Chapter Six.
The Plan.
All hell broke loose as Lawrence fell. The costumed island-girl screamed. Julie screeched and blizzarded, then rushed over to where Lawrence had fallen, and Mrs Lugia knocked John and George off their feet, and curled protectively around her egg. Rachel rushed over to the costumed islander crying "Fiona! Hide! They're dangerous!" John came running over too, after picking himself off the ground. He took Fiona's hands in his and said "I won't let you be changed, even if he does think you'd look good as a Moltres! I told him I don't want you changed! You're beautiful as you are!"
"Can we all try and calm down, I'm sure we can sort this out in a civilised manner." said Cyril. John turned towards him, dart-gun in hand.
"Are you going to shoot me, John?" Cyril asked him. "After everything we've been through? I'm just trying to calm the situation down. Perhaps you could explain this plan-we might be able to help. I'm sure Laurie's been involved in a couple of less-than-legal pursuits in his rebellious and mis-spent youth!"
"He'd make a good Zapdos." George said.
"He'd probably be more useful for helping to fund the plan. Even underhand schemes tend to cost money." Cyril said. George took one look at Julie, noticed she was gearing up for another blizzard, and said "Okay. I'll tell you about it."
"Can you revive Lawrence first, or you'll just have to repeat it when he wakes up. He could provide you with the financial clout you need." George agreed, and Lawrence was soon sitting up and moaning "Oh, my head!" George handed him some headache tablets. Then Lu came through, with a dressing on his tail and a Lugia-sized headache, so George gave Lu some headache pills too. They all settled down, and he stated to tell his story.
He started off by explaining that he was from an abusive home, where his father had regularly handed out beatings to he and his mother. His mother had turned alcoholic as a result. George had tried to escape by going to medical school to become a doctor. He wanted to help people, but had had to come home the year he was to do his final year because he feared that if she continued to take all the beatings herself, they'd eventually kill her. In effect, he'd gone home to be a punch-bag. The theory was, his mother would only receive half the numbers of beatings because George would be taking the other half. John, too, had had a lousy childhood, being called "Oy you," by his family, and eventually ending up in a children's home where he could only survive by becoming a bigger bully than the ones who picked on him.
George's father had eventually been arrested, and his mother put in a drying-out clinic. He and John had met in Team Rocket. George had had two Pokémon by then, a Rattata and a Koffing, but he'd had to give them up when Team Rocket decided he should channel all his energies into research. John had had his Grimer and Koffing bullied off him by another tougher Rocket. George had met his other partner in the changing business at Team Rocket too. Colin was another scientist currently in charge of the lab that George had for changing people. Colin didn't know it, but the first person George had changed had been Colin's daughter, Amanda. A wall had fallen on her, and he'd given her parts of a dead Pikachu he had to make sure she lived. But he got over-enthusiastic on the science side, and had given her cheek pouches and a tail to see if she could use Pikachu skills. The ears and fur he'd added mainly for the look. Then he'd bullied her into only speaking in Pikachu, in the hope she'd end up being able to translate. However, she was now too scared to, or had forgotten how to, speak like a human. Colin helped look after Amanda, but didn't realise she was his daughter. He believed her killed when the wall fell on her.
"Then I went on to change a young Team Rocket trainee, Christy." he said. "I was just so caught up in the science of it! When some of the other Rockets found out, even they thought it was horrible. I'd planted a Bulbasaur seed on her back. They decided to sack me, but John, and I fled early so they wouldn't take Christy and Amanda off me. Colin came and joined us later.
By then I'd formulated the Plan. I'm going to use my Pokémon people to paralyse the armies and take over the world! Then when I'm top dog, I'll change the laws about child abuse. I'll raise the penalty to death! All the Pokémon people will get top positions."
"Those that survive, you mean." Lawrence said.
"What do you mean? Of course they'll survive! The armies will be paralysed!"
"Well" said Lawrence, ticking off points on his fingers. "Firstly, the armies must have some contingency plan against terrorists-because that's how they'll view you. Secondly, you'll have to take ordinary people into account. Cyril's friend saw Ash here as some sort of freak. I doubt he's the only one. People will be scared of your Pokémon people-and it's basic human instinct, primitive but still active, to destroy what they don't understand because it might be a threat to them!"
