Author's Note:
Thanks for all of the great reviews on the 6th chapter. I'm glad to see that you all liked it, even if it did take me forever to get it posted. The problem with posting so many chapters at once is that I don't get to hear about specific parts. I really wanted to know what you thought about Misty's response to the letter, and that entire situation. If anyone has anything to say about it, I'd like to hear them. Anyway, I won't tie you up any longer. On with Chapter 7!Chapter 7
The Rift is Widening
T.K. stared at the boy until a smile broke out on his face. "Gary?" The boy nodded, and he moved his gaze to the rest of them. "Misty? Brock?"
They broke into smiles, too, as they nodded.
From behind them, a certain electric rodent ran up to him and jumped into his arms. "Pikachu? You're here, too?" he asked as he hugged his friend tightly.
"Pikachu!" the pokemon cried happily, and jumped up onto his accustomed spot on his shoulder, much to the obvious displeasure of Patamon, who still sat on top of his hat.
"Hey, Ash," Brock said, then put his hand behind his head. "Oops. I mean, T.K. I keep on forgetting. I've called you Ash for so long that it's still hard to get used to it."
"That's okay, Brock.," T.K. smiled. "Davis does that all the time. Worst of all, he never knew me as anything but T.K., and he still can't get it right."
That smile almost melted Misty. She leaned hard on Gary, who almost fell over. She didn't notice, though. She was lost in the depths of his deep, blue eyes. They weren't the chocolate brown ones that she had fallen in love with, but they were every bit as dreamy as before.
Kari noticed the way Misty was staring at T.K., and quite unconsciously moved a step closer to him.
Misty noticed, and their eyes met, both of them flashing dangerously. They were both broadcasting the same message, and it was clear. You stay away from my guy!
"Um, hey," T.K. said hesitantly, trying to break up the staring war that the two girls had declared on each other. "What are you guys doing here, and how did you get here?"
"Yeah, that's a funny story," Gary said as he held up the Dimension Ball. "Gramps tried to fix the Dimension Ball, but he decided to add some new features. No one knows what they are, but they messed with the guidance system, and we ended up here, instead of in your world."
T.K. sweatdropped as he lowered his head. "That sounds like Professor Oak, alright." He looked up again, this time, focusing on Shawn. "You still haven't answered my other question. Why are you all here? And who are you? I don't recognize you at all."
Shawn smiled as he walked up to T.K. and offered him his hand. "My name is Shawn Rae. It's a pleasure to meet you."
T.K. smiled back as he shook Shawn's hand. "But …"
Shawn's smile widened. "Yeah, the reason we're here. It's all because of me, but it's a really long story, and Misty and Brock are both injured. Is there a way we can get out of here to somewhere a little safer to talk?"
"Sure," he nodded. "Just follow me."
He led everyone back out of the forest to where he and Kari had come in through a monitor that sat on top of a rock. On the other side, some people were sitting there waiting for something.
Shawn recognized all of them, but he kept his mouth shut as T.K. gave them instructions.
"Okay," he said, "everyone stand behind me and Kari. You don't want to be left behind." He lifted his digivice up to the screen, and both of them glowed brightly. "Look out, guys," he yelled to the people on the other side, who had turned to look. "I'd move if I were you." He smiled as they all scampered out of the way. "Okay, back to the real world!"
In a flash, they were sucked through the monitor, and fell through the other side, piling on top of each other.
Tai walked over to them, laughing. "That's what you get for trying to take so many people through at one time, T.K.! If we had known you'd be bringing this many, we would have cleared a landing strip!"
There was general chaos as everyone struggled to disentangle themselves from everyone else. Shawn managed to roll off Gary, just to find himself in an awkward position over Misty, his arm over her shoulder, while his chest was just inches from hers. They both blushed as they hurried to get out of it.
T.K., however, had landed right on top of Kari. They both blushed as they lost themselves in each other's eyes, inches from each other.
Brock unintentionally broke the moment as he pushed the heavy Persian off of his chest. "Nice to know some things never change, T.K. You're still as careless as ever."
T.K. snapped out of it as he and Kari struggled apart. He smiled stupidly at Brock. "Yeah, I guess I just didn't stop to think."
"Nothing new there," Gary said as he stood up and brushed himself off.
Kari looked around as she sat on her knees. "Hey, where are Patamon and Pikachu?"
They looked toward the monitor as it lit up again. Out of it flew a yellow mouse and an orange and white ball.
"Whoa!"
"Pika!"
They crashed up against the wall, and went out as they hit the floor. T.K. rushed over and scooped both of them up. "Are you guys okay?" Their eyes fluttered open at the sound of his voice. Pikachu cooed and dug back into his arms. Patamon got a wide grin on his face as he watched the pokemon.
"Not used to dimension hopping, are you, Pikachu," Patamon said with a sneer.
Pikachu's eyes went back open as he glared at Patamon, sparks starting to come from his cheeks. "Pikachu-u!"
