Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.
Ginatro belongs to my friend Lonely Ghost666 [1058910]
He's also my beta, so any complaints of typos should be directed to him J/K.
And Lo belongs to the lovely young Twilidramon. [1411951]
Both are excellent authors on this site and are worth checking out whenever you have the time.
-Chapter Two-
Naota walked along the dirt road, trying to contain his excitement. He had a bit of a childish nature that he hated to admit to, and seeing a Mew on the first day of his journey had appealed to it greatly. He had struggled to hold it in against Itsuki, but his mind was screaming in amazement. He had only barely managed to repress the full force of his emotions and now decided to let it out completely. "Oh my Arceus, I saw a Mew, I saw a Mew, I saw a Mew!" He danced happily down the road, smiling as he twirled around and jumped into the air. He was glad that there weren't any other humans around to see him. The excitement had been enough to cheer him up after the day's events. Shinx gave him an embarrassed stare. "Sorry," he apologized to his Pokémon. He came to a halt in his tracks. "Do you hear that?' he heard the distant sound of sirens in the city nearby. "Sounds like it's coming from Exner."
Shinx sat down at his side and looked up at him. "Shi," she said softly. She let out a soft mew before running off toward the city.
"Shinx, wait up!" Naota cried as he followed after the feline. "Don't run so fast." He moved his legs quickly, trying to keep up. "How am I supposed to catch any Pokémon if you run straight tot he city?" He sighed as he ran past several Pokémon that looked like they would have been useful additions to his team. Bird like Pokémon flew in the air. Several Spearow, Pidgey, and Taillow chirped happily in the sky. A group of Eevee nibbled on berries from a bush. "Oh man, Shinx, can we stop please? I want an Eevee!" Naota frowned as his Pokémon ignored his pleas and raced forward.
"Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii," she let out a long cry, almost as if she knew something was wrong. The air cackled as her fur sizzled with electricity. It was almost as if she was saying 'hurry up, Naota.'
"Okay, I understand."
A young girl sighed as she pushed her way through the crowd. She had blonde hair, and wore a black backpack, silver top, jeans, and black fingerless gloves, giving her a cute but tough look. The scowl on her face was enough to push the crowd away. "That's terrible," she said as looked at the bloody corpse in the middle of a crowd. It was Haley's Chimereon, though nobody realized it. They just thought it was some weird combination of Eevee's first three evolutionary forms. 'But atleast it wasn't my Eevee,' not that it was enough of a consolation to get her to forgive the murder of an innocent Pokémon. Dried blood covered its fur and flied gathered around it. It was a sickening sight and it made the girl want to beat the living tar out of the guilty party.
"Don't worry, Loaño," said a police officer with spiky blue hair. "We'll find whoever did this and make sure their punished. And we'll rescue all the missing Eevee."
"Thank you officer Jenny," Loaño said with a smile. She was too busy imagining the pain she'd inflict on the criminals to actually feel sad. Besides, she had every reason to trust officer Jenny, right? The more she thought about it, the more her stomach felt uneasy. "I need to get some food and let the police do their job. I wonder if there's a good place to get pizza." She spoke to nobody in particular, and she suddenly felt reminded of how lonely it was without Eevee. It was kind of ironic, really. She had come to this town to train Eevee, and had ended up losing her completely. Exner City was known for its hordes of wild Eevee, so lots of trainers headed there to catch them. This proved beneficial to the city's economy, and many stored began catering to the crowds of trainers with Eevee, selling evolution stones and TMs that would help Eevee out. Loaño had been considering evolving her Eevee, so she had come here to ask for some advice about which form to evolve her into. A nice old lady had even given her a free Waterstone as thanks for helping her carry her bags from the grocery store.
Unfortunately, there seemed to be a recent string of Eevee kidnappings. It seemed that some organized crime syndicate was poaching Eevee from the wild and kidnapping them from unsuspecting trainers. Loaño cursed herself for allowing her Eevee to be taken, but she knew there wasn't much she could do now. She liked to be out of his Pokémon, so she had allowed her to run free. She never suspected it would lead to trouble. But indeed it had. She and Eevee were taking a walk one day when she got too far ahead of her. A man in a freaky looking uniform picked her up and ran off as she tried to follow him. He got into a car and drove away before she could do anything. In the end, she ended up going to the police. Apparently she was the first to be lucky enough to witness the kidnapping of an Eevee, so she was also the first to be able to provide a description.
'It looked like that guy was wearing a uniform of some sort. I don't think this region has any criminal syndicated does it?' She thought to herself. 'Unless they're new. I wonder what they want with the Eevee. I hope she's okay.' Loaño thrust her fist into the air. "When I find that guy I'm going to kick his butt so hard that crap comes out his mouth." She laughed at the image of the man gasping in disgust.
