Poke-genetics: human
Her footsteps echoed with the others' in the blank corridor of the pokemon center. Usually welcoming, the building gave a much sinister feeling today. Perhaps it was just an impression, but, now, she couldn't help but feel that vibe.
The little pokemon staying in her arms was apparently agreeing with her. It kept squirming in her arms and burying its head in her chest, as if scared.
She hoped that they were simply too nervous and were overreacting.
Those hopes shattered when Nurse Joy stopped and showed them the pokemon she had captured earlier.
Delia Ketchum saw her son and could not stop her tears from rolling down her cheeks.
«This has to be a lie! » she shouted.
Sebastian flinched, but did not back down. He owed it to his friends… even if that meant breaking down that girl's heart.
«Please… tell me… it's a lie… » she pleaded.
The boy saw her eyes wavering. He saw her breath harder, as if the new was too shocking to believe.
«…I can't… it's the truth. » he replied sadly.
It was too much to accept at once.
Misty broke into tears, her sorrow catching up to her.
When Sebastian had related what Pikachu told him, they had all been frozen in stupor. Misty, Brock, Genno and Jenny had listened with growing horror to the fight that had occurred between them and Janes. He had not spared a single detail, feeling that such an act would be the same as betraying Pikachu's trust.
When they were in the sky, trying to reach this place, Sebastian had to keep Pikachu busy enough to stop him from going hysterical. They had talked, of course, but, at one point, Pikachu had explaining everything, except for the most shocking of Janes's revelations.
And Sebastian had been terrified.
This feeling was now shared, but also diverse in its manifestation.
While Jenny was silently accumulating hatred behind her indignation, Brock was trying to digest those revelations and Misty was falling into a desperate state of sadness, Genno was strangely silent. During Sebastian's retelling of the events, the teen had been completely shocked by a detail he could not explain.
He had been there.
His mind was failing to grasp that concept. It made no sense. In Sebastian's version of the story, Genno had been there since the beginning.
That couldn't be!
But in the core of his self, he knew it was the truth. He felt as if his memory had been erased from his mind, like a black curtain was covering this part of his memories. Trying to lift that veil had resulted in a return of the shadows. They kept crawling around, just outside of his field of vision. He could not see them, but he heard their dreadful whispers over and over again.
«We're here… »
Shivering from head to toes, he forced himself to look at Sebastian.
The boy was looking uneasy.
Or course he would. He had heard a little from him and that had been enough to understand he was a sensible person. His eyes were focused on Misty, who was still crying.
As soon as he shot her a look, Genno felt a massive knot of guilt tighten around his throat.
He could have done something. He could have fight, could have transformed, could have RUN AWAY, anything, absolutely anything would have been better than what he did. He fainted. Unable to handle the shock, the memories that had haunted him, he just fell to the ground like a puppet.
His fragile mind failed him and he failed everyone.
His jaw was hurting him now, since he was tightening his mouth so much.
Ash, if Pikachu's and Nurse Joy's testimony were exact, was beyond their reach. He was blinded by anger and was attacking every human in sight, no matter how hostile or friendly they were.
Following a similar train of thought, Misty suddenly stood up.
«Where is he? I have to see him! » she shouted.
It did not take long. Apparently, Nurse Joy had already showed him where Ash was being held. Those words echoed in their minds. He was being held.
They were not alone. Answering her demands, Sabrina had also brought Ash's parents and son to this center. Judging from the desperate look on Delia's and on Marco's face, they had been informed of the situation at hand.
Their son was mad with anger. Literally.
Through the transparent glass, they all saw it: Ash furiously growling at any human he could see.
From times to times, he would lash out at them. Every time, they felt their tears fall harder.
Noticing their presence, Delia turned around to face them and, in an incredibly strong act, managed to forget her sadness for the split second her smile greeted them.
«Oh, hello. », was all her voice would carry before breaking.