T.K.'s eyes went wide as he remembered that he was holding a pokemon that could cause an electric storm. "Patamon, was that comment really necessary?"
Patamon crossed his tiny arms over his chest as he threw his nose up in the air. "I was just stating the obvious. He almost lost his digi-doodles back there."
"Pika!" Electricity shot from Pikachu and surrounded Patamon, and, in turn, T.K., lighting them both up.
Kari ran over to them. "Pikachu, stop! You're shocking T.K., too!"
Pikachu stopped and looked up at T.K., staring at his frizzled face. "Pika," he said in apology.
"Don't worry, Pikachu," T.K. reassured the electric mouse. "I'm used to it, remember?" He looked down at Patamon, who was splayed out and unconscious. "I just wish I could say the same thing about Patamon."
He set Patamon down on the table gently while Pikachu jumped off of him to run around to the other side. He looked up at T. K. for a moment as the boy nodded his approval. Sparks popped from his cheeks again as they surrounded Patamon again, jolting him back up.
"What did you do that for," Patamon demanded as soon as the electricity stopped.
"Pika-pika-chu Pikachu," he answered, turning his head as he crossed his arms.
"You were waking me back up? You're the one who knocked me out!"
Pikachu turned back to glare at Patamon. "Pi pika chu chu."
"I started it? That's not very mature!"
"Pikapi Pi Pikachu!"
"I'll show you insulting! BOOM–"
Before he could attack Pikachu, however, Gatomon jumped in between them, putting her paws up in their faces. "Honestly," she scolded them, "you two are as bad as a couple of spoiled kittens! You both should be doing a little growing up!"
They both knew she was right, but neither of them was going to admit it to the other. They both turned away, giving rude snorts as they stuck their noses into the air.
T. K. smiled at the scene, then laughed as a thought hit him.
Patamon looked up at him, curious. "What's so funny, T. K.?"
"Oh, nothing," he said, still laughing. "I was just thinking that you can take out the greatest of the Dark Masters without even touching them, but you can't take a little Thunder shock."
Patamon scowled back at him. "That's not funny, T. K."
Pikachu turned around and went over beside Patamon.
"What?" Patamon demanded, "Do you want to make fun of me, too?"
"Pika," he answered as he shook his head. "Pika Pika Pikapi."
Patamon's eyes widened as his face lost its rude appearance. "You didn't know I had done something like that?"
Pikachu shook his head again. "Pikapi Pikachu."
"You respect anyone who can be strong enough to do something like that?"
Pikachu nodded.
Patamon was almost struck speechless. "Well, thanks, Pikachu!"
"Oh, T. K.," Brock said, reaching into his backpack, "I almost forgot! We brought something for you." He fished out the pokeball belt and threw it to T. K., who caught it deftly.
He examined it, turning it over in his hands. "My belt?" He looked up at Brock. "But why did you bring me this? There aren't any pokemon in this dimension, so I never have an opportunity to battle anyone."
"Actually," Shawn said, stepping up, "that's where I come in."
* * *
Shawn told them all his story, and now he sat in Kari's room, going over it again with T.K. and Kari, while Patamon and Pikachu continued to argue constantly. The Persian had stretched out on the floor, and was watching them both as if he wouldn't mind pouncing on both of them and batting them around for a while. Gatomon had her head under T. K.'s pillow, trying to shut out the noise.
"Let me see if I understand what you're saying," T. K. said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You want me to leave the DigiDestined to come to your dimension as Ash Kechum to once again battle Team Rocket, just like the hero in your video games, is that it?" His eyes flashed dangerously, as if he was daring Shawn to say so. All action in the room stopped as five pairs of eyes turned to watch the two of them.
Shawn was taken back by his attitude on the subject. "I didn't mean, I mean, I didn't think …"
"That's just it," T. K. snapped, almost jumping on him. "You didn't think. My life is here, now. Ash Kechum is gone. I am Takaru Takaishi." He stood up and went to the door. He turned back around as he opened it before going through. "Go home, Shawn, and learn to do something for yourself for once. The person you're looking for is no more."
Shawn's eyes closed to slits. "I don't think so," he said, standing up and walking up behind him. "I don't think he's gone at all. In fact, I think he and the boy standing before me are one and the same."
T. K.'s eyes closed to match his. "Well, then, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you thought wrong." With that, he walked out and slammed the door behind him.
Kari stared at Shawn for a moment, then ran out after T. K. "T. K., wait!"
The Persian got up and walked over to Shawn as he flopped down, the determination on his face from a moment ago crumbling like dust. It head butted his side gently in reassurance.
Shawn looked down before scratching the big cat behind the ear. "Persian, what am I going to do? I had no idea that he would respond like this. I'm not strong enough to beat Giovanni on my own. I know for a fact that T. K. is strong enough, and so does he. Why won't he help me? How am I supposed to free my world without him? He's the key to so much, I know it. I can feel it! But, if he won't come, …" He bowed his head slightly, struggling to hold his emotions in check. He had come so far, and had been so close, just to meet up with the one thing that could ruin the entire thing: The wall known as T. K. "Oh, mom, what am I supposed to do, now?"
