Chapter 2: Hope of Escape
I awoke in the morning and my muscles ached, still weak from the previous night. I stretched and looked to my food dish for some relief, but found it to be empty.
"Forgot to feed us again," I sighed looking around the lab. A fluttering movement outside the window caught my eye.
On the windowsill perched a small bird. I remembered seeing one in the scientist's notes; it was a pidgey. As I looked at him and he at me, I couldn't help but wonder what it was like to be outside, and what it was like to be free.
A thought entered my mind, "Why can't I be free? I may not have the wings to fly away from here," I thought, "But I have to legs to walk on, and a heart to get me there." I sat by the bars of the cage and let it sink in. If I could escape what would I do? This lab is all I've known. What if there isn't anything out there for me? Was it worth the risk? Again I looked up at the pidgey. There had to be something out there for me. There just had to be.
"I promise I will escape from here," I whispered up to the pidgey, "and then..." I realized I didn't know what to expect. I only knew that anything was better than a cramped cage.
The door swung open again and the young Prof. Scrub once again entered. He must have startled the pidgey because when I looked back up at the window, it was gone. He immediately set down his things and rushed towards my cage.
"Glad to see you're still here!" he commented, "Of course, it's not likely that you'd have gone anywhere!" he chuckled at his own joke. He turned and headed for his file cabinets. I watched with interest as he fished through one and pulled out a small metallic-insulated cage. He set it on his desk and opened the tiny door. He approached my cage slowly and I backed up to the very back of my cage. I knew it was for me. A idea popped in my head. This would be my one chance for escape. I bent in a sprinting position and as soon as he opened the door and I bolted out. He reached for me and caught my tail. A pain shot through me.
But, before I could blast him with some electricity, he crammed me into the even more confining cage and latched it shut. It was scarcely even big enough for me to breathe in. It squeezed me and I could barely move my hands and feet. I looked to my left and saw his lunchbox, which was only a few inches bigger than this cage.
Suddenly I was lifted off the desk by the professor and we promptly left the room. For the first time in my life, I left the small lab and was able to see the entire hallway. There were at least five rooms down both ways. It seemed to me like an endless void. We took a sharp left and came to two large metal doors with no handles. He pushed a button beside them and they opened to reveal a room even smaller than the lab. We stepped inside and he pushed another button on the control panel. My ears perked up as I detected the sound of a motor. I feared the worst and grabbed onto the bottom of the cage with all my might. The floor rumbled and I felt a wierd sensation as a voice said, "Floor 13, Going up."
Every now and then a tone went off until it stopped and the doors swung open. The voice said, "Floor 26."
We entered into a different hallway. As I looked around at everything in wonder, I didn't realize what was happening. This new environment was very large and it made me curious to explore. But, before I knew it we arrived at a large door with a nameplate that read: GIOVANNI, PRESIDENT, TEAM ROCKET ENTERPRISES. The Professor pushed an intercom button by the door. A camera zoomed in on him cautiously. After a few seconds passed a voice answered, "Scrub. You're early," the voice was a low, male one that was ominous, but yet had a trusting tone to it that could easily convince an unwary someone of his 'loyalty,' "Excellent. I like people who are punctual. Come in." Another buzzer sounded and the door unlocked. He opened it and stepped inside.
This was one of the offices of Giovanni. The room was dim, because the blinds of the window in the very back of the office were shut. The professor neared a desk in front of the window. A small desk lamp was on, and a dark figure was sitting in a large chair. The professor stopped in front of it and waited patiently. Unfortunately for me I was unable to raise my head up to look at the figure.
"Now, what is this 'wonder' that you have for my collection of rare pokemon?" the voice asked. I was carefully lifted onto the desk. I still could not make out his face, except for his mouth which on one side was curled up slightly in an almost devilish smile as he looked me over.
"Yes," he put a hand to the door and opened it. I was then paralyzed with fear as his hand reached in and took a hold of me by the scruff of my neck. He set me before himself. I looked at him now with my eyes wide open and as I looked into his, I knew he sensed my uneasiness.
"Sir, I don't think you-" Scrub started, but a gruff stare from Giovanni made him back off. He stepped back and watched silently.
I trembled in silence for a moment as his hand reached out toward me. He then stroked my fur in such a way that it was both soothing and yet frightening. I backed away and he stopped.
He looked me in the eye, "Can you talk?" he asked with authority. The room fell in silence as he continued to stare intently at me.
"Yes," I finally answered, hoping it would break his stare.
It didn't and he continued, "You could be very useful to me. I am a powerful human and can give you whatever you desire. If you allow me to train you, you will become the strongest pikachu in the world."
