Chapter 96 – Primid
"No…No…NO!"
"Pikaka, Pikachu…"
Ash felt as if heart had been ripped from his chest as he watched the three space shuttles ascend into the upper atmosphere. The barely visible shuttle getting less and less visible the higher its climber. A wave of nausea threatened to engulf him. Pikachu was trembling on his shoulder.
"Oh shit! Hunter," Cameron cried in a tortured voice.
Even Lucario, usual cool and collected, let out a whine like an injured Pokémon. Well, he was an injured Pokémon.
"What do we do. What do we do?" Cameron doubled over, his breath coming short and sharp. The poor kid was begging to hyperventilate.
"Cameron. Cameron." Jimmy knelt beside him and took hold of him by the shoulder. "Breathe okay. Just breath."
"No…They're not. Getting. Away!" Ash clenched his fists. "Geyser, I choose you!"
He threw a Pokéball and his otter pup appeared in front of them.
"Dewott."
He spread his legs apart and lowered his tail, ready for a fight. But upon not seeing an opponent, he looked back at Ash and shot him a curious glance.
"Up there." Ash pointed to the shuttle, still just visible high above. "Geyser, Hoopa, I want you to pull those rocket back to earth. Use psychic. Lucario you help too."
"Lu-car." Lucario growled and nodded.
"Ash no," said Jimmy sternly. "It's too big, going too fast and too far out. They can't do it."
Geyser, Lucario and Hoopa's eyes begun to glow light blue as they looked up at small dots that where the shuttles miles above their heads. They begun to slow…Or seemed to, it was hard to tell at this distance.
"Come on, bring them down," Ash demanded. "Bring them down."
"Pika PIKACHU," Pikachu shouted encouragingly.
"Dewott." Geyser gritted his teeth, sweat beads appearing in his forehead.
"Ash," said Jimmy a little more forcefully. "They can't do it. They're only going to get hurt. Stop it!"
Ash ignored him.
"Dewott!" Geyser begun to tremble with the effort of maintaining the attack and his breath was coming short and sharp.
Lucario's face was screwed up in concentration and a soft growl was coming from his maw.
Only Hoopa looked relaxed, either because he was stronger than the other two or wasn't trying.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the space shuttles begun to move in the opposite direction. Back towards the ground.
"Ash. Stop. Just stop…"
"More power. Bring them down. BRING…THEM…DOWN!"
"LU-CARIOOOO…"
"Dewott."
Lucario let out a vicious snarl, opening his maw wide and puffing out his chest and he put every fibre of his being, every ounce of strength into pulling down those rockets.
Geyser was visibly shaking, his fur drenched in sweat. He lowered himself to one knee. It was too much effort to stand and use Psychic at the same time…
"Geyser!"
Noticing the distress of his pup, Oshawott stepped forward and put a paw on the Dewott's shoulder. When Geyser didn't respond he turned his head back to Ash and barked "Ash. Please, he can't."
"Yes, he can," Ash snapped back. "He can and he will, and he has too. I can't let…"
"Dew…" Geyser let out a gasp before falling forward onto his stomach and lying still.
At the same time, Lucario fell to his knees, the blue glow in his eyes fading.
The shuttles resumed their climb into the atmosphere, getting smaller and smaller. "NOOO…" Ash fell to his knees. Pikachu dropped off his shoulder.
"ASHACHU!"
"Piiikaaa!"
He couldn't think clearly. He just stared up at the fast disappearing specs high above. The prison of metal and fire hold his and Pikachu's kit. Around him, Cameron moved to put an arm round Lucario, and Oshawott returned to his ordinary form and begun pressing on Geysers chest in an attempt to wake him up. Jessie and James had gone.
And then, just as it seemed it couldn't get any worse…
BOOM!
There was another flash of light, pink this time. It came streaking across the sky from somewhere beyond the horizon like a giant comment and struck one of the three shuttles, causing it to explode.
Where smoke had formed a trail beneath the shuttle, it now spread out like an ugly flower. A flower of death.
