Poke-genetics: salvation and damnation
There was a shadow in front of him. He could not make out its shape, but his instinct was telling him to run away! He desperately tried to move his body, only to find out he was chained to a wall.
«No… » he muttered with disbelief.
This couldn't be true. He was supposed to be in Ash's house!
It had been a hallucination after all! He knew it! There was no way his torment could end!
Breathing heavily, he heard the sound of footsteps, each louder than the one before. A rightful terror moved his insides, breaking him down before it even started.
The shadow finally took a recognizable shape: Janes.
Her sly smile on her hateful face, she walked toward him in a feline manner: gracious, slender and dangerous.
At the sight of his greatest nightmare, Genno struggled out of his chain with more energy than he ever mastered.
In vain.
«Why do you struggle so much Genno? » she questioned. «Haven't I told you it's useless? Don't you realize it'll never end? Don't you know you can't escape? Why do you still try? »
Alone in the darkness, a monster talking to him, Genno saw a glimpse of hope.
«Because I'm not alone. »
Janes's smile faded slightly. For a second, she stopped, effectively speechless. Then, she sighted.
«It seems we have not played enough. No matter, we have all the time in the world. » she finished with a sadistic grin.
Genno closed his eyes as he saw her reached for her tools.
He could catch the sound of muffled voices. It was… familiar, as if he had heard them countless times before. His eyes progressively let light filter his surrounding until he could make them out.
Where was he? Wasn't he chained to a wall seconds ago? He had never been here before, but it was a comforting place. It gave off the feeling of being friendly, of being like his old self.
That was just a vain wish.
He was lost, he knew it. Nothing could return what he lost. He wasn't able to see reality for what it was. It put a lump in his throat. He was so afraid, afraid of what his deranged mind could do to him, afraid of being insane. Where he thought he was alone, he cried quietly. With each tear, he was trying to cope out with the ugly, hideous truth.
Little did he know, that outburst of emotion was not completely natural. A few feet away, Misty's milotic was using its power to let the teen filter his emotions, to induce the greatest state of mind for a recovery.
When the last of his tears had dried out, Genno felt relieved… and dirty. By giving in, he had admitted deep within himself that he was not sane anymore. Now, he really wanted to clean himself, to wash away that dirtiness.
Staggering on his feet, focusing on a single goal, he did not notice the milotic that was patiently waiting in a corner of Ash's room. Genno walked to the corridor and, in the doorframe, realized he had no knowledge of Ash's house. Was the bathroom on the second floor?
Luckily for him, the door in front of him was half-opened and he could see behind it what appeared to be a mirror. Thinking he had found a hint, he reached for that door and got inside the bathroom.
It was quite a sober bathroom: a mirror over a faucet, a toilet and a shower hidden behind a violet curtain. It was more than Genno was asking for. His greatest desire right now was to splash his face with cold water to get rid of that lingering sleepiness. As he got closer to the faucet, his eyes were naturally moving toward his reflection in the mirror. What he saw was horrifying. It was Ash's face, without a doubt, but he looked so hurt, so deeply lost. The greatest thing about Ash, his constant enthusiasm, was absent from his traits. He was just a disgrace to his friend's body.
Suddenly nauseous, Genno had to grab the borders on the faucet not to fall over.
He felt a much greater urge to clean his soiled soul now.
He could feel it; in the corner of his eyes, there was a crawling shadow, waiting for its time to come and crush him from the inside.
Genno stripped, leaving the clothes on the floor. While he looked away, they took a faint darkgreen color.
He hurried to get in the shower, feeling more than ever this need to wash away the uncleanliness that was sticking to him and his twisted mind.
The water rained on him. He didn't care about whether it was cold or not; he wanted it to flow. With a growing obsession, he scrubbed his bare skin with soap.
It wasn't working. The shadow was coming closer; he heard it in the back of his mind.
«Gennooooo… where are youuuuuu? » a sweet feminine voice asked.
When he caught the echoes of that question, his already fast rhythm went on to the next level.
He had to wash away that uncleanliness!
«I want to play with youuuu… Genno. » she repeated.
Sobs blocking in his throat, Genno scrubbed his skin harder.
«Are you already dressed properly for our game? » she inquired with a slightly perverse tone.
A movement to his sides made him jolt. She was here! The realization made him panic. He desperately wanted to hide!
