Author's note: I just wanted to take a quick moment to thank everyone for reading so far and taking the time to give the great reviews and encouragement. I hope you continue to enjoy the story as it progresses. It's also really fun to read the speculation about what will be happening next!
Chapter 10: Revealing, Seeking
Two dragon-like Pokémon, one sliver-blue and the other white, were standing before the ring just outside the glass wall. But their way was blocked by…a human? The two dragons started attacking the human, one rearing back to bring froth it's clawed foot, the other launching a white beam from it's shield…
Leo Hanson caught himself by grabbing the ring just before losing his balance, the swampert appearing to do the same.
The infernape yelled something in rushing to the swampert's side, while Grovyle and Sally were just as quickly at his own. "I'm fine; it was just another vision," standing perfectly steady and seemingly satisfying them.
Sally looked between him and the swampert and after a moment, "Did…you both have it?"
"It was Dialga and Palkia" the swampert said. "They will be here or have been here."
"Those two dragon Pokémon were them?" Through the pure shock of 'seeing' the two mythological Pokémon, Leo also wanted to make sense of it. He was certain the Pokémon hadn't been there already (they would have been noticed along with tripping a few alarms!), which meant they would be? His counterpart mentioned Palkia might take interest in the ring, but…who were they fighting? A mere human? He hadn't recognized him…
Chris stared back blankly as the infernape said something to the swampert. "What just happened? Palkia and Dialga? Are you saying you saw them?"
"I think we had the same vision," Leo answered him. "It was that Dimensional Scream, right?"
The swampert nodded.
"You both had the same vision at the same time?" Sally asked. Pointing between the two of them, "You have the same distortion and you share the same visions, you even have the same names… That's a few too many coincidences! What's going on, Leo? Do you know something you aren't telling me?"
Of all the team members, he trusted her more than anyone else. "Actually…quite a bit." Looking down to his Pokémon counterpart, "You up to telling that story of yours again? The abbreviated version this time?"
"How much does she already know?" the blue and white Pokémon asked.
"As much as I knew before we met, which only includes the visions I had."
"This will be fun," he replied humorlessly, his infernape friend adding a "Yeep yeep."
Leo grabbed a handful of the chocolates out of the glass bowl, popping them in his mouth and savoring the melting sweetness while the human female stayed speechless for a good long moment.
Eventually, the long red-haired human seemed to 'unfreeze': "You…and this swampert, are the same…person?" asking his human self. "From an alternate future?"
His human self nodded, "Hard to believe, I know. But look at all the evidence: same first name, same distortion, same visions…same taste for chocolate, even."
"And he recognized the two of you and Grovyle when he saw your team photo on the internet a couple days ago," Chris said, pointing to each of them. "That's how we got your work number."
"And I also met Celebi last night," Leo Hanson added.
Sally stared back, mouth slightly open.
Still pretty, Leo thought, with her red hair and green eyes and pleasing complexion… Huh? The feeling of familiarity, of…closeness was stronger then before. Just what kind of relationship did he have with her when he was human? For some reason, the way she and his human self were acting toward each other in this future seemed…wrong…different?
Addressing him directly, "Hold on, if you went back and stopped the collapse, you would eliminate your own existence," Sally pointed out, "since you were changed into a Pokémon in that future. Leo is still human here."
"She's smart," Leo noted to his human self after hearing the same from Blaze. Which he was sure was something he already knew. The comment also earned an annoyed look from Sally.
"Smarter than me most of the time," his human self returned.
He continued telling the events that took them up to saving Temporal Tower from collapse and Dialga bringing him back from non-existence, finishing with "So, that's how I exist in two forms at the same time."
Standing up, Sally went to the balcony railing and looked over on the floor of the lab before turning back around. "Leo, this…is… I don't know how to take this. Do you actually believe all of it?"
Leo Hanson shrugged. "I just can't find any real reason to doubt it. Everything we know so far supports it. And it certainly is plausible, even if it just doesn't appear likely. Except for the part of me turning into a Pokémon, but can I say with certainty that that also isn't possible?"
"You know," Chris started, facing Leo, "ever since I met you, I thought you seemed sort of human in your manner, not to mention you can talk."
"Once being human could explain that, I guess," Grovyle said.
"I also said you were special," Chris continued. "Guess I didn't even know the tip of the iceberg. But now…you know, in a way, this kinda does all make a really weird sense, because you really are human in that swampert body, aren't you?"
"I think you're just a very unique swampert," Blaze added. "As much Pokémon as any other Pokémon."
"Alright, so if you started out here, Leo," Sally said, facing him rather than his human self, "on this planet, then how did you get to that Pokémon planet, and how did you return back here?"
His human self answered instead: "I think in that alternate timeline, he and Grovyle got there with our dimensional gate," pointing down below to the said large object. "I think we actually got it working then. But I'll let him tell you how he got back here."
Leo did and more, going into the dreams and visions he'd been having since before he and Blaze left the Poké world up to the present, and explaining the looming disaster Dialga sensed coming.
