Sorry for the delay in posting tonight, it was busy at work. Thank you for tuning back in, it's gonna be a slow start, but I promise it will pick up!
"Why do humans have pokemon if they have powers of their own?" Mewtwo questions during their routine check up.
Despite being done with their growth cycle, Dom likes to get their measurements and health readings. As pokemon continue to train, they may grow to more than their species' average size and their health readings improve. So far, Mewtwo has grown to be 5'10" in the course of a year and through their months of training. With the health readings, they could be assumed to be a gym leader's pokemon without, of course, regarding their psychic abilities.
When Dom had laid eyes on the pokemon just out of its growth cycle he was a little put off by their humanoid appearance. His body barely resembled Mew's, the original pokemon, and he wondered why the change. Was there so little DNA that they could only do so much? If there had been more, would Mewtwo have been an exact copy?
Still, standing at just 5'10" Mewtwo is a worthy competitor and he suspects the pokemon will only get taller. Its purple tail has thickened considerably since they started, now able to be used in battle to swat at enemies, only if necessary. As he battles more and more, his body easily makes adjustments to keep up.
It's impressive.
To the question at hand, Dom takes a moment to consider it.
It's been a couple days since their last outburst which left Dom brooding while planning his assault on Juniper. He plans to strike tonight, leaving him open to his usual tasks of answering this annoyingly curious Pokémon's questions.
"Not all of them are like me," he answers in a calm tone. "And our powers aren't strong like a pokemon."
"Why? I don't understand."
"Humans and pokemon have lived alongside each other for most of history," he continues, knowing what was coming. "Before society had come together and become what it is today there have been accounts of pokemon and people in harmony. My thoughts are that some of the early people evolved alongside pokemon. A form of convergent evolution, to keep up with pokemon, certain people evolved the ability to adapt to their companions."
"How many are there? Like you?" The pokemon presses further and Dom glances at them curiously.
"Why are you pushing this?" He raises a brow.
In the back of his mind he wonders if anything happened with Serena.
The pokemon's purple eyes show nothing when they stare at him, an uncomfortable feeling for Dom to not know what they're thinking, not even a hint. It's made worse when his eyes seem so human like, so conscious and sentient. "Why am I here? Do you want to use me for these battles? I am not a pokemon slave. If you have your own, I will never be yours."
Damn it.
"You're the first of your kind," Dom repeats the phrase and sets down his tablet. "We're unsure how you'll survive out there. Is it so bad to want to prepare you for it?"
Again more silence.
"I understand."
Dom clears the pokemon for rest, sending them away to their holding chamber with growing frustration. The usual hum of the chamber fills the silence as Mewtwo settles in and falls into a deep slumber. As they're still growing, they need constant and consistent sleep; something Dom found out fast. It's a setback, but to keep the pokemon working at full capacity he'll make due, and it gives him breaks to work on his project. Especially now, he'll have to move quick to keep them under control and he might as well start sooner rather than later.
Giovanni had given permission for help on his endeavor, but Dom doesn't want it.
Barely needs it.
It's one woman, an ex-pokemon ranger turned stay at home mother. Married to a doctor with one child, a daughter. Dom isn't sure what her daughter can do, if she has any gifts at all, but she's young. Not a threat to him at all.
Behind his office, lies a lab of his own, much smaller than his usual, but suitable to his needs. His recent subjects had expired from his experiments, strengthening and giving gifts to the ungifted. The woman had telepathy, extremely weak, but a great power indeed with time. She had been improving with the brainwave enhancer he'd created, but ended up suffering an aneurysm and passing away weeks ago. The man had nothing and Dom gave him telekinesis, the most common gift, but he suffered something similar and passed not long after the woman.
For years, Dom has been experimenting and will continue to do so. If there are humans with powerful gifts, they deserve to be at the top. Not hiding about as simple trainers or gym leaders. They're the next step for the human species in this world with pokemon. Humans with powers deserve to stand alongside pokemon and Dom will make the world see that vision.
For now though, he'll continue to siphon resources from Giovanni while working to create better technology both for himself and Mewtwo.
He pulls up Juniper's file he's been compiling after training. Living in the outer suburbs of Celadon with her 10 year old daughter and husband. All he needs is to scan her brain while she attempts to control a best way to get that to happen is create a problem with a pokemon with only one way to get rid of it.
He'll create chaos and that's what gets his heart pumping.
The phone rings and he picks it up with a smile. "Archer. I'll need to borrow your Houndoom."
OoOoO
Dom is an expert at blending in with the crowd.
At one point in his life, when he was young, he felt bad about it and wanted to change it. The people in his town told him he was possessed by a demon, he was mocked and ridiculed, some going to extreme lengths to cast him from the town. His own parents ashamed of what he could do, lied about having a son, a disgrace they wished to forget.
