Chapter 26: Chaos Established
It was amazing how quickly Ditto was able to adapt. In only a matter of seconds, Sticky was pecking at the tossed bread just like the other Pidgeys. If a Ditto could become acclimated this quickly, a Pokemon that could transform and read minds would likely show zero signs of transformation.
Professor Blubber's research had illustrated that in extreme environments, there was a difference in behavior before the Ditto fully adjusted. Unfortunately, the Anita Parkwood façade had existed in Acceber for about six years, more than enough time for Mew to settle in as a human.
I grinned. Luckily, with the discovery I had made just hours ago, none of this mattered. As it turned out, my request for Professor Blubber's help had been completely unnecessary. Now it was just a matter of finding an opportune time to contact the Master. Exchanging letters via flying Pokemon was not a safe enough method of communication for this important information. I would have to get a hold of Jamie's walkie…
As if fate had been reading my mind, I looked up and there Mr. Arkle was, glaring at me as he strode quickly by my bench. I broke the eye contact first and leaned back on the bench, my eyes closed. "Sticky, get a good look at his belt," I murmured, barely moving my lips.
When I was positive Jamie was well out of hearing range, I opened my eyes. "Sticky, did you see the grey walkie-talkie on his belt?"
The transformed Ditto shook its head. Perfect. I pulled out a Pokeball. "Twix, let's go!" Twix, my faithful Pidgeot, cooed and extended her wings as she was released. I climbed onto her back. "To the lab, quickly," I ordered.
With just one powerful flap, we were lifted off the ground and speeding past the Drape Town locals. Wind whipped my dyed-blue hair from my face as I looked back to ensure Sticky was following us.
Twix gracefully landed in front of Team Glop'emm's headquarters and I returned both Sticky and Twix to their Pokeballs. I practically jogged through the twisted corridors to the elevator and then to the Master's office.
Glancing about to make sure nobody saw me, I pressed my thumb to the DNA scanner next to the office door. The scanner allowed me to enter, of course. I had programmed it.
The office was somehow bleaker than when the Master had occupied it. The black blinds were completely closed, and the desk seemed a little too organized. There was no sign of the walkie-talkie atop the desk.
I pulled out two Pokeballs and pressed the release button. Two pink blobs appeared. "Sticky, I want you to transform into Magnemite. Remember, like Mr. Arkle's? Mess with all the bugs in this room so it seems like I was never here. Spud," I called to the other Ditto. "I probably need you over here."
While Sticky transformed into Magnemite, I tiptoed around the desk, careful not to bump the plush chair, and tested the top left drawer. As expected, it was locked.
"Spud, you know what to do."
Spud slid to my side and stuck a gooey strand into the keyhole. An instant later, the drawer clicked open.
I patted Spud on what seemed to be his head—it was always hard to tell when he was a blob—and peered into the drawer. There were several pencils, notecards, and staples, but no walkie. We tried three more drawers before I finally spotted the little communication device.
Before picking up the walkie, I rummaged in my lab coat pocket for a rubber glove to avoid fingerprints. I lifted the walkie-talkie out of the drawer and pressed the green button.
There was a dull buzzing sound, and then—
"Yes?"
"Master, it's Rita."
There was silence. For a moment I thought he might have hung up. "Odd. I was going to call you." His voice was tense.
"For what?" I asked.
"I have just been informed that you contacted Professor Blubber to assist in a research project that was supposed to remain only within Team Glop'emm's labs." The Master's tone was icy.
My mouth was dry. "Master, I thought the Professor's input would be useful. The Professor and I have known each other for years. I did not explain the whole project—"
"Was it?"
"Pardon?"
The Master asked more harshly. "Was the Professor's input useful?"
"Well, a bit—"
"It is a simple question. Answer with a yes or no."
"No."
"Next time you get a brainless urge to involve those outside of Team Glop'emm in a research project, you will contact me."
"Yes, sir."
"Now," the Master continued, "why did you call?"