"You really think so?" asked George. He had gone pale.
Ash then spoke up.
"Sir, I came to find you because some of the grunts are trying to kill off some of the other people! They're worried you're going soft, they've locked up Paul and Martin for being too gentle and caring, and they're putting sedative into the food of Jenny, Keith, Vicky, and the Squirtle girl because they think they're useless! They're thinking of getting rid of the Persian boy and the Pikachu girl too!"
"Look, why don't we at least ask someone else impartial, like an islander, if they think the plan will work or not." said Lawrence.
"Okay." said George, who was obviously still recovering from hearing that the people might get hurt.
"We can ask at the nearest hut when we come out." said Cyril.
"By the way, Cyril, where's that Pikachu you were worried about?" asked Lawrence. Ash looked up.
"Over here." said Cyril, leading them over to the Pikachu environment. He opened the door, and then had to move out of the way as Pikachu had spotted Ash and leaped into his arms with a cry of "Pikash!"
"Pikachu!" cried Ash.
"There, you see, Cyril, all it wanted was it's trainer." Lawrence said.
"You mean he took the boy's Pikachu from him? Well, of course, he must take it back, it was so miserable without him!"
"Thank you so much!" said Ash, close to tears as he hugged Pikachu close.
Lu and Ash both chose to stay behind, Lu to finish recovering, and to eat his sausage, Ash to spend some time with Pikachu, keep an eye on Lu, and to look after Mrs Lugia's egg, which had been placed in some conforming bedding and sat upon an electric heat-pad.
They went out, and almost bumped into Cyril's friend, who had a couple of pokéballs at his belt.
"I'm just going to try and catch that Mantine." he said. He looked up at Rachel and Mrs Lugia. "They're behaving themselves, are they?" he asked.
"Yes, they're very docile and friendly, everything I would look for in a Pokémon." said Cyril. He reached up to indicate Mrs Lugia's name tag, and gestured at Rachel's. "You can see I've put a collar on them, just for the tags. They don't need leads, they come with me anyway. They like me."
"And your two?" he asked Lawrence. He looked at Julie. "I saw you've taken that one out of the force-field."
"Yes, I have." he said. "I get much more enjoyment from having her out. And as for Ash, he will soon be displayed for the whole island to see!"
"Okay, I'll see you later!" said Cyril's friend. He went off.
They saw a hut about five minutes away, and went to it. George knocked on the door, and a female voice called "Hang on! I'm coming!" The door opened, and a black-haired woman looked out. Her face broke into a smile.
"Come in, come in! I don't often get visitors!" Her eyes went to Mrs Lugia, and she abruptly lowered her eyes and dropped to her knees.
"Guardian-I don't know what to say. This is an unexpected honour! What do you want of me?"
Just listen to these people, and give your honest opinion. Mrs Lugia said, loud enough for all to hear.
"Certainly!" said the woman. "My name's Donna, by the way."
Donna led them all in, and put on some of her own Shamouti sausages in a pan. She then poured out some fruit juice, having enough to pour some into a large bowl for Mrs Lugia. Then she served them all one sausage each, with a dollop of some sauce which Rachel and Fiona had set to making.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Donna asked. Before anyone could react, John had the gun out, and Donna was looking with mild shock at a red-fletched dart sticking out of her tanned upper arm. Then her eyes closed, and she seemed to fold up.
"John! We're here to talk about the Plan to her!" said George. You're too trigger-happy! I don't want to change her, anyway. She's beautiful!" George picked her up, and took her over to the curtained-off bed and put her on it. Fiona, after giving John a hard stare, walked over to see if she could help.
George gave Donna an antidote, then asked Fiona to bring Donna's fruit juice over. As she woke up, he helped her to sit up, gave her two headache pills, and helped her wash them down with fruit juice. "I'm sorry, John's a bit trigger-happy." he told her. A rather abashed John, who, to George's surprise, had actually began to cry, approached Fiona.
"I've put the gun down, please forgive me!" he pleaded with her.
"Only if you promise not to shoot anyone else!" she said. Fiona then looked at George.
"Did I hear someone say you're a doctor?"
"Yes." George said.