He shakes the memory away as he heads to Celadon in the cover of the evening. Juniper, probably restless from retiring to stay at home, fills her day with meaningless hobbies while her daughter attends school. As much as Dom hates interference, he knows his chances of completing his brain scan will increase if he can do so in a controlled environment. A little girl and a husband are much easier than a grocery story full of customers.
Such a simple mission really, do the brain scan and leave. It's disappointing if he thinks about it too hard. It would be a shame if he didn't have even a little bit of fun... to relieve the stress from training Mewtwo.
"We'll see," he mutters to himself in the cool night air.
The outer suburbs of Celadon look welcoming to Dom as he walks beside Houndoom, the fire type's claws scratching the pavement below. He'd already mapped out the route to take and the steps needed to ensure success. Easy or not, he doesn't want to mess this up and cost him a powerful pokemon.
He'll wait until the family sits down for dinner, their guards will be down and then he'll let Houndoom take point. The pokemon will leap into the middle of things and create a mess while separating Juniper from her family. With her daughter in danger and her pokemon nowhere in sight, she'll have no choice but to use her powers.
At least, that's what Dom's hoping for. If worse comes to worse, he'll just have to do the brain scan and hope he can salvage something out of it.
He shakes out of his reverie as a car speeds down the road.
Their house is located at the end of a street, spaced out from the neighbors on either side with plenty of tree cover. Dom clambers up a tree in the front yard closest to the upstairs hallway window, offering him a view on both floors. Houndoom circles the tree before sitting underneath it, careful to stay hidden in the shadows casted by the thick trunk.
Both assume comfortable poses as the waiting game begins.
The cool air keeps Dom's blood from heating up too fast as Juniper enters the house with her daughter. For a second, he considers changing his plan as her daughter runs upstairs to change, leaving Juniper all alone. Then her husband enters the front door and he's forced to settle back and keep watch. Patience has never been his strong suit, especially with something as exciting as this.
His mind wanders back to the memory of his childhood. Part of him wonders how different life would have been had his mother accepted him. Loved him like Juniper clearly loves her own child, would he have been less driven in his endeavor? Would he even have an endeavor had she loved him?
No matter, he shakes his head, focusing on the family below.
Dwelling on the past never changed it and only fueled his rage more. No matter how much he changes and grows, he'll still be the monster his parents made him out to be. So why not do some amazing feats on the way?
He shakes himself out of his reverie, it's such a Buneary hole he'd miss everything if he kept going.
Not much had changed in the minutes he day dreamed.
Her daughter came downstairs after changing and helped set up the table while the adults talked in the kitchen. For a moment he wonders if he'll have to speed up the plan, just do it now that they're standing up, but he can't. Her instincts would have her grabbing her bag in seconds with no chance for Houndoom to get in the way.
So he waits a little longer, watching as they settle at the table and finally start eating.
Blood thrums in his veins now that he can begin, he loves the feel of hunting down prey, the fear in their eyes the moment they realize he's in control... It's exhilarating.
Houndoom paws at the grass, sensing his excitement, and waits as the man holds up his hand to wait. The pokemon hunkers down on all fours, his muscles coiled and ready to strike when Dom gives the signal. Dom clambers down as they start eating, dropping his hand and letting him go ahead.
The pokemon launches himself right through the dining room window with his massive body. The screams of Juniper's daughter sound like music to Dom's ears as he eases himself into the house through the broken window and shoots a dart at her husband. He watches the man slump to the ground, paralyzed, but still alive, while Juniper grabs her daughter and makes a dive for the living room to the right of the dining room.
Houndoom converges on the other side, blocking the way upstairs or the front door while Dom leers in the other exit. Juniper shoves Layla behind her towards the fireplace, both arms out to shield her daughter, her hazel eyes filled with anger.
"Who are you?" she demands, her voice thick with venom. "We don't have anything you want. Get out."
"Quite the contrary," Dom laughs, snapping his fingers. "Make a mess."
Houndoom does so, howling its bone chilling howl and spitting fire at the couch on Juniper's right. It bursts into flames, exploding and showering them with splinters, her daughter screams only exciting Houndoom more. The pokemon leaps through the flames, pushing Juniper back, and twisting so his tail wraps around her daughter's ankle.
When she tries to separate them, Houndoom snaps his teeth together to scare her into retreating, only Juniper does not. She uses her body to shove against the quadruped, making Dom smile as if Houndoom wouldn't rip into her skin given the chance. Still, he appreciates a tough target and will commend her for that.
Houndoom, caught off guard, stumbles back. He pulls the girl with her, tightening his grip until he's right next to the flames. From his mouth, he feeds more fire into the dying pile and watches as it roars to life before them. Even Dom feels a draft of warmth wash over him with the amount of juice fed into it.