"I have news." I found it hard to speak in a cohesive manner and wondered if others had similar problems when they spoke with the teen. I forced my mouth to work. "I have been working with one of my Dittos for over a week now to learn English, and have been extremely successful. The Pokemon already has the vocabulary of a six-year-old child. Also, as you requested, I had a few of my assistants investigate the Parkwood family. Every person interrogated reported that Anita seemed to have a strange bond with wild Pokemon when she was younger. Just as you suspected, the Parkwood family arrived in Melonbi Town just months before your father battled Pokemon X on the outskirts of Melonbi Town."
"Is this all you had to report? A letter would have sufficed—"
"No, Master." My hand flew to my mouth. I had just interrupted the Master. My worst nightmares were about to come true—I would be fired and then I would have not money for research and then—
"I'm waiting."
I blinked and breathed out slightly in relief. "Earlier today, I was comparing the DNA brain samples of a Ditto transformed into a Rattata to those of a Rattata. Specifically, I was comparing hippocampus DNA. The hippocampus is—"
"—where long term memory is stored. I know this, Rita."
"Of course. When a Ditto transforms, its memories remain the same. Thus, the hippocampus cannot shift as much as the rest of the body during transformation."
"All Pokemon have a hippocampus that is relatively the same shape," the Master stated.
"Yes. If it was just normal long-term memory the Ditto had to preserve, I would have likely never found a major difference in DNA." I knew after I said that sentence, the Master would stop interrupting me. "Ditto and Pokemon X are both able to mimic the DNA of any Pokemon they see. When a Ditto sees a Pokemon, it's body automatically creates and stores a copy of the Pokemon's DNA. I can only assume Pokeamon X's body works the same way. When transformed into a Pokemon, Ditto must preserve its own DNA in order to have the ability to return to its original form. Neither Ditto nor Pokemon X can transform directly from one Pokemon to another without returning to its original form. Thus, when in its original form, the different Pokemon DNA must be actually embedded into the original body. But I stray from my point… I figured that some part of the hippocampus DNA had to be different in the Ditto because the Ditto must have a way to recall its entire original genome instantly. Today, I found that difference."
"Rita, you are brilliant."
Coming from the master, that was quite a complement.
"Now that we know what part of the brain stimulates transformation, it should be fairly simple to create a device that forces transformation. A week from today, perhaps…" I trailed. Then I remembered what one of my assistants had proved yesterday, leading to my discovery today. "There is another difference you should know between a transformed Ditto and a Pokemon—Ditto cannot evolve when transformed. In a transformed Ditto, the part of the hippocampus that safely holds its original genome replaces the part of the hippocampus most Pokemon have containing the DNA of any evolutions."
"Interesting…" There was silence for almost half of a minute. "Ensure that Jamie does not discover this conversation. Master out."
I replaced the walkie-talkie in the drawer and carefully left the room, returning my Dittos to their Pokeballs. My heart thumped unevenly in excitement as I rode the elevator down to my laboratory.
I lived for this—
For the mind-boggling buzz after a new discovery.
o o o o o o o o o o o o o
{Anita! Anita! It's time to get up! It's been time to get up for the past… I don't know, but it was a long time! Anita!}
Something wet dragged across my face.
I opened my eyes, and nearly jumped in surprise when I found Splash hovering over my face. The Eevee's ears drooped just above my nose. {Finally!} Splash exclaimed, his ears swiftly shooting up in joy, causing me to sneeze.
I sat up. "What… what happened? Where…?" I was stunned into silence as I took in my surroundings. Splash and I were sitting in some sort of glass sphere. Two thick bands of metal ran through the glass, splitting the sphere into four sections.
I looked down through the glass section Splash and I were occupying, and noted that the sphere seemed to sink into the white floor, like it was on top of a giant pillow. I looked out the other glass sections of the sphere, only to find more white. Apparently, the sphere was in a quite creepy blank room.
When I did not see any holes in the sphere, I randomly wondered how long it would take for us to suffocate.