"Oh Arceus…" Ash double over. Nausea overcame him and he vomited.
Had Ashachu just been…He couldn't bring himself to think it.
"Excuse me," shouted a gruff female voice from behind. "Just what do you children think you're doing here!"
"Office Jenny," Ash heard Jimmy say. The voices all seemed distant. His mind was hundreds of miles away with Ashachu…Or what was left of him. The thought threatened to make him throw up again.
And then he heard a voice he knew.
"It's okay officer Jenny. I know them. I'll take care of them. Ash. Cameron."
Ash turned around and his eyes met the hazel ones of an older sandy haired boy.
"Virgil."
The solider was standing beside his Umbreon, his face illuminated by the shining golden rings all over the slender black Pokémon's body. His Eevee was sitting on his shoulder.
Office Jenny was behind him, mostly obscured in darkness.
"V-Virgil. T-team Flare."
"It's all right Ash," said Virgil holding out a hand. "Come with me."
"Umbree."
Ash accepted Virgil's hand and allowed him to pull him to his feet. At the same time Umbreon sat down beside Pikachu, picked up the mouse with his two front paws, and slung him onto his back before rising again.
"They've got my kit," Ash mumbled. "They took Ashachu in the shuttle."
"I know," Virgil replied. "We'll get him back. But you need to come to the command centre…"
[Pokémon]
Pikachu was in a state of shock.
So much so that he didn't notice where Umbreon was taking him until the moonlight Pokémon deposited him onto a pillow.
"Huh. Where am I," he mumbled as he examined his surrounding.
He was in a windowless room with white walls and ceiling, and a rough carpeted floor. It was relatively small with most of the space taken up by a three couches, a table and sink and a fridge against one wall.
Sniffing the air and looking around he noticed Ash pacing up and down the room with Oshawott on his shoulder, while Jimmy and Cameron were sitting on the couch. Lucario and Typhlosion were milling about in the corner looking uncomfortable.
He couldn't see Charizard or Hoopa and guess Ash had returned them to their balls.
Umbreon giggle, his muzzle forming a cute smile. "You're in the police station silly. Weren't you paying attention? The word police over the door is a dead giveaway."
Pikachu hadn't been paying attention "Oh."
"My trainer's masters are using it as their base here in Mossdeep."
"Masters?" Pikachu questioned then he remembered. Virgil was a solider, part of the military. "And what are your masters going to do about Ashachu?"
Umbreon coxed his head. "Ashachu?"
"My kit," Pikachu snapped, a little more forcefully than he intended. "You know him. You've met him. He was taken by Team Flare. Away in that flying thing."
"The space shuttle?"
"Whatever its called." Pikachu buried his face in his paws, hot tears welling up in his eyes.
Umbreon put an arm around him and licked his ear soothingly. "It's okay. Don't worry Pikachu. I'm sure my humans will save him."
'How can I rely on humans,' Pikachu thought to himself but didn't voice it. 'Humans did this in the first place.' Right now, the only human he trusted or cared for was Ash.
"It is!" Pikachu heard his trainer snapped suddenly.
He took his paws off his eyes and looked up to see Ash glaring at Virgil. The older boy was wearing an apologetic expression.
"I'm sorry Ash. That was out of line. But this plan of there's. An intergalactic spaceship. Then centurion." Virgil shook his head. "It's beyond anything I could have imagined. I mean an intergalactic spaceship. How long as the space force been working on that."
"You didn't know about it," said Ash curiously.
"Never heard of it. It's obviously a top-secret project. But for nobody to know about it must have had protection at…but how did Team Flare."
"Yes, but how are we going to stop it," asked Ash. "Team Flare have gone. Took off in the space shuttles with Ashachu and Hunter with them."
Virgil smiled. "Don't worry about that. All we need to do is activate the tractor beam…A radio signal that can override the shuttles controls and allow it to be controlled from earth. Since the Team Rocket attack all space equipment has a built-in failsafe to prevent rockets being operated by terrorists. Once the emissary have cleared out the team flare scum we'll go in and activate it."
