Chris asked me to write this Chapter from his POV. He says he wants it that way because, "I want to give everyone a fresh view of this world, and doing it from my view will help that.", which translated to its simplest form means, "I'm not getting enough attention." After you're done here, go read his story and make him feel better, please? Otherwise he'll give me Eevee eyes for hours and complain about how I'm hogging all the spotlight, and he just look so pathetic when he does his Eevee eyes, you can't help but feel guilty…damn, he's doing it again! I better hurry up so he'll stop that…
Note: This chapter is set about four weeks after Chp.2, about mid August
INTERTWINE DREAMS
Chp.3- My house is becoming a free hotel for my friends.
BRING! BRING!
*Click!*
"Hello?"
"Hello, is this the Canin residence?"
"Yes it is. May I ask who's calling?"
"Xavier? It's Chris!"
"Chris…oh, Chris, hey! Almost forgot you were coming into town today!"
"That's alright. Listen, we got a little problem here…"
"Uh-oh. What's wrong?"
"Well, you know that inn at the bottom of your hill? It appears they lost our reservation, and ever other place around here is booked full."
"That's not good…look, if you need a place to stay, we have a guest bedroom open here. It used to be one of my brother's rooms before…you know…"
"Yeah. Well, that's what we were hoping for…until a place opens up, of course."
"It's alright. We got Amber in the other guest room, but we still have plenty of room."
"Thanks. I really appreciate it."
"Where are you, anyway?"
"Open the door."
"Huh?"
"Open the front door."
"Alright, but I don't see what the…"
The door in front of me was opened, revealing a teenage brown-haired, blue eyed boy. He looked in surprise at me for a few seconds, then laughed a little.
"Surprise!" I said, shutting off my phone.
"Geez…" Xavier muttered, shutting off his phone. "You couldn't give me a little more warning than this?"
"Sorry. We wanted to surprise you, just not quite like this."
"It's alright…" Xavier looked up, seeing the company I'd taken with me. "and who's your friend here?"
"This," I said, looking up at the woman next to me, "is my wife, Andrea."
Andrea was currently in her mostly human form. I say mostly, because while she still has her human shaped body, a Vaporeons tail swishes proudly behind her. Her hair is the color of silver midnight. Her eyes are almond shaped pools of black, and a Vaporeons frill clings tightly around her neck. Her skin is a cream color with a small mix of cerulean to it.
As for myself, I look pretty much like a basic Flareon. I'm a bit larger than a normal Flareon, and my forepaws have supple fingers that allow me to hold and grab things. My back legs are much stronger than a normal Flareons, allowing me to walk upright with my cane, as I stood now. My eyes, however, are the oddest part. They're mostly black, but there are small flecks of sliver, green, blue and yellow mixed in with the almond blackness. I wore my black jean shorts and black collar with the russet and white beads worked into the leather. It's more like jewelry than anything else.
"Hello," Andrea said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."
"Thank you. Here, let me help you with your things…"
As we got everything into the house, Xavier's mother came down the stairs, asking what was going on. Xavier quickly explained the situation, and asked if we could stay for a few days. While she wasn't happy that she'd just been informed of this, she understood it was unavoidable, and agreed to put up with us for a few days.
"I'll go get the incubator out of the car, honey." Andrea said before going back outside.
"Incubator?" Xavier asked, confused.
"I told you we were bringing eggs with us, remember?" I reminded him.
"Oh, yeah. We're not gonna worry about them hatching anytime soon, are we? The place isn't exactly childproof."
"I'm not sure. It might be any day know."
Xavier groaned and shook his head. He was used to always being the youngest human kid in the home back in the old world, so he probably wasn't sure how to handle having Hybrid kids in the house, even if they weren't his siblings.
I didn't want to hurt Xavier's feelings at the time, but the real reason we had come to his house was because the hotel we were supposed to go had given us a, "We don't serve your kind here, animal," kinda attitude when they realized Andrea and I were Hybrids. I needed some sort of explanation for why we had to stay at his home, and the story about the hotel losing our reservation was the best I could do. I later explained to Xavier what really happened, and he seemed to take it rather well.
Anyway, we'd gotten everything in and settled down just as it started to get dark. Pizzas were ordered for the five of us, (including Amber. They've been unable to get her home so far) so we ate and made general conversation for most of the night. I really wanted to talk about what had been happening with Xavier, Amber and all the others like us, who remember the old world, but it was hard to get away from Andrea and Xavier's mother. In the end, I decided to wait until morning to talk with them about it.
As we retired to bed for the night, I looked at Andrea, who'd went to her Hybrid form. She's mostly Vaporeon, but a little bigger, and able to walk on her hind legs. She has fingers like my own, though her eyes are normal. I'd barely been here a month, but after being here with her, I never want to go back. The old world barely had anything for me. Now, I seemed to have everything I could want.
"Your friend is nice." Andrea said, making herself comfortable under the blankets. She had them pulled up to her neck frill so that only her head was visible. As for myself, I had the lower half of my body covered.
"Yeah, he's a great guy. I'm glad we could stay here instead of wandering around looking for a hotel to stay in."
"Yes, well, I'm sure he wouldn't have let us do that…I'm still kind of surprised you two are such good friends."
"Why?"
"Well, he's a teenager, you're an adult. He's a human…most of the time anyway, and you're a Hybrid. You two seem so different from each other."
"Yes, but we still get along real well. I mean, look at us. I'm a fire-type, and you're a water-type; total opposites. Besides, you know how they say opposites attract… "
"Mm-hmm." Andrea moved over to me and began to nuzzle my neck with her nose.
"You're not listening to me anymore, are you?" I asked with a smile.
"Well, how can I concentrate with this hot, fiery creature next to me?…" she said slyly, slowly kissing my neck and working her way up my muzzle.
I worked my way down into the covers more, placing my arms around my wife as she kissed the edge of my muzzle. Looks like it's gonna be a long night…
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Pant,pant,pant*
"Huh?…" What the heck was that sound? As my eyes slowly fluttered open, I took a sniff of the air, trying to see if someone else was here besides Andrea. Big mistake.
"GAH!" I threw my arms over my nose, trying to block out the terrible smell. "Dog breath!"
"Surprise!" a new voice said.
"What the?!…" I looked to my right at the owner of this new voice. "Xavier?!"
"Fire Storm." the Growlithe corrected. "Xavier is the name of my human form."
"Right…so what are you doing here so early in the morning?"
"Early? It's 10:30!"
"It is?…" I glanced over at the clock on the nearby dresser. It was in fact 10:30. "Thanks for the pleasant awakening…"
"No problem!" Fire Storm smiled and walked to the foot of the bed, taking a seat. "So, you have any plans for today?"
"Yes, but waking up in your bad breath wasn't part of them!"
"Oh come on. You surprised me yesterday, so I decided to surprise you today! Is that such a bad thing?"
"Oh, alright…" I slowly pulled my hands away from my nose, stretching my arms. Andrea was still asleep next to me, the covers just a little under her neck frill, while the covers on me were a few inches above my waist. "Well, I was planning to talk to you and Amber about how we returned to this world, even though it's just us and a few others who know that the world changed back again…"
"Yeah…" Fire Storm still doesn't believe me when I tell him that this is the real world, and that the old world was just a false reality that lacked many things this world has. I've tried to tell him, but he still wants to return to the old world and go back to his real family, if that's even possible anymore. I don't know what else to tell him.
