The air shimmered suddenly, like a sudden heatwave passing through that specific patch of air on the mountain. Shimmering for a few seconds, it gave way to the sudden disgorging of two figures. They roughly landed on the floor from a metre drop in the air, the audible sound of metal impacting the ground along with the small 'oof' of a child whose wind had just been knocked out of their sails.
The child quickly perked their head up, looked about before giving a yelp - they were near the peak of a little rocky mountain, roughly a hundred feet up in the air. They had fallen on what appeared to be a path to the top of the mountain, a gravel carved path that Ash couldn't see much of in the dim moonlight - signifying it was indeed night time. A couple of trees stood close to some sort of hole in the mountain - but Ash couldn't see into it due to the deeper shade of black it was compared to its surroundings.
"Warning. Power low." Came out a now familiar voice to the boy, causing him to look below him and realise he was sat directly on top of the metal Pokemon who had moved him here in the first place. He quickly stammered an apology as he saw the crimson eyes of the Pokemon glancing at him in a neutral way, seemingly analysing him. It took no notice of his apology. "Priority one still uncompleted. Responding."
The metal figure slowly stood up, rolling onto its side before using a hand to raise itself up sluggishly, as if doing everything it could to conserve energy. Once the metal being was stood up, albeit hunched over a bit, its eyes flickered to Ash before it reached out with its right hand and gently grasped the boy's arm. "This unit requests you follow it. It will be safer in this fissure upon this unknown mountain."
Ash only nodded to the metal Pokemon who seemed satisfied at his response, before looking over to the aforementioned hole in the rocky peak Ash had seen before but couldn't see anything of. Unknown to him, the metal being saw it clearly - ascertaining it to be a small hollowed out space, probably man-made, an estimated ten metres long from the entrance and two metres wide. With a careful step, the Pokemon moved forward with a slight stagger. Ash moved with it, and found himself slightly worried for the being who looked injured, or at least exhausted.
But most of all, he missed his mother.
Reaching the entrance to the small fissure, the Pokemon looked in and upon assuring itself that all was well, it moved slowly to the back of the hollowed out space. Ash gave a small whimper as they moved into the total darkness with no moonlight to see with, but a comforting squeeze on his arm got him to move cooperatively along with the being. After a few seconds, the Pokemon reached the back of the fissure and slowly turned around, getting Ash to stop by moving the hand to the shoulder as it bit-by-bit slid down the wall before impacting the floor roughly. Legs splayed out across the space and almost reaching the opposing wall, the Pokemon released a long exhale of breath before gently prompting and navigating Ash to sit beside him.
"Warning. Power shutdown imminent." The robotic voice intoned, scaring Ash slightly as he actually clung to the Pokemon tighter then. After all he had been through, with his mother dying, being taken by this strange metal man and then running from the authorities into this strange new place. This Pokemon was the only person he had right now - after all that had happened with his world turning upside down in under an hour, he wasn't about to let go.
"Elevated heart level detected. Please do not fear, child." The Pokemon spoke down to Ash, the completely red eyes taking on a friendlier tone as it gazed down at the boy from its higher seated position. "This unit merely has to recharge its battery pack from its plasma core. Estimated time of recharging - 7 hours, 14 minutes. Extended period factored in due to necessary repairs to fix stress upon key systems. Whilst this unit undergoes its recharging sequence, it requests you remain close to it for protection purposes. The necessary survival protocols for a human has also been factored in - this unit will produce an external temperature just above what a human's optimum processing body requires. Future needs can be taken care of after the sequence is finished."
The two tubes connecting the back of the Pokemon's head to its torso began to glow a soft blue, lighting up the surroundings bit by bit with a stronger intensity until Ash could see the Pokemon and his own hands clearly enough. The Pokemon's red eyes had also begun to dim, but not before the black pupils Ash had seen the being start out with return to its eye sockets. The metal being placed its metal arm around Ash, effectively keeping a tight hold to the boy close to it - before gently placing its mechanical hand on top of his head. Ash didn't mind - it helped to make him warmer. "Do not fear young one. We'll speak in the morning..." A soft whirring noise emanated from the Pokemon then, followed by the friendly crimson eyes cutting out at the centre and the noise slowly grinding to a halt. Leaving just the silence and soft blue glow.
Finding himself to be exhausted and warm enough bundled up close to the Pokemon - Ash slowly fell asleep. Not noticing how he was crying.
The night passed quickly.
PALLET TOWN.
Evening had fallen over the small town of Pallet - the sun's rays slowly being swallowed up into the horizon as it painted the sky a burning, subtle orange. However, nobody was in the mood to admire the scenery.
For the entire town lay shocked. A small crowd of dozens of people had gathered in one particular neighbourhood close to the wooded area of the town, milling about in order to find out what had gone on. The mood was a sombre one, as most people could see the clear devastation that had overtaken a section of the street past the police cordon blocking off the end of the street.