Sally turned away from them, waving off his human self when he approached her after she hadn't responded for a while. "Just give me a moment to comprehend all this."
Chris shook his head, reaching for a chocolate himself. "You know guys, it is a little much to take in all at once. I guess I'm not fully convinced either. You got to admit…"
Leo felt a quick wave of déjà vu. The way Sally was leaning on the railing, looking out over the lab… He'd seen that exact pose before. Something about…when they discovered where the time-space…distortions were originating from…?
"From another planet?" she asked, facing the gate down below them.
"And one of us has to go there."
Turning around, "But this gate isn't ready yet!" she pointed out, her green eyes widening. "We only just started testing it. To send anyone through now would be…"
"I know," he answered. He was afraid of telling her who he had already had in mind to go; who had to go, but it was apparent in her eyes she already knew. For whatever time they had left together, he didn't want to break her heart any sooner than he had to. "But we've seen the readings from the detectors. At the rate those distortion waves are increasing, I don't think we have another month to wait. We're just incredibly lucky we even have the gate as ready as it is…"
"This disaster is in the future you said," Sally said, facing everyone with an expression now full of thought, "and the dimensional distortions around you either have something to do with it or…are a symptom of it?"
Leo shook off the memory to answer with a nod, but he couldn't help but keep looking at her. She was…quite pretty. The remembered feel of her…
"Could this gate have something to do with it as well?" she asked. "It does work by creating a portal through another dimension, which could affect anything sensitive to dimensional fluctuations, in theory. And those visions you had about this gate…have they indicated what exactly will happen to cause it?"
Leo Hanson wasn't sure by reasoning things through if she was accepting everything he and his counterpart had just finished telling her or not. Over having worked with her side-by-side for the last six years, he'd learned she could shove aside personal doubts and work through something logically, letting things play through and the conclusions dictate whether it was truth or not.
His counterpart seemed to take a long moment before shaking his blue-finned and green-gilled head. "They haven't, and Dialga said he doesn't know what will cause it or what the disaster will be."
For some reason, the swampert was staring at her. Was he having trouble following her logic? Even though they were the same person, he also was a Pokémon, for whatever effect that would have his thought processes. "But the visions we had of something going wrong in Phase Two, with all those different people in it, there must be a connection. And this last vision, we both saw those…legendary Pokémon, here."
"Dialga and Palkia," his counterpart corrected.
"…and some human they started to attack. I think I'm really starting to believe this gate could have something to do this unknown disaster." So much now, that: "We should maybe think about postponing this project, do a top-to-bottom review of everything, go back over every equation, and reconsider every possibility, and think about everything that could go wrong."
He expected an argument from Sally. Instead: "Two mythological Pokémon involved. Time and space… To be truthful, we have been rushing things a little more than I like. But…I don't know if the Professor would allow it; Derganio may not like it either. I mean, we have been careful up to now, or so we thought." Frowning with a sigh, she appeared really tired all of the sudden. "You know, we're going to have to tell the rest of the team what's going on."
That, he knew, would eventually come. "You're right. We better tell everyone first thing Monday." At least he knew Sally would probably side with him. And if the two most senior members of the team were in agreement, they could probably get George, Naomi and Ticonamo on board too. That left Professor Werner as the real wildcard, and it would be his decision. More evidence would certainly help in swaying him…
Facing his swampert self, "Leo, it would really help if we had a more definitive answer on what this disaster is and what will cause it. Any chance of…" He even surprised himself in what he was about to ask, but there was a certain amount of selfishness to it. "…well, maybe having Dialga himself, or Palkia, come here and talk to us? Ah, assuming they can talk, that is." Indeed, he wouldn't mind meeting such mythical creatures one bit!
The swampert exchanged glances and several words with his infernape friend. If he read his counterpart's expression right, he didn't look very hopeful.
"If Celebi visits us again before then, I can ask her to relay the message," he finally answered.
Oh, of course! "Wait, maybe if Celebi could be here, that might help our case too. Could we ask her?"
"Grovyle, grooovyle."
From his partner's tone, he figured he must have agreed with his suggestion after the swampert nodded quickly.
"So I might be meeting these three mythical Pokémon in one day?" Sally asked with a note of cautious awe.
"Yeah, I haven't met even Celebi yet, guys," Chris said to both Leo and Blaze in a slightly mocking hurt tone. "I'd like to be around the next time she comes."
The swampert sighed.
Since they all now knew everything, there really was no reason why they all couldn't met her. Leo just hoped Celebi would agree to the meeting his human self wanted. He could see how her mere presence could lend a little weight to their story. But would postponing the dimensional gate project prevent or delay the disaster? His human self was right – they needed to know what, if anything, the project had to do with it, and at the moment Dialga and Palkia had the best chance of knowing that. But to get them to appear in front of a group of humans…
He had doubts. Dialga was likely right in that his presence would be disruptive, given the talk about him being mythical and all. Even around other Pokémon on the Poké world he had quite an affect. Around humans…from what he'd observed of them so far, he could imagine a number of unfavorable outcomes. But if they did appear, the lab seemed about the only room big enough that could hold either of them.
