Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon
Chapter 12: Ewoluowak
Yawning, Fara leaned back into the Jeep seat. It was just after five am and she was on the road to Pallet Town. John was driving Fara to the Professor's lab for her meeting. The Professor had called the afternoon before and let Fara know that he would need to see her by six am due to other engagements he was obligated to attend to. Seeing as it would've taken Fara all night to get there on time the Professor had asked John to drive her.
It was bright out despite the time of day. Seeing as it was nearing June, Fara was unsurprised. The summer heat was building more with each passing day. Days were getting longer and starting earlier. The road they were on had changed since Fara's last visit. The recent rains had caused an explosion of new greenery. The brush and grass was choking the dusty road and Fara figured that the maintenance crews would be up soon to beautify the area.
With the progression of the season the time for the Indigo League Tournament was fast approaching. Soon prospective challengers would migrate to the area to start their final training before the tournament soon. Being a Viridian native had given Fara the chance to see these trainers arrive and prepare. Just the day before Fara had seen surplus items at the poke mart when shopping.
While the Indigo League didn't start until the end of July it was common to see people arrive in May and June. They would usually bunk out in Viridian Poke Center and the other local inns and spend the time before the tournament tweaking pokemon skills and battle scenarios. The poke mart needed to be stocked with extra everything. Pokemon items and potions, supplements, and boosters sold quickly during this time of year.
Fara could remember helping out shop keepers with stocking shelves and simple chores. From the start of the day until the end these businesses would be packed with trainers and their pokemon. It had been fascinating to watch and Fara had gotten in trouble on more than one occasion for paying more attention to foreign pokemon then her work.
Shifting her gaze to the road ahead Fara grinned. Those days had been fun and she could feel the familiar excitement this time of year brought. A squeak on her lap made her look down.
Pichu was sitting on her lap and watching the passing scenery. It was his first car ride and his countenance was bright with awe as he watched. Giggling lightly she rubbed her fingers under his jaw. He melted at the touch and looked at her with adoration. Fara had discovered during her studies that Pichu and their evolutions had highly sensitive faces. The electrical sacks in their cheeks needed regular massages to keep them pliable for optimal electrical production.
The electrical stimuli from these sacks caused a heightened sensitivity in the pokemon's faces and made gentle caresses like the one Fara was using highly pleasurable. Since that discovery Fara often teased her pokemon with these pets when he got too distracted. It was a wonderful way of mitigating his mischievous thoughts and at the same time bonding with him.
Slowly she stopped her motions and Pichu, after pouting, returned his attention to the surroundings. He was her only pokemon outside of the ball at this time. Poocheyena was just too large for the small jeep and Pidgey disliked vehicles. Oddly enough he got motion sickness so car rides were a no go.
Looking at the road she realized that they were close to the town. Sitting straighter she patiently waited for their arrival.
Sam Oak sighed and stretched in his office chair. He was on his third cup of coffee and it was only 5:30am. Sleep had been a rare commodity in recent weeks. His expedition to Viridian had been fascinating and, thanks to the tireless efforts of his research partners and assistants, successful. He had received the final word that the Den was to become a protected habitat. A slightly dark grin lit up his face. The Clans had been furious to find out they weren't allowed to even be near the Thunder Stone Reservoir. Sticking it to those snobs had given Sam a vindictive pleasure.
Snorting at his thoughts he looked up at the sound of a knock. Veronica, one of his oldest colleagues, was waiting at the door. Grey streaked her auburn hair and exhaustion lined her blue eyes. She had been up as much as him during the expedition.
"Professor?" she said.
"Yes Ronnie?" he grinned at her.
Glaring at the man she huffed. "I'm sorry, Sam?"
"Yea Veronica?" his grin widened at her correction.
"Fara Knight and John Davis are in the lab." She said
"Oh" he exclaimed in surprise. Glancing at the clock he realized his guests were earlier then expected.
"Bring them here would you? I'm going to grab the Stones from the safe." He stated.
Nodding at the man, Veronica left without a word.
Getting up, Sam went down the hall to the secured room in his lab. After doing the retinal and fingerprint scan for access he entered. It was similar to lab except for the lack of lab equipment. Steel walls and cabinetry were affixed with locks. Rare and precious items, classified research material, and even valuable pokemon were kept here. Navigating to the other side of the room he again used a finger print scanner to open a steel lined drawer. A black box containing Fara's stones was nestled in it.