A tall, slim, shadow was casted on the violet curtains.
Genno was back against a wall, unable to hide, unable to think.
When the curtains were moved aside, he could not hold back a scream.
«NO! » he yelled, hiding his face behind his arms.
«Calm down. »
Genno stopped shaking. It had been a very different voice, a voice that sounded like a melody, one of peace. Slowly, his eyes moved upward until they landed on the creature that had spoken: a slender pokemon shining of its own beauty, a milotic.
«Who are you? » he asked.
«I'm a Milosia. My trainer asked me to look after you. You are troubled. »
As she got closer, enough to be under the rain of the shower, her radiant glow shone down upon Genno.
«You need my help. » she stated.
He was not listening. His whole mind was focused on a single thing; the miracle that had happened. There was no fear that was paralyzing his body, there was no dark shadow lurking from a black hiding place.
There was no voice to trigger his madness.
Stunned, Genno looked at his shaking hands. It… it was… too good to be true.
His eyes full of tear of joy, he was trying to get enough control over his mouth to express his gratitude.
A very comforting expression on her face, she wrapped herself around him in an extremely gentle embrace.
His tears rolling down on his cheeks, he hugged her. His voice shaking under the weight of his erupting emotions, Genno whispered a single word.
«Thanks. »
«That's… crazy… » Ash muttered.
«In a way, it is. I don't find it that hard to believe though. » Marco replied with an even voice.
He could feel their incredulity and their shock in the air. They were paralyzed, too stunned to voice an objection or a question. Those few words seemed to have taken most of his capacity for speech.
For a moment, he let them digest the revelation. They would probably not make a very good conversation in their current state anyway.
His brain more active than ever, Ash was reviving every single event he had a part in which involved a legendary pokemon. The risks had been… high. Each time involved more danger than the last, each time the power of the legendary pokemon had amazed him, each time had asked for more courage than the last...
He saw what they were able to do. That story… could be true.
Which led to a horrible question.
«…What are they going to do with the remains of Mew's egg? » he asked, shivering as dreadful ideas were crossing his mind.
Next to him, Pikachu was trying to get a grip on himself. They dared steal the remains of Mew's egg!
«I have honestly no idea. » Marco replied. «I have never taught of what I'd do if I could get my hands on it. My goal was to prevent Giovanni from getting it. »
«So we're still in the dark… » Ash simply whispered.
His voice was surprisingly quiet and calm for someone shaking not ten seconds ago. Worried, Marco looked at his son with an unspoken question.
Ash didn't seem to notice, he was giving the impression of carrying an enormous weight on his shoulders. He simply walked away, Alexchu clinging to his fur in his sleep.
No one moved to stop him. They were not sure what to do themselves.
After a short time, Pikachu decided to follow his friend, leaving Misty, Delia and Marco alone.
An awkward silence filled the room.
«Geez… this is going as well as I imagined it would go. It's nice to be back home… » Marco could not help but think as the silence continued to plague the room.
He did not want to disrupt his wife and his son's friend any further, but there was something important to do and it would be best not to delay it.
«Lilia. » he called her.
Her eyes fell on him. How much would he not give to see those beautiful eyes filled with love again? As gorgeous as he remembered her, she suspiciously asked him what he wanted.
«We need to make a phone call. »
Under Misty's and Delia's puzzled looks, Marco stood up to use the phone.
Ash entered his room. He wanted to talk to Genno, no matter how unreasonable it was. He wanted to apologize. The problem was: Genno was not in his room.
Anxiety surged inside him. In his poor state of mind, his friend should not be left wandering alone!
«Where are you? » he asked.
No one answered; neither Alex who was now sleeping peacefully on Ash's bed nor Pikachu who had followed him.
«Ash… » his pokemon said.
Turning around, Ash looked at his friend.
«What is it, buddy? » he replied with a disheartened voice.
«Won't you tell me what is on your mind? We're friends. You can talk to me…»
The sadness in Pikachu's voice was like salt on a wound. Ash felt another wave of guilt hit him. What kind of moron was he? Every passing moment was just him causing pain to the people surrounding him! Ignoring the tears that were starting to swell up in the corner of his eyes, Ash talked with a much stronger voice.
«It's too much! » he exclaimed.
Pikachu put a paw on his best pal's shoulder.
