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The P.E. department staff-room was the same as Todd had last seen it – pushed-together desks, piles of meeting notes and constahnt discourse revovling around Pokemon. It would be everyone's last week at the shelter, now.

There wasn't much that Todd could have done, he thought. The subject of this meeting, was apparently what should be done with the Pokemon under their care.

"We should release at least some of them into the wild," one of the zookeepers declared. "Only the Pokemon can decide what's best for them."

"Are you insane?" an ecologist retorted. He tapped his pen on the table. "You are proposing that we take potentially dangerous creatures – some with the intelligence for psychic powers and other supernatural abilities – and just release them? What about Earth? Our animals deserve dignity and respect!" The man paused, breathing heavily. "I overheard one of the volunteer Pokemon caretakers say that every Pokemon brought in should be shot since they are threats. While I do not support her viewpoint, she is partially correct. As sentient as they may be, they are still wild creatures for the most part that want nothing to do with humans."

Todd raised his hand. "We have Victini, a Mythical Pokemon under our care. I have heard of a national park in the British Isles that made contact and established diplomatic relations with a Legendary Pokemon. If we could apply what they did to Victini, we could work together to gain useful information on whatever Pokemon live here, aside from the already-existing Bulbapedia." He frowned and continued, "It has already established telepathic communications with some of the military personnel and workers at this shelter. If we could continue with negotiations, it would be a boon."

Jackson nodded. "Todd, bear in mind this shelter is meant to be dismantled. San Fransico has a few small national parks that have Pokemon roaming them. A Mythical or legendary Pokemon being present would smooth things over."

"I think that would be a great idea," Todd replied. "is the San Fransisco Zoo taking part in studying the Pokemon?"

The zookeeper smiled. "I have been in contact with them, and they have been running tests on Pokemon with the help of some scientists who were stationed there. With that in mind, it would be good to ask them to help with the Pokemon issue."

"That would be a good solution, though we would need guards," Jackson added. "I'm sure the National Guard would be able to do that."

"So – we send Victini and some of the Pokemon to one of the San Francisco national parks, with regular visits from workers at the San Fransisco Zoo and the Pokemon being under close guard?" the ecologist replied. 'As long as it keeps them out of the general wilderness of the world, it should be fine."

The meeting continued after that, with Todd listening to the logistics of the entire operation. He'd had family in San Fransisco, so that was a bonus.

Michelle packed her possessions in her bag. She'd placed a total of six MREs and her possessions into her backpack, preparing to leave. She watched Todd org anise another pack for himself, before hugging her.

"Thanks, Todd," she said. "I'll miss you. Man, I hope you enjoy San Francisco."

"We'll keep in touch," Todd replied.

She walked to the Pokemon containment area, now no longer a worker.

"I'm not in the mood to speak to you, Michelle."

What, because of my comments from a few days ago?

"Yes. But, look. I understand where you come from. You're just scared. Scared of the powers Pokemon possess." There was a slight mental chuckle. "You're scared because you want your life to go back to normal after all this, and it never did."

Yes. That's what I want. I want to wake up and forget this all ever happened.

"This is no dream, Michelle. As I said: I'm real; all the Pokemon are real. You're on your own from here on out. Good luck, Michelle."

Thank you. I'll try my best. The mental link closed for the last time. She breathed a sigh of relief. Her thoughts were hers alone, now.

The parking lot was filled with buses and various military vehicles. She got on the one bound for California.

As the doors closed, she wondered what would become of her life.

Todd stood in front of his brother's apartment. This would be the start of his new life. The shelter staff had allowed Victini to accompany him for the transition to the San Fransisco Zoo. Still, he had some family members to attend to.

Instead of its - his? - Pokemon form, Victini stood as a twenty-something young man with black hair and piercing blue eyes. The illusion human was dressed in blue jeans and a simple button-down causal shirt.

As he opened the door of his brother's apartment, he was lightly punched on the shoulder.

"Todd! Heh, long time no see!" His eyes fell on the human next to him. "And who might you be?"

"My name's Vince. I'm a friend of Todd here."

Fred gave a thumbs-up before continuing. "Any friend of Todd is a friend of mine. Come in, come in!" Facing Todd, he asked, "Hey, how'd you meet him?"

"At the shelter. We were evacuated due to Pokemon showing up in our city. Well, the damn things ruined the wastewater and most of the electrical lines. The National Guard set up some generators in the camp – they took no chances."

"Man, that must've been horrible!" Fred ran a hand through his black hair. "Hey, Vince, where do you work at?"

"Oh! I'm planning to get a job at the San Fransisco Zoo. If that doesn't work, then one of the national parks would be a good fit."

"Huh. Pokemon-related work?"

"Kind of. It's simple really. I'm meant to help the... scientists... take notes and such? It's not too clear. I'll work it out as I go along."

"I see. Todd, Vince, you want anything?"

Vince shook his head. "No thanks, Fred, I'm fine."

"Neither do I." Todd added as the rumbling of a van drew up outside. Looking out the window, he said, "That must be the zoo vehicle. Look, Vince's got to go now. We don't want to keep the zoo and national park waiting."

"Sure that's important? Come on, we might be able to make time-"

"Sorry! Gotta go. We don't want to be late. See you soon."

Fred gave an exasperated sigh as the duo walked off.

Michelle's parents were glad to have her back. Her father hugged her tightly. "Honey..." he said. "it's good to see you're still in one piece."

"You too, Dad," she replied. "I wondered if you were dead, you see. Killed by one of these monsters..." She shuddered at the thought. "Did you bag anything while I was away?"

"Not at all." A realization hit him. "Did you mean Pokemon? The soldiers helped keep the roads clear."

"What a shame." Michelle adjusted her pack. "Let's get inside. I want all this stuff off my back." As she entered the house, she added, 'Some Pokemon would look nice stuffed above the mantelpiece."

At dinner, she'd spoken about her own experiences. Meeting Victini played a small role compared to her time at the shelter.

"So, you met a Pokemon?" her father asked. "How was it? Speaking to one of these creatures, that is."

"Have you ever met an honest-to-God psychic?" she asked them. "it's weird. They get into your mind and stuff. I initially told the Pokemon to fuck off when they saw me."

"Did anything come of it?"

"They gave me a ringing headache and warned me not to do that again. So far it's been working."

Both parents looked at her. 'You're still not having that headache you talked about?"

"No, I'm alright. Mom, Dad – look. You're all I have ever since the Pokemon came. I love you, understand?"

The rest of the meal passed in silence, before Michelle added, 'What about our puppy? Fido? Wasn't he supposed to go to obedience school?"

"Oh! Well, all the Pokemon cut our plans short. We've only got the first two lessons completed, then the arrival shut everything down. People are frantically trying to re-book times," her mother said.

"We've been discouraged from walking our dog," her father replied. "Makes sense, with all the monsters outside. We don't want to be eaten, not now. Hey... when the dog gets antsy, let him out the back. Wouldn't want him to foul up the house now, would we?"

"Course not," Michelle replied. She took her empty bowl and washed it. "I mean, how hard could it be to watch for Pokemon?"

As everyone washed up and put away their bowls, Michelle went to feed their dog. She laughed – a genuine laugh – at how he jumped up playfully and licked her face. It was so normal, compared to creatures that could break into one's mind, spit fire, or shoot lightning.

Before long, she set down the bowl of dog food and watched as it ate, closing the door behind her.