ConstructCritical: *is sitting on his bed, before sighing* They all hate me.
DarkFoxKit: What? Who all hates you?
ConstructCritical: The readers. I quote; "Crit, you're an idiot." and then we have "*duck tapes Crit's mouth shut and throws him in a closet with a pack of Houndoors*" and let's not forget "...But a bit insane on Crit's part…"! Why are people so mean? *sniff*
DarkFoxKit: Oh just relax, people just do that because of your crazy AN and how you reacted in them. Plus there might be some fanboys that just don't like it when others try to give me a hard time, heck they even gave MEW a hard time.
ConstructCritical: No one seemed to complain when Key joined up to make SoK, but when I come along and try to have some fun, I get rotten tomatoes and hate. I know! If I just don't say anything, then no one can hate me! *takes a zipper out of his pocket and zips his mouth shut*
DarkFoxKit: Well to be honest, I was the one torturing Key, not the other way around… So he's more of a 'lovable victim' then a 'hate hyperactive author'.
ConstructCritical: *unzips mouth* Y-you mean… YOU HATE ME, TOO?! *cries and runs off into the other room*
DarkFoxKit: *Follows Crit into the other room* I don't HATE you… you just… annoy me a lot. Look, maybe you should try to calm down, maybe then you wouldn't get so much hate, okay?
ConstructCritical: If I annoy you then you should just leave me alone! *slams the door in Kit's face*
DarkFoxKit: …. Uh… uh… *turns to camera* H-hey readers… um… maybe you were a little too hard on him… he may be hyperactive but he's pretty sensitive… so uh… erm… just read.
Chapter 2: Joining the Team
After about ten minutes… Crit began to wake up, feeling a headache from the poison wearing off.
"Just five more minutes, mom! I don't want to go to school yet…" Crit said, before fully waking up, realizing he wasn't human, and that he wouldn't be for a long time, if ever.
"Crit! I'm glad you're awake! You had me worried!" The Eevee hugged him suddenly.
Crit raised an eyebrow and grinned sheepishly. "You were worried about me?" He said cheekily.
"Yeah! I was worried you might not wake up…" Kit said, blushing a bit as she realized she hugged him.
Nidoran chuckled, "You two are pretty strong, I can see a lot of potential in you both. Now you just need some training to help refine your battle skills."
Crit stood up and nodded determinedly. "That's what we're going to do. We're going to become as strong as we can be. Do you know of somewhere we could go to train… and… why are you being so nice to us? You just poisoned me." He said as the thought dawned on him.
"She said she did it to test our skills." Kit said. "But I don't know why, she wanted to wait until you were awake before explaining it to us."
Nidoran nodded, "That is correct. You see… I'm a part of an organization of trained Pokemon who are going against Shadow Pokemon. I'm supposed to find potential recruits. Have either of you two heard of it?"
Crit shook his head. "No we haven't, we're uh, from out of town… but I mean it's probably secret anyway so how could we have heard about it?" He said, trying to put a fake grin on his face.
Nidoran looked at them curiously, "It's not really all that secret, but it is hidden to keep the enemy out. Well it's called P.A.S. which stands for Pokemon Against Shadows. But when someone goes out on a team, we just refer to them as Crusaders. Now the P.A.S. has hidden headquarters all over the world, trying to find potential Pokemon and train them, and trying to help and save other Pokemon from the Shadow Pokemon. Even simple requests gets answered, but those are for the lower ranks so they can get use to it."
Kit seemed pretty fascinated so far, "Wow… that sounds pretty cool…"
Crit just glanced over. "Doesn't sound that great to me. I mean, you said you were running from Shadows when you lost your apple. If you were a Crusader, why didn't you fight them? Or why didn't you beat us? We aren't very strong, you know. This 'P.A.S.' sounds like a bunch of Trubbish." Crit criticized.
Nidoran shook her head, "Don't be so quick to judge, hot headed Pikachu. If I was truly defeated, I wouldn't be conscious right now, I took it easy on you both since it's my job to find any Pokemon that can potentially be recruited, not beat them to a bloody pulp. And second of all, that story of the Shadows chasing me was only a cover up story, the real story is; I used the apple as bait for any wandering Pokemon, then I fight them to see if they're worthy to be a member."
"Okay, then I want an apple." Crit said hungrily. "You at least owe that to me if you poisoned me." He reasoned.
"You'll get food, but I wasn't lying when I said food is pretty scarce right now. The P.A.S. has enough to feed everyone though." Nidoran said. "Do you two want to join? I won't force you if you don't want to, but it's the safest place to train, sleep, eat and socialize with other Pokemon."
