Gotta Kill 'em All Pokemon!
By Hanpolo
Chapter 2: Revelations
British spelling warnings apply to those who may use American spelling.
The boat rocked back and forth gently as the sounds of soft waves and the vessels gentle engine were the only sounds to be heard miles out at sea. The small fraction of light that gave them direction amongst the over bearing darkness came from the soft ivory moon that glittered its light upon the salty water's surface, casting the illusion of sailing through trickles of light into the black void beyond.
"We're past checkpoint lads, not long now." The old sailor cheerily stated turning his navigation systems back on that bled a soft orange glow over a small fraction of the 8 man fishing vessel.
"Now remember, when we dock ya got one minute t' get the hell offa me boat or you're gonna be thrown off it. I ain't risking me ass or meh boat for you fellas. One minute, yeh hear me?"
Affirmative nods and small grumbles were all the answer the captain needed from his passengers as he carried about fiddling with the sat nav.
"Good," The old sailor took a pack of cigarettes from his jackets breast pocket and lit up a small white stick blowing the thick grey silky smoke into the crisp night air. " I'm gonna be droppin' you lot off at Pallet town coz this ain't no god damn cruise ship ladies, you want Vermilion? Then ya should 'a booked a ticket for that eye saw the "
Another wave of anxious nods and murmurs was all that spread over the small boat. Each and every passengers mind appeared lost in their own contemplative thoughts; Their hearts being eager to lay eyes once more on their loved ones, yet their heads reminding them of the life threatening dangers of the land dwelling creatures that took residence on the distant shores that could just be seen overlapping the horizon.
Ash tightened his protective hold over his sleep ensnared Pikachu as he found himself conflicted over the recent news that the outskirts of Pallet would be the boats intended destination. Sheer anticipation and elation took a firm hold of his mind that they would only be half an hour walk on foot from the drop off point to his home town, yet another large part of him continued to worry over his family there and his golden hued friend that lay sleeping in his arms. What danger was his mother in? Were his old friends protecting her? Should he have left Pikachu back in Azelea where he would have been safe in the knowledge that the danger was another land away? Not that Pikachu would have stayed, even if he had tied the yellow sleeping bundle to a pole. No. His little yet strong friend was to stubborn for that, rather like his trainer the boy mused. The raven haired boys thoughts were broken as the captain threw the remains of his smoked cigarette into the darkened glistening waters that flowed by them calling them with hushed whispers.
"Keep an eye out lads, we might be alright when it comes to the waters but the sky is another thing, any of you folks from near the Pallet or Viridian area?"
Ash almost hesitated to answer, fearing his voice might set of the wild Pokémon that would inhabit the skies around the area.
"Y-yes sir, I am." He half raised his hand as the sea fairer laid his eyes on him.
"Good, then I ain't gotta tell ya what Pokémon to expect around them parts, but for the rest of um, ya fancy sharing?" The older man gestured to the other wide-eyed passengers with a nod of his head.
Ash's jaw tightened as he found himself reminiscing of the very Pokémon that had been the throws of his excitement when he first began as a trainer, but now had become the very tormenting visions of the sorts of fate his mother could have met under such underestimated yet powerful creatures.
"Ratata and Ratacate are all over the area on land, the further North you go, the more you'll find." Ash's head lowered as he gently stroked under the soft lemon fur of Pikachu's ears. "Pidgy and Pidgeottos are in the grass and sky and swarms of Spearow fly in and around the area about this time of year, that's roughly it from Pallet area to Vermilion. Nideran and other types are further North or West." He finished with a sigh of dread.
"Well at least that isn't too bad." Another older passenger spoke up with a grunt.
"What do you mean?" Ash inquired.
"Heh, Ratata? Pidgy? That ain't nothin' kid. Call me an optimist but I like my chances against those small fry."
A small red-headed pale boy beside the man spoke with a nervousness as he decided to join the whispered conversation "I suppose, but it was still enough to overrun the place."
Ash couldn't contain his level of hurt at that comment. These people spoke like Pallet, HIS home, was just another small unimportant place that had been easily overrun by the smallest of Pokémon. They knew nothing of how tough the wildlife could be. His own previous encounter with a large flock of Spearows that had almost killed Pikachu when he first began his journey hit home in his mind as his face creased up into a frown.
"Have you ever gone up against a flock of enraged Spearow?" Ash asked trying hard to hide the anger from his whispered voice.
"No, can't say I that I have. I take it you have?"
"Yeah something like that," Ash's brows pushed down into a frown "And I can tell you now that a single Spearow, Pidgy or Ratata might not be the most life threating thing out there, but when together they make escape nearly impossible. So don't go assuming that they're push overs, especially now that they're infected."
"Yeah, yeah, I get what you're sayin." The man tried to brush him off.
"Good…And quit talking like Pallet town's been taken over, there're still people there…I don't know how I know, but I just feel it. Someone's there, maybe even my mom." Ash shook his head to wipe the solemn look from his features "So just give it a rest Alright."
Pikachu stirred in his arms rubbing the sleep from his eyes to look around at each one of them, spotting the expression on Ash's face he nuzzled into the teens chest with a few reassuring coos.
"Sorry kid." The older man rubbed the back of his head with an apologetic expression "I forgot you were from Pallet for a second there."
Ash nodded his acceptance although remained sceptic over the fact the man had forgotten. It had only been a matter of moments beforehand that Ash had clearly stated where he hailed from. Perhaps he could put the 'forgetfulness' down due to stress and apprehension, a feeling they all at that moment shared, and so perhaps should be slightly more forgiving of.
Once more silence broke out over the small vessel as a slightly tenser wave of inner thoughts drowned out the observation of surrounding environment around them all.
