Chapter 10: Startling Revelation

            Rika was finally tired of walking around all day, so she returned to the nuke plant.  She entered the building and saw Yolei waiting for her with a scowl on her face.  "Rika, Sora told us that you brought a kid back the wrong way and that you were taking her without even asking her if her parents were around?"

            "What's it matter?"

            "It matters a lot, Rika.  You can't go around doing that to little kids.  We have strict guidelines about things like this."

            "Yeah, whatever---"

            Yolei's frown grew even more menacing.  "Renamon, head for your room.  Rika will be joining you shortly.  Rika, you come this way."

            Renamon wasn't at all sure what would become of Rika.  Maybe Yolei and her were just going to have a heart-to-heart.  Yeah, right:  like that would actually work!  Renamon sighed, shaking her head.  In the future, Renamon would have to be the one to carry the children back, not Rika.

            Renamon pushed the door to her room open, only to find Tina inside.  For some reason, she was wearing her raincoat and appeared to be holding something in her arms.  "Tina, what are you doing?"

            "Renamon?  …You've never met Joey, have you?"

            "Joey?"

            An inquisitive squeak came from Tina's direction.  Joey stuck his head up from Tina's arms.

            "What is that?"  Renamon sniffed Joey.  "Why is he covered in petrolatum?"

            "His skin gets a rash when he's not covered in petrolatum.  We don't know why.  I'm wearing my raincoat to keep the petrolatum off my clothes.  A few weeks ago, I found him outside my house.  We're guessing he's a digimon."

            "I see.  …He's not a digimon I've ever seen before.  Maybe Rika's D-Arc can identify him."

            "Speaking of, where is Rika?" Tina asked.

            "Joey hope she long ways away," Joey chimed in.  "Joey not like Rika.  She a big meanie."

            Tina shot Joey a disapproving look.

            "Yolei said that she'd be coming here is a little while.  My guess is that she is talking to Rika," Renamon answered.

            "Why would Mom be keeping her?"

            "Rika…she was on seek patrol, and she brought a child here in the wrong way.  She didn't ask her where her parents were, and it was raining at the time and Rika didn't put a raincoat on her---at least, not in the appropriate sense of the words 'put on'."

            "What do you mean?"

            "Rika just threw it in the child's direction, expecting her to be able to wear it.  But the child didn't know how to dress herself, and Rika didn't help her put the coat on."

            "Yeowch."

            "Rika never gave the child a reassuring look or made it seem like she was taking her to a better place than where she found her.  Rika never even spoke to her.  The girl arrived wet, cold, and exhausted---not to mention scared and abused."

            "…Then I can see why my mom would be having a chat with---"

            At that moment, Rika came walking in with tears streaming down her face and one hand on her back.

            "Rika, what on earth is it---?" Renamon asked.

            "Just go away!  Leave me alone!"

            Joey whispered into Tina's ear, "We better listen.  Joey no want be anywhere near Rika when she in bad mood."

            Tina reluctantly took Joey's advice and took Renamon with her.  "Man!  …What could set her off like that?"

            "I don't know."

            "I'm going to the horse's mouth on this one."

            "What horse?"

            "It's a western expression.  It means I'm going to find out what's really the truth."

            "How are you going to do that?"

            "I'm going to ask my mom.  Come on, Joey."  Tina unbuttoned her coat and let Joey hop in her overalls pocket.  Renamon wasn't sure what to do, so she stayed by the door to warn off anyone who tried to enter.

            Tina found her mother with a riding crop in her hand.  Whoa, that horse comment was prophetic!  She thought to herself.  "Uh, Mom?  I noticed Rika wasn't exactly in a good mood when she came to my room."

            "Your room?"

            "She's my roommate.  And…she really hates to cry; you have to hurt her pretty bad to make her break down and cry like that.  What did you do to her?  And why was she holding her side, like she'd hurt herself?"

            "Well…she clearly had the wrong attitude:  she didn't care that what she was doing was wrong.  So she had to be taught a lesson.  I couldn't take her food rations away because she needs to stay physically strong.  I couldn't keep her penned up in her room because we need her to work.  So the only option left is corporal punishment."

            "Sounds like a mean guy, this Corporal Punishment.  Maybe he should be promoted to Drill Sergeant Punishment."

            "You could say that.  Corporal punishment is basically a euphemism for 'spanking'."

            "Is that what the riding crop was for?"

            "Yes."

