Disclaimer: I don't now, nor have I ever, and likely never will own pokemon
Chapter 2 – Pain and Innocence
"Where am I?" asked Seigai, only to hear his voice echo before him. He found himself in a white void. The floating sensation made him feel uneasy.
"Is there anyone there?" asked Seigai.
Nothing was his answer.
"Am I dead?" thought Seigai, as he began to hear a faint voice emerge from the void.
"Hello! Is there someone there?" shouted Seigai, as the voice he heard got louder.
"Seigai," spoke the voice. It was clearly speaking his name. As the voice became louder, Seigai quickly recognized it.
"Akane!" shouted Seigai.
"Seigai," spoke Akane, as a spectral form appeared before Seigai. At first, it was only a bright light, brighter than the rest of the void. Before long, the light began to take a form. As it continued to condense, the form of Akane emerged before Seigai.
"Dear," spoke Akane.
"Akane... is this a dream?" asked Seigai.
"Yes and no. You're not awake, but this is indeed real," replied Akane.
"So then... what happened, was that real, or just a horrible nightmare?" asked Seigai.
"No, it was real," replied Akane, sounding depressed at reflecting upon what had taken place.
"I see," spoke Seigai, as tears formed in his eyes.
"I don't have much time. In the outside world, time is passing by rather quickly, and there are some things you need to see," spoke Akane.
"Things I need to see?" asked Seigai.
"I need to show you part of your future. I believe these events won't happen without some clues being imparted to you. This is what I saw as I was dying, Seigai. I hope you are able to make these visions into reality," explained Akane.
"Do I want to?" asked Seigai.
"Yes, I believe you do," spoke Akane.
"What will happen after you show me these visions?" asked Seigai, "Will you disappear?"
"I can't say for sure; I can't really describe it in words, so I'll simply remind you of one fact: I shall love you now and always," spoke Akane, as she reached for Seigai, and gave him a gentle kiss on the lips.
"I don't understand... but I'm sure understanding will come later," spoke Seigai, with a smile.
"Thank you, Seigai, for everything. Now then, to show you what the future will hold," spoke Akane.
The void around Seigai and Akane began to change. Seigai could feel himself standing on solid ground. It was then he became aware his body was still whole, but he didn't wish to interrupt Akane to ask what it all meant. He focused on the objects that appeared before him. Soon, his family appeared, one by one. He watched as events that had yet to occur were laid out before him.
Satoshi looked at the bed with Seigai in place. He could only frown at the state his son in law was in. To have lost his limbs was one thing, but to even have his face forever scarred in addition was too much. In his mind, it was a miracle that they were even able to keep him alive at all. It had been a few days since the incident had taken place. Satoshi had spent all his time looking for Ryoku, but to no avail. It appeared as though the young ralts had disappeared without a trace. Furthermore, none of the villagers had seen her. Satoshi frowned further at the thought. He didn't want Seigai to wake up, and have to hear the news that his daughter was also missing. It was already enough that he had lost his wife, as well as the freedom to take care of himself. He was worried Seigai's broken mental state would prevent him from ever awakening. Still, he decided to remain by his side, in case he finally did wake up. Kasumi was looking after the children, being careful not to take her eyes off of them. She was also trying her best to stay level headed enough to properly prepare the funeral arrangements for Akane. As much as she just wanted to cry after losing her daughter so soon after she was allowed to be a part of her life again, she had to remain strong for the children, her husband, and soon her son in law. Satoshi continued to watch Seigai. Every now and then, he would stir, almost looking as though he may finally wake, but each time, he would stop moving, and silence would fill the air once again. At that point, he heard a knock on the door.
"May I come in?" asked a male voice.
"Who are you?" asked Satoshi.
"I am his employer, Dr. Den. I believe we met at your daughter's wedding," spoke the man.
"Oh, Kenji, you may enter," replied Satoshi.
Kenji gently opened the door, looking at the crippled Seigai in the bed.
"Unbelievable. I can't believe this has happened again. It seems as though someone has been carrying a grudge against him and his colleagues," spoke Kenji.
"His colleagues? I've been meaning to ask, but do you know where they are? I've been trying to contact them for the past few days, but they haven't answered their phones.
"I know where they are. They were found by the police yesterday, in an abandoned warehouse. It appeared as though they were burned to death. The police are looking into it, but it appears to be the work of the man who killed Koshio Toyo last year," replied Kenji.
"How horrible..." spoke Satoshi.
"Before he slipped into his current state, did he say anything to you about who did this to him?" asked Kenji.
"No, he didn't. As far as I could tell, he was already slipping. He had seen his wife killed right in front of him; it's no surprise his mind closed. I can't even read his thoughts; it's almost as if he were dead, too," replied Satoshi, a visible frown on his face.
"I see. I would find it strange if these two incidents weren't linked in some manner. He didn't have any burns, though, did he?" asked Kenji.
"One of his hands was burned, but the burned area was too small, and even then the injury was not that extensive. From where he was burned, it seemed to have happened after he was trapped in those boulders," explained Satoshi.
"I see. There's no doubt this was done by two different people. The police have already started their investigation; I'll let you know if anything turns up," replied Kenji.
"Thank you," replied Satoshi.
Kenji nodded in response, then took his leave. Shin was waiting for him out in the corridor.
"It's unlike you not to complete a mission," spoke Kenji.
"He seemed dead to me. He didn't even scream when I burnt that hand of his," spoke Shin.
"His arm was severed at the time, you fool!" shouted Kenji.
"Oh, so that's why. Well, I suppose I should have checked then. I did want to hear that gardevoir scream some more before she died," replied Shin.
"This makes things very difficult for us," spoke Kenji.
"Did he tell anyone?" asked Shin.
"He was already comatose when he was found, fortunately for you. He's been unable to say anything to anyone. The gardevoir in there says he can't even read his mind for any information," replied Kenji.
"Oh, that is good news," spoke Shin.
"Is it? That could change at any time. For us, he's a ticking time bomb," replied Kenji.
"Shall I kill him now, then?" asked Shin.
"Kill him now? Oh, splendid idea. Fool! If it was that easy, I'd have done it myself!" shouted Kenji.
"Easy, there are other people here. Don't be so loud," spoke Shin.