I turned to Splash and asked again, {What happened?}
{Well, when I was let out of my Pokeball, you were asleep and an old sparkly guy—} Images of a bright, laughing silhouette flashed through my mind. Right, I was in a gym. So this must be the…{—was here. And he did this funny electricity thing—like a Pikachu—to put this giant Pokeball together.}
I waited for Splash to keep explaining, but he seemed to be finished. {What do you mean, we're in a giant Pokeball…?} I questioned.
{Well, we're in a giant sphere so it must be a Pokeball! 'Cause what else is a sphere? Well, actually, oranges, and basketballs, and suns, and—}
{Enough! So is there anything else I should be aware of about our situation? For instance, knowing how to beat this prelim would be nice…}
{Nope!} Splash answered happily. As he crouched down, he noticed his breath was causing the glass beneath him to smog up. Thus, he simply had to press his nose up against the glass several times to make random shapes—or beautiful art. Splash and I were of different opinions.
I rolled my eyes and got to my feet. Well, maybe getting out of this sphere was the prelim. I pressed my hand against the metal—
BZZZT
I yelped in pain and pulled my hand back from the metal band. Splash was distracted from the smiley face he was making. {Oh yeah, the shiny stuff is electric!}
I glared. {And you were going to tell me this when?}
Splash shrugged. {You're the psychic. I thought you'd know!}
Annoyed, I growled, {Is there anything else I should know, that I might not know if I wasn't a psychic?}
{Err, how about using a double negative confuses people?}
I had been awake, for what, maybe two minutes and I was already tempted to bang my head against the glass so I was knocked out again. Or maybe electrocuting myself would be more efficient…
Splash wasn't finished. {And, there was that message the sparkly guy told me to tell you…}
I stared at Splash in disbelief.
{He said to win, all you had to do was sharpen the pencil!}
If I stared at Splash before in disbelief, I don't know what my face looked like when I stared at Splash now…
{…Sharpen a pencil?}
{Yup!} Splash pointed a paw. {Look!}
I peered through the glass to where he was pointing. There, on the ground, was a classic wooden number two pencil lying next to an electric pencil sharpener.
{So I just have to get the pencil into the sharpener?}
Splash was getting distracted again—inspecting his paw prints on the glass.
I sighed. If Apple had taught me telekinesis already, this would be easy. Hmm, there was the possibility that Apple was near enough to help… I reached out with my mind but felt no one but Splash in my range.
Okay, so I would have to do this myself. I could try to use telekinesis.
I focused on the pencil and slowly became aware of each particle making up the entire entity. I could feel every wooden grain surrounding the thin column of graphite. I was one with the pencil. Oh, yeah. A dream come true.
But nothing happened.
The pencil would not budge.
When Splash got so bored he started playing with my hair, I decided it was time for a different approach.
My mind shot forward to create a barrier under the pencil… only to be stopped by the rather solid floor. Apple says barriers can be made inside of solids, but I had yet to figure out how that worked.
My head was knocked forward, forcing me back to my body. {Ow, Splash, cut it out! I'm trying to concentrate!}
{Lemme help, lemme help!}
{This is kinda a psychic thing, Splash,} I explained. With that, I tried again.
And again.
After several failed attempts, I made a barrier next to the pencil, but I couldn't get the barrier to move, which would have allowed me to push the pencil. Frustrated, I slammed my fist down, and was shocked yet again.
{Ouch!} I shook my hand out.
The sphere moved a little from the force of my punch. {Ooh, look how squishy the ground is!} Splash exclaimed. He moved our giant trap-ball-thing a little more and was immensely amused when the sphere sunk into the floor.
{Splash, you're brilliant!} I created a curvy barrier a little ways away from the pencil and pressed more barriers on top. The force of the barriers caused the floor around the barriers to sink, and the pencil rolled down onto the curved barrier. I dissipated the weight barriers so my curved barrier and the pencil sprung upwards. Just as gravity was about to pull the pencil back to the ground, I caught it with yet another barrier.