"Well…" Kit looked over at Crit. "What do you think, Crit? We… don't really have anywhere else to go… and if we were left to fend for ourselves out there, we could die…"
Crit nodded. "I think it's a good idea. If for no other reason than to get three meals a day. Although I also want to train to be the best I can be!" The Pikachu exclaimed excitedly.
"That's a good answer!" Nidoran nodded. "Alright then, you'll have to follow me, the P.A.S. would only allow another member inside since it's hard to trust just any Pokemon nowadays."
Kit and Crit nodded as they followed the female Nidoran outside the cave, glad it has stopped raining and it seems that the morning sun was coming up.
"Good news; Shadow Pokemon don't often come out during the daytime as they dislike light, but that doesn't mean they're not out there, so watch your step." Nidoran explained. "Oh, and by the way, my name is Nidogirl… don't go making fun of it, it's how I like to call myself."
Crit chuckled a little but stayed mostly silent.
"Oh, well I'm Kit." The Eevee introduced while they were walking.
"I'm Crit." The Pikachu said simply.
"Okay then, will you two be forming a team of each other or on different teams?" Nidogirl asked as they were coming to a pond.
"Like with different Pokemon?" Kit asked.
"Yup."
"Uh… well I'd be more comfortable if I stuck with Crit…" Kit said. "I just… don't feel comfortable working with someone I don't already know…"
Crit nodded. "And some of the things we've been through only the other could understand." He explained.
"Okay then, do you two have a team name in mind?" Nidogirl asked. "And if another Pokemon wants to join your team, will you let it?"
Kit, not feeling comfortable to answer, looked to Crit. "... I think so…" she said timidly. "I mean if another Pokemon wants to join… that'd be helpful…"
Crit nodded. "Yeah, we're willing to let another Pokemon in, but… nevermind." The Pikachu said biting his lip. "As for our team name, I have a few ideas..." He looked over at himself and Kit… a Pikachu and an Eevee…
"Like what?" Kit asked, looking at him.
"Team… Evoshock." He glanced at Kit to see her response.
"Team… Evoshock? You mean because I'm an Eevee and you're a Pikachu?" she asked as he nodded. "... Huh… not bad, I think it has a nice ring to it."
Nidogirl said, "Good, keep it in mind when they register you two. We're here." she gestured to the pond.
"Wanna take a swim?" the now-hyper Pikachu asked his Eevee companion.
"... I don't think we're supposed to swim there." Kit said.
The Pikachu nodded sadly. "Alright..."
"No, just gimme a minute." Nidogirl said as she began scratching the ground. "If you swim there, all you'll see is water, rocks and Water Pokemon." then she tapped the ground a bit and nodded. "Okay… in three… two… one…"
Suddenly, a large stone-like building came out of the water! Both Kit and Crit fell on their backs in total shock!
"How long has that been there?!" A certain shocked Pikachu exclaimed.
"WHOA! I think my heart just stopped for a second…" Kit gulped.
"This is one of the hidden headquarters of P.A.S., we use codes so they know to let us in." Nidogirl explained. "Surprised, huh?"
Both Pokemon nodded slowly, as they began to slowly inch towards the large stone structure.
"Hold on, there's one more code we have to say." Nidogirl said as she walked forward. "'Mew is our ancestor, we work hard to find her and she watches over us.'"
And with those words, the doors opened up. Nidogirl smiled, "Ready? Come on."
Both Crit and Kit gulped as they nervously followed the Nidoran into the huge stone structure. As soon as they entered, the doors closed and sank back into the water.
"This place is big." Crit said blandly, still astonished.
Nidogirl was leading them down a stony hallway, but it was a lot drier and fancier than they were expecting, there were even torches on the walls. "It has to be, in order to house all the Pokemon down here."
Then she opened another set of doors and the two human-turned-Pokemon were almost overwhelmed to see different types of environments all in one huge room; mountains, caves, plains, water, forests… it was like a dream world all in one house! "We have environments for every type of Pokemon."
"... Is it just me or is this starting to look more like a vacation than a military training camp?" Kit said, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open in awe.
"Uh, this is all very nice and good, but, uh, where can we eat? We haven't eaten since that apple, and before that we hadn't eaten since, uh, since, we left on this journey! Yeah.." He said, trying to sound convincing while still trying to convince himself.
"You'll eat soon, just be patient. Stay close to me while I lead you to the cafeteria, you don't want to get lost here now do you?" Nidogirl said as she lead the two.
Along the way, Kit and Crit saw a lot of strong and evolved Pokemon passing by, many of them which seems to be on their own teams and a high rank.