"Please, then, come and help my mother, and bring Rachel back! Since Rachel went missing, Mum doesn't eat much, only sleeps when she collapses from exhaustion, and she's burnt her hand! We don't have a doctor here on Shamouti Island, we have to book up two weeks in advance with a doctor on the mainland, and Mum's worked out if she does that, she'll be away when some of the tourists are coming to the guest house, so she's decided to put off having her burn treated till after the festival. Please treat her arm, I'm sure it would be better to treat it sooner!"
"Yes, it would. But let me talk to Donna about the Plan." George said.
He explained to Donna all about the Plan, and what it entailed.
"That's scary, and your Pokémon people are all bound to get hurt. People don't like change, they'll revolt against anything too extreme. You'll have people attacking your Pokémon people with kitchen knives and garden forks. Anything that can be used as a weapon will be. And it won't be you they'll attack, it'll be those on the front line-your Pokémon people."
"But Keith's only small! I rescued him from the road, where he'd been dumped! He trusts me! I don't want him hurt!" George said. "Do you have a radio I could use?"
"Yes." said Donna. "I've got the sort where you can see the user at the other end, if that's the sort you've got."
"It is." said George. "Thanks!" She showed him, and he turned it on. Donna went out.
George returned about fifteen minutes later. "Karl and I have had a little talk. About love, of all things, and of what love is and isn't. I've told him that love, real love, take into account the people you love, their wants and needs, and it's struck me that I've not been considering the wants and needs of the Pokémon people. If I'm not, what are the grunts doing? Are they in it for the cause, or do they have their own agenda, like power and money? I've been giving out the wrong signals, and that's why this must stop." He turned to Rachel.
"I'm going to take you home, Rachel, because your mother and family obviously need you. I will also treat your mother's arm." Rachel threw her wings around him.
"Thank you!" she said.
Lawrence waved for George's attention. "If you're not going ahead with the Plan, perhaps I could ask you to consider becoming a doctor for this island. You heard what Fiona said about the islanders having to wait two weeks for a mainland spot at the doctor's. This island becomes incredibly crowded at tourist time. That's why Cyril's sister visits for the duration of the festival, but two weeks is all she can stay, because she visits all the other islands that don't have doctors. She visits this one twice a year as well as Festival time, but only for a week in February and a week in November. This island needs a doctor."
"I told you." George said. "I never did my final year."
"I could pay your fees to retake." said Lawrence, at the same time as Donna said "We of the Island could sponsor you." and Cyril spoke up, chiming in "My sister could train you."
George looked at the three, and then said "Really?"
"Yes." said Cyril. "My sister needs all the help she can get, especially on this island at Festival time. If you become a doctor here, she wouldn't have to worry about visiting any other time but Festival time, which would take some of the pressure off."
"I don't mind paying for your training, if this island gets the doctor it needs. I'd like to find a way to thank the islanders for their kindness since last year. Helping them get a much-needed doctor seems to fit the bill. I could even pay some towards your wages once you qualify, and help you buy some of the equipment you'd need"
"The islanders can build you a basic surgery building." said Donna.
George looked up at Donna. He'd noticed it before, something about her voice, but he'd been too involved explaining the Plan and then having to persuade Karl that he wasn't going to hurt the Pokémon people with love of the wrong sort to query it before.
"Is that a Celadon accent?" he asked her. She wrinkled her small nose in distaste.
"Yes. I had a pretty lousy life there. I was neglected, left out at night, worked like a slave and fed on cheap pokéchow, until I turned sixteen and they turned me out then minutes after midnight on my birthday! Luckily, I had friends." She put her hands to the Pokéballs on her belt, releasing a powerful-looking Houndoom, an Umbreon which also looked fierce, a Ditto, a Tangela, and a Murkrow. George's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Are they friendly? Can I touch them?" Donna nodded.
"As long as you're not threatening to my guests or I, they're quite friendly." George looked nervous.
"Is that a threat?" he asked. Donna shook her head.
"No, just a statement of fact. When my mother discovered I had Pokémon against all her wishes-even thought I didn't keep them at home, and shared my usual ration of pokéchow with them-she went to hit me." She pointed at the Houndoom. "Sam there stopped her, and Noser"-here she pointed at the Murkrow, which was wandering over towards John- "growled at her. My Murkrows-I had two of them, then-both were ready to defend me if she tried again. She had the sense not to-not to mention having been scared out of her wits!"