Patamon and Pikachu stopped bickering to turn to him, catching the depression in his tone. Even Gatomon pulled her head out from under the pillow.
She hopped down off of the bed and jumped up on a box on the floor so she would be at his eye level. "Shawn, are you alright?" she asked gently, her paw coming down to rest reassuringly on his shoulder.
"No, Gatomon," Shawn answered, shaking his head, "nothing's alright. My world is enslaved by a ruthless dictator, and the only person strong enough to free them has sworn off anything to do with his previous life."
Gatomon caught how he mentioned his mother. "Is your mom there, too?"
"No, she's dead. Killed by the very man that destroyed the rest of my world. She's been dead for a year."
Gatomon looked away slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't catch that part."
"Don't worry about it. You can't predict what you don't know." He was silent for a moment before he continued. "She's the one who told me about T. K. I don't get it. Why is he so bent on separating himself from the Pokemon Dimension? It wasn't where he was from, so what? It's still a part of him. He wouldn't be who he is today if it weren't for every one of the experiences he's ever had." He heard mutterings of agreement from Pikachu and Patamon on the bed, just now realizing that they were listening, too. "Then again, my world isn't the Pokemon Dimension or the Digimon Dimension. I guess he has no real reason to help me at all. Maybe I'm just fooling myself. Maybe he's right. Maybe I should learn to do something for myself for a change." He stood up abruptly and turned to leave the room. The Persian looked back at the two digimon and Pikachu, then followed him out.
Gatomon looked at Patamon and Pikachu. "Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go after him! Who knows what he's going to do?"
* * *
Kari finally caught up with T. K. halfway down to the ground floor of the building. "T. K., wait up!"
Finally, he heard her and turned around, a look of surprise on his face. "Kari? Is something wrong?" The next thing he knew, his cheek stung red as Kari's hand flew across it.
"What's wrong with you, T. K.? That boy asks for your help, you bite his head off, turn around and storm off, then you ask me if something's wrong? Of course, there's something wrong! An entire world is enslaved! Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
T. K. looked taken aback for an instant, then he turned his head away. "It's not my problem anymore."
Kari's face went wide as she staggered back in shock. "T. K. …"
"T. K. Takaishi, you ought to be ashamed of yourself," Tai said, scowling as he walked up behind them. "What happened to the guy I knew who would help anyone who needed it in any way he could? You have the Crest of Hope, for crying out loud! And what are you spreading? Despair, pain, and misery. What's your problem?"
"You people just don't get it, do you? I'm not from that dimension," T. K. yelled in his face. "I never was! Nothing in it has anything to do with me anymore! You could never understand!"
"Uh, hello?" Tai yelled back. "I've helped save the Digital World twice, now, thank you very much! That wasn't my dimension, and yet I gave everything I had to protect it. It wasn't yours, either, but you gave every bit as much as any of the rest of us!"
"That was different! I was destined to help protect the Digital World! Me ending up in the Pokemon Dimension was just a fluke of … of …"
Tai's eyes closed to slits as his voice went threateningly calm. "Say it, T. K.! Fate! A fluke of fate! Or are you too afraid that it wasn't as much of a fluke as you'd like to believe?"
T. K.'s face went livid. "Don't talk to me about fate, Kamaiya. I already know more than I'd like to." He turned to storm off again, but was blocked by an outstretched arm in a green overcoat as Matt stood up off of the wall he had been leaning against, quite unnoticed by the raving T. K.
"As much as you might hate to hear about it, little brother, it's something you should be thinking about. Have you ever stopped to consider how much has happened to us in our lives, and yet how little of it was due to chance? Have you thought about how heavily fate has played a role in our lives compared to everyone else's? It's been playing us, almost like puppets, since the day we were born. How can you be so arrogant as to believe that you could get away from it for so many years?"
"Are you suggesting that I'm supposed to be a protector of the Pokemon Dimension, too? Don't be ridiculous! It has never needed a protector!"
"Of course not," Matt replied calmly, as if they were discussing the day's events at the dinner table. "Do you know why that is? Because you were there to take care of it. Did you ever stop to think about how much you really did for that world? Can you imagine what would have happened to it if you hadn't been there?"
Images flashed, unbidden, through his memory, stirred up by his brother's words. Team Rocket stealing hundreds of people's beloved pokemon. Abused pokemon being used in cruel laboratory experiments. Thousands of pokemon gathering and crying out, powerless to stop the appearance of a single pokemon out of legend with the power to destroy the world. He knew that he had done a lot, but he also knew that he had a different life now, and he could never go back to the other one, no matter how much he missed it. It hurt him deeply, down in the center of his heart.
Matt sensed what his little brother was feeling, and put his hand on his shoulder.
