Poke-genetics: breaking point
Pikachu turned around suddenly, making them all flinched in surprise.
«What is it, Pikachu? »
«I thought I heard… something… » he replied, his eyebrows arched with suspicion.
After Genno had repeated his words, they tensed even more.
A few minutes passed in silence as they waited for the electric type to elaborate. With a discernable sight of relief, they saw that Pikachu stopped looking at the shadows of the trees around them.
«It's probably nothing. You can continue. »
After another translation, they all seemed to relax, except for Officer Jenny.
«Hum… don't loosen your attention. We are too close to them to be careless. » she said.
Pikachu nodded, fully understanding and keeping his senses as sharp as he could.
The police officer continued to explain the plan to her subordinates. As Pikachu already knew that part of the plan, he left his mind wander. His eyes fell on the clearing they were in. It was certainly crowded. Most of the cities police's forces had answered Jenny's call and were now separated in a few groups that were waiting for their next orders. The Officer Jenny of Viridian City was the one leading the operation and was fulfilling her role with great efficiency. This discussion with her subordinates was mostly to put them into greater disposition for the fight to come.
Pikachu certainly appreciated her competency, but his patience was growing thin. Their plan needed a certain trigger to work and they were not to act until it started.
He could not help but shoot a worried look at his friends. Genno was sitting on a log and he was concentrating on Jenny's word. His ability to understand both humans and pokemon was especially useful, even if they discovered that a side-effect of the transformation allowed the transformed human to understand roughly the pokemon they had turned into. Since they had all been turned into growlithes... they still needed a ditto to understand the other pokemon. Next to him, the milotic that introduced herself as Milosia was graciously resting at his side. Normally, Pikachu would have been extremely happy to see her so close to Genno, but, due to their proximity with Team Blast's new headquarters, she was not to use her power unless he would start screaming otherwise. The subtle shaking of Genno's hands was all the hint that Pikachu needed to know that it was not easy to keep his sanity without her abilities.
Pikachu sighed. He could hardly believe that they had allowed him to come.
When the news of the preparation for an attack against Team Blast's base reached them, Pikachu knew they had to give a hand. However, he had not taken into account that Genno would have wanted to accompany them.
He could easily remember how their conversation went.
«Guys, this is something I can't sit out of. »
«Yes, you can. You're hardly able to think clearly. It isn't time for you to jump into battle! » he had protested.
«Pikachu, this is something I need to see with my own eyes. I fear that if I don't… I… might never fully recover. What will happen is… essential to my sanity. I have to know ! »
When they realized how much he was trembling, they couldn't dare to oppose him anymore. As he sensed their acceptance, Genno confided the real reason he wanted to be there.
They gasped.
Afterward, they understood. They didn't approve, but they understood.
He still thought it wasn't a good idea. His friend was unstable. Who knew how he might react once he was there?
Pikachu bit his lower lip. Things had to be as impossibly complicated as they could be... and they were. On the other side of the clearing, Ash was walking between the officers to contain his impatience. He reminded Pikachu of a wild pokemon in a cage.
The moment he had read Janes's letter, he started acting that way. Pikachu was sure that if he had known the location of Team Blast's headquarters at that time, he would have rushed there without thinking. It had taken all of Pikachu's strength to restrain him long enough for his fury to subdue.
Frankly, if Marco hadn't made that phone call to Jenny and Gregor Dexter, establishing a link with the Kanto residents that wanted to rebel, Pikachu wasn't sure how things would have turned out with Ash.
What he saw inside those usually so familiar eyes weren't normal. He wasn't sure of whom he was worried the most between Ash and Genno.
«Reporting Sir! » a lower ranked member said as he entered the lab.
Jonathan made a muffled noise that could have been an authorization. He was focusing on his latest experiment, a masterpiece that wouldn't be reproduced in a lifetime. He was completely over such mundane preoccupations. Feeling her hesitation, he turned around, temporarily letting the poke-geneticist he was be tossed aside to make place for the leader of Team Blast. His gaze concentrated on her, he nodded as a sign for her to continue.
Swallowing loudly, she finally managed to make her report.
«Sir, the information sent by our spy has been confirmed as true. They are half a dozen of groups of police officers surrounding us. He said they were waiting for something. »
«Reinforcements? » Jonathan said in an inquisitive manner.
His icy eyes made the poor woman shiver.
«It is currently unknown if this is what they are waiting for. » she replied while trying not to shake too much.
