Author Notes: Here's chapter 16 of Sparking Chaos. I have a very important message to announce: for those who don't know, I posted a new short story talking about Jen and Kagai's capture and how it was for them. It's coming along good and should be finished by the time I post the chapter where she returns in here. It's called Fractured Bond and posted here on . If you missed it, it's your time to read it. Other than that, enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 16: Passing Utopia

The next few minutes were pretty much more of the same. If Sparktail had had to describe those Pokemon in one word, the word would have been: welcoming. Since the last word of the Elder had been said, they had been dancing in a rather tribal manner, as if his coming had been the greatest thing to celebrate since they had been born. Actually, that was actually pretty much the case. Most of the Pikachu weren't older than five years, the Elder being the sole exception at the venerable age of eight. Daily activities were more or less always the same, as he would soon realize, so the coming of a new member was like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise monotone and repetitive life. It wasn't really that they were bored with their life, though. Pikachu, like most group-based species of pokémon, had a basic understanding of their surrounding, but it was a poor one. To supplement it, they had their fair share of rituals and deities, similar to primitive human societies. While their brain power was far from matching those of the humans of the old ages, these Pokemon were alike in that they were impressed by events that rarely happened and brought something different. For now, they were lost in the joy of Sparktail's arrival, temporarily forgetting about gathering food and protecting the colony.

As much Sparktail's curiosity made him want to see what this colony looked like from the inside, he couldn't help but feel lifted by the magical enthusiasm around him. His senses were urging him to let go of his inhibitions and join the celebrations, for it wouldn't happen again for a long time. More than just an urge, it was a primal feeling he couldn't just shake off and forget about. He longed to be part of this, to feel that his life had a meaning that could only fulfilled by working toward the long term success of the colony. He knew very little about these Pikachu, but he felt at home already. There just didn't seem to be anything displeasing about this group of friendly rodents. They looked nice, they acted nice and they were exactly like him. They would understand all those things he didn't get about being a Pikachu, they would have the answers to the questions he was asking himself, even though he couldn't remember why he didn't already have the answers. Most importantly, it felt like they would be there to mentally support him when he wouldn't be able to learn or control something. It felt like... It felt like if they were about to become his new family.

This new family, as his mind had dubbed them, was already slowing down on its excitement. The various "Hi, I'm insert name of Pikachu/Pichu here!" and "You look/seem nice/funny/friendly/strong/cute!" had diminished in density and so had his repetitive answers, such as "Yeah!" and "Yes..." The Elder had been the first one to leave, soon followed by the older Pikachu and the warriors. They had more important matters on their paws, it seemed. The old ones had vanished into the colony, as if exhausted by the effort of showing their yellow (orange, in the Elder's case) butts in a group meeting. Sparktail could hardly blame them, since they were weak and prone to being hurt in a crowd so intense, but he would have appreciated a talk in private with this Elder. He would have liked to know more about the mouse that was now his leader, but he knew that this meeting would happen eventually, unless Strongclaw was left with the duty of making Sparktail feel at home. Either way, the disappearance of the more powerful members of the colony had an immediate effect on the crowd. Some Pikachu noticed this lack of leaders and left to go back to their duties. The crowd shrunk slowly at first, but it went faster as more and more went back to their duties and the mood of the celebration died. Before Sparktail could execute his plan of participating more intensively in the festivities, the fun was no more and the valley empty, as if nothing had happened. Pokémon were back in their positions, back to doing the same old thing as they had always been doing. The only exception was the strong Pikachu standing behind Sparktail on two paws. He watched everyone leave silently until it was calm enough for him to talk again. "Father said it, but I will say it again: welcome to our colony. I will help you train later, but for now, I will show you the colony, then you will spend time meeting with the rest of the colony until I return. Do you understand?"