Grim but determined, Misty only nodded her assertion. She fully understood the sorrow of her love's mother. She was not sure if her heart could take much more before breaking.
«It's true… » she whispered in despair.
«I am very sorry. », came the soft voice of Nurse Joy. «I understand that he was human before the attacks made by Team Blast, correct? »
Their silence and pain was answer enough by themselves.
«I found him attacking people in the vicinity of the city. I put him to sleep and hoped for his rage to fade, but he was just as aggressive as before. Luckily, the medicine is still in his blood and dulls his sense a little. Unfortunately, none of you may enter this room in consideration of the danger he poses to all humans. I am afraid that… in his condition… he may attack one of you. »
At this last statement, they all turned to her. All of them.
They couldn't have expressed more obviously their disbelief.
A pinch of deep sadness appeared in her chest. The nurse hated this part of her job. No family should be told things like what she had.
«I won't believe it! » Misty stated. «Let me in that room and I'll prove it! »
«Yes! Let us talk to him! » Brock supported.
«He has to come back to his senses. » Both Delia and Marco added.
«No. » Nurse Joy refused, her voice suddenly extremely sharp. «No human shall be allowed in that room until we find a way to calm him down. You would all be in mortal danger shall he see you as his enemies and, the way he is now, he will. »
Stunned by her hardened expression, they could only stare at her.
Until a soft spoken voice rose from their ranks…
«I will do it. I will talk to him. » Genno said.
It was his fault, his weakness that allowed this to happen. They had stayed because he was unable to run, they had been hurt because he hadn't been able to fight, they were lost because he had lost it.
He had to be the one.
«Genno? », came a voice he would never have expected here.
Surprised, he turned around to see Stan and Helen at the end of the hallway.
«Stan? Wh-what are you doing here? » he asked with round eyes.
His question was then drowned into a pair of strong arms that enlaced him. Ignoring the stupefaction of the teen, Stan had run all the way to hug him.
«Wow, I was getting really worried about you. I did not hear news about you in a while. »
He failed to notice the slight shaking of Genno's body.
Internally, he was yelling to his deranged mind to calm down. He was in a pokemon center with a man he had admired since he was young, nowhere else… no matter how painful his body was getting.
Fortunately, the scientist ended that hug and took a good look at Genno's face.
«Are you alright? You look extremely tired. »
At the sincere concern, he could not hold back a snort.
«If it was only that… »
Frowning a bit skeptically, Stan let go of Genno, but did not forget that last remark. There was something off about him and he would find out what.
«Why are you here? Were you injured? »
It seemed that the others finally got out of their stupor. In the middle of all that despair and sadness, seeing the scientist act friendly and happily was surreal.
«Why are you here? » Marco asked, being the first to recover.
Turning to see who had talked, Stan became a bit curious when he didn't recognize the man. Had he participated in the final assault against Team Blast?
«I came here to escort Sebastian to his house in Viridian City. His father's absence was starting to get rather heavy for him, so Helen and I agreed to bring him here. »
«By yourselves? » Genno said, eyes wide.
Since when was Stan anything like a traveler or an adventurer for that matters?
Noticing the incredulous expression Genno was showing, Stan winked.
«Yes, by ourselves, although we cheated a little. Actually, I… »
A loud scream cut him off.
Ash had let out his anger at this ever-growing gathering of humans. They were mocking him! Oh, soon enough, they'd see the extent of his righteous anger.
Startled, Stan examined the pokemon.
«Quite an aggressive specimen. »
Although innocent, his remark caused a visible wince in his audience.
«What? »
Of course, it was then that he realized that this pikachu was one he already met before.
«That's… Ash? » he muttered, stunned.
A few nods were the only answer he got out of them.
«What happened? »
«SHE happened… » Genno replied bitterly.
For a second, he did nothing, but quickly, he closed his eyes in anger. Doing something so despicable to someone so young… that woman had to get her just dessert.
«How long has he been like that? »
Nurse Joy was the one to reply.