Taking it out, he made his way back top the office. Fara and John were seated in it with drinks in their hands. They were perkier then he expected but he took that as a positive thing.
John looked up at his approach. "Hello Professor"
Smiling he held his hand out. "Hello John, Fara. I trust the trip over was pleasant."
The young trainer smiled at him and shook his hand after John.
"It was nice Professor, the day's going to beautiful. Pichu had fun driving in the car too." She stated excitedly.
Smiling Oak made his way to his chair and placed the box on the desk.
"I'm glad to hear it. Now why don't we get started? It's going to be a busy day for all of us."
Fara frowned at the statement. An edge of caution wound it's way her spine at the jovial tone. She had been expecting a meeting but she still wasn't sure of what it would entail besides talking about the Thunder Stones. The Professor saying she would be busy made her cautiously curious.
Focusing on the man she started at his focused gaze. She been caught thinking instead of paying attention again.
Oak sighed a little and placed his hand on the black box he brought in. "Fara, as you know, I took the stones here after you went to the hospital. I wanted to talk to you about what you might want to do with them." He said.
Fara spoke quietly. "John told me that keeping one for Pichu would be a good idea and even though it will take a long time before he'll be ready for it, I agree. As for the other stone I'm not sure what to do. John said I could sell it but I'm not sure how to do it."
At her silence Oak spoke. "Well, I agree with the idea of saving one for Pichu. It's an excellent opportunity for him and when you think it's time we'll discuss evolving him. As for the other stone selling it would be an amazing fiscal opportunity for you. However, we have an issue."
Fara, curious, spoke. "Why would selling the stone be an issue?"
The man frowned heavily and looked at John. "Did you tell her anything about the situation John?" he asked.
John shook his head. "No, I felt it best if we left the discussion until now. You have more information then I do and I didn't want to scare her." He said.
Oak nodded and turned his attention to her.
"Fara, how much do you know about what happened after you went to the hospital? I mean with the Den." He asked.
"I know you went on an expedition and that you said all the information I gave you was important to the League." She said.
He nodded at her. "That's true but the reason why everything was important was because of the Thunder Stone Reservoir you discovered by accident. As you know Elemental Stone's are a rare and valuable commodity that's sale of is controlled by the Clan's exclusively. There hasn't been a new Reservoir like the one you found in at least 100 years. When it became knowledge that someone had found one the Clan's tried to seize control."
He paused and let that information sink in before continuing. "Now, the reason I did an expedition was to procure the necessary information to prove that the Den should become a protected habitat. If I hadn't the pokemon would have been driven from the area. Thank fully, I was able to prove to the League that such a thing would decimate the Pikachu population. However, neither the League nor the Clan does know a trainer was able to get Thunder Stones from the Den. Due to the nature and protection of the pokemon the exact location of the Den has become classified."
He paused again.
"Selling a Thunder Stone on the market would put a target on your back saying I know where the Den is. As much as I hate to say it, you're a cast off and the likelihood of you inheriting such a rare item is outrageous. This could cause you trouble with poachers and other trainers who think it would be a good idea to steal a stone. I'm worried what someone might try to do to you to get that information." He stated.
Fara pondered this. Ignoring the sting that came from his frank remark about her origins, she considered what he told her. She didn't know what kind of trouble the Professor meant but she did understand that what she knew was now classified information.
"So should I just keep the Stone Professor?" she asked.
He smiled at her and shook his head. "You don't have to Fara. Selling the Stone on the market would be a poor decision but I didn't say anything about private sales."
Fara frowned at him. "Private sales?" she questioned.
"Yes, private sales are different in the way that there is no third party handling the sale process. You and the buyer would discuss prices and payment. I was able to find a buyer for the Stone. Due to the nature of the situation the Stone won't be advertised as for sale and the only ones who will know will be the buyer and us." He said.
"You trust this buyer?" John questioned.
Oak nodded his head firmly. "Yes, the buyer is Lt. Surge of the Vermillion Gym." He replied.
John smiled. "Old Surge huh, I can understand the trust now."