            Tina's jaw dropped for two reasons:  both out of pity for her roommate and because of the notion that, due to her own behavior patterns, Tina might someday end up getting the riding crop to her side, too.  "Mom…!   Isn't that…harsh?!"

            "It's a lot less harsh than what she did to that poor girl she brought back."

            "…Yeah, okay, maybe.  But still…!"

            Yolei sighed.  "If you're her roommate, then you should know more than anyone that she needs to be taught a lesson."

            "That's true, but are you sure that hitting her with a riding crop is going to help?  Sora told me that she was suicidal a few days ago!"

            Yolei was shocked.  "…Okay, I might've blown it, then.  She's going to have to be under constant supervision."

            Tina nodded in agreement, until it occurred to her:  "Oh, no!  You're not going to assign me the job of looking after her, are you?"

            "No!  I'm assigning it to Renamon.  That's what she usually does, anyway."

            "Oh, good."

******

            Misty kept close to Ash as they were on Seek Patrol.  He was one of the few bits of familiarity in this strange world.  And it was no comfort to know that there were people outside the power plant in danger of getting eaten.

            Togepi suddenly squeaked:  he was hungry.  "Shhh!  Keep it down, Togepi!  If you're so loud, we'll get attacked!"

            Ash took off his backpack and began fishing around for food.  "I really think we should've left him with Kari.  She has experience dealing with young creatures.  She could take care of Togepi for sure."

            "I guess you're right, it's just that…" Misty sighed.

            "What?"

            "I don't want to wake up in a strange place without Togepi."

            "Why would you?" Ash asked, still rummaging.

            "I woke up in a strange place once before!"

            Ash looked up at her.  "Okay, good point.  But…well, lightning never strikes the same place twice."

            "I sure hope not."

            "Misty, I really think you need to lighten up.  I mean, we're looking for people who need our help.  If I were one of them, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if I didn't see that the humanitarian workers were as scared as I was."

            "I guess you're right," Misty thought aloud, feeding Togepi.  "But…like I told you before, I just can't get my head around the idea that---"

            There was a huge ruckus coming from a nearby alley.  It sounded like dying menace machines, but Ash and Misty weren't sure.  Misty put Togepi in her backpack to make sure he wouldn't make a sound.  She and Ash crept up to the entrance to the alley, and they came upon a room-sized open area.  In it, there was one human being and a bunch of pokémon.  Ash immediately recognized that this was the unnamed thief he'd seen before some freak of time had dragged them off their home planet.  He could tell because he wore the same black sweatshirt on his back, and he had the same red, long hair on his head.

            Ash and Misty didn't know how to react to this:  if they brought the thief back to the nuclear plant, would he even cooperate with the rules, or would his criminal mind make him choose to disobey the rules and put everyone in danger?

            As the thief called back his pokémon, Misty and Ash were quietly debating whether they should take him back.  Suddenly, a voice broke their discussion:  "Freeze!"  It wasn't a voice that either of them had ever heard before.  They didn't know whether it was said to them or to the thief.  Fortunately, it had been the thief.  The person who said it had his brown hair slicked back, and wore a short-sleeved blue shirt.  He seemed to have some kind of a weapon in his hand, aimed at the thief.

            "What do you want?" the thief asked in a very annoyed voice.

            "I won't have someone like you destroying my ator!"

            "Your ator?!  You're telling me that those things my pokémon just trashed belonged to you?!"

            "They did indeed.  And they are on this planet to break peoples' spirits in preparation for our regime."

            "Regime, huh?"  The thief looked like he was thinking fast, and he came up with a solution to his predicament:  "…One question:  do you have a job for me?"

            The man stood motionless for a moment, apparently thinking about the offer. It was creepy how motionless he became; it was almost like he was dead or a statue. Finally, he answered, "…I suppose that we might, come to think of it."

            The two began walking away.  Ash nudged Misty, and he whispered, "Do we follow them?"

            "Do you know how dangerous that could be?"

            "Misty, we might have a clue here so as to what's going on!  We can't pass this up!"

            Misty sighed.  "All right.  But if they see us---"

            "We have loads of pokémon to fight back with.  I know it's dangerous, but it's worth the risk…unless you would like to go back to the plant and get reinforcements to help me follow---"

            "No you don't, Ash.  I'm not letting you out of my sight in a situation like this:  you still owe me a new bicycle, and you can't pay up if you're dead!"