The Ketchum residence had been completely totalled. Only parts remained, like chunks of walls and half of the stairs with the door to the basement hanging ajar on its hinges. Only rubble lay strewn about after that, chunks of wood - either from the house or furniture - lay scattered about, brick and miscellaneous objects lying scattered about; right up to the police cordon where some teams of people had already begun cleaning.
"Here, Professor Oak. I'm sorry to have brought you here, but I'm afraid we need you to confirm whether the cause of this destruction was really a Pokemon." A police officer spoke, another member of the Jenny family from the distinctive cerulean hair - except this member was a chief police inspector.
The aged professor only gave a nod before looking at the wreckage, looking only grim as his mind thought over the site where one of his best researchers died. Focusing more upon the task at hand, Oak started to call upon his knowledge of different type-move styles, their signature patterns of left-over destruction to specifically pinpoint an attack - or at least the type it fell under. To the Professor's surprise, he started noticing it instantly as he stooped down low to the ground. "I can confirm to you right now it is indeed a Pokemon attack, officer Jenny. This is definitely an explosive type of attack, note the ringed area where a lot of the wreckage has been flattened and the rest simply pushed down on top; the gouge in the ground within the ring where it gets deeper the closer to the epicentre it gets." Oak started to explain, pointing out the darkened patches of grass which had been flattened to the ground as if strong, cutting bursts of wind had blown full force down on it. Much of the wreckage lying about was indeed, embedded in the ground as Oak had said.
"However." Oak stated. "It was certainly no explosion." He stood up and started thinking, looking over the area more. "That almost certainly rules out human activity, as only explosives can achieve such results by a human. But look at the house - parts of it still stand, despite the epicentre most likely being within the house, and thus should've been demolished from within. And then take note of how the items in the ground have become embedded like they have been pushed right in - whilst it denotes being pushed aside, what attack would embed everything in the ground? No, this move was like an explosive, but it was an attack that first pushed everything outward, then crushed it into the ground in a second part of it." Oak finished, before looking at Jenny who had been taking notes.
"Thank you, Professor." Officer Jenny spoke. "But I just have a question. Why is some of the house still standing then, if as you say, everything has been forced outwards and then down?"
"Think of it like this." Oak started to clarify. "The normal type move 'boomburst' involves letting loose a destructive soundwave which pushes everything in its path forward or away. However, there will be a certain area just in front of it, say half a metre, where nothing gets pushed aside. Both because of it having just been fired from the Pokemon and just starting to widen its area of effect, and to protect the Pokemon itself from its own attack."
"As such, expect to find that the epicentre of this attack move will have minimal damage from where it was released, due to such reasons. As such, most of the damage would occur in the median ranges of the attack where its area of effect has reached its peak, and the energy contained within the attack has mostly remained unexpended. Everything left, would simply be in the area before or after such ranges." Professor Oak had started to slightly pace as he let out his scientific knowledge, theorising on what might have happened. "I will have to research more to find out more specifics - it may have been a psychic type attack. Does that make sense?"
Officer Jenny finished her scribblings before looking up at the aged man. "Enough so, Professor. Thank you for the help." She responded, before bringing out a walkie talkie. "All ground teams, a new priority area is to be looked for. Search for any area with minimal disturbance, or intact infrastructure. The area is suspected to be within the house. Report back once found. Over."
Oak only nodded at the response, before looking out at the ruined house and sighing. "Did you need me for anything else, officer?" He asked.
Jenny looked back at the Professor before shaking her head. "No, Professor. You're free to go." She spoke. "My apologies once more."
"No, no." Oak waved off, before turning around and leaving the area with haste. After being waved through the cordon by a policeman, he quickly made his way back to his laboratory. Whilst the death of one of his researchers was most certainly tragic and had impacted the famous man, he would set aside time to mourn later. For now, he had a job to do - anything that he found could be useful to the police anyway.
He started to compile everything he knew on the Pokemon he'd caught a brief glimpse of. A figurine of black, with glinting blue armour on it. Roughly six feet tall when he compared his memory of it to the forested background. Gender undetermined. And from the sounds of the statement from the officer Jenny which had been taken to hospital for cracked ribs, it was likely a steel type from the looks of it and the mechanical sounds she'd heard. Oak concluded that this Pokemon was likely of two types, as no steel type move produced left-over signs like that. Steel types moves were almost always close-range, and the few that weren't such as flash cannon, were precise and generally non-explosive. Nothing that could produce a radius like that.
Thus, it lead Oak to the belief that it was a move he really couldn't figure out right now without more evidence and research. Whilst it was possible that it could be a psychic move - telekinesis certainly came to mind with the obvious push motion of the attack - the M.O of it didn't quite fit. Most psychic moves didn't do all of the pushing outwards, shredding up of the objects within the house (the sections of ruined house were too small to have simply been pushed aside) and then crushed afterwards, specifically into the ground as well.