Fara looked between them. "A gym leader?" she questioned.
Oak smiled at the child. "Yes, Surge has been looking for a Thunder Stone for a few months now. He has an Eevee he wants to evolve. He asked me to keep an eye out for a private dealer last year. While you wouldn't get a top market value he does have a deal I feel you would like a lot. Plus you won't have the concerns I spoke of earlier." He stated.
John interrupted the man. "What kind of deal are we talking about?"
Oak frowned at John and the man flushed. "Sorry Professor."
"It's quite alright John but this is between me and Fara so please keep the interruptions to a minimum." He stated.
Oak look at Fara and continued. "Surge is willing to pay you 12,000 poke dollars and pay for you to get two pokemon from top Breeders he does business with. He said you would have to wait a year for the pokemon but considering what he's offering I doubt you would mind the wait." He said brightly.
"What kind of pokemon?" Fara asked.
Oak grinned. "You would get two Eevee's. They would be from separate breeding centers. In addition they would be of different genders and you would get partial registration papers to allow personal breeding."
Fara just about choked. While not spectacularly rare these days, Eevee were hard to come by in the wild. Most trainers went through Breeders to acquire them. The evolution diversity of the pokemon made them valuable and popular. They were usually priced from 5-10 thousand a piece and Breeders rarely sold trainers new Eevee from a different gene pool. Breeding these pokemon was a lucrative and highly respected position. Being given the opportunity for any kind of breeding was an amazing offer.
"Was he smoking something when he gave you that offer?" Fara flushed when she realized she spoke that statement out loud.
Oak just started laughing. John was quick to follow suit and Fara sat between them blushing. Mrs. Packard would have rinsed her mouth out with soap if she had heard that. After a moment the laughter and Oak started speaking.
"No, he wasn't, what was it? Smoking something. His offer was actually smaller in the beginning but after he heard where the Stone came from he upped it. You have to understand that Surge has an immense respect for electric pokemon, especially those of the Raichu line. His primary partner is a Raichu that saved his life during the war. The fact a wild Raichu gifted you the Stones gave you his respect. What was it he said?"
Oak pondered for a moment then smiled. "Yes, it was some thing like 'if a kid has the grit to walk into a Raichu den and come out bearing gifts then she must have guts.' Surge likes people with a strong strength of character and 'guts' as he calls it. Being respected enough by a Raichu to get gifts gave him an even more glowing review of your character." He stated.
Fara's flush deepened. She hadn't done anything special in her mind. Just gave a Pikachu a bandanna. Such praise from a stranger was embarrassing. She looked back at the Professor.
"Can I ask what personal breeding means? I know being able to breed Eevee's at all is amazing but I'm curious about those criteria." She said.
"Of course, personal breeding means that you will be allowed to breed your Eevees for personal use but will not be allowed to sell your Eevee kits without both Master Breeder's permission. If you do get that permission you will have to give a portion of the profit to the Breeders. Please remember that if you try to sell or even give away the kits without permission you will be fined and all of the kits and parents will be returned to the Master breeders. I suggest that, if you take the deal, you read up on the Breeding Laws carefully. There's a reason it takes trainee Breeder's years to get their mastery and not all of it is about the pokemon. The League is very careful and strict with Breeding."
After Oak stopped speaking Fara stared at her hands. On one hand this sounded like an amazing deal but now, after hearing the Professor speak, she had a feeling that this would be a huge responsibility. Like most kids, Fara had dreamed about having an Eevee and more than one of their evolutions. I mean, who didn't. Their playful nature and evolution capabilities gave trainers of every field opportunity.
It sounded like there would be many regulations to follow if she decided to breed the Eevees and Fara was still unsure about her future. Would the Eevee's even help with whatever career path she chose?
On the other hand this was an unusual opportunity. Most trainers didn't have anything to do with Breeding unless it was their set career path. This experience might be what she needed for the future. This chance made a favorite phrase of Mrs. Packard's come to mind. "Take the opportunity life gives you with two hands. You never know where it will lead you."
Fara took a deep, cleansing breath, and looked back at the Professor.
"I'll do it. I mean, I'm still not sure about the Breeding but just being able to have an Eevee, let alone two, would be awesome."