"The security here is high. Nothing we couldn't handle, but we would almost certainly expose ourselves. The last thing I need is that kind of popularity," replied Kenji.
"So what do we do?" asked Shin.
"I'm trying to find out what kind of deals I'd have to make to bribe the staff here. Whether I can get them to kill him or simply have them ignore an assassin, I'm not sure, but the people here certainly have a price. It will take time, though. A mistake in the process would expose us for sure. All we can do right now is wait," replied Kenji.
"And what if he wakes up?" asked Shin.
"Kill him and anyone he speaks to. I'll fabricate some kind of story later," spoke Kenji.
"Ho ho, I like this plan," spoke Shin.
"And do it quietly, should it become necessary. No torture," replied Kenji.
"What? No torture? Now that takes all of the fun out of it," spoke Shin.
"You had your chance to do it the 'fun' way. Now you'll do it my way. Keep an eye on him for now," spoke Kenji.
"What about that gardevoir?" asked Shin.
"Kill him, too, but only if it's absolutely necessary. Make it look like it went down trying to protect its master," replied Kenji.
"I probably won't have to do much to make it look like that. Shall I use fire-types this time?" asked Shin.
"No, use dark-types. Don't take any chances with that psychic-type," replied Kenji.
"I do have a couple of houndour," spoke Shin.
"Fire is too flashy for this; use your umbreon," replied Kenji.
"Fine, stealth assassination with umbreon it is," spoke Shin, disappointment evident in his voice.
"I should mention that you won't want to fail me this time. You'll find yourself burned to a cinder if you do, and I'll make sure they don't leave a body behind to be found," replied Kenji.
"Very well, I'll make sure it is taken care of," spoke Shin, "Now, what about his family?"
"Leave them be for now. I can't think of any good reason to have them killed, and deaths without good reason could cause trouble," replied Kenji.
"Are you sure? They may learn something," spoke Shin.
"Learn what? That gardevoir told me he couldn't read Seigai's mind. They consider me one of his friends; they would not lie to me on the point. And besides that, I can tell when a pokemon is lying. He was being honest with me. There is no way anyone in his family could learn the truth of the incident. It's not about that, though, is it?" asked Kenji.
"What do you mean?" asked Shin.
"You just want to have someone to torture, don't you?" asked Kenji.
"Perhaps. I thoroughly enjoyed the screams of agony that gardevoir made when I hit her with that laser. Made up for when I missed her head," replied Shin, "Not to mention those kids of his are abominations."
"You will not harm anyone in his family, unless they are interfering with your mission or our interests, and I'll decide what actions constitute both. Should you harm any of them against my orders, I'll not only have you burned to death, but I'll ask them to make it as slow and painful as possible," spoke Kenji.
"I understand," replied Shin.
"Good. See to it that you don't do anything foolish," spoke Kenji.
The pair left the hospital, and returned to the Union Corporation building. Kenji was hoping to continue developing his pokemon hybrid research. He believed he would be ready for tests within the next couple of months.
In Hayashi, Ryoku was looking at the baby boy next to her. For the past few days, Ryoku had been staying at the small boy's side while he slept. Whenever she sensed someone approaching, she would find somewhere to hide herself. As she was still fairly young, she was not able to properly communicate with anyone. She felt it would be best not to get caught by others. After a week had passed, she wanted to make her way back to her home. She was tired of eating random things she found lying around. The last berry plant she had eaten from had made her feel ill. She was careful not to act this way around the baby, though. As Ryoku attempted to leave, she started feeling worse, and ended up passing out in the middle of the floor.
A few hours later, the child's parents entered the room. At first, they didn't notice Ryoku, who was still passed out on the floor. They entered when they heard their child crying. They couldn't figure out what was wrong. He kept looking at something, while crying loudly. His parents checked his diaper, even tried to feed him, but nothing seemed to be working.
"Mizuho, what do you think is wrong with Aomine today?" asked the boy's father.
"I don't know, Muzo," replied the boy's mother.
"He keeps looking at the floor... oh my, how did that get in here?" asked Muzo.
"What are you talking about... oh," replied Mizuho. The couple finally saw Ryoku passed out on the floor. Muzo looked over the ralts. He noticed she wasn't moving. He then placed a hand on her.
"This pokemon appears to be ill," spoke Muzo.
"Should we take it to the Pokemon Center?" asked Mizuho.
"That would be the proper thing to do," replied Muzo, as he prepared his car.
"There, there, we won't let that little pokemon hurt you," spoke Mizuho.
Muzo returned, and carried Ryoku out of the room. Instead of calming down Aomine, however, it only made the child scream louder.
"Goodness, what is it?" asked Mizuho. It quickly dawned on her that her child was worried about the ralts.
"Are you worried about that little pokemon?" asked Mizuho.
Aomine continued to cry out. Mizuho decided to take Aomine to the family car. Muzo was just about to pull out of the driveway.
"Dear, I think we should go with you," spoke Mizuho.
"Don't worry, it won't be long," replied Muzo.
"No, it's not that. Aomine appears to be crying because of his concern for this pokemon," spoke Mizuho.
"Are you sure?" asked Muzo.
"He started screaming rather loudly once you took it out of the room. Hear him now? He's calmed down a little," explained Mizuho.
"Okay then, I guess we'll just have to go together," replied Muzo, as he walked around to where the baby seat was in the back of the car. He made sure the pokemon had plenty of space before setting his son in the seat. Aomine had now calmed down, though it was obvious he was still a little upset.
"It's okay, we'll have your little friend feeling better soon," spoke Mizuho in a calming voice. Aomine remained quiet. The child turned to look at his new found friend. The child's attention was on Ryoku for all of the ride to the Pokemon Center. Muzo gently took the ralts out of the car seat, and made his way into the Pokemon Center.
"May I help you?" asked Nurse Joy.
"This little one here appears to be ill. I found it lying in my son's bedroom, unconscious," replied Muzo.
"I'll take care of it right away," spoke Nurse Joy, as she took Ryoku.
Aomine started to cry again upon seeing the ralts taken away again.
"It's okay, Nurse Joy is going to help, don't worry, Aomine," spoke Mizuho.
Aomine's crying calmed a little, though it was obvious he was still very upset.