«A few hours at most. »
Suddenly pensive, Stan scratched his chin.
«I wonder if… »
Instantly, they all leaned closer to him.
Instead of answering, he turned to Helen who was just as pensive as him.
«Are you thinking what I think you are? » he asked, not realizing his audience was about to explode and rip him to shred.
Helen nodded and gave a more detailed explanation of his thought.
«You are thinking about our theory of «Psyche differentiation and alteration», right? »
«I am. » Stan then turned to Ash's family and friends and explained his thought. «You see, we were worried when we heard of the DNA samples. If a human was to be turned into a pokemon, what would remain of his mental capacities, of his memories? Fortunately, just like a ditto remembers it is a ditto after it morphs, anyone transformed with these samples keeps his intellect intact. However, we also noticed that the pokemon's instincts can influence a ditto's action. »
The suddenly scientific conversation instantly captivated Genno.
«I noticed that. It is extremely useful when you consider that flying types know how to fly through instinct rather than intellect. »
Somewhat playfully, Stan gave Genno a little pat in the back.
«Yes, this is exactly what this is about. We were worried that aggressive species could create aggressive people, regardless of a person's original personality. »
If possible, they were going up a step in the scale of surprise.
«You mean… »
«Yes, I think that this is less the results of him going mad than his self-preservation instinct or perhaps his bottled up emotions acting up. Electric types like pikachus are well known for their enormous energy. »
Some light had returned to their eyes.
«In other words, I think that rather than talking some sense to him, you'll have to beat it into him. If he can satisfy this thirst for blood, he'll recover his usual mental state. »
A frozen silence accompanied those words. They… had to fight Ash.
They blinked, unable to process the idea. They stayed right where they were, as still as statue... until one of them spoke.
«I'll do it! » Genno claimed.
Before they could even protest, another voice interrupted them.
«No, I will. »
From the second he had heard it, he knew who had spoken and he also knew that he was the only one to have understood that.
«Pikachu… »
Pale, a bandage on one leg, grunting slightly with every step, the electric type had looked better. Behind him was the chansey that had healed him. Against all logic, the nursing pokemon had let its patient go way too soon.
However, that impression only lasted until they saw Pikachu's eyes. They reflected an unmovable will, a determination like no others.
«You're in no shape to do that! » his friend protested.
«She's given me painkillers, I'll be alright. » the pokemon assured with a shaking smile.
«No you won't! Have you even looked in a mirror? »
«I've been in worst shape before… »
«When? When you were on the verge of death? » Genno shouted ragingly.
«Genno… I must be the one to do this. It's my responsibility as his pokemon to protect him. I failed that duty and I must correct that mistake. »
As much as he knew that his protests were reasonable, as much as he knew Pikachu was in a bad state, Genno could not bring himself to stop his friend. There was just something that kept hindering his voice, something that told him that if he wanted Ash back, it had to be Pikachu.
Without even explaining it to the others, he lifted his friend and asked for Nurse Joy to open the door.
Before an argument could break out, he said a simple sentence that effectively paralyzed them.
«Do you want Ash back or not? »
His voice had been very soft, but it had been perfectly audible and none could pretend to ignore it. Their sadness tying their throat, they let him take the key and put Pikachu in the room.
It was worse than he thought. When he had last seen him, Ash was seething with anger and trying to attack Janes. Now… he was looking sick, enraged and was caged.
This sight was almost enough to make him give up.
«Ash… »
«Out… get me out! » he immediately ordered, seeing a member of his own specie.
«Do… don't you recognize me? »
«GET ME OUT! » he shouted, fighting to move the unmovable cage.
Seeing this pitiful spectacle, Pikachu felt his determination flicker like a candle. Did he really have what it takes to bring Ash back?
«Back… I'll get them back… that… human… it's all that… human's fault… all humans' fault. »
Hearing this, Pikachu shook his head. Why was he doubting himself now? Since when did he have that right? His trainer, his best friend, his… family… needed him now!
