Chapter 8
The message was lengthy, yet straightforward. It was a recording, which explained how both Tom and Angus got the call simultaneously. It was brief, explaining the situation, and asking the trainers to hurry back. *Damn...* "Return! Now, Angus and shadow, I need you to hold me hand." The two hurried to comply. "Village... village... ah ha!"
In a flash, the two trainers, as well as shadow were in the mountain village, just outside the hall where they were officially pronounced trainers. They rushed inside, finding the announcer from the camp waiting. Surprised at their early arrival, the man nevertheless got down to showing them a tape -- one that was sent over by the famous Mount Silver Observatory. The announcer fast-forwarded the tape, skipping the introductions.
"We ran the numbers umpteen times! There is no mistake. A small cluster of three asteroids is heading for our moon. Calculations indicate that they will hit in approximately three weeks. When they do, the moon's orbit will rapidly destabilise, and in under a day, will crash into the earth..."
"Why didn't they discover this sooner?"
"Well, apparently these asteroids were originally part of the belt between Mars and Jupiter. Since the asteroids in the belt often * interacted* with each other, and nothing seemed to come of it, and the calculations involved were far too complex, no one had bothered to find out if asteroids would come towards earth from the belt. Furthermore, the asteroids are heading towards the moon, not the earth, and previously, few people had even thought of the moon getting hit by asteroids."
"So what are we supposed to do about this?"
"Well, there is a planet-wide call for psychics, and trainers. The rough plan, is that all the psychics would gather two and a half weeks later, somewhere in the Indigo Plateau, and create a psychic blast, hopefully powerful enough to deflect the asteroids from their course."
Tom was about to interrupt, when something else did. The announcer's phone rang, and he excused himself to receive the call.
"Hello? Ah yes doctor. Yes; some trainers have already arrived... Yes, I have already briefed them. What? Well that's good news. Yes, I'll tell them right away."
Turning back to Tom and Angus, the announcer explained. "Well, it seems that two of the smaller asteroids have hit the larger one, and they smaller ones are now embedded in the larger one."
"Why is that good news?"
"For one thing, it gives us a more clear cut shot at the asteroid, and also, it saves the number of shots required. If all goes according to plan, only one shot will be needed."
Tom and Angus didn't bother to ask why they couldn't use nuclear warheads. A conference by *the council* a few years back had imposed a ban on nuclear weapons, and most, if not all of them were disarmed.
Tom thought, and asked his first question; the previous ones were from Angus. "Excuse me, but what is being done right now?"
The announcer looked surprised at Tom's tone. "There are a few groups right now rounding up more powerful pokemon. Professor Elm, Oak, and Ivy are getting the unown to listen to their commands. Pokemaster Ash, his wife Misty Ketchum, and Masterbreeder Brock are in the whirl islands, looking for the god of the seas, Lugia himself. Moreover, Gym Leaders Sabrina, Morty, and Will of the Elite Four are, even as we are speaking, trying to find the mews. Rachael and Tobias, the psychic and ghost Gym Leaders of the Azure League, and trying to track down Celebi in the Ilex Forest. And finally, psychics all over the world are trying to get as many psychic and ghost pokemon as possible."
Tom frowned. *Something's missing here...* "What about the focal point?"
"Excuse me?"
"The focal point. Many psychic blasts will do naught against that asteroid. You have to have someone, or something, gather all the energy up, and send the energy up to the asteroid. That person, or thing, has to aim the attack, and hopefully amplify it."
The announcer looked at Tom, nervous. "Well..."
"Out with it." Tom was abruptly standing, towering over the announcer.
"The council originally decided to find Mewtwo, but that was rejected, as they were not sure Mewtwo would help so much as ruin everything. The second notion was to let Will do it, but that was rejected yesterday, in favour of..."
Tom waited.
"...you."
"What?!"
"Sabrina managed to find out that you conjured the storm a few days back. She forwarded her suggestion to the council, and it was passed. You are the focal point, Tom."
Tom mused about it for a while, and spoke again. "I'll do it, not that I have much choice in the matter anyway... But I want to find someone first. By myself." The announcer stood, stunned, and then hurriedly dialled a number on the phone, turning away, evidently conferring with his superiors. "...yes, he wants to go on a quest... Alright."
"It appears that you can, but just for the record, may I ask what you are going to do?"
Tom grinned. "Find Mewtwo."