«I fail at everything I try! I could not help Genno, I could not prevent Team Blast from getting Mew's egg even when all my friends put their lives in danger for it, I'm not even a good trainer!»
Ash was about to continue with his rant when the distinctive sound of sparks cut him. His eyes round in surprise, he felt a powerful current of electricity pass through his body.
It was not painful, not this time. Instead, his body felt lighter and his mood had lightened up.
«You needed a bit of energy. » Pikachu said at his unformulated question.
«Thanks… I guess. » Ash muttered.
Before Ash could add anything, they heard the door of the room open brutally.
«Guys? » they heard a very familiar voice shout.
They both turned around at the same time to witness a dripping Genno in the doorframe, Misty's milotic sliding gracefully behind him.
Their jaw fell to the floor at the same time.
He was stark naked.
«You wouldn't believe what happened! » he continued with overflowing joy.
That extreme happiness was such a shocking contrast with earlier that they stayed silent... and were a bit worried.
«It's gone! Her shadow is gone! » Genno continued with the same joy.
The lack of answer surprised him and his smile disappeared when he noticed their uneasy expression.
«What is it, guys? » he asked, clueless.
Pikachu cleared his throat before declaring.
«You're naked. »
He blinked in surprise. He… kind of… forgot that. The two pikachus witnessed the furious blush that appeared on Genno's cheeks. They had something in common now.
Without a word, he glowed a bright green and shrank down to their sizes. When the light dimmed, he was a pikachu, just like them.
«There! I'm still naked, but at least that won't be embarrassing. » Genno said, trying to hide his uneasiness.
His two friends trying to forget that scene, Genno hesitated to continue. For a moment, nobody dared to speak. Finally, it was Pikachu that put a stop to this awkward situation.
«…so… you were talking about a shadow…? » he asked.
Genno's eyes once more reflected his joy.
«Yes! It's gone! I can't see it anymore! »
Confused, Ash and Pikachu looked at each other. Should they ask him more about that shadow he was talking about or…? Marco's words were ringing to their ears : « 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. » They couldn't decide what to do. They were afraid; they didn't want their friend to have another freak out.
Horribly conscious of himself, Ash tried to make a movement toward Ash.
It was extremely subtle, but he could feel Genno tense. Instantly, Ash stopped, making Genno and Pikachu jump in surprise.
«What is it, Ash? » Genno asked, his voice shaking a little.
While Ash was concentrated on Genno, Pikachu clearly noticed that Misty's milotic had started to glow again. The effect was nearly instantaneous and Genno's shaking stopped.
«You… you look like you're afraid of me. » Ash explained.
He would not swear it, but Ash thought he saw something flash in Genno's eyes. What he was unaware of was that Milosia had intensified her power on Genno once more in an attempt to calm him down.
Genno didn't look good. His ears had fallen on the side of his head,, showing what he was feeling.
«It's… I… I… I can't… » he blabbered, unable to express his thoughts.
«It's okay, you don't have to say it… » Ash replied, a deep sadness grabbing his insides.
«NO! I'm not afraid of you! » Genno vehemently said. «I'm afraid of…of… being touched by you… or Pikachu… »
«Huh? What? » Ash managed to say in his astonishment.
«I… there's no way to explain it… it's just… something she… she… » Genno started.
When Genno stopped talking, Pikachu's eyes widened as a rising feeling of panic assaulted him. His friend was staggering! His paws on his eyes, he was mumbling something impossible to understand. He was already about to go help him when his friend's words came back to him. He didn't want to be touched by them. It terrified him.
Ash probably taught the same since Pikachu saw him flex his muscles only to stop and move backward.
Both were biting their lips as they saw Genno getting increasingly incoherent. What were they supposed to do? What could they do? If they tried to help him, they would only make matters worse!
The answer came in the saving and slender person of Misty's milotic. Wrapping herself delicately around him, she shone her light upon him.
Holding their breath, they witnessed the water type's action and the miracle that occurred before them. Little by little, Genno's shaking faded, replaced by an unshakable peace. His arms now resting on his sides, he shot a look of pure adoration to Milosia.
«Thank you. Thank you so much… » he said, inclining his head in front of her.
«It is a pleasure to help you. » her melodic voice echoed in their minds.
His newfound sanity having returned, Genno looked at them.
«Sorry about that… I should know better than to… » he apologized.