A half hour passed before Nurse Joy returned with a sleeping ralts in her hand.
"How is it?" asked Muzo.
"This ralts is okay, now. It appears she ate something from a poisonous plant. It was easy enough to remove the poison and give her an antidote. She's sleeping peacefully now," replied Nurse Joy.
"So this creature is called a ralts. I've never seen one before," spoke Muzo.
"They aren't native to this area. Where did you find her?" asked Nurse Joy.
"She was just in my house. I don't know how she got there. She may have been in our house before, since our son seems to be attached to her," spoke Mizuho.
"I see. I heard a couple was looking for a missing ralts. This may be her," replied Nurse Joy.
"So she belongs to someone?" asked Muzo.
"Her grandparents," replied Nurse Joy.
"Oh... wait, her grandparents were looking? How did you know?" asked Muzo.
"I'll inform them. You'll understand when you see them," replied Nurse Joy, as she handed the ralts to Muzo.
In response, Ryoku curled up on Muzo's lab, appearing to feel comfortable with where she was.
Nurse Joy called Seigai's house, getting the attention of Kasumi. She was overjoyed at the news, gathered her other children, and arrived at the Pokemon Center after teleporting in.
"My grandchild!" shouted Kasumi, as she ran over, and hugged the sleeping ralts.
"Are you the ones who brought her in?" asked Kasumi.
Mizuho and Muzo were stunned. This was the first time they had seen a gardevoir, let alone one capable of talking to humans. They were too stunned to even nod their heads. Aomine was giggling at the sight of another friendly looking pokemon.
"She had gotten into their house somehow, had been hiding in their son's room. They didn't notice her until they found her passed out from eating poisoned berries. She's just fine now, and merely resting," explained Nurse Joy.
"Oh, thank you so much for helping my grandchild!" shouted Kasumi, as she hugged the two adults before her. Aomine giggled again.
"Don't mention it?" spoke Muzo.
"Y-yes, um, it was no problem at all," spoke Mizuho.
Kasumi let go of the couple. She was confused for a moment at the strange actions of the couple, before she finally realized what the issue was.
"You've never met one of us before, have you?" asked Kasumi
"No," replied Muzo.
"Neither have I," replied Mizuho.
"We're known as psychic-types; this grants us, amongst other abilities, the potential to learn how to properly interact with humans," explained Kasumi, "As I had spent much time under a trainer, I have since learned how to talk with humans."
"That helps a little," spoke Mizuho.
"It seems the little one likes me," spoke Kasumi, with a smile.
"He seems to like your grandchild quite a bit," spoke Mizuho.
"Oh? Ryoku, did you make a friend?" asked Kasumi, while looking at the sleeping ralts.
"He was crying when he thought his friend was in trouble. Little guy was really worried," spoke Muzo.
"Is that so? You did a good job, little one. You helped protect my granddaughter," spoke Kasumi. Aomine giggled. At that point, Ryoku finally awoke.
"Ra ra..." muttered Ryoku.
"Oh, seems she's awake," spoke Mizuho.
"Alts?" asked Ryoku. She recognized she was with her grandmother, but she couldn't figure out who the adults in front of her were, and backed up as a result.
"Oh dear, she's just being a little shy," spoke Kasumi, as she turned to face Ryoku, "It's okay, they won't hurt you. They brought you here to be healed. They're good people."
Aomine giggled again, catching the attention of Ryoku. She stepped away from Kasumi, and walked over to the smiling baby.
"Oh, you want to say hi to Aomine?" asked Mizuho, as she held Aomine close to Ryoku.
"Alts al... al... al!" shouted Ryoku, while smiling at Aomine.
"What is she saying?" asked Mizuho.
"She's still a baby; it'll be a little while before she actually speaks actual words. Seems like she's trying to say your son's name.
"Al!" shouted Ryoku, as she looked at the smiling child in front of her.
"Ao?" asked Muzo, "Not a bad nickname for Aomine. It'll make for a good story when we tell him how he got his nickname later on."
"Al!" shouted Ryoku, before she started giggling.
"Looks like these two might just become the best of friends in the future," spoke Kasumi.
"Well, now that everything is settled, perhaps we should get ourselves home," spoke Mizuho.
"Yes, I do have to get up early for work tomorrow morning," replied Muzo, as he stood up from the bench he was sharing with his wife and child.
"We should get going to. I'm sure the little ones would like to get some sleep," spoke Kasumi, while looking at the three ralts and baby boy.
"We could take you home, if you'd like," spoke Mizuho.
"Oh, that's okay. I can easily teleport all four of us back to our home. Thank you for the offer. Come now, Ryoku, it's time to go home," spoke Kasumi, as she reached out for Ryoku. The ralts tried to walk back over to Aomine.
"Ra ra!" shouted Ryoku.
"You don't want to leave Aomine?" asked Kasumi.
"Ra ra alts!" shouted Ryoku.
"Well, perhaps a ride would be okay, so the little ones can spend just a little more time with one another," spoke Kasumi.
Mizuho smiled at the children as Muzo led the way to the car. The ride home was peaceful. Mizuho, Muzo, and Kasumi talked about their daily lives and how it was raising children. They laughed when Kasumi told the couple how her daughter and son in law were when they found they found Akane was pregnant with triplets. They laughed more when Kasumi told them her husband and her fainted from the excitement. When they asked about how Akane and Seigai felt about being parents, she grew silent. Muzo and Mizuho decided it would be best not to pry. Kasumi gave the couple directions to Seigai's home at the edge of Hayashi.
"Thank you for the ride," spoke Kasumi.
"Oh, it's no trouble," spoke Muzo.
"I hope we'll get a chance to talk again," spoke Mizuho.
"Say bye bye, children," spoke Kasumi.
"Ra-alts!" shouted the three children together.
"Bye!" spoke Mizuho, while smiling and waving. Aomine was giggling, feeling the happiness of those around him. The two families parted ways for the evening.
Upon entering the house, she noticed Satoshi was still not home. She concluded he may have fallen asleep while looking after Seigai, and decided to prepare herself to go to sleep.