"See." Umbreon stroked Pikachu's side with his paw. "Nothing to worry about. The humans will get your kit back. No problem."
This did not improve Pikachu's mood nor alleviate his concerns. For one thing, at least one of the shuttles had been shot down, so there was a one in three chance that…He again had to push that thought from his mind.
Not to mention he didn't know what Team Flare were doing to poor Ashachu up there or whether he could even survive…Again, he couldn't let himself think that.
A few minutes passed in silence…
Ash announced he was going to the Pokémon Centre to check on Geyser. Oshawott accompanied him, climbing onto his shoulder as he strode through the doorway. He left Pikachu lying where he was without even so much as looking at the mouse.
And for the first time ever Pikachu was glad of that. He didn't have the emotional energy to deal with an injured Pokémon on top of Ashachu. And he definitely didn't want to deal with Oshawott right now.
He lay back and stared up at the ceiling. Umbreon continued to lick his ear and speak words of encouragement to him, telling him everything was going to be alright. To be honest Pikachu didn't find this all that helpful but didn't have the energy to snap the moonlight Pokémon.
He heard a kettle boil and Virgil offer both Jimmy and Cameron a cup of tea and, by the sounds of it biscuits. Jimmy accepted but Cameron declined…At least until Jimmy and Virgil insisted.
"Seriously Cameron, it'll make you feel better."
"You need the energy. Your energy levels are probably seriously depleted after an experience like that…That goes for you Pokémon too. Including you Pikachu."
There was the sound of footsteps close to his ear. Pikachu turned his head in time to see Virgil place a saucer full of tea and two biscuits on the floor nearby.
"Come on, eat up."
Pikachu sniffed. The tea smelt sweet and there was a hint of chocolate coming from the cookie. It made his stomach rumble. But he didn't feel like he had the energy to move.
Eventually his stomach got the better of him and he clambered to his paws and crawled over to the saucer. His head spun and he almost couldn't walk straight. He lapped up a few tongue fulls of the tea, which was delicious, and took another look at the room.
He could see Cameron and Jimmy sitting on the sofa. Cameron was hunched over, his face a perfect mirror of Pikachu's feelings. His eyes were very red, and his cheeks streaked with tears.
Typhlosion and Nova were lying at Jimmy's feet, while Lucario had sat down cross legged in a corner to meditate.
More time passed with nobody talking. Pikachu didn't know what time it was or how long it had been since they'd seen the shuttles go up. There was no clock in the room…or if there was, he hadn't seen it.
Finally, after what seemed like ages, there was a buzzing sound. Everyone looked at Virgil as he raised his right arm to his head and pulled back his sleeve to reveal a large metal object fastened to his wrist.
It was obviously a communicator of some kind as he spoke into it, "Captain Brianne…Yes I see…Yes…That's great news…I have them with me…I'll come right away, Sir…Thank-you sir." He lowered his arm and announced to the room at large. "That was my commanding officer. She wants to see us in the Space Centre…"
[Pokémon]
Mossdeep City Pokémon Centre…
"Your Dewott is going to be just find," explained a kindly nurse joy. "He just needs to rest. But you need to be careful in future to make sure you don't overexert your Pokémon."
That last sentence was delivered with the tone of a loving parent scolding a child. However, it barely registered with Ash, whose mind was still up in the atmosphere with Ashachu. He was so worried about his kit that he hadn't really given much thought to poor Geyser.
In fact, he a large part of him was wanting to scold the Dewott for failing to bring down the Space Shuttle. For failing to save Ashachu. But that part of him died the moment he laid eyes on Geyser lying on a gurney in the Pokémon centre. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing slowly, his body limp.
"Oshawott." Oshawott leapt off his shoulder and onto the side of the bed, placing two paws on Geysers chest. He gave a sad cry of "Osha."
"Geyser," said Ash softly. "Buddy." He touch Geyser's forehead and rubbed the tops of his ears, eliciting no response from the discipline Pokémon.