With a sight, Jonathan shrugged it off.
«It matters not. Just send superior numbers and go after them, one group at a time. » he ordered, already turning back to his experiment.
From where she was, she could catch a glimpse of it. That thing…
The voice of her boss made her jump in surprise.
«Oh, but don't forget to leave a suitable amount of members here just in case. » he added. «I wouldn't like it if my new experiment had to be interrupted again. »
The danger in those last words was so blatant she couldn't help but ran away.
«Right away, sir! » she quickly replied while running outside of his lab.
Fascinated by what was under his eyes, he whispered:
«Almost there… »
It was going smoothly. His mission was a success so far. He could hardly believe how easy it was to impersonate someone else. To be fair, having that person's body at the time was a huge plus.
The mole tried to stop itself from smirking. Everyone was focusing on their incoming attack and no one's face was betraying any satisfaction. They would surely be white if they realized their little plan was going to be destroyed in a few minutes.
The hardest thing had been to find a way to relay the information to his superior, but once it had been done, it was over. He knew for a fact that his allies would come shortly with greater forces and crush this group just like it would crush the others waiting in the woods.
He was just dying to see the look on Sabrina's and Surge's face when they realized they had been betrayed.
The minutes passed in silence.
«…they sure are taking their time… » he thought, starting to get annoyed.
Seriously, what were they waiting for? They had the rebels on a silver plate!
A movement in the bushes caught his attention. It was an extremely short period of time, but he managed to see a little bit of red.
Internally, he smiled. Those fools would get their just deserts.
«A few more seconds now… » he thought with a perverse joy.
However, what he did not take into account was Surge standing up and calling his raichu.
The pokemon materialized in a flash of light that almost blinded him. Unable to believe how foolish the gym leader was, he voiced his protests while rejoicing internally.
«Are you crazy? We're not supposed to do anything that might tip Team Blast about our presence. »
«Oh, don't worry about that, Genno, it's not important. » the lieutenant said with a grin.
Turning to his pokemon, the gym leader ordered it to unleash a thunderbolt attack toward the sky. The lightning bolt became a pillar of light that could be seen miles away.
«WHAT ARE YOU DOING? » the spy shouted once more.
The actions of the gym leader was strange enough to make him worry. What about the plan? They were supposed to stay hidden until a signal he did not know… unless that thunderbolt was a signal!
He did not have the time to continue his reflection. Out of nowhere, a faint, almost invisible, blue light appear at the level of his skin and paralyzed him. In the corner of his left eye, he could see Sabrina's Alakazam glowing with power. With difficulty, he managed to say:
«What… is the… meaning of… this? »
Surge was not the only one who was grinning now. Most of the police officers under his orders were smiling while looking at the immobilized traitor.
«It's simple really. We know who you are… or more accurately, we know who you are not. »
«WHAT? »
Even Sabrina was having difficulty holding back the savage grin of satisfaction that was appearing on her face.
«It's simple. You shouldn't have been sent near a telepath. » she explained.
«You… you can read my mind? » the mole exclaimed in horror.
«Just kidding. » Sabrina replied with a wink. «We received a phone call from Jenny explaining the real Genno was with her. »
A cold bead of sweat rolled down in the middle of his back. He was trembling from the fear and it got worse when Surge continued Sabrina's explanation.
«Your boss had a good idea, but he executed it poorly. He shouldn't have sent more than one spy at a time and most importantly, he should have ordered you to come back as soon as Genno had escaped. The most dangerous tools someone can use are spies. Use them wisely and you've won. Let your enemy use them and you've lost! »
«No… »
«Yes. We've leaked information to you so that Team Blast would play in our hand. Those members that are surrounding us… they're through. » Surge spat out in triumph.
No… he… he hadn't lead his comrade into a trap… he had not…
«Too bad… but my raichu is calling all the other groups which, by the way, are twice as numerous as what we told you. »
Those last words were the hammer that nailed the last of the mole's hopes.
She was nervous. Her son was out there with his friends, fighting Team Blast in the hope of finally defeating them. Delia as proud of her son, of course, but she was also worried, terribly worried.
On her lap, Alexchu was resting, half-asleep. As soon as she had known what her son had decided, she knew she'd take care of her grandson. Ash's choice was reckless, but she could understand. She just hoped he'd realized what he needed to do.
Oblivious to his human relative's emotion, the pichu's eyes fell down as sleep finally took him away.
