Chapter 2: El Pueblo de los Muertos

For Ash, Paul, Gary and Pikachu, discovering a headless body scared the group. "Team Rocket opens the floodgates by dropping all of us into a trap which was deeper than anticipated and we wind up finding a dead body upon entry," Gary summarized, which made the narrator's job easy. Ash's eyes spotted something silver. He removed it to see dog tags and without a head, it was easy to disrobe the necklace. He read the tags.

LEON S. KENNEDY
RACCOON CITY, USA
US SPECIAL FORCES
D.O.B. 9/29/77
BLOOD TYPE: A

"Leon Kennedy," he repeated the tag. Gary doused a finger into a pool of blood which looked fresh.

"His head was removed not long ago," he suspected. "I've had sometime after Pokémon Training when I studied on criminal affairs and Leon here is still going in Rigor Mortis." Rigor Mortis?

"What's that, a Pokémon ability?" Not even close, Ash.

"Dingbat. Rigor Mortis starts setting when someone dies. Basically, the body stiffens due to lack of movement from the body. Soon enough, moving the limbs will be almost impossible." No doubt it won't be long until the body's stiff as a board. Ash continued to dig around his body, finding a razor sharp knife that was bigger than the handle and the blade had the look to sever limbs. Rustling through, he pulled out a 9mm handgun by the barrel. He put the knife and the gun down. He also pulled out ammo for the handgun. Lastly, he pulled out a large green wireless phone.

"Must be how he maintains contact with Raccoon City." He'd soon answer it. The phone rang. Startled, Ash wasn't sure about how to respond. He showed the phone to Paul but he shook his head. Maybe Gary...maybe not from his shake as well.

"Just answer it!" Paul grunted. Frustrated, Ash finally answered it.

"Hello?" A pause. A wrong number?

"Where's Leon?" a female voice asked. "Why do you have his phone?" Ash decided to respond, much to what horror would come on the other side of the line.

"He's dead. Head's been removed from the shoulders." The sudden gasp told Ash this was news this woman dreaded.

"No! Not him! Not Leon!" There had to be so many thoughts running through her head right now that she began to cry in pain and sadness. Gary was wondering what's going on with the phone call. Ash waived him off, citing major repercussions. "STARS won't be the same without Leon or Jill around. How long ago?"

"Not long. Found after we had a misplacement." Paul rifled through Leon only to pull out a photo.

"Ash, take a look at this," he suggested while handing the photo to Ash. It was a picture of a blond teenage girl wearing a green tiara, not a crown-like but like something to keep her hair in place, and an orange sleeveless sweater.

"Who's this?" The woman calmed when hearing Ash.

"Who's what?"

"This photo of a blond girl here." That mentioning of a photo prompted the woman to toughen up.

"Okay, I'll tell you everything but only if you find her." Ash had Pikachu but also Gary and Paul and Paul would be a hindrance if something went wrong. Ash was going to gamble with Paul being a teammate.

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Good. The US Secret Service hired Leon for the rescue of Ashley Graham, daughter of the President of the United States of America." High-profile. "I'm Ingrid Hunnigan, the only link to Leon in Spain. Who are you and do you have teammates?"

"Ash Ketchum. I have two rivals with me but seeing Leon, we may put our differences aside to rescue the president's daughter." Hearing the title, Gary and Paul realized there was more to this murder mystery than they were led on.

"Ash, be careful. I'll call you if I find anything." Disconnected, Ash shoved the phone in his pocket. The other boys wondered about the exchange between Ash and Ingrid.

"What's up?" Gary asked. Ash looked to the sky, knowing that Team Rocket was responsible for sending them on this trip...but had a second opinion believing that the trap was a blessing and not just because he thought Team Rocket would be too chicken when they find Leon's headless body.

"We've fallen into a rescue mission," he assumed. "Turns out that photo's the daughter of a president. She's here in this countryside and whatever happened to her, Leon was sent." They had a mission. How would they perform with hatred and rivalry on each? Ash and Gary were rivals back then but that seemed patched up. Ash and Paul couldn't see eye-to-eye and Gary and Paul have started badgering each other. If these three flared their emotions, whoever killed Leon may lay back and watch these three rip each other to shreds. "I know you two won't agree with me but...we're gonna need to work together." Three boys who disliked one another forced to unite to rescue the president's girl? Pikachu didn't like where this was going.

("No way this will work,") he theorized. Gary stood to greet the suggestion.

"Ash, you can't do anything by yourself if your life depended on it," he mocked. "So why not! I need a real life mystery for once." Paul snorted and turned his head away.