Oak just nodded his head and smiled. John patted her shoulder and smirked at her.
"Smart choice kid." He said
Oak chuckled. "Right you are John. Now let's go over how we're going to handle this.
She was going to puke. Fara was on her knees, outside a large building that read Vermillion Gym, in the grass with an Alakazam next to her. Breathing in slow deep breaths, Fara struggled to keep her breakfast in.
Professor Oak had decided, after calling and confirming with Lt. Surge, that the sale and delivery would be settled that day. Instead of an armed ground transport, something Fara found out was common, Oak had decided to go the stealth route. Seeing as Fara, John, Oak, and Surge were the only ones that knew about the sale he figured a teleportation delivery was best. The Alakazam, another of Oak's original six, had been volunteered.
The fox like creature was tall for his species and very quiet. After Fara had said her goodbyes, Alakazam had teleported both of them to the Gym. The problem was that Fara's stomach didn't agree with the transport method. She had read that some people suffered nausea from the teleportation but hadn't realized how severe it could be.
Unfortunately, she lost the battle and was reacquainted with breakfast. Her vomiting continued for some time and it was only when she felt a hand on her arm that she realized there was someone close by. Shuddering, she looked to her left and saw a tall, muscular blond with dog tags squatting next to her.
The man held out a handkerchief and Fara took it. Her stomach was settling but still sensitive and she hesitated in any fast movements. A rough chuckle left the man.
"Is it your first time teleporting?" he asked
Fara nodded minutely and the man began rubbing her arm. Still sick Fara let him.
"Well, considering how bad you look, I'm going to recommend you avoid it in the future. I'd also avoid Psychic pokemon as well." The stranger said.
Swallowing thickly Fara replied. "I'm sorry but who are you?" she asked. Her voice was defensive and she subtly tried to get the man's hand off her shoulder. Friendly or not, she didn't like strangers touching her without permission.
The man removed his hand and laughed. "Sorry kid. I didn't mean to bug you but you looked like you needed a hand. The name Surge and if I'm right you must be Fara, right?"
Hesitantly, she nodded. "I am. I guess the professor told you how I was coming by."
Surge nodded and stood up. He also reached a hand out and Fara took the offered help. When she got up she almost fell. Her head had swum at the movement. Again, Surge reached out but this time to hold her from falling.
"Yeah, kid. He did but I don't think Oak realized how bad you would feel at teleportation. Let's get you inside and seated with a cool drink. I'll call Oak and let him know you made it while you get your bearings." He stated.
Nodding dumbly, Fara stumbled into the Gym with the man's help. He led her down the hall to a large Oak door at the end. Inside was a small dining kitchen area. Surge helped her to an old grey sofa and then got her a glass of ice water.
"Kid?" he asked.
"Yes?" she replied.
"I'm going down the hall to video Sam. I'm sure he knows you're here because that Alakazam zipped away but I'm going to let him know you're safe."
Fara just nodded and sipped at her water. Her tender stomach twitched at its cool arrival but quickly settled. Grateful, she sipped some more at slow intervals. The cool air of the Gym and water was helping. After ten minutes of this, Surge returned. He nodded at her and sat in a chair across from her.
"Sam wants you to call him after we're done. He said you should go to the Poke center and get checked out. That amount of illness from teleportation is uncommon and both of us think your probably psychic sensitive." He stated.
Fara frowned. "What's psychic sensitivity?" She asked.
Surge smiled. "It's kind of like an allergy. Some people have a small difference in their brain waves from other humans. It's not even noticeable until they interact with psychic pokemon. Do you know anything about psychic pokemon?" he asked.
Fara shook her head. "Not much. They're a little more uncommon then most pokemon species and pretty weak against dark types." She replied.
Surge nodded at her. "Well what most people who interact with them find out is that psychics like to link their minds up with people or pokemon around them. People don't usually notice anything other than a heightened awareness of the psychic pokemon's presence. However, people who have the sensitivity due to their type of brainwaves, tend to get sick and/or feel pain when those psychic energies try to mesh with their minds. Even things like teleportation causes a sensitive a lot of trouble." He paused then continued.
