Chapter 20
Rescue
She floated through the ceiling and into the space, high above the ground so she could see everything.
These men were working fast. They'd already gotten all of the Halflings and were loading the hybrid balls onto a truck. That seemed to be the best thing yet. With all of them on one truck, she could teleport them all away at once. Except for those two guards in the truck's bed and the driver. She'd have to do something about them first.
The guards seemed to be extremely relaxed. There had been little resistance and none of them had withstood even a single hybrid ball. These were all little things, but they all would help make it a lot easier. If she didn't get it in the first try, they'd probably open up their guns on her, and no one would be leaving here freely.
She floated down to the truck. It was a standard pick-up truck with no rail or cover. The two guards were standing right beside the sides, so one good shove would get them off. The driver may be a bit harder.
As she waited, she overheard one of the guards talking to a coated man beside the truck. "Once we get these things back to the lab, the world will be safe. We won't have to fear the infestation."
"Infestation? They're going to kill them!"
The last load of hybrid balls was coming. The moment they were loaded, she'd go. She floated right over the pile of blue orbs, between the two guards.
The man with a box of balls walked up and hoisted it. With a twist, the spheres fell into the truck and joined the pile.
In one motion, she morphed into a Hitmonlee and spread her legs, sending powerful kicks into both guards at once. They fell over the sides with a scream and sprawled onto the ground. She landed quickly, and jumped over to the cab. She punched through the window and reached in for the driver. "Get out!"
"Hold it!" She looked over. One of the guards had already recovered, and his buddies were joining him. He held his rifle up. "Get away from there!" He fired.
Ella pushed off of the truck, just clearing the hybrid ball's paths. She flew into a field and cart wheeled back to gain distance. More hybrid palls pelted the ground right behind her. She stopped at what seemed the edge of their range and turned to them.
For a moment, there was a standoff. None of the soldiers stepped forward and Ella made no move back, as they all still had their rifles ready.
She chose to break the silence. "Why are you doing this? They are not a threat to you."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. Obviously none of them had heard a Pokemon speak before.
A man in a coat stepped from the group. Ella took one look and recognized him: the man from the woods. "These beasts are a plague upon our world. An unholy group of inbreds. Once we have examined them, we shall make sure that whatever is causing this will never spread to the rest of us. But I wouldn't expect a simple Pokemon to understand."
Ella scowled. "I am not a simple Pokemon." Her body shifted.
The crowd took a step back as the Hitmonlee suddenly became a human girl.
But the head man seemed the most shocked. "You?! You are the one that started this!" He stepped back into the ranks of his soldiers. "Take her!" The group ran forward several yards and fired.
"Oh no!" Ella dropped to one knee and crossed her arms in front of her, trying to present a small target. "I can't let them touch me!" But it was hopeless. They'd get her for sure.
The flying hybrid balls came in a swarm. But a foot in front of her, they split, suddenly going to either side of her.
Her mind jumped. "What's going on?" They started to squeeze in, coming for her. "No." She pushed back with her mind and they split again, creating a pocket of protection. At the same time, she noticed that she was letting off a small blue haze. She was using a Psychic attack. But she was still human.
For a moment, she was filled with glee. She was micromorphing again! And she was controlling it.
And then the drawback came. Her energy began to seep from her muscles. Ella pushed against the still rushing tide of hybrid balls, but she could feel it taking its toll. Not having a Pokemon form was making this harder than usual. But if she stopped long enough to morph, she'd get hit and that would be the end of it.
Her strength became weaker and weaker; the balls came closer and closer. "I'm not going to make it."
"I told you, Ella. You mustn't give up."
Ella suddenly felt strength begin to flow back into her body. Right beside her, she felt and saw a shining shadow of her mother, helping her push back.
"Why do you always get into these kinds of things?"
For a moment, Ella was too surprised to say anything back. But then, she let out a soft laugh. "Just lucky, I guess."