Over the next few weeks, Mizuho, Muzo, and Aomine would come to visit the family. Satoshi said he didn't have a problem with them visiting. He mentioned it was nice to have others to talk to. Ryoku and Aomine were always playing and laughing with one another. Hatsumi and Sakashi would join in, though Aomine was much more comfortable with Ryoku. Even though the three children looked nearly identical, Aomine was able to tell Ryoku apart from the others. Ryoku was about an inch shorter than her siblings, while her hair was a little longer, reaching to just above her mouth. Sakashi was the tallest of the three, while Hatsumi had the shortest hair, almost high enough to reveal her eyes.
Satoshi continued to keep an eye on Seigai, as did Shin in secret. One day, Satoshi noticed Seigai twisting and turning quite violently. He was about to summon a doctor when Seigai finally awoke.
"Seigai?" asked Satoshi.
"Uh... my head... wait... my... my body..." muttered Seigai.
"I'm sorry, Seigai... they had to amputate what was left of your arms and legs... and your eye and ear were also destroyed," spoke Satoshi, in a sad tone.
"I know. I... had a vision. Akane showed me the future," spoke Seigai.
"Akane?" asked Satoshi.
"She must have done something... something right before she... she..." spoke Seigai. As he was saying that, it hit him that Akane was no longer with him, prompting tears to fall from his remaining eye.
"Seigai," spoke Satoshi.
"I'm sorry... if only I told her to stay home..." muttered Seigai.
"It's not your fault. How could you have known something like this was going to happen?" asked Satoshi.
"Something like this... it wasn't an accident, someone was sent to kill us!" shouted Seigai.
"What?" asked Satoshi.
"Sorry to interrupt!" shouted Shin, as he entered the room. He closed and locked the door.
"You!" shouted Seigai angrily. He wanted to get up and assault the man who had taken the life of his wife, but was quickly reminded he couldn't.
"What a shame. Return to the world only to be sent into the darkness. Pity. At least you gave me another gardevoir to kill! I love the way they scream when they die!" shouted Shin, as he released two of his pokeballs, bringing forth a pair of umbreon.
"Satoshi! Teleport! Now!" shouted Seigai.
Satoshi didn't question Seigai; Shin was uncomfortable enough, but the pair of umbreon sealed it. He quickly got a hold of Seigai, and prepared to take the two home.
"Not so fast! Dark pulse!" shouted Shin.
As the dark energy was unleashed upon Seigai and Satoshi, the pair left, leaving the dark energy to smash the medical equipment.
"Damn it all!" shouted Shin. Alarms started going off, prompting Shin to make a hasty departure before any of the hospital staff arrived. Kenji had yet to buy off the staff of the hospital. Even with the police force under Union control, Shin didn't want to take any chances.
In a flash, Satoshi and Seigai appeared in Seigai's home. Seigai hit the ground with a thud, having no way to right himself as he suddenly appeared in his house.
"Ouch..." muttered Seigai.
"Sorry, I was rushing," spoke Satoshi.
"Oh, Seigai!" shouted Kasumi, as she looked over her son in law.
"I'm... heh... okay..." muttered Seigai.
"They didn't give you a wheelchair or anything?" asked Kasumi.
"I don't have time to explain. We have to leave here, immediately," spoke Seigai.
"What do you mean?" asked Kasumi.
"Akane was murdered. Seems someone from Seigai's work is after him. That man tried to kill the two of us," replied Satoshi.
"Are you serious?" asked Kasumi.
"Quite, we have to get to somewhere safe. I'm sure they'll come here looking for us," spoke Seigai.
"We should call the police first," spoke Satoshi.
"No, we can't," spoke Seigai.
"Why not?" asked Satoshi.
"They control the police. I saw it in my vision. We can't trust them," replied Seigai.
"Very well, where should we go?" asked Kasumi.
"Well... what's the biggest thing you can teleport safely?" asked Seigai.
"The two of us could probably teleport something fairly large," replied Satoshi.
"What did you have in mind?' asked Kasumi.
In the Union building, Kenji was furious. He couldn't believe Shin had managed to fail him a second time.
"How could you allow him to escape again!" shouted Kenji.
"I didn't intend to. I didn't think that gardevoir would be so fast. That other gardevoir was so slow, and Seigai is no trainer. I assumed this gardevoir would have been slow, too," explained Shin.
"You assumed? You assumed! Did you learn anything while in the army!" shouted Kenji.
"I learned to predict the actions of my enemy based upon their previous strategies. I don't have that much to go on. He had left me with the impression that he was ill-prepared for someone to suddenly take his life. Based on this, I can only assume this gardevoir has been trained before. It quickly assessed my umbreon, and knew escape was the only smart choice," explained Shin.
"Okay, so tell me, where did they go?" asked Kenji.
"Likely to his house. At best, somewhere in Hayashi. I find it unlikely that he would choose to remain here in Okadamashi.
"Then go after him, and kill anyone he has spoken with. That cripple can't have gone far!" shouted Kenji.
"I have already sent a squad after him, sir. I will not allow him to escape again. They should be at the target's house within the next few minutes," replied Shin.
"Oh? Didn't want to kill them yourself?" asked Kenji.
"Business before pleasure, sir," replied Shin. The man actually did want to kill Seigai and his family, but knew it would be wise to send someone else right away, rather than risk failing again.
"Well, at least you've done something right," spoke Kenji.
"I do not tolerate failure from my subordinates, much less from myself, sir. I always have a backup plan, " replied Shin.
"Good, good," spoke Kenji.
Shin felt his radio vibrate, signaling him of an incoming transmission from one of his men.
"Ah, very good," spoke Shin, as he answered the call.
"Have you reached the targets home?" asked Shin.
"It's gone," spoke the man on the radio.
"I beg your pardon?" asked Shin.
"It's gone. The house, everything, it's gone," spoke the man.
"Are you sure you're in the right place!" shouted Shin.
"We are certain, sir. The address is an exact match. There is a hole here in the shape of a building, but there is no longer a building here. It's as though it vanished into thin air," spoke the man.
"Are you sure it's not just some kind of optical illusion? He is a scientist, he may have known a little more than just medicine, and he is known to work with psychic pokemon," spoke Shin.
"There's nothing here at all. We've already sent out our dark types to make sure of it., seeing as they wouldn't be affected by a psychic. Whatever was here before is gone now," replied the man.