"With how sick you got I think you might be one. That's why you should get tested. You'll need to avoid psychic pokemon if you are and it is a medical concern so your records with need an update. It'll keep medical personnel from using psychic pokemon on you in needed treatment that may involve them. On the plus side you will probably have a great relationship with Dark types. For some reason, Dark types like Psychic sensitive people." He finished with a chuckle.
Fara smiled at the statement and thought about Poocheyena. Maybe that's why the pup had been so attracted to her in the beginning. Shaking herself from that train of thought Fara spoke again.
"Ill do that. Now Professor Oak said that you wanted the Stone?" she asked.
Surge turned serious at the topic. "Yes, I do. My Eevee is ready to evolve and oak said you got one from a Raichu." The man leaned forward in interest.
"Can you tell me about him?" he asked.
"Him?" Fara replied in question.
Surges eyes glimmered. "Yes, him, the wild Raichu. I love Raichu and I'm curious in how a wild Raichu differs from a captured one." His tone was reverent.
Swallowing Fara nodded slowly. The Professor had told her that Surge was allowed to know details. The man was a Raichu expert and had helped the Professor in securing the Den's protected status.
"What do you want to know?" She asked.
Surge glowed and reached into his cargo pants. He pulled out a poke ball and released the pokemon from it. When the form materialized into a Raichu Fara flew back into the couch cushion in fear. Her eyes clouded in memory. She was on the ground and then there was pain, fear, and then white. The images repeated over and over. A voice and hand gripping hers brought her out of the memory. Surge was in front of her kneeling and looked apologetic.
"Are you with me Fara?" he asked.
Confused, Fara nodded. The man reached out and laid his hand on her head. "You scared me there kid. Your white as a sheet and you wouldn't snap out of it." He said.
Fara frowned. "I'm sorry, I don't know what happened." She said.
Surge shook his head. "I'm sorry kid, you were attacked by a Raichu and I just pulled one out in front of you with no warning. You look like you had a flash back." He said.
Fara looked at him in question. "Flash back?" she asked
Surge sighed and sat in the chair again. "Sometimes when a person has a traumatic experience they can have flashbacks when confronted with a situation or object that reminds them of the traumatic event. They get stuck with memories of the experience. It's a common symptom of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I suffered from it for a while after the war. Still have flash backs and dreams every know and then." He said.
"I should have realized that you might have issues with Raichu but I was too excited." He sighed deeply.
Fara smiled at him. "It's okay. I didn't know that something like that could happen. I have bad dreams sometimes but I don't really remember the attack too much. The doctors thought it might be a result of the seizure I had after the attack." She said.
Looking around she spotted a lightening bolt shape behind Surges chair.
"You can have Raichu come out. I just was startled. I have a Pichu I want to evolve eventually. I can't stay scared of Raichu forever." She stated.
Surge frowned at her but nodded. "Okay but the instant you feel uncomfortable let me know."
Fara nodded then hesitated. Some trepidation was filling her. "Can I have Pichu come out?" she asked.
Surge nodded. "Of course, anything you need to feel safe, do it." He replied.
Fara quickly released Pichu. The ragged ear creature perked up and jumped into Fara's lap before facing the Gym Leader. Said Gym Leader was smiling softly at Pichu.
"Well look at that. You have a little scrapper." He said gently.
"Scrapper?" Fara asked.
Surge looked at her. "It's the ear. Most wild Pichu don't have scars and that looks like he got a bite from a Pikachu. Probably was being pushy and got bitten for his troubles. It's pretty common for alpha type Pichu and Pikachu to have scars. Discipline can be strict in a Pikachu pack." He stated.
Fara looked at Pichu in contemplation. "I thought it was a predator." She said.
The gym leader shook his head. "No, I recognize the bite marks. Got a couple scares like that from Raichu when he was a Pikachu. No your Pichu got in trouble with one of the Pikachu."
Fara, surprised at the information, caressed the back of Pichu's ragged ear. Pichu chirred and rubbed his face against her hand. The noise, though soft, brought the Raichu from behind the chair.
His nose twitched and eyes gleamed in curiosity at the Pichu that had come into his territory. He hopped forward to investigate only to be stopped by the blonde.
"Hold it buddy. The girls still skittish wait for her to let you close." Stated the man.
