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Chapter 14: Asking Nicely
"Military personnel have recently stated that an identical note to the one at city hall was found near the outpost on the edge of town. Authorities believe that it is an attempt to seed panic in lieu of the current situation, but regardless, they request that if anyone has any information on the origins of these notes, they report it to the authorities." An image flashed on the television screen for the fifth time that week. It showed a letter written in shaky, uneven handwriting, like a child's. There was no signature, and reporters had said that there were no fingerprints left on the paper. It had said that all of the creatures that had appeared, referring to them as 'pokemon' were intelligent to various degrees, but were also animals in their own right. It tried to explain it by saying that they were almost like otherworldly animals which had been given sentience. It explained that pokemon possessed abilities that would be considered unnatural, even impossible on normal standards here, and that pokemon operated on a different logic than mundane animals; all kinds of pokemon had natural defenses and weaknesses against various elements, and most kinds undergo at least one 'evolution' in their life time. Apparently evolution was a crude translation of what actually happens to them, but it was the best way to communicate the concept. The letter concluded by requesting that the Touched and the pokemon be set free, as the technicalities of what was going on was far too complex to be explained by existing science, but it was definitely not a disease.
"On a potentially related note, the search continues for two creatures which escaped from the outpost sometime last week. Citizens are reminded that these creatures may be extremely dangerous and should not be approached under any circumstances. While the military assures us that the perimeter around the town remains secure, they request that if you see either of these creatures, or any other unfamiliar animals, you call this hotline." Images of the floating silver creature and the small hedgehog-like one appeared on the screen along with a phone number.
John turned off the TV and leaned back.
Those letters have to have something to do with that silver dragon thing. He mentioned coming to give that green thing from way back when some backup. I guess there are a lot of these pokemon around now. They haven't talked about the other rift sites on the news in a while; probably the governments are keeping things hushed up.
John stretched and went back to his room. His mother had been watching him like some looming bird of prey ever since his last expedition, and there was no way he could escape. She had even walked alongside him to and from school, so there was no opening for him. John had compensated by slipping each of the Touched at his school a note telling them that he wouldn't be able to meet for at least a while, and to take extra care if they chose to meet again without him.
Typhlosion had been smuggled back to the woods with difficulty, which left John devoid of company other than Monozu. John and Monozu's bond continued to grow stronger and John picked up the vibe that if Monozu didn't get to come with John somewhere, sooner or later he would find a way to sneak out on his own.
John continued his normal routine. The school year was nearly over, but John wasn't excited to see it end. At least with school he had some way to occupy his time, but being restrained to the house for the entire summer would make it like a prison sentence. By the time the final bell of the year rang, two more notes had appeared, and it became known that identical notes had appeared at ever rift site around the world, always in the same shaky, English handwriting. The first of the new notes was just a slightly more insistent request for the freedom of the captures youths and the pokemon, which was of course ignored. The most recent note had been bordering on threatening; stating that they would be freed within the month either by the soldiers' will or otherwise. When interviewed, a lieutenant merely laughed at the notion, but as the clip ended, John noticed a flicker of unease on the man's face.
Three weeks and a 'last chance' note later, John was in his room talking to Monozu when the ground suddenly shook slightly. John stopped mid thought and listened. The ground shook a little again. He ran to the living room and flipped on the TV.
It was mayhem. Reporters were scrambling away from the outpost as a large number of otherworldly creatures overran the base. Something like a huge orange gorilla punched a group of men several feet into the air as they reached for their guns. They fell to the ground in a heap, unconscious. A huge something, looking something like an armor plated triceratops rammed an armored vehicle, tearing right through the plate steel and tipping it on its side. The camera turned slightly and John saw the building where the kids were being kept. Typhlosion and something like a large, purple cross between a bat and a scorpion were beside the door. Typhlosion sent a stream of fire at the lock and the bat-scorpion smashed the door in with a blow from one of its pincer-like claws.
Several moments later, kids and pokemon streamed out, apparently unperturbed by the strange creatures. A little boy paused and hugged the bat-scorpion on his way out. The pokemon looked a little stunned, but the boy quickly released it and ran off into the woods with the others, followed by a pink flying something, like a large bat. Several of the children looked overcome by emotion at finally being free after weeks, and in some cases, months. A teenaged boy stopped and looked viciously at the soldiers, but a girl that was likely his sister grabbed his hand and pulled him onward.
Little more than five minutes passed. The reporters were now at the road, filming everything that went on from a safe distance. The soldiers were in full retreat, positively fleeing to the perimeter set around the town where much of their force was. The pokemon did not pursue them. The men that had been knocked cold slowly came to, and, realizing where they were and what had happened, sprinted off after the others. The freed pokemon dissipated besides the armored dinosaur creature. The reporter hurriedly left when it turned to look at them.
John turned the TV off and looked at his mother who had appeared in the doorway shortly after he had turned it on. She looked at him and said nothing. By the end of the day the pokemon has trickled throughout the town, exorcizing the military presence to the borders of the town, and Touching several more teens and children in the process. Families who had children return were overjoyed, while those who had been unaffected by the military were terrified. Pokemon were now free to wander the streets again, and nothing could be done to stop it.