He didn't know what to say. Beyond his annoyance at Geyser's failure, he hadn't really given him or his needs any thought. It had barely registered when Virgil had picked him up and handed him to another solider and asked him to take Geyser to the Pokémon Centre.
"Osha." Oshawott laid his head on Geysers chest and closed his eyes, trailing his right paw through the fur on Geyser's stomach.
Ash smiled weakly and placed his hand on Oshawott's head. However, the otter didn't appreciate the gesture. He sprung to his feet, spun around and slapped Ash's hand away with his tail.
"Oshawott Osh!"
"Oshawott?" Said Ash taken aback.
Oshawott was glaring at him, his eyes narrowed to slits and his fur bristling. "Don't you touch me, okay Ash Ketchum."
"What's wrong," Ash begun, bewildered but was cut off by Oshawott.
"What's wrong. I'll tell you what's wrong," Oshawott snapped angrily, pointing is paw at Ash. "This is all YOUR fault!"
Ash was numb with shock. "W-what!"
"You made him use that psychic attack! You knew he couldn't do it. You did this too him!"
"Oshawott I…" Ash didn't know what to say. Deep down he knew Oshawott was right. He felt almost sick with guilt and shame. "I'm sor…"
But Oshawott didn't let him finish…
"Shut up Ash," he growled. "Shut up and let me talk. You were so concerned about Ashachu that you forced Geyser to do something he wasn't strong enough to do. This is the result. Did you really think he'd be strong enough to pull those fucking flying things down? DID YOU?"
Ash opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"Yeah I thought not. No, it's all about Pikachu with you. He's all you ever think about. Him and the kit you had with him. Well what about me Ash. What about our pup. When you fucked me and got me pregnant, where you are doing it because you actually loved me. Or where you just trying to get laid."
The little otter had tears in his eyes now and the color was rising in his cheeks. He wasn't physically attacking Ash, but every word cut into his trainer deeper than if he'd attacked Ash with his Scalchop.
"O-oshawott, I'm so sorry," Ash begun.
"Just GET OUT!" Oshawott bellowed pointing at the door. "Get out and leave me alone. I don't need your worry's right now."
"Please I," Ash moved to put his hand on Oshawott's head.
"Touch me and I'll fucking bite you!"
He withdrew his hand and sighed. "You're right Oshawott. I let you down. I let Geyser down."
"Yeah. You did," Oshawott replied his voice breaking. He turned his back to Ash and buried his face in Geyser's fur.
Ash turned and walked out of the room, across the lobby and out the Pokémon Centre. Once outside he buried his face in his hands and started to cry…
[Pokémon]
Mossdeep Space Centre…
The first thing Pikachu noticed, as they re-entered the Space Centre, was the smell…
The sickly coppery smell of the blood and the creeping stench of death assault his little nose as the doors to the main building slid open.
The second thing he noticed was the blood…It was everywhere. The floor wand wall were slick with blood. A great giant pool of red, deep enough to coat Pikachu's little paws when he stepped into it.
The poor mouse held his breath so as to not vomit.
And that's when he saw them. Littering the floor of the lobby. The bodies of at least five Team Flare Grunts. It was horrible. Two had nasty wounds in their chest and stomach, their eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling.
The others were support far more horrendous injuries. One had had his eyes gouged out; another had a giant hole right through the middle of her chest. The others – Pikachu averted his eyes. He didn't want them to register in his mind.
There was a gasp from the other Pokémon and humans present – except Virgil whom gave the scene a grimace but said nothing – and a wrenching sound. Pikachu turned his head and saw Cameron, turn away, his cheeks puffed out. A second later he heard a splattering on the floor and the stench of vomit joined smell of blood lingering in the air.
"W-what. H-happened here," Pikachu whispered to Umbreon.
The answer came running running from out of the corridor before Umbreon could answer.
A man, a Team Flare admin, dressed in a white suit came sprinting into the lobby screaming his lungs out.