How do I know this is the real world, and the old world, or Shadow World as I like to call it, wasn't the real one? Well, when my human and Flareon spirits finally rejoined when I first came here, all the memories and warmth and love I've been missing from this life returned to me. Since then, I've just known that this is the real world, no matter what Fire Storm believes or says.
"Well, if you want to talk, the Apple Bee's in the plaza is a good place. We can eat and talk without being disturbed. We could go get lunch ther…oh, wait…"
"What's wrong?" I asked, seeing the look of worry on Fire Storm's face.
"You remember how I told you about how Phoenix is in love with my Hybrid form, even though she's my mother?"
"Yes…you really got to tell her the truth."
"I know, I know…anyway, she wants to go out to lunch later with me. She asked me a long time ago, and I keep putting it off. She's starting to get upset, so I finally promised her today I'd go."
"Alright, but this is getting kind of disturbing. You need to tell her real soon, before she permanently imprints on you."
"I know I have to, but…she seems so happy when she's with my Hybrid self. If I tell her, she'd feel sick that she's been dreaming about spending the rest of her life with me as her mate, and I'm not sure what she'll do when she finds out. Hell, it's making me sick as it is, but at least she's happy. Besides being with me, I'm not sure what else she has. Dad's gone to God only knows where, her family is either dead or in another part of the world…I think I'm all she has left."
"Oh…still, this cou…"
"Come on, Houndor." Xavier's mother called out from outside the room. "Let's go see if our guests are up."
"Alright, Ms. Canin." said another voice, who I assumed was Houndor. Two sets of footsteps could be heard, someone on two legs, and someone on four legs.
"SHIT!" Fire Storm suddenly leapt to the floor and dove under the bed, scrambling to get in. He just got under when the door opened again, this time revealing his mother and Houndor.
"Hello, Dr. Bradford. Just checking to see if you were up yet." she said, looking around the room. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, thank you. This is a very nice place you have…"
"Get her outta here!" Fire Storm whispered from under the bed. "Blaze is back at the Center. If she sees me, she's gonna get real curious!"
"Uh…what do you have for breakfast?" I asked, hoping that maybe she'd leave to check.
"Well, we have bacon, eggs, sausage, pancakes, waffles…" she ran off a whole list of things. While I patiently listened, Houndor sniffed the air, then walked over the side of the bed, looking under it.
"Fire Storm? What are you doing here?" Houndor asked questionably, trying to get under the bed.
"Fire Storm? Here?" Xavier's mother seemed confused.
"What?!" For a second, I forgot that experienced Hybrids can understand Pokémon speech even in their human forms. You'd have to be a Hybrid for a quite a number of years. I'm told that Hybrids like Xavier's mother still hear exactly what humans do in their human forms, but they also develop a sixth sense that tells them what a Pokemon is saying.
"Fire Storm…Who's that?" I asked quickly. Of course I knew, but I had to pretend I didn't, so Xavier's mother wouldn't get suspicious.
"Fire Storm? Oh! He's…uh…I…" Apparently she wasn't going to reveal her secret to me. "Listen, Dr. Bradfo…"
"Please, just Chris. I'm only Dr. Bradford to my co-workers and patients, so unless you're pregnant or have an egg on the way, please call me Chris."
"Yes, Chris…please, don't mention this to Xavier. I really don't think he'll understand…"
"Alright…um, may I get some clothes on here?"
"Of course. I need to run to town for a few minutes anyway. Do you mind getting breakfast for yourself?"
"Not at all." Xavier's mother closed the door, leaving Houndor and Fire Storm in with me.
"Houndor, get out of here! I'm shifting back!"
"Why? I have to…ah!" Houndor suddenly bolted out from under the bed, and there were odd noises coming from under the bed. Soon a pair of four-toed fur covered human shaped feet popped out of one end of the bed, and a human-sized Growlithe head came out of the other.
"Damn! That was way too close!" Fire Storm crawled out from under the bed. I quickly turned my head away as he came out.
"Chris? What wrong?"
"Well…you're in the full fur, aren't you?"
"Of course not! You think I'd be dumb enough to shift forms without some clothes?!"
I slowly turned around, relieved and surprised to find Fire Storm wearing a pair of loose jean shorts. Usually, when a Hybrid goes to their Pokémon form, only skintight stuff will shift with them.
"How'd you get those to shift with you?"
"What, these?" Fire Storm briefly looked down at the pants he was wearing. "Oh, these things have a slight coat of some sort of chemical that allows them to shift with me if I go to Pokémon form."
"Yes, I've heard of those kind of clothes…but I thought that stuff was extremely expensive. Where'd you get the money to buy it?"
"Well, I am a bounty hunter, and I can't exactly spend all of my money on video games and stuff; Mom get suspicious and ask where all the money was coming from. These seemed like a good investment."
"Good idea." A car started outside, then drove away a few moments later. Fire Storm quickly looked out the window, sighing with relief.
"Mom's gone. I'm gonna go upstairs and throw on a shirt before I head out of here. We'll talk tonight, alright?"
"Alright. Bye!" Fire Storm left while I threw on a pair of shorts and a collar. I just heard him leave as I left the room. Not bothering with my cane, I walked out on all fours into the dining room to check on the eggs.
The incubator was still sitting on the table where we'd left it. The two light brown eggs sat softly on pillows, each about the size of my head. I smiled as I thought about how I'd helped to create the inhabitants of those eggs. All the other kids are at home, being watched by their grandparents.
Andrea came out in her mostly human form soon after. She sighed happily when she saw me looking over our eggs.
"They're beautiful, aren't they?" she said as she walked over, taking a seat on the chair next to me. I nodded in response.
"Of course they are. Look at who their mother is…" I said with a smile.
"Oh Chris!" Andrea blushed at this. "You had a hand in this too, you know!"
"And tell me again just why you made Brian and Serena adopt eggs Seven and Eight? It's not like we don't have love enough to spare."
"Look, Darling, we've been over this before, I would like to have our children spaced apart by more than three months. That's why, after John and Bill hatched, I insisted that you use protection for nearly five years."
I lowered my ears in resigned surrender, "Okay, Andrea, you're right, again. But I'm telling you this, when you lay Nine and Ten in a couple months, we're keeping them. No pawning them off to Brian, let alone Angie, and that tribe of hers.
"Enough about that. While Fire Storm's filling in as Oedipus, we can go raid the refrigerator and watch the tube."
I padded over to the fridge, and pulled out some hamburger meat, and four eggs. Andrea went searching through the cupboards for something made from either raspberries or blackberries. She found a jar of blackberry jam, and a second trip that she made to the refrigerator turned up a tub of blackberry yogurt. "Hey, looks like we have the makings for an Eevee-style omelet," I said, my tail wagging as the items were laid out on the counter. "Andrea, I'll get the TV ready while you get our breakfast made."
Half an hour later, we were snuggled on the floor in front of the TV, watching the Mariners play a hard game against Cleveland, and eating our omelets. Xavier walked in just as the top of the 8th was starting.
"How'd everything go?" I asked.
"Alright. I tried to tell Phoenix I'm interested in her as a friend and a partner, nothing more."
"Well, that's something, I suppose…"
"I'm not finished…" Xavier cut in.
"Oh."
"When I said partner, she immediately hugged me and tried to kiss me. She must've thought I meant life partners…"
"Oh…"
"Once I broke her grip, I told her I meant partners in bounty hunting. She said she understands, but she also said that last week, and she hasn't given up on me."