"Umm, excuse me," said a shy voice. "What's up with the crowd? I saw you just came out from there and I was wondering what was going on. Did something bad happen? Does it have anything to do with the siren?" The boy had messy brown hair and carried a Shinx in his arms.
"A Pokémon was found brutally murdered," she answered bluntly.
Naota froze for a few moments, stunned by the revelation. "M-murdered? B-but who would murder a Pokémon? Why?" He asked in a stunned voice.
"Do I look like I would know?" She snapped. "Some people are just sick freaks and need someone to beat the shit out of them."
"I, I'm sorry," he replied fearfully.
"Sorry," she apologized in return. "The murdered Pokémon was some sort of weird combination of a Flareon, Jolteon, and a Vaporeon, and some bad guys have been stealing other trainers' Eevee and taking them from the wild. It seems like they're performing some sort of weird experiments and disposing of any undesired results. I'm just a little worked up because my Eevee was one of the ones taken."
"T-that's horrible," the boy said. "I hope you find him."
"The police are working on it around the clock, so it should be fine," she stated. "No use worrying about it. Listen, I was just about to get some pizza and take my mind off of it. You want to come with me? I could use the company."
"No thanks, I have a bento. It's nice meeting you though. My name is Naota. What's yours?"
"My name is Loaño, but you can call me Lo." She grabbed him by the arm. "So what kind of pizza do you like?" She asked as she dragged him along.
"H-hey, I said I already have food," he protested. Shinx jumped out of his arms and landed gracefully. She began walking at Lo's side, purring at the girl in approval.
"I can tell you have the emotional fortitude of a four-year-old along with the curiosity of one. If I leave you alone you're going to go investigate the corpse and have a mental breakdown. What kind of human being would I be if I let you do that?"
"I have to go look for my friend. We got into a fight and she came here without me. I have to apologize! I don't have time for pizza!"
Haley roared in frustration. "Dammit!" He pounded his fists on a metal desk and sent his notes flying. "I don't have time to train these pathetic cretins. It seems any Eevee young enough to become a Chimereon is too weak to be any use to me. You, over there," he pointed to a grunt who quickly ran up to his side.
"Yes, sir," he said with a salute.
Haley handed over three Pokéballs. "See that these are sent to Alexis. Tell her to have her minions train them and send them back." He held up a fourth Pokéball. "We're keeping this one for TM based experiments. If my hypothesis is correct, then he should be able to learn the same TMs as Vaporeon, Flareon, and Jolteon. I hope, for Chimereon's sake, that my hypothesis is correct," he laughed at his own dark joke. "Take this to the research team," he ordered as he handed it over.
"Yes sir."
Haley turned back to his research. "It seems that attempts to harvest the effects of the Moss Rock and Ice Rock have failed." Several members of the syndicate had returned from the Sinnoh region with bits of the Ice Rock and Moss Rock, hoping to be able to trigger an evolution in Eevee. Unfortunately, this plan had failed. It seemed that the samples were too small to trigger and evolution. They'd eventually find a way to smuggle the rocks out whole, but for now that would wait.
Haley sat in his chair and pondered his next move. "All this will be futile if Itsuki eludes our capture. He is vital to our plot." He grinned as he thought about the plan. It was perfect. Team Undeat would rule the world.
Lo smiled as the waitress placed a large pizza between her and Naota. "My treat of course," she told him. Everybody had recommended this place. They said Abby's Pizza served the best pizza in town, and Lo was ready to believe it. Shiny greasy oil covered the cheese, giving it an unhealthy but delicious looking glow. Ham and bacon topped the pizza, giving of a crisp meaty smell. She breathed in deep, enjoying the scent of oregano. "So," she began, taking a slice of pizza. The cheese stretched with the rising slice, she pulled at it with her fingers and quickly stuffed the melted deliciousness in her mouth.
Naota waited for her to finish chewing her food so she could continue her sentence.
"Tell me about your girlfriend," she said bluntly.
"What? She's not my girlfriend," Naota protested falling out of the booth they were sitting in. He shook his head in defiance. "We're just friends."
"Methinks thou,"
"doth protest too much," Naota completed dryly. "Heard it before."
"I see you're familiar with stock phrases," Loaño replied. "Such as, methinks thou doth protest too much and she's not my girlfriend, or we're just friends. They do tend to get annoying when people repeat them over and over." She began sipping her cola through a straw. "Especially when they're so unconvincing."