So Oak compiled a list of what he needed to do. Firstly, he needed to send off the little details he had on the mystery Pokemon to the other regional professors to see if they knew anything more to aid him. Then, he would confer with his assistants to give the move a typing, or if inconclusive, several types it could possibly fall under as well as to ascertain some more theories upon it. After that was done, and the police were done with their priority checks, he would request he and some of his assistants look over the site for more signs that could help him. There was also the other moves it had displayed, such as the definite telekinetic-like move upon the police bike and energy wave on the previous unfortunate police officer before that. The biggest objective, however, was to track down and capture the Pokemon responsible. For once they had the Pokemon, either it could cause no further harm - or they'd find the possible trainer responsible for this.
The Professor was shaken out of his thoughts by the sound of the telephone ringing. Raising an eyebrow, the aged man reached out and picked up the phone from his desk. "Hello?" He inquired.
"Professor Oak." Came a firm, masculine tone of voice from the other end of the line - one Oak recognised straight away if the fall of his facial features were any indication. "Is it true what they are saying on the news regarding Pallet Town?"
Oak gave an audible sigh as his tone sounded tired - in a manner one used when they are tired of talking to someone already. "You already know it is. Which begs the question of why you aren't down here yet, Mr-" Oak was cut off then.
"Don't use my identity on the phone line. We've already been over this, Professor." The man spoke. "And where I am is none of anybody's business. I'll be asking the questions, if that's alright by you."
Professor Oak frowned, before frustration crept into his tone. "Just get this over with, already."
"Fine by me, Professor. Fine by me." The voice replied indifferently. "Now. Is is true that my wife is dead?"
Oak's frown took a turn for this worse - not just because the man had spoken in the same tone throughout. "Indeed." He spoke bluntly in a short sentence - not trusting his own tone to hold as stable as the person on the other side.
A small pause was briefly allowed, as the man seemingly took his time to digest that and the Professor certainly wasn't going to continue the conversation like that. "And what about my son?" The voice spoke again after a minute. The tone was still indifferent.
"Your son." The Professor spoke softly this time. "Is missing. He's been missing for over two hours now." Oak dabbed his face with a tissue then, before wiping a trickle of sweat off his forehead from the work he'd been through, and other factors.
A small pause again stretched out the conversation, before the tone of voice the man had changed. A smattering of something tinged the indifferent tone. "Details, Professor. I have always been a man of details, you know that. Give me the why and when, the how, the works."
Apprehension. Oak nailed down the small emotion of apprehensiveness in the man's tone.
"I am a man of academics. I am not a police officer. I do not know what I can release to somebody not involved in the ongoing investigation as I am, and I will certainly not be responsible for anything you do following any information from me." Oak snapped down the phone line then, anger clear in his own voice. "No. Use some of your other contacts. Especially since you couldn't care less."
The pause that followed then was much more uneasy to the Professor then, the uneasiness slowly sifting into the man beside his still churning anger as he reminded himself who he was dealing with - as the man came back and growled down the line. "I have already said that you are not the one questioning me, Oak. I will not be talked to like that over such matters as these, particularly by a man who knows little of what has occurred in my family anyway." The man spoke back, the indifference gone and replaced by a dominant, chilling anger that surpassed Oak's own. "Do not test me."
Oak wasn't just going to roll over as he had done before. Things had gone too far this time, and the man still was seemingly running away from actually confronting the issue at hand. "Don't test me either." He growled back. "A whole year has gone by as you went off to do something you swore to do twenty years ago, and still failed to do to this day if the news channels are any indication. Don't claim you care now, not after all you've done. It's been a long time since our last battle, and my Pokemon, strong as they were back in my days as a trainer, have only gotten stronger like yours. I wouldn't like the resulting 'test'." Oak swore back down the line to the man.
This time there was no pause as the man on the other end chuckled. Something Oak did not like in the slightest. "You know, damn well Professor, that all the thousands of Pokemon in that ranch of yours would not save you, from me." The man still continued to say in a mirthful tone that conveyed not a single hint of actual humour. "Don't make me come down there, Professor."
Oak wanted to snarl back at the man, but the words lodged in his throat. He recognised that last sentence for what it was - a threat. And despite how the man had failed in his self-imposed goal, a threat from him had always been followed through - with destructive results. "You used to be a much better person, you know that? A man of honour, of integrity! An orphan who swore to do right by his family and make the world a better place. Now your own son is seemingly an orphan missing Arceus-knows-where, and you still haven't come to personally try anything. Rather, you call me to find out what you can in order to remain in the background as you always have. Dammit, you used to be the brightest man I knew in this laboratory, and now all you are is an utter disappointment to me." Oak let down the phone in a tired, yet frustrated voice, his free hand swiping down onto the desk to punctuate the last few words. "Fine." He growled out his surrender to the man, having had enough.
"I don't need your pitying lecture on the man I used to be, Professor." The voice spoke in a bored tone. "Let us get back to speaking on civil grounds now, shall we? Now, despite how much I would like to talk to someone else, you are the only contact I have with verifiable and concrete information. The details now, if you will."