T. K. growled as the pain turned to frustration, and the frustration into anger. He threw the hand off as he stormed off again. "You guys just don't understand! You never will! Just leave me alone!"
* * *
Shawn walked. He kept on walking until he felt like stopping. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, only on keeping one foot constantly in front of the other. Finally, he found himself in a park, far away from everyone else. He sat down, leaning up against a tree with a sigh.
"How am I supposed to beat him? I can't even get his badge, and I'm willing to bet that the pokemon he uses for official battles aren't the only ones he has at his disposal."
"Well, the first step would be to practice," a small, squeaky voice said. He looked up to see Gatomon, Patamon and Pikachu standing there in front of him.
"You followed me here?"
"Of course," Gatomon answered, winking with one eye in an expression she must have picked up from Kari. "We didn't know what you were going to do, so we thought we should keep an eye on you."
Shawn smiled slightly as he leaned his head back against the tree again, his eyes drifting shut. "Don't worry about me. The stupidest thing I might do has already been done. I should have never come here. I've troubled so many people to get here, and it's all been for nothing." The smile left his face as he sighed again. "I was so sure that T. K. would be willing to help. I mean, he's just that kind of guy, right? It's in his nature, or so I thought. Instead, I come here, and it turns out that the last thing he wants to do is go back there."
"Don't be so hard on T. K.," Patamon said, dropping down to the ground beside him. "I'm not sure why he doesn't want to go back, but there's bound to be a reason. You're right, he does like to help people. But he also has a soft heart. Maybe going to your dimension reminds him too much of the Pokemon Dimension, and all of the things he misses there."
Pikachu brightened up as he turned his face up to Shawn. "Pika, pika! Pikachu chu!"
Gatomon turned to look at Pikachu as she translated. "Pikachu says that must be it! He does miss the Pokemon Dimension, and that's why he doesn't want to go with you. Because he feels like he doesn't belong there anymore!"
Shawn stared at her incredulously. "How did you get all that out of eight syllables?"
Gatomon just stared back. "That's just how the translation went. Not my fault you humans are too wordy."
Shawn just shook his head, refusing to respond. "Anyway, why wouldn't he feel like he belongs there? I mean, I can understand how he might miss so many things, but so many other things are on the line. How can he stand to be so selfish when so much may depend on him?"
"You know, T. K. talks about the Pokemon Dimension all of the time," Patamon said, stepping forward. "He's always saying how much he misses it, and what he would give to go back to travelling all over the world challenging other trainers, the only thing he had to worry about being where he would be able to find the next challenge. He loved it. In a way, I guess it was like he was still a Digidestined, with all the thrills of a partner, facing off together against all sorts of challenges, without the worry of living to see the next day."
Shawn dropped his head. "Yeah, I can see how he would miss that. I'm really in the same boat. Life was so quiet before Giovanni came. Yeah, sure, I found it a little boring. A normal life is rarely exciting. But then, the grass really does look greener on the other side. Sure, there were no pokemon, no digimon, and the closest thing to an adventure was when I rode in my friend's car, but there were also no worries. There was no death, no pain, and no pressure to keep yourself hidden at the risk of losing your life. Things weren't necessarily better, just … simpler. There was less you had to worry about." He raised his head as he looked up at the sky. "That's really why I've come here, why I've done all that I have. I want to get back to that life, that … simplicity. But, more than that, I want to give everyone else a chance at it, too." His eyes shut as he remembered the boy whose pokemon he had beaten up in the name of punishment. "I'm tired. My very soul is tired. I'm tired of lying. I'm tired of hiding behind a false truth. I'm tired of the best I can do to help someone is to mentally torture them to save them from being killed. I'm tired of having to be satisfied with lesser evils. It's not the way the world is supposed to be!" He opened his eyes, and they saw the pain that was there as he mumbled softly, "It's not the way I'm supposed to be."
Gatomon looked away sadly, then brightened up as an idea hit her. "Hey, I got it! You want to become stronger, right? Well, I know we may not seem like it, but you're looking at two of the strongest digimon in the entire Digital World! We may not be able to go with you to help, but we could fight you, and help you to train!" She turned to look at Patamon. "What do you say? Are you up to it?"
"Definitely," Patamon nodded. "Ever since T. K. told me about Poke-battles, I've wondered how I would stand up in one. After all, I'm his partner, and if he can't depend on me in anything, who could he depend on?"
"Pi," Pikachu said decisively, jumping forward. "Pika, pika, pikachu pi chu."
Gatomon smiled. "Pikachu says, Him! And you can depend on him, too. He'll help you train in any way he can." She stood carefree as she stared at Shawn. "So what are you waiting for? Let's go!"
Shawn smiled. "Fine, have it your way," he answered, grabbing a pokeball and throwing it up as he jumped back. "Nidoking, go!" As soon as the pokemon was out, Shawn spoke again. "Training time, Nidoking! The three in front of you have generously offered to be your sparring partners. Don't be fooled by their size. They may be small, but they're powerful."
Nidoking grunted in response, taking a steady stance.