***
Tom sat, cross-legged in the room, surrounded by alakazam, shadow, xatu, two slowkings, another three alakazams, and five gengars. The pokemon were concentrating, amplifying Tom's probe through the lands. Tom was in a trance, eyes half open, brows knotted. Sweat was breaking out on the foreheads of everyone.
The search continued.
***
Ten days later, Tom stood, with Mewtwo. It had been a challenge finding Mewtwo at all, and even more of one getting it to agree to even listen to Tom. Mewtwo had granted Tom, and Tom alone an audience in its "chamber", which was just a cavern, set deep in the heart of Mount Silver.
*We need your help, Mewtwo.*
*Who are "we"?* Mewtwo's "voice" betrayed no emotion, revealed nothing about itself.
*We are all the beings on earth.*
*I know what has happened. I'll consider it. But for now, we shall have to work on your psychic abilities...*
*Thank you.*
***
Indigo stadium was crowded, to say the least. There were alakazams, gengars, slowkings, slowbros and the like in the seats, meditating -- the fully evolved ones. Outside the stadium was another matter. Less powerful psychics, both humans and pokemon, gathered, eyes closed. The battleground was similarly crowded. In a large circle, psychic humans stood, on the outermost edge, in the arena. Further in, hundreds unown floated, giving out a soothing melody. In the centre, was a small, vacant circle, where only twenty or so mews gathered; the search for Celebi had proved fruitless.
Tom and Mewtwo arrived, causing a stir, and lifting the hearts of everyone in and out of the stadium, not to mention the entire world. Tom looked around; his alakazam, as well as shadow were in the ranks of pokemon, giving him a thumbs-up. Tom waved, and refocused on the job at hand. High above, Lugia glided, observing the proceedings with indifference -- not that it didn't care about earth, but the mighty guardian of the seas seldom showed any emotion.
Tom looked up, smiling at the almost serene sight of Lugia soaring. He beckoned, a gesture not lost on the legendary bird. Lugia landed, and the three stood at the centre of the stadium, looking up. A huge display had been erected beside the Moltres flame, counting down to the first -- and hopefully last shot.
A "Ding!" sounded, the signal to begin the first phase. The display read: 15:0010:005:002:301:000:100:00
The message was lengthy, yet straightforward. It was a recording, which explained how both Tom and Angus got the call simultaneously. It was brief, explaining the situation, and asking the trainers to hurry back. *Damn...* "Return! Now, Angus and shadow, I need you to hold me hand." The two hurried to comply. "Village... village... ah ha!"
In a flash, the two trainers, as well as shadow were in the mountain village, just outside the hall where they were officially pronounced trainers. They rushed inside, finding the announcer from the camp waiting. Surprised at their early arrival, the man nevertheless got down to showing them a tape -- one that was sent over by the famous Mount Silver Observatory. The announcer fast-forwarded the tape, skipping the introductions.
"We ran the numbers umpteen times! There is no mistake. A small cluster of three asteroids is heading for our moon. Calculations indicate that they will hit in approximately three weeks. When they do, the moon's orbit will rapidly destabilise, and in under a day, will crash into the earth..."
"Why didn't they discover this sooner?"
"Well, apparently these asteroids were originally part of the belt between Mars and Jupiter. Since the asteroids in the belt often * interacted* with each other, and nothing seemed to come of it, and the calculations involved were far too complex, no one had bothered to find out if asteroids would come towards earth from the belt. Furthermore, the asteroids are heading towards the moon, not the earth, and previously, few people had even thought of the moon getting hit by asteroids."
"So what are we supposed to do about this?"
"Well, there is a planet-wide call for psychics, and trainers. The rough plan, is that all the psychics would gather two and a half weeks later, somewhere in the Indigo Plateau, and create a psychic blast, hopefully powerful enough to deflect the asteroids from their course."
Tom was about to interrupt, when something else did. The announcer's phone rang, and he excused himself to receive the call.
"Hello? Ah yes doctor. Yes; some trainers have already arrived... Yes, I have already briefed them. What? Well that's good news. Yes, I'll tell them right away."
Turning back to Tom and Angus, the announcer explained. "Well, it seems that two of the smaller asteroids have hit the larger one, and they smaller ones are now embedded in the larger one."
"Why is that good news?"
"For one thing, it gives us a more clear cut shot at the asteroid, and also, it saves the number of shots required. If all goes according to plan, only one shot will be needed."