Sally stayed behind to take care of a few things, while the rest of them left for home. The rain had stopped by the time they got back outside, leaving only a soaked ground, a grey overcast sky and cool air. Even the thick stand of trees that surrounded the building on three sides was still dripping wet.
Falling along side him on their way back to the subway, Blaze was looking at him curiously. "Leo, you acted distracted in there. Was something wrong or were you remembering more?"
Distracted? Maybe he was. "I was starting to remember things…about her." More than just sterile memories though; feelings too. But how could he describe them, and was he certain about what he felt? "I think she…meant a lot to me when I was human."
His partner returned an even longer stare now, his mane puffing a little as cocked his head.
Her look, when they parted for the last time…the tears… Wait! Could it be? Could it be anything else? "I think we were in love."
Blaze's eyes went wide before he nearly tripped on the sidewalk. In front of them, Grovyle glanced backward before giving his human self a long, considering stare.
Neither said anything for the rest of the way.
Leo Hanson provided a late lunch when they arrived back at his place, which everyone started diving into like a pack of hungry mightyenas with very little talking. Except for him and Chris making small talk in the presence of other passengers, there actually had been little talking since they left the lab. This struck him as a little odd, since the two Pokémon Leo and Blaze seemed to always be chatting, at least since he first met them yesterday. Even Grovyle seemed more quiet than normal.
It didn't completely surprise him though. They all had more than enough things to think about given the last day and a half.
"Nothing to do but wait till Monday," Leo noted for everyone's benefit after they all finished the last morsel of lunch; he started cleaning up while contemplating what to do for entertainment. Chris, though, was looking longingly out the window on the opposite side of the kitchen, where the overcast sky was finally starting to let a few occasional shafts of sunlight through. Eventually with a grimace: "Given everything that's going on, I feel I should be sticking around instead of wanting to get some battling practice in. The Pokémon League competition kinda pales in importance."
Leo felt a little guilty for having him feel the weight of what was going on since he didn't have anything to do with any of it and really, what could he do anyway? The Pokémon competition was the reason he came to Pinnacle Valley. "No, you should go practice. If you don't mind an audience, I wouldn't mind coming to watch. We really don't have anything else to do for a while, and I know I wouldn't mind the distraction. What do you think Grovyle?"
"Grovyle!"
Now smiling, "Well, Blaze, Leo, would you mind some practice?" the blonde-haired trainer asked. "If things stay quiet, maybe we still can enter the competition. Of course Leo, I'll appreciate any suggestions you have during the battles just like before since you can't battle yourself yet."
The swampert and infernape talked between themselves for a moment, before the former answered, "Of course we'll continue to help you. You need not even ask."
Leo noted something in the swampert's tone that spoke of gratitude, and Chris's smile became just a little broader.
"Thanks, guys. That means a lot." To him: "Do you know where the nearest park is where trainers go to have practice matches?"
Leo stood by Blaze, who was sitting hunched on a bench right behind Chris, and watched with him as the human conducted a battle with Pikachu. The sky was still slowly clearing late in the afternoon, trees rustling around them as a slightly warm breeze kept any bugs away. The air was still moist enough that it still felt really nice, at least to him.
That morning's vision still puzzled him, though. Who was it that Dialga and Palkia were going to fight, and right in front of the dimensional ring no less? The vision hadn't been long enough for him to get much of a feeling from it, though he thought he sensed the human wasn't…nice. Well, if he was taking on both Dialga and Palkia, then he certainly couldn't be a good human…could he?
Nor smart, for that matter. If Dialga and Palkia had it on their minds to eliminate a human, what human could stop them? Virtually no Pokémon he knew or heard of could withstand their combined power either.
Who was he? The human had very light, almost white, long hair and a long face with almost delicate features. If his human self didn't recognize him, then it wasn't anyone who was working on the DG project. His human self also said it wasn't anyone he'd met from Derganio either, just in case they might be suspect.
Probably did him little good to riddle on it. His human self was far better able to investigate that part of the vision. For his own part, he intended to relay a number of questions to Dialga and Palkia the next time Celebi visited.
"Good hit, Pikachu!" Chris shouted, getting Leo's attention for a moment. On the field, the Pikachu was panting, but his houndour opponent was just getting herself back up on all fours.
Another puzzle was Blaze. He'd been mostly silent ever since he told him what he remembered of the human Sally. What else could he say? The more he made sense of what he was starting to remember, the more certain he was he held strong feelings about her when he was still human. The pain of leaving her when he left for the Poké world…he felt acutely.
Was that what was really bothering his friend though? Or was it the mission and what they discovered about the project his human self was working on? Deciding he'd should've asked long before, "Blaze, you've been really quiet. Are you alright?" He found it hard getting a reading from the infernape's expression as he turned to face him, which didn't happen too often.
Shrugging, "Any more memories?"
"Not since this morning."
His friend sighed, seeming like he wanted to ask something, but turned back to watch the battle.