Oak sighed again, before consulting the notes in front of him. "A mysterious Pokemon is the most likely cause of the house's destruction and the resulting death of Delia Ketchum through the use of an unknown, explosive-like move. It was definitely responsible for the abduction of your son, having been sighted by an officer Jenny who arrived at the scene roughly ten to fifteen minutes after it was destroyed clutching him. I saw it myself a bit later, before it teleported away after coming into contact with another trainer's Pokemon."
The man gave an affirmative noise, before inquiring again. "Describe the Pokemon." The voice commanded gruffly.
With a shake of his head, Oak pulled another slip of paper into view. "It was a metallic Pokemon. Black, with blue armour covering it all over. Red eyes. Roughly six feet tall. Likely a steel type, with an undetermined second type. Has a telekinetic power stronger than any other psychic Pokemon I've heard of, and can control some kind of blue energy." Oak rattled off the information reluctantly, but at least consoled himself that although the man would use it for personal purposes, he wouldn't use it for anything too bad.
"Blue energy?" The man sounded interested now. "Are you sure of that, Professor?"
"It's been confirmed by eyewitness statements of both injured police members." Oak clarified. "It seemed to use it before it attacked the officer Jenny and lifted the man off the ground."
The man gave a grunt, before a small pause once more was carried out. "Thank you, Professor Oak." The man spoke suddenly into the Professor's ear, giving the aged man a small startle. "That will be all." The phone was put down just then on the other side, leaving the reverberating effect ringing in Oak's ears of a shut-off phone call as he too put down the call. Taking a moment to gather himself, Oak raised his hands to his head and massaged his temples with a frustrated groan.
"Prank caller?" A voice asked him then, getting the famous researcher to lift his head to view one of his more junior assistants bringing him a cup of tea and a stack of papers.
Oak gave a final sigh, before stating a white lie. "You could say that." The man let out tiredly, idly picking up the mug and taking a sip. "What needs doing now?"
"Just some forms for the regular maintenance of the ranch, Professor." The assistant answered him. "As well as those research papers that Pokemon researcher Bill wanted your opinion on."
"I see, I see." Oak idly commented as he sipped the tea again. "Thank you for bringing them to me. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to be alone."
The assistant seemed a bit put out at that, certainly not expecting it from the normally cheery and friendly Professor. But then again, given recent events in Pallet Town, the assistant reasoned it might not be so surprising. "Of course, Professor. Just give a call if you need anything."
"Mmmm." The Professor hummed back in response, already getting lost in his ponderings as the assistant closed the door to Oak's personal office in the laboratory.
MORNING.
Sunlight trickled in ray by ray into the small fissure in the rocky mountain the pair in question had taken refuge in. The rays swept over the back of the hollowed out space, causing the shut eyelids of one Ash Ketchum to twitch at the drastic change in lighting before he tiredly opened one eye. Blinking a few times, he looked round the small cave area and saw it better than he had in the dark - not that it added anything to it. It just allowed him to see that the walls were bone dry, covered in semi-smooth light grey stone with the occasional chipped and rugged edge.
Lifting his head slightly, Ash felt the weight on his head - and saw the robotic Pokemon's hand settled directly on his scalp. The claws were completely aligned away from his head, instead leaving only a padded texture that despite the weighty feeling on his head, felt nice to the boy. Looking closer to the Pokemon now that he was directly against it, Ash could see almost every detail on its left side. It still held true to the previous observations to it - an obsidian black metal made up its human-like body, the blue reflective armour situated on top like armoured plates. Really, all Ash could see that was any different was the fact that the obsidian black was actually, in a muted fashion, reflecting the light shining in on it instead of consuming it; and that in between the joints in the limbs and body of the Pokemon was a padded, rubber-like material that Ash could've sworn wasn't there before. The wires were no longer there, instead being covered over by the padded rubber now - including the entire neck area.
Turning back to the entrance, Ash could see it was clearly morning. Perhaps earlier than he usually got up, the sun could be seen hovering just a bit over the horizon. A dash of blue could be seen extending above the horizon as the rest of the sky was a brightening orange.
Starting to get up, Ash gently tried to set the metal hand down off his head - but failed as it proved to be a bit too heavy. Instead, it slid off his head and landed with a bit of rattle against the wall, causing Ash to wince as his eyes darted towards the non-functioning face of the metal being. Fortunately for him, nothing happened except the arm coming to a complete halt as the eye sockets of the robotic Pokemon remained blank. Standing up fully with a small stretch, Ash allowed his curiosity to guide him as he took a few steps towards the entrance before grabbing the wall just at the opening.
Squinting due to the increased light, Ash looked out at the world from the top of the mountain. The pretty colour of the sky could be seen occasionally moving up and above him, leading to more blue being dragged up from the horizon if Ash focused his eyes upon a single spot for a couple of minutes. Looking beyond that, Ash looked down below him further to see the sprawling landscape.
