Poke-genetics: explanation
He heard his mother say something. Minutes ago, she had left to greet whoever had rung the bell. Curious, he tried to make out their conversation, but he was too absorbed by his own discussion with his friends, not to mention that Alex was hugging a lot of his attention too. The same as ever, he was running around the place under their combined surveillance.
However, when he heard both his mother and the other person come back, Ash decided to grab Alex and make him sit for a while. Ignoring the pout on his son's face, Ash looked at his mother and the stranger entering the room.
It was a strange feeling. As their eyes made contact, Ash felt like… he knew that man. He couldn't tell why or who, but this brief silent exchange left him that impression.
As strange as that was, Ash completely forgot about it when he realized that the man was carrying someone: Genno!
He was about to jump to inquire about his friend just like Pikachu, when Delia spoke suddenly.
«You should bring him to Ash's room… »
At the suggestion, the man turned to her with a sorry look.
«It… wouldn't be a good idea to leave him there alone right now. »
They all looked at him curiously. What did he mean?
«Explain yourself. » she said coldly.
Marco bit his lips. That was not something he could announce to his son and his friends that recklessly.
«First, let me put him on the couch. This… could take a while to explain. »
As the man approached, Ash took Alex and jumped to the floor, letting the man install his friend comfortably.
What Ash had first mistaken for unconsciousness turned out to be a normal rest. Seeing this, Ash was about to wake him up when the stranger stopped him.
«Huh? » Ash exclaimed, feeling a firm grip on his paw.
«I'm sorry, but you shouldn't try to wake him up. »
He was clearly not the only one to be confused. Pikachu was obviously suspicious. As for Misty and Delia, they were waiting with expressions that were akin to skepticism.
The man sat on a free chair and held his hands together.
«Where should I… Hum… » he muttered, upset about this shocking truth he had to explain. «Okay. I should start here. Where do you think that your friend has been for the past few days?»
Pikachu and Misty shot each other a worried look while Ash was trying to grab the implications of the man's question.
Surprised at the lack of answer, Marco continued.
«When the attack the gym leaders… » he marked a pause to look at Misty. «launched against Team Blast succeeded, there was someone who got left behind. »
Ash felt his jaw dropped in horror. No… their friends… they were winning against Janes at the time, right? Surely, Genno had escaped with them… They didn't abandon him there, did they?
He shot a disbelieving look at Misty who stared blankly at the ground.
They… had met him in the Celadon's gym.
And he told them Ash had died.
That… was a fake?
Mutual horror was painted on the face of everyone present, minus Marco. He was only surprised. They had not even realized? Had there been a mole disguised as him in their ranks? If so, they had to do something about it. However, the most urgent task at hand was to inform them about Genno.
«Your assault had extremely positive results. Team Blast had lost every single hostage of value they had left. This left Jonathan Avery in a killer mood… and he had one of the perpetrators in his hands to vent that anger. He… used that opportunity. »
He did not even have to look to see that both Misty and Delia had put their hands in front of their mouth in shock and that Pikachu and Ash were staring at him in complete denial.
«What… did he do to his own son? » Ash asked with a shaking voice.
«Jonathan is always looking for… test subjects. He seemed very pleased to have a new ditto to experiment on. »
«He didn't… » Pikachu simply said.
«This lead to some extremely disturbing moments. I've witnessed some of them and… you should know that it wasn't pretty. »
A silence akin to that of a cemetery had fallen on the room.
«At that point, Genno was an emotional wreck. He was confused, sad, in pain and disgusted toward what his own father had inflicted to him. But… if it had only been that, he would have passed through this trial, I'm sure of it. »
He sighted in sadness. The boy had suffered too much, all while he could only whisper words of encouragement.
«To think that man would sink that low… » he said in a low, threatening tone.
«What has he done? » Delia inquired with unease.
«He asked… Janes to make him… obedient. »
They had reached a new degree of emotion that couldn't be classified as horror.
«She certainly knows her stuff. When he first came back, he had a dead look in his eyes. Apparently, that wasn't enough. Jonathan asked her to train him again. To his eyes, he was not obeying fast enough during his experiments. The second time she brought him back to his cage, he was covering in fear at the slightest sound. After the third time, he started talking to people that weren't there. He… lost a part of himself during each of his meetings with that… monster. »
He paused. The teenage girl and his wife were crying. The two pikachus face looked harder than diamond. Their rage was tangible.