"Search the area! Find them!" shouted Shin, as he switched off the radio.
"Shin!" shouted Kenji.
"This isn't possible. There's no way a building could just disappear!" shouted Shin, as he smashed his fist through a nearby table, before a look of calm returned to his face.
"What about the police. Surely they've contacted the police by now. There's no way they could know we control them," spoke Shin.
"Ah, yes, I almost forgot," spoke Kenji, as he called the Okadamashi Police Department.
"Ah, Dr. Den, what can we help you with this evening?" asked the officer at the other end of the line.
"Has there been anyone calling complaining about a member of my company attacking them?" asked Kenji.
"Not to my knowledge, please give me a moment to check," replied the officer, as he put Kenji on hold. Kenji frowned as he wait to receive a reply. After a few minutes, the officer picked up on his end.
"There have been no reports of Union Corporation employees attacking anyone. If there was, you would have been contacted immediately," replied the officer.
"Have you received any calls from a man known as Dr. Seigai Urufu?" asked Kenji.
"I'll check again," replied the officer, leaving Kenji to wait once again.
"No, sir, no complaints from anyone by that name or anyone with a similar name. There have been no complaints from anyone concerning your company, Dr. Den. Is there anything else I may help you with?" asked the officer.
"No, that is all," replied Kenji.
"Good evening, sir," spoke the officer, as he hung up his phone. Kenji slammed his phone in response.
"Nothing?" asked Shin.
"Nothing!" shouted Kenji.
"Calm down, sir, we'll find him. I'll have my men keep an ear open for news of his whereabouts. He's a cripple with no arms or legs, no to mention a missing eye and ear. He's not someone who could hide easily, and would be recognized quickly by anyone who saw him," spoke Shin.
"I hope so for your sake," spoke Kenji.
"If I may ask, sir, how is Project Union?" asked Shin.
"I've been doing much to overcome the hurdle in the form of my lack of understanding of human medicine. Fortunately, as luck would have it, I've been able to figure out most of what I would have needed Seigai for," spoke Kenji.
"How much longer do you think it will take?" asked Shin.
"A few more weeks should be all that is needed," replied Kenji.
"Very good. Should I have the pokemon you requested gathered, or would you prefer a test to be conducted first?" asked Shin.
"There is no need for a test. I will be Union's first experiment. I've been working on this for a long time, almost twenty years. I will not let someone else partake of the fruits of my labor before me," replied Kenji.
"Then I will have the pokemon you requested ready," spoke Shin.
"See to it, but keep in mind that getting rid of Seigai comes first. I do not need him causing me any trouble," spoke Kenji.
"I will take care of it," spoke Shin.
"Don't fail me again. It is only because of the excitement of my near completion of this project that I have not summoned the twins to burn you alive," replied Kenji, "now go, before I change my mind."
Shin wasted no time in leaving the lab. He did not wish to face the twins Kenji was speaking of.
In Seigai's house, the gardevoir couple of Satoshi and Kasumi were laying on the floor. Seigai asked them to move his house out into the middle of the woods. The couple was able to do it, but they were nearly exhausted from the amount of strength it took to complete the task.
"Sorry, it was the only thing I could come up with," spoke Seigai.
"It's okay... as long as we're safe," spoke Satoshi.
"I'm worried about the children," spoke Seigai.
"I see your concern, but what are we going to do?" asked Kasumi.
"We should find someone who is able to look after them," spoke Seigai, "They'll be in danger if they stay here with me. You two should go somewhere safe, too. I'll manage, somehow."
"Are you joking? You're an immobile log, and you don't even have any depth perception. How do you intend to take care of yourself?" asked Kasumi.
"Myself? I'm worried about the rest of you. I don't want to lose anymore of my family to these people," spoke Seigai.
"I'll stay with you, Seigai. I will avenge my daughter," spoke Satoshi.
"I'll remain, too," spoke Kasumi.
"Are you sure? I can't force either of you two to do this," replied Seigai.
"We'll find a way. We even know someone who can take care of the children for us," spoke Kasumi.
"Is that so? Who did you have in mind?" asked Seigai.
"While we were digging you out of that tomb, Ryoku wandered away from the house, made her way across town, and ended up in a baby's room," explained Kasumi.
"She ended up becoming friends with the baby, and was discovered after eating some berries that didn't agree with her," explained Satoshi.
"Hmm... what is the name of the baby?" asked Seigai.
"Aomine," spoke Satoshi.
"Their family name?" asked Seigai.
"Ookami," replied Kasumi.
"Aomine... Ookami... I see, perfect!" shouted Seigai.
"Hm?" asked Satoshi and Kasumi.
"Part of the visions I had... I saw Ryoku with a strange man. I didn't recognize this person at all, but then I had a vision of two characters, those that spell my name," explained Seigai, "I thought it strange to see my name, but I think it was his name. If I'm right, his name is spelled with the same characters as mine."
"Amazing," spoke Satoshi.
"Remarkable," spoke Kasumi.
"Well, that makes part of those visions a reality, as well as solves one problem. Now I have a few more to tend to. Satoshi, there should materials to build a suitable wheelchair. I'll need one for the time being. Kasumi, I guess we should contact Aomine's family.
"Okay, I have their phone number," spoke Kasumi.
"Uh... that won't help us," replied Seigai.
"Why not?" asked Kasumi.
"Unless you guys managed to pull all the cables and lines for the utilities with the house, we don't have any water, power, or the ability to use the phone," explained Seigai.
"Oh," spoke Kasumi.
"They're looking for me, not you. As long as you don't do anything suspicious, I don't think you'll have to fear bringing attention to yourself," spoke Seigai.
"Okay. I've been to their house before, so I can just teleport. It shouldn't be a problem," replied Kasumi.
"Ah, okay. Could you take me with you, after Satoshi has the wheelchair ready? I would like to be able to meet the ones who are likely going to be looking after my children for quite some time," spoke Seigai.
"Of course. Would you like to see the children?" asked Kasumi.
"Not until I have the wheelchair. I don't want them to see me like this, stuck on this floor with no way to move. It's going to be hard enough on them not being able to have Akane and me in their lives for some time..." spoke Seigai, starting to sound depressed.