"You're easily pleased," he spat. "I'd rather steer away from conflict like this." He returned to the tree in an effort to climb back up, something Ash believed was pointless.

"Team Rocket could have sealed the hole already," he thought. Paul ignored the subject and began to climb the hollowed dead tree...only to appear from the top of it. Now something didn't make sense. Didn't Ash say that the tree was where they appeared from? Perhaps they entered from higher point. "Or that could be the reason." Paul had little choice. It was either stay for everything to pass or tag with Ash and Gary? Either way, all he expressed was chagrin.

"Fine, but don't get in my way." With the boys now formed in a pact, they headed into the countryside. A few minutes into their stroll, they spotted a white wolf with a leg in a bear trap. The snared leg was bleeding profusely. Gary and Pikachu ran over to take care of the wolf which frantically flailed to free itself.

"Hey, hey, take it easy," he tried to ease the creature. This wasn't a Pokémon but Gary wanted to help it. The wolf didn't listen and still struggled. Reaching in, he pulled a rod from the toothy trap. The trap fell to pieces and freed the wolf. The wolf was glad to get out of there but its leg was badly gashed. Gary pulled out some first aid and sprayed the leg with...well, it's not water. "A little Super Potion..." He wrapped the leg with medical tape and. "There you go!" The wolf was able to move its leg without difficulty and pounced to lick Gary. How's the tongue bath? Must be it's way of saying thanks. "You're welcome!" The wolf fled, hoping not to run into any more traps. Ash looked around when he saw a house with the chimney billowing smoke. Someone was inside.

"Let's check that house out," he suggested. They had no other leads. Agreeing, they entered the unlocked house. Entering, they viewed a man throwing in wood to a fireplace. His skin seemed discolored but the clothing would depict him as some sort of farmer. Perhaps asking him would help find Leon's killer and the whereabouts of Ashley. "Excuse me!" The man turned around, even his eyes and teeth looked abnormal, even for someone who was homeless. He needs to see a doctor. "Do you know anything about this girl in the photo?" The man had one look.

"Nunca la he visto!" he snapped. "Ahora, sal de haí!" He spoke Spanish, something Ash picked up quickly.

"Just a simple no would be nice." Gary and Paul wondered about that hostility.

"You think Leon came to him and asked before losing his head?" Gary assumed. Ash wasn't certain but Gary may have a point there. Unbeknown to the boys, the man had grabbed a hatchet and crept to the youngsters.

"I wouldn't look pass that possibility. Who knows how much Leon investigated before was killed." It was immediate but there won't be answers from Leon. Suddenly, Ash sensed a vibe. He saw the hatchet raised. He dove and tackled the others out of the swing. On the ground, the boys saw the hatchet-wielding man swaying closer. He had to be stopped before that hatchet made contact. Springing up, Ash fired a massive right hook. KAPOW! Right to the chin. The punch sent the man crashing into a shovel which the blade was out. SHING! The shovel sliced through his neck and he was bleeding...yellow? Usually, they bleed red. Viewing this, something was terribly wrong as the man bled out.

"Nice punch," Paul snorted. "Now we won't get any answers!"

"Don't be so sure, Paul. That's not what normally comes out when you get a cut, right?" That's not a cut, Ash. You severed something in that neck which bled out.

"You don't need to be a rocket scientist to tell you blood isn't putrid yellow," Gary summarized. Ash reached down to scoop a sample of the yellow blood, something Gary didn't want to risk health. "Wait, Ash! Don't touch it!" Hearing his old rival warning him, Ash pulled back. "If this guy has this strange disease, it's best that we don't make contact with anyone." Ash gazed at the fist that ended that man. It appeared to be fine. "Your punch hit all cloth so you should be fine. By the way, I didn't know you can fight." He didn't? They were rivals, how could he not know?

"We live in a world where humans fighting humans is frowned upon by police," Paul explained. "Though if you ask me, I think that was a hard right uppercut from boxing." Ash scratched his head, a sign that he's been found out.

"I guess my secret's out," he confessed. "I did learn boxing as well as some Spanish." Nice to have a few extra traits in case. Ash got serious. "Hey, Ashley can't rescue herself. Let's go!" The boys dashed out and left the...was he dissolving? Ew! The gang followed a trail heading toward a village. They were unaware of the big trap over some cliffs ahead. Meantime, they spotted more bear traps. Whoever lived here hunted big time. "Gary, you're following Prof. Oak's path. Do you know how much pressure it takes to trigger these traps?" Gary pondered, thinking back to the wolf.