"AHHHHHHH! IT'S COMING…"
It was a small black creature. Pikachu had seen one like it earlier in the hanger. Besides two glowing red eyes it had no visible facial features. It's body appeared to be clothed in a green outfit. Thought the way it clung to, or was part of, the creatures body it didn't look like clothes. Not like the humans wore.
It had the appearance of squashed jellybean, with thin spindly arms and legs poking out. At the ends of its arms it wore giant gloves – or those were its hands. And it's feet looked like boots. In one hand it clutched an evil looking spear.
The thing ran after the man with surprising speed. It leapt into the air like an Olympic long jumper, it's boots connecting with the mans upper back. Pikachu knew what was about to happen a split second before it did, and he looked away.
There was a sickening noise followed by a blood curdling scream form the Team Flare admin. The creature had plunged it's spear right into the back of the mans head…
"What is that thing," Pikachu whispered to Umbreon. He was visibly shaking now.
"They're called Primids," Umbreon replied, a note of disgust in his voice. "The human government created them to kill us!"
"Kill us?"
Umbreon bit his lip before saying, "to kill us Pokémon. They're Pokémon killers."
Pikachu felt his blood run cold. Beneath his yellow fur his face had gone extremely pale. "They're made to kill Pokémon. But why would the humans want to do that."
"To stop bad humans using us for evil deeds. Like its our fault how humans use us."
"That's awful," was all Pikachu managed say
The others had similar reactions to Pikachu. Jimmy had to look away in disgust and Cameron cried out, "What is that thing. Oh, Arceus what is it."
Virgil sighed. "I'm sorry you had to see that. It's called a Primid. They're artificial solider created for the Subspace army. Military foot soldiers to help support the arm in dealing with terrorist threats. Come on. We shouldn't linger here."
Virgil escorted them across the room and into the adjacent corridor, then up in one of the lifts to the fifth floor. Here they entered the control room with its rows of computer monitors and large screen on the far wall.
There were bodies in here too. Grunts lying slumped against the monitors, or back in their chairs, or else lying on the floor. Their expressions blank, their eyes empty and glazed over. The smell of blood and death hung in the air here too albeit not as bad as downstairs.
Pikachu wondered who all these humans had been before their lives had been ended by those things. The Primid. What where they're names – they couldn't just be called grunt. Why were they in Team Flare. And what would make them so willing to attack a helpless Pichu kit.
He would never know…
There was a group of four people at the other side of the room near the giant screen. As they drew closer Pikachu noticed one of them was a man. Older by the looks of him, with grey hair and dressed in a military uniform. It was unlike the one Virgil wore, consist of a green jacket and trousers, white shirt and tie with medals pinned on the right shoulder.
He was clutching a wound in his stomach while two medics, boys who looked around the same age and Virgil were tending to him. The fourth person was a tall blond hairs woman, at least ten years Virgils senior, and was wearing a uniform similar to his.
"Commander Samus," Virgil said as he approached the woman.
She turned to him and replied, "Private Eeveeson."
The two soldiers saluted each other before Virgil, "commander I have the witnesses with me as you requested. But I'm afraid things are much worse than we thought."
[Pokémon]
Twenty minutes later…
"Okay," the commander, Samus said, her voice calm but strained. "Explain this to me again. What is project Skywalker?"
Pikachu, Lucario, Typhlosion, Nova, their trainers – except Ash who was still with Geyser and Oshawott at the Pokémon Centre – where seated around a long conference table. They were in a meeting room of some kind somewhere in the main building of the Space Centre. There was a large glass window with a view to the launch pads, and a large projected computer screen in the corner.
With them were Virgil, Eevee and Umbreon, Samus, the man in the green coat, whose name Pikachu had learned was Willard, and a group of other soldiers and men and women in white labs coats whose names Pikachu didn't know.
"Very well."
It was Willard who answered the question. He had deep gruff voice, the kind Pikachu had heard whenever ash had put the TV on, and some old military movie was playing.