"They're not stock phrases. They're the truth!" Naota insisted.
"Methinks thou doth protest too much."
"..."
They continued in silence for a few minutes, eating their pizza slowly. "So, tell me about your just a friend," Lo commanded.
"She's, her," Naota wasn't sure where to begin. "We met when we were kids. We hung out a lot and became best friends. When I was little both my parents were killed so I ended up living with her family. She's like a sister to me." Naota gulped down the last of his cola and waited for the waitress to return with a refill. "We've fought before, but I've never seen her so mad."
"What did you fight about?"
"Nothing," Naota said with a hint of insistence in his voice. Shinx watched with a smile as she sat next to her trainer. She nibbled on a breadstick trying not to laugh at Naota's misfortune.
"Riiiiiight," the blonde said in disbelief. "Why not just say you don't want to talk about it?"
"Would you listen to me if I said that?" Naota countered.
"Nope," Lo admitted.
"Well, the things is, ItoldherI," his words slurred together as he began mumbling "havvacrushonnirex." Lo didn't even respond. She just gave the boy a look that pierced him deep. He took a deep breath and tried again. "I told her that I have a crush on her ex-boyfriend," he winced in fear, unsure of how the girl would react.
"Huh," Lo wasn't quite sure how to respond. She just grabbed another slice of pizza. "O~kay," she sang. She stared at her pizza. "You'd be a lot better if you had more sauce, you know that, right?" She gobbled it down quickly, trying to think of a new topic. She had nothing against homosexuality, but she had not been expecting such an answer from the boy she just met.
"Stop giving me that look. You asked!"
"You could have not answered!"
Naota grumbled in frustration. "Never mind. This is more trouble than it's worth. Look, I really need to go find my friend Hikaru. Thanks for the pizza." He grabbed another slice as he slowly walked away. Shinz followed quickly, easily overtaking the boy.
Lo glanced at the pizza then glanced back at the boy. She had to make a decision quick. On one hand, he seemed potentially interesting and she needed something to ease her boredom while waiting for the police to find her Eevee. On the other hand, pizza. Pizza, boy, pizza, boy, the though rushed through her head in a chaotic cycle, she wasn't sure which to pick. She gave in and unzipped her bag with a quick ripping motion. She grabbed a large ziploc bag full of fruit and dumped the contents on the table, quickly replacing it with her pizza. She had to stuff it in, but it fit. She threw some money on the table, grabbed an apple slice, and ran toward Naota.
"Wait up," she cried as she grabbed his arm.
"Hey, I have to go," he told her.
"And I am coming with you." Loaño dragged him with her as she approached the aah register. She handed some money over and waited for some change. She traded pleasantries with the cashier before walking out with Naota. She put the apple slice to her mouth and bit in. It crunched loudly. "Hey want an apple slice? I left some on the table," she offered.
Naota's head was starting to hurt. "Look, you're nice and all, but you're a little crazy you know that?"
"I've been informed," she said . "And I'm actually a bit proud of it."
Lo followed Naota as he walked back into the streets of the town. "Hey, is there a gym here? Hikaru would have gone there first." He thought it over. If there was a gym, Hikaru probably would have spent some time catching extra Pokémon to fill her team up. She only had an Oddish as of that morning, so it seemed unlikely that she'd be enough to take on a Gym Leader.
"Yeah, the Exner Gym. The leader here uses Fire Type Pokémon," Lo explained. This was good. With a type disadvantage, Hikaru would most likely be working hard to catch other Pokémon before even challenging him. It's probably take a few days for her to train it as well, so he still had time to find her. Then again, this was Hikaru. If anyone would be confident enough to challenge a Gym Leader this way, it'd be her. And knowing her, she might have a shot at making it work.
"Where is it?" he asked.
"This way," she let go of his hand and took the lead. "Try to keep up, Slowpoke." She broke into a sprint, dashing between crowds of people. She weaved around citizens and tourists, gracefully and skillfully avoiding contact with anyone else. "Hurry up, Ta-kun," she said jokingly. It was a spur of the moment nickname, but she liked it.
Naota growled. "Hey, only Hikaru and Yuu are allowed to call me that."
"Fine, I'll stick to calling you Slowpoke," she teased.
"Hey don't call me that either."
"You say something, Slowpoke, I can't hear you from way back there," she poked.
Naota grumbled under his breath but pushed the thoughts of frustration out of his mind. He focused on a few deep breathing relaxation techniques. No use getting worked up over something so minor, especially since this girl did seem pretty nice underneath all the teasing. 'I bet she and Hikaru would get along pretty well.' Naota came to a stop as a conversation caught his attention.