Fara watched this interaction in silence. The Raichu before her was different then the one in Viridian. His fur was black and orange verses the charcoal and orange she was familiar with. The Raichu in front of her had duller fur as well. Another thing different was his size. While both Raichu were muscular this one was shorter and less bulky. He had less scars as well. These differences seemed to calm Fara.
Fara spoke. "Your Raichu is smaller." Surge looked up at her as she spoke.
"Smaller?" He asked.
"Yeah, his fur is darker too. I think the Raichu in Viridian was older. His fur was more charcoal then black and he had more scars. He terrified me actually. I could feel the power rolling off him." Fara said.
Surges face was filled with wonder. He then laughed out loud.
"How about that buddy, you're still small!" He rubbed a hand down the Raichu's back.
The pokemon tilted his head in puzzlement. Surge ignored him and started speaking.
"I thought Raichu was the biggest of his kind. He stopped growing a few years back and hasn't had a challenge in months. I figured he'd reached his peak." The man looked back down at Raichu.
"Looks like he still has a way to go." He looked back at Fara.
"Did you see anything else different?" he asked.
Fara looked at Raichu. The pokemon held still for the examination.
"His fur isn't as shiny" Fara replied.
Surge sat back and ran a hand across his jaw thoughtfully. He was quiet for a minute but then started speaking.
"Diet" he said.
"Huh?" Fara replied.
"My Raichu isn't getting the nutrients he needs. The amount of gloss in a pokemon's fur is a good indication of the nutrients they're getting. It sounds like that the Raichu in Viridian is eating better food. I might have to go down to Viridian soon. My Raichu eats a Breeders special formula but it's obviously not perfect." He said.
Fara, curious, replied. "I thought Breeder's formulas were the best."
Surge returned her curious gaze. "Most of the time they are but Breeders are constantly changing formulas. We, as a society, still don't know everything about pokemon or their habits. With this information, I can talk to Emily, Raichu's food maker, and see about adjusting the food. She'll want to know too."
He paused. "Anyhow let's talk about the Stone."
An hour later Fara and Lt. Surge were in the battle ground arena. Surge had been kind enough to let Fara watch his Eevee evolve. It was an exciting prospect to the young trainer. Her teachers had talked about pokemon evolution but she hadn't seen it in person. It tended to be a deeply personal experience for trainers and their pokemon. Being invited to watch was an honor.
Surges Eevee sat at his feet. His brown and cream fur was glossy and his demeanor was far more serious than what Fara had seen in the past from other Eevee. But seeing as his trainer was retired military it was probably expected. A disciplined man like Surge probably demanded control from his pokemon.
Raichu was off to the side with Pichu. They were playing. They had hit it off while their trainers discussed business. It had warmed Fara's heart to see the admiration in Pichu's eyes. The little mouse got along with Fara's other pokemon but she could tell he was lonely at times. He was used to a large pack environment and the smaller group he was in now was quite different.
Fara's attention was focused on Surge. He was holding the bag that contained the Thunder Stone. He reached into the bag and pulled it out. The stone glowed softly in the dark arena. Eevee, whom Fara found out was called Strike, stood and stared at the stone in awe.
Surge knelt down and rubbed the Eevee's head. "We got it Strike, are you ready?" The man's tone was soft.
Strike lifted a paw towards his trainer's outstretched hand containing the stone. Fara's breath caught as he touched it. A silvery glow swiftly covered the pokemon. Strike form grew and change changed quickly. It was beautiful. Then the glow faded and where the Eevee once was now a Jolteon stood. Brown and cream was replaced with spiky yellow and white.
Surge smiled and rubbed the pokemon's neck. "How are you feeling bud?"
Strike lunged and frantically licked the man's face. Surge was laughing and struggled to restrain the pokemon. Raichu bolted over to examine his teammate's new form. Strike retreated from Surge and allowed Raichu to examine him more closely.
After a minute of this Surge got up and smiled at Fara. "Thanks kid. Strikes been wanting to evolve for months.
Fara smiled. "No, thank you. It's the first time I've gotten to see a pokemon evolve. It was amazing." She said.
Surge shook his head at her. "Let's agree to disagree. It's the least I could have done. Right Strike? The Jolteon shouted an excited 'Jolt' that made everyone grin.