Noser the Umbreon, in the meantime, had reached John. The dart-gun was lying, forgotten, under the chair he was sitting on. Noser found it, sniffed at it, and pulled away. Then it picked the gun up in it's jaws. Before anyone could say anything, it had trotted over to the sand-box Donna had in the corner, dropped the gun in it, and pointedly did it's business directly on the dart-gun. It then promptly buried it, and trotted back over to Donna.
"Noser!" she said quite mortified at her Pokémon's behaviour. She looked, red-faced, at the startled look on John's face, then looked over at George. He was trying not to smile, and failing miserably. Donna gave up, and dissolved into giggles.
When their merriment had subsided, George carefully stroked Donna's Pokémon, admiring the condition and shiny coats and feathers and eyes of her Pokémon. "I wish I had a Dark Pokemon." he said wistfully, looking admiringly at Sam, Noser, and the Murkrow, which she informed him was called Beaky. "The Houndour I put in with Carley, that I was planning to use to change her, has bonded to her, and evolved, and won't even let me in the room!"
"I might be able to help you there." said Donna. She extracted a wrapped bundle from behind the stove. Unwrapping it, she exposed an egg. "I found Sam and my Ditto, Jelly, around this one morning." she said. "I contacted a mainland Nurse Joy, told her about it, and she said when a Ditto mates with another Pokemon, you usually get the youngest evolution of the non-Ditto parent's form. That should mean this will hatch as a Houndour. I don't need another Houndour, so I don't see why you shouldn't have this. Carry it about with you and keep it warm-it should eventually hatch."
"Thank you!" said George. "How can I ever thank you!"
"Well, I could use your help during the Festival if you'll be here." she said.
"As long as I can help my people on the mainland first." he said, holding the egg to his ear. He pulled his head away. "It's making noises in there! It must be close to hatching!"
"Well, yes, of course we can help your people first! The festival isn't for another week and a half or so!" said Donna.
"Okay, how can I be of aid?" asked George.
"I'm doing the Ecruteak Legend this year-for Ecruteak have got a big bird and three other legendaries involved in a legend too, but instead of three legendary bird Titans, Ecruteak has three legendary dogs. I had three people to play the Fire dog Entei, the Ice-dog Suicune, and the Electric dog Raikou, but none of them can make it. The only part I've got someone for is Ho-oh-I'm playing Ho-oh. Unless I can find three people to play the dogs, I won't be able to do it. I've made all the costumes, and it seems all my efforts will come to nothing."
George got up, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Let's see the costumes. I'll be a dog for you." Donna got up, and opened a cupboard. She pulled out three costumes. Entei was brown and white, shaggy, with a big head carefully made. Raikou's costume was bigger, yellow and white and green, with a blue spiky tail. Suicune was white and blue and mauve, with two ribbons sewn on to the rear as a tail.
"I'll try the Entei costume-I like Entei." George said. He did, and it fit him well.
"Let me try the Raikou costume." said John, unexpectedly. "I'll be a dog if the Raikou costume fits-but I don't want to wear the one with ribbons on the bum!" Donna tried not to laugh, putting her hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles.
"That's it's tail!" she said.
"I don't care! I still don't want ribbons on my bum!"
"Can I try that?" Cyril said. "I don't mind the ribbons, and I love blue and mauve."
"Sure!" said Donna, delighted.
"I want to be in the ceremony, and this would be perfect!" said Cyril, as he put the bright outfit on. In the meantime, John found that the Raikou costume was big enough even for him.
Cyril, too found that his costume fit, and Donna was delighted.
"Five minutes ago, I thought I'd never be able to find people in time! Now I have three! Thank you!" she said. George saw something else in Donna's cupboard.
"What's this?" he said, drawing out a feathered top with wing-like sleeves. The feathers were pitch black.
"Oh, something I made out of the dozens and dozens of feathers I collected. I wrote letters to Elite Four Will and Elite Four Karen asking for feathers, for my Ho-Oh costume. I also wrote a letter to Falkner. I had three Murkrows to start with-I traded two of them later-but over the time I've had them, I got loads of feathers. Ho-Oh doesn't have any black feathers, and I found I had loads of Murkrow feathers, so I made that out of them. I also made this." she said, taking out a set of Zapdos wings (made from dyed Pidgey feathers and Murkrow feathers and cut to shape) and a tail. A beak followed, and a set of black feather shorts. "I was making a Zapdos costume, but I can't finish it in time. The boy who played Zapdos last year has entered puberty and grown too big for his last costume. We need someone small."