With a powerful jump, he reached for the cage and, with a single swipe of his tail, he managed to open the cage.
Not losing time, Ash dashed to the other side of the room and collided with the glass in front of him. Ignoring the stunned pain of his family and friends, he tried to break open the glass.
It was between two fits of rage that he heard Pikachu's voice.
«It's useless. You will never reach them. »
He turned around in a fit of rage and stared darkly at him. A low growl accompanied his glare.
Taken aback, Pikachu initially took a step backward.
«Ash…? »
He only saw a blur.
Ash tackled him to the ground. His lungs emptied themselves of all air and he was left lying on his back.
«Open… open it… » he heard a raging seething pant.
Pikachu felt his throat dry up at the tone. It was revealing a blood lust stronger than he had ever witnessed. In a shock, he realized that Janes had not been lying. «Ash is a fighter and like all fighter… he has a wild untamed bloodthirsty side. »
He'd be a blind delusional fool not to abide by her description right now.
There were no notions of friends left in Ash's mind, only foes that needed to be destroyed.
Pikachu rolled to his left, ignoring the sudden pain in his wounded leg. It was a chance he did, as a silver-looking tail hit the floor he was resting on just a second ago.
«OPEN IT! » Ash shouted.
«NOT UNTIL YOU CALM DOWN! »
Enraged by the response, Ash lunged at him again.
And hit him, making Pikachu fall to the floor once more.
His body was painful. He had bluffed in front of Genno. He was in no shape to fight.
«Get them back… I'll… get them back… »
Ash's threatening whispers echoed in his ears. He knew he was at fault in this, but… he was also deeply disappointed. When Janes had explained her plan to him, he had genuinely thought that Ash would not react in the way she hoped. He had held that conviction dear. He had doubted it, to the point of willingly do the one thing he swore never to, but deep down, Pikachu had put his faith in Ash.
«Those humans… they'll pay… »
Something inside him snapped. He had fought alongside everyone else a criminal team that threatened his native region, his friend and who he considered his family, faced a monster in human form, only to see two of his friends, one of which the greatest he ever had, break down before his very eyes, suffered an injury that was being a pain in the neck, almost got eaten, got operated on and was currently facing his trainer in battle.
This was a bad day.
It was as if a flame was lit up in his chest, a flame that was consuming him inside-out.
Okay, he was a cool-headed pokemon and he was trying to be a mediator most of the time. He was the one that stepped in before fights erupted between Ash's pokemon, he was the one that tried to calm down spirits. Heck, he had done it for a while with both Ash and Genno, trying to act as an older figure they could rely on. He had listened to Ash, saw him face his insecurities and helped him raise his son, hiding the dart of jealousy that was eating him. He had wanted to be a dad for a certain time now, but, out of loyalty and friendship for Ash, he had given up on it. He was the pokemon that Ash could always, without question, rely on, no matter how big of a burden that could be.
But now… he was being attacked by Ash, by his trainer, by his greatest friend, by the one he considered his only family?
Ash heard a disgruntled grunt as Pikachu rose to his feet. Seeing his fellow pokemon conscious, he lowered in center of gravity, ready for another attack.
«Let me out… or else… »
Pikachu's head jolted upward and his eyes met Ash's.
Had he not been blinded by rage, he would have cowered in fear.
His self-preservation instinct muzzled by his hatred, Ash propelled himself forward, only for him to hit the hard ground of the room. The mad pokemon shook his head in confusion, had he missed his target? A quick shot at his surroundings allowed him to see that Pikachu was nowhere near him.
Then, his ears contradicted him. He was here, above.
He looked up to see Pikachu spinning like a wheel in the air, his tail glowing an ominous white.
He jumped, choosing to meet his rival head on.
Their attacks clashed and, for a split second, Ash was sure he had effectively countered his opponent.
He then felt a powerful weight drag him down toward the ground.
