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Security work was Michelle's forte. That was why she'd been sent to help around the shelter's makeshift lab, wiping down various tables with a wet cloth.
A bitter sigh escaped her lips. She'd rather be outside with the soldiers, not playing secretary.
"I want to lend you a hand with patrol work," she'd told Jackson.
He shook his head. "I don't want any civilians out there with us, getting injured by potentially hostile Pokemon. Hell, I'll bet you don't even have the discipline required to not freak out when some giant monster roars at you."
"You're still doing rescue operations and relief work, right? Can I help with that?"
"Relief workers are already moving through the city. They need trained hands working, not some rent-a-cop."
In the end, she'd thought of Jackson's response as bullshit. She knew how to handle a gun. Extra firepower could be useful, especially if she could try out an M4A1 for once. That would do some serious damage.
When she was assigned to file away reports, she'd skim them every time. It invariably ended up with her eyes glazed over at technical jargon.
Each time the Pokemon were brought out, she'd look at them through the chain-link fence put around the school's fields. Having never really gotten into Pokemon when it was little more than a franchise, she'd known only what a Pikachu was. That, and maybe the starters of the first generation games. A few weeks' worth of surfing Bulbapedia had fixed that right up, though. Sure, her knowledge wasn't encyclopedia-level, but it was enough to get by. The scientists at the lab had ordered their employees to spend some time with the Pokemon for a minimum of fifteen minutes a day, for 'mental stimulation'.
She only wanted to be useful in some fashion, involving patrol work. Playing secretary was just as monotonous as her old security job, but she got to stretch her legs instead of sitting at a desk watching cameras all day. Even then, many of the Pokemon at the temporary lab were Normal-Types. The only thing that separated them from normal animals was the glint of intelligence in their eyes and the somewhat odd body shapes and markings.
From her scant information from high-school biology, she was certain that no ordinary rat had purple fur, or grew to be the size of a fridge. She briefly considered how much food they would need each day, and decided it better not to ask.
The last drawer was slammed shut, and she rubbed her arms. It was time for her to spend time with the Pokemon after her coffee break. In any other situation, she'd be inside, sidearm in hand just in case something went wrong. The containment area's steel bulkhead opened, and she stepped through in a hazmat suit, flashlight in hand.
Animal handling experience did transfer over to Pokemon, Todd found. Sure, he'd tack on a 'somewhat' at the end there, due to their exceptional intelligence and supernatural powers.
Feeding and cleaning them was the easy part. The vets had brought in diamond cutting saws as almost nothing pierced a Rock-, Ground-, or Steel-Type save for anti-materiel ammo and heavy workshop tools.
He smiled wryly. From now on, he'd only need to handle and process Pokemon. Pity the people who had to learn how they worked, he thought. They'd have their work cut out for them.
Todd stood beside a Furret as a scientist and vet took blood samples. The damn thing was adorable as hell, and he was surprised just how faithful to the games and offical artwork they were.
Beyond that, realism took over. The small button-nose twitched every time it sniffed the air. It reminded him of a hamster or mouse.
"You'll be fine, bud," he said, petting it gently. It nodded in response.
His eyes fell on the rack of hazmat suits on the far wall. They were encumbering and stuffy as Hell, but the scientists took no chances. Besides, the protocols worked quite well, all things considered.
It was a shame that not every Pokemon was capable of telepathy - being able to hold a conversation with a non-human creature was something that no human had ever experienced until a few weeks back.
Soon, he found himself wondering what new protocols he would have to adhere to after the current situation was sorted out. These weren't simple animals the world was dealing long would it take before everything stabilized? A year was his current estimation.
No, he thought. Better to focus on the moment. He'd help work out the problems as they came up. He glanced at Michelle as she came in, trepidation on her face.
Well. He'd be leaving in a few minutes after packing up.
Michelle decided that if ordinary wild animals were dangerous, intelligent, super-powered ones would be even more so. That was the most prominent thought in her head as she moved into the containment area. It was little more than a glorified school field with a chain-link barrier erected around the perimeter. It was practically a stone's throw from the gymnasium.
Sleeping that close to the Pokemon every night made her uncomfortable. Hell, Victini probably knew most of the refugees inside and out by now.
As the doors opened, Michelle reached for a pistol that wasn't there. She mentally berated herself and stepped forward. Her flashlight was sturdy enough to function as a club, and the only piece of equipment the soldiers allowed her to keep apart from her security officer uniform. Most of the Pokemon turned to stare at her.
"Hello," she said, staring awkwardly. Being a city girl meant she wasn't exactly familiar with wildlife.
She couldn't shake the feeling she didn't belong. Could non-psychic Pokemon sense fear? The animals of Earth couldn't - she was sure of it.