They were close to the coastline. A short, forested area dotted and covered the base of the mountain area, extending for ten miles before ending as the fields began - along with clear signs of human habitation. Farm buildings dotted the fields, the colours of the fields symmetrical to one another as the monocultured crops growing in the soil left a swathe of deep gold and other colours on the landscape. A road cut through the middle of it all, leading right into a small village which then extended further to a beach, a light golden strip of colour in Ash's eyes before it gave way to the big, blue sea.
"I had requested you stay close-by." Came a sudden intonation of a deep voice, causing Ash to jump out of his skin at the sudden interruption to his ruminations.
Swishing his head around, Ash saw the crimson eyes of the metal Pokemon gazing at him, a friendly inquisition within them as well as a small hint of concern. The Pokemon seemed to raise an eyebrow at the boy, before gazing at itself. "I'm only looking at the view!" Ash explained himself to the Pokemon, defending himself. "Besides, what' you doing up?"
"I am at 99.6% battery capacity, and operating within optimum parameters. Recharge successful." The Pokemon intoned before it shook its head, looking at Ash once more before beginning to stand up, bracing a hand against the stone wall to hoist itself up. Marching over to the entrance of the cave, the metal being too looked out now that the sun had lit the entire world into view, but it focused more upon the village. Seemingly analysing the village, it took note of the precisely 24 buildings within it, the small farmers market situated in the village centre which could be accessed by the road and the 32 wandering organisms which were most likely humans.
Casting an eye back at the boy it had taken upon itself to look after, the Pokemon began to speak. "Although you are likely hungry, I also recognise the fact that quite a bit has not been said. It is better to facilitate conversation to get used to one another's presences and to make you primarily more comfortable."
Ash looked confusedly at the Pokemon, getting more befuddled by the fancy terminology the being was using before sitting down - following the Pokemon as it slowly lowered itself in the entrance space.
The crimson eyes stared blinking at Ash's own who looked back, the boy not knowing what to do. "Apparently, conversations with unknown individuals usually start with introductions." The Pokemon started, breaking the awkward silence. "Perhaps you could tell me your name?"
Ash gave a 'hmph.' "Mama always said it's rude not to introduce yourself." He spoke cheekily, before falling silent as he was reminded of the previous night's events.
Sensing the change in emotion, the Pokemon continued talking. "Alright then." The Pokemon intoned, agreeing with the boy. Waiting a moment as it focused upon the topic, the answer was revealed to the robotic being as usual. "My system has designated me as the species name 'Plasteel'. Origins - unknown."
"That's not a name." Ash frowned at the Pokemon, before going quiet as he realised that he could've upset the much stronger individual before him.
An eyebrow was seemingly raised. "Please do go on. I would like to understand what this means."
Ash fidgeted for a moment, thinking it over as he thought on how to explain it correctly - and in a way it wouldn't upset anybody. "Well, that's a Pokemon name." Ash began. "Not a person's name. It's the thing given to every one of the same Pokemon as a name for all of them, not just you."
"I think I understand." The Pokemon spoke, looking to the boy to see if she was right. "Would it be like the collective term 'human' for your species?"
"Yeah, like that!" Ash agreed with a smile. "Though what does 'species' mean?"
The crimson eyes blinked. "The designation 'species' is used to symbolise a group of the same organism which is capable of undertaking the-"
"Ok, ok ok!" Ash interrupted the Pokemon, who halted at the boy's shouts. "Jeez, I didn't even understand that. What's with all the fancy talk?"
"My system does not understand what you mean." The Pokemon stated, looking confused at the boy's confusion. "It's the simple dictionary definition provided, which is used to state what words mean."
"And what if I don't know what words in this 'definition' mean, smarty-pants?" Ash answered back.
"Oh." The Pokemon stated, as a thought struck it. "Your age group is noted to not understand more complex vocabulary and processes. I apologise. I will try and tweak my system to speak in... simpler terms."
"OK then." Ash shrugged his shoulders. "But let's get back to your name. What's your specific name for you?"
"There is no such designation." The Pokemon stated blankly back to the boy, who rolled his eyes.
"You mean you don't have a name?" Ash asked in a dry voice.
"No." Came the simple answer from the Pokemon, who started to feel as though it was the one who was the simpler of the two at the unimpressed look Ash gave it.
"Then choose one." Ash spoke, as if it was an easy decision to make - not at all important.
At the boy's statement, the Pokemon's mind immediately ran through a list of thousands of names which ran through it's head. "Error." The Pokemon eventually gave up. "There are thousands of names to 'choose' from - my system does not know what to pick."
Ash blinked at the dilemma the Pokemon had, before giving a groan. "It sounds like you got some machine in there that's making the decision for you." Ash rubbed his eyes as he didn't know quite what to do.
"Yes." Came the simple response from the Pokemon, causing Ash to start a little as he had unknowingly been right. "My system is merely an advanced computer linked to the intelligence unit in my head area."
Ash looked at the Pokemon strangely. "Well I've never heard of a machine picking someone's name. Just don't use it."