What he promised sounded good, but I sensed something in him. I didn't know what it was, but I had a gut feeling that I shouldn't believe a word he said. But his eyes were still glaring at me.
"What do you say, do we have a deal?" he smiled showing his teeth.
I seemed to be slipping into a trance as I looked at him, I tried to shake it off, but everytime I saw those eyes... "NO!" I finally cried with all my will.
His face immediately turned to one of anger, and he spoke very slowly, "I don't think you understand what you are throwing away--"
I suddenly let loose a thundershock, it shorted out the desk lamp and the room went black. Both Giovanni and the Professor called out and I felt a hand reach for me. Instinctively, I leaped off the desk and came face to face with two glowing eyes.
"Per-sian," it growled at me. I darted away and it chased me in the darkness.
I sparked up for a second to light the way and saw the door. I leaped for it and as I hit it, bounded off it and onto the floor. The large persian that had been chasing me rammed into it and the door fell down, revealing the hallway. I saw my chance for escape.
I leaped over it and sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me. I heard yelling from behind me and I saw the persian slowly rise up. I darted around a corner and looked around. I had no idea where I was. It all looked the same now. I kept running and suddenly found the giant doors that had taken me here. I jumped on top of a sleek golden-metallic trashcan and pushed the button. The doors opened and I quickly scrambled inside. They shut and the voice said, "Floor 26, Enter floor number," I looked at the control panel. I didn't know where to go. One was different from the rest and had a star by it with an 'L.' I figured I couldn't go wrong and hopped as hard as I could and pushed it.
The floor vibrated and I felt another sensation. The voice said, "Going down," As the tones sounded I marveled at what I was doing. Was I going to make it? Suddenly the motor stopped and the voice replied, "Lobby."
The doors opened to reveal a room larger than any I had ever seen. I stepped out and the doors shut. It was full of light and I saw many things around me, but what caught my attention was the trees outside. I saw many glass doors just a few yards ahead of me. I then looked around, it was still early in the morning and I guessed there weren't many employees around. Still, I didn't want to take the chance of being found and snuck my way towards the door, ducking behind potted plants and cusioned benches.
I finally reached the glass doors and as I sat on the black pad under me, they swung open. I ran out into the fresh air and felt the sun warm on me. I suddenly found myself for the first time in my life...free. But something was wrong, something was still missing, and I knew I didn't want to hang around the lab or the building it was in any longer. What I wanted was out there, and now that I was out; I only needed to find it.
I awoke in the morning and my muscles ached, still weak from the previous night. I stretched and looked to my food dish for some relief, but found it to be empty.
"Forgot to feed us again," I sighed looking around the lab. A fluttering movement outside the window caught my eye.
On the windowsill perched a small bird. I remembered seeing one in the scientist's notes; it was a pidgey. As I looked at him and he at me, I couldn't help but wonder what it was like to be outside, and what it was like to be free.
A thought entered my mind, "Why can't I be free? I may not have the wings to fly away from here," I thought, "But I have to legs to walk on, and a heart to get me there." I sat by the bars of the cage and let it sink in. If I could escape what would I do? This lab is all I've known. What if there isn't anything out there for me? Was it worth the risk? Again I looked up at the pidgey. There had to be something out there for me. There just had to be.
"I promise I will escape from here," I whispered up to the pidgey, "and then..." I realized I didn't know what to expect. I only knew that anything was better than a cramped cage.
The door swung open again and the young Prof. Scrub once again entered. He must have startled the pidgey because when I looked back up at the window, it was gone. He immediately set down his things and rushed towards my cage.
"Glad to see you're still here!" he commented, "Of course, it's not likely that you'd have gone anywhere!" he chuckled at his own joke. He turned and headed for his file cabinets. I watched with interest as he fished through one and pulled out a small metallic-insulated cage. He set it on his desk and opened the tiny door. He approached my cage slowly and I backed up to the very back of my cage. I knew it was for me. A idea popped in my head. This would be my one chance for escape. I bent in a sprinting position and as soon as he opened the door and I bolted out. He reached for me and caught my tail. A pain shot through me.
But, before I could blast him with some electricity, he crammed me into the even more confining cage and latched it shut. It was scarcely even big enough for me to breathe in. It squeezed me and I could barely move my hands and feet. I looked to my left and saw his lunchbox, which was only a few inches bigger than this cage.
Suddenly I was lifted off the desk by the professor and we promptly left the room. For the first time in my life, I left the small lab and was able to see the entire hallway. There were at least five rooms down both ways. It seemed to me like an endless void. We took a sharp left and came to two large metal doors with no handles. He pushed a button beside them and they opened to reveal a room even smaller than the lab. We stepped inside and he pushed another button on the control panel. My ears perked up as I detected the sound of a motor. I feared the worst and grabbed onto the bottom of the cage with all my might. The floor rumbled and I felt a wierd sensation as a voice said, "Floor 13, Going up."