"He will kill her," Dom warns, watching as Houndoom yanks the girl towards the fire with each step Juniper makes.
As Dom speaks, he gathers his equipment from his bag. Another gun of sorts, one loaded with a scanner meant to be used as a tracking device in Pokemon Ecology. He's just repurposed it for his own gains after realizing most of his targets weren't willing to take part in his experiments.
"There's one way to stop him and we both know you're going to do it," he aims the gun at her, watching as Houndoom shakes the young girl.
She's crying and whimpering, trying to keep her eyes on her mother as though that will really help in this situation.
Every psychic has a tick before using their powers, at least, if they've trained with the Natsume's they do. These ticks can vary from person to person, some tilt their head, some tap the side of their leg, others will make a sound with their mouth, and some are quiet.
Dom knows Juniper is about to control Houndoom when raises her hands and pushes them out towards the pokemon. He fires the gun, watching the chip land at the base of her neck and start blinking blue. Nothing visibly changes, but Houndoom does stiffen when her eyes focus on him and the pokemon begins to lower the girl to the ground.
"My, my," Dom regards her with a raised brow. "How exciting."
Juniper grumbles, pulling her daughter in close before glancing over at Dom with Houndoom following her lead. He shakes his head with a laugh, did she really think he wouldn't have a contingency for this? She controls pokemon for god's sake.
He presses a button on the gun and the scanner sends a shock down her spine.
"Mom!" the girl cries, falling to her knees beside her collapsed mother.
"I think I got what I needed," he grins, checking his phone for the data transmitting from the chip. "Houndoom, burn the place down."
He slips out of the room, leaving the pokemon to growl at the girl before releasing a plume of fire in the living room. He gets to the dining room when he watches the room shift before him, and hears Houndoom tumble into a wall.
The floor shifts beneath his feet, causing him to stumble backwards as it falls away and the walls close in. It's an impossible feat, nothing he's ever seen before and yet...
"You!" he rounds on the daughter, her hands up and fingers curled as she glares at him. "Houndoom. Get her."
The fire type rights itself, snarling at the girl before crossing the room to her, his pounding steps counting down to her last moments. She dare raise a finger against Dom, this will teach her to know her place. Her illusions may be enough to throw him off balance, but there's no way she can maintain them.
"Layla!" the father shouts and in a flash of light an Empoleon slams into Houndoom.
Dom grits his teeth, he should have upped the dose on the man, who knows how long he's been up and about. "Houndoom, let's go."
Empoleon moves to block the way, but Houndoom lifts his head to set fire to the ceiling, his flamethrower fanning out from the spot on the ceiling. There are more screams and Dom wastes no time in using Smokescreen to cover his escape from the house. With the other houses emptying as neighbors fill into the streets, Dom easily slips into the shadows of the yard and moves around the edge of the crowd to get away.
Everyone's focus seems to be on the house, but he uses his illusions to change his face as he goes, never sticking with a singular one for too long. Anyone who puts in a statement about him will be confused on whether he had brown eyes or blue eyes. They'll say there was a blur of faces, both familiar and not so much. Giving him the perfect cover.
The trek to the outskirts of the city takes less than an hour and then a teleport back to the base even less so. He brings Houndoom back to the main office to get sent back to Archer, all the bases are connected through a transfer system much like the trading system used in Pokemon Centers. It helps funnel rare pokemon from place to place for sealing deals and making money. Something Giovanni is impressively good at...
I've got to up my standards. Team Rocket, impressive? I'm losing my edge, Dom mutters to himself, heading back to his office.
He sets his bag down, taking out the gun used to chip Juniper to set aside. He has to admit that Team Rocket has good resources. He may have tweaked the gun, but it was a rocket scientist that made the chip disintegrate if exposed to extreme heat. Dom won't have to worry about it being traced back to him thanks to Houndoom.
Plopping down onto his chair, he pulls the data from his phone to the monitor and marvels at it. In the few minutes Juniper used her powers, he got plenty of data to work with for this project. The graph reads much like Mewtwo's does. Her brain waves differ the second she activates her power, the 'Human Capture Styler', they called Juniper. Her mind reaches out to pokemon and urges them to help her, it's nothing long term, and the pokemon aren't harmed by it.
She's one of the first, and few, people with psychic abilities to make it big. The Natsume's are the another few, their family's known for being powerful and Sabrina has already made some big strides in her early years.
Despite his attack tonight, Dom hopes the family survives so they may contribute to his world order when he's ready to take over. If they don't... it's not like they won't be replaced in the next generation anyway. It's only too bad they won't live to see their people rise to the top.
The monitor dings, finishing the transfer and he settles in. The cogs in his mind are already turning with plans to implement this new information.
"Interesting," he comments to himself. Seeing everything display across the screen brings a slow smile to his face. "Let's get this going."