The Pokemon cocked it's head to the side in apparent confusion, causing Ash to roll his eyes again. "Use your own head." Ash spoke in a simple manner. "I don't know what the mind-thingy is called, but use that instead of this computer which seems to just be giving you everything. Pick a name yourself."
The Pokemon looked at Ash for a while, before turning back its thoughts. Instantly, it came upon the mess of knowledge which could be summoned at the specific focusing upon a topic - but instead turned away from that. The Pokemon chose to just reflect upon what had happened, to think of how to choose a name - at least that's what it thought the boy wanted.
A name sounded pretty important. Perhaps it was to reflect what she was? That sounded like what it was meant to be. Well, that was simple, she only had to think of the attributes she had to find out what it could be, right?
Designating - female. Metal. Electrical attacks. Energy attacks and usage. Metal frame,-
The Pokemon blinked. She had slipped back into the computer-like zone of her mind. But then, it seemed to be really helpful to her as it had done precisely what she had wanted. Perhaps the key was not to summon what would be useful to her, but to command the computer what to do?
Nevertheless, this felt personal to the Pokemon. She didn't quite get the feeling, but she had emotions and it seemed the boy was right there - she was not all machine.
Back to the task at hand, the Pokemon thought on that list. If it defined what she was, then all she had to do was sync it together, like energy to-
Sync. The Pokemon liked that word. And it was what she did, right? Sync the machine to her mind, senses to the mind and machine to output results, sync the system together to keep it at optimum processing values. Syncing was what a machine did - sync values, data and results to processes to achieve further results. But she was not all machine. What else did she have that was not part of the machine?
"Synergy." The Pokemon decided, before nodding her head and looking at Ash. "That will be my name. Synergy."
Ash looked at the Pokemon for a second, before breaking out into a smile. "That sounds nice!"
Nodding her head again, Synergy looked at Ash appraisingly. "Thank you." She spoke. "I do believe its your turn to tell me your name now."
Ash nodded himself. "My name's Ash. Ash Ketchum! And I'm gonna be a Pokemon master!"
Synergy looked at Ash with curiosity, before thinking upon what he said. "I am lacking data upon what exactly a Pokemon master is. They seem to be of higher calibre than even regional Pokemon champions, but their purpose is unclear, even to my system. Can you please tell me?"
Ash looked ready to launch into a speech as his finger wagged in the air, before he paused just as he was about to exhale a lot of words. "I.. I don't know." Ash spoke in a quiet voice after a minute. "It was just something my father said to me, he said he was a Pokemon master. And since he said he was the best as a Pokemon master, then that's what I wanted to be."
"You want to be the best... Pokemon trainer there is?" Synergy questioned, starting to fill in parts of it herself. "So much so that you would be called a master at it?"
"Yeah, like that." Ash spoke, a bit relieved that Synergy knew what he meant.
"But how would you do that?" Synergy asked, stumping Ash again.
"I dunno." Ash shrugged, leaning back. He couldn't be bothered to think of something he didn't know anymore. He looked back up as Synergy started to laugh, a deep automated sound which still sounded human-like - just metallic. Her eyes were closed slightly in delight as her own shoulders shook a little, but Ash soon joined in on the laughter.
The conversation continued in that friendly manner, getting acquainted as Pokemon and human talked. Synergy made sure to stay off of the topics that would cause Ash to be sad out of concern, and Ash made sure to lecture Synergy every time she started to talk in a more complex fashion with a reliance on the computer. Purely because it seemed wrong for his friend to do such a thing.
AFTERNOON.
Synergy walked down the road towards the village, slowly making good progress towards the collection of residential houses and the few individual shops within it. Ash was on the shoulders of the Pokemon, having long since ridden on the Pokemon's shoulders ever since he had started grumbling about his feet being tired and Synergy having caved in instantly to the boy. She only warned him not to tug the tubes as she held the boy's legs to stabilise him.
Humans weren't noted for surviving full contact with super-heated substances.
"Hey look, it's coming up!" Ash chirped, getting the Pokemon to look up at the boy with her red eyes before focusing more up ahead to only once more confirm to her systems that it was indeed just 2.3 minutes away.
"Indeed." Synergy agreed with Ash. "Would you like to get down to explore?"
"Nah." Ash stated instantly. "I'm fine here."
Synergy only gave a short chuckle before walking the remainder of the way to the village - passing by a brick house to enter into its premises. A short amble along the empty village road had the duo arrive in the farmer's market Synergy had spotted on the mountain. Gazing about, it wasn't much - but it seemed most of the town was here. They drew a fair few looks, Synergy correctly denoting that it wasn't due to the boy on her shoulders but more due to her unique appearance.
Indeed, a few people openly stared at the strange Pokemon who had entered their village, but took note of the boy on her shoulders that it was obviously trainer owned and comfortable around humans. For a land already used to strange creatures interacting and mixing with their society, the occasional odd new creature was no cause for alarm if it was clearly no danger. Even a poliwag was staring at Synergy, although she only looked at the Pokemon blankly when it began chirping at her.