Every now and then a tone went off until it stopped and the doors swung open. The voice said, "Floor 26."
We entered into a different hallway. As I looked around at everything in wonder, I didn't realize what was happening. This new environment was very large and it made me curious to explore. But, before I knew it we arrived at a large door with a nameplate that read: GIOVANNI, PRESIDENT, TEAM ROCKET ENTERPRISES. The Professor pushed an intercom button by the door. A camera zoomed in on him cautiously. After a few seconds passed a voice answered, "Scrub. You're early," the voice was a low, male one that was ominous, but yet had a trusting tone to it that could easily convince an unwary someone of his 'loyalty,' "Excellent. I like people who are punctual. Come in." Another buzzer sounded and the door unlocked. He opened it and stepped inside.
This was one of the offices of Giovanni. The room was dim, because the blinds of the window in the very back of the office were shut. The professor neared a desk in front of the window. A small desk lamp was on, and a dark figure was sitting in a large chair. The professor stopped in front of it and waited patiently. Unfortunately for me I was unable to raise my head up to look at the figure.
"Now, what is this 'wonder' that you have for my collection of rare pokemon?" the voice asked. I was carefully lifted onto the desk. I still could not make out his face, except for his mouth which on one side was curled up slightly in an almost devilish smile as he looked me over.
"Yes," he put a hand to the door and opened it. I was then paralyzed with fear as his hand reached in and took a hold of me by the scruff of my neck. He set me before himself. I looked at him now with my eyes wide open and as I looked into his, I knew he sensed my uneasiness.
"Sir, I don't think you-" Scrub started, but a gruff stare from Giovanni made him back off. He stepped back and watched silently.
I trembled in silence for a moment as his hand reached out toward me. He then stroked my fur in such a way that it was both soothing and yet frightening. I backed away and he stopped.
He looked me in the eye, "Can you talk?" he asked with authority. The room fell in silence as he continued to stare intently at me.
"Yes," I finally answered, hoping it would break his stare.
It didn't and he continued, "You could be very useful to me. I am a powerful human and can give you whatever you desire. If you allow me to train you, you will become the strongest pikachu in the world."
What he promised sounded good, but I sensed something in him. I didn't know what it was, but I had a gut feeling that I shouldn't believe a word he said. But his eyes were still glaring at me.
"What do you say, do we have a deal?" he smiled showing his teeth.
I seemed to be slipping into a trance as I looked at him, I tried to shake it off, but everytime I saw those eyes... "NO!" I finally cried with all my will.
His face immediately turned to one of anger, and he spoke very slowly, "I don't think you understand what you are throwing away--"
I suddenly let loose a thundershock, it shorted out the desk lamp and the room went black. Both Giovanni and the Professor called out and I felt a hand reach for me. Instinctively, I leaped off the desk and came face to face with two glowing eyes.
"Per-sian," it growled at me. I darted away and it chased me in the darkness.
I sparked up for a second to light the way and saw the door. I leaped for it and as I hit it, bounded off it and onto the floor. The large persian that had been chasing me rammed into it and the door fell down, revealing the hallway. I saw my chance for escape.
I leaped over it and sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me. I heard yelling from behind me and I saw the persian slowly rise up. I darted around a corner and looked around. I had no idea where I was. It all looked the same now. I kept running and suddenly found the giant doors that had taken me here. I jumped on top of a sleek golden-metallic trashcan and pushed the button. The doors opened and I quickly scrambled inside. They shut and the voice said, "Floor 26, Enter floor number," I looked at the control panel. I didn't know where to go. One was different from the rest and had a star by it with an 'L.' I figured I couldn't go wrong and hopped as hard as I could and pushed it.
The floor vibrated and I felt another sensation. The voice said, "Going down," As the tones sounded I marveled at what I was doing. Was I going to make it? Suddenly the motor stopped and the voice replied, "Lobby."
The doors opened to reveal a room larger than any I had ever seen. I stepped out and the doors shut. It was full of light and I saw many things around me, but what caught my attention was the trees outside. I saw many glass doors just a few yards ahead of me. I then looked around, it was still early in the morning and I guessed there weren't many employees around. Still, I didn't want to take the chance of being found and snuck my way towards the door, ducking behind potted plants and cusioned benches.
I finally reached the glass doors and as I sat on the black pad under me, they swung open. I ran out into the fresh air and felt the sun warm on me. I suddenly found myself for the first time in my life...free. But something was wrong, something was still missing, and I knew I didn't want to hang around the lab or the building it was in any longer. What I wanted was out there, and now that I was out; I only needed to find it.