"Hmm…she's not making this easy for you…or herself, for that matter."
"I know, I know…"
There was the sound of a car pulling up, and Xavier's mother came in a few moments later.
"Hi everyo…Xavier! Did you just get in too?" she asked, seeing Xavier still standing by the door.
"Yeah, I just got back."
"Ah…where's Amber? I haven't seen her all day."
"Come to think of it, neither have I." Xavier said, heading off to the bedroom Amber was sleeping in.
"She's still here? Geez, I never noticed." I said, following Xavier in.
Amber was in her Hybrid form, her tail flame just poking out under the covers. The mass under the blankets, though, seemed far too large for her form, even if her wings weren't folded down.
"Amber? Amber!" Xavier walked over and gently shook Amber's arm, trying to wake her. "It's almost three in the afternoon!"
"Mmpphh." was the reply. She seemed happy just where she was, but Xavier continued to try and wake her.
"You woke me up and not her?!" I asked, somewhat annoyed.
"Oh come on. She's had a rough time here…"
She slowly started to stir, letting out a loud yawn as she picked herself up. She was still wearing the same clothes she was yesterday, probably falling asleep before she had a chance to change them.
"Good morning…" she mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"Afternoon!" I pointed out.
"Really? Sorry, but I was having this nice dream…"
"No proble…Amber?" Xavier questioned, reaching for something under the covers.
"Yes?"
"What's this book I lent you doing on your bed…come to think of it," Xavier looked around the room quickly. "where are all those books I lent you to read?"
"Oh…they're around…" She looked down nervously at the bed.
"Around? What?" Xavier noticed how she was staring at the bed, and yanked off the covers.
"Amber!"
"Sorry. I'm kind of a bookworm, but I had nothing else to do with all those books when I was done with them…"
"But sleeping on them?!"
There were about thirty books sitting under the covers, arranged in a pile. It's one of those weird dragon things; they love sleeping on stuff. Why do you think all those dragons in video games and RPG's always have such big piles of treasure? So they have something to sleep on!
"Amber, that's not exactly a smart idea. What happens if your tail flame gets too close to the books?!"
"Sorry, Dad." Amber sighed. "Look, I'm careful about it. I'm not going to set the books on…"
"FIRE!"
"Yeah! I'm really caref…"
"No, FIRE!" Xavier pointed to one of the books. Amber's tail had accidentally lit it, and it was now burning rapidly.
"Geez!" Amber quickly grabbed the book, tossed it on the floor and stomped on it till the fire died down.
"See what I mean?"
"Alright, I'll be more careful! Come on, get out of here so I can change!" We were quickly shooed out by Amber, the door closing behind us.
"Well, that was interesting…" I noted.
"To say the least…" Xavier added with a nod. "Anyway…Mom said she was going to take us all to Apple Bee's tonight. We probably should be ready by about six, because the plaza can be a mess at night."
"Sounds good. We'll be ready th…AH!"
"What's wrong?!"
"Seattle has the bases loaded with two outs!" I quickly ran back to my spot on the couch and watched the game, not wanting to miss another minute.
Unfortunately, Ichiro flied out to left field on the next pitch, and the game quickly moved into extra innings. Finally, Seattle won it in the 17th, and by then we had to leave.
By the time we actually got into Apple Bees and seated, it was almost seven, and the Mets were playing on a TV at the nearby bar. While we waited for our food to be delivered, Xavier watched the game with great attention. Even though the Mets haven't been .500% or above in the win column all season, I still have to respect Xavier's dedication to his team. Still, I couldn't help but notice the loud groan when a relief pitcher was called in.
"Not Franco! Valentine, you fool! Keep Leiter in!"
"Problem?" I asked.
"No, Valentine's just over-managing again…" he sighed, shaking his head.
"Well, maybe you just admit the Mets have no chance this year. I mean, they're what, 10 games out of first place with about 25 games to go? They're not gonna make it."
"Look, Seattle boy, I don't need your advice on my team right now. You're the one in the high chair! Besides, you shouldn't argue with me, or I'll tell Andrea something she definitely won't want to hear…"
"Oh yeah? What?" I asked, ignoring the remark about my height. Since the normal seats around the table were too short for me to sit in and reach the table, I had to have something like a high chair bought over. There was no little table in front of me, and the chair was close enough so I could reach my food on the regular table, but I still felt like a little Eevee.
"Well…" Xavier leaned close and whispered something in my ear. I swear I almost passed out when he was finished.
"You wouldn't!" I cried out. It was a little loud, but Andrea, Amber and Xavier's mother were in the middle of a conversation and didn't hear us.
"Are you willing to bet on that?"
"It's perfectly natural for Eon's to mate with someone other than their wife!"
"Yes, but I know how much Andrea would hate to hear about it…"
"You wouldn't!"
"Really? I wonder what'll happen when I tell her about all those times with the Jolteon across the street…"
"Who do you think she'll believe, her husband or a teenager?!"
"Shall we find out?"
"Alright, alright, I'll be quiet!"
There's nothing odd about Eons mating with someone who isn't his or her wife or husband, but Andrea still doesn't like it. She doesn't mate with other males, and she expects me not to mate with other females. I try hard, but once in a while…well, if Andrea found out, I'd be one wet, sore Flareon.
Our food soon arrived, so we all started to eat and carry on a normal conversation. The food was great, but just a little undercooked. Apparently, listening at the table next to us, we weren't the only ones with that problem.
"Dang…my pasta's cold in the center." the Typhlosin Hybrid said to himself, poking at it with his fork. "Well…I suppose I could warm it up with a little Ember…"
The Hybrid sat so I could see his face; it was mostly Typhlosin, but his eyes seemed a little farther back in his head than a normal Typholsion's eyes are. He appeared to be about as tall as Xavier, and about a year younger than him. He had a fairly good build for someone his age; not quite Fire Storm's physique in his Hybrid form, but above average for a 15 year old. His fur was mostly a cream color down the front, and a dark blue everywhere else. There was a half ring of fire around the back of his neck (which probably explains why he sat against the wall. Even though he kept those flames from burning the wall, people tend to get nervous when they see fire around their head.), and his hands only had four fingers each; three like a Typhlosin, and a human thumb. When I looked around the table, I saw he wore a T-shirt and jeans. It seemed odd that a boy that young was all along at the table. I wondered where his family was.
The Hybrid took a few deep breaths, then breathed on his food, trying to create an Ember, I guess. I say I guess, because nothing happened. He tried this a few times, but still nothing happened. After about the tenth try, he seemed to get frustrated.
"That's it!" The Typhlosin took one huge breath, then unleashed it.
FWWWOOOSSSHHHH!!
Well, he succeeded in warming his food. Unfortunately, he got a FlameThrower instead of an Ember, and burnt it and the table to a blackened crisp. Alarmed by the sudden burst of flame, he quickly stopped the blast and looked in shock at the ashes that were left of his table.
"Not again…" he moaned. He looked down at the ashes for a little while longer, then took off out the doors just as the manager came out and saw what happened.
"What the…?!" He quickly ran over to the table, then demanded to know what happened. Others sitting nearby told him, and he stormed off into the back room.
"Well, that was certainly interesting…" Xavier noted, looking over at the remains.
"That boy needs to work on his control." Andrea said with a nod before going back to her food.
Dinner was finished without any other incidents. When we finished, Andrea took the incubator back to the van, but we had to run back because Xavier's mother forgot her purse. Andrea started to bring back the incubator, but I told her not to bother.
