Chapter 19

Asceir

Ella sat in silence after Ba spoke to her. Most of what he'd said was true. Part of her was very hurt that her choices had caused her mother so much pain. But wasn't she already forgiven by her mother?

Or perhaps the other question was had she forgiven herself?

Ba stood up and walked towards the door. Mora gestured towards them and they stood, following just behind him. Outside, it seemed the entire village had gathered.

The Xatu gestured towards Ella and Aura. "These two are to be welcomed as one of ours. Chris…" A woman with Wingull-like arms and a yellow beak stepped from the group. "They may have the place across from you. And please show them around on the way."

"Of course."

Then Ba gestured. "All right. Everyone back to your doings."

The crowd began to turn and slowly leave.

"Please, we won't be staying long," Ella said to Ba. "We really don't need a place here."

"Don't worry about it. There are actually many who come and go often. We have plenty of huts available. And I won't take no for an answer," he added when Ella started to protest.

It seemed she could do nothing, so she settled and let the elder return to his tent.

The woman known as Chris waited patiently. "Uhm…ok," Ella said awkwardly. "Show the way."

They were taken back into the village, but in a different direction. If Ella had her bearings straight, she guessed they were going towards the lake. Along the way, Chris pointed out places such as a winery, a moderately sized vegetable garden, and other community centers where people gathered and worked. "We work on a very communal system here," she explained. "As long as you do work, you will be cared for."

"You mean there's no real form of government?"

"No. We don't really own anything. Everything is owned by everyone."

The impromptu tour continued, occasionally with stops when Chris met a friend of hers that she introduced. Ella didn't really bother keeping everyone straight.

She also noticed a flock of Pidgeys fly along overhead. Not hybrids, actually Pidgeys. Aura asked about them. "Yes, we have pure Pokemon here as well. They are for those that prefer meat to simple fruits and vegetables."

They soon broke through most of the houses to one last section that was built like a long boulevard. A row of houses sat several yards from the lake's edge and a well-worn path separated it from the second. Chris touched one in the second row. "This will be yours. Feel free to bathe in the lake, rest, or do anything you wish. Once you've settled in, we'll find some jobs for you." Chris walked off to her own hut on the other side of the street and went inside.

For a moment, Ella and Aura stood outside, just looking around. Several people were out doing various things. One looked up and waved, and Ella had to do a double take. It was a Gardivoir, one that Ella had thought was female. But from the front, she could see that he had very muscular arms, even face stubble. "Wow. That must be awkward for him."

"So…what do you think of this place?" she asked.

Aura took another look around. "They're like me." Ella could visibly see her face beam. "Being around these people, I feel like I'm normal."

Ella understood and just nodded. She herself knew what it was like to be sort of an outsider. But at least she could turn it off when she wanted. "So what do you want to do?"

Aura's face grew into a sort of goofy grin. "I think I want to go swimming."

She turned around and looked back at the lake. Small waves glistened along its surface. "Not quite what I was asking, but I like that idea."

They stepped between the houses and went to the lake edge. A few others were up and down the shore, also enjoying it. They wore various levels of clothing, from normal clothes down to nothing.

Something broke the surface of the water. Ella looked back in time to catch it jump into the air. It was a woman that had a long Gyradose tail from the hips down, like a mermaid. She was actually quite beautiful. Ella could just get a good look at her before she slipped back into the water.

Aura went straight in, walking out thirty yards but still standing with the water around her waist. She laughed as she turned back to Ella. Her face was completely glowing.

Ella was surprised at how much just being here seemed to have improved her mood. It seemed she was finally beginning to accept her situation. Maybe even enjoy it.

Just as she moved to enter the water, a violent explosion sent a shockwave through the air, nearly knocking her into the water. Ella spun. A pillar of smoke rose into the air from the direction of the entrance. A moment later, all of the huts and trees began to blink, almost like they were fading from existence.

Pandemonium hit. Hybrids and Pokemorphs began to run from their homes, some bewildered and some terrified.

Ella knew what was happening. The holograms were becoming unstable. A few more moments and the entire space would become a giant field.

And sure enough, it did. At once, the homes and trees all vanished, exposing every inhabitant of Asceir. But it also let Ella see something very bad.

Back at the entrance, squads of men were pouring into the enclosure. She could just glimpse the first wave of men as they approached the village. Each one was dressed in a blue and white jumpsuit and held a strange rifle. One raised it and sighted down the barrel. But instead of a small explosion, it merely emitted a puff of smoke and a small projectile.

The slug struck a Pokemorph that was rushing out, possibly to attack. The Pokemorph's body became pure red light and vanished.

"Hybrid balls!" She'd been followed! That man must have tracked her and found the hidden entrance. And now everyone in Asceir was in danger.

"I have to get out of here."

She jumped into the air and her body changed to a Haunter. She quickly rose towards the sky. But suddenly she passed through the ceiling of the place and burst into the world above.

She stopped to get her bearings. She was back in the field in front of Oak's labs, halfway to the trees.

Back up at the main lab, more men were surrounding and searching it. Most of them had the same blue and white jumpsuits, but a group of them, the ones that seemed to be giving the orders and directing everything, wore long white trench coats. Trench coats just like the man in the woods wore.

"Gotta get away before they see me."

She turned and started to fly for the safety of the woods.

Just before she got there, something crossed her mind. Aura. She was still down there, completely at the invader's mercy.

What would they do to her? Or to everyone else? All the trainers had simply wanted to capture her. But these were SCIENTISTS! God only knew what sort of experiments they'd probably want to try.

"Part of you is saddened by the things you have done. But they are not what make you you. It is the choices that you have yet to make that will show your true spirit."

She wondered what her mother would have to say about this. "You're not a bad person, Ella."

With one heavy breath, she turned and dove back into the ground. Time to repay for what she'd done.

A/N: I'm feeling pretty generous, so I'm giving you a double portion today. But before you continue, I would still like you all to leave a review for this chapter.