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In the P.E department office, Todd and the numerous volunteers sat around a long table. The entire setup was slapped together - literally - but it worked.
"Has there been any talk about releasing the Pokemon into the wild?" Todd began.
Werini sighed as if he couldn't believe Todd's obvious question. "Yes, there has been. Now, are we going to have productive discussion or go around in circles?"
"Alright. Listen. Earth isn't their natural habitat. Whatever these creatures had back home, we don;t really know, except from Bulbapedia.."
"Yes," a zookeeper replied. "But unless we plan to keep them here forever - which is logistically impossible and morally wrong - we'll have to let them go at some point." She gave a smile. "Only these Pokemon can emulate what's best for them."
Todd gave no response as the woman continued. "The Pokemon we brought in was not even five percent of what came to Earth. I believe they will not hunt our native animals to extinction."
Todd shook his head. "My colleague, Michelle, believed they would lay waste to our forest. These things can breathe fire, shoot lightning and move objects with their minds. No animal on our world can even do a fraction of what the Pokemon are capable of."
Todd hefted the tranq-gun. It'd been odd, witnessing the arrival of Pokemon. Now, he sat in the back of a Humvee with Jackson driving, a policeman alongside him.
"Look, this is easy. You're just bringing a Pichu in," Jackson had told him. Todd noticed the rubber gloves he wore made it difficult to get his fingers in the rifle's trigger guard. Hell, the boots he normally wore as part of his uniform were encased in gumboots. It wasn't complete protection, but it sure beat running around in a full-body hazmat suit.
"Easy! Hah! Ordinary rats don't shoot lightning. Frankly, I guess the arrival of Pokemon did me some good. It was worth it for the change in routine and adventure," the policeman said. He was wearing the same gear everyone else had on – thick rubber boots and gloves for electricity protection.
Todd removed the magazine of the tranq gun and checked his ammo. Five darts. He hoped he'd never have to use it, or any of their other weapons for that matter.
The Humvee they were riding rolled to a stop. "We're here," Jackson said. "Todd, you keep your tranq gun ready to go in case something happens. We'll provide back-up with our firearms."
The Pichu turned out to not be alone. It hid behind a Pikachu that came up to Todd's knees.
Jackson and Tovar hung back, watching the scene.
A cry of "KaCHU!" and sparking cheeks, and a lightning bolt striking right in front of them caused the men to hesitate. Todd aimed his tranq-gun at the Pikachu's leg, while the policeman cocked his pistol.
"You. Stay where you are. Everything will be all right." The policeman kept a firm grip on his sidearm as he spoke, trying to hide his shaking hands.
Todd, however, felt his training take over. Crouch down. Calm, firm voice. Deep breath.
It was certainly unnecessary and risky. Every fiber of his body just screamed for him to pull the trigger. But he wasn't like that. Hell, he'd signed up to protect the animals of Earth. Terrestrial or alien, it mattered not what they were.
"Come with us," Todd began.
The Pikachu gave a low growl and sparked even more.
"Yeah, this one is aggressive." Todd began. "Maybe we should turn back."
If this was an ordinary animal he was dealing with, Todd would have shot a tranq-dart or manhandled it with a catch-pole already. That was back when mice didn't shoot lightning and weren't several inches tall. "You need to come with us. Both you and that Pichu. It's not safe out here."
He was certain the Pikachu would have electrocuted him on the spot for saying that. Damn, now Michelle really was going to be right about him dying on the job.
An idea sprang into his mind. It was reckless and certainly breached protocol, but then creatures with elemental powers wasn't ordinarily part of his training. "We've got food, water, and a safe place to stay. Would you like that?"
The Pikachu tilted its head to the side, considering his words. It nodded after a while and gave an affirmative squeak.
Todd placed two large animal-control cages - the largest he'd found in the shelter stockroom, anyway - and placed it in front of the Pikachu. Moving as carefully as possible, he opened the locks.
It took some time for the Pokemon to enter of their own volition - but eventually, Todd and his group were driving back to the shelter.
He sighed in relief. Things could have gone a lot worse.
Michelle slipped out of her cot, flashlight in hand. The shelter's front gates were locked now, too high to climb. The staff car park, with its easily surmountable barrier, would be a better fit. She took a deep breath. Yes, she could do it.
Arriving at the gate had shown her it was more difficult than anticipated. The National Guard had set up sandbags with a few guards watching the entrance.
Moving as quietly as possible, she crept up to the perimeter, watching the movements of the soldiers. Yes, one of them had his back turned. She picked up a metal bolt at her feet and hurled it at a nearby Humvee. The noise was enough to make two of the guards jump.
As she ran towards the gate, one of the soldiers yelled, moving to grab her. By that point, he was too late; Michelle had long since vaulted the staff car-park barrier and disappeared down a nearby street.
Perfect, she thought.
This was an older chapter I reworked slightly. This is shorter and meant to bridge a small gap in the story so to speak. Originally, I intended to have Todd be killed in the line of duty to emphasize that lives were lost in the initial arrival, and that he is no exception due to Pokemon being potentially dangerous. I decided against it, because I have much worse in store for Michelle instead...
As always, if you want to comment on my fic, please review it! I'd be glad to see what others think of this direction for a "Pokemon On Earth" story!