"We'll only be gone a minute. The eggs will be fine by themselves." I assured her.
"I suppose…" Even still, Andrea locked the car totally before we ran back in.
The purse was found quickly, and we weren't even gone thirty seconds. We were all looking forward to getting home, and I was finally going to get to talk to Xavier and Amber about what had happened. It seemed like nothing could go wrong…
I'll never forget what happened next.
"Mom…This is where we parked, right?"
"Of course we parked here…oh my God…"
"The car's gone!" We all rushed over to the empty parking spot where the car once was.
"Where the he…ohhhh…" Amber moaned and held her head. All the sudden, I seemed to have a splitting headache, as did everyone else.
"Alpha waves," Xavier's mother pointed out, stumbling out of the space. "Must've been left by a powerful psychic type…"
"Yes, you're rig…Chris!" Andrea yelled.
"What?!"
"The eggs! We left the eggs in the car!"
"Wha…oh no!" Someone stole our eggs! Oh God, our children! Where were they?! Who could do this?!
We quickly called the police, who quickly sealed off the area. We waited for hours, which seemed like weeks to me. My children were in danger, and I couldn't do a thing about it. When I found out who did this…damn it! I was so frustrated, I couldn't even think about what I was going to do to them!
"Officer Jenny…" Xavier called out, trying to get some information. "Can you tell us anything?"
"I'm afraid not…" Jenny said, shaking her head. "All we know for sure is that a powerful psychic type teleported the car away somewhere within 10 miles of here…at least that's what our instruments tell us. We're not even sure if it was a Hybrid or a Pokémon."
I was quiet for most of it, still trying to figure out what kind of monster could do something like this. The car was bad enough, but children? My children!
"Chris…if they don't get the eggs back soon…" Andrea started to sob, but she didn't have to finish. I knew what she meant.
Hybrids are a lot like Pokemon in many ways, especially Hybrids that are hatched. Often, a Hybrid will imprint on the first thing it sees as one of its parents, and the next thing it sees as the other parent. If a Hybrid who imprints like that is taken away from its believed parents, it tends to become uncooperative and unmanageable, often refusing to obey its new parents. Our eggs were ready to hatch soon, and if they hatched in the hands of the crooks that took our eggs…I couldn't imagine that scenario.
"Don't worry, everyone. We'll find these guys. We've solved these kind of cases on a lot less." Jenny assured us before running off to an officer who'd called for her.
Great, that was reassuring. I sighed and shook my head. It seemed so hopel…
"No."
The voice was barely audible; even my sensitive ears barely picked it up. I looked up at Xavier, and I swear I saw fire in his eyes.
"I'll find them."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When we finally returned back to the house, everyone was upset and frustrated. We all went to our rooms, but I'm sure no one slept for hours. I know I was up all night. Andrea didn't fall asleep until 3 a.m., and that was only after I assured her about a hundred times everything was going to be all right.
I collapsed onto my pillow, my head a sea of fear, anger and despair. I know Xavier said he was going to do something about it, but what? Even in his Hybrid form, what was he going to be able to do?
"Chris? Chris!"
Fire Storm gently opened the door and poked his head in. He was in his Hybrid form, judging by the way that his head was at the top of the door.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Mom's gone. I'm going after her."
"What?! She's gone too?!"
"Yeah." Fire Storm waved a digital phone. "She just called. She tried to tell me something, but about ten seconds in, she screamed and the phone went dead. I gotta find her."
"Wait…" I threw of the covers and jumped down, not having the chance to change out of my clothes before going to bed. "I'm coming with you."
"Chris, this is gonna get real dangerous…"
"They're my eggs! I'm not just going to sit around while they're with some nutcase!"
Fire Storm sighed and shook his head while I padded over to my cane and grabbed it. I didn't care; I was getting my eggs back. Actually, this seemed kind of ironic; I was supposed to be the adult, yet I was the one being treated like a kid.
Fire Storm had on a black leather jacket and jeans as we got outside. I was surprised to see the black convertible parked outside, till I noticed Fire Storm's Pokémon and Nurse Joy sitting in the back.
"Here you go…" Nurse Joy said with a yawn. "I assume I'll be getting extra for this?"
"Of course. We'll drive you back to the Center, and then we'll be on our way."
We drove to the Pokemon Center where Fire Storm worked and dropped Joy off before moving on.
"Fire Storm…why did Joy bring this car to your house?" I asked once we started off again.
"Oh, that…Joy knows about me and Mom, and lets us keep our weapons in the Center's basement for a small fee. I also pay her to do extra things, like bringing the car or covering for me while I'm out with Phoenix."
"I see…and the Pokémon?" Looking in the backseat, I noticed Nidorino, Feraligater, Furret and Dragoniar. Eevee and Houndor were still back at the house.
"Well, I keep these guys with me when I'm alone, just in case. I don't bring them if I'm with Phoenix, because then she'll know who I am."
"Okay…and where are we going?"
"A place called the Muk Pit in Oldbrugh. It's a cheesy bar, but the guy who runs it has a lot of underground connections. He might have an idea about what happened with Phoenix or the eggs."
"Ah…" We drove in silence for about ten minutes before pulling up to a old building with a weak sign that flashed, "Muk Pit."
"You coming or staying?" Fire Storm asked as he got out of the car.
"I'm coming. I want to know as soon as possible where my children are." I said as I opened the door and hopped out.
"Alright, but I gotta warn you, this place is a hell hole." Fire Storm informed me as he walked over and pushed open the door.
As soon as I walked in, the smell of stale alcohol and cigarette smoke hit me hard. The place was dimly lit, the only lights coming from hanging lamps over some pool tables and a fluorescent light coming from the bar. There were Hybrids and humans alike playing pool or laying on the bar, probably passed out. Looking behind the bar, I saw a Muk; Hybrid or Pokémon, I couldn't tell. Either this was a Hybrid with an almost totally Pokémon form, or someone trained a Muk to mix drinks.
"Hey, Muk!" Fire Storm walked over to the bar and took a seat, sitting as far as possible from the others hanging around the table. I managed to climb up the stool with a little work. "How's my favorite sewage creature?"
"Geez, not you…" Now that I was close, I could tell that the Muk was a Hybrid; it looked totally like a Muk Pokémon, except it hands were human shaped, and each finger was painted with black nail polish. Sighing, it asked, "The usual?"
"Yeah, but make it double. I've got a friend tonight." Fire Storm said, glancing down at me.
"Sure. Two beers, coming up."
"You drink beer?!" I whispered fiercely at Fire Storm. "What are you, nuts?!"
"It's a beer of sorts…" Fire Storm said with a sigh.
Muk turned back around, placing a sludge-covered glass in front of each of us. The substance inside had a blackish color to it. What kind of beer was this?
"Thanks…" Fire Storm looked at his glass for a moment before pushing on a non sludge covered spot with his finger. "Surprising as it may be, I'm not here for the drinks tonight."
"Hey, you don't like the way my business is run, you can leave." Muk offered. I cautiously stuck a finger in the glass, then licked away the liquid that had collected on it. It was beer, all right. Root beer.
"Actually, your business is something I'm very concerned with at the moment. My friend here lost his eggs and van, and now my partner's gone missing. Care to explain how that happened?"
"Hey, I run a honest business around here…"
"Yeah, you're about as honest as you are clean. Now, have you heard anything from my partner or about a stolen van with eggs in it, or do I have to call all your, 'clients', and inform them about all the money you've stolen from them?" Fire Storm said with a slight growl at the end.