{That was awesome! You got the pencil to float!} My concentration nearly snapped.
{Splash, still concentrating here! Hush up!} I ordered. Now I just had to figure out how to get the pencil into—
{Why did you need to bounce the pencil to make it float?} Ugh, Splash was going to ruin everything! When I attempted to block him from my mind, I nearly destroyed my barrier. It was hard to block out just one being— I could either block out nothing of everything. {Couldn't you just move it with you're mind? Maybe—}
{SPLASH!} I lost concentration and the pencil fell. {Now look what you've done! I need to concentrate! That means you NOT talking!}
Splash's ears flicked back, and I immediately regretted what I'd said. I reached out to comfort him, but he flinched away.
{Splash… Look, I'm sorry.} I closed my eyes and reached out with my mind. I showed Splash how I was trying to move the pencil to the pencil sharpener and how I made barriers, emphasizing the concentration needed to be successful.
I also saw Splash's yearning to help and his disappointment when I continually shut him down. I expected Splash's mind to be unorganized and random. However, I found Splash had a rather logical perspective.
The images of my barriers I had shown Splash continued to flash through his mind as he attempted to make sense of the memories. Only seconds later, Splash showed me an image of the pencil sharpener on a tilted barrier and the pencil sliding down a barrier-made slide into the pencil sharpener.
Without leaving Splash's mind, I attempted his set up. I easily bounced the pencil sharpener into position. The pencil, however, ended up facing the wrong way so I had to create a barrier slide that curved around into the sharpener.
{Ready?} I asked Splash. We weren't watching the setup with our eyes; I was feeling it with my mind and showing the images to Splash automatically, as our minds were still entwined.
Splash's setup worked perfectly. The pencil easily slid into the sharpener.
I opened my eyes and found Splash already in my arms, licking my face. I lifted the Eevee and spun around.
"Yes! We did it!" I cheered.
{And it was all my idea,} Splash added smugly.
"Yes it was." I paused.
Silence.
"Shouldn't we be let out of here now?"
Splash and I peered through the glass at the pencil sharpener. The pencil was in the sharpener…
{It's not plugged in.}
WHAT THE HELL! WHO FREAKIN MAKES THE PRELIM SHARPENING A PENCIL, ANYWAY? THE GYM LEADER COULD AT LEAST MAKE SURE HIS STUPID ELECTRIC PENCIL SHARPENER WAS PLUGGED IN TO AN ELECTRICAL OUTLET. BUT NOOOO, THE MORON HAD TO STICK US IN AN EMPTY ROOM IN A GERBIL BALL! WHEN I GOT OUT OF HERE, I WAS GOING TO GIVE HIM A PIECE—
{ANITA!}
Splash was staring past me. I followed his gaze.
The pencil sharpener was blown to bits.
"…Oops…"
{I think you killed the pencil. Actually, it was more like a violent murder.} It took me a few seconds to locate the pencil among the pencil sharpener debris. It was not a pretty sight. The top of the pencil had been blown off somewhere. I doubted it was still a full piece. The piece of pencil that was left was jaggedly cut across the top, wood shards sticking out at awkward angles.
HHIISSSS
The gerbil ball opened up, and I gratefully breathed in the fresh air.
"Not exactly what I had in mind, my young pinecone, but I suppose the pencil is sharp now," a voice cackled.
I turned around. {Did he just call me a pinecone?} I asked Splash.
{You are kinda like a Pineco,} Splash commented. {With the whole exploding at random times…}
Before me stood a wrinkly man in jeans and a dark jacket made of a bizarre material (was it rubber?). The man's peculiar stormy eyes had the eccentricity and excitement of a five-year-old, but what really unnerved me was the way his grey hair stood up from the random sparks that seemed to be radiating from his head.
"Well, don't just stand there gaping," the old man said. He held out his hand, grinning madly. "I'm Sparky, the gym leader of Cape Caution."