"Hey, do you think the other Eevee will be okay?"
"I hope so. But these guys don't seem to be above hurting them."
"Daddy, I miss Eevee."
"Don't worry, Lilly, I'm sure the police will rescue her."
Shinx looked up at Naota. "Shin?"
"Lo," the boy hung his head low. His voice offered sympathy.
The blonde froze in place and turned to him with a smile. "Don't worry, I'm sure he's okay. I can feel it deep inside." Utter bullshit made up for Naota's benefit. She could tell the boy wasn't used to the harsh realities of the world.
"Lo, what are you planning exactly?" Naota asked. "You're not the type to sit by and wait are you? You have something planned, don't you?"
"I'm sneaking out of town tonight. I know where the crime syndicate is hiding, but the police won't believe me. I know they're tied to that damn Shiranagatani Corporation, but the police won't believe me. I'm sneaking in tonight when it's dark."
"Why?" Naota asked.
"Like you said, I'm not standing by waiting for the police to save the day."
"Won't they have increased security at night? Shouldn't you sneak in during the day?" He suggested.
Loaño smiled at the suggestion. "You'd think so wouldn't you? But no, I've checked, their security is lighter at night. I'm not entirely sure why they'd do that, but they must have their reasons. Anyway, night is better for sneaking around anyway, you can hide in the darkness and use that to your advantage."
"Still, it must be scary. They murdered an Eevee. Who would do that to a Pokémon?" He stood still for a few moments as he worked up the courage to say what he needed to. "I'm coming with,"
"No," she told him bluntly. "Sorry, but you ain't got the balls for something like this. You'd be putting your life on the line to do this, and I can't have your death hanging over my head."
"I'm going whether you want me to or not. And if we can find Hikaru I'm sure she'd be willing to come along as well."
Lo smiled, well, let's get going then," she accepted his determination. "The gym is this way."
A crowd of spectators cheered at the spectacle within the arena. Two trainers stood within a roped off area and faced each other with smiles on their faces. One was a muscular man with dark skin, fierce red eyes, and silver hair in flat spikes. His shirt was black with long sleeves that ended in purple sleeves, a purple bottom, and came with a purple stripe. Naota didn't really like the way the purple clashed with his brown pants, but he wasn't judging. Lo didn't like the way he smirked viciously as he gripped his Pokéball.
"God, it's that guy," Lo moaned.
"You've done well, Gintaro. You passed the prelims with flying colors. But I'm the Gym Leader, so don't think it'll be so easy." A red jacket clung to his shoulders as the sleeves wrapped around his neck. Muscles bulged as sunlight streaming through the glass roof illuminated his bare chest. "I already lost once today, so I don't plan on losing again."
"So, one Pokémon each, first to K.O. the enemy wins?" Gintaro asked. His voice held zero interest. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible so he could move on.
The Gym Leader nodded.
"That's strange, I thought Gym Battles used three Pokémon minimum," Naota commented.
"Some leaders have different house rules," Lo noted. "This guy's name is Rex. He prefers to end things quickly with only a single Pokémon on each side. But he won't face just anyone. Trainers need to beat the three preliminary rounds first. Apparently someone else already won today, I hope it wasn't your just-a-friend."
Rex grasped his Pokéball tightly and threw it into the air. In a flash of red light, his partner appeared. "Magmortar, show this guy who he's dealing with." He smiled as his humanoid salamander-duck appeared on the field. A flame roared on his head and on his tail. Flamelike red and yellow stripes covered his body, and two rows of pink spikes lined his back.
Naota examined it closely. "The evolved form of Magmar. Its body is larger and its legs are proportionally smaller than its body this time around, so its speed takes a dive. However it has an incredibly high Special Attack, the highest of all non legendary fire types."
"If I wanted to know that, I'd consult my Pokédex," Lo informed the boy.
Gintaro grinned. "Come on out, Number Two!" A large blue jellyfish emerged and immediately began its tentacles around like a psychopathic lunatic.
Naota frowned, he couldn't approve of such a nickname. It held no love in it. Shinx merely gazed up at him with an annoyed look. "Something wrong Shinx?"
She purred and ran up Naota's leg and climbed onto his head, resting comfortably as she watched the match. "Oh right, you want to watch this don't you?"
"Flamethrower!" Rex commanded. Magmortar took a deep breath and unleashed a blast of fire from his mouth. The flames cackled as they swallowed the floor, giving off intense heat. Gintaro could feel sweat dripping down his body as the intense flames drew near.