"I'll see about bringing Keith." said George. "He's small. He's twelve."
"So was the boy last year." said Donna. "It might work."
"Can you bring those things with you? I've got an idea. How about we go and see Rachel's mother now?" George said.
"Okay." said Cyril. "But let's pick up Ash and Lu from my machine."
So they went to Cyril's machine, to pick up Ash and Lu. Cyril decided to take some of his Pokémon with him. He entered the Eevee-type enclosure. There were two Eevee, one Flareon (curled around an egg) one Jolteon, and a Vaporeon. The Vaporeon was faster than Cyril expected, shooting out between his legs. As he turned to watch it, he saw it heading for the Magikarp pool he had. It entered with a huge splash. There was an odd glow, and a red-red!-Gyarados was suddenly rearing out of the Magikarp pool. Cyril went over, and talked softly to the Gyarados. It lowered it's head, let out a soft growl, and rubbed it's head against his chest.
"It's okay!" he called to the others, who had all backed off. "It's friendly! I think it's the golden Magikarp that's evolved! Can someone help me put it in the Lugia-lair? It needs more water now!" Rachel went over to help, and took the tail. They put it in the enclosure, and the Vaporeon followed them in. It promptly dived in the water, and seemed a lot happier.
"It seems happy in there. Leave it, it can keep the Gyarados company." Cyril told her.
He went back to the Eevee enclosure. The Jolteon seemed to be constantly licking it's leg. "I can help that." said George. He took some Sellotape and cardboard, and soon fashioned a cardboard collar, which he put on the Jolteon so it couldn't lick it's leg. George than dressed the leg.
"I think it's bored." said George.
"Then I'll take it with me!" said Cyril. He put a leash on it, and a leash on one of the Eevee-when he managed to catch up with it-it was racing around the enclosure. He looked at the other Eevee, which was the opposite-very limp. He saw it had gone over to John. He'd picked it up and was tickling it's tummy. It was wriggling with pleasure.
"Would you like that Eevee?" he asked John.
"Yes please!" said John, looking shocked but delighted.
"It's more active than it has been. It likes you! It's a rare female Eevee. I'll give you some enhancers, and if you make it happy, and train it in the day, it'll turn into a psychic Espeon. If you make it happy, and train it at night it'll turn into an Umbreon, like Donna's."
"Thank you!" said John, hugging his Eevee tight. Cyril took the active Eevee and the Jolteon out on leashes.
He then went to his bird-enclosure. Seeing a black bundle on the ground, he picked it up and gave it a revive and a hyper potion. He then sat it on his shoulder. George noticed a white Murkrow in the enclosure. It spotted him at the same time, and it flew past Cyril and out of the enclosure, to George. It sat on his shoulder, said "Mur!", and started pecking at a stray lock of hair on George's head. George looked delighted!
"Aren't you gorgeous!" he said to it.
"Would you like to keep it?" Cyril said. "It likes you, and fights with the others, because it's different."
"You-you'd let me keep him?" George said, looking like a child who'd got more than he'd hoped for at Christmas.
"Yes, as long as you look after him." he said.
"Of course I will!" said George.
Cyril picked up his Pichu, and took a Squirtle (which he gave to Lawrence, because he asked for it.) Then he let Julie and Rachel choose some Pokémon. Julie chose a Pikachu, and Rachel chose a Bulbasaur. He offered Fiona a Pokémon, and she chose a Charmander. He handed out pokéchow and enhancers to all who had taken a Pokémon. "These will make them stronger and happy." he said.
Cyril picked up a Blastoise, and a Charizard, giving the Charizard Mrs Lugia's egg to carry. It kept it warm under one wing. Then they came out, and set off to the guest house.
They went to the guest house, and Fiona used her key to get in. "Mum!" she called. Her mother came rushing up.
"Fiona!" she said. "I was beginning to worry about you!"