This wasn't like him; Blaze usually told him of anything that was concerning him, but now he wasn't. So, it had something to do with his memories? Maybe…could he be worrying about his former relationship with Sally? But what would that have to do with anything? He was about to ask him more specifically, only Chris called them both over at that moment.
"Good job, Pikachu!" Chris congratulated as the small yellow electric-type Pokémon left the field, smiling broadly, Leo Hanson and Grovyle cheering from another nearby bench. "OK Blaze, we're up against a sandslash next. Think you can take it?"
Blaze barely looked at the said Pokémon standing on the opposite side of the field. "Probably," replying with little emotion. Even his tail was limp.
For Chris's sake, Leo translated it with a little more certainty while wondering if he could help Blaze to an easy victory, despite the fact his partner's heart didn't seem to be in it. He wanted to ask what was weighing on him, but now it would have to wait until after the battle.
Leo Hanson followed the battle between Blaze and the sandslash with some interest. After the first few moments, it was apparent the infernape wasn't fighting too well though, taking several hits while only landing a couple weak blows.
"If that's the way that infernape fights, Chris is going to have a hard time of it," commenting to his green friend.
"Gro…vyle rrr."
Which he knew that meant sad agreement.
"Flamethrower!" Chris shouted in what sounded like exasperation, resulting in only a near hit as the sandslash seemingly used speed right at the top end for a sandslash to mostly evade the attack.
Still, he was only half focused on the match. That morning's vision troubled him. If the two mythological Pokémon Dialga and Palkia, neither of whom had presumably been seen by humans for thousands of years, both appeared in the lab…was it because they actually will come to Monday's meeting…or because something serious happens? Considering they were attacking, unless an unannounced guest also shows up, then the vision was more likely of that letter scenario, and could be on any day since it had to be of the future.
Try as he might, he couldn't remember anyone like that person. He also struck him as somewhat…different. Not many people had nearly white hair, at least not naturally. In fact, no one that he could recall ever seeing anywhere had hair like that, excepting the elderly, and that human certainly didn't look old, maybe thirty if he had to guess. His facial features, of what he could remember from the maybe two second look he got, were also…gentle, lacking the hard edges that the majority of males had – more boyish in appearance.
Sitting on the bench by him, Grovyle flinched as Blaze took a nasty hit, but also returned a solid one for the first time.
The fact that he saw Dialga and Palkia "in person" for the first time ever wasn't lost on him either. His heart quickened just remembering their forms. Dialga, a large blue-sliver dragon-like being, looked every bit the regal form ancient legends described him as. And Palkia, gleaming pearl-white and not quite as big but more fluid in form, seemed equally majestic. One able to control time, the other space…according to legend. Suddenly, the fact that Dialga was able to resurrect his Pokémon counterpart from an erased timeline didn't quite require the leap of faith as it did just that morning.
In an idle thought, he wondered just what powers the two really wielded. What wonders…or havoc, could the two of them perform or inflict?
"Punch!" and the infernape went charging after Chris's command.
"Punch!" the other trainer mirrored, the sandslash charging as well.
Blaze leapt up to land the blow while the sandslash moved to the side in preparation. With a great sideways throw, Blaze landed the punch into the side of the desert-dwelling Pokémon, but by moving forward just a little, the sandslash used Blaze's own downward momentum in landing it's hit squarely into Blaze's stomach. With a half roll, the infernape landed hard on his back before promptly curling up into a ball and not moving.
"Blaze!" Both the swampert and Chris ran onto the field as the other trainer, a kid of maybe thirteen, was jumping up and down in victory. At least his sandslash gave a worried glance backward as it returned to it's trainer.
Leo Hanson got himself up to run over too, Grovyle right behind, in case he was needed. The hit certainly looked bad, but not necessarily injurious to a Pokémon. For a tired Pokémon though, it was clearly of the knock-out variety.
"Blaze!" Leo knelt down close, lifting the infernape's head in his one good arm and trying to bring him back to consciousness. He wasn't completely out as he was staring back at him from out of the ball he was curled in, but he wasn't responding either. Except…his eyes were wet.
"Oh man, Blaze," Chris said worriedly. Starting to work his arms under him, "I have him Leo," then with a heave, got him cradled in his arms enough to carry him back. "My fault, I shouldn't have called that last attack. That sandslash was just waiting for you."
Leo followed closely until Chris set him back down on their side of the field, his friend still clutching his stomach. Immediately rummaging through their satchels, he extracted a couple of oran berries and held them to Blaze's mouth, only for his partner to push them away.
"Will he be alright?" his human self asked.
Leo ignored him, instead working on getting Blaze to eat the berries to regain some strength. "Come on Blaze, you'll feel better. Like I did when you gave me one in camp a few nights ago."
Blaze again refused, though he did sit up without help, still partly curled.
By tugging his arms gently, Chris managed to get him to let go of his stomach before probing around a little, feeling here and there and asking if there was any pain, to which Blaze merely shook his head slightly.
"Are you sure?" Leo asked.
"It's not bad," Blaze replied, not like he was lying, but as one who cared little.
