Human bodies, to me, had never seemed comfortable. I had never really understood how they had slept, stood, or sat comfortably. Now I was getting a firsthand lesson. Verdict: the sleeping, at least, was unpleasant but not miserably so.
This morning, I was the first to awake, which didn't surprise me. Deoxys, I had noted, tended to sleep in short, deep bursts well into the morning, not unlike a feline Pokemon. The two new occupants of the Secret Base, Midori and Praseo, also slept in past dawn, most likely trying to match whatever schedule they had been on back at the labratory, the home they could no longer return to. The first few nights had been rough on them, until Cici had brought by some cushions and dolls to decorate the base with, giving a small bit of comfort.
I clambered outside onto the rocks on not-quite-human legs, scanning the horizon. At least, even in this two-legged form, I could retain my sharp senses and some of my strength. This would be a lot more difficult of a situation had I elected to use more human DNA in my mix, I realized. On the other hand, perhaps that was what had kept me from being overcome by the space virus when the Professor had tried to infect me. For the moment, I still remained free.
Below me, Deoxys poked its head out of the cave. "Ah, good morning. Shall we look into breakfast?" it asked cheerily.
"We can work on that after Cici and Avocado get here. For now, it's best if we make do with the leftovers in the cave."
It nodded, but didn't go back inside, joining me on the rocks instead. "I... thought I would take another look, if you do not mind."
I let Deoxys take my hand, and it closed its eyes, its form rippling between shapes as it concentrated on whatever it was doing. "No change?" I said after a pause.
"No change." Its voice sounded frustrated. "Your DNA is corroded, and I do not know why."
"Let's assume that won't change for now," I said. "Anything else we can do?"
"I could try reconstructing your DNA myself," it said slowly. "But it would take time."
"What scale of time are we talking? Hours?"
"Days. Weeks, maybe. I have never done this, so I would definitely want to take the time to get it right before I proposed it as a fix."
"All right. If you can get started on that, it'd be good, but for now we'll have to accept that I'm out of the fight in terms of battle Formes." I put a couple of fingers to my mouth, thinking. "I suppose I'm going to be playing the part of a trainer a little more thoroughly than I initially envisioned."
"I am sorry," Deoxys said. "I do not understand why this has occurred. From what I know of my ability, it should not be like this."
"Don't blame yourself. That's a pointless exercise." I turned to face it. "You read the notes more thoroughly than I did, understood them more clearly. Do you have any theories on what happened?"
"Sure. Lots of theories." It threw its hands up. "It could be the amount of time, it could be the emotional stressors, it could be the interference of my brethren. Or it could all be because whatever method my predecessor used to give you its genetic power, it is not stable. I cannot really eliminate anything without more information on what makes Forme Shifting work."
"So we don't know if it could affect the others."
"We do not. But if I was giving it my best guess, I would say the cause is a merging of all of the above," Deoxys said with a sigh. "You were Shifted the longest that last round, and you have mentioned to me that for the rest of you, it becomes more difficult to change back when you've been in Forme longer."
"That's true." I felt like sighing, myself. "Preventative measures are the best we can do, I suppose. Have you acquired their DNA just in case?"
"All of them. If the worst were to happen, I think I could fix it."
"Then we'll settle for that." I looked up at something moving in the distance-Avocado, as himself, closing in on us. To my surprise, I could see Cici just after him, in her Swellow Forme. "Sorry I'm late," Avocado called as they both landed. "I was doing some training in human Forme and lost track of time."
Training in human Forme. Something I was getting an unexpected amount of, I supposed. "No, you're early. Won't your human notice?" I added to Cici.
"I've been fussy as of late," Cici said, shifting to her normal Forme. Once done, she immediately began dusting the interior of the base. "Making it seem like I want to go do training on my own. Well, it's not really a lie. No luck with the Shift back, I take it?"
"I think Absol means that she doesn't want to cause any problems between you and your human," Avocado said as he entered, Deoxys and I following him inside.
"The space virus is causing a problem between me and my human," Cici stated, voice flat. "Yours as well, Avocado. And the kids'."