It was rude to ask someone else who they were before introducing yourself, as it was.
Ash leaned further up with the assistance of pushing down slightly onto Synergy's helmet, causing the robotic being to look up with red eyes but otherwise made no comment to the obviously excited youth. Ash gazed round with a small bit of excitement at the dozen-or-so wooden stalls around the village square, all of them selling some type of food. A butcher selling raw slabs of meat could be seen as one of the more popular stalls, a haggling customer stood there trying to get a good price on a premium cut. A fruit stall was giving away a bag of apples to a mother who promptly gave one to her child as they then moved away from the stand. And to the side of the village square stood a small stone building, likely the village meeting hall.
There was one stall that caught Synergy's attention though. Walking up to it, the Pokemon could see it was selling different animal products from wool to the eggs on the wooden flat-top of the stall. Picking up a carton of the eggs, Synergy examined it to see that it was in good condition before flicking her eyes to the small sign. 'Free range eggs.'
It didn't make much sense to the computer side of her mind, not seeing the business sense in it, but Synergy didn't bother putting much processing power to it. She wasn't going to argue.
Just as they were about to walk off, the farmer who ran the stall - who had been dealing with weighing something at the time - saw what happened. "Oi, oi!" The blonde woman shouted at the Pokemon and boy, getting the tall metal being to stop and look back round at her questioningly. Although taken aback at the big Pokemon and perhaps its daunting features, the farmer continued anyway. "You can't just take that! That's stealing!"
Synergy cocked her head to the side at the demanding tone the woman held, but nevertheless walked back to the stall and stared at the woman with a questioning gaze.
Seeing the need to clarify herself, the farmer spoke. "You're gonna need to pay for those eggs, you know. I don't care what kinda Pokemon you are, everyone understands that you need to ay for what you take."
The facial plates on the robotic Pokemon downturned a bit as she frowned. Synergy was about to talk when a warning flashed up from the computer side of her mind, making her pause for a moment. It was warning her not to talk - cautioning that further trouble could be caused if it was revealed that she could do something considered 'rare'. So, to suffice, the robotic Pokemon merely pointed at the 'free' section on the sign.
"Oh, is that what you thought?" The farmer appeared happier now that it looked like she wasn't dealing with some small time thief. "Sorry about that, but that merely details how the chickens were raised. But you can have it for three Pokedollars if you want."
Synergy's frown deepened at that, knowing full well she had no such money. Instead, the Pokemon merely slowly lowered the eggs back onto the flat surface, making sure the woman knew her intentions.
"Alright then, sorry about that." The farmer spoke to the Pokemon, before smiling at the boy on their shoulders. "Have a nice day now."
Backing up, Synergy looked back around, but was objectively reminded of that encounter as she gazed at another stall. Taking note of the indicating need for food for Ash, but also not wanting to cause any more trouble with any authorities than they already had, the Pokemon began to trek her way out of the village.
Just as they were about to pass out of the village, Synergy stopped as she noticed a map. Allowing the system access to her visual senses, the robotic Pokemon scanned the map to see if there was anything upon it to help them - and that there was.
"Are you hungry, Ash?" Synergy questioned with a head turn to catch a glimpse at the boy's face, who quickly nodded.
"Yep!" He replied instantly, giving the Pokemon only further indication of the boy's hunger.
Luckily for them, it was noted on the map that there was a wild growing spot for berries close to some hilly terrain, a half hour walk going left on the beach. Most likely a piece of information useful for trainers, the Pokemon analysed, but she was grateful for it all the same. But before Synergy went off, she noted the map name to see if there was any indication of where they actually where.
Pikan Island, Orange Archipelago.
It registered instantly with the Pokemon's computer side, spitting out some information to them. The Orange Archipelago was a series of islands in the Southern-most part of the Kanto region, even further down than the Cinnabar Islands, and Pikan Island specifically was part of the Western area of the Archipelago - located some seven hundred kilometres from the mainland.
Ideas had already begun to form in the Pokemon's head - they certainly couldn't do much on the small outlying island that they were on. No, they'd have to bow to human actions and infrastructure here if they wanted to do anything or go anywhere - they needed to get onto the one of the bigger islands with a port, and make their way back to the mainland. That much the Pokemon could theorise, but she didn't quite know what purpose they would have or what they'd do beyond that. All she knew was that it was a better idea than staying on the Archipelago - they weren't noted for having much in them apart from some special Pokemon tournament and a few historical legends and mythical sites. It was noted for being situated close to some migration routes though, like that of the Lapras trail which went further South.
Synergy knew she wouldn't try the teleporting move again though. First of all because she didn't know how she'd done that in the first place, and plus because it had put them in this situation in the first place.
Some banging upon her helmeted head region startled the Pokemon out of her thoughts, causing Synergy to turn her head back to look at the boy. "Hey, hey!" Ash stated excitedly, pointing back to the map as Synergy looked to where he'd gestured to. "Look! It says berries!" He had pointed exactly to what Synergy had taken note of.