For a moment, she stared at the pokemon that was resting peacefully on her.
«He really looks like Ash. » she thought, moved.
However, her fascination was short lived as the sounds of footsteps getting stronger caught her attention.
When it stopped, she noticed Marco, still in that stranger's body, looking at her through the open door. There was a look of concern on his face.
«Lilia, are you alright? »
Quickly, she wiped her eyes once, taking away the small tears that had formed there. Holding a strong posture, she addressed her former… ex… or just husband, they hadn't redefined their relationship yet.
«I am not, Marco. Ash is there, fighting. How could any mother rest at ease knowing her child is in danger? »
With a frown, he stepped into the room.
«Lilia… I know what you're feeling, but… you know Ash will be alright. You've written to me about so many of his adventures… he can go through this one too. » he said, almost close enough to touch her.
Bitterly, Delia replied:
«He did and I know that. The difference is that he's a pokemon now! Sure he may be able to do many extraordinary things now that he couldn't before, but that also means he's doing the battles himself. If there is an attack coming, he's going to take the hit. »
«He's not alone… » Marco reminded her.
«No, but most of his pokemon are still in Oak's lab, injured from their last fights. The only reason he was able to go himself was his healing pokeball. » she countered.
«Injuries wouldn't have stopped him, you know that. »
She let out an equally bitter laugh.
«Sometimes he's so reckless I wonder who he's got it from. » she said, eying Marco.
«Don't look at me like that, Lilia. I'm not the one that took on a trio of criminals with one knife and one pokemon. » he frowned.
She was about to reply once more when she suddenly stopped, her mouth open helplessly. She earned Marco's worried gaze that way… and his interrogations when it turned into a chuckle.
«What is it, Lilia? »
«Oh, I just remembered a period where we used to argue like that daily. » she explained with bright eyes.
His memories flaring up before his eyes, he grinned while looking at Delia in a… playful manner.
«I do remember something like that… especially about a certain Pidgeotto incident. »
«For the last time, it wasn't my fault. Professor Oak's judgment was simply off about it! » Delia loudly protested, earning a «CHU! » from her now awake grandson.
Her attention turning to the pichu, she sighted.
«Marco, you should have gone with them. » Delia whispered as she cuddled Alex. «To protect our son. »
Had her eyes been turned to Marco, she would have noticed him wince at her comment.
«Lilia… I understand how everyone hates what my team has done, but… »
Delia shot him a look full of warning… which he decided to ignore. He had to be truthful to her.
«I created this organization personally, taking the time to look for people that needed it first. »
Her anger rising to the surface, she couldn't hold a sarcastic comment.
«I supposed you went for psychopaths who wanted power. » her eyes shooting daggers.
«No, people that lost hope. » he said plainly.
«What? » she gasped in surprise.
«They were people that were desperate to survive. Of course, I had to take people that weren't the nicest in the books, the notable ones being Janes, Greenwood, but some were just people too poor to live, had lost everything because of Team Rocket or just didn't have anyone in the world. I brought them together under one banner. For the first time, they knew what it was to be part of a group. I tried to rule as fairly as possible, being lenient when I could afford to be. I didn't want slaves, I wanted to have people that were loyal to me just as I was loyal to them. »
Starting to get dizzy, Delia hold her head, feeling the birth of a powerful headache.
«Are you saying you don't want to attack your former subordinates? They're not yours anymore, Marco, wake up. »
A strange smile appeared on Marco's face.
«You'd be surprised. »
They were nervous. There were whispers in their rank that an important group of police officers were waiting the right moment to attack. The whispers had become a chorus of loud voices when half of their forces had been sent to annihilate them.
In the middle of all that chaos, there were a few captains that were trying to make the members calm down.
«Everybody calm DOWN! » Captain Seriza shouted.
The immense room was filled with a thick silence. It was impressive how much they were used to follow the orders of their superiors, even more when it was the black-haired woman that was talking. Her position was one of the highest in the team and she was respected whereas her direct superior, Janes, was feared as much as she was admired.
The captain's voice echoed once more.
«Mister Avery knows about those police officers outside and sent was he judged to be enough to deal with them. There is nothing to be afraid of. »
«But shouldn't we all go? In our situation, we can't take risks! » someone from the crowd objected.
«He sent roughly twice as many people as there are opponents. » she assured in a calm voice that was denying her own inner turmoil.