"Are you okay?" asked Kasumi, as she walked over to Seigai. She gently sat him up, though she found it was difficult to keep him up without any limbs.
"I'll be okay. There's a lot for me to take in. I don't even know what day it is," spoke Seigai.
"It is the sixth of May," replied Kasumi.
"Sixth of May? I was out for a month?" asked Seigai.
"You have," replied Kasumi.
"Oh... it didn't seem like it was that long... only a few hours to me, probably more, since I was absorbed in the visions I was having," spoke Seigai.
"Can you tell us what all you saw?" asked Kasumi.
"Hmm... I... don't think I should. I still can't make sense of most of what I saw, though I have an idea of what some of the things meant. I believe they were mostly to serve as Akane telling me not to give up on life, despite everything that has taken place. It's so hard to believe that everything flipped upside down like this. One day, I'm a scientist working on a breakthrough project with two of the best minds I've ever had the privilege of working with, and I got to come home to a loving wife and three wonderful children. Now, my boss is trying to kill me while turning the research I was using to heal people into some kind of weapon. I have to stop them, somehow. I just can't let them get away with this," spoke Seigai.
"What are we going to do?" asked Kasumi.
"I have an idea of where we can start. First things first, though. I want to make sure that the children are taken care of. I refuse to do anything that would put them at risk. I could never live with myself if I let someone take away the greatest gift Akane ever gave me," replied Seigai.
"I understand. We had to make the same decision once, when we were captured. It wasn't Takeshi, but another trainer, a cruel individual who felt winning meant more than the livelihood of his pokemon. We could sense this in him immediately upon seeing him. We knew we ourselves had no way of escaping, and did our best to hide Akane, for her own protection. I'm surprised she remembers things so differently. I was worried she would come to resent us for seemingly abandoning her. She thought it was the trainer who chose to leave her behind. I don't doubt that man would have done just that, but I didn't want to take any chances," explained Kasumi.
"How did you end up in the care of Takeshi?" asked Seigai.
"Our previous trainer attempted to take on Brawly, the gym leader in Dewford Town, in the Hoenn Region. He was overconfident from his victory against Roxanne of Rustboro City, and took him on without learning anything of how he battled or extra time to train. His other four pokemon were quickly defeated, so he sent us out, expecting to win, since we had a type advantage over the fighting-type pokemon Brawly used. We had him down to his last pokemon, a Machamp. Despite the advantage we held, we were soundly beaten. Our trainer was furious. Satoshi was the last one out. As Satoshi fell, our trainer continued to yell at and berate him, even going to far as to try to force him to continue. We're a very loyal race, dedicated to protecting others, even those who would just assume watch us die. Satoshi attempted to continue the fight, but Brawly would have none of hit, declaring the match over. Our trainer, further enraged shouted at Satoshi to unleash the strongest thunderbolt he could muster. He attempted it, even in his weakened state. The attack failed, and he fell to the ground unconscious. Our trainer started kicking an beating Satoshi out of frustration. At that point, Brawly had Machamp restrain our trainer. He called in the police, and had his trainer license revoked, as well as having all of his pokemon released. This was how we ended up meeting Takeshi. He was helping in setting free all of our previous trainer's pokemon. Something about him made us wish to remain with him, so we offered to fight alongside him. And then we ended up here," explained Kasumi.
"Seems the two of you have been through a lot over the years," spoke Seigai.
"We were, but we persevered, because we had each other," spoke Satoshi, as he returned with a wheelchair he made from the materials he found in Seigai's personal lab.
"Ah, thank you, Satoshi," spoke Seigai, as Kasumi lifted up Seigai, and placed him in the wheelchair. Satoshi gave the chair straps to help sit Seigai up. Seigai smiled, glad he didn't have to lay helpless on the floor.
"That's much better. I'll still need one of you to push me around for a while, but I can get used to it," replied Seigai, "at least for the time being."
"You could use your research to restore your body, right?" asked Satoshi.
"I could, but I would need access to the right equipment for that. I somewhat doubt Shin and Kenji will just let me into the lab to give myself a new body while they're trying to kill me," replied Seigai.
"So what do we do?" asked Satoshi.
"I have a plan, but don't worry about that for now. I would like to see Ryoku, Hatsumi, and Sakashi, while I still have the chance. I don't want to say goodbye without seeing them one last time. I just wish we could have more time together... I was hoping to get the chance to hear their first words, but... well, their safely comes first," replied Seigai.
"It's okay, Seigai. We've been through the same," spoke Satoshi.
"That's true. I don't know how you two managed, but if you were able to, then I'll find a way," replied Seigai.
Kasumi left to get the children. Seigai was waiting anxiously to see them once again. He was nervous about them seeing him as he was, and pondered if he should allow them to remember him as he was, but he didn't want to send his children away without seeing them, letting them think they were abandoned. Kasumi soon returned with his children. They stood still for a second, not sure what to make of the strange person in the wheelchair.
"Ra-ra ralts," muttered Hatsumi, as she backed up.
"It's okay, it's me, daddy. I know I look different, but it's okay. I'm not scary," spoke Seigai, while letting a smile grace his face. The young ralts remembered the sound of his voice, and were soon all over him.
"Oh, ho, ha ha!" shouted Seigai, as his children fought to get a seat with their father.
"Easy, now, one at a time, one at a time. I don't think this thing will hold all of you," spoke Seigai.
"Ralts!" shouted the three children in excitement, as they crawled all over their father. Sakashi had managed to not only climb up into Seigai's chair, but had managed to make it to the top of Seigai's head.
"I'm on top of the world!" shouted Sakashi.
"Yes you are! Wait... Sakashi?" asked Seigai.
"Yes?" asked Sakashi.
"You can talk?" asked Seigai.
"Talk? Wait... I am?" asked Sakashi.
"Um, Satoshi, Kasumi?" asked Seigai.
"Oh, sorry, I thought you knew. All pokemon are born able to talk, but the part of their mind that allows them to be coherent takes a few months to properly develop. I'm surprised any of them are talking this soon," spoke Seigai.
"Wait, you all are born able to talk?" asked Seigai.
"More or less. Our minds develop a lot faster than a human's. It allows us to be able to better take care of ourselves on our own," explained Satoshi.