"I'm sure I'll evolve into a powerful Raichu one day, and you, Kit, get so many options to choose from! You can become a mighty Jolteon, an electric type like me! Or you could become a powerful Flareon, or a shadowy Umbreon." He said, starting to get excited. He had never thought he would evolve, he was human, after all, he wondered what it felt like.
Kit looked at him and said, "... Well IF we ever do evolve, I wouldn't know what to pick. And besides, you could evolve whenever you want once you find a Thunderstone."
"Yeah… but enough of that! Let's eat!" He said happily.
Nidogirl opened another set of doors and walked in, "This is the cafeteria, where Pokemon gathers to eat or mingle. The food staff is over there, you can pick what food you want. We have all sorts of food for different Pokemon, so just pick whichever you like."
"Uh, I know this is an odd question but, uh, do you have any… human food? I uh, like to try stuff that normal Pokemon wouldn't eat…" He said, while trying to make it not sound like he thought Pokemon food was gross.
"Human food?" Nidogirl blinked. "... What are 'humans'? Is that a new type of Pokemon?"
"Oh, uh, why… yes! I think they may be extinct though, so I guess I'll never meet one. I just uh, like what they used to eat!" He lied.
"Crit!" Kit hissed in his ears. "You might as well have a big sign that says 'I'm not really a Pokemon!'"
"Well just look around and see if you find anything you like." Nidogirl said. "We have fruits, gummis, hot dogs, pizza, pasta-"
"Wait… aren't those human food?" Kit asked, feeling confused.
"Well, assuming we knew what Human food was, of course! We just like asking people if they know what they ate. Hehe…" Crit lied… again.
"Oh… well we just like to eat a lot of different food. So go ahead and take your pick." Nidogirl said. "I'll wait for you at a table."
As Nidogirl walked away, Crit facepalmed. "Sorry Kit, I didn't mean to give us away." He admitted to her sadly.
"I almost gave us away too… but listen, we can't be too picky and say something that's human related from now on, okay? To them, we're Pokemon and that's all we are, so try to think like a Pokemon." Kit said.
"We're Pokemon, yes, but we're not only Pokemon. We still have a bit of humanity. We are still human in our minds. We can't forget our own heritage." Crit reasoned.
"Don't worry, we won't, but we must've been sent here for a reason… and we don't want to be discovered, so try to play it cool okay?" Kit said. "Now then… anything you want to eat here?"
"We'll talk more later. Anyway… I must have Pasta!" He shouted that last part, while he bolted for the Pasta. He quickly filled his plate and doused it all in tomato sauce.
Kit was having trouble some trouble. "Ummm… how do I pick up a plate like this? I only have paws, no hands…"
Crit sighed. "Alright, I'll carry it for you," trying to balance on two legs with a plate in each paw. "What do you want, Kit?" He asked.
"Oh uh… thanks. Get me some fruit and pizza, I don't want to eat too much." Kit said timidly.
Crit nodded and put the requested items on her plate. "Should we go sit with," muffled laughter, "Nidogirl?" He asked before bursting out in laughter at the name.
"HEY! I HEARD THAT!" Nidogirl growled.
Kit flicked Crit's ear with her tail. "Hey! Be nice! At least she didn't make fun of your name Mr. Critical!"
"Well that's 'cuz I have a really cool name." He explained to her, while keeping his head high. "Sorry, Nidogirl!" He called while trying to keep his laughter under control. "But seriously, where do you want to sit? I'm not sure if I should sit with Nidogirl, though, because she is ready to kill me." He told her.
Nidogirl stormed over to him and grabbed his ear, "Get over here!"
"I guess we'll be sitting with her after all." Kit chuckled.
"AH! AH! AH! Please let me go so I can say hello to the Shadows because they would be better than her…!" He called helplessly as he was dragged away.
The three sat at the table and began eating. Nidogirl was looking up at a clock and said, "Listen, after you eat, I'll take you to the registration room. Once you get registered, they'll assign you a room to sleep in."
The new 'recruits' nodded. "Alright, but uh, is there some kind of entrance exam or something, or was the battle we had with you exam enough?" The human-Pikachu asked.
"Well they will want to test you two, but that'll be for later, so no there's no entrance exam once a member admitted you in." Nidogirl explained. "Once registered they'll explain to you the rules of being a Crusader, like ranks and badges, they'll even give you a bag for you to keep your items safe."
"Alright, well, I'm done eating," Crit said, looking down at his empty plate. "Are you ready, Kit?"
Kit nodded, "I'm ready and kinda excited, but also nervous."
Nidogirl smiled, "Alright then, follow me you two."