«He doesn't care about the team. Marco would have sent every volunteer and he would have certainly not separated groups of friends carelessly like that. He would not have let so many people here just to protect himself either. » she thought heinously.
The more her memories of Marco Blaze were coming back to her, the more she loathed the scientist that had taken his place. He had not done anything to free the members that had been captured when things had gone downhill. She went there secretly, of her own initiative.
Things had taken a turn for the worse. Their only hope was that Marco woke up from that coma he was in.
But even that was just a source of doubts. One group had come back absolutely traumatized when they faced Marco's Charizard in Pallet Town. From then on, rumors were going out of control and Jonathan was harsher than ever.
«Everyone! » she shouted once more. «We shall prepare our defenses in case of a breakthrough from our enemies or an unexpected event. »
At least, that would be enough to keep them occupied and distract them from the fear.
It didn't last long. A rumble of thunder soon shook their feet. It was as if…
«TAKE OUT YOUR POKEMON NOW! »
As most of the members that heard her obeyed, the wall at the other end of the room was blasted away by a humongous pokemon. As tall as the hideout, he was looking ferocious at the puny humans that bothered its trainer.
A storm of fire would have probably assaulted him immediately if it weren't from a small factor.
Thirty Tauros were running through the hole and charging at the criminals. Behind them were a few hundred officers.
When he had heard the news about his pokemon's injuries, Ash had seemingly become angrier. However, a light had still flashed in his eyes. He didn't ask them to come in the forest because they couldn't run properly in such conditions, but the metallic ground of Team Blast's hideout would be perfect. He knew he could count on them and requested their help.
They all accepted.
Now clinging to one particular Tauros's fur, Ash was waiting for the right moment.
They had heard from spies. They knew where to go. A small trapdoor at the end of the gymnasium-like room led to the underground parts, including the lab and Jonathan's room.
A blast of water missed him by inches and he decided it was time.
He let go of the pokemon and, followed by Pikachu, jumped to the ground.
Behind the two mice pokemon, the Tauros glowed briefly before turning into one of them.
«Don't fall behind Genno! » Ash told him.
Pikachu shot a worried look at his friend. His intensely focused expression was sign of the internal fight he was having within himself. He had honestly told them it was getting increasingly hard to ignore the urge to run to Milosia.
Unfortunately, they couldn't afford to stay behind with Misty. Their best bet was to make sure to stay with him the whole time.
Dodging one Arbok's tail, Pikachu continued to follow Ash through the labyrinth of legs and pokemon in front of them.
They met surprisingly little opposition during their race to the other wall, though considering how much the criminals had on their ends, not concentrating on three pikachus that were not attacking didn't seem like the best battle plan.
With but a few bruises and burns, they reached the trapdoor. Without losing a second, Genno turned human to open it and they jumped in the hole, unnoticed by the members of Team Blast.
The place was darker than the room the battles were taking place. The light bulbs were placed at irregular interval and created a disturbingly sinister atmosphere. Their senses sharper than those of an human, neither of the three boy had trouble seeing, but Genno was feeling the effect of Milosia's absence stronger in a spooky place like this.
His breathing was heavier and neither of his friends let it go unnoticed. Even Ash seemed much calmer when he asked with concern:
«Are you okay, Genno? »
His body trembling, he nonetheless replied strongly:
«Yeah… I'll be fine. Now, we have to hurry and find my father. He's supposed to be in his lab and we must not let him finish whatever experiment he performing with the remains of Mew's egg.»
They accepted the show of determination from their friend, but the two pikachus exchanged a meaningful look.
They progressed in the semi-darkness, trying to track the man's scent from their souvenirs, with little success.
The first time they stumbled on a door, Genno paused, uncertain. Ash's patience growing thin and his rage returning at the thought of Alex, he urged his friend to open it. Reluctantly, he turned the doorknob, revealing the sober room that Jonathan owned in this place. What they saw made their jaw fell… except for Genno who only had a pensive look in his eyes.
Genno's calculations instantly went up to the next level as one of his theories was confirmed and he identified all the implications.
When they saw the look on his face, Pikachu and Ash felt deeply relieved. This was the inimitable look he had when he was talking about poke-genetics. A part of the old him was back with them.
«Intriguing, isn't it? » a voice made them jolted in surprise. «What that man can do with a few chemical products and a syringe surprises even me. That's something. »
While his two friends turned around at lightning speed, Genno froze in place. This voice… he knew it all too well. It was the worst of his fear, his biggest nightmare and the very source of his insanity.