"Nice to meet you," I answered, carefully not taking the man's hand. I had the feeling it would have been a rather shocking experience. Then I remembered I had a reprimanding sermon to deliver to this particular wacko. "What the HELL was that prelim about?" I yelled. "Sharpening a pencil? What does that have to do with electricity? What does that teach me? That electric pencil sharpeners are freakin' unreliable? Do I get one of those ridiculous plastic pencil sharpeners when I beat you! You must be a twisted old drunk and lonely man! A real fu—"
"Tsk, tsk. Watch your language, my young pinecone, for there are innocent ears listening." Sparky laughed, sending a wave of sparks through his hair. "Come now. We must fetch the Pokemon you intend to use in battle." The gym leader swerved and walked impossibly fast—for an old man—out of a door I had not noticed. Where had that come from?
I walked after the gym leader. Splash hesitated, lightly leapt through the debris, and picked up the half exploded pencil between his canines before following me. We walked down a dull narrow hallway and stopped at a room that was an exact replica of the prelim room, minus the giant gerbil ball. Three Pokeballs and one perturbed Apple lay in the middle of the room.
Apple immediately leapt into my arms. {Are you okay?}
I nodded, and we quickly exchanged memories. I showed Apple the prelim, and Apple showed me how Sparky had put an incredibly strong shock through my body—I caught a whiff of Apple's guilt from not creating a protective barrier fast enough. Sparky, apparently, had then told me to choose three Pokemon for battle and one for the prelim. Realizing my mind was not functional enough to make a decision, Apple had psychically made me pick up Splash's Pokeball while she grabbed two others. Then Sparky had taken her to this room and me to a room her psychic would not affect…
I grinned at Apple, touched by how much worry there was in her mind. There were several instances she had considered breaking out of the room psychically to find me, even though it would have exposed her. {Thank goodness you didn't,} I said lightly.
{I kept reminding myself it was just a prelim, which, considering you last prelim, did not help very much…}
{So who'd you choose for battle?} I asked curiously.
{Who you would have chosen—me, Fiery, and Allo.}
{So there are advantages to having an over intrusive Eevee constantly in my mind…}
{I know you wouldn't have chosen Splash for the prelim. Probably Sunflower… But you don't know your Pokemon as well as I do.}
Opening my mind up to Splash as well, I said, {Splash was wonderful. I couldn't have done it without him.} Splash gave me a toothy smile, still holding the pencil like it was a trophy, before I picked up his Pokeball and pressed the return button.
Picking up my other Pokeballs, I asked Sparky, "Where to now?"
Sparky cackled for probably a full minute before answering, "Down, of course."
Then I was falling.
{I officially dub this gym leader more insane than Aden,} was my first thought to Apple. My second thought was something like, {I'm too young to plunge to my death!}
We stopped plummeting due to the barrier I created; it was like a glass floor. I looked up. The floor of the room we had been standing in—the ceiling of this room—was closing back up. I was reminded of Aden's remote control bridge. When I looked down, I found myself looking at a floor made of dirt only three or four yards away. The walls of the room were made of stone, with some spots giving off extremely bright light.
{Nice barrier!} Apple exclaimed.
I noticed that Sparky had landed on what looked like a large waterbed and narrowed my eyes suspiciously. He must be used to randomly making trainers fall into his stadium. I released my barrier and landed nimbly on the dirt floor.
I was pretty proud of myself for making it look graceful.
{Ow!} Apple yelled at me. {You could have warned me you were about to do that, you know! Now my tail hurts!}
{You're supposed to be psychic.}
{And you're supposed to be my thoughtful and considerate trainer! There is obviously a huge gap between reality and what is expected—} Apple started.
{Well, I expect you to shut up!}
Apple smugly retorted, {But, see, that's not the reality! I have some very important information, which you will just have to listen to if you want to win. While you were injuring my precious tail, I was trying to get into Sparky's mind. And it kinda hurt.}
{Yes, generally falling hurts whatever body part—}
{No, I mean entering his mind. It was physically painful, and confusing, and…}
{Shocking?} I suggested.