Ginatro smiled, "Number Two, use Hydro Pump!" He closed his eyes, not bothering to watch as Tantacool unleashed as stream of water that washed the flames away. It blasted into Magmortar's stomach, knocking him backwards, causing him to crash helplessly into the ropes around the arena. "Number Two use," before he could complete his order, Gintaro's Tentacool sped forward, firing rounds of tiny needles at the fire Pokémon he was facing. The Gym Leader's partner let out a howl of pain as the poison slowly entered his blood stream.
Thunder Punch!" Rex ordered. It was Magmortar's secret weapon, and electric moves reserved for those pesky water types. His fist lit up as it sparkled with a surging radiance. He stood tall as Number Two came in for the kill. With the timing of an expert karate champion, he let his fist fly, striking the Tentacool with deadly accuracy. But he was ready for it. Tentacool wrapped its tentacles around Magmortar's arm, ensuring that both Pokémon felt the pain of the voltage rushing through their bodies. Sure, the move was super effective against Tentacool, but his training helped him deal with the agony. Magmortar let a gasp of defeat escape his bill as he fell backward.
"Impressive Pokémon you have there, it withstood a direct blow from my Magmortar's Thunder Punch. Not many water-types can make that claim."
"Hmph, your Pokémon was pathetic. Just give me a badge so I can leave already. The last three gyms were a better challenge. "
"Very well, Gintaro, I award you the Exploding Badge." He happily handed over a small object, placing it in Gintaro's hand. The victorious trainer merely grunted in response before climbing out. Naota felt a chill running through his body as their eyes met.
"I don't like that guy at all," he whispered. "Something about him scares me."
Lo merely grunted. "I wish I had my Eevee, I'd love to kick his ass in a battle," she commented. Gintaro merely gave a grunt of annoyance as he brushed past the girl and walked out the door. The girl's body began to shake with anger, like a volcano preparing to erupt with fury. She stomped her foot on the ground.
Naota shot him a dark glare but for the most part didn't care. He rushed toward the Gym Leader. Rex gave him a sympathetic look. "If you want a Gym Match, it'll have to be later. I need a break right now. i was just about to go eat lunch."
Naota shook his head. "Actually, I was wondering if you've seen my friend. her name is Hikaru, she's blonde about,"
"Hikaru Reinhardt?" Rex said fondly. "Yeah, she was here earlier. It was an epic match. I almost beat her, but her Squirtle was too much for me," Rex laughed out loud. "My Arcanine had that thing on the defensive despite being at a type disadvantage, then, wham! At the last second it used Waterfall followed by Surf. The combo attacked washed my poor Arcanine away. So, you're her friend huh? I could have sworn she said she was traveling alone though."
"We, we got into a fight and she left without me," the boy explained..
"Bummer."
"Well, thanks for your help," He said as he turned to leave. Naota let out a sigh of disappointment. "She's probably halfway to the next town by now," he said with a moan.
"Well then, you better get going," Loaño told him. "You want to catch up to her, right?" She smiled, showing that she didn't mind.
"It's okay," Naota answered. "She'd never forgive me if I abandoned you right now. Besides, I doubt Shinx would let me get that far." The feline offered Lo a happy smile. "So, we've got to wait until nightfall, right? What should we do until then?"
The main building of the Shirangatani Corporation stretched into the black sky. Bathed in moonlight, it had an eerie and ominous glow about it. Two single security guards patrolled the outer entrance, making sure nobody broke in or trespassed. "Are you sure this is the right place?" Naota asked. He suddenly felt very nervous.
"I'm sure of it, trust me," the girl told him. "I've seen mysterious vehicles entering and exiting the building and I've heard the cries of countless Eevee. Nobody will believe me though." Lo stepped forward. "Yo, release those Eevee now or else we'll make you into Garchomp food!" Loaño challenged.
"What? You can't just barge in there!" Naota protested. "I thought we were being all stealth like."
"Hey, it's that girl they warned us about," said one of the guards. He wore a blue uniform complete with a hat that covered his shaggy black hair.
"The one who thinks we're connected to Team Undeat?" The other one laughed. She had long red hair that fell to her waist. "Hahaha, what a laugh. Look, like they already told you. We have nothing to do with those bastards, so just leave now or else we'll have to call the cops."
"You guys are liars," Lo challenged. "Don't think I'll be so easily fooled." She growled at them.
"Shinx!" Naota cried. His Pokémon dashed between his legs and ran toward the locked glass door. She began to glow a bright yellow as she jumped through. The sound of shattering glass broke through the night.
"Hey, you'll have to pay for that!" The female security guard scolded.
"I promise I will. Just please get Shinx back for me."
"Stay right here," said the male guard. he took off after Shinx, trying to catch up with the agile Pokémon.