Under the completely stunned looks of half a dozen spectators, Pikachu's Iron tail slammed Ash's into the metallic floor. The tiles did not resist, not even for a second, and the impact filled the room with dust.
When the room cleaned up, they could witness Pikachu holding Ash firmly against the ground.
Said pokemon was struggling to get free, but he was absolutely unable to escape. Plus, his tail was now hurting him, quite a bit to be honest. As much rage it awakened in him, he was not able to free himself.
«LET GO OF ME! » he yelled, trying to bite his rival.
He felt a much stronger pressure now and, for the first time since he got into that center, he actually felt threatened.
«Listen up and listen well, Ash Ketchum. » Pikachu hissed between his teeth. «I may be your pokemon and your friend, but I'm not so much of a nice guy that I won't fight back if you attack me. »
«I'll get them back… YOU CAN'T STOP ME! » Ash shouted as he finally broke free.
He dashed for the other end of the room, intending to blow that door open if he had to.
He stopped dead in his track when Pikachu caught up to him and placed himself in front of the door. Speechless, Ash froze.
«I may be injured, Ash, but you are nothing but an amateur. »
In another growl, Ash prepared himself for a fight.
«Out… of my way… I have… to get back at them! »
His statement seemed to infuriate his opponent.
«GET BACK AT WHO? » he yelled in return.
«THE ONES THAT HURT ME! » Ash tried to run around him.
He was sent flying by a Quick attack.
«WHO? WHO HURT YOU? »
Standing up immediately, Ash started fighting again.
«THAT WOMAN! HUMANS! THEY HAVE TO PAY FOR TRYING TO HURT THEM! »
«JANES WAS THE ONE TO HURT YOU! YOU'RE JUST TAKING OUT YOUR ANGER ON THE FIRST PERSON YOU CAN FIND! » Pikachu gnarled as he countered another assault.
«THEY'RE ALL THE SAMES! ALL THOSE HUMANS IN RED AND BLACK! ALL HUMANS! » Ash shouted back as he tried to overpower Pikachu. «HUMANS WANTED TO DESTROY MY FAMILY! »
«YOU'RE HUMAN! AND SO IS YOUR FAMILY! »
«What? » Ash said, frozen in shock.
Pikachu shoved him against a wall and looked at him in the eyes.
«You're Ash Ketchum! You were born in Pallet Town; your parents are Delia Ketchum and Marco Blaze! You dream of becoming a pokemon master and you traveled all around the world with me to accomplish that goal! »
«I… was human…? » he whispered, unable to grasp that fact.
«Just who were you trying to protect in going on that rampage, huh? » Pikachu growled at him.
«My… family… »
Pikachu's eyes flared up.
«THEY'RE THE ONES YOU'VE BEEN TRYING TO ATTACK! »
Blinking in stupefaction, his eyes went to the humans standing behind the glass separating them. Strange feelings were invading his minds as he contemplated their faces.
«Protect? PROTECT? Do you see the horror on their face? You have made them worry more than they ever had before and your excuse is that you wanted to PROTECT them? »
Images were flashing before Ash's eyes, images of his past. It was as if he was suddenly waking up from a bad dream, where he finally lost that illusion of reality he had...
«P-Pikachu? » Ash said in a hesitant voice, abstract of all trace of anger.
Sighting of relief, he let go of him.
His friend's body fell with a «thud» as he hit the ground unceremoniously. Frankly, Pikachu had better thing to do than worry about Ash's comfort for now. Fainting was high on his priority list, but he wanted to hammer a point before that.
«Ash, you really are the most obnoxious, oblivious and dense of all humans I've ever met… »
As Pikachu fell unconscious and Ash quickly tried to help him, he was lifted up from the ground by a pair of human arms.
«Huh? »
«Oh, Ash, we were so worried about you! » Delia whispered between her tears.
As Ash was surrounded by his friend and his family - in pretty much all possible direction, as Alex had jumped on his head and had started munching him in happiness-, the teen turned pokemon never felt more human.