"Well, judging by the injury from that wolf, I'd estimate about 25 pounds per square inch," he guessed. "It's not a lot of pressure so a bad step's gonna be painful." Just the teeth on the trap were painful. To Ash, this was a perfect chance to do some Pokémon Training.

"Let's see if we can do a little disarming with a little Draco Meteor. Gible, I choose you!" Ash threw a red/white ball which opened. Out popped a gray baby shark with tiny arms and legs. It's jaw was wider than Ash's. "Okay, Gible. Let's see if we can't get that Draco Meteor to work. And just to add to the practice..." He reached back to retrieve another Pokémon when Gible decided to take a swim in the dirt. No, really. With his fin sticking from the floor and ignoring Ash's command... "Wait! Gible!" Gible smashed into each bear trap, triggering everyone it hit. Ash sighed after this ignorant display.

"Seems as though you need more work," Paul huffed at Ash's chagrin. "Your Gible's as bad at listening to you as your belief that trust can win battles." Ash wanted to smack Paul on that remark but saw Gible doing a little dining. His meal: the bear traps. Normally, people would be satisfied with fruits, meats, breads...not steel.

"Well, I can't accuse you for not providing enough fiber to your Gible," Gary joked. Already, this temporary truce was showing its kinks. At least Gible provided safe clearance. Pacing on, the group followed a path, unaware of a hazard that could pancake the group. Gible was digging through when a rumble stopped it. An earthquake? Pikachu felt the quick jolt and turned to see a giant boulder barreling towards the boys. Quickly, Paul prepped a ball.

"Electabuzz, stand by for battle!" His ball opened with a giant yellow being which had black lightning bolts around the stomach. "Brick Break!" Electabuzz readied a left arm to smash when Gible popped out, giving Ash an idea.

"Gible, Rock Smash!" he ordered. Gible had it's tiny arms glowing too. Electabuzz chopped the rolling boulder and was quickly followed by the Rock Smash. The Rock Smash destroyed the boulder and two chucked hurdled through the air. SPLAT! Two geysers of putrid yellow were a tall tale sign that whoever tried to flatten the boys were gone themselves instead.

"So they were the ones responsible for the boulder," Gary believed. To Ash, something wasn't adding up. Still, they had no evidence to theorize. All they could do was press on. Soon enough, they spotted a village and it was thriving...at least to the naked eye. Regardless, the boys crouched by a couple of trees. The phone on Ash began to vibrate. Ingrid was calling and Ash answered it.

"Talk to me," he started.

"What's your location?" Ingrid asked.

"A village not far from Leon's body. Dealt with a few hostiles."

"Be careful out there. Keep your eyes out for the target." That's when Ash remembered the yellow blood.

"By the way, do you know why these people bleed yellow blood instead of red?" Ingrid hesitated to answer for a second.

"They bleed yellow?"

"Yeah. We view it as kinda odd."

"Well...I can't give you any proper answers at this point. What you can do is keep you and your team safe."

"I'll make sure. Update me if you got something new." Disconnecting, all Ash can do was make sure he, Gary, Paul and their Pokémon were okay. They watched as people were harvesting grain, chopping wood, etc. Gary grabbed binoculars, possibly from Leon, and viewed something...or someone on a hook. It was a man in a blue uniform with the hook on a burning stake. The hook was embedded through his chest. "We need to get through these guys if we want to find the daughter." Easier said than done.

"I don't necessarily need to listen to orders," Paul hissed as he stood to confront the villagers...only to have Gary yank him back down.

"You idiot!" he snapped. "These guys have all the weaponry to fend off rouges. You want to endanger your Pokémon?" Paul shoved Gary's arm aside in displeasure.

"What happens, happens. I don't care if they're armed with handguns, they'll let us find this missing kid." Gary knew Paul was ignoring a point.

"Recklessness is the master of disaster. We can't afford mistakes and jeopardize any chance for safe travel." Neither were aware that Ash and Pikachu had skipped out on the other two. They were pretty annoyed by the argument that steamed betwixt them.

"That recklessness got us here in the first place!"

"Your recklessness opened the hole!" Frustrated, Gary turned to...no one. "Ash?" This irritated Gary more. First his argument with Gary and now Ash ditching the scene altogether.

"Figures. The moment you turn your back to him, he goes on his adventures." Ash and Pikachu climbed a roof and entered through a window absent of glass. Inside, a cache of colored grenades and a double barrel shotgun were in a cabinet. Cautiously, Ash opened the cabinet and emptied it of the red, blue and green explosive canisters. Each had writing on every grenade: green had "FRAGMENTACIÓN," blue had "FLASH" and red had "FUEGO." While stuffing his pockets and backpack, his actions would not go unattended.