Being twitchy was bound to get her bitten or worse. She took a deep breath, inhaling industrial-grade disinfectant fumes and the musty smell of fur.
"How are you feeling today?" It was a dumb question, she knew. She didn't even know if the Pokemon were intelligent like the series portrayed, or if they were more like Earth animals.
A chorus of squeaks and croaks was her response. If only they actually spoke their names! Wasn't that supposed to be part of the Pokemon language, of sorts?
Even with the games and show, there was so little the world knew. She knew the fictional franchise was already well into the past. The Pokemon in front of her was Earth's reality, now.
To think that all this happened when a brilliant flash of alien light lit up the night sky. She'd pinched herself several times already to check if she was dreaming.
The result was always the same: finding herself in an emergency shelter, surrounded by other evacuees, soldiers, and hearing the calls of Pokemon in some far-off room.
A 6-foot long, ferret-like creature approached her, sniffing and nudging her hand. She forced a smile and started petting it, hoping this wouldn't turn into the longest 15 minutes of her life.
With nothing much to do when the shift was over, Michelle opened up her phone and began browsing.
The news was the same all over the world. Pokemon appearing in major cities, causing chaos and panic.
She began doom-scrolling soon enough. before long, her taps landed her on a page detailing all the Pokemon that had appeared on Earth since the incident. Her eyes glazed over after the first few hundred entries.
A quick shake of her head cleared her thoughts. She took a shaky breath, and kept reading.
The Pokemon hadn't replaced the animals of Earth. In fact, reports trickled in of Pokemon roaming the wilderness. That meant - her thoughts wandered slightly. No, she thought, horror rising in her chest.
In her mind, the forests of Earth burned. Supernatural beings roamed the wilds, hunting defenseless animals that could not ever hope to match them in intellect and power.
A thousand species of fictional creatures, once nothing more than a children's' franchise, made manifest. She hated it, having her life - the entirety of human existence - uprooted in the blink of an eye.
Michelle's legs shook horribly as she stood up. Todd and Werini - she had to speak to them.
Todd hadn't expected to see his colleague much. It was a shock when she entered the school's cafeteria-turned-mess-hall so unlike her aloof, abrasive self, instead on the verge of tears.
"You OK?" He motioned for her to sit down.
"Do I look like it?" She gritted her teeth. "You're taking this far too well, Todd. Most people are freaking out worldwide!"
A smile crossed his lips. "That's better. Back to your old self in an instant. What's bothering you?"
"Look around you. Just look!" She ignored the blank stare from Todd, and continued, "You really think this won't change our lives? I'm dreading what I might see in the coming months."
"I'll probably have to learn some new protocols for dealing with intelligent beings. That's-"
"The hell you will! Don't blame me when your corpse shows up on the news. Besides, these things didn't replace our animals. I don't know how the planet is gonna handle another thousand intelligent, super-powered species." She collapsed on the bench, sobbing, not even caring if people stared.
"I... have to speak with Werini in a few minutes. Uh... you're welcome to come with me, if you want," Todd began.
Michelle sniffled slightly. "No, thank you." She didn't have the strength to muster up anything else, instead staring around. The dented tables and flaking metal benches reminded her so much of who used to be here.
That was gone, now. No schoolchildren yelling, or old lunch ladies distributing food. If they were here now, they were afraid and uncertain, just like her and the few hundred people who had taken up residence.
Her energy spent, she closed her eyes.
Werini tapped his pen on his desk. His 'office' was nothing but cheap partitioning and a flat-pak desk with matching folding chairs, but it gave him some comfort.
"So, you want me to help with handling Victini for tomorrow's test?" Todd asked.
"Yes, you've got the animal handling experience. Second, you at least know him."
"I'll do it," he said. "It's been an honor to work with you, and I intend to continue that for however long it takes." He paused. "I was wondering what equipment we would use."
"Ah. We've got an electroencephalograph delivered the past few days - in simple terms, a device to measure brain function. My team's been rather busy getting it set up."
"Have you gotten Victini's consent beforehand? Or well, approval from a scientific board?"
"We already got that. Why do you think there are all these tests being run?"
Todd nodded. "You know more than me when it comes to that. We'll need some way for telepathic consent to be accepted, unless you've got that down already."
"I'll sort it out as best I can," Werini replied.
"Thanks." Todd stood up to leave. At the door, he said, "I overheard one of the people here - a zoo curator - talk about releasing some of the Pokemon into the wild. Didn't catch anything else from them though."
"Yes," Werini replied. "While Earth is not their natural habitat, it's close enough. I'm sure you have seen some that have been tagged and microchipped. The Sierra Safari Zoo is aiding the effort."
"I'll see you tomorrow," Todd replied, exiting the room. "Do we have a meeting soon?"
"Yes," Werini said. "See you tomorrow, at 2 PM in the afternoon."