He wasn't so sure he wasn't hurt pretty good, but relayed what his friend said anyway.
Chris looked relieved, as did his human self and Grovyle. Though Grovyle grabbed his human self's pants at the waist, pulling him toward the field. "I've seen enough. I want to fight that sandslash."
Looking confused, his human self refused to budge. "What do you want, Grovyle?"
"He wants to battle," Leo told him.
"What? You sure? But we haven't fought in a match for years! Why now?"
"To test myself. And I'm in the mood to battle that sandslash," Grovyle replied, somewhat angrily in glancing back at Blaze.
Leo translated and watched as his human self relent in walking to the trainer position on the field, still acting very much surprised.
"This I have to see," Chris said. "After this Blaze, I'll get you to a Pokécenter just so they can look you over just in case." Giving the infernape a good pat on his shoulder, he left Blaze and him alone.
Just as well, since he really needed to get to the bottom of something. "Blaze, will you tell me what is wrong?" he implored of his friend. "You haven't been right all day and your heart was not in that fight. Let me help."
Blaze only looked down, seemingly on the verge of despair…and trembling. "Leo…I…saw the way you were looking at her. And you said so too. You still love her, and you want to become human again and stay here with her, don't you? But you're my closest friend, and I don't want to see you go away, not again!" His eyes became wet enough that they shed a few tears.
Huh? He suspected it had something to do with what he told him that morning, but it never occurred to him his partner would come to that conclusion! Then he started to realize something else: even though he came to this world with virtually no memory of it, he still had the knowledge that he was from here. Blaze had no such comfort; he was a stranger in a completely foreign world and they'd been doing nothing but dealing with unfamiliar things ever since they set foot on it. Not only was he Blaze's greatest friend and partner, but he was also his lifeline in this world. To fear losing both…
"Blaze, listen to me. I do remember loving her - as a human. But I'm a Pokémon now, and that time seems a long time ago."
"You…don't still love her…and don't want to stay here?"
"I…don't know about love. I know I've changed since then, and I don't have the same feelings as before; I only have those few memories now." His memory of loving her…was he absolutely sure that was all it was? "There is one certainty though: I am not ever going to leave your side. I'm surprised you would even think I would. We've been through far, far too much together." Holding out his good hand for a brief moment, Blaze grasped it.
"Friends forever."
"Forever." He broke their grip to grab the oran berries behind him. "Now, eat your berries – or I'll have to punch you with my good arm until you do." That finally got a weak smile out of Blaze before he did what he was told.
A primal scream after the sound of a hard impact got both their attentions as they looked to the field. Grovyle was standing over the flat-on-his-stomach sandslash, almost growling. "How's that hit?" he shouted down at the moaning opponent.
"Not…bad," it replied weakly. "I'm done."
This time the sandslash's trainer wasn't nearly so celebratory, Leo noted with some satisfaction. He noticed something else, too: not far away on a bench near some trees, sat a human who was watching them. Ordinarily he wouldn't have noticed, but he remembered seeing this same person wearing really dark sunglasses when they first got to the park. He was still there, still watching, and still wearing the sunglasses while everyone else who had been around at first seemed to have moved on a while ago.
Leo wondered about him, but unlike the man he saw at the Pokécenter where he had his broken arm treated, this person wasn't wearing grey clothes. Different person or just different clothes? The sunglasses made it hard to tell… Wait, the hair was a different color, lighter.
Maybe he was just getting paranoid. But when they left as a group to head to the Pokécenter, he sneaked a glance behind them in pretending to ask Grovyle something, realizing with some shock the person had left the bench, heading in the same direction behind them.
There was a Poké saying about it only being called paranoia until one's paranoia turned out to be well-based. He pretended not to notice the human, even fooling Blaze enough for him not to notice he was acting any differently. But after arriving at the Pokécenter, seeing the person ducking into a store next to the center, then come back out after they left the center a short time later: "Don't look behind us, but I think we're being followed."
"Huh?" Chris asked, very nearly turning around like he was told not to do.
Both Blaze and Grovyle returned questioning glances.
"Are you sure?" his human self asked, sounding rather doubtful.
"A human male in light colored clothes and wearing sunglasses," he answered. "He was watching us battle at the park, and he's been following us ever since we left."
"Who the heck would be following us?" his human counterpart mumbled.
"I wonder…" Chris said in the manner of someone realizing something. "Leo, when we get back to your house, there's something I should tell you that I completely forgot about."
Leo Hanson set out a plate of meat, cheese and crackers on the kitchen table, not sure what to make of Chris's story of what happened to them on the way to Pinnacle Valley. Two people showing up in their camp, then a guy in a grey suit and sunglasses was poking around the Pokécenter and inquired about his Pokémon counterpart? "You said it looked like they were scanning?" asking to make sure he got that detail right.
Both Chris and Blaze nodded, Chris making a back and forth sweeping motion while pretending to hold something. "That's what it looked it. I don't know what else that would be."