"Look lively ladies," The captain spoke lighting another white stick that lit his face in intense orange from the ember. "Land ho."
Ash turned his head and a familiar shoreline was in fact just a stone's throw away. How long had they all sat in silence rummaging through their thoughts? Either way, it was time to put his head back on his shoulders and prepare himself for the worst.
"Get yer shit together coz I ain't gettin any closer, ya tour ends here." The man became more whispered as he scanned the small pebble beach like area for impending dangers. His confident and cocky demeanour soon became replaced with the same level of fear the other boat dwellers had been experiencing.
"Ready Pikachu?" Ash asked his companion with a gentle pat to the head, his voice portraying a false sense of confidence.
"Pika." Pikachu gave a hesitant nod and climbed onto the young boys head taking a firm seat while holding on tightly to the ever-present cap the trainer refused to be without.
The larger men jumped into the water first, each giving a small gasp at the intense cold of the surrounding liquid that lapped up around their chests before giving a final glance at the boat and making their way towards the land. If it hadn't been for the small framing of trees around Pallet Town Ash would have been able to see his home, or at least the large Pokémon research centre and grounds that had really put the petite town on the map.
As Ash's body collided with the bitter water he looked back onto the first memories of when he had heard about the virus. Memories that seemed so distant sometimes, they had felt unreal. But now as he waded through the icy waters it all seemed so absolute. How naïve he had been when he had first thought the pandemic was fixable and would be sorted in no time. How naïve indeed.
…
"Oh wow this is really good!" Ash exclaimed cheerfully as he ate his sandwich blissfully at a picnic table in Goldenrod's City Park. A small radio sat upon the wooden surface playing the modern music of an upcoming band that had been founded within the very city. Drums and the rather ear-splitting solo of an electric guitar played as himself, Pikachu, Noctowl, Pinser and Espeon sat and ate their lunches in the golden warmth of the afternoon sun chatting contentedly with one another over the latest battle they had fought that had played out the day before.
The music that served as a background noise suddenly cut off and became replaced by a very serious and familiar man's voice that would normally host the evening news. At first none of the hungry and ecstatic picnickers took notice until the very mention of Pallet town was heard over the mixing voices.
Ash's face scrunched up in confusion as soon as his hometowns name drifted over his ears. With a small hush to his companions he raised the volume of the radio as the small band of Pokémon circled around him and the digital box also eager to hear what had their trainer so fascinated.
"Reports indicate that the outbreak started during a routine de-fossilization of Kubuto remains in Pewter Cities Pokémon lab; Revival of History Tech cooperated early hours of Wednesday morning."
"Outbreak?" Ash whispered to himself as he watched the radio as if it would also show him the pictured details.
"Here is Kanto regions foreign affairs reporter Trisha Hollis with the current update."
A woman's soft yet firm voice soon replaced the males "Thank you David. Yes, I'm stood outside the City Hall in Saffron city, where mayor Folly has just released a statement asking for the local residents not to panic over the recent events but to keep shelter in the safety of their homes and under no circumstances to engage in battle with any wild Pokémon as it is believed at this moment in time that the virus is spread via bodily contact with infected Pokémon. Any contact whatsoever with wild Pokémon is strictly advised against at present and the city's police departments are working together to try to dissuade Pokémon trainers to venture out into the wilds. Citizens of Pewter City, Pallet Town, Viridian City and surrounding areas are advised to co-operate with the Kanto vision army in evacuation of the area., All civilians will be housed temporarily in one of the Saffron cities community centres or Pokémon centres until further action can be taken."
"And what is the situation with Pokémon hostilities towards people in particular at the moment?" The male voice asked
"The situation remains the same, the wild Pokémon are attacking any living creature at present David. Fortunately the virus itself seems only to affect Pokémon and human bodies are unable to carry the gene that spreads the virus, again it is advised at this stage to avoid all wild Pokémon until this theory can be confirmed."
"And what of the numbers of injuries sustained thus far caused by virus infected Pokémon to civilians?"
"Numbers are unknown at the moment but fortunately there have been no incidents of reported fatalities so far."
"Thank you Trisha, our hearts and minds go out to the citizens of Kanto and remain hopeful the situation will soon be contained and you can all return to your homes in safety."
Ash looked around at his fellow Pokémon friends with his eyes widened in shock and nervousness, realisation that his mother hadn't rung him in her usual blast of calls made his heart struggle to beat against the recent news. He pulled out his cell phone from his pocket with shaking hands as he dialled his mother's number only to be met with a dial tone.
...
Of course his mother hadn't answered any of his calls and had not contacted him in turn. Gone also were the days when the death toll had been zero. It had escalated into the thousands within weeks of the first reports, the more the virus spread the more victims fell prey to the enraged Pokémon. The radio stations and news reports had stopped reporting from the area when the border control lockdown was put into place and then, finally all contact had been severed with Kanto. It had left the rest of the world to wonder how many had now been lost to the virus. How was the army coping with the outbreak? It seemed that the army was fighting a losing war if the lack of contact with the region was anything to go by.
Ash's feet skimmed the rocks and sand of the waters below as he and all other passengers fought against the small waves heading towards the beach. The fact that he should at least be seeing the distant lights of the town from the beach played predominantly in his head. Was Pallet really lost?
To be continued...
Next chapter sees Ashes first encounter with a wild Pokémon and a familiar face clad in lab attire.
Review responses section- Thankyou Antrodextorm for your kind review, I can only hope that the story genuinely picks up that amount of interest. Your kind words helped me get the chapter out (albeit a small one) but as the story progresses they will get longer, I was contemplating dropping the story as no one seemed interested in the idea of a Pokémon zombie fiction yet for you and your kind words my dear, I shall continue.
A/N Any errors point them out and let me know M'kay.