"What move was that?" Lo asked.
"Volt Tackle, I think," Naota explained.
The female security guard tapped her foot angrily. "You two better have a good explanation for when the police come."
"I haven't done anything," Naota said defensively. "She's the crazy one," he pointed at Lo. "And my Shinx is just a little out of control, I plan to pay for all the damage."
"Firs of all, I doubt it's within a child's budget to pay for the high quality glass used to make these doors. Second, I heard you say 'I thought we were going to be stealthy.'"
Naota gave a sheepish chuckle.
Lo opened her mouth to give a witty retort, but before she could say anything, the male guard's scream caught their attention. "Stay right here!" The female guard dashed into the building, frantically searching for her partner. She grabbed the flashlight on her belt and shone it around, searching for any signs of him. "Dammit, your Shinx better not have hurt him."
Naota and Lo followed. "Sorry, but we're coming with," said the blonde girl.
The building was too dark to make out anything beyond the flashlight's gaze. "Too bad we don't have any Pokémon with Flash," Naota lamented. From what he could tell this appeared to be a waiting area. Chairs lined the walls, a receptionist's desk stood near the corner, and a large television screen hung from the ceiling.
"That door doesn't belong there," the guard noted. She quickly dashed to it, shining her light inside. All she could see were stairs leading down. "Carl, are you down there?" She called out.
"Shiiiinx," came the only response. The trio ran down the stairway and found themselves in a small room. Shinx waited next to a small door. She jumped into Naota's open arms and gave him a worried look.
"Carl?" The woman asked desperately. She opened the door and let light flood the room. She and Naota gasped in horror.
What they saw was this: a cold steel floor leading down a long hall. Cages lined the walls, filled with Eevee that looked too weak to stand. Carl lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood. He was completely still. "no," the guard whispered as she bent down to check her partner's pulse. She couldn't find any. "I'm sorry," she apologized to Lo. She knelt there in shock.
"Like that matters now. Whoever did this is still here," she growled. "Stop squatting around hopelessly before you get shot too!"
Footsteps echoed throughout the hall as a figure approached. He looked like a regular old grunt of the team. "Dammit, more of you. Look, surrender now so I don't have to kill you guys." He trained his gun on the guard. "I don't want to have to shoot women and children."
Lo growled. Normally she'd be on the offensive already, but against an armed man she was forced to restrain her anger. Not even she was crazy enough to attack someone with a gun.
"Dammit," Naota swore. "These Eevee all look malnourished. If they were healthier we could simply free them all and fight with large numbers."
The guard turned to the Undeat minion. "So, this is where Undeat is hiding," she said. "I've been wondering where they were. I was wondering where they took my Eevee, and they were right here all along. You better be ready to shoot me, and you better not miss, for your sake." She ran as quickly as she could. The unsteady grunt's hands shook as he tried to squeeze the trigger. BANG! The recoil threw his aim off, the first shot missed completely and hit the ceiling. This bought just enough time for the guard to get close. She reached for the gun, trying to pry it from his fingers. BANG! BANG! It went off a second and third time, sending blood splattering everywhere as she fell backwards.
"No," Naota whispered as blood hit his face. Seeing a dead body was one thing, seeing someone get shot was another. His heart began pounding in a frenzied tempo. The guard crashed to the ground with a thud, but she smiled weakly.
"Oww," she said as she held up the gun. "Don't worry, he didn't hit any vital organs." She tried to stand, but couldn't. One of the bullets had lodged itself into her leg, sending waves of pain throughout her body.
"Grrr, I'll show you. Tyranitar, come on out." The grunt reached for his Pokéball, but Loaño proved too fast. She tackled him to the ground.
"You sick bastard!" She punched him in the face. His head hit the ground with a sickening crack. "All those Eevee, locked up in cages. They don't deserve that!" She punched him repeatedly, wailing on him with both fists. He whimpered in pain, causing Lo to smirk with satisfaction. The grunt coughed blood as Lo began repeatedly slamming his head against the ground.
"Lo, stop it, you're going to kill him!" Naota cried. He reached out and pulled the girl of the grunt. He didn't move, he had already fainted. "Do you have a phone?" He asked the guard. "Call the police, we'll hurry up and free the Eevee now. He slowly began opening all he cages. Countless thankful Eevee poured out and offered their gratitude in the form of a smile. They all gave happy looks as they walked toward the exit, desperate to escape from their confinement.
"Shinx, shinx, shii!"
"Eeeeee," it sounded almost like Shinx was communicating with the Eevee, giving them instructions. And the Eevee were responding in agreement.
"Will they all find their owner's okay," Naota asked.