He swallowed. Due to my failure, his human, the Ranger, had been captured and infected by force. I was reminded of that failure when I saw the subtle signs of the strain on him-the tension, the tiredness. Avocado was used to being supportive to others, and thus he hadn't said anything about the situation, hadn't complained. In some ways, that made it easier to handle my failure.
In some ways, it made it worse.
"Speaking of that space virus," Cici's gaze rested on me. "Since you haven't been able to Shift back, we don't really know for sure, do we?"
"You're correct; it's a valid concern." I folded my arms (when I had picked up that particular human habit, I couldn't tell you), considering. I knew I wasn't infected, but saying so would be a useless gesture. And we didn't know how long the virus could survive without exposure to the breeding sessions we had witnessed. "Do you have any ideas as to how I should prove myself to you?"
"I'll trust you," Avocado spoke up. I looked at him, mildly surprised, and he shrugged. "If you were infected, you'd already know that we're it. You could've turned us in by now."
"Fine, I'll be the skeptic," Cici said. "I don't accept that explanation because there's plenty of reasons that it might not be convenient for you to have turned us in yet. Until we get some kind of proof, I think we need to proceed with caution."
"Are you saying we should leave her out of anything we do from now on, then?" Avocado asked.
"No. I'm fine with her being here. If there's a Beedrill in the room, I want to know where it is," Cici said. "And besides, if she uses insider information to tip off our enemies, we'll know for sure. But I don't think we should go ahead with any plans she suggests."
Nearby, Midori stretched, blinking sleepily at Cici. "Oh. Good morning. Praseo, wake up," she said, nudging him.
"I'm already awake," he replied, though he didn't move.
"Well, now what?" Avocado said, taking a seat at last. "Are you saying we should launch our own mission, Cici?"
"Yes. I want to cause them more trouble," she said. "I think I'm getting what Absol's thinking was before, which means you should all applaud my genius, by the way. Even if it seems like we're just nibbling at the edges, we're learning more each time. So let's pick a place and go."
I smiled at the use of myself in past tense while I was still in the room. "I have a suggestion," Deoxys spoke up. When the others turned to look at it, it said, "Mossdeep. They have a facility there. That is where my younger sibling is. I want to meet with that person."
"The one you mentioned in the Institute's notes, right?" Avocado said.
Deoxys nodded. "I'm for that," Midori said. "If nothing else, we might be able to take out another of their bases. Like we did with the Institute."
I frowned. Although they might not be expecting the facility in Mossdeep in particular to come under attack, the infected were likely to shore up any defenses in preparation. But there was no protest I could make that wouldn't sound suspicious. All I could do this time around was come along and help where I could. So I sat back and listened as they discussed the idea, what they knew of the area, their plan of attack. It was shaping up to be a rescue mission much like we had run against the Institute, with myself and the three "legendaries" storming the place. Instead of attacking separately, however, they'd all go in at once. Deoxys felt fairly confident that it would be able to hone in on the other Deoxys's presence, or glean that information from the infected working there.
Once the planning was done, they decided to move the Secret Base again, this time closer to Mossdeep for easier access. The place was positioned along the water's edge, just outside of Lilycove. I was familiar with a lot of the hidden areas around this section of Hoenn, since this was my territory, but it did surprise me that Avocado had found this one. I guessed Pokemon Rangers made use of bases as well. "And if need be, we can also hide along the coastline north of Mossdeep," Avocado said as Midori and Praseo got some training in. "Though I'm not as familiar with this area."
"You're more familiar than I am," I mentioned. "I've never traveled across the sea."
"Oh? Why not?"
"The tickets cost an arm and a leg." He and Cici both looked at me blankly. "That was a joke."
"Well, at least that part of you's the same," Cici sighed. "Let's sleep in shifts, just in case. We'll get a good start at dawn tomorrow morning."
"Will you be able to get away from Emilio that early?" Avocado asked.
"I'm not returning to him tonight."
Avocado didn't answer right away. Then: "Are you sure?"
"I can soothe his feelings once he's free to be soothed."