"Ralts! I want to talk, too," spoke Ryoku.
"I believe you just did," spoke Seigai.
"About time, I was getting bored," spoke Hatsumi.
"Eh?" asked Seigai, "How long have you been able to talk?"
"For a week. I thought it would be funny to fake it," spoke Hatsumi, while making a large grin.
"My my, so many surprises," spoke Seigai.
"Father, where's mother?" asked Sakashi.
"Oh... your mother is... resting," spoke Seigai.
"When is she going to wake up?" asked Hatsumi.
"She... isn't..." replied Seigai.
"What do you mean? Can't we wake her up?" asked Ryoku.
"I'm afraid I can't..." muttered Seigai. He had done well to keep from breaking down, in light of having to deal with the emergency posed by those trying to kill him. However, he hadn't been anticipating explaining to his children what death meant and how their mother was never coming home. He could no longer hold back the tears.
"I'm sorry... your mother isn't coming home," spoke Seigai, through his tears.
"I want to see mother!" shouted Hatsumi, as she began to cry.
"Me, too!" shouted Sakashi.
Ryoku was silent, though she, too, began to cry.
"It'll be okay, guys... it'll be okay," spoke Seigai, trying to keep his voice steady.
After a few minutes of crying, Ryoku finally looked up at her father.
"Daddy, why are you in that funny chair?" asked Ryoku.
"This? Oh... I was... in an accident," replied Seigai.
"What kind of accident," asked Sakashi.
"One where I almost... died," spoke Seigai.
"Died?" asked Ryoku.
"Is that what happened to mama?" asked Hatsumi.
"Yeah, that's what happened to mama," replied Seigai.
"Why?" asked Sakashi.
"Someone doesn't like me. There are these people, bad people, who wanted to make me do something to hurt other people. I didn't want to do it, so they decided to come after me," explained Seigai.
"But I thought you weren't supposed to hurt people?" asked Sakashi.
"Why would they want to hurt you and mama for not wanting to hurt other people?" asked Hatsumi.
"That's how things are in the adult world. They don't always make sense, but we have to make do and continue on, because we can never quit," spoke Seigai.
"Never quit?" asked Ryoku.
"That's right, never quit. Never give up. Your mama didn't want me to give up, so she gave me a vision of the future. We'll all have a happy life together, as long as we don't give in to sadness," replied Seigai.
"Mama wants us to be happy?" asked Sakashi.
"That's right. Mama wants us to be happy, so we should be happy, then, right?" asked Ryoku.
"That's right, that's right!" shouted Seigai, with a smile on his face again. He was thankful for the vision Akane gave him; it had made things much easier for him than if he didn't receive a farewell from his wife. Seigai enjoyed playing with his children for the next few hours. As it grew close to sunset, Seigai knew he had to say goodbye.
"Well, I suppose it's time go to Aomine's house," spoke Seigai.
"I can't wait to see Aomine!" shouted Ryoku.
"Oh? Only a few months old, and already you have a boyfriend?" asked Seigai.
"Huh? Boyfriend?" asked Ryoku.
"Ha ha, just kidding, just kidding," spoke Seigai.
"Oh... what's a boyfriend?" asked Ryoku.
"Um... er... ah... I'll tell you when your older, okay?" asked Seigai.
"Okay," spoke Ryoku.
"I want to know now," spoke Hatsumi.
"Me, too," replied Sakashi.
"Well, I'll tell you then. It means this: shoujo ya wakai nin tachino koibito no josei ga otoko," spoke Seigai.
"Oh," replied the three young ralts.
"Huh?" asked Seigai.
"They are psychic-types. Once they can talk they can read your mind, too," replied Satoshi, while nearly breaking out in laughter.
"They can't read too much, but they wouldn't have to in order to avoid that trick," spoke Kasumi.
"Nice try in giving the textbook definition in another language," spoke Satoshi.
"You could have warned me," spoke Seigai.
"What's the fun in that?' asked Kasumi.
The three children were laughing as well, prompting Seigai to look down in shame.
"So, we're going somewhere, right?" asked Seigai.
"Oh, right," spoke Kasumi, "Let's go."
Seigai closed his eye, and felt the familiar sensation of being stretched out before arriving in the middle of another family's house. Mizuho and Muzo were more than surprised to see the group of six suddenly appear.
"Um... guys, why inside? Not in front?" asked Seigai.
"Oh dear, seems we were a little off. How clumsy of us," spoke Satoshi.
"Um... hi there," spoke Seigai, while staring at the couple.
"Satoshi? Kasumi? Who's this?" asked Mizuho.
"Oh, this is Seigai, the children's father," answered Satoshi.
"A pleasure to meet you both. Sorry I can't shake your hands," spoke Seigai.
"What happened to you?" asked Muzo.
"It's a bit of a story. One I need to tell you. Um... perhaps we should speak alone, away from the children," spoke Seigai.
"They can't understand us, can they?" asked Mizuho.
"They can, actually," replied Seigai.
"Why can't we listen?" asked Sakashi.
"I'll tell you another time, Sakashi. This is an adults-only conversation," replied Seigai.
"Okay," replied Sakashi.
"You can understand them?" asked Mizuho. Her and Muzo could only hear them saying their name over and over again.
"Oh, yes. Why wouldn't I be able to understand my own children?" asked Seigai.
"They really are your children? I thought you would be a pokemon yourself," spoke Muzo.
"Oh, well... things play out in mysterious ways," spoke Seigai.
"Hi Aomine!" shouted Ryoku.
The baby boy giggled in response.
"Well, seems they are already enjoying each other's company. Kasumi, Satoshi, can you look after the children?" asked Seigai.
"Of course," replied the gardevoir couple.
"So, where may we speak?" asked Seigai.
"Just how important is all of this?" asked Muzo, trying to hide his irritation in having a family suddenly appear in the middle of his house.
"I'm sorry to just barge in on you like this, but I don't have a lot of time. There is something of the utmost importance I must deal with, and I need your help," spoke Seigai.
"We'll hear you out, at least, but I won't make any promises," spoke Muzo, as he walked up to Seigai's wheelchair, and took him to another room. Mizuho followed.
"So, what is this all about?" asked Muzo.