"But know what I am about to tell you is highly classified. More than my life is worth. And I would rather there weren't children present to hear about it."
"This project of yours had cost them two of their Pokémon," Samus retorted. "Whatever you have to say you will say in front of them, do I make myself clear."
Willard sighed. "Quite… During the Second World War the military commissioned a project to design a weapon capable of brining an end to the war. The weapon they designed ran on aura, the life energy of Pokémon. That energy was gained by the sacrifice of many Pokémon."
Pikachu of course exactly of the terrible weapon of which Willard spoke. He had seen it, the terrible poisonous flower that had burst out of the earth.
"The weapon was fired destroying large tracks of land and military installations in the americas and caused them to surrender. After that the weapon was buried. Now many considered what had been done reprehensible. However, there were many who believe that the energy could be used for other purposes. One of them was Nicola Stone. You may know her as the founder of the Devon Corporation. Before founding the corporation, she was one of the scientist involved in the development of the project. She created a form of energy derived from aura, Infinite Energy. Unfortunately for Stone the private sectors involvement in developing infinite energy was brought to an end when Parliament passed the anti Pokémon experimentation laws. However, at the same time, the government commissioner a secret organization within the military to continue studying infinite energy. It was called Anakin. Anakin was a secret of the highest order. Not even the Governor General, nor the cabinet were ever informed of its existence. It's members weren't even allowed to know whom the entity was reporting to nor who their superiors were. Anakin spearheaded a number of infinite energy-based experiments, one of which was Space Travel. Around five years ago a scientist in Anakin discovered a way of drawing infinite energy from Pokémon without killing them immediately. It allowed the energy source to be used for sustained periods of time giving it great applicability to space travel making Skywalker possible. Skywalker was an Anakin project to develop a spacecraft capable of long-distance space travel. That is travel further than any other space probe has gone before. Beyond the boundaries of our solar system. The galaxy even. The project developed two key technologies. The Centurion, a long-distance space craft powered by Infinite Energy. And a system that could put humans and Pokémon into suspended animation. Together the technologies would allow crewed missions to be sent into deep space. I was assigned to oversee the first test flight of the Centurion. The mission brief was to assemble a team of top astronauts to perform a test flight of the Centurion. The Centurion was to enter an ultra wormhole. We were eight hours from launching when Team Flare showed up. Had some sort of Pokémon control machine. Overran the facility."
"You said you were about to launch this Centurion ship," Virgil asked. "The mission detail shows a space shuttle launch scheduled for today."
"The Centurion was not designed to be capable of launch or re-entry. It's parts were contracted on earth and assembled in orbit. The crew was to be carried to the Centurion aboard the shuttle."
Virgil frowned. "I thought the shuttle was bound for the International Space Station."
Willard sighed and rolled his eyes. "Use your brain boy. A fake mission detail was created to allow a launch to take place without people, both within and outside the Space Force, from discovering the true purpose of the launch. Or Anakin and project Skywalker would have been exposed."
"You mentioned the Centurion was powered by the life energy of Pokémon. By aura," said commander Samus, a clear note of disgust in her voice. "Which Pokémon were you using. Where did it come from?"
"Ahh…" Willard made a noise but didn't answer the question. He suddenly looked incredibly nervous, beads of sweat appearing on his bow. He started to fidget with the collar of shirt.
"Well," snapped Samus. "Which Pokémon."
"Anakin' s mandate often requires it to act outside the law. I wasn't given details. I was just told something called the aura Pikachu that…"
"YOU BASTARD!"
Pikachu snapped. It was as if all the anger, fear and pain he'd been feeling today came spilling out of. All focused on the man sitting across the table sweating and fidgeting with his collar.
He sprung to his feet, his cheeks sparking. He was going to volt tackle him, knock him out of that chair, melt those stupid pieces of metal and ribbon on his chest and electrocute him. Cause this human some of the pain that he was feeling. Some of the pain this man had brought to so many Pokémon.
"Pikachu no!"