"Yes." Synergy agreed, making no comment of what she'd already thought up. "Let's go eat."
With one last glance at the map and securing the image in her system, the Pokemon turned and began trudging down to the beach. A last glance at the small port further north of the hilly area.
EVENING.
Synergy was sat on a tree stump, just gazing at Ash who was running about the clearing in the small forested area. As it turned out, the berry area was actually chock-full of Oran berries with a few other types of berries that the robotic Pokemon ignored in favour of the more useful blue ones. First of all, they were safe for human consumption unlike 90% of all other berries, and they contained quite a few of the vitamins needed for a developing child to grow. Not to mention they had protein in verifiable amounts.
Plus Ash seemed to like them.
"Ash, calm down a little please." Synergy requested to the boy as he barrelled around some trees, looping round the berry-laden foliage.
"Aw, c'mon, I'm having fun here!" Ash shouted back, sticking out his tongue to emulate the noise of a vehicle as he raced about. But Synergy knew what Ash was doing - he was prodding her will to see if she'd enforce her command, although he probably hadn't quite thought of it that specific way. And given how he would need sleep soon given how it was evening, Synergy said nothing and merely allowed him to continue expending energy.
Instead, Synergy merely continued thinking upon what she was planning to do. The robotic Pokemon knew they needed to get out of these islands and back on the mainland if they wanted to do anything substantial, as although the archipelago seemed like a nice place; it was no place for her and the boy given the circumstances. Synergy had no idea what they'd really do after that, but for now she had a goal she felt comfortable in achieving.
Synergy had no idea what her purpose was either. She was Pokemon that wasn't actually alive, something very rare, and didn't require half the necessities something alive did either. The metal Pokemon had been created, no doubt in her mind, but the only person around to answer any questions related to it had been killed. She was a confusing mess who was barely able to reign in the computer side of her mind, she had little experience with the actual customs of the world and to top it all off they were on the run from the organisational authorities.
That was no life for a child. For Ash's sake at least, she decided, they needed to contact someone.
But it was no good just going straight to the nearest police station. They either wouldn't have heard about the incident and thus wouldn't believe, or treat her like some dangerous object that they needed some higher authority to deal with. That didn't appeal to Synergy in the slightest.
Then again, the higher authority would pave the way towards getting this resolved. Ash was just a child, and from all accounts she knew - from the little interaction of society they had and the accounts on the computer database in her head - the human race prioritised its children. As such, the boy would be fine if she went to some authority. It was she who would be in the odd position if she went to them.
So, Synergy decided. She'd decide which higher authority to go to. That way, she could set it out on her terms, and at least get the chance to get an explanation in. The computer approved of it. But for that, she needed information so that she could decide correctly. And she had only seen one Pokemon so far, and one human settlement.
But the port was another human settlement area, and it would serve a dual purpose of securing a means of transport off the island whilst as a place of inquiry.
Mind made up, Synergy looked back at Ash who had started to quieten down. "Ash, it's time we started moving again."
"What!" Ash cried out, looking at the Pokemon with a begging face. "But I'm tired! We just ate!"
"That is a fair analysis." Synergy spoke back to Ash, who blinked at her. "Common symptoms of too much exercise just after eating includes a bloated stomach, an increased unwillingness to move and perhaps nausea."
"Say what now?" Ash commented, confused.
Synergy looked at Ash humorously. "You will ride on my shoulders again." She clarified. "You will need all the sleep you can get, and as there is no suitable shelter around here, it is best we keep moving. Thus, you will try and rest as I carry you."
"Oh." Ash stated simply. "OK."
Synergy cocked her head before closing her eyes and eye-smiling. "Come on now. I know where to go."
MIDNIGHT.
The robotic Pokemon was currently reflecting on the benefits of being mostly electrical and mechanical, unlike earlier. For one thing, it was a great thing to be able to keep moving for four hours without feeling any sort of fatigue. She knew that she would have to sit and rest at some point, every machine required a period of inactivity, but the greater endurance was a definite positive.
She was currently moving through the hilly terrain, knowing it made up over half of the coastline on the way there. And although it probably wouldn't do for long-term wear and tear, the gravelly terrain was good for traction. That and the fact that she had plenty to think of and plan, and Synergy was having a peaceful journey.
A peaceful journey that was rudely interrupted by a shrieking cry, causing the Pokemon to pause on her gentle ascent up a hill, shifting Ash on her shoulders left a bit to look further right where the shriek had come from. Seeing nothing at first, Synergy kept it in the back of her mind as she took looked back round slowly and took a few more paces up the hill.
A much closer, challenging cry this time caused her to snap her head back, before immediately slanting her eyes narrower at the sudden flare of brightness against the inky black back-drop of the sky. Whilst the conscious side of her mind wondered why night had suddenly became day, the computer side of her brain was running through dozens of scenarios in under a second - all of which flagged caution.
The bright flare of orange slowly became more visible, both as Synergy focused her optical senses against it, and as the source of it drew closer at a quick pace.