Chapter 5: A Life Sentence and Early Release

I was sure that I was going to be stuck in this hell hole for an eternity. Every day was the same: I would wake up to find food in the bowls at the end of the room. After eating what I was sure was a fair amount, I would get yelled at for eating most of it and gnawed on myself by Croconaw. I was taken and experimented on daily. Except now I was injected with some sort of shot after every meeting with those evil bastards, which would tear up at my insides and make me experience an unimaginable pain. Aabra offered ideas of escape, but I refused until I had seen the face of Dr. Slater, as promised. Aabra was helpful, he explained to me just who these people were and what was going on.

TechNet was originally a company that used pokemon genes to cure human diseases. A typical Red Cross. They eventually turned their attention to transforming people into pokemon, but for what reason was unclear. When pressed, all Aabra said was that there was a different reason everyone was here. He said my reason might have something to do with my almost automatic knowledge of some strong moves and that I started out as an espeon and not an eevee.

My daily life was the same painful experience for what I deemed three months. Every day, Croconaw's jaw was stronger and the shots were as well. They always administered them in the same place every time, and the site was getting pretty infected. Eventually they noticed this and I was started on some antibiotics. As time passed, I started to give up on Slater's promise. Then, he finally came through.

When I was received for testing one day, I was brought into a different room than usual. I was injected beforehand this time, which I thought was unusual, as well as the lack of pain I felt. I thought I had just gotten used to it though. Then, the door opened and a tall man in a lab coat walked in. He had a thinly shaved beard and a constant evil smile. His eyes were green and full of spite.

"Well hello there, Jonathan. We finally meet face to face," Said the man in front of me. I knew this voice and immediately recognized Dr. Slater. I furrowed my brow and looked at him angrily. Then I felt woozy and was unable to concentrate any Psychic energy.

"Nice sedative, hmm? Picked it out especially for you. Don't want you doing anything you'll regret later!" he sneered. "Anyway, now for why you're here. We've just brought you here to let you know that we're through with you. We've gotten all the information we needed. But, since you won't stop looking at me like I look at my ex-wife, I won't be giving you the pleasure of why you're here or releasing you into the world. I really thought we were friends here, Johnny-boy. Guess not. Hahahaha!"

I staggered and looked up at him in disgust. He probably never planned either of those things in the first place, just telling me so to spite me. I wanted to unleash so much power onto this guy. I wanted to take all of the pain and hurt I've been feeling and just unleash hell. But I instead fell over, too numb and stiff to do anything.

"You'll be moved into a new storage area. But don't fret; we'll make sure your croconaw friend goes with you. After all, I know just how much you two would miss each other otherwise. But you will be saying goodbye to that stupid aabra that's been spilling lies into your head. We can hear your conversations, John, and we're not pleased. Thanks to you, we'll make sure that ingrate never talks again. And he'll have you to thank. Today just keeps getting better for you, now doesn't it? Hahahaha!" He turned and left, cackling.

I hated that laugh with every fiber of my being. A grunt came in to transfer me shortly after Slater left. I was put in yet another cage and we left the room. I slowly regained the feelings in my limbs and was fully awake again by the time we got to my new pen. I hated this. All of it, I was just sick. Being treated as an animal, a snack, and a subject to be tested. I just couldn't take it anymore.

The man who was handling me *shudder* was rather careless. He knew I was tired, and maybe thought I was still a little sedated. I thought to myself, "What am I waiting on anymore? I now know the face of my enemy. I finally have nothing keeping me here. Time to get the fuck out!" I turned on the man putting me in my cage. I gathered what little energy I had into a Psybeam that knocked him back. Croconaw was behind me.

"What are you doing? Are you insane? They'll gut you good for that one! Never bite the hand that feeds you, mate!"

"I'm not letting them feed me anymore. I shouldn't need to be fed; I'm a 24 year-old man for Christ's sake!" I turned back to the grunt, which was coming back to his senses. I grabbed his body with my telekinesis and flung him to the side. I jumped down out of my cage and ran forward. The other guards had become aware that I was making a break for it.

I slid between one's legs and dodged another to the side. I ran down the corridor of cages as fast as my legs would take me. I took a turn and saw three men near a large switch on the wall.

"This must be important!" I said as I threw the switch with my mind. I could get used to being Psychic.

"He's released the cages!" One of the guards said as a look of terror overcame his face. All of the cage doors opened and pokemon began to flood out. All of them began to run down one hallway, so I figured I might as well too. We all ran past several guards, heard many alarms, as well as caused several explosions. I think TechNet was overwhelmed by the entirety of their pokemon prisoners escaping. They may have been able to handle this if it was a few of us, but we were way too many for them to do practically anything.

Eventually, the mob of pokemon found its way to a back entrance and we flooded the outside world. Most pokemon went their own way, no one really knowing each other. I wondered what happened to Aabra, I didn't see him anywhere in the crowd. I didn't have any time to wait though, because TechNet grunts started to follow us outside. There had to be almost just as much of them as there were of us. Some pokemon got re-captured, but I ran. There was nothing more I could do; I wasn't about to risk going back in there.

I ran towards the city as fast as I could, not knowing what I would do or where I would go, and not, quite frankly, giving a damn. I just wanted away.