smiled slightly when he saw the look of surprise on Alex's face. When he spoke, his tone was more than a little smug. "I'm guessing you've never held a pokeball before, have you? It's outer case works on a neuro-electric level. Touch activates the ball, and it automatically transfers data about the pokemon inside to the person in contact. That one is Kabuto, one of the many fossilized pokemon that have been revived here, in my lab... Though I suppose you may like to know the process isn't restricted to pokemon alone."
Now there was a shocker. The technology used to bring fossilized pokemon back to life... was able to bring him back as well? "First human ever to return from the dead, my lad! Even better, your a living relic of time before pokemon! I doubt anyone could comprehend that much time!" Alex glanced at him. He knew he sure couldn't, and even Belle was shocked into staring blatantly. "Anyway, I wanted to make sure we were truly neurologically similar, at least... Easiest way? Hand you a pokeball. Still, feel free to pick whichever of these pokemon you like."
Alex wasn't sure he wanted to just... take ownership of a pokemon, but the look on the professor's face said he wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Alex sighed, muttering quietly to himself in English as he touched each ball in turn. He recognized Kabuto, Lileep, Cranidos, and, oddly enough, a Porygon in four of the balls, but the fifth contained one he simply didn't know. Alex looked to the professor. "I don't know this one... Do you mind if I let her out?"
The professor nodded and sat forward, and Alex stepped back and pressed the button. A small fighting type appeared in a red flash, though it was still a little more than twice Belle's size. It looked around with it's fox like head for a moment, then spotted Arcade. "Mienfoo?" It asked, obviously not sure why it was out of it's ball. The professor waved a hand at Alex, who was looking at her critically. "A Mienfoo, huh? I can't say I've ever heard of you..." Still, she looked quite able, all things considered. Alex couldn't help but nod to himself and wonder what she would evolve into.
Professor Arcade grinned and stood once Alex informed him of his choice. "Good choice, lad! Mienfoo will certainly be able to handle the dark types your ralts would have trouble with!" Alex opened his mouth to correct him, but shut it again quickly. He was worried the professor would take her away if he denounced her, or perhaps a worse fate, capture her for his own purposes. "So... Would you like to give them names? I'll register them to you now, if you like... Just gotta have a name and a filled ball." Alex paused, then looked at the ralts on his shoulder. She still looked a bit nervous. Alex decided to address the Mienfoo first and sat on the ground, getting a look from the professor that he ignored.
He started speaking in English again. "You know, I think I'd like to take you on as a partner... But if that's gonna happen, I'm going to need to give you a name." He felt a little jealousy from the smaller pokemon on his shoulder and smiled. "Oh... And you'll need to get along with Belle, too... If she chooses to come with me. Anyway, what do you say..." He paused for a moment, then grinned. "...Clara?"
She nodded quietly, giving him a small smile to show that she was pleased with her new name. "Alright then, Clara... Welcome to our little circle." She nodded again, and he returned her to her ball. He looked to the ralts on his shoulder. "Well... You can leave if you want, but I'd be glad to take you on as a full time partner, Belle... So it's your turn, Belle. Will you come with me?" He held the empty pokeball up to her, but she still hesitated slightly. She was a little nervous about the new trainer she'd met only the night before, but he felt her steel her resolve. She reached out and touched the pokeball's button, letting the red light envelope her.
It shook slightly in his hand, her mental presence emanating from the ball, though he could no longer feel her emotions. Still, only a moment later, the ball stilled, and the red light in the button faded, causing Alex to smile. "Good girls, both of you..." He stood again and handed both balls over to a thoroughly perplexed Professor Arcade. "Belle is the ralts, Clara is the Mienfoo. Thank you for the pokemon and pokeball." The professor nodded slightly, and, though still confused, started registering the pokemon. He hit a hitch, though, and looked at Alex, even more perplexed. "I have to know your full name, lad... Or is it just Alex?"
The new trainer ruffled his brow as he paused, then nodded. "My full name is Alexander Jameson... Sorry for the late introduction." Arcade waved the apology away as he finished registering the pokemon. "No harm, no foul, lad... Here you go... Just keep them on your..." He paused as he realized Alex didn't have a belt. He scrambled for a moment, then produced a rather worn, black one. "Ah, here you are! Keep them on this... They'll automatically latch to it. Another wonder of neuro-electric science!"
Once Alex was fully outfitted, professor arcade nodded his pleasure. "The pokeballs suit you, Alexander, my lad!" Alex grimaced at the use of his full name, but nodded at the compliment. "Now then, if you'll just sit over here, we'll get the unpleasant part out of the way first, then get you..." He never finished the sentence, as he was interrupted by a rather loud explosion that rocked the entire complex. "What in the name of...?" Hana's voice came from apparently no-where. "Dad! Someone's attacking the lab! They took out a few of the Electrode in the generator, and... What the...?" She went silent as all the lights went out for a moment, only to be replaced by an eery glow from around the lower edge of the room.
Professor Arcade's furious expression looked absolutely terrifying in the ominous lighting. "NO! Those hooligans... This is terrible... The outside air will ruin ALL of my experiments!" He remembered Alex, whom was simply and utterly confused. "Lad, looks like you're going to get horribly sick, after all... I suppose your inoculation can come the old fashioned way... as well as your physical training. Let's go." He left no room for argument as he quickly opened the door and grabbed his wrist, dragging the confused lad down the hall after him.
A/N: Bah, meant to have this out yesterday, but I had an issue with my computer that deleted the second half of the chapter. TWICE. =.=;; Anyway, read, review, suggest ideas, whatever floats your boat! I love feedback.