«He hurt our friend», they were thinking. «That man will not get away with it! HE'LL PAY! »
And under that armor of anger, there was a lance of guilt that was piercing Ash's conscience. He was with him at the time. Genno had saved his life by catching him in that healing pokeball and saved him from that very same fate by sending him back to Professor Oak's lab. What had he done to help? Nothing. He had not helped his friend in any way. If, instead of going for a second hit, he just knocked the weapon out of the scientist's hands, he would have prevented that tragedy from happening.
Marco was unfortunately not done.
«He's still your friend, but… I'm afraid he lost his sanity. »
Why was he the one that had to say this? He didn't want to cause so much pain to his son and his friends!
But it was a duty that fell on his shoulders… as he had somehow taken part in that injustice. Team Blast existed because of him.
«This is why I insisted you let him sleep. You need to understand he is not the same as before. You could talk to him and he will sound the same as before… and then he would look at something that is not there. At that moment, he will lose any appearance of sanity and show you the depth of his trauma. »
«That's… » Ash tried to articulate, lost for words.
«So far, we have been lucky he hasn't had a nightmare. I can only imagine how frightening it must have been for him, and just that is enough to make me shiver. »
«How… how do you know all that? » Pikachu asked, disturbed.
«I told you. I was there when Jonathan experimented on him. »
Consequently, Pikachu took a more menacing posture.
«So you were a member of Team blast! »
Contrary to what they expected, he just burst out laughing. Between two deep breaths, they could hear him whisper something.
«Oh… the irony… »
Growing impatient, Pikachu started growling and got the man's attention once more.
«You could say I was at some point… though I wasn't really a proper «member» in the way you seem to believe. And no, I was not performing any kind of experiment on your friend either. No, while I may have been part of certain experiments, it was more as a test subject. »
Delia's eyes widened.
«But I'm just going in circles. I am Marco Blaze. »
Two voices joined each other in an aggressive battle cry. Marco watched as Pikachu and Misty, her pokeballs already in her hands, were standing in front of him with extremely clear intentions.
The information did not even register. More than those predictable outbursts, the lack of reaction from his son was much more important.
«Ash, don't you have anything to say? » he wondered, genuinely surprised.
His son was looking at his own son, who was getting bored with this conversation. Marco contemplated Ash as he played with Alex's hair.
«Honestly, I'm really angry at you. » he declared with a neutral voice.
A knot formed in Marco's throat.
«No matter how good your reasons were, what you've done is something I don't think I can forgive. The worst thing is: I don't hate you. I can't. »
Marco couldn't believe his ears, much like them moments earlier. The difference was that he was in shock because of the hope.
«Had I met you earlier, I would probably have hated your guts for abandoning us and creating Team Blast... but now that I have a son too… I… understand. »
There were no doubts in Ash's eyes or in his voice.
«If I was in the same situation, I might have done the same. Parents would go to any length to help their children, that's something I learned. It's just… what you did… I can't honestly hate you… but this doesn't stop me from being really angry at you. I don't accept you as my father yet… »
Okay, he had to be dreaming. This was the only explanation. His son knew who he was, what he had done and was not rejecting him completely? This was beyond his wildest hopes.
He was not the only one to be surprised at Ash's behavior. Once about to attack, Pikachu was trying to stop his knees from flinching. What in the name of Mew was his friend talking about? He did not hate Marco Blaze, the Marco Blaze that started this whole mess, the one that threatened Kanto?
«Ash… what are you saying? » he asked, confused.
Ash shot a delusional look at his best friend.
«Pikachu… Marco Blaze… is my father. »
«WHAT? »
«And everything he did… was to prevent Pallet Town from being destroyed, us with it. »
«But… you… the… » Pikachu muttered, not able to articulate a coherent thought.
«However, this doesn't explain how you were able to get here. » Delia stated, changing the subject to restrain herself from doing something she might regret.
Marco glanced at her. It was best not to do anything that might go against his wife's wishes right now. He had seen that look on her face before and that was rarely a good sign.
«After the recent events, Jonathan knew it was not safe to stay in the old headquarters anymore, so he chose to move. I was in the same car as Genno when a group attacked. In the middle of the confusion, I was able to escape, with Genno in my arms. I think they were wearing green and white uniforms. »
«Team Kanto! » Ash exclaimed.
«You know them? »
«Yes! They attacked us just when we were about to get whatever Team Rocket had stolen here. If it wasn't for them, Team Blast wouldn't have this thing. »
As Marco, suddenly pale, opened his mouth to answer, they heard a soft moan from the couch Genno was sleeping on.