Patamon fluttered forward. "I've got this guy! I've handled bigger than him before!" He puffed out his chest. "BOOM BUBBLE!"
The burst of air blew forward, hammering into Nidoking. Shawn gasped in surprise as Nidoking staggered back, grunting, and then braced himself to stop the movement. "Nidoking, are you okay?"
The pokemon just turned around and snorted at him. He was fine. He turned back to face Patamon.
Patamon just stared back at him. "Oh, so you want some more, do you? Okay, BOOM BUBBLE!" But the bulky pokemon just knocked it away as Patamon stared in shock. "BOOM BUBBLE, BOOM BUBBLE, BOOM BUBBLE!" He launched a barrage of them, but Nidoking only knocked them away again. "I don't believe it! I'm not doing anything to him!"
"Pika, pika," Pikachu said, turning away slightly. "Pikachu."
"Huh?" Patamon said, not catching it.
"He said, that much is obvious," Gatomon called, translating. "He said, why don't you just charge at it and headbutt it?"
"Alright, I will!"
Pikachu and Gatomon jerked to attention, staring at him with wide eyes as Patamon bundled himself up and prepared to launch himself. "Wait, Patamon," Gatomon called, "I don't think he meant it literally!"
It was too late. Patamon launched himself at top speed, aiming right for Nidoking's chest. Unfortunately for him, Nidoking was ten times his size. He caught the poor digimon in his hands, tossed him up, and swatted him with a swing of his tail, sending him over the heads of a shocked Gatomon and Pikachu, where he collided with a tree, and slid down to the ground.
Gatomon ran over to him. "Patamon, are you okay?"
Patamon, still upside down, opened his eyes to stare at her blearily. "Hey, Gatomon! You're standing on your head! And you have a sister! How come you never told me you had a sister? Will you two stop dancing around? You're making me dizzy!" He tried to move, but only succeeded in toppling over.
Gatomon grinned at him. "You'll be fine." She turned around to face Nidoking. "You can take out a weak rookie, and I'm supposed to be impressed? Let's see how you do against a Champion-Level Digimon! Lightning Paw!"
She ran at the pokemon, her right paw glowing red. Nidoking swung at her, but she just jumped over his arm, flipping over his head, and raking her claws down his back, leaving glowing red marks where they had gone. She landed as Nidoking screamed in pain. She turned to smirk at him confidently, to see his tail coming around just in time to jump out of the way.
"Nidoking," Shawn ordered, seeing that Gatomon was much more powerful than Patamon, and struggling to come up with a weakness that he could use, "use your Dynamic Punch!"
Nidoking roared as his fist glowed, swinging it down at the cat digimon. Gatomon, however, was still too fast. She jumped to his arm, using her arms to flip off of it, and once again going over his head, kicking off of the back, causing him to stumble forward.
Nidoking, panting heavily, turned around to face Gatomon, who hadn't even broken a sweat.
Gatomon noticed his labored breathing and grinned mischievously. "Don't tell me you're wearing out, already! Come on, a little more, and I might actually have to try to dodge your attacks!"
Nidoking growled as he bent back to charge her, but Shawn stopped him before he could play into her paws. "Nidoking, she's trying to make you angry so you'll attack without thinking, but I have a better idea! Let's go three-way!" Three-way was a code name that Shawn had come up with for a combination Double Team and Tri-Attack that he used with his pokemon when he didn't want the opponent to know what was about to hit them, which is exactly what he wanted to avoid now. If Gatomon knew what was coming, she would be sure to find a way to avoid it.
Nidoking glowed slightly as he seemed to split slightly then come back together. It happened again and again until the forms came completely apart, forming what looked like three Nidokings.
Gatomon looked on in shock. "What? He multiplied?"
"Pika, pikachu!"
Gatomon turned to look at Pikachu. "They're just after-images? They're not real? Well thanks for the advice. Now, all I need to do is find out which one is the real pokemon."
Pikachu just shrugged, shaking his head.
Gatomon turned back to the battle. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out!" She ran at them head on, drawing her paw back. "Light—Wha?" She stopped mid-attack as the three forms started to glow, one red, one yellow, and one blue. All of them brought their hands back, energy forming in the center of their palms. "Pikachu?" she asked, frozen in her tracks, but no voice answered her. The electric mouse was at a loss for answers.
Suddenly, the three forms threw their hands forward, each launching a blast of the same color as they had been glowing. The red one shot a blast of fire, the yellow one shot one of electricity, and the blue one shot one of ice. Gatomon's mouth went wide as she saw the blasts twist together and head straight for her. Panicking, she turned on her heel and ran in the other direction. She wasn't fast enough to outrun the energy blasts, and they caught her full in the back, sending her head over heals, right on top of Patamon.
Pikachu ran over to her, shaking her.
"I'll be fine, Pikachu. Just give him a number for me, okay?"