The security guard answered. "Pokécenters have technology that allows them to identify a Pokémon's trainer easily. I'm not sure how it works but it has something to do with each Pokéball having its own signature energy or something like that." Only two Eevee remained in the room. One ran up to the security guard and the other to Lo. Both females smiled at their companions. "Eevee, it's so nice to see you again." She said happily. She hugged her Pokémon with one arm, trying not to let the pain in her other arm bother her.
Lo smiled. "It's good to see you again," she said with a smile.
"I just realized, I never introduced myself. My name is Harriet."
"I'm Lo and this is Naota," said the blonde.
"Naota, Lo, thank you both," Harriet said with a smile. Everyone could tell it was forced. Even with all the good that had happened, the dead body in the room made it hard to truly be happy.
Before the "celebration" could continue, another door opened. "My, my, that's what all this commotion was about," said a man in a lab coat. "Allow to me to introduce myself. My name is Haley. But don't bother reciprocating the introductions. I have decided to dub you all Test Subjects 1, 2, and 3. The first order of business," he pointed a gun at Loaño, "is to test out my new Poison Gun." He pulled the trigger and a loud bang shot through the room. Six bullets fired at Lo. She tried to move, but couldn't get away in time.
"!" her voice caught in her throat and she chocked on her own scream. She watched Eevee jump into the air, intercepting the full force of the attack. The bullets lodged themselves in Eevee's body, melting into acid and burning her up from the inside. She let out a shrill shriek of pain as she fell to the ground screaming in agony. It hurt everyone's ears, but not as much as their hearts. Lo stared in disbelief at her fallen comrade, while Shinx stared angrily at the scientist. Eevee struggled for a few seconds, but gave in and fell still. Her limp and lifeless body just lay there pathetically.
"Shiiii!" She charged her body with electricity as she charged forward, trying to tackle the man as hard as she could. Haley merely side stepped the attack and stomped on Shinx the second her electricity ran out. The tiny feline gave a cry of pain.
"Shinx!" Naota cried as he ran to his partner. Haley removed his foot and kicked the Pokémon toward Naota.
"You'll pay for what you did to her!" Loaño promised. She charged forward with raised fists. She swung with all her might, only for Haley to grab her fist and kick her int he stomach, pushing her backwards. She crashed into Naota, knocking them both over.
Harriet's Eevee could only stare at Haley with an angry glare. She couldn't think of a punishment painful enough to fit the crime.
Lo rose to her feet once more, but Haley merely brushed his hair aside and reached for his Pokémon. "Vaporeon, kill her now." The blue mermaid Eeveelution appeared in a flash of light.
"Vapore," he cried as his body melted into a puddle of water. He shot across the room like a surge of water on the beach. He crawled up Lo's leg and entered her mouth, filling her lungs so that she couldn't breathe. He planned to drown her and end things before they got too far. Lo fell to her knees, struggling to breathe.
"Dammit, what do we do?" Naota asked. He knew Shinx could probably shock Vaporeon, but that would risk harming Lo. Besides, if Vaporeon fainted and reformed within Lo, that could potentially be lethal.
Lo reached into her backpack and pulled out a shiny blue stone. She tossed it to Harriet, hoping she'd approve of the plan. "Eevee," the security guard called out. She held the stone over her own Pokémon and watched as the object vanished. A mysterious blue light surrounded Eevee as her features changed. Her fur became blue and watery, her tail turned fish like, and her ears became more angular."Vaporeon!" She cried.
The new Vaporeon transformed into a puddle and entered Lo's body, following the first. With a burst of strength she forced Haley's Vaporeon out of Lo's body and soon followed after it. The two Vaporeon reformed and faced each other. Lo felt the air rushing into her lungs. It burned, but it felt better than drowning.
"Thanks," she said before falling to her knees. She gave Haley a weak look of defiance. "We have you outnumbered you know. You might as well run."
The two Vaporeon circled around each other, searching for an opening. Neither one wanted to strike first and leave themselves vulnerable. "Hydro Pump!" Harriet ordered. She watched her Pokémon fire a stream of water at the opponent Vaporeon. This only caused Haley to smile.
"Zap Cannon!" He ordered.
"What?" The trio found themselves shocked to see the Water-Type using such a powerful electric move.
Vaporeon let out a mighty cry as he fired a beam of electricity at the other Vaporeon. it cut through Hydro Pump, causing a hissing smoke to fog the entire room.
"Vapore!" Harriet watched her Pokémon fall over, defeated.
"Vaporeon, return," she said as she held out her partner's Pokéball. A beam of red light reclaimed the fallen warrior.