Considering his counterpart was there, only one thing came to mind that required a scanner. And now that they had mentioned people in suits and sunglasses… "You know, I didn't think much of it at the time, but yesterday while I was waiting for the subway to go and meet you, I thought there was this guy in black suit and dark sunglasses who was watching me. He got off at the same stop, too. Thought little of it at the time, but now…I'm curious."
"You were being watched too?" his Pokémon self asked.
But that was the only time…at least that he'd noticed. The scanning, both he and his counterpart being followed… "If we're both being watched, maybe it's because of our distortions. I'm thinking what those two people in your camp had was a handheld DV detector."
"They were looking for you then," Chris said to the swampert, not with complete surprise.
"But who else would have a DV detector?" asking more to himself.
"You said you have one, right? Do you have more; was one stolen?" Chris asked.
Waving off the idea, "No, we only have one. And it's way too large." Indeed, it was hardly mobile by anyone's definition, being the size of a large cabinet like the ancient computers of a hundred years ago. With work and more research, perhaps it could eventually be shrunk down to the size of something handheld, but it would take years in all likelihood. So again, the question was who else would make one? Who else would have the knowledge and technology? Who would want to?
And it hit him, just as his Pokémon self spoke: "In that one vision we had, you said it looked like another gate project."
"But it looked like it was being destroyed," Leo pointed out. The imagery of the fire and screaming people haunted him still along with the feeling of fear. "Well maybe, whoever it was continued the project, at least as far as developing the technology to detect and track dimensional variations. But then the question is for what purpose? The only reason we built our detector was to test base technology before serving as an aid to creating portals and navigation through them."
"What if they continued working on it because they intend to build another gate?"
He faced the swampert, shrugging. "Again, maybe. If it was me and I had a gate destroyed like that with people killed, I certainly wouldn't continue the project. I guess the detector could have uses in certain physics fields, but I don't know what else." Once again, he wished he could of spoken to that one Derganio representative fellow, Terrace, who maybe had been part of that project, if that's what it really was. Following the same line of thinking: if a Derganio person was involved, then Derganio logically was as well. Perhaps the pressure Derganio was applying for the team to finish the gate was related…
But depending on how many years ago it was, the man may not even have been with the company yet. And who knew who those men in the suits and sunglasses were with or what their objective was.
Just too little information to draw many conclusions.
"Besides for finding me?" the swampert asked. His infernape partner said something and he answered back while the rest of them waited. Then: "He said if they were using such a scanner and they came to our camp, then wouldn't the reason be to capture me? Otherwise why else come into camp."
"Grovyle!" Excitedly, his green partner spoke quickly to the other Pokémon, after which all three of them faced him.
Leo thought he got the implication. "Or maybe their detector only works at real short range. I don't know, but if it's a dimensional distortion they're after and they intend to capture you, then I could be at risk also." Except…no one's tried to capture him that he knew of. "This is all guesswork, though. We don't have much to go on here other then some group of people are following us, and they may have a DV detector."
"Maybe we should just confront them and ask," Chris suggested, earning his own round of stares.
The infernape cocked his head as Grovyle hissed, twitching his wrist leaf blades.
Leo actually found himself considering it. Doing such could put them in some unknown amount of danger, or could scare whoever it was off. On the other hand, they stood to get some answers. After another moment of considering: "Chris, I think you and your Pokémon need more battling practice at the park tomorrow."
His Pokémon counterpart patted his own infernape partner on the back. "Agreed," he said with a wide swampert smile.
Leo gazed at the sky above him. It was perfectly pleasant on the roof patio as only the slightest of breezes stirred now and then through the cooling air. Just a few high, thin clouds were above, reflecting the light oranges and deepening blues of sunset as first the moon, then the brightest stars started appearing. Although noise from the city around them was ever constant, he was getting used to it and mostly tuned it out.
It was an evening like many he and Blaze had spent back on their world; an evening of eating, lazing around, and just generally relaxing after a hard day. And this was the first such real evening like it they had since they came to (or in his case, returned to) the human world.
Adding to his pleasure, his human self even rigged up a couple of benches in one corner, laying pillows and other padding over it so that his rear fin would fit between them and he could lay on his back fully supported. Since becoming a Pokémon, he'd never been able to lay like that, always having back or head fins preventing it. Now, supported by the benches and with his head fins partly over the end, he was enjoying it for the first time!
He felt…fully relaxed, especially with the pain medication he was still taking. Although not near as bad as what he was given on first arriving at the Pokécenter with his broken arm, this medicine still made him somewhat sleepy when he wasn't moving.
With a content sigh, he reached over to the small table next to him, picking a few pieces of the strong smelling Poké food Chris bought on a quick errand earlier that evening. Popping them in his mouth, he savored the meaty flavor that carried a hint of some spice he couldn't quite identify.
"You look silly," Blaze light-heartedly commented while settling down on the other side of the small table, grabbing a few pieces for himself.
Leo swallowed, barely moving his head to see him out of the corner of his eye. "I've been dreaming of laying on my back for a long time. I know swamperts are meant to lay on their stomachs, but oh, does this feel nice for a change."
