Chapter 5: Worried about Taichi

Just a moment ago Bill had been together with this young boy named Yagami Taichi, but now he was alone. The reason for it was that Taichi had just been sucked into the PC after using the Pokémon Storage System, that Bill had developed, to store his Charmander in the PC.
The first thing Bill did was to check all Boxes in the Pokémon Storage System, but apparently, the boy wasn't inside one. As if humans could be stored in the PC anyway! But then what just happened to Taichi? Maybe just as strange was the fact that he also couldn't find Charmander in any of the Boxes. But he saw Taichi store it in the Box - so it should be there.
Just where did those two vanish to?

Ok, calm down, no need to panic, Bill thought to himself. It's not as bad as the time I merged with a Pokémon ... at least I hope so. And I was able to solve that problem as well ... with the help from this boy named Red, who later became the Pokémon Champion, but ... whatever. It's not like I have to solve this problem alone. I really should call Professor Oak. He will know what to do. ... Hopefully.

Earlier, back in Taichi's hometown ...

Yagami Hikari was lying in her bed because she was sick. She was looking out of the window. Oniichan is out there now, going on a Pokémon journey and having a great adventure, she thought to herself and smiled. Of course, she loved being with her brother more than anything, but he had been so excited to go on a Pokémon journey that Hikari couldn't help but be happy for him.

As she watched the sky it suddenly turned very colorful. It looked like there was a lucid rainbow-colored curtain hanging from the sky. "How beautiful," Hikari whispered to herself. She wondered if her brother could also see it right now.

Then she started coughing again. She set up a little to drink some water from the glass that her mother had put beside her bed at the bedside table. She drank it slowly so as not to choke.

While she was slowly and carefully drinking her water, she didn't see how a small device came down from the aurora, like a little comet, and landed in their garden. As it hit the ground, the impact left a hole there and caught the attention of a Murkrow that flew down, picked it up, and took it with it.

When she looked out of the window again the strange phenomena had disappeared.
Hikari felt tired, so she closed her eyes and fell asleep. At that time she had no idea that the next time she woke up, horrible and shocking news would await her.

Professor Oak's phone rang. He looked at the display and saw that it was Bill who called. There were only two reasons why the PokéManiac called. He either wanted to talk extensively about Pokémon and/or his inventions, or he was in trouble again.

The professor answered the phone.

"Professor Oak, I'm so glad you answered the phone" Professor Oak could hear the young man on the other side of the line say.

Judging by his voice the reason why he called this time was the latter.

"What happened this time? Did you turn into a Pokémon again?" Professor Oak asked.
"No, nothing like that. It's about this boy ... his name is Taichi."

"Taichi?" Professor Oak interrupted him.
"I hope you didn't turn him into a Pokémon," he added.
"No ... no," Bill said "but ... it might even be worse than that. At least if that was the case I would know how to solve the problem."
Now Professor Oak was concerned. He knew that Bill's experiments sometimes went wrong and some strange things had happened, but that Taichi, who had just started his Pokémon journey, would be drawn into it ... he didn't like the thought of that.
He asked him to tell him what happened, hoping that the PokéManiac was exaggerating and that it wasn't that bad. But, oh, was he wrong.

He certainly hadn't expected Bill to say that he had accidentally stored the boy in the PC.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not really sure if I can say that I stored him in the PC, as neither he nor his Pokémon is in one of the boxes," he added, explaining the situation in more detail.

The young man explained how he met Taichi and wanted him to try out the new and updated Pokémon Storage System that he had invented. But after having stored his Charmander in one of the boxes a light just came out of the boy's pocket and then also from the computer and as the light went back inside the computer it had sucked the boy with it into the PC.
"How do I get him out of the PC again?" Bill asked, sounding really worried and concerned.

After hearing the story, Professor Oak asked him if he knew what was inside Taichi's pocket, as he figured that it might have something to do with the case, but unfortunately, Bill had no idea.

"So ... what am I supposed to do now?" Bill asked, hoping the professor would have a solution.

"I know you are expecting a solution from me now, but I'm sorry. I also have no idea."

When Bill heard that he sighed, but then Professor Oak continued: "But I might know someone who might be able to solve this problem."
Now Bill was all ears.
"Who would that be?" he wanted to know.
Professor Oak told him that there was a little boy, who was only nine years old, but he was already a computer genius.
"A nine-year-old boy?" Bill asked, finding it hard to believe.
"He might only be nine years old, but when it comes to computers he is an absolute expert," he assured him.

"His name is Izumi Koushiro," the professor told Bill.

He advised Bill to contact him and said that in the meantime he would inform the Yagamis, as they had the right to know that something had happened to Taichi.

After having decided that and after Professor Oak had told Bill how he could reach that Koushiro boy, they said goodbye and hung up.

Immediately afterward the professor made his way to the Yagami house.

Hikari woke up upon hearing the doorbell. She could hear her mother's footsteps as she walked to the door to answer it. The little girl slowly got up from her bed and walked to her door, still a little bit wobbly on her legs, after just getting up. She wanted to know who was at the door. Maybe her brother had come back, she thought.

At the entrance door, she could see her mother and Professor Oak. As she walked towards them she could hear her mother say: "No, Taichi!" in an appalled voice and covered her mouth with her hands in shock.

"It can't be ..." Hikari heard her mother mumble through her hands, as she came closer.

Professor Oak tried to comfort Mrs. Yagami by saying: "Don't worry. We'll do everything we can to find your son and bring him back safely."
"Oniichan ..." Hikari mumbled "Oniichan ... disappeared?" she said in disbelief and shock.

Her mother turned around.
"Hikari!" she said, looking worried at her daughter.
How much did she hear? This wasn't good. She was always so concerned and worried about others - and when it came to her brother, that she loved so dearly ...

"Oniichan ... where is he? ... What happened to my brother?" the young girl said in a weak and quiet, shocked and worried voice, that somehow also sounded strangely lifeless.
Her eyes were empty and in a state of shock and disbelief as if she was staring into nothingness.

Then she lost consciousness. Before she hit the ground, her mother caught her in her arms.
"Her fever went up again", she said worried, as she checked her temperature.

Then Yuuko looked at Professor Oak.

"Please ... bring back my son. For my daughter as well. I know, it would be too much for Hikari if her brother wouldn't come back."
The professor nodded and assured Yuuko that they would definitely bring Taichi back.

Everyone is worried about Taichi.
Will they be able to bring him back? Will this Izumi Koushiro boy be able to help?

Be excited to find out … as the adventure begins.

Monster-Analyzer:

Murkrow: Murkrow is an avian Pokémon with black feathers. Its crooked, yellow beak and the three, feathery tufts on its head resemble a witch's nose and hat respectively. It has semi-circular, red eyes with white sclerae and pupils and a spiky collar of feathers around its neck. The shaggy feathers on its tail resemble the end of a broom, and there is a thin, red band at the base of the tail. Its yellow feet have four toes, three facing forward and one backward.