"Pika," he answered, nodding vehemently. He turned to face the giant pokemon, who had returned to one form. He ran up in front of him, sparking with electricity. "Pikachu!!"
Yellow light flowed from Pikachu and surrounded Nidoking, who just stared at him, completely unfazed, as it faded away. Pikachu launched another Thunderbolt, but it fizzled out with the same effect. Again and again, Pikachu launched the same attack, but it didn't even do anything.
"Pikachu, stop wasting your energy! You're not doing anything to him!"
Pikachu stopped out of surprise as he turned to face the direction the voice had been coming from. His face lit up with pure excitement when he saw T. K. standing there, his face set and determined, yet with so much energy behind it. It was the same face he used to have when faced with a challenge. He knew what was coming, and was already running back to him when he called out his next command.
"Pikachu, come back," he called, reaching for two pokeballs at once from the belt hanging from his hand. "Bulbasaur, Squirtle! I choose you!" In a flash of red light, the two appeared, but they were momentarily confused by the strange surroundings.
When they looked back at T. K. and didn't recognize him, Pikachu knew what the problem was: They never knew about Ash having another identity. He ran over to them, and in a rush of pikachus, he explained to them what was going on. When he was finished, they nodded, and turned back toward the Nidoking.
T. K. stared down at Pikachu as the electric pokemon waddled proudly back over to him. "What was that all about, Pikachu?"
Pikachu just held his thumb up, winking. "Pika, pika!" He spun around and pointed at the Nidoking, the same way T. K. used to do when he was Ash and he was pointing toward a destination. "Pikachu!"
T. K. smiled down at him. "You got it, partner!" He turned back to face the battle. "Bulbasaur, get him with your Vine Whip! Squirtle, give him a taste of your Water Gun!"
The vines came first, hitting Nidoking fast and hard. The big pokemon raised its arms to protect its face, but it still staggered back, and Shawn had to jump out of the way to keep from being stepped on. Then the pressurized stream of water caught Nidoking in the chin, sending him toppling up and backwards as if he was a featherweight. Shawn had to jump again to keep from ending up under him when he landed.
"Nidoking? Nidoking, are you okay?" The battered pokemon only rolled its eyes over to look at Shawn, groaning in pain. "You did good, Nidoking," Shawn said, holding the pokeball up and sending him back in. "Rest now." He stood up and took a step toward T. K. "You're strong, just as we both knew you were."
T. K.'s face was unmoving. "Squirtle, if he moves, soak him." The turtle pokemon stepped determinedly in between T. K. and Shawn. "What were you doing attacking them, Shawn? Were you planning on taking them out so Giovanni would have one less thing to worry about if I decided to get in his way again? Is that why you came here? To get rid of them, and me?"
Shawn held up his hands in defense, stepping closer, but jumping back just in time as Squirtle fired at his face. "You got it wrong, T. K.! I wasn't trying to hurt them!"
T. K.'s scowl deepened. "Knocking them up against a tree isn't your idea of hurting them? You've got a funny idea of pain, buddy."
He turned as Patamon struggled out from under Gatomon, then fluttered over to him. "We weren't fighting, T. K.! We were training! He said he was too weak, so Gatomon and I offered to help train him." Patamon sweatdropped as he grinned. "Unfortunately, he wasn't as weak as we thought, and he knocked both of us for a loop! Of course, if we could have digivolved, he wouldn't have stood a chance."
"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked as he stared at T. K. questioningly.
Patamon smiled widely as he answered his question. "Digivolving is kind of like evolving, only for digimon. We get bigger and stronger, like in a pokemon evolution, but we can go back to our smaller forms whenever we want."
T. K. stared at Patamon with a confused look on his face. "So he wasn't attacking you? You were just training?"
Patamon nodded. "Actually, it was Gatomon's idea."
"Really?" T. K. asked, turning to stare at the still-unconscious cat. "What in the world did you hit her with, Shawn?"
"Tri-Attack," Shawn answered, although he didn't move, since T. K. hadn't called off Squirtle. "Don't feel too sorry for her, though. She was all over my Nidoking. The only way I could get her was using Double Team to confuse her while Nidoking powered up the attack."
T. K. walked over to pick Gatomon up, cradling her in his hands. She came to slightly as her eyes opened slowly. "T. K.?" she asked groggily. "Is Pikachu okay?"
T. K. chuckled slightly. "Yes, Gatomon, Pikachu is fine."
"Good," she said softly, her eyes already to drift shut again. "I didn't want to see him hurt." And she was out again.
T. K. grinned, then sat her gently down on the ground. He held out the two pokeballs he had thrown. "Good job, you two. It's been too long since we've worked together like that." They both saluted happily, Bulbasaur with a vine, and Squirtle with a foot, right before they disappeared in a flash of light. T. K. turned away as he snapped the pokeballs back on the belt, then bent over to pick Gatomon back up again. "I guess I owe you an apology, Shawn, on several accounts. I misjudged you, both now, and when you asked me to come with you. I shouldn't have blown up at you at Kari's. I guess it's just not been long enough since I left the Pokemon Dimension. I haven't really gotten over all I've left behind."