He shook his head. "No, I mean... He won't think it's suspicious?"
"Ah. Well, it's possible, but I haven't gone up against them as myself at all. Still, I'll be on the alert." She fluffed herself. "Let's get in a bit of training with the kids before we turn in."
It hadn't taken long for the plan to completely fall apart.
Oh, we had gotten in, easily, considering we had the power of three legendaries (plus one Charizard) in our arsenal at the moment. Deoxys had located the other Deoxys quickly, leading the way to the containment area where it was being kept. Our Deoxys had gone to greet its younger sibling, and then... well, that was when it fell apart, when the other Deoxys attacked us all.
I was the only one standing, rendered immune to the psychic assault the enemy Deoxys had unleashed by virtue of my Absol DNA. Deoxys was also standing, and I could tell by its body language that it was upset, angry, and currently in the middle of a telepathic yelling match with its opposite. "Raikou," I addressed Cici softly, "are you hurt?"
"I've had better." She stumbled to her feet. "Are those two having it out?"
"That appears to be the case." Now I wished I was a real trainer, with healing items on hand. "What do you want me to do?"
"I dunno, kick some sense into that one's head?"
I shrugged. Worked for me. Walking to our Deoxys, I addressed the enemy. "Stop that at once. We're not your enemy. We came to help you."
Oh? The voice came out as a sneer in my head. How are a bunch of rebels and traitors against our kind going to be helping me, I wonder?
"I'm not against our kind," Deoxys said. "You are my kind. Can we not be friends?"
Why would I want to be a friends with a traitor? Deoxys flinched at the words. I'm not sure why you came here, but I'm putting an end to this. Why are you even with them, if you're one of us? I can't even sense you through the network.
"Deoxys," I said in a low voice, "if he's part of the network-"
Yes, it replied in my head, if it is connected to the network, it seems it thinks the same as my brethren, and therefore, an enemy. I have made a grievous mistake.
"It's not a mistake yet." But my Shifted friends were struggling to pick themselves up from the enemy Deoxys's attack, and more humans were surging into the area. Humans that might put their infected hands on me. I repressed a shudder and looked for an exit.
It came to me, though not in the way I expected. The ceiling above us abruptly tore away, bits of concrete scattering. Through the hole, I could see teeth-something was chewing away at the building itself. "Go, Mega Gyarados!" came a voice from outside, and then the room was flooded, filled with torrents of water that smashed away the infected by force.
I clung to Cici as the spray directed to the other Deoxys, who shielded itself. Get out of here! it snarled, throwing a psychic blast at the teeth chewing on the ceiling with enough force to ripple the air.
The teeth didn't react at all, and finally I could get a look at what was systematically blowing the roof off. It looked like a Sharpedo, but much larger and bulkier, with a serrated nose. "That's not going to work, kid," a voice called down, and then the Mega Gyarados entered the room, clamping its jaws down on the enemy Deoxys's shoulder. It let out a wail, its assault relenting.
Atop the Mega Gyarados, I could make out a human's form, that of a male with a skinny, fragile-looking body, dressed in blue. "Onto the roof!" he shouted. "Before that thing recovers!"
I looked over at Cici. "Jump!" she shouted to the others, and I held onto her as she exited through the hole the Sharpedo had made.
Another human, a large female dressed in the same blue, nodded to us as we exited. "Let's make waves, Sheldon!" she shouted. "You lot too. We've got a base nearby we can retreat to."
"What should we do?" Cici asked Avocado. "They're humans."
"Let's follow, at least for a bit," he said with a glance to me.
I nodded, and the Mega Gyarados exited the building. "This way!" the man shouted, pointing, and the others followed the pair of humans and their Pokemon. "You should recall your Pokemon to their balls," the male, Sheldon, shouted to me. "They'll have a hard time traveling over water."
"Not an option."
"Nrgh." He grabbed at his bandana in what I guessed was a frustrated gesture. "Fine, don't make it easy for us to save your bacon. Mattie! Let's use the little brother."