The question was self-explanatory and it didn't even come close to confusing Sparktail this time. On the contrary, he was quite fine with the way the discussion had turned out. Finally, Strongclaw was talking about something that really interested him. It had taken the warrior a few tries, but he had finally understood that some things were more important to Sparktail than others. In reality, Strongclaw had only been lucky to fall on the right topic, not that Sparktail really cared. It was more gratifying to think that Strongclaw was actually catering to his needs, even if the two Pikachu barely knew each other. But then again, there was very little to know. Other than his stronger body, Strongclaw didn't seem any different than any of the Pikachu that had talked to him earlier. They all seemed to have been made in the same mold and raised the same way. This colony wasn't only a family, but also a clone factory. But that didn't really seem to bother Sparktail at the moment either. As long he had a nest and food, why should he care about how the others acted, if they weren't hurting him? Asking the question was answering it, although he had that strange feeling that the answer shouldn't be obvious, as if it should have been something different. He shrugged off the thought though, since his safety had to be his only priority, as it had always been. He made that obvious in his voice, making it sound both confident and submissive to the orders of his protector. "Yes, I understand, Strongclaw. I can't wait to see how it looks inside the big hole. It's alright if I'm left alone for a while. I can take care of myself, I think."

The older Pikachu didn't waste time replying. Quickly, he went back on four paws and ran toward the entrance. "Follow me and listen. Don't say anything, you can ask questions later, during your training." he told Sparktail coldly, as he always seemed to do when he talked. Strongclaw wasn't really trying to be mean, per se, but he had a leadership position to assume. He had to be respected by those who looked up to him. Intimidation worked with every Pokemon in the colony... but not with Sparktail. He wasn't impressed at all by the way the warrior was speaking, now that he was used to it. Thanks to some fragments of his former knowledge, he had associated Strongclaw's behavior to a soldier on mission, striving to accomplish it without shaking. Sparktail could deal with that, in the way he had always done it: ignoring it. Other Pikachu could be intimidated if they wanted to, but he'd chosen not to be and simply listen because there was no reason not to. Strongclaw was going to show him precisely what he wanted to see; he would be a fool to say no to that. His "yes" was hopping back on four paws like Strongclaw had done and to follow behind him. It didn't take a lot of time before the hole in the hill became everything he could see, before the light was dimmed down and replaced by darkness. And then a new world opened itself to him.

This world wasn't visually impressive nor had it anything special. Actually, it was hard to be impressed when the only thing he could see was the same he would have seen if his eyes had been tightly shut, that's it, nothing. So, he limited himself to following Strongclaw in the dark. He was about to ask about the light problem when the leading rodent answered his unspoken question without saying a word. Instead of using the language of the tongue, he used the one of image. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but when Sparktail saw sparks come out of Strongclaw's cheeks to illuminate their surrounding, he was left speechless. He was supposed to navigate around here using... his electricity to see? If this was some kind of practical joke, he wasn't laughing. His cheeks weren't really his best friends and he tried to use them as little as he could, for reasons that were only obvious to him. He wasn't about to lose his mind for the benefit of his vision, especially not in a place inhabited by so many living creatures and so of their voices he would be hearing in his head. If he had to play hide-and-seek with the tunnels in the dark to avoid using his electricity, then he would. At the moment though, he was seeing something, so he'd take note of the way the tunnel was shaped while he still could. After they had walked downward for a few feet, they came to the first intersection, shaped like a plus sign. "On each side, there are two nests. The first ones are for the guards, then the next few ones are for warriors, then we have the larger nests for families." explained Strongclaw as they walked pass many tunnels. Eventually, they came to the last intersection before a large cave. This one was different, since each side was guarded by a Pikachu. "To the left, we have the food storage room, to the right, the Elder room. Nobody is allowed in those rooms, but I can go in the Elder room, because I am his son and that's where my nest is. And, finally..."

The two came into the last room, easily the biggest in the colony in volume. The ceiling was at least three feet high, which made Sparktail curious about how deep under the ground he actually was. The size wasn't the only unusual thing about this room. Sparktail's sensitive nose quickly caught the scents of many females and little ones. One look around confirmed that this was indeed the case. The room was filled with at least twenty chu, all Pichu or female Pikachu. On one side, Pichu were innocently playing together and joining in games such as electric tag. On the other side, younger Pichu were staying with their mothers, either nursing or taking a nap. Sparktail didn't need to be told the purpose of this room, but he didn't stop Strongclaw from explaining the obvious. "...we have the playground. Here, Pichu come to play with their mothers or alone if a friend is there. Pichu aren't allowed outside the colony, except during special rituals or if they are with their parents. If a Pichu has no parents, then..."