«Genno! »
They immediately leaned closer to him and saw that he was slowly waking up.
«Humm… where am I? »
«You're in my house. » Ash answered.
A tired look on his face, Genno shifted to a sitting position and his two pokemon friends jumped to his sides.
«Oh, that's weird. I thought I was in a forest not too long ago… » he said for himself.
While they doubted Marco's words at first, something did seem off about their friend.
«I guess I'm hallucinating again… » he stated with a voice so heartbroken it shook them.
«No! No, Genno! You're not hallucinating! We're here! You're in my house, in Pallet Town! »
The lights of doubts in the teen's eyes were unbearable. It was one of the saddest things Pikachu and Ash ever saw. No matter how desperate things were, Genno had never shown that kind of despair. He was always looking toward the future. Now… now he was trying to know if he was even in the present!
«…maybe I am… I've never been here before… » he added pensively, looking in a blank space. «So, let's say I suppose this is not just a product of my imagination and that I won't wake up tied to a metal table with someone about to dissect me, what were you talking about then? »
«We were talking about Team Blast and Team Kanto. » Pikachu replied.
«Team Kanto? Who are they? »
«Another group of criminals that want to take control of the region. » he summarized.
«Another? » Genno whined. «Really? »
«Yeah, they even have the uniform. » Ash added sourly.
For some reason, it retained Genno's attention.
«What are they like? »
«Green with a white «K». »
His eyes widened and he stayed silent, thinking deeply.
«They're another group we'll have to deal with. »
At that, Genno reacted strongly.
«No! You… you can't! You have to focus on Team Blast! They're our enemies! » he protested.
«But… » Ash tried to object.
What happened next was burned into their memories. As Ash moved toward Genno, his left hand touched Genno's arm. The teen froze.
Under Marco's horrified eyes, Genno slowly turned to see where his friend hand was making contact with his body.
«It's… going to happen now! » Marco thought as he stood up.
Ash did not understand the sudden change of behavior. He was observing his friend's reaction when a shiver ran down his spine.
Genno's face was distorted by an unreadable expression.
And he screamed while holding his arm as hard as he could.
«MY ARM! » he yelled in pain.
All but Marco jumped away in shock.
«IT'S BLEEDING! » he continued to scream.
To Ash's horror, there was not even a scratch there.
«Genno! » he called as he approached.
His friend shrieked as he saw Ash moved closer.
«NO! DON'T TOUCH ME! » he begged.
Ash jolted as if he had been plunged in boiling water. There was so much fear in Genno's voice. How was that possible? His friend was afraid of him?
Even as he was screaming, Genno could hear the whispers of that voice.
«I told you it wouldn't end until I said so. Even if I'm not here, I can use my knives. I showed them to you, didn't I? There's Stan, Pikachu and Ash. They're here with you, ready to play at any time. Do you like it? »
Janes's voice became a poisonous whisper, fainter than the sound of the wind on his skin.
«Are you up for another game? »
When he felt a pair of arms hold him in place, he yelled in panic even louder.
«NO! I DON'T WANT TO PLAY ANYMORE! »
«Chhh… it's okay, Genno. You're not playing with her. » Marco whispered to him. «You're not with her. You're with your friends. »
After what appear to be eternity, the screams died out, replaced by a quiet sobbing.
«I don't want to play… » he repeated.
«You won't. Don't worry. » Marco assured.
Petrified until now, Misty finally found the strength to move. With a quick movement, she took out one of her pokeball and called her pokemon.
«Milotic, come on out! »
They witnessed the apparition of the sea serpent pokemon with mixed feelings. What was Misty doing?
As it appeared, the pokemon graciously sled on the floor, moving toward the crying teen. With a soothing «Milotic», it started to glow a peaceful light. Alex, who started crying when Genno panicked, fell asleep.
Under the benevolent influence of the water type, Genno's sobbing stopped. For a second, he stared blankly at the pokemon, as if unable to see it, but after a moment, he gave in and fell in a deep sleep.
Fortunately, Marco's solid grip maintained him in place. Carefully, he lifted the teenager and turned to Delia.
«I think it would be best to let him rest. Is there any place he might sleep without hearing us? »
«We'll put him in Ash's room for now. » she replied.
As Marco followed her upstairs, Misty looked at her milotic.