"Got it." She rode the Sharpedo, kicking up a wake as she cut through the rocky formations north of Mossdeep. At length, we stopped in front of a cave partially hidden by a rock structure. Both humans dismounted their Pokemon, then looked at me expectantly. "Well, come on in already. We have some things to discuss."
I paused, glancing at the others, waiting. Then I realized that they were all looking back at me, equally expectant. Despite the fact that they weren't sure I wasn't infected, they were waiting on my decision. They trusted me. That thought warmed me like I hadn't been since my fight some thirty years ago. Now's not the time to be nostalgic, I chided myself. "Thank you for your help, but you'll understand if I don't trust you right away."
"Hey, we helped you out, didn't we?" Sheldon protested.
Mattie raised a hand. "No, she's right. It's not unreasonable, given that we could be infected."
"If we were infected, why would we have busted them out of a situation that would've probably gotten them all caught?"
While they spoke, I looked to Deoxys, then tilted my head toward them, silently asking it for a read. Absol, it said after a pause, I do not think they are infected. I raised my eyebrows, asking for a further explanation without saying a word. I mean, I am not sure, given that I have not met uninfected humans before. But they do not feel... layered.
Well, they weren't the only ones that could show a little trust. I might not necessarily trust the humans, but I could trust my teammate. "All right. I'll listen to what you have to say. But my Pokemon stay with me."
"Sure. Feel free to treat them or what have you." Sheldon entered the cave, and Mattie waited to be sure we were following before she did so as well.
I would have loved to treat their injuries, but not being an actual trainer, I didn't carry any of the potions or supplies a trainer actually would. "Entei?" I addressed Avocado in a low voice.
He glanced at the humans, then said, "I think I can manage it, yeah. We're not really that bad off, I think. That pair showed up just in the nick of time."
I nodded, following the pair inside. Both of them were already checking their Pokemon over for injuries. Thoughtful toward their partners, something I appreciated. I also noticed that the Gyarados and Sharpedo looked different than they had during battle, more... normal. Were they capable of Forme Shifting as well? No, it wasn't the same-they hadn't changed species, that I was sure of. Sheldon had called it 'Mega Gyarados', but what did that mean? "So why did you help me?" I asked directly.
"You're fighting against the infected, right?" Sheldon said without looking up from his Gyarados, who was making contented noises. "So are we. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend' kind of thing. You may be just one person, but you obviously have a lot of Pokemon on your side," he gestured to the others, "including some legendaries. So you're no pushover."
Mattie nodded agreement. "Why aren't you on the battle circuit? Waste if you're not."
"Given the current state of the Pokemon League, do you really need to ask?"
"Point taken. So, how did you find out about the infected?"
I didn't answer right away, taking time to look over the others. As Avocado had said, no one was seriously injured-it seemed to be more of a battering to their psyche. Deoxys in particular seemed shaken, and I took a position near it, placing a hand on its head. "I was given the information from someone," I said at last. "From there, I did some investigating on my own."
"Someone else knew?" Mattie frowned. "Who, where are they now?"
"No longer among the living is where they are."
She winced. "Sorry. I didn't know."
"What about yourselves?" I asked. "How do you know about the infected?"
They looked at each other. I was no expert on human body language, but they seemed to be unsure as to where to start. "Have you ever heard of Team Aqua?" Mattie said at last.
That instantly had me alert. Of course I knew. I'd been there. "Ah, so you've heard of us," Sheldon chuckled. "Yeah, we're a part of Team Aqua. Call it a family legacy. Our parents were involved in what happened thirty years ago."
"Nowadays, Team Aqua is interested in education, research, and conservation," Mattie added, "though not under the same name. Our leader didn't revive the name until we found out about the infected."
"And how was that?"
They looked at each other again, and this time, I thought they might be hiding something. "Our leader is the one who discovered it," Mattie said at last. "It's probably best if he tells you himself."
"That's why we came to rescue you," Sheldon said. "To get you to work with Team Aqua."
"Are they serious?" Cici muttered. "I mean, they're the Team Aqua, the terrorists... And they want our help?"