{Exactly!}
{Somehow, I'm not surprised.}
"Finally!"
I looked away from Apple. Mel was standing in front of me, hands on his hips.
"Do you know how long I was waiting? It's a good thing Sparky is the coolest person ever, otherwise I'd be pretty upset about having to wait so long for you two to battle! At first, when I wanted to help speed up your task-thing, Sparky was mean 'cause he wouldn't let me go. But then he started showing me the coolest stuff, and we played this game where I had to dodge his electric bolts—"
I think my eyes nearly popped out of my head. "He WHAT?"
"I was never hit! I turned invisible or went through the wall."
I turned to Sparky, who was smiling mildly. "Are you INSANE? Mel is a kid! He's not even a challenger! And you're just casually throwing electric bolts that, oh, might kill him! How the hell are you a gym leader?"
"Young pinecone, in this gym you will use three Pokemon. It will be a single battle, with no switching. You may not physically come in contact with your opponent's Pokemon, your Pokemon, or your opponent, but you may assist your Pokemon in any other way."
"Are you ignoring me!"
Sparky cackled, "Of course not. I'm answering your question." In a flash of red, an Electrode appeared.
"Mel, do not interfere, and stay out of the way," I ordered.
"Well, duh! What part of I can't wait to see you two battle did you not understand?" Mel replied, before disappearing.
"Go, Apple!"
There was a single intense moment that nothing happened. Apple stared at the Electrode, the Electrode stared back.
Then sparks flew, literally.
Apple and I both threw up psychic barriers. The electric bolts were not just coming from the Electrode, but from Sparky as well, and they were aimed at both me and Apple.
"Rollout!" I heard Sparky yell. The Electrode stopped shooting sparks. Sparky, unfortunately did not. I had to continuously keep pulsing energy into my barrier, which was now a large dome encompassing me, Apple, and the Electrode to keep from being electrocuted by Sparky. Apple fed me some of her power to strengthen my barrier.
{Dig,} I ordered. Apple disappeared below the ground and the Electrode missed.
"Spark Anita." The sound was faint, and the barrier was getting to be too much for me. I knew the Electode's bolts were heading right towards me…
Apple put a barrier up in front of me. {I'll deal with the Electrode. You just keep Sparky from turning us all into fried chicken.}
Apple popped out of the ground, but the Electrode was already out of the way. Bright lights and sparks were everywhere. I winced when the weight on my barrier increased.
{Stay with it, Anita!} Apple called as she dodged another rollout. Her tail lit up, and she managed to bat the Electrode away.
The Electrode grinned and sent another thunderbolt our way.
{Apple, you've got to keep trying dig. It's the only attack that will really hurt!} Apple dug underground as she put up another barrier to protect me from the Electrode's thunderbolt.
My barrier faltered. Bright lights, stabbing pain, my ears screamed at me—
Panting, I managed to throw the barrier back up. Sparks whispered in my ears to give in to the pain, to let the knives attack. My mind whirled. All I knew was to keep up the barrier.
I saw strange images. A large Pokeball rolling into a hole, a purple sky, a laughing old man mouthing something.
{Anita—}
The ground exploded. I was thrown backwards into the wall, along with mounds of dirt and a few sharp pebbles. The wall shuddered with me and the thousands of tiny needles that seemed to be poking into my back. I fell to the ground, groaning.
I thought for sure I would black out.
Somehow I didn't.
Panting, I called, {Apple?}
No reply. I lifted my heavy head and squinted into the giant crater that now made up the center of the stadium, thanks to what I assumed had the Electrode's explosion. I did not see Apple or the Electrode so I crawled forward a bit to get a closer look—
The earth gave way below me and I tumbled down into the crater, dirt getting caught in my fingernails as I uselessly tried to stop my fall.