Tom and Angus didn't bother to ask why they couldn't use nuclear warheads. A conference by *the council* a few years back had imposed a ban on nuclear weapons, and most, if not all of them were disarmed.
Tom thought, and asked his first question; the previous ones were from Angus. "Excuse me, but what is being done right now?"
The announcer looked surprised at Tom's tone. "There are a few groups right now rounding up more powerful pokemon. Professor Elm, Oak, and Ivy are getting the unown to listen to their commands. Pokemaster Ash, his wife Misty Ketchum, and Masterbreeder Brock are in the whirl islands, looking for the god of the seas, Lugia himself. Moreover, Gym Leaders Sabrina, Morty, and Will of the Elite Four are, even as we are speaking, trying to find the mews. Rachael and Tobias, the psychic and ghost Gym Leaders of the Azure League, and trying to track down Celebi in the Ilex Forest. And finally, psychics all over the world are trying to get as many psychic and ghost pokemon as possible."
Tom frowned. *Something's missing here...* "What about the focal point?"
"Excuse me?"
"The focal point. Many psychic blasts will do naught against that asteroid. You have to have someone, or something, gather all the energy up, and send the energy up to the asteroid. That person, or thing, has to aim the attack, and hopefully amplify it."
The announcer looked at Tom, nervous. "Well..."
"Out with it." Tom was abruptly standing, towering over the announcer.
"The council originally decided to find Mewtwo, but that was rejected, as they were not sure Mewtwo would help so much as ruin everything. The second notion was to let Will do it, but that was rejected yesterday, in favour of..."
Tom waited.
"...you."
"What?!"
"Sabrina managed to find out that you conjured the storm a few days back. She forwarded her suggestion to the council, and it was passed. You are the focal point, Tom."
Tom mused about it for a while, and spoke again. "I'll do it, not that I have much choice in the matter anyway... But I want to find someone first. By myself." The announcer stood, stunned, and then hurriedly dialled a number on the phone, turning away, evidently conferring with his superiors. "...yes, he wants to go on a quest... Alright."
"It appears that you can, but just for the record, may I ask what you are going to do?"
Tom grinned. "Find Mewtwo."
***
Tom sat, cross-legged in the room, surrounded by alakazam, shadow, xatu, two slowkings, another three alakazams, and five gengars. The pokemon were concentrating, amplifying Tom's probe through the lands. Tom was in a trance, eyes half open, brows knotted. Sweat was breaking out on the foreheads of everyone.
The search continued.
***
Ten days later, Tom stood, with Mewtwo. It had been a challenge finding Mewtwo at all, and even more of one getting it to agree to even listen to Tom. Mewtwo had granted Tom, and Tom alone an audience in its "chamber", which was just a cavern, set deep in the heart of Mount Silver.
*We need your help, Mewtwo.*
*Who are "we"?* Mewtwo's "voice" betrayed no emotion, revealed nothing about itself.
*We are all the beings on earth.*
*I know what has happened. I'll consider it. But for now, we shall have to work on your psychic abilities...*
*Thank you.*
***
Indigo stadium was crowded, to say the least. There were alakazams, gengars, slowkings, slowbros and the like in the seats, meditating -- the fully evolved ones. Outside the stadium was another matter. Less powerful psychics, both humans and pokemon, gathered, eyes closed. The battleground was similarly crowded. In a large circle, psychic humans stood, on the outermost edge, in the arena. Further in, hundreds unown floated, giving out a soothing melody. In the centre, was a small, vacant circle, where only twenty or so mews gathered; the search for Celebi had proved fruitless.
Tom and Mewtwo arrived, causing a stir, and lifting the hearts of everyone in and out of the stadium, not to mention the entire world. Tom looked around; his alakazam, as well as shadow were in the ranks of pokemon, giving him a thumbs-up. Tom waved, and refocused on the job at hand. High above, Lugia glided, observing the proceedings with indifference -- not that it didn't care about earth, but the mighty guardian of the seas seldom showed any emotion.
Tom looked up, smiling at the almost serene sight of Lugia soaring. He beckoned, a gesture not lost on the legendary bird. Lugia landed, and the three stood at the centre of the stadium, looking up. A huge display had been erected beside the Moltres flame, counting down to the first -- and hopefully last shot.
A "Ding!" sounded, the signal to begin the first phase. The display read: 15:0010:005:002:301:000:100:00