The Pikachu's voice trailed off, his mind drifting back to his friend who had disappeared the night before and to his Pichu. The poor little one was left without anyone to care for him. The colony's rules about that were very strict. If a Pichu was left without anyone to care for it, it would become a burden for the colony. If the Pichu lost its mother before it stopped needing milk to survive, then no other mother would replace her, since they barely had enough milk to feed their own. In that case, the Pichu was killed immediately to avoid unnecessary pain. At this age, they couldn't even feel their surrounding, so it would even be considered ethical in a human society where resources would be limited. This situation wasn't the one of his friend's Pichu. The young one was about a year old and mostly able to fend for himself. However, he had little to none of the knowledge and the strength needed. In this case, the Pichu would be given a test of survival that would either force their evolution or have him end up getting killed by a predator. At his age, even the Pichu would not be ignorant of that rule. This saddened Strongclaw a little, but he had no choice. If the Pichu couldn't evolve, then he was of no use to the colony and having him killed remained the best option. When it came to the greater good of the colony, family ties didn't matter. They all had a duty and they had to fulfill it... even if the said duty was to die. Sparktail, however, didn't need to be told that right now. The elder would explain the rules when the time came. There was no reason to rush things. "...it's nothing really important right now. Explore the colony, talk to other Pikachu and try to make yourself known a little. Try to find a mate if you can. I'll tell you how to get a nest and a duty later. I really need to go back to my duty now."

In a hurry, the Pikachu turned around and ran back into the tunnel, lighting the passage one last time before it once again became pitch black. At long last, Sparktail was left alone to explore. There was a just a little obstacle left between him and his little exploration trip: he couldn't see a thing ahead. The tunnel was, for all intents and purposes, a black hole. Once he entered it and left the relatively comfortable level of light in this room, light produced by almost every electrical rodent in here, he would get lost within the maze. For being a Pikachu, he had a very poor sense of orientation, but there was a reason for that. Like every sense Pikachu possessed, this too was powered by the use of his internal electrical current. Since he was holding it, he was losing a large part of what made him a Pikachu, bringing him close to being considered physically deficient. If other pikachu asked him if something was wrong, he could show off his skills and he'd be fine. But there was no chance in hell that he'd actually try it before it was necessary. Those dark tunnels would face their master... or he would run into their walls... whatever came first. Hopefully not the walls.

Nervously, Sparktail took a step into the tunnel, then another, then a few more, until he lost his sense of sight to the dark confines of the tunnel. This was a very different feeling from running outside in the dark. Out there, he knew that that there was nothing around him, so it was a calculated risk. In the tunnels, walls surrounded him on all sides and the tunnels had a few curves. Inevitably, something was bound to go wrong and probably more than once. It was the sad truth, but there was nothing he could do about it, because of his promise. This lack of will to change anything didn't help him feel better, but at the same time, it was his conscientious choice not to use his electricity to help him go forward. He had the tool at his disposal, but he was too lazy to learn top use it properly without that strange, undesired effect. To his defense, he was so curious about learning about this place that training had taken a low spot on his priority list. However, curiosity and fear couldn't work together in his mind. Bad and good couldn't mix in a mind so primitive. It was either one or the other. His worries about being in the dark were much stronger than his desire to explore and, as such, all the joy he had felt at the idea of exploring was gone. He so wanted to turn around and go back to the safety of the deep and lit room with many of his brothers and sisters, as the Elder had called them, but his will to fight his fear was stronger. Taking careful steps, he navigated through the straight section of the tunnel, crawling past the guards of the so-called restricted areas. But as he was about to get away from them, one rose his voice louder than he ears could ignore. "Why aren't you using your light, brother?"