Seigai proceeded to tell the couple about his history as a researcher. He spoke of how he made a breakthrough in the regeneration of the anatomy that was previously thought to be impossible, then went on to explain how pokemon were part of the process. Finally, he arrived to how his research was being turned into a weapon, and how his comrades and his wife had been killed over it, along with his current state resulting from an attempted assassination. The couple were speechless upon hearing the entire tale. It took a few minutes before the silence broke in the room.
"So that's what happened to your wife..." spoke Mizuho, "we didn't want to force it from your in-laws."
"So, someone is trying to kill you, and you're worried about your children?" asked Muzo.
"Correct. I don't want to put them in any danger, and I fear something may happen to them if they were to remain with me. I don't want to lose anyone else I'm close to," spoke Seigai.
"I want to help you, but I don't want to put our family in danger," spoke Muzo.
"You won't. They are only after me. They have no interest in my family. They'll never even know they're my children. To anyone else, it would seem as though you received three new pokemon," replied Seigai.
"But taking care of three young ralts, and our own son," spoke Mizuho.
"I can give you all the money you'll ever need, if that is your concern. I can even have rooms added to your home. Kasumi and Satoshi will help you, too. Unfortunately, I won't be able to help you out personally. I can't risk you being seen with me. I know this is a lot to ask of people I've just met, but I don't have too many options," spoke Seigai.
"What about the police?" asked Muzo.
"No good. They've already been bought off by the Union Corporation. Telling them about the situation would not end well," spoke Seigai.
"I'll do it, then," spoke Muzo.
"You will?" asked Seigai.
"It's against my nature not to help someone in need," replied Muzo.
"Are you sure about this, dear?" asked Mizuho.
"We can do it. We always wanted to have a big family. It was hard finding out we wouldn't be able to after the complications that arose from Aomine being born. This will be our chance to have that family," replied Muzo.
"Oh... you're right. Okay, I agree to help, too," spoke Mizuho.
"Thank you so much! I'll be sure to repay the favor one day, once all of this is over," replied Seigai.
"Don't worry about it," spoke Muzo, "It'll be our pleasure."
"Thank goodness there are people like you out here. It seems this was all fate, in some way or form. I only hope things will get better from here on out," spoke Seigai.
Muzo took the handles of Seigai's wheelchair, and took him into the living area, where Satoshi and Kasumi were watching the children play with one another.
"Huh, so human babies don't learn how to talk right away?" asked Hatsumi.
"That's no fun," spoke Sakashi.
"He can communicate, he just has a different way of doing it. I think it's cute the way he communicates by moving his little arms around," replied Ryoku.
Aomine continued to giggle, enjoying all the attention he was getting.
"Human babies are most interesting," spoke Satoshi.
"I don't know if I could parent a child like that," replied Kasumi.
"Ah, there you are," spoke Seigai, as he was wheeled in.
"So, what's the news?" asked Satoshi.
"We'll be more than glad to help you out. We won't let anything happen to the children," spoke Muzo.
"Thank you. As thanks, we do have one present for you," spoke Satoshi.
"Oh, we couldn't accept any gifts," spoke Muzo.
"It'll help," spoke Satoshi, as he and Kasumi approached Muzo and Mizuho. Satoshi placed his hand upon Muzo's head, while Kasumi placed her hand upon Mizuho's head. Within a moment, the eyes of the two gardevoir glowed a deep, navy blue. This glowing extended to their hands, and soon, the bodies of Mizuho and Muzo glowed the same. The glow lasted for a minute before disappearing as quickly as it came.
"What was that?" asked Mizuho.
"What did you do to uncle Muzo and auntie Mizuho?" asked Sakashi.
"It looked like fun! Can we try? Please?" asked Hatsumi.
"They can talk?" asked Muzo.
"They've been talking. You can understand them now," explained Seigai.
"Oh," replied Mizuho.
"It'll be much easier to raise them this way," replied Kasumi.
"I see. This certainly does help," replied Muzo.
"Well, I suppose I should say my goodbyes," spoke Seigai.
"Goodbyes?" asked Ryoku.
"Yes, you see, I have to go away for a little while," spoke Seigai.
"Go away? Where?" asked Hatsumi.
"I have to hide in a place where... where the bad people that hurt me can't find me," spoke Seigai.
"Can we come with you?" asked Sakashi.
"Sorry, but you can't. It's much too dangerous. I don't want anything bad to happen to any of you," replied Seigai.
"But daddy..." spoke Ryoku.
"We finally got to see you again," spoke Sakashi.
"Why do you have to leave again?" asked Hatsumi.
"It's in order to keep you safe. Don't worry, I'll be back again. It may be months, it may be years, but I'll be back again. Even if I'm not there, I'll always be watching you, so don't you fret," spoke Seigai.
"So, you'll always be near?" asked Ryoku.
"Of course! I'm your father, I would never abandon any of you. I love you all dearly. It hurts to have to leave you like this, but Ms. Mizuho and Mr. Muzo will take good care of you all, okay?" asked Seigai.
"Okay," spoke Sakashi.
"It's not fair! I don't want you to leave!" shouted Hatsumi, with tears in her eyes. She ran up and held onto Seigai, prompting the other ralts to follow.
"I know, it's not fair. But it'll be okay. Everything is going to be okay, I'll make sure of it. I would never lie to any of you, so consider this a promise," spoke Seigai.
"Daddy..." spoke Hatsumi.
Seigai kissed his daughter on the cheek, letting her know everything would be okay. His other children also received and quick kiss, each being comforted by their father's warmth.
"We'll miss you," spoke Ryoku.
"I know you will," spoke Seigai.
"Bye, daddy," spoke Hatsumi.
"Goodbye, father," spoke Sakashi.
"Bye bye, dad," spoke Ryoku.
"I'll always be watching, so be good, now. Goodbye," spoke Seigai, with a pleasant grin on his face.
"We'll visit as often was we can," spoke Satoshi.
"We'll keep an eye on your father and keep him safe," spoke Kasumi.
With that, Kasumi and Satoshi returned with Seigai to their home. Seigai tried his best to hide a lone tear falling from his eye, wanting the children to remember his smile, as he knew it was going to be the last time they would see him for the next twenty years.