"Ladrón!"one male villager roared while wielding a pitchfork. "Usted no va a escapar!" Ash watched the hostile villager sloth closer.

"You're right, I'm not," he sneered. "Not without the girl." The villager rose his pitchfork over his head. Opening! Ash whipped out the shotgun and pulled the trigger with one hand. BANG! The gunshot echoed throughout the village, including attracting Gary and Paul's attention.

"Idiot~!" Gary grumbled. "Guess we gotta help him." Paul wanted to stay back but something confounded him to say help Ash.

"Reggie, why do you want me and Ash to battle in the Sinnoh Tournament?" he growled quietly. They pulled out Leon's weapons and moved in. Ash bobbed and weaved through the villagers who tried to kill him and Pikachu. Regrouped, Ash, Gary and Paul managed to fend anyone who bled yellow and slashed every item from a hatchet to a chainsaw. Ash threw one of the red grenades which exploded in a wave of flames, scorching all. There were so much vomiting yellow blood and many dead bodies scattered. Yet they pressed on.

"These guys make Team Rocket pretty patient!" Ash huffed in exhaustion. "They keep coming!" The boys were surrounded. Only a miracle could save them. DONG! DONG! Church bells? All that were alive heard the bells but the villagers began to move toward the church bells. 15 minutes of bloodshed ending with bells from some place of worship. All the boys could do was sigh in relief.

"Ash, what were you thinking?" Gary groaned. "We could have been just fine if you'd stayed with us." Ash wasn't too concerned with why he went out to scope the village.

"I'd thought if I'd get in and get out with some ammo, we'd be locked and loaded for what we needed to face." Well, we can't say he wasn't thinking about what was to come. Paul wasn't impressed by an iota. "At least for now, we have the luxury to finish harvesting anything for the road ahead." The boys were ready to split again when something alerted Pikachu, his ears perking up. Ash knew something was on his mouse's mind. "Pikachu, what is it?"

("I hear banging!") Pikachu squeaked as he hopped from Ash's head. ("I'm hearing it from over here!") The boys looked at each before following the Electric Mouse Pokémon into a house, then into a room. There was a drawer that was moving. Was there one in waiting?

"Proceed with caution," Gary warned. Ash and Paul positioned themselves in front of the drawer with Ash's hand on the door. Paul cocked Leon's piece and held three fingers up. Countdown... Two fingers... One finger... Point! Ash ripped the door from the hinges and a grown brunette male in some styling clothes fell out. His arms and legs were tied and his mouth was gagged with tape. Ash realized this wasn't one of the villagers.

"He's human!" he advised. The man struggled to break free. "Hold still!" Paul tore the tape from the man's mouth. He felt the tear and some blood...red blood...on his lips. He gasped a breath.

"A little rough, eh?" he huffed with a Spanish accent. Paul put Leon's gun away and called for the knife. Gary's toss was precise and Paul snagged it by the handle. Ash helped the man up to his seat as Paul worked on the ropes binding him. "So, neither of you are them outside?" He might have been referring to the villagers.

"We'd rather bleed crimson than vomit," Paul spat. Just red than yellow would be just fine. Once freed, the man rubbed his arms to make sure he wasn't harmed anymore than just some minor rope burns.

"I doubt that you have it considering your ages but in case...you got a smoke?" He's willing to light a cigarette to complete his freedom. Unfortunately, none of them had a smoke to offer. Pikachu's ears perked up again and went to hiding. The males turned to the door where two male villagers appeared, followed by a bald giant in a heavy trench coat and sporting a frizzy beard. The man cringed at the giant's arrival. "Perfect. The Big Cheese." The leader? The one who kidnapped Ashley? No wonder Pikachu chose to cower. Paul wasn't one to fear away.

"Perhaps with your defeat, you can tell us where the president's girl's being kept!" Paul wanted to end the adventure here and now. "Aggron, standby for battle!" The new ball opened and out popped a large gray raptor with steel plates and horns on its head. "Metal Claw!" Aggron raced in but the Big Cheese caught the arm and flung it right back at Paul. He couldn't react in time and was blasted off his feet. His lights were out. Seeing the knocked out rival, Ash and Gary realized they had no chance against the Big Cheese and quickly surrendered. The giant was side-by-side with Ash and Gary.

"No voy a matarte," he murmured. "En su lugar, serán sujetos de prueba decente." With chops to the back of the necks, Ash and Gary fell unconscious. The rivals were now at the mercy of the Big Cheese. What could their fates be?

CONTINUÁ...