The mouse stopped again, sighing a little. Why did they have to have that good of a sense of smell? Couldn't they just get a cough once in a while, preferably both of them and now? Sure, Sparktail was asking for a lot, but it would have been better than having to explain why he wasn't doing something everyone did while trying not to blow up his cover about being normal. With his poor social skills and inability to properly lie, he had no chance of convincing them, or so he thought. Sadly, he couldn't just get away with saying nothing, as it would be even more suspicious, so he tried something. "I am working on improving my night traveling skills, brothers. If I am weak and not able to use my light, I want to be able to find my way in the dark, using only my nose, my ears and my fur." To his surprise, no additional question came from the Pikachu. Their cheeks sparked for a split second, almost in sync, so they could see the look on the other's muzzle to make sure they were not the only one to have that intrigued and amazed expression on their muzzle. They had never heard of a Pikachu training for such an eventually, but now that they knew, they felt like it was something important that had to be trained for and that would make them better guards. But more importantly, they were stuck by how this new pikachu had talked to them with a voice so confident and wise. It was almost like this new member had seen a lot of seasons pass by, something that could only be said of their Elder. "Yes, course, that's a great idea, El... brother."

The pikachu gave each other more than a passing glance this time, confused about that they just had done. They had, for no apparent reason, called the newcomer their Elder. Actually, they had not exactly called him like that, but it would be the closest interpretation of the sounds called their language. Pikachu, like almost every pokémon, communicated using words sounding like their name, but their language was actually more complex than that. At the base, there are only a few words, expressing their basic needs. The rest of its flavors, such as expressing emotions, titles, and objects, were intricately hidden into the tone of their voice and the way they moved. For the same word, there were dozens of tones that could be used to say it, resulting in as many meanings. In this situation, the rodent had said the right words, but his surprise had caused a distortion in the way he had spoken it and had falsely been translated it as calling Sparktail an Elder. This said, the Pikachu did know that, since their language was something they were born with, but they couldn't explain why they had acted like that. As seasoned guards, emotions rarely surfaced to cloud their judgment, making an incident like this an extremely rare event. But more importantly, they couldn't just look weak in front of the newcomer, since it would threaten their authority. Any sign of weakness was an opening to a fight for their position. Battles were, and had always been, the way one Pikachu rose in the hierarchy. If a pikachu wasn't in perfect shape, both in mind and body, a challenge would surely come from the first opportunist lower rank warrior who took notice of it. If it had to come down to it, being defeated by this new chu would be a total humiliation, almost worthy of banishment. Charging his cheeks threateningly, the guard harshly glared at Sparktail, using intimidation to protect his title. "Now, be on your way, Brother."

Sparktail initial reply to this was to blink a few times, asking himself what the hell he had done to deserve such a harsh treatment, especially after he had received a nice praise. He deducted, however, that pursuing any discussion and going against the order wouldn't do him any good. His first goal was to safely navigate into those tunnels, not to pick up a fight with the first pikachu he met. Not only it wouldn't really be safe, but it wouldn't give him a good reputation, on his first day here. Being kicked out of his new home so quickly and without the training he needed so much would spell trouble for him. Contradictorally, he was physically pumped for a fight. Part of his mind had detected the opportunity for a rise in position and was eager to get it. That part might be aware of his potential to defeat this rival, but it wasn't factoring his inability and lack of will to use his full potential and thus had no idea that he would lose, should he start a fight. Luckily, Sparktail surprisingly wasn't stupid enough to fall for such a trick for once and forced his reluctant body to nod, then to turn around and walk away from the guards and their light. At this blatant refusal, a voice in his head rose to ask him to turn around and to fight like a real chu for the position that he deserved to have and was rightfully his. The Pikachu, while skillfully toning down this voice to a childish pout, began to search for the way as his world became shrouded in absolute darkness once again.

This time, it seemed that his inane motivation to avoid a repeat of this incident with the guards made his movements more fluid and quicker. Instead of walking in the middle of the tunnel blindly, he was letting the fur on his left side gently rub the wall, providing him with additional information about his surroundings. If he suddenly felt the wall near his front paw disappear, then he was walking past one of those openings leading to the nests and he had to follow a straight line from that point until he found the next wall. If the wall ahead was pushing against his skin, then he had to slightly turn right to reposition himself. On the contrary, if the wall in front was only slightly leaving his fur, then it was time to turn left. The only drawback of this method was, as he would soon find out, that if he had to make a sudden turn on the right, he wouldn't be able to detect that fast enough and run into the wall. After moving left at a turn, he only had the time to feel his left side being crushed into the wall before he slammed headfirst into the dirt. In the collision, his forehead was struck by some rocks, making him jerk back instinctively, lose his balance and fall on his rump clumsily. "Ow!" he shouted in annoyance, rubbing forehead where he had been hurt. Some blood was dripping from a small cut, hurting him greatly despite how light the cut actually was.