"Spill it!" I demanded, readying a Flame Wheel in my fire sac.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Let's not get ahead of ourselves here!" Muk held out his hands in front of him as he backed against the wall. "I…might've overheard…something about a van with eggs in it being stolen. Rumor is one of my best clients directly ordered that van been taken, and to make sure that eggs were in it…"
"Alright…where is this guy?"
"What, didn't your bitch tell you?"
"Phoenix? First of all, she's no bitch. Secondly, no, I haven't seen her all night."
"Whatever…anyway, she was in here asking about the same thing. I told her the guy's name was Daley. Owns an abandoned building about four miles from here. Tried to tell her, but she wouldn't listen…"
"Tell her what?" I asked.
"This Daley guy, the one who ordered the heist, apparently also wants your…and your," he added, looking over at me, "furry tails on his trophy wall. As soon as she heard that, your bitch was outta here…"
"WHAT?!" Fire Storm stood up, pulled out a gun and pointed it about two feet in front of the Muk Hybrid, who cowered against the wall.
"This is a Zap Cannon 3000. You have ten seconds to tell me the address of this place before I shoot. At point blank, I'll coat the walls with your slimy hide." Fire Storm said coldly, his middle finger just millimeters from the trigger.
"Yo…You wouldn't!" Muk stammered.
"10!"
"683 Dallas Road, that's all I know! I swear!"
Fire Storm held the gun for a few more seconds, then slowly put it away and left. I quickly followed him out, shocked at what had just happened. I didn't think Fire Storm had it in him.
"You…weren't really gonna shoot him, were you?" I asked as we got back in the car.
"Of course not…"
"Good…"
"Do you know how long it takes to clean this jacket to begin with? I don't want to have to clean the smell of Muk out of it too."
"Uh…I hope that wasn't all you were worried about…"
"Well…the sludge probably would've clogged up the gun..."
"Fire Storm!"
"I was kidding!" Fire Storm assured me. "I have to act tough out here. In case you haven't realized, this ain't a business for the easily scared."
"Alright…" Did he really mean that? He sounded serious when he threatened to pull the trigger…
As we drove, I thought about what Fire Storm had been put through in the short month since we'd returned here from the Shadow World. He's had to go from having a huge family to just living with his mother. He has to adjust to being a creature that he created. He has to get used to putting his life on the line every few nights to protect his mother and make a couple of bucks for himself. He's has to grow up fast to adjust to what is, for him at least, a totally foreign world.
We went by the building in about ten minutes, but Fire Storm drove right past it. I watched as we passed it, confused.
"Fire Storm, you drove by the building!" I pointed out.
"I know. I'm gonna park the car somewhere away from here, and then we'll go in."
Two minutes later, the car was parked in the woods and all six of us we're walking back to the building. Fire Storm explained to us what was going to happen as we walked in.
"Chris, I'll go in and make sure it's safe. You stay out here with my Pokemon and be ready to come in if I call for you. Got it?"
"No! I'm coming in wi…"
"Dammit Chris!" Fire Storm yelled. "Listen to me! I've done this before, and you haven't! Now either listen to me or get back in the car!"
"Fire Storm…" I lowered my head and flattened my ears, showing I wasn't going to argue. It was obvious this was getting him very upset.
"Fire Storm! Why are you yelling at Chris?!" Dragoniar asked in surprise. "He didn't do any of this!"
"Oh God…sorry Chris, it's just…" Fire Storm sighed and shook his head. "This has been way too much to deal with lately. I just wanted to have you over, talk this over, and try to have an otherwise normal time. Instead, everything's just gone crazy. I mean, it's bad enough I can't see my real family and you're stuck as a Flareon Hybrid. I didn't want this to happen, too. Hell, I wanted to go out as soon as we got home, but I had to wait for Phoenix to call; otherwise, it would've looked suspicious if she found out I went looking for the eggs of her sons friends without any notice from her."
"I know you're upset, but how many times do I need to tell you that none of this is your fault? This is the way things are supposed to be! I know it seems all wrong, and it felt that way at first for me too! I know you want to go back home to your family, but you have to understand that you have to concentrate on what's happening here! If you keep looking back on the way things were, then you'll never be ready for what's ahead!"
"You know, that sounded really lame…"
"Yeah…"
"Still, you're right. I've got to focus on what's ahead…alright!" Fire Storm looked around quickly. "I'm gonna check the perimeter and make sure it safe, and then we'll go in."
"Good." Fire Storm started off toward the building while me and his Pokémon waited off in the trees.
"Hey, Chris…" Feraligater asked. "Can we talk?"
"Sure. What's up?"
"Listen…this might seem kinda weird, but has Fire Storm been acting…different to you lately?"
"Different? How?"
"Well…he seemed O.K. till about a month ago, then he started getting all weird. When he woke up one day, first he coughed an Ember out the window, then hit his foot a little while later. Suddenly he was talking about how Hybrids and Pokémon weren't real…it was really creepy."
"Oh…well, it probably has something to do with…his age." I had to struggle for an answer that they'd understand. Somehow, I don't think they'd buy the, "just transported here from another world", idea.
"His age?" Nidorino asked. "What does his age have to do with anything?"
"Uh…people at his age tend to act strangely because of…the way their bodies are changing. All the hormones involved tend to make them do things or act in ways they usually wouldn't."
"Wait…when you say the way their bodies are changing, are you talking about evolving?" Furret asked, still confused.
"No, no…" Geez, they were making this difficult. "I mean how his body is maturing as he's become older. He's becoming more…developed, that's all."
"Developed? I don't get it…" Dragoniar said.
"Me too." Nidorino agreed.
"I'm lost…" Feraligater added.
"I thought a doctor would be able to explain this a lot better." Furret chimed in.
I sighed and shook my head. Somehow, I thought Fire Storm might be a little upset about me talking about his anatomy with his Pokémon.
"Anyway, it's not just that. That same day, he was at the Center, and he was talking about how much the woman who came into the Center liked him." Feraligater continued.
"So?"
"It was Phoenix! She's his mother, and he was acting like nothing was wrong with what she was doing! When he left, I almost got sick!"
"Oh…" This was going to be difficult to explain. "Well, Fire Storm might've simply gotten a little carried away with his acting, that's all. He does have to be convincing."
"I dunno…he seemed serious when we talked about it." Furret pointed out.
"Yes, but didn't he also spend almost five minutes when he got home getting sick over the sink?" I reminded .
"That's true. It wasn't very pleasant sounding, either. He woke me up with it and almost got me sick." Nidorino said with a shudder.
"We're clear." Fire Storm quickly came running back. "There's not a guard outside the place, and no sort of security system at all. It's almost like they're inviting us in."
"Well, I've never turned down an invitation before. Why start now?" I asked.
Fire Storm nodded. "Let's get moving."
Fire Storm led the way, with me following right behind and his Pokémon behind me. The building itself was very run down and looked like it was ready to collapse on itself. It still gets me how anyone would want to use a building like that.
"Why couldn't criminals use something a little more cozy, like a mansion or fancy hotel?" Fire Storm asked no one in particular as he moved over to the door. "I mean, come on! This is the sixth abandoned building this month I've been in. How about something original?!"
"Sorry, I can't help there. I'm a expert on birthing, not the criminal mind." I pointed out as I pressed myself against the wall of the building.
"That's alright." Fire Storm pulled out his I.D. with his left hand and held the Zap Cannon 3000 in his right hand. Taking a few deep breaths, Fire Storm quickly kicked in the door and began to go in.