"You almost look like a pig on it's back and ready for the dinner table. Just need a perfect apple in your mouth."
Leo had to look closer at his friend to gauge how much he was joking. His toothy grin said it all. "Who'd ever want to eat a swampert? I can't imagine I'm particularly tasty."
"I'm sure a hungry charizard might take the chance. Hm, I wonder if humans eat Pokémon?"
Searching his as-of-yet still extremely limited memories and knowledge of his time as a human, he had no answer. "I don't know."
Blaze flagged down Grovyle as he was leaving the stairwell, heading past them toward Chris and Leo Hanson on the other side of the roof. "Do humans eat Pokémon?"
Grovyle appeared caught off-guard by such a question at first, but quickly answered. "A few. Magikarp are somewhat popular and are eaten along with other non-Pokémon fish. They are actually quite good."
"You've eaten some?" Blaze said with surprise.
"Of course." Grovyle waited for a half moment before continuing past them. "By the way Leo, you look undignified…" he said in turning around briefly, "…but comfortable. Let me know if you need anything."
"Ha ha!" Blaze exclaimed, pointing. "See?"
"I refuse to get up," Leo declared with a another sigh. Indeed, he could see himself sleeping like this. To emphasize the thought, he relaxed his arms completely, letting them hang down over the sides of the narrow benches, the cast on his left arm making it feel quite weighted, though not uncomfortably so.
"Aww. Leo want his tummy rubbed?" Blaze teased in a cooing tone.
"Please," he returned, wondering how far he could take it.
"Ha!"
They fell silent for a while, the low tones of Chris and his human self talking from the other end of the roof being at times almost drowned out by an occasional passing vehicle on the street below. It was almost hypnotic and he was feeling himself becoming more and more sleepy.
Blaze yawned after while. "Leo, you asleep yet?"
"Not…yet." But getting close.
"I wonder if Celebi will show up tonight."
Which was of course, mostly the reason they were up there this evening. "Depends on how far away Dialga and Palkia are," he replied, also with a yawn. "Could be two days round trip."
"I'm also wondering who that human was you saw in your vision. If Dialga and Palkia were both fighting him, then he must be really dangerous or powerful. But humans aren't like us; I mean, they don't have special abilities like a flamethrower or water pulse, do they?"
Nothing he could remember suggested they did, nor anything in the stories they'd heard about humans on the Poké world. Almost by instinct, he didn't believe so either. "I don't think so. We haven't seen any humans doing such since we got here."
"Then it doesn't make any sense," Blaze pointed out.
"Maybe this human has a machine or something that will make him powerful. Humans have Pokéballs, which seem to have the power to fit us into small spaces." Who knew what else there was.
"Think they might have something that can…control us…or worse?" Blaze asked with some alarm.
"I don't know. We better ask my other self or Chris about that, though."
"You'll have to ask them."
"I'll ask tomorrow." He was just too relaxed to even move at the moment. But Blaze brought up some good questions, which lead him to another: "I wonder if there's any connection between that human and those that seem to be following us? He must have a connection to the disaster, if he was facing off against Dialga and Palkia."
Blaze didn't answer for a moment as he settled himself down flat, a pad between him and the roof. "If there is, we should be careful. They could be as dangerous as that human then."
Leo hadn't realized that. Now he grew a little more concerned.
Settling on the bench nearest the battle field along with Grovyle, Leo Hanson tried taking as inconspicuous a look around them as he could. Of the half dozen or so people somewhat nearby, none really stood out, but then he wasn't about to look behind him just yet either. That would be a little too obvious.
"You ready to battle?" Chris asked Blaze where they were standing on the close end of the field, facing off against a older woman and her red and white feathered blaziken that was a good foot taller than she was.
The infernape almost shouted something in a low, determined voice, smacking a fist against his other hand.
"He's ready!" the swampert translated quietly as the other trainer's blaziken seemed similarly pumped.
"Well, this should be interesting," Leo told Grovyle, to which his green partner answered in Poké speech.
Returning a confident nod to the infernape, Chris gave a mild slap to his back. "Alright Blaze, you know what they say: it's best to fight fire with fire! Now, get out there and let's avenge yesterday's loss!"
Replying with a "Yeep yeep!" the infernape literally leapt out onto the field.
"Dare I say it," Leo observed, "but he's really, um, fired up this morning." Unable to help it, he gently jabbed Grovyle's side with his elbow.
Grovyle shook his head. "Groooovyle…"
Which was as close to a moan as his friend could give.
From the outset, it was a pitched battle. Both having fire abilities and fighting physically well, Blaze was looking much better than the previous day. It was obvious the blaziken had the advantage in size, but he thought Blaze had it speed and agility. All told, they were about as evenly matched as two Pokémon of different species could be.
After Blaze landed a well-timed flame attack on the blaziken, Leo pretended to drop something through the slates of the bench. Of course, in turning around and retrieving it, he glanced around the area behind them. He very nearly paused in catching sight of the same person from yesterday in slightly more faded blue jeans, but still wearing sunglasses. The glasses would almost be out of place, but the man choose a good spot directly facing the strong mid-morning sun so such dark glasses would be appropriate.