Shawn walked cautiously toward him. "Does this mean that you'll come with me?"
T. K. shook his head. "No, I'm not coming. I still stand by my statement that it's something you need to do, yourself. My life is here, now, and I'm not going back there. I'm sorry, but it's the life that's been dealt to me, and there's nothing I can do about it, no more than you can undo what has happened to you."
Shawn dropped his head. "Fine. I can't force you to come. It's your call, Chief. Just one last request, though. We still have several days until the Dimension Ball is restored. Could you help me train?"
T. K. nodded. "Sure, I can help with that."
"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow, then." Shawn turned around to walk off, but stopped a distance away. "Oh, and by the way, there will never be enough time for you to get over what you've left behind. Trust me on this. It's something I'm still struggling to come to terms with. It will always be a part of you, no matter who you become."
T. K.'s head dropped. "Yeah, I know."
The two walked on in silence, heading toward their destinations in opposite directions.
* * *
"Tell me again, Domino," James complained as the group sat on a group of rocks overlooking Pallet Town, "what are we doing going to Nowheresville?"
Domino didn't even bother looking at him. "Surely it's soaked into even your miniscule mind, Grunt! All of the people we talked to in Viridian City said that Shawn went toward Pallet Town. So, since we're the search party, that's where we're going."
Jesse turned to face Domino. "You never told us just what got you so worn out back in Viridian Forest. I don't mean to be prying, but I certainly wouldn't mind knowing."
Domino's head dropped. "I was chasing down an elusive pokemon, okay?"
Suddenly, Jesse and James went starry-eyed. "Was it a rare pokemon?"
"No, it was just a Caterpie. It got me in the face with some webbing, and I wanted to rip it to shreds, but I couldn't catch it."
"What did it look like?" Meowth was looking over her shoulder, but she didn't notice.
"Like any other insect vermin in that forest, except it only had one antenna."
Jesse, James and Meowth all exchanged glances. "Not to seem rude, Domino," Jesse said, pointing to the top of her backpack, "but it seems that while you wasted all of that time trying to catch it, it had already caught you."
Domino practically tore off the backpack bringing it around so she could see it. When she did, she almost screamed. Sure enough, there it was. The same pokemon that she saw in the forest was now staring at her from behind the handle on top of the backpack. "What are you doing here," she yelled. "I thought I told you to leave me alone!"
She brought her hand back to brush it away, but stopped as a deep roaring sound echoed around them. All of them, the Caterpie included, looked around trying to see what caused it.
"What was that?" James asked.
Meowth looked around the clearing, struggling to pick something out. His cat eyes picked out two yellow eyes at the edge of the clearing. "Uh, guys, I think I found it!"
Before they could turn around and find what he saw, it jumped out of the woods, charging at them at an incredible speed, then stopping right in front of them in a cloud of dust, its red mane like fire flowing off of its great neck.
"Unbelievable," Jesse whispered in awe. "It's an Arcanine!
"Arcanine?" James asked, dumbstruck.
"That's right," Meowth piped up. "Its speed is legendary, and it's probably the biggest dog you'll ever see!"
Domino's eyes flashed greedily. "Legendary, huh? Well, what are you bums waiting for? Capture it!"
"Right!" Jesse and James grabbed the pokeballs at their sides and threw them.
"Arbok!"
"Weezing!"
"Go!"
"Arbok," Jesse called to the giant cobra, "wrap yourself around it! Don't let it go anywhere!" Obediently, the great snake curled itself tightly around the Arcanine, who only looked at it curiously.
"Weezing," James called, "use your Smog attack!"
"Wheeze," the gas ball sighed, releasing a cloud of poisonous gas.
As the gas obscured their vision, they each got a spare pokeball ready.
"Okay," Jesse said as she drew back her arm, "that should have loosened him up a bit! Let's do it!"
They threw the balls into the cloud where the pokemon had been and waited as they disappeared from view. In an instant, they came hurling back, empty, and hitting both of them square in the foreheads.
"What's going on?" James whined. "It's like they got knocked back at us!"
They watched as the gas cleared, revealing a deflated Weezing, an unconscious Arbok, and a very unfazed Arcanine.
"Huh?" Meowth gasped as his mouth fell open. "That Arcanine wasn't even bothered by it!"
Suddenly, the Arbok stirred, and the head of the mighty Arcanine was the first thing that it saw. It reared back in fear, and instinctively bit the fire pokemon in the leg.
The Arcanine reared back as it roared in pain. It turned around, snarling at the Arbok, who looked like it had just swallowed a very big block of ice. In the next instant, Arcanine had grabbed its head in its mouth and threw it over Team Rocket's heads. Then it turned around and charged Weezing. It caught it hard, sending it into the distance.
"Uh, oh," James said as they cowered against the rocks as the Arcanine turned its rage-filled gaze on them. "We're out of pokemon, aren't we, Jesse?"