"Bail enforceme…what the fuck?!"
I peered around the corner of the doorway to see what was happening. All I saw was one huge Pokémon battle arena. There were lights that shone in the arena, but that was about it. The place appeared to be empty of people.
"This is odd…" I followed Fire Storm in, looking around for anyone. He put away his I.D., but kept the Cannon out.
"What the heck is this?" Nidorino asked as he and the rest of the Pokémon followed us in. "An arena? Here?"
"I don't get it either. This is not normal…"
"Dr. Bradford! Fire Storm! So good of you to come."
More lights suddenly kicked on, flooding the whole building with light. Once my vision returned, I saw the other person with us in the building. He sat on the other end of the arena, a content smile on his face, or at least that's what it looked like with what little I could see. About 2/3 of his face was covered by shadows, leaving me to see the lower right part of his face. It kinda reminded me of the way I've seen Giovanni sometimes on the cartoon.
"Hey, you! Hands up!" Fire Storm ordered, pointing his Cannon at the man.
"Hmmph. You think your pathetic little guns will do anything here?" the man asked with a little laugh.
"Well, let's see!" Fire Storm pulled the trigger and fired a blast at the man. The ball of light erupted from the gun, but when it was about ten feet from the man, it simply disappeared into nothing.
"As I said, your pathetic guns will do nothing here. You might as well put that away." the man said as we all stared in shock.
"Grrr…" Fire Storm growled as he put the gun back in his jacket. "Alright, who are you? What are you doing here?"
"As you probably know, my name is Daley, and yes, I do have your eggs, Dr. Bradford, as well as your mother, Fire Storm…or would prefer FireHybrid?"
"What?!" That caught us both off guard. How did this guy know that Phoenix was Fire Storm's mother? Better yet, how did he know his pen name?!
"Sorry, buddy, but she's my partner and nothing more." Fire Storm said, trying not to blow his cover. "And who the hell is FireHybrid? What kind of dumb name is…"
"Please, spare me your lies. I'd like to get this over with quickly." Though I couldn't see any movement from him, a PokéBall landed on his side of the arena. "Go, Venasaur!"
"Veeennnnaaaa!" the Pokémon yelled when it was released.
"What? That's it? No explinations, no answers, just battle?!" I yelled. "What the hell are you trying to pull?!"
"If you refuse to battle, I can easily change your minds…"
"How?"
There were two loud clicks, and suddenly parts of the walls by Daley began to slide down. When we saw what was behind there, we couldn't believe our eyes.
"Phoenix!"
"My eggs!"
Behind one wall was Phoenix, lying unconscious in a cage. It was suspended above a pool of water, which didn't seem so dangerous in itself, unless it was water from a Pokémon. The other sight, though, was what chilled me. The incubator, which still contained my eggs, was sitting on a platform that was below a huge steel crusher. Both the cage and crusher were slowly being lowered down to the water and incubator, respectively.
"Who the hell do you think you are?!" Fire Storm yelled.
"The one in control of their fates. That is pure Sedrea water, in case you're wondering. Now, if you battle me, and you win, I'll let them both go. If you lose, or take too long, well…"
"Alright! I'll battle!" Fire Storm stepped into the trainer box on his side of the arena. "Nidorino, I choose you!"
"I'm ready!" Nidorino rushed out to his side of the arena. Both Pokémon and trainers stared each other down, one waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Venasaur, Razor Leaf!"
"Yes, Master!" he responded, sending multiple sharp leaves hurtling toward Nidorino.
"Nidorino, use Poison Sting to knock down the leaves!" Fire Storm yelled.
"Right!" Nidorino began launching small white needles from his mouth at the leaves. He knocked some of them down, but he was also hit with a few of them, as were me and Fire Storm.
"Hey!" I yelled as a leaf took a small chunk out of my fur. "Watch it!"
"Do not concern yourself with them, Venasaur." Daley dismissed. "Focus on the battle!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Nidorino, Horn Attack!"
"Eat horn, you giant weed!" Nidorino yelled, charging at Venasaur. Launching himself at Venasaur, he buried his horn into the Venasaur's front left leg. Nidorino pulled himself out, allowing a little blood to spill out of the wound. When I looked close, I could also see his horn had acquired a bit of blood as well.
"Venasaur, get it away from you."
"Yes, Master!" Using his injured leg, he rose its giant paw and smacked Nidorino back. Nidorino slid across the arena and almost back to Fire Storm's feet.
"Nidorino!" Fire Storm knelt down to look at his Pokémon, but kept his hands back. One of the most basic rules about Pokémon battles; you can't touch your Pokémon, or that Pokémon is automatically out of the fight. "Are you alright?!"
"Ow…I've felt better…" Nidorino admitted, getting to his feet.
"Can you still battle?"
"Yeah, I think I…whoa!" Vines suddenly wrapped around Nidorino, pulling him back to Venasaur. Nidorino dug his claws into the ground as he was dragged, leaving marks in the ground.
"Nidorino!" Nidorino was repeatedly picked up and slammed into the ground by Venasaur. Fire Storm dug into his pocket after about the 5th time Nidorino was dropped.
"Nidorino, return!" Fire Storm withdrew a PokéBall and recalled Nidorino. I know he hated the balls, but they do have their benefits.
"Venasaur, return."
"Yes, Master!" A red beam shot out from Daley, hitting Venasaur and pulling him back to his ball.
"Doesn't that thing know how to say anything else?" I asked.
"It knows how to say what's important, Chris…or would you prefer AuitzogChernobyl?"
"What?!"
"I know everything about you two, as well as your friends. Tygerwind, Scott, PokeBobVaporeon, The Seraph, Amber; all of them. I have an eye on them at all times, as well as you two."
"Alright, who the hell do you think you are?!" I yelled, practically feeling my blood boiling with rage.
"Now, now, you'd better pay attention to the battle, before it's too late…"
I glanced over at the eggs and Phoenix. Both were about a quarter of the way closer to their ends than they were in the beginning.
"Go, Machoke!" A PokéBall landed on Daley's side of the arena, releasing a Machoke.
"Alright…Dragoni…"
"No."
Fire Storm looked down at me in surprise. I threw my cane to the side and walked out into the arena.
"This one's mine!" I growled, pawing the ground.
"Chris, you can't handle a Machoke! He'll toss your tail all over the place!"
"No! This guy's too scared to fight his own battles, so he sends out his brainwashed Pokémon to fight for him! He doesn't care about developing a relationship with his Pokémon like you do; your Pokémon are willing to fight for you out of their friendship and care for you, not just because they've been told to do so! As for me, I fight my own Pokémon battles!"
"Hmm…I hadn't expected this…" Ignoring my words of disapproval, Daley said, "This will be interesting. I'll allow it."
"Flare!" I shot an Ember at the Machoke, hitting him square in the chest. He stumbled back a little from the force of the blast.
"Machoke, pound him into the ground!"
"Yes, Master!" The Machoke ran forward, then dove toward me. I leapt to the side, feeling its hands brush against my fur as it went flying by.
The Machoke quickly recovered and charged at me. I waited for him to come, preparing for the attack. It swung a fist down at me just as I leapt back. The force of the blow damaged the ground underneath it. That was pretty scary, but I was too full of adrenaline to care about it.
"Take this!" I yelled, charging and Tackling the Machoke. We both fell to the ground, but it grabbed me as we hit the ground.