Pikachu had barely managed to take more than a few steps before Umbreon had pounced on him, pinning him to the table.
"Get off me Umbreon. Get off me! I'm going to kill him."
"Can we get the rat out of here," he heard someone way. Some smug arrogant human. Pikachu would like to kill him too.
"I have to join issue with that commander," said someone else, one of the soldiers by the sound of it. "This is a military operation. We can't have these kids Pokémon in here if they're not going to behave themselves."
It only made Pikachu angrier.
"I'll take him outside," said Cameron. "Come on Pikachu."
Pikachu felt a pair of hands gently take hold of him from under the arms. He slapped them away with his tail, before standing on his hind legs, spinning around and snapping at Cameron, "Get off me! Don't fucking touch me. No human has anything to say to me."
He turned his back to the, now extremely shocked, boy and back to the military personals and scientists. "You fucking humans. It's your fault my kits been kidnapped and taken to Arceus knows where. Team Flare took him in your rocket. And now I find out you were planning to…URGHH…Listen here. I'm not a pet, an object or something to be fucking experience that on and nor is any other Pokémon. AND I AM NOT FUCKING LEAVING THIS ROOM UNTIL YOU TELL ME HOW YOU'RE GOING TO SAVE ASHACHU AND HUNTER."
His cheeks sparked dangerous as he spoke. There was a stunned silence. The humans exchanged studded looks and those nearest to him recoiled, pushing their chair away from the table. Even Jimmy and Cameron looked uncomfortable though neither said anything.
Then after a moment Samus said curtly, "Pikachu I apologize for the behavior of my colleagues. I fully intend to report what has happened here today to my superiors. Anakin will be exposed, and Mr. Willard court-martialed. And rest assured I am taking every endeavor to rescue the Pokémon aboard those shuttles. Now Mr. Willard. Tell me about the Centurion…"
[Pokémon]
For the first time since it had arrived Ash was grateful for the darkness.
It allowed him to disappeared. It allowed to sit down under a tree opposite the Pokémon centre, put his face in his knees, and bawl his eyes out.
Ashachu had been kidnapped…Geyser was unconscious…And now Oshawott hated him. He was scared for his kit. Felt guilty about his pup. And couldn't escape the crushing thought that he had failed as a trainer.
"Ashachu. G-geyser. Pikachu," he mumbled between sobs. "I'm…I'm so sorry you guys. I'm sorry this has happened. I-I…"
Ash wrapped his arms around his legs, pressed his face into his trousers and sobbed uncontrollably.
"…Arceus…If you can hear me. Please…Don't let Ashachu…Please help my Ashachu. Ohh Ashachu. I'd give anything to have you safe in my arms again…"
And from out of the darkness someone replied…. "Anything?"
[Pokémon]
Ashachu was dead…
Whatever had happened to him on the shuttle, it must have killed him.
He was dead…And this was the distortion world. Where else could it be. He was in a world of white. A harsh light from above nearly blinding him. His body was wracked with pain. He felt as if his tail had been plunged into the body of slugma. Dipped in liquid magma.
And staring down at him was the face of pure evil. A twisted evil grin.
"Pikaaaa…"
He let out a cry and tried get up. Only to find that his paws had been tied to whatever surface he was lying on. He tried to use an electric type move. To ward off the evil thing above him. But he couldn't.
"Oh, don't bother trying to attack me," the evil thing said. "The drugs you've been given will prevent that."
As his eyes got used to the light the face above came into focus. An orange mechanical visor. It was Aliana.
"Pikachu!"
"Mable is dead. There are only a handful of us left now. I don't know what your fucking trainer did, but once again he had obstructed our path to the promise land. But this time. You've never going to see that fucking little creep again. You're going to spend the rest of your life as a fucking battery. But before you do, I'm going to make you suffer. Remember this."
She held up a hand to show him something. With a thrill of fear, he realized it was the silver claw that Shadow has used to…
"Darkrai had the right idea. I know just what I'm going to do."
And then Ashachu really was in the distortion world…