Shinx looked toward the doorway, as if she were waiting for someone.
Haley let out a high laugh. "I'm a scientist! Of course I've tried breaking the barriers between Pokémon. teaching one a move it could not normally use is one of my greatest hobbies. You should see what else I've taught some of my Pokémon. Oh wait, you can't, because you'll be dead!"
Naota stood up and frowned at Haley. "You're a freak, you know that right?"
Haley smiled. "And you're cute. You know what, I may actually keep you alive as my toy." He moved quickly, appearing behind Naota. His arms reached around the boy's waist as he pulled him close. Naota's felt a dagger poking his chest. "Or I could simply use you as a bargaining tool." He giggled.
"Let him go!" Harriet demanded. Harriet tried to come up with a plan, but could do nothing. Shinx and Lo both stared helplessly at the madman. Vaporeon watched them, waiting for a reason to attack.
"Eevee!" A sudden cry pierced the room. A large group of Eevee crashed into the room and pointed themselves at Haley. They looked angry. And these were not the same weak creatures that Team Undeat had kept locked up. "Eevee! Eevee! Eevee!" It was an angry chorus, a war cry. These Eevee were pissed. And there were more than Haley could count.
"Oh shit," the scientist cried. "Damn, this could be bad. Very bad." He pushed Naota forward. Holding out his Pokéball, he recalled his Vaporeon. "Dammit, I could fight you all, but there's no guarantee that I'd be able to do so without harming my precious toy," he said as he eyed Naota. "Looks like you guys win this round." He grinned though, as if he didn't mind too much. He quickly retreated back into another room. Naota, Lo, and Harriet were too worn out to follow. The Eevee were too smart to push their luck.
"Call the police now," Lo told Harriet. She turned to her departed friend, unable to hold the tears back any longer. "Eevee," she cried, collapsing to her knees. A group of wild Eevee surrounded her, offering their sympathy with a chorus of Eevee cries. One walked up to Lo, trying to rub against her body to comfort her. "You look hurt," she said to the stray, noticing its wounded leg. She tore of her sleeve and wrapped it around the wounded area.
In the end, the police apologized to Lo for not believing her, she Naota, and Harriet were thanked for their assistance, and most of the trainers were reunited with their Eevee. A few were saddened to discover that theirs had been used for experiments and disposed of by the wicked scientist. The wild Eevee were taken to a Pokémon center and treated before being released into the wild. Most of them seemed happy to go, but one stayed behind. It was the morning after and Lo and Naota were preparing to depart. They were heading in the same direction so they decided to travel together. Naota was heading to the next town with a Gym, where he hoped Hikaru was heading as well. Lo wanted to go there to bury her Eevee at the local graveyard.
"Eevee?" She looked up at Lo sadly. Her leg was still wrapped up in Lo's sleeve.
"Don't look at me like that, you remind me of her too much," the trainer responded with a sad smile. She carried her dead Eevee in her arms, wrapped in a pink towel, unable to return her to a Pokéball. She knew Eevee wouldn't want that. "Eevee," she whispered sadly.
"Eevee,"the stray repeated. She rubbed herself against Loaño's leg, trying to comfort her. Lo reached down and scratched behind the Eevee's ear. Her Eevee used to love when she did that.
"Shiin," Shinx walked up to Lo and began nudging her as well.
"Thanks guys," Lo told them.
Naota only watched, wishing he were better with words.
"You ran because a bunch of Eevee attacked you?" A voice asked on the phone. "Why didn't you fight back. You have a Legendary on your team."
Haley smiled, though his conversation partner could not see. "Sorry, Wrath. I wanted to, but then my little test subject might have been hurt in the crossfire. I have plans for him and I can't have him dieing on me. Besides, there was nothing much to gain at this point." Haley laughed. "My Eevee experiments can be put on hold for now. Maybe one day I'll be able to create a stronger Chimereon with more components to it, but for now let's just see what we can do with three pieces."
"Speaking of Chimereon, Alexis informs me that training is going well with those little freaks of nature. They've been loaded up on Rare Candies and several stat boosting nutritional items. As for the little TM experiment, it seems that your hypothesis was correct. they are indeed capable of learning the same TMs as all three of Eevee's original evolutions."
"Hahah, that's good news. Though, enough of my plans. I wanted to ask you about the Zer0 Cannon. Is construction going well?"
"Indeed it is."
-To Be Continued-
Author's Note: Yeah, I'm using the Seven Sins theme too, Twili-chan. Sorry.
Next time on Pokémon Zer0
Man: Gastly, crush them now.
Lo: Eevee...
Naota: Look out!