I fought with the Machoke as it got back up, still keeping its hold on me. It refused to relax its grip, and soon it was swinging me by my tail. Round and round and round…I thought I was going to be sick.
"Machoke, release it!"
"Yes, Master!" It spun me around two more times, then let go.
"FLARE!" I flew about thirty feet before smashing into the wall. I slid down slowly, feeling the pain shooting through my body.
"Chris!" Fire Storm yelled. "Are you O.K?"
I didn't answer as I slowly got back to my feet. I took a couple of deep breaths, staring at the Machoke. I was hurting bad, but not nearly as badly as it would in about ten seconds.
I started to charge again, and after a moment, the Machoke was charging at me also. It looked as though I was about to try another Tackle, but I wasn't about to try that again. I had another idea.
The distance between us closed quickly. Thirty feet…twenty feet…fifteen feet…ten feet…
I suddenly stopped, but the Machoke continued to charge. That's when I let the attack go.
"FLLLLAAAARRRREEEE!"
A FlameThrower erupted from my mouth, engulfing the Machoke as he charged right into the stream of fire. I kept the attack until my fire sac emptied out almost fifteen seconds later.
The Machoke had stopped as the flames reached it, and when all the fire and smoke cleared, it had been reduced to a blackened crisp. He blinked a couple of times, then collapsed on the ground in front of me.
"Well fought, Chris." The Machoke was returned back to Daley. I wanted to stay out there and finish the fight, but Fire Storm yelled at me to come back.
"Chris, you just got tossed into a wall! You can't handle another battle!"
"…I'm coming…" I didn't want to leave, but he was right. I wasn't going to make another round. I walked back to Fire Storm and his Pokémon, who were all very happy to see I was still alive.
"Wow! I've never thought you'd win that!" Feraligater said as I took a seat next to him.
"Yeah! I thought you were gone for sure when you got thrown into that wall!" Furret said as she rushed over to me.
"You did a great job, Chris!" Dragoniar added.
"Yes, you did good Chris, but were not done yet!" Fire Storm reminded us. The cage and crusher were just a little less than halfway to their ends now.
"This shall be the final round." Daley informed us. Another PokéBall was tossed out, this time releasing an Espeon.
"Alright, Furret! Go get it!"
"Sure thing!" Furret ran out to her side of the arena to face Espeon.
"A Furret? You waste your time on such a simple rodent?!" Daley said with a laugh. "What good does it possibly do you?!"
"Simple…rodent?!" Furret seemed confused. "Simple…rodent?!"
"Oh no…RUN!" Dragoniar and Feraligater quickly ran outside the building, seemly scared out of their minds.
"Daley, you fool! You have no idea what you've done!" Fire Storm yelled.
"What? What can a rat like that do to possible harm my Espeon?"
"Rat? Rat? RAT?!" Furret had advanced from confusion to pure anger. "I'LL SHOW YOU RAT!"
"Chris, get behind me, now!" Fire Stormed barked.
"But…wha…why?"
"Don't ask, just do it!"
I quickly did as told, peering around Fire Storm's legs as the amazing event in front of me began.
Furret began to hold her head and shake it from side to side, seemingly to be having a nervous breakdown. Soon she was yelling, "FUR! FUR! FUR!" and literally began to foam at the mouth. Whatever was going on, it was about to get real ugly.
"FURRET!" Furret yelled one last time before charging at Espeon. The psychic Pokémon appeared to be so shocked by the charging, seemingly insane Pokémon that she was unable to move. Furret leapt at Espeon and began to claw and bite her as they rolled around.
"What the?! Espeon, use Psy Wave to knock it away!" Daley ordered, shocked.
"Yes, *OW!* Master!" Furret was suddenly knocked back about fifteen feet as the Espeon got to her feet.
"Espeon, use Psychic! Attack its mind directly!" Daley shouted.
"Yes, Master!" Espeon began to glow as Furret charged again. Now Furret was going to suffer for sure. A Psychic attack directed right at her mind? Furret be lucky if her skull didn't split…
"AHHHHHH!!!!!"
"What on Earth is going on?!" I asked no one in particular. Espeon was now sprawled out on the ground, screaming in pain and clutching her head as Furret leapt and started to claw it again.
"Espeon! I said use Psychic!" Daley repeated.
"Good luck!" Fire Storm yelled. "No one likes Furrets, and when Furret get insulted like that, she literally goes insane! Until she takes her medicine or gets knocked out, she gonna tear everyone to shreds!"
"THE PAIN! OH DEAR MEW, THE PAIN! IT'S UNBEARABLE!" Espeon screamed as she curled into a ball while Furret continued to claw her.
"But…why won't Espeon's psychic attacks work?!"
"Furret's so delusional, any attack directed right at her mind will only hurt the attacker! Why do you think they just passed that law forbidding psychic Pokémon and Hybrids from using their powers in facilities for the mentally insane?!" Fire Storm informed Daley. "You'd better call back your Espeon! If it stays exposed like that, it'll go permanently insane!"
"But…but…Espeon, return!" Daley quickly recalled his Pokémon, who was now covered head to tail in scratches and bites. Furret looked around quickly, still foaming at the mouth.
"I'm sorry about this Furret, but it's for your own good!" Fire Storm reached into one of the inner pockets of his jacket and pulled out a blue capsule, throwing it in Furret's direction. It exploded in a cloud of Sleep Powder around Furret. Furret took a few whiffs of the air, then quickly collapsed onto the ground in a deep slumber.
"Return, Furret!" Fire Storm recalled Furret as Feraligater and Dragoniar slowly came back in.
"How many survivors?" Feraligater asked as he looked for Furret.
"Everyone's alive, though Espeon did get pretty hurt. It tried to use Psychic directly on Furret's mind."
"Oh Mew…what was it thinking?!" Dragoniar muttered in disbelief, shaking her head.
"Well…it seems you've won…"
"Yes! Now release Phoenix and the eggs!" Both still had about thirty percent of the time they'd started with left.
"Yes…I shall stop them…" There was a click, then both the cage and crusher stopped moving.
Everyone on our side of the arena let out a loud sigh of relief. We did it! We saved Phoenix and the eggs! Things were going our way once agai…
"CLICK!"
The cage and crusher began to move again, much faster than before.
"Daley, you scum! Stop it now!" Fire Storm ordered.
"I will…if you can get through my Alakazam's Barrier here…"
"Ala." It must've been hiding in the darkness, because I still couldn't see it.
I couldn't believe it! This bastard was going to go back on his word and kill three innocent people! In less than ten seconds, Phoenix would be doused with a Sedrea's water and my eggs would be turned into scrambled eggs! I had to stop it… but… what… had to… stop them… somehow…
The next few hours are a total blank in my memory. I'm only telling what I did based on Fire Storm's and his Pokémon's explanations of what happened next.
"FLLLAAARRREEE!" I yelled. I stared at the cage and crusher as they quickly descended down. I became surrounded by a blue glow, much like the one's psychic types give off when they use psychic attacks. Also, you remember those weird flecks in my eyes, the ones that are grey, yellow, blue and green? Well, according to Fire Storm, the grey flecks were glowing with a bright light, but just the grey ones for some reason.
Soon, both the cage and crusher began to glow as well, coming to a dead halt just above the water and eggs, respectively. Everyone watched in shock as the incubator began to move out of the crushers path, floating into Fire Storm's arms. The bars of Phoenix's cage began to bend, and Phoenix floated out of the gap created by the bent bars. She floated over to us, then was gently laid out on the ground next to me.