"How do we know they're not infected?" Praseo added.
A good point, so I echoed the question to Sheldon and Mattie. "We can't prove it to you, at least not now," Sheldon said. "But if you come to our base, we can. The longest the virus can go without exposure to other infecteds is a week. If you'll stay in our hospitality for that long, we can prove to both sides that neither of us are infected."
A week? That was valuable information, assuming it was true. It did match up with the schedule of big and small meetings we'd seen. "Can we have some time to think about it?" I asked at last.
"We?" Mattie echoed. "You have allies?"
I raised an arm, gesturing to the others behind me. "Ah, right, I get it," Sheldon said with a nod. "How about we meet up again tomorrow? If you're willing to join up with us, or at least hear us out, how about... noon at the Lilycove lighthouse? Mattie and I will wait for you there."
"I understand. If we're in agreement, I'll bring some of them with me tomorrow," I said. "If that's all the business you have for me, then we'll be on our way."
"No need," Mattie said, standing. "We're heading out, Sharpedo." The named Pokemon, who appeared to have been in a conversation with Cici, looked up in disappointment. "Oh, come on, don't be like that. You might see him tomorrow."
Both of them recalled their Pokemon to their balls, then made their way down the winding hallway to the exit. I waited until I had heard their footsteps completely exit the cave and enter the water before I said anything. "What are your thoughts?"
"My thoughts is that we need to get out of these Formes and back into our own skin," Cici said. "I've been a dog long enough."
"You shouldn't talk about them like that," Midori said, even as she Shifted back. "They're not dogs."
"Would you prefer 'gerbil'?"
"What the heck's a gerbil?"
I let out a little breath I hadn't realized I was holding as they all successfully Shifted back. "So they're other humans that know about the infected," Avocado said. "That is, if they're not lying about being infected."
"Yeah, that's true," Cici agreed. "What do you think about the one-week thing? It matches up with their meetings, at least."
"Which means that Absol should be in the clear," Praseo said. "That's good."
Midori looked over at him. "Well, if the worrier isn't worried, we must be okay."
"Hey!"
"What do you think about this meeting?" I said. "Do we want to go?"
They looked at each other. "It could still be a trap, even if they did save us from that other Deoxys," Avocado said. "Sorry about that, Deoxys."
"It is not your fault. And I do not think they're infected," Deoxys said. "It feels like... there is something missing. A layer."
"I'm interested in what they know about the infected," Cici said, brushing her paws over her tail. "That cute Sharpedo was certainly enthusiastic about his trainer and their cause, but didn't seem to know a lot about the details."
Avocado shot her a look. "Were you flirting with him while we were talking?"
"A woman uses all the powers at her disposal," Cici purred in response.
"I think..." Praseo paused. "I think we should meet with them."
Midori looked at him askance. "That's not the kind of opinion I expected to hear from you."
"It's one thing to attack their meetings and their bases. That's just short term. If we want to win this fight in the long term, we need knowledge. From what they said, it sounds like they know at least a bit more than us."
Avocado looked at him, and then to me. "I'm in agreement," I said. "If they can prove they're not infected-that they can be trusted-then we have need of them."
"Then it's decided," Midori said. "Tomorrow at the lighthouse at noon. By the way, Absol..."
"Yes?"
"What exactly are we supposed to call you?" Midori said. "I mean, if we call you 'Absol', that's a bit of a hint that you're not human, right? And if they have someone among them that can understand Pokemon speech..."
"That's true." I put a hand to my chin. "I suppose I'll need to correct that."
Midori's eyes lit up. "Ooh! Let me! I'm great at naming things, just ask Praseo-"
"Midori," he said in exasperation.
"No, no," Cici interrupted, "I can't wait to see what she comes up with."
"Let's see... Maybe some kind of gemstone, like Diamond, or Pearl? Nah, too ordinary. Maybe something like White? You are pretty black and white. No, wait, I've got it!" Midori hopped around as she spoke. "Solana. You see, it uses the 'sol' of Absol..."
I smiled. "Solana. When we meet them tomorrow, I'll give them that name, then."