"Yep."
Suddenly, the Caterpie jumped out in front of all of them, staring down the dog.
"Huh?" Domino gaped, staring unbelievingly at the worm pokemon. "Is it … defending us?"
"Well, you gotta give it one thing," James said, more than willing to let the pokemon entertain the Arcanine while he got away, "it's got guts!"
"Not for long, it don't," Meowth stated as he watched the two of them stare each other down, the Caterpie daring, and the Arcanine not sure the little creature was worth the effort. "If that little bug goes up against Arcanine, there won't be nothing left to bury, unless you're into cremation."
In an instant, the Arcanine charged, but the Caterpie rolled out of the way, shooting web string around its legs. At first, the Arcanine ignored it, turning around to charge again, but the Caterpie kept rolling and shooting until the webbing was so thick that the Arcanine could barely move. One more time, and the Arcanine fell, unable to move its feet. As an additional measure, the Caterpie smartly covered the Arcanine's mouth in webbing, as well, preventing it from snapping at anything. Then, almost arrogantly, it crawled up on top of the great pokemon, calling loudly in victory.
"I don't believe my cat's eyes," Meowth whispered. "The little squirt did it! He took out the Arcanine!"
"You know what that means, don't you?" James asked, facing Jesse. "We have an Arcanine!"
"Actually," Domino corrected as she stepped up to the fire pokemon and caressed its mane, "I believe I have an Arcanine. It was, after all, my pokemon that beat it." The Caterpie realized that she was talking about it, and cooed happily.
"Your pokemon?" Jesse asked. "I thought you hated that little insect!"
Domino shrugged as she picked up the caterpillar pokemon. "I guess I've decided to keep him around a little longer. After all, he's already proven himself more useful than all of you." She turned to the Caterpie, holding it up in front of her. "Isn't that right, Caterpie?"
Instead of responding, Caterpie pointed its mouth straight up and shooting webbing up in a fountain, surprising Domino so much that she dropped him. It continued to spout until it was completely surrounded by a cocoon. As it solidified, two lazy eyes appeared on the outside.
"Incredible," Jesse whispered in awe. "It evolved into Metapod!"
"Metapod?" Domino almost hurled. "What a useless pokemon! Just when I start to think it might be helpful, it evolves into the most useless pokemon imaginable!" She reared back to kick it, but Jesse stopped her.
"Don't, Domino! If it's a Metapod, then it won't be long until it evolves again into a Butterfree!"
Domino hesitated. "A Butterfree?"
Jesse nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Trust me, it's worth the wait!"
Domino put her foot back. "I guess you finally came up with some good advice for a change. Fine, he stays." She pulled out two pokeballs and sent the Metapod into one and the Arcanine into the other, which didn't resist at all. Then she shouldered her pack again as she made ready to leave. "Come on, let's go! I'd like to get to Pallet Town sometime today, and you losers still need to go get your pokemon!"
* * *
In another part of the Pokemon world, the greatest psychic mind in the multiverse awoke from a horrid nightmare. He focused deeply, trying to contact another powerful, although more natural, psychic. Finally, their minds met.
MewTwo,
the mind replied, recognizing him immediately. Why do you wake me from my slumbers?Lugia, he answered, you know I wouldn't if it wasn't important. A disturbance has been created, and I fear it may tear all existence to shreds.
Do you know of the nature of this disturbance?
Yes. It is a portal. Of that, I am sure.
A portal? That's hardly a threat to the multiverse. You know as well as I that they appear all of the time.
Yes, but this one is unstable. Its growth rate is increasing rapidly. If it is not stopped, this rip in the fabric of time and space could swallow all of Creation.
It is odd to hear you talk of the multiverse as a Creation, MewTwo.
What is so odd about it? If I could be created, what is to say the rest of the multiverse could not be created, as well? Although, if we don't find a way to stop this, it will be a moot point.
Point taken. We do not have the power to stop this, for your power does not extend far beyond this world, and I am locked beneath the waves until the time comes for me to rise again. However, there are a few chosen to deal with tasks just as this, and one of them is an acquaintance of both of ours.
MewTwo struggled to think of someone that they had both met. Finally, it hit him.
Yes, that is of whom I speak,
Lugia answered before MewTwo could say anything. You must contact him as soon as possible. The fate of the multiverse depends on it.MewTwo let his head drop. He will not come willingly. You know that. What if he won't come?
MewTwo thought he detected sorrow in Lugia's response. Then the multiverse, and everything in it, will be destroyed. Existence as we know it will cease to exist.
* * *
In the next chapter of The Pokemon Master's Return:
Shawn finally seems to have gotten through to T. K. Although the Pokemon Master still refuses to go with him, he has agreed to help train Shawn. Will their efforts be enough? What new horrors await them at the revelation of the unstable portal tear? Will Domino be waiting for him by the time they get back? Find out next time on The Pokemon Master's Return Chapter 8 – Time to Go!