As soon as she was on the ground, everything stopped glowing. The empty cage was dropped into the water; the crusher crushed air, and I passed out.
"Hmm, so that's it…" Daley said in a calm voice. "Alakazam, let us leave this place."
"Zam." There was a small flash of light over by Daley, and then silence.
"…Uh…what just happened?" Feraligater asked, confused.
"…I'm not sure…" Dragoniar said, equally confused.
"Neither am I…let's just get out of here." Fire Storm quickly got me, Phoenix and the eggs back into the car and quickly drove us all home.
Now, you'd think after all that, we'd have enough surprises for one day. As it was, though, there was still one thing left to deal with.
"Who the…" As Fire Storm pulled the car into the driveway of his home, he saw the Typhlosin Hybrid from Apple Bees sitting on the steps in front of his home. He quickly got out of the car and demanded to know who this person was. It turned out to be one of FireHybrid's online buddies, Yoshiman. He'd come down to see FireHybrid and look for some help on what had been happening, since he too remembers the Shadow World. He was going to get a hotel room like us, but he apparently got robbed at Water Gunpoint by a Wartortle Hybrid, and had to give up all his money. Once again, Fire Storm offered to let him stay in the house for a few days.
Well, Fire Storm let him in, and they bought all of us inside. They placed Phoenix on her bed, me with Andrea and plugged the incubator into the outlet in the dining room. After driving over to the Center and having Joy drive him home again, Fire Storm went to bed and let Yoshiman, who's known as Rick Griffin, have the couch for the night. I had Andrea shaking me awake at about 10 a.m. the next morning.
"Chris! Chris! The eggs are back!" she said ecstatically.
"Huh…oh, they are? Great…" I was still half-asleep at the time, but her next words snapped me wide awake.
"They're hatching!"
"What?! I'm coming!" I quickly leapt down off the bed, rushing into the dining room with what little strength I had.
I came in just in time to see a small brown paw break through the shell of an egg as the other continued to shake. Another hole appeared in the egg, and then another. Soon, a small brown fur covered head poked its way through the opening in the top of eggshell.
"Eui?" it said in minor confusion, looking around. It saw me and Andrea, and looked at us for a few seconds, like it wasn't sure what to make of this. Then it smiled at us and held out its arms. "Eui!"
"Oh, you're so cute!" Andrea took our child and wrapped it up in a nearby blanket as the other egg began to open as well.
"Isn't he beautiful?" Andrea asked, holding him so I could see. He certainly was; his brown furred face was smooth and full of color, his eyes big and full of life. The other egg was soon open, so Andrea gave me our son she was holding and went to wrap up our other child.
Soon, everyone had joined us in the joyous moment. Xavier, his mother and his Pokémon looked worn out, but they were all very happy for us. We took care of the children and otherwise rested around the house for a while. Later on, I was finally able to talk to the others while Andrea was feeding the kids and Xavier's mother was busy in town buying food and clothes for the kids.
"You guys went out without me?! I missed all the fun!" Amber complained in her human form, leaning back in the couch.
"Sorry Amber, but we felt it'd be better if there were less of us to go out there and risk getting in trouble." Xavier said from his spot on the wooden rocking chair.
"Yes…though you missed quite an adventure. I still can't figure out how he knew so much about us…it was really creepy." I said, sitting in between Amber and Rick on the couch. Rick was still in his Hybrid form, trying to keep the fire on his neck and his fire tail, which I hadn't seen at the restaurant, from setting it on fire.
"You want creepy? How the hell did you use all that psychic power?! You're a Flareon Hybrid, not an Espeon Hybrid!"
"I'm not sure…" How the heck did I do that? There was no logical explanation for how that happened. I mean, I always thought there was something special about us; after all, we were a few of the small number of people who can remember the Shadow World, but I never expected something like this to happen!
"Hey, how come I miss out on all the good stuff? All I did was almost get in trouble at that Apple Bee's in the plaza. When am I gonna have something exciting happen to me?" Rick moaned.
"I'm sure something's gonna happen to you soon, Rick. Besides, how much excitement can you expect in a month?" Xavier asked.
"Sure seems like you've had your fair share…"
"He's got you there." An idea just struck me. "What about Serena? What's she been up to lately?"
"Oh, wait!" Rick reached into his pocket and pulled out a Fire Stone and a piece of paper, giving them to Xavier. "I found these outside while I was waiting for you."
Xavier looked over the stone, seeming to remember it from somewhere. He read over the note and sighed.
"What's up?" Amber asked.
"It's from Serena. Her Dad had been planning to move the family to New Mexico, but she didn't know when. Well, he finally decided to get going yesterday. They're headed there now." Xavier looked at the stone in his hand and sighed. "I remember when she told me how she tripped over this thing…she's a great girl, but a bit of a klutz."
"Oh…can I see that?" I asked. I'd never seen a Fire Stone up close before. Xavier passed the stone over to me. The little flame that seemed to just sit still in it. Hmm…sure looked interesting…
"Hey, I didn't know this thing glows when you hold it…"
"That's because it doesn't!"
"Wait…then why is it glowing now?!"
The stone was beginning to glow brightly in my hands, gathering heat as it did. I was too shocked to do anything but watch as the glow continued for a few seconds, then died back down again.
"Alright…what just happened?" Rick asked, looking over at the stone.
"I'm not sure…" I said in disbelief. The flame that appeared to be in the stone was now moving all about.
"Let me see." Amber took the stone from me to look at it. She gasped in shock, then looked over at Xavier.
"Xavier…this thing had all the energy sucked out of it, right?"
"Yes…why do you ask?"
"Well, because…it's charged again…"
"What?!"
"See the flame?" Amber showed the stone to us all. "When it does that, that means the stone has energy in it…Chris recharged the stone just by holding it!"
Everyone just looked over at me. Geez, first I suddenly gain psychic powers and lose them a few seconds later, now I'm recharging evolution stones just by holding them! What's next?!
"Well…I've got a box upstairs I could put that in. I might need it later…" Xavier got up and ran upstairs, probably to get that box.
I just sat there, trying to figure out what was happening. In the process of less than three days, I've had more things happen to me than ever before…and who knows if everything is even close to done? There could still be tons of mysteries left to solve!
As I watched the flame in the stone, a thought dawned on me. Fire is both a source of life and destruction. A controlled fire offers warmth to the cold, restoring their life, yet at the same time, if it goes unchecked or is misused, that fire can either die or spread out of control, possibly taking lives as well. What it does all depends on the actions of those who watch over it. We were kind of like that; all of us working on the cause of trying to find answers, just like you work together with others to make a fire grow and keep it from growing out of control.
The only question I had as Xavier came down with the box and Amber place the stone in it was; what would happen with us? Would we protect the fire and help it grow enough to shed light on all these mysteries, or would we fail and let it go out? Or, worse yet, would we let it get out of control, destroying not only the answer to these mysteries, but possibly ourselves, as well?
Whew! Finally, it's done! Man, that was one creepy night…and I still don't know how the hell Daley knew so much about all of us. How long has been watching us? Is he still doing it now? Until I know for sure, I'd better be careful…
Anyway, same as before; if you wanna stop by the house or show me your support or whatever, e-mail me at firehybrid@swirve.com or IM me; my AIM name is HybridAuthor. Also, send your fic and art submissions to Chris at reynard@transfur.com. Until next time, watch your back; you could be next…