«Good job, Milotic. Now, stay with him and calm him down. »
With a gracious nod, she agreed and went after Marco and Delia.
In the oppressing silence that appeared, Ash, Alex in his arms, was reflecting about what happened. «He was really afraid I'd touch him. Why? It's not… » A cold hand was holding his chest. It couldn't be! Was… his friend afraid because of what had happened in that office? At that time, he couldn't do anything to help Genno. He tried to knock his father out, but was shot instead. Genno had saved him with the healing pokeball and had been captured.
The horror was lingering in Ash's head. It was HIS fault! He had been a burden! He had not helped his friend at all. As a matter of fact, he had contributed to his demise! If he hadn't been so selfish, Pikachu would have gone instead and, being a much more powerful pokemon, he would have saved Genno from his father.
Ash could feel the guilt place a lump in his throat. It was his fault his friend was this way!
He was so deeply affected that he did not notice his parents coming back.
Marco announced as he sat back.
«He should sleep for a little while. He usually does that when he panics too badly. I honestly don't know what we could do for him. »
«For the time being, we should just let Milotic calm him down. She can influence people's emotion for the better. It should help him. » Misty stated.
Marco gratified her with a weak smile.
«Let's hope. »
He waited for a minute, eying Ash who seemed to have received a dangerous shock. His son was looking absent-mindedly at the pichu resting against his chest. It pained him to see Ash in such a state, but somehow, in a weird way, it comforted him to know a bit more about his son. He could easily tell what kind of person he was and the education hid Lilia had given him.
Delia, Misty and Pikachu all gathered around Ash and tried to comfort him the way they could. Marco wanted to join them, but he knew he didn't have that right yet. Instead, he waited for Ash to declare he was okay. More than that, his son asked him something.
«Marco… we were… talking about Team Blast and Team Kanto. We have to know, now that Team Blast has the thing you wanted to stop Team Rocket from getting. What is that thing? We could not find any records describing it or even giving it a name. »
When they saw Marco bite his lips, they were struck by an uneasy feeling.
«You are right. You have to know. » Marco conceded. «I am just surprised none of you realized it when you were so close to it. »
At that, Pikachu's ear went up, his whole attention toward Marco. Was he saying what he thought he was.
His motion didn't go unnoticed by Marco.
«Oh, you are starting to catch on, aren't you, Pikachu? Well, pokemon would know. It's more of a legend for them. You see, it goes back to the birth of pokemon on this land. It was told that, a night where the moon was dark and the sky was free of stars, when the land was dried of moving life, a shooting star was thrown from the infinities of the universe and fell to this earth.»
When he heard Pikachu gasp, Marco knew for sure that he had understood where he was going.
«In a great flash of light, it crashed in a forest and in a sound comparable to a thousand thunder, the star was known to this world. It is said that, in the middle of the crater, rested a rock. Its colors were more diversified than a rainbow, its glow brighter than the sun, its nature more mysterious than the moon and its qualities more numerous than the stars. As this earth cried upon the gift it had been offered, the rock cracked open. In what was the most cruel and benevolent act, the rock was fragmented and a great star was born. »
At the mention of the great star, Ash felt his breathing stop.
«The star looked upon this barren world, devoid of any fantasy and created the most extraordinary creatures known to man: pokemon. »
This time, Misty and Delia joined the others in their astonishment.
«Its task accomplished, the great star decided to hide, observing its children from afar, as a guardian angel. To this day, its kindness is still revered and continues to watch over us. That is the tale of the birth of life. »
Stunned but curious, Ash interjected.
«Wait! This doesn't tell us what Team Rocket had taken away. »
«It does, Ash. You see, the great star left it behind, in the middle of what is now called Cerulean Forest, in a place where no human is allowed to go. Unfortunately, one day, a pokemon whose motives were unknown, perhaps its trainer wanted it, perhaps it was acting on its own, stole it and disappeared with it. It is said that it lost it soon, unable to handle the item it had stolen. For long, no one heard of it, but, months ago, a rumor came to Giovanni's ears. It had been seen somewhere around Pallet Town. »
Ash and Pikachu turned and looked at each other with the same idea. A place where no human were allowed on… in Cerulean Forest… They knew a place like that.
Misty, her, didn't have any idea about a sanctuary, but there was one thing she was sure of: she was devoured by curiosity.
«What is it? »
Marco looked at her, then at Ash and Delia. In a theatrical manner, he said:
«You haven't guessed it by now? I'm talking about the remains of Mew's egg. »