George was shocked to see Rachel's mother. He had seen her, briefly, several months ago, when he came to get information about Lugia, and had then taken Rachel back with him to change. She was so thin and drawn! One arm was wrapped in a clean white hanky, and held loosely against her chest.
"Mrs Farraday." he said, approaching her. "We've brought Rachel back, and I'm a doctor. I want to treat that burn!"
"Rachel?" cried her mother. "Where?"
"Mum!" cried Rachel, rushing into her mother's arms.
"Rachel! You're alive! You are!" Mrs Farraday cried. "Come in! I'll cook your favourite food!" Rachel's mother tried to draw Rachel into the kitchen, but Rachel resisted, instead trying to take her mother into the sitting room.
"No, you won't! I'll cook something for all of us, while George dresses your arm!" she said. "Fiona can help me, can't you, Fiona." she said.
"Of course!" said Fiona. They both managed to get their mother into the sitting room and sat her down, so George could dress her arm. Then they went into the kitchen to cook. Lawrence flopped into a chair, and, the others followed his example, and settled in too. Then Rachel's mother spotted Lu. She dropped to her knees.
"Small Guardian! I must get you some food!"
No, let him treat your arm. said Lu. Rachel and Fiona will take care of me!
George was glad Lu was there: Mrs Farraday stopped resisting and let George bind her arm. A delicious smell started to drift out of the kitchen, and although all present (except Mrs Farraday) had eaten recently, their mouths began to water.
Ten minutes later, Rachel came out with some sausages in sauce and a glass of fruit juice for her mother. Fiona followed, with some more sausages in sauce and a bowl of fruit juice a moment later.
"We've got more cooking to do!" called Fiona. "Lu's mother is outside!"
Mrs Farraday insisted, then, on going outside to greet Mrs Lugia. She knelt before her.
Please get up. said Mrs Lugia. I am pleased to meet you. You are tired, and must sleep. I will stay until you awaken. Go and sleep.
"Yes, Guardian." said Rachel's mother meekly. She hugged Mrs Lugia, and George went up with her to help her to bed. They took up the egg, which Mrs Farraday put in a bed under the quilt, with the electric over and underblankets left on a low heat. George returned about ten minutes later.
"I'm glad Lu and his mother are around! I think they're the only ones she'll obey without question! I've talked to her, though, and she's agreed-with your permission-to take her back with me to help cook some food for people."
"Then I'm going back too!" said Fiona and Rachel together. They stopped, a little confused, and looked at each other. Then Fiona said "I'd better make sure there'll be no additional tourists over the next week or so-will that be long enough?"
"Absolutely!" said George. "I anticipate it'll be over in three days." Fiona went out, and returned with the booking book. "There's no-one slated to turn up this week-except for you and Cyril." This last was addressed to Lawrence.
"Well, unless you think it unwise, I'd like to come back and help myself." said Lawrence. Cyril agreed.
"Absolutely!" said George. He ticked off his fingers as he calculated the people he wanted. "Me, John, You, Lawrence, Cyril, Fiona, Rachel, Donna, Mrs Farraday, Julie, and Ash." He turned to Lu, who made a querying noise.
"I can't include you, Lu. For a start, your mother won't want to leave you, and she's too big. Also, it could be dangerous for you. I don't want to risk you with what could be a dangerous situation. Additionally, there's plenty for you to do around here. When I bring back some of the people, some of them may like to see you, and you can help then. That'll be okay, won't it?" he asked. Lu dipped his head in assent.
I understand. he replied. However, George could tell he was annoyed, but also did understand.
George turned to Lawrence. "I'm going to need your assistance to transport everyone back, but you're also very well known. We'll need to explain your presence."
"I could transport people in my machine." Cyril offered. "I'm not so well known."
"No, we couldn't hide it. As Lawrence is known to own a distinctive machine, it'd be better to explain his presence. It might help if the grunts feel some of it is their idea. I've got an idea of how to explain Lawrence." He turned to Donna.
"Can you wear your Murkrow costume and pretend to be changed?" he asked her. Donna nodded.
"Okay."
"Fiona, bring your Moltres costume. I can pretend to change you." he told her. She nodded.
"Okay, then this is what we'll do." he said. He began explaining, and then explained it to the mother when she awoke.
Later that day, they all went to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day, and they wanted to be fresh and ready.