I wouldn't have seen Apple if I hadn't slid right over, she was so covered in grime. I lifted her into my arms. {Apple?}
She was knocked out. I took a deep breath, summoned my powers, and slid into her mind. I was surprised by how easily my powers came, despite the huge strain I had just undergone. Everything was dark in Apple's mind so I sank to a deeper level. Everything was still dark. {Apple?} I tentatively called again.
Apple, in her Mew form, appeared in front of me, with a surprised look on her face. {What are you doing here? I've fainted.}
{I wanted to make sure you're okay. That was a major explosion.}
{Don't you have a battle to get back to?}
{Well, yeah,} I said sheepishly.
{Then get moving!}
I jolted back into my body and blinked as my eyes adjusted.
"Will you send out your next Pokemon, already!" Sparky yelled. I looked up. Sparky was grinning down at me from the edge of the crater, with a Pokeball in his hand. My barrier must have kept the damage from Electrode's explosion inside the barrier because Sparky appeared completely unharmed, as did the walls and ceiling of the stadium.
I picked up Apple and trudged my way up the steep slope, out of the crater. My legs burned with each step. Once, I slipped slightly and almost slid all the way back down. I caught Sparky's eye, which was still filled with a wild excitement, and I wondered if I had drained the gym leader's powers at all.
When I reached the top, I laid Apple down behind me. Too bad Sparky had confiscated my pack—there was some medicine I could have given Apple in there. I pulled out another Pokeball.
"Go, Allo!"
Sparky laughed and released a Jolteon.
I prepared my mind for Sparky's onslaught, well aware that without Apple, I probably would not be able to withstand the pressure for more than thirty seconds at best.
Sparky laughed. For some reason I got the feeling he was laughing at me. "Thundershock," he ordered. I was surprised when he did not try to electrocute me. Perhaps I had drained some of his energy…
My main advantage in this battle would be telepathy; Sparky would not be able to predict my moves. {Dodge, then quick attack, Allo.}
Allo managed to avoid getting shocked, and ran at the Jolteon. Faster than I could see, the Jolteon was gone.
{Behind you!} I yelled. I threw up a barrier to stop the Jolteon's pin missile from hitting Allo.
{Allo, you've got to move faster!}
{I'm trying, I'm trying!}
"Sparkles, quick attack to get in close! Then let's shock them!"
Sparkles—which was apparently the Jolteon's name—was on Allo, faster than I could throw my mind forward. {Sand attack!} I called, in hopes of dissipating the speed advantage.
It was too late. Allo was knocked out with the single thunderbolt/quick attack combo I failed to block.
I murmured a "Nice try," as Allo was returned to his Pokeball. I released Fiery.
Immediately, Sparky had Sparkles fire off a few thunderbolts, all of which Fiery was able to dodge or I was able to block with a barrier. I knew it wouldn't last. This time when Sparkles closed in for a physical attack, I'd be ready. Fiery would be ready.
{Fiery, heat up your body temperature,} I ordered. {Get ready to use ember.}
You know in Star Wars or Star Trek or Star Whatever how the starships look when they go from normal space-time to faster than light travel? Well, that's what it looked like when Sparkles started running in a quick attack.
Like right now. "Quick attack and thunderbolt, Sparkles!" Sparky chuckled, "No dodging that!"
The Jolteon was sparking as it took off towards Fiery. Fiery would be electrocuted before he could pull off an ember… unless—
{Iron-tail. Use iron-tail, but hold onto that ember!}
Fiery's attack was a moment too late. Sparkles used thunderbolt while in contact with Fiery, but Fiery was able to maneuver the Jolteon away before he was seriously hurt. Fiery's tail slammed Sparkles to the ground.
{Ember, now!}
Standing above Sparkles, Fiery breathed fire down onto the Jolteon. Sparkles' fur caught on fire.
Sparkles attempted to use another thunderbolt, but Fiery was far away enough from Sparkles for me to create a barrier between the two Pokemon. Sparkles used the distraction to scramble away from Fiery, back towards Sparky.