«No! Don't apologize for that! » they both shouted in response.
«I really should… I'm actually conscious when those happen… I just can't control myself… » the morphed teen sheepishly explained.
Unable to find the right words, they didn't have the time to reply. Genno continued on a less joyous note.
«Just… please… never ask me to remember that… If I think about, I know I'll get lost. »
«Don't… we'll never ask you something like that. » Pikachu assured.
«Yeah… I've done enough already… » Ash whispered quietly.
Genno and Milosia were both surprised to see Pikachu smack Ash's head with his tail.
«Will you stop with that? You're a great trainer and the occasional failures you've experienced are not your fault! Anyone could have failed in your position! You're a teenager that had to cope with being turned into a pokemon, thrown into a conflict of epic proportions with a gang of criminals and the anxiety of being a young dad! Give yourself some credit for Mew's sake! »
«But… » Ash weakly protested.
«No «but»! You've done much better than many in your shoes and that's that! »
Seeing the process of thoughts Ash was going through, Pikachu proudly nodded, his arms folded, only to see Genno's hesitation. Why was he looking so weird?
«Ash… » he said quietly. «There's something you should know… and I know it's hard to assimilate. »
Ash shot a careful look at Genno. He didn't like how that sounded.
«What is it? » he asked, regretting it as soon as the words had passed his lips.
«When I was… there, I was put in a glass box to… » Genno started.
When he put a paw in front of his left eye, they all moved closer to him, ready to help him if he was to lose consciousness… or his mind…
Nonetheless, Genno continued with a slightly shaking voice.
«I was in the lab… where they kept every single test subjects they had... and… I've… never… »
He stopped, the words stuck in his throat.
Devoured by the curiosity, Ash pressed him, knowing he was going to regret it bitterly.
«What is it? »
«I… there was no pikachu in there. No male or… female. » he completed, his eyes closed to avoid witnessing what was bound to happen.
Ash froze completely.
«WHAT? » he shouted, waking up Alex in the process.
The now shooting pichu caught everyone's attention… except Ash's, who was trying to reject entirely what he heard. While Pikachu jumped on the bed to comfort the crying baby, Ash stayed where he was, stunned.
That had to be a lie. He had to have seen wrong. She had to be there! Alex's mom couldn't have been elsewhere! She couldn't have escape… if he hadn't seen her, that meant…
NO! It couldn't be!
He had made a promise! He had sworn to his son that he would save his mother! He… he… had made a promise… He couldn't let Alex down…
His tears flowing against his will, Ash was trying to control himself. He was failing miserably.
Again.
Overcame by sadness, he was letting it all out.
«Aaaaash. Come down here please. » His mother called from the first floor.
«Huh? » they collectively exclaimed.
The cheer unexpected part of that call had been enough to get him out of his dreadful train of thoughts.
Mechanically, Ash went downstairs, followed by the others. He was not really thinking, just in a second state of mind. The only thought that was filtrating through it was the curiosity about that new fact to add to the equation.
His mother was waiting in the hallway leading outside. She looked as if she had just opened the door and received an unexpected visit.
That was a pretty accurate look.
With but a few words, she handed him a sheet of paper.
«Our little neighbor, Martin, said a blonde lady asked him to give you that letter. »
Just as stiff as before, Ash took it and took a few minutes to read what was written on it.
Before anyone else could see what was written on it, Ash dashed outside, murderous rage possessing him. His mind contained only one coherent thought: «WHERE IS SHE? ».
Pikachu picked up the letter and gave it to Genno.
«What does it say? »
Seeing his friend's fur stand up straight as he read the words, Pikachu was shaken by a shiver. That was definitely bad news.
«It says: Hello Ashy-boy. » he began, imitating a cheerful and sickening voice.
Pikachu felt the horror hit him.
«I'm written this on the behalf of a good friend of mine. She's less than a meter tall, has yellow fur and red cheeks… oh, and a heart-shaped tail. Maybe you know her? Anyway, she's been very depressed lately. I think she has a broken heart or something. You wouldn't happen to know who this irresponsible boy is, right? I'm a little bit afraid that, if she doesn't see him soon, she might try something irresponsible and… die… I just thought I should tell you. See ya. »
Genno marked a pause, feeling nauseous, then read the last line.
«With all the love in the world, Janes. »