They followed the Nidoran down the hallway again, passing by more Pokemon. Some were small, unevolved and weak like they were, while others seem average or powerful. Nidogirl lead them to another room. "Ah, here we are."
Ahead of them was a Grumpig behind a desk, it seem to be doing some paperwork. "Oh Nidogirl, you're back." it said.
"Yes, and I've found two new recruits." Nidogirl said, gesturing to the Pikachu and Eevee.
Crit quickly got on two paws and stood at attention, while adding in a salute for good measure. "Hello, sir." He greeted 'formally'.
"Enthusiastic I see, little Pikachu. Alright, since you two are joining, I'll be needing you two to answer my questions... Are you joining together?"
"Yes, we are." Kit nodded.
"Alright… And what is your team name?" Grumpig asked.
"Team Evoshock, Sir." Said the 'little' Pikachu, while keeping his stance.
"Okay, and what is your reason for joining P.A.S.?" Grumpig asked them.
"Because we have nowhere else to go…" Kit started to say.
"And well, we don't have any family as far as we know, and if we help rescue Pokemon, maybe we'll find a way to get back to them." The Pikachu said.
Grumpig wrote down the answers on paper and said, "Okay, so you two will start off in the Training Rank."
"Rank, sir?" Kit asked.
Grumpig nodded, "Yes, there are ranks, you start from the lowest of course. Training Rank, Normal Rank, Bronze Rank, Silver Rank, Gold Rank, Platinum Rank and Master Rank. There IS a rank above Master, it's called Legendary Rank, but only one set of team of Pokemon managed to achieve such a rank, so don't get your hopes too high." he put a stamp on the paper. "Okay, you two are now Crusaders, Team Evoshock! Here is your room." he gave them a paper chart.
"Room 524…" Kit read aloud.
"Thank you sir, and we will work our hardest, and someday, we will achieve the rank of Legendary." Crit said, the determination high in his voice.
"Yeah, you and every newbie says this." Grumpig grumbled. "Well just get to your rooms. The rules will be explained once you settle in, the Training Ranks are not to leave the headquarters until they achieve Normal Rank."
"Yes, sir." Crit said, a hint of anger in his voice, as he began to walk out. "C'mon, Kit."
"Wait, where do we find Room 524?" Kit asked.
"Just follow me, but you two better memorize this place down." Nidogirl said.
Crit rolled his eyes. "You'd think they'd have a map of this place." He said, joking a little.
"Sorry, but memorizing this place is part of training too, for your mind." Nidogirl explained. "This place is pretty strict after all."
Nidogirl lead them back into the Environment Place and lead them both to the plains. "Ah, your rooms are right here."
Kit and Crit blinked… there wasn't even a door, it was a large spot of grass with some haystack beds and a big fruit basket. "But this is…"
"This will be the place you two will sleep. You can decorate this place if you want, but for now it'll have to do." Nidogirl said. "Why don't you guys get settled in? I'm sure your mentor will arrive shortly once they get the memo you've joined the Training Rank."
"But… she's a girl… she needs privacy…" Crit said blushing.
"So? A boy Pokemon and girl Pokemon can sleep with each other, what's wrong with that?" Nidogirl asked.
"Nothing… nothing…" Kit said, trying to hide her own blush.
"Yeah. We'll be… fine…" He really wanted to go out and say Of course we're not fine, we're not Pokemon! But that would have been odd.
"Alright then you two, I have to go now, so good luck." Nidogirl said as she left them.
DarkFoxKit: *knocks on the door* Oh come on Crit, it's been a few hours already! The readers are done with the story, you know, unless they just skipped to the bottom of the AN… but still, get out already!
ConstructCritical: No! You said I annoy you, so locking myself in here will keep you from being annoyed! Now you can live your life without me being here to annoy you!
DarkFoxKit: Well you being stubborn and being locked up IS annoying me right now! … If you don't come out… you won't get any of the lifetime supply of corn dogs Mew gave to me~
ConstructCritical: *complete silence* CORN DOGS..! *the door slams open, hitting Fox in the head, causing her to pass out* O.O
DarkFoxKit: X_X
ConstrutCritical: *shoves Fox's body into the closet quickly* No one saw that… *makes a dash for the kitchen* Mew! Where are those corndogs?!
Mew: Oh sorry, but you've been a bad boy and knocked out our beloved author… you get no corn dogs~ *teleports away*
ConstructCritical: Oh no… *looks down at the review box, thus breaking the fourth wall* NO! PLEASE STOP TYPING THAT REVIEW! PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU! NOOOOOOO...! *shaking camera and goes static*