{Fiery, keep it up! Get after it and use ember!}
Fiery sprinted toward the Jolteon at full speed. There was a moment that I thought Sparkles would just stand there, and let the attack hit. The Jolteon was burnt and had been hit by Fiery's iron tail. There was no way the Pokemon could move as quickly as before, but I had expected him to at least try to escape—
Sparkles disappeared before Fiery hit. What my eyes could not see, my mind could feel. {Fiery, quick attack, on your left!}
I did not understand. Sparkles should be hurt—how was that Jolteon still moving so quickly?
Fiery and Sparkles collided, as did Fiery's flames and Sparkles' sparks. Both Pokemon were forced backwards. Fiery was panting hard… but Sparkles was hardly panting. I narrowed my eyes.
{Fiery, I need to figure out why your attacks don't seem to be affecting Sparkles. Keep dodging—I'm going to enter their minds.}
Fiery nodded and ducked under a random thunderbolt.
Apple had warned me about Sparky so I would enter Sparkles' mind instead. I easily listened to the Jolteon's thoughts, but the Pokemon, unfortunately, seemed completely absorbed in the battle. For the most part, Sparkles did not even think—he only carried out the commands of his trainer. Occasionally a random thought about a new way to dodge one of Fiery's ember attacks or how to more effectively execute a thunderbolt would wander across Sparkles' mind.
I found I had a lot of trouble delving any deeper into Sparkles' mind. I did not have a connection with Sparkles like I had with Apple, or even with my other Pokemon. Eventually, I decided it would be far easier and faster to try Sparky's mind, despite Apple's warning.
Sparky felt brighter than any creature I had come across before. Tentatively, I touched a thin strand of my power to Sparky's mind. Immediately, I doubled over in pain. The knives and needles had returned, trying to wheedle me into letting go of the connection, stopping the pain. But no, there was something I had… had to figure out? Maybe… if only I could remember what it was…
My vision blurred, becoming a swirl of bright lights.
Lightning flashed across the sky… a Jolteon running… a thundershock coming from the Jolteon in a dusty room… a Flareon and Jolteon colliding… electric bolts racing towards an injured Jolteon… a smiling Jolteon… electric bolts racing towards a girl with purple eyes…
Purple eyes—I had purple eyes! I broke the connection and the pain receded, leaving only a massive headache. I reviewed the images that had briefly flashed through my mind when I touched Sparky's mind.
Duh. I couldn't believe it was so obvious.
{Sparky's healing Sparkles with his powers,} I explained to Fiery. {That's why he hasn't been attacking my directly! He's been too busy feeding his electricity to Sparkles. Jolteons are able to absorb electricity and use the absorbed electricity to recover… my teacher called it volt absorb back in elementary school…}
Fiery used his tail to bat away Sparkles when the Jolteon tried another physical attack. {So what are you going to do about it?}
{I'm going to cut off Sparky. It will probably take all of my concentration so you might be on your own. Just keep with the iron-tail and ember!}
I sent out my mind and created a dome-shaped barrier around Sparky. Instantly, there was a great pressure on my mind. I focused on the flawless surface of my barrier, on its durability, on its shape…
I couldn't help losing concentration for swift milliseconds because of the battle. I saw Fiery smash down his lit up tail—aiming for Sparkles but denting only the ground. Later, I noticed Fiery's tired stance. I was pleased to see Sparkles wincing a bit, too.
The pressure on my barrier continued to build. My brain hurt. Images fizzed and then went fuzzy—
Sparky broke through.
My first reaction was to throw up a barrier around myself so I was protected from Sparky's electric bolts.
My second reaction was too slow. The moment I put up a barrier around myself, I realized Fiery had been left unguarded. Unfortunately, in that moment, both Sparky and Sparkles chose to attack Fiery.
Fiery was knocked out.
My stomach churned, revolted by the turn of events.
Yes, the pun was intended.
I bent over and puked up my pride with the partially digested tomato-tuna sandwich I had for lunch.