"Well, I think we have a suspect about a hundred feet behind us on the bench near those bushes," reporting to Grovyle after retrieving his small piece of paper. "We'll see how long he stays." But he got a better idea almost immediately. "Actually on second thought, there's concession stand a little ways in that direction. Let's go and get something; we can get a better look at this fella then." At first he was going to have Grovyle stay put, but if these people were as dangerous as his Pokémon counterpart suggested they might be over breakfast that morning, he'd rather have his partner with him.
It was a shame to not continue watching the match, but finding and likely confronting one of these "followers" at some point was most of the reason they were in the park.
Grovyle shouted something back to Chris's wartortle as they left the bench, who was standing on the sideline by himself. Probably telling him where they were going and doing. Indeed, they had felt it prudent to have a little extra "firepower" standing by, just in case. Chris's other Pokémon were staying put in their Pokéballs for the time being, to serve as an element of surprise if needed.
In passing the dark brown-haired man on the walkway, Leo had to really resist the urge to give him undo attention. Noting the newspaper on his lap, he gave a short "Hi" to him, which was returned with only a nod as the man seemed more interested in the battle between the two fire-types.
Hm. Fairly uneventful, and it really didn't accomplish much. While at the concession stand and paying for enough bottled drinks for everyone, he got a better idea for the way back, but wondered if he should really push it that far. He leaned close to whisper it to Grovyle, getting an appreciated nod of approval in return.
Heart pounding at what he was about to do, he stopped by the man on the way back. "Really a good battle going on, huh?" He had to concentrate to not sound nervous.
The man nodded again, only sparing a quick glance and a "Yep".
He certainly had a good alibi for watching everyone, Leo realized; even training battles were a legitimate spectator event. Which was exactly what he was going to try and exploit. "Say, if you want to watch it, why don't you move to one of the closer benches? You'll have a much better view. I think they're going to have more battles after this one, too." That got the man's attention finally.
"No thanks," the young man answered in a shallow voice. "Too much fire being blasted around. Could get burned."
There was that possibility if one sat too close, he had to admit. Spectators getting hurt by errant attacks was not unheard of, especially in the hundreds of unregulated matches that took place daily. "Just don't sit right next to the field and you'll be fine." He smiled, hoping to break the ice a little.
"I'm fine here, but thanks anyway."
Well, so much for that idea. He thought for sure the man would take the offer; after all, he was giving him the perfect excuse to watch them all from a much closer distance without arousing any suspicion. Unless he thought there was a risk in getting too close…like maybe letting something slip he shouldn't or having too many questions asked?
While returning with Grovyle to their bench, Blaze finally scored a knockout blow to the blaziken. "Oh, thanks!" Chris said as he started handing out the bottles. Blaze took his gratefully, twisting the cap and taking several quick gulps.
"What were you talking about?" his Pokémon counterpart asked in taking his own bottle.
"Oh, you were watching us?"
"I noticed you over there."
"Just asked him if he wanted a closer look, since he seemed interested in the battle. I was hoping to get him closer so we could watch him better as well."
His counterpart seemed to consider that for a moment. "Clever. But he didn't accept?"
Leo frowned. "No." He still thought it was a good idea, though.
"Well, do a couple more matches, and then leave?" Chris asked.
"Yes. Grovyle and I will then return to the concession stand, and if this person starts to follow you, then we'll know for sure he's more interested in…my counterpart, I guess, rather than me."
"Then what?" the swampert asked. "Do we really confront him?"
Of all of them gathered in a loose circle, none of them said anything immediately.
If they confronted the man, they could set into motion other, perhaps less favorable events. Or they could get some answers. Or they might not succeed and the man would get away without revealing anything, but now being alerted that they were on to him. A fourth outcome could be they do get some answers, only to find it something totally unrelated to anything they cared about. There probably were a multitude of other outcomes as well.
"Did he have any Pokéballs on him?" Chris asked.
"Not that I saw," Leo answered, Grovyle shaking his head in confirmation.
"I think we've been watched and followed long enough," Chris finally said. "I want to know who they are."
His Pokémon counterpart, the only other one among them who could talk, nodded. "Blaze and I were sent here to investigate. If these humans have something to do with the disaster, we need to find that out. Unless there is some other way to get answers from them?"
Leo Hanson shook his head, coming up blank. "Other than directly confronting one of them, I don't know of another way off the top of my head. Except for waiting for them to make a move."
"I'd rather not wait for whatever they're going to do," Chris replied, cracking the cap on his bottle of soda with a sharp, angry twist.
Blaze said something in Poké speak, as did Grovyle, both sounding in tone like agreement.
"Alright then, after the matches we'll follow our original plan: if he starts to follow either of us on the way back, we'll confront him. I'm sure the police will be interested in why he's following us if he doesn't answer us."
"Yeep yeep!"
Leo could only interpret that as excitement from the infernape. Or nervousness. If the later, it'll be at least one thing they had in common.