Janes.
«What's wrong Genno? Don't you want to say hello to an old friend? » she asked with her horribly sweet voice. «Don't you want to… play? » she added with a perverse twist to her usual tone.
Play. No. He didn't. He wouldn't. He didn't want to. He… had to…
The shadows that had disappeared were dancing before his very eyes. He could see them, mocking him. «You thought we were gone, right? Wrong, we'll never disappear. »
His mood worsening as badly as Genno's shaking, Ash was gritting his teeth very hard. Rage filling his every movement, he dashed toward her at frightening speeds.
Pikachu caught the flexion of her muscles and ran as fast as he could.
«ASH, NO! » he shouted.
Genno, hearing the very real screams, turned around in time to see two blurs of yellow moving toward the monster in human form.
As Ash was going to make contact with the hateful woman, Pikachu tackled him on the right. Janes,s eyes showed a bit of disappointment when the motion of her knife only went through air.
«Awwww, and here I thought I could use the same trick on you twice. I guess someone doesn't want me to impale you so easily. » she complained.
She stopped. There was a bit of blood dripping from its end.
Her gaze fell on the two pikachus. The one that used to be Ash Ketchum was injured; a shallow cut on a rib had soaked a bit of his fur in blood.
«Oh well, it's not too bad. At least, it wasn't pointless to stand there taunting you. »
While the woman seemed very pleased, Pikachu was completely panicked. He knew the three of them were no match for her if she called her pokemon out. Even more troubling was her tendency to appear out of nowhere. Used to sensing his enemies approach, he was troubled by her stealth, though psychic types surely helped in that regard.
Ash trying to cool down at his side and Genno standing still with wide eyes, Pikachu knew their only option was to try to outrun her.
«Genno, transform! » he yelled.
Snapping out of his lunatic state, Genno nodded and stared at his friends.
«Tsk, tsk, tsk, it's against the rules to transform if I don't order you. » Janes said while raising a finger.
It was all she needed to say. The teen completely lost all control over his body and his knees gave up. Tears of fear flowing form his eyes, he shot a desperate look at his friends.
Instructed by the experience, they didn't attempt to attack her and just moved in front of Genno, having all the intent to defend their friend with their lives.
At that, Janes just grinned.
«Such a touching friendship. Completely useless, but really nice to see. »
The two of them focused their strength on their cheeks, preparing to attack if she even attempted to get closer.
Seeing the sparks on the red spots, her arrogance skyrocketed, so did their fear.
«I wouldn't do that if I were you. You wouldn't want the effect it could have on my body. »
What did she meant by that?
Looking at the sobbing boy behind the two pikachus, she stated with a joy so foul it couldn't be associated with an emotion as pure as that.
«It could cause a miscarriage. »
None could hear the noise of the sparks anymore. Their blood had turned to ice, their determination to horror.
«Gennoooo…» she called. «Congratulation, I'm pregnant. »
He broke. His breathing deeper than before, his eyes showing more pain than before, his whispers more incoherent than before, his mind slipped and broke into pieces again.
Janes watched with shivers of pleasure as Genno fell unconscious. Paralyzed, Ash and Pikachu were looking at her with shocked expressions. She savored with delight their horror, their disbelief.
«You two look lovely. » she declared. «I supposed you didn't think of what I could have done, didn't you? I suppose that if Genno is here, that means you've met Marco. Surely, he'd described what I did to him. If he said you couldn't imagine what your friend went through, he meant it. »
Once more, she saw the fury in Ash's eyes. It was exactly what she wanted. The anger in the other pikachu's eyes was not half-bad either.
She knew what was coming, but this time, wasn't fast enough.
The two pokemon tackled her, sending her flying.
«WE'LL KILL YOU! » Ash shouted.
His pokemon did not even blink, too taken by his wrath.
Ignoring the waves of pain, she smiled discreetly. The boy was ready. She could harvest the fruit of her labor now.
Or later… when an Iron tail wasn't heading toward her face.
To Ash's frustration, she dodged, rolling on her side, like she did against him the last time. However, it turned into a savage satisfaction when he saw Pikachu dashing toward her, his body surrounded by lightning.
Before he had covered half the distance separating them, Janes threw one knife.
The blade of steel flew through the air.
Pikachu's experience instantly informed him that it was too high to touch him.
And he realized with horror that it was not aimed at him!