For a few moments, he remained in a sitting position, whimpering in pain softly. He was only faintly aware that he looked stupid like this and he didn't have any desire of making it better. During the time he was bleeding, he kept whimpering like a baby, caring only about his little insignificant cut. When the pain stopped, the whimpering however didn't, though it wasn't his doing, now. The voice was softer and high-pitched than his, but it wasn't female. It was young, filled with a subtle mix of fear and worries. It wasn't someone whimpering from pain, but from emotional distress. The startling voice in his mind had returned, warning him of a great danger if he went where he shouldn't be going, but he couldn't ignore the cries. This sad voice was reaching deep into his heart and compelling him to take action. It wasn't too hard to understand why, when you knew, like Sparktail, that this voice was made by a Pichu, one that desperately needed care. Who would be insensitive to the point of ignoring the cries of a young child? Not him, that's for sure. He had done many selfish things in the last couple of days without noticing them, but this was a line he wasn't willing to cross. Ironically, the more he thought about helping that child, the louder the background voice in his head shouted, its warning turning into an order, as if he were about to break the most sacred of laws, which to his knowledge couldn't possibly be true. The youth was as important as any adult, if not more so, and it was his duty to help, no matter what. The voice in his head could scream all it wanted; he wouldn't back away from this one.

Decided, the Pikachu began to head toward the origin of the childish cries, the voice in his head becoming a pitiful whimper before going completely silent, even though he would have swore that he was hearing it mutter something about asking for forgiveness. Ignoring that for now, the mouse made his way through a smaller tunnel leading to one of the so-called nests. Although he couldn't see a thing, he was able to smell the aroma of a pile of leaves. On this pile, was resting the crying Pichu. The room itself was at least three times as large as the tunnel, based on the position of leaves and the Pichu. The small critter stopped crying as soon Sparktail entered the room and his soothing Pikachu scent reached his sensitive young nose. "D-Daddy? Is that you?" pleadingly asked the small creature between two sobs, even though he wasn't a fool. He knew that this scent wasn't the one of his father, but he was hoping that his father was just waiting behind or that his father had been close to other Pikachu and that it was their scent on his fur that he smelled. It was only wishful thinking, a desperate attempt to ignore what he knew to be his fate. His worst fears were confirmed when the pikachu spoke, his dreary words chilling him to the bones. "No… I'm not, but--"

The pichu didn't even wait for Sparktail to finish, since he didn't need him to. In this Pichu's mind, his fate was sealed. He had heard words about his father not returning from the attack last night. Strongclaw had slipped a few words to other Pikachu while the Pichu had been curiously listening to them. Since then, he had been hiding here, in this abandoned nest, waiting on the slim hope that his father might return. But for this Pikachu to be here, with his strong and scary voice instead of his father, there weren't a lot of explanations to the terrified Pichu. In fact, there was only one. This Pikachu was the one who had been ordered to end his life in a murdering rage, to avert the risk he would represent for the colony now that his father was gone. The Pichu had heard of those stories, being old enough for them, but he hadn't fully understood them until now. He knew of only one thing. "Don't kill me! I…I will do the test! I will go survive in the woods alone! I will train! I will be good! I promise!! But don't kill me! I don't wanna die!" he shouted in a voice of pure terror, his cheeks sparking nervously, showing his terrified face, his swollen eyes, all of this looking very unnatural on his frail child body.