Pikachu tuned around and ran like a madpikachu to get faster. The knife was flying toward Genno!
Using the opportunity she had created, she slammed Ash against the wall and maintained him at the level of her face. Madly brilliant, she had put him in an angle that allowed her to keep an eye on Pikachu.
Said pokemon was bleeding. He had not been fast enough to stop the knife in midair. The only thing he had been able to do was take the knife for Genno. His left shoulder was dangerously bleeding.
The pain was clouding his mind. He had to help Ash now! He stood on all four, only to collapse. He was not able to stand and Ash had been caught by Janes!
Against the wall, Ash was pouring every ounce of his power in building up electricity. She would fry from the inside!
Well aware of his intention, she whispered to his ears.
«You shouldn't do that. My friend asked me to find a secluded place for her to rest. You wouldn't be able to find her without me, you know. »
Barely able to restrain himself from shocking her, he struggled to talk, his hatred boiling in his veins.
«Why should I believe you? »
«Because you know me. I want to inflict pain, to torture. It's my whole motivation, the sole reason of my existence. You know that, if it is painful to you, I'm telling the truth. It's always much more painful for people to accept truths than lies. For example, if I said your «mate» had been put in those woods by me, you'd know it'd be the truth, because-I-love-to-torture-you. » she finished while punctuating her last words with a little pinch on his wound.
The pain was nothing compared to his fear now.
«What are you saying? »
«Oh, it's simple really. When I faced you three in battle for the first time, I knew I wanted to break you all. You looked like tasteful preys. However, you had too little at the time. I wanted to take a lot from you, but you had already lost your human body, your human identity to your friend. What could I do then? Simple, give you more, so you'd be even tastier. I then designed a little plan with the help of Jonathan Avery to torture you. »
Each word was making him more terrified. He knew she was going to reveal something important, but he was so afraid to find out what she had done he wanted to shut his eyes close and block all sound from reaching his ears.
Feeling her captives growing fear, Janes took on her most sickening twisted tone.
«DNA samples are extremely interesting tools, don't you think? They can be used against your enemies or used for spying. Didn't Genno notice anything strange about your little fur ball of a son's DNA? »
«WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ALEX? » he screamed as he struggled to get free.
«Oh nothing, really. Just think for a second, okay? » she said. «I've explained it to you. I want to make you suffer. I placed that pikachu in the woods, so you'd have a little pichu to love and I'd have one more way to break you. Jonathan gave that pikachu a little aphrodisiac and my Alakazam teleported her in the woods around the headquarters, where I knew you'd be staying, too distracted by Jonathan's betrayal to run away as far as you could. His orders were to make sure you or Genno were the one to mate with that pikachu. »
Ash felt sick at the implications. Her alakazam had… been there the whole time.
He had to hold back his nausea.
«In the end, it happened even faster than I thought. You are quite the wild one. I suppose it's to be expected at your age. Now, here comes the twist: DNA samples can be used to turn one into a pokemon... even a pikachu, as you are well aware. Question: do you even know if the pikachu you spent a good night with was even a real pikachu? »
The fear was coming back... and a bit of shame too. His instincts had taken over, he had mated with a pikachu, the mother of his son, and he didn't even know her name.
Janes's pleasure was so evident that Ash felt sick again.
«Let's see how innocent you are. What is the most twisted idea I could have had to make you break into pieces? »
Ash was speechless, equally from the lack of ideas than the icy hand of terror that was twisting his insides.
«No ideas? » she asked with the pout of a child. «Why not make you mate with a five year old? Wouldn't that be just sick enough? »
«You didn't… » he whispered in disbelief.
«No. I tried something worse. » she grinned.
Mew, when was the last time she had this much fun with a toy? Oh right, when the unconscious teen on the ground had fallen into her hands.
«Don't you find it curious that I seem to understand your every words? That I replied to your questions? Perhaps you've forgotten that humans can't understand pokemon after so much time spent with your ditto friends. »
No, this was a lie, it couldn't be!
«Aaaaash, the side-effects of the transformation includes understanding of pokemon speech… for the one you transformed into. »
No, this had to be a lie!
«I used a DNA sample on myself to turn into a pikachu. »
NO!
«YOU'RE LYING! »
«No, I'm not Ash. I'm your son's mother. »
The world went blank. There was nothing more than this woman's voice, nothing more than the poison she filled him with.
«When can I see him? I'd like to play with our child. »