Sparktail's heart skipped a few beats; his eyes staring in fear at the body of the child, as if it was the incarnation of the devil itself. His body might have been frozen, but his brain was boiling in activity, working on adding this new information to his pile of knowledge, but without any success. For the first time in the last few days, Sparktail was denying something from becoming part of his daily routine. He had accepted a lot of concepts, like eating berries and no meat, sleeping on the floor, and having to cope with a limited amount of brain power, but he wouldn't take part in a murdering plot, no matter how good the intent was. Going against his instincts to follow his better judgment hurt him, it hurt him greatly. The voice in his head became squashed under the weight of his disobedience and, at long last, the cogs of reason were turning again in his mind. Suddenly, the new information took a different route and went down the long and windy process of being mixed with a lot of little details that were deemed as useless before and ignored. When the logical conclusion popped into his consciousness, his look of fear turned into one of pure rage, his head lowering to muffle a growing growl. His innocent view about Pokémon, his vision of this peaceful world, of those creatures he had glorified during his youth, it was all falling apart as he finally realized the awful truth: Pokémon weren't intelligent and they had no desire to be as good as humans. They weren't creatures bent on taking over the world in a thirst for power and freedom from their enslavement. No intelligent creature would kill a child in cold blood. No sentient pokémon would throw its own youth out to be killed in a test for survival. It was the work of the most primitive of groups, the most dumb and cruel beings there could be on this planet. Pokémon were what the world had always claimed them to be: cold, dumb animals thriving selfishly for nothing else than their own survival. He had been a fool to think that Pikachu sociability implied more than a need for survival, that it was a choice for a better life. And this… this mentality, this absurd quest for the personal gain, this detachment from emotions, from moral, from good… this… was…

"No… No!" he suddenly shouted like a madman, dropping to his knees. Another puzzle had been solved, but this time, its picture was horrible. He didn't want it to be true, but there was no way it wasn't. Since the beginning… since day one… he had been fooled… lied to… manipulated… controlled… all this to reach this! This colony, this body, these thoughts, his behavior… he wanted him to be like this. "Psywave!! You liar!! I trusted you! Go to hell! Go… to hell!" he screamed, punching the nearby wall with his paw. He wanted to cry, to sit there and let the tears flow until he died from dehydration, but he wouldn't. Sparktail would have done that. Sparktail would have been a selfish crybaby. But he wasn't Sparktail, he wasn't just another of those blasted, selfish and moronic animals! He was Rick and he was human and… Rick wouldn't shut up until every fiber of his yellow furred mousy body understood that. There wouldn't be anymore tricks from his imagination. No Pikachu instinct would take over his mind again, not until he allowed it to, which he would never do, as much he knew he would never let any harm come to a defenseless Pichu. "Don't… don't worry, little guy…" he muttered softly, giving the scared child a comforting glance. "No one will hurt you… none of those… those… responsible adults… will touch one hair of your fur. I will protect you against them and their brainwashing. If you don't have a daddy… I will replace him… I will… I won't let any Pichu die on my watch. I make it a promise. I will be your new daddy…"

After he had said those words, the room became silent again, the terrified pichu pondering his options. When the Pikachu had snuck into the room, he had been frightened and horrified by what he thought to be his impending doom. Later, when the Pikachu went crazy and shouted all those strange things, he had wanted to dig himself a hole to hide. But when the male's voice became soft and reassuring and his words bearer of this unexpected grace, he had wanted so much to believe him that he overcame his fear of the larger rodent and crawled near him, forcing a smile. "Really? You will do that?" he asked hopefully while he inched toward the one who had promised to quench his sorrows. He didn't wait for an answer, taking this silence as an agreement, and buried his head into the Pikachu's chest fur once it was in range. Through slow nuzzles, he was expressing his gratitude and his desire to be accepted as part of this small familial unit the adult had talked about.

Lost in his thoughts, the Pikachu absently sat down and rubbed the Pichu's back, his head reaching to nuzzle the young one instinctively. He would let his instincts have their way for this one since he was feeling a drop in adrenaline and the lack of will to stay awake. After much distress, his body was more than eager to accept this affection and this invitation for a nap. Furthermore, it was only in the world of dreams that he would be able to do what he truly wanted to do at this moment. Tiredly, the Pikachu laid on his side while petting the Pichu, his eyes closing as his mind drifted away from reality, back into Psywave's realm, where the crazy rat would get the ass kicking he so justly deserved.