Together, they pressed back with more force. Instead of simply spreading, the hybrid balls flew back along their paths, striking the firers with enough force to send them to the ground. The oncoming swarms of balls became smaller.
"Go now!"
Ella shifted her focus from the air to the ground and pushed. She shot from the ground like a rocket, flying straight over the crowd towards the truck. She stretched out a hand. Her finger just barely brushed its metal cab. But it was all she needed. The next instant, both she, the truck, and all of the hybrid balls were gone.
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She didn't know where she had to go. The only thing she'd thought when she'd brushed the truck was "somewhere else."
When she burst back into reality, she was still flying. But instead, she was falling towards the ground. She twisted and landed hard on her shoulder. The ground was hard and rough, tearing through her Morph Skin and actual skin the whole twenty yards.
Her arm was more than sore when she was finally able to push herself up. The entire side was bloody and the Morph Skin's sleeve was shredded beyond repair. She'd have to figure out a way to get back into Oak's lab to replace it.
Her eyes started to wander. The place she'd teleported to was completely enclosed. The walls seemed to be made of twisted trees with clumps of leaves and bushes growing in random places. The ground was the same. Above, the ceiling was simply a mass of leaves. In a weird way, it looked like a cave inside of a tree. "What is this place?"
"This is the Tree of Beginning."
Ella spun, ready to go on the defensive. Before her floated a small creature with off-white skin and thin flowing tail. Seeing it, she quickly stood up straight. "Oh. Forgive me, Mew. I did not realize it was you."
Mew smiled. "That's alright."
Ella was suddenly very nervous. She was standing in front of the Spirit's messenger. It wasn't really something that you wanted to happen every day. "I hope I'm not bothering you. I'm not really sure how I got here."
"You are here because I brought you here."
The girl paused for a moment, completely taken by surprise by that.
Mew sensed her confusion. "To thank you."
Her nervousness turned to confusion. "Thank me? What would you need to thank me for?"
"For returning them to us," she replied with a nod towards the truck. "When our test was complete, we would have gotten them ourselves, but you saved us the trouble."
"Hold on, a moment. What test?"
"We wished to see if human and Pokemon were ready for the next phase of evolution. Now it is clear that man may not be for some time."
"Whatever that means." "So what are you going to do with them now?"
Mew waved a hand. Behind Ella, the truck glowed brightly and disappeared. "They will return to the lives they choose, whether as human, or Pokemon. Except for one."
A blue hybrid ball appeared next to Ella. It split open and a Lucario Halfling appeared in a flash of light.
"Aura!"
"Ella!"
Aura quickly wrapped Ella in a hug. Ella cringed as she brushed her arm. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you again. I was so afraid."
As Ella hugged her back, she felt something in her. The sense that she'd done it and pulled through felt good. It was sort of like the same sensation she got after winning a fight. But it was…better. She could get used to this.
"As for you, Aura," Mew continued, forcing the two from their embrace. "I will leave the decision to you."
"R…really?"
"Your changing was not of our power. The incident with Sarah Adams had an adverse effect on your friend, Lucario. But as you got mixed up in all of this, I will grant whichever life you choose.
She paused for several seconds. "I don't know. Once I got used to being like this, I sort of liked it. But I won't be able to show my face again. They'll just come after me."
"If you wish, you can stay here with me. You will be happy and cared for. And there are measures in place to make certain that no human can enter."
"Really?" She seemed to really be considering it.
"Aura, are you sure about this?" Ella asked. "No outside contact at all?"
"I don't have anyone else to contact me." Ella hadn't thought of that. "Besides, I'm happy about this now. Being with those other Halflings showed me how much I can enjoy this. Yes, I think I'll stay here."
She was really happy about this, Ella could tell. She'd come a long way in a short time. Ella nodded. "Good enough for me." She gave her a pat on the back and took a step back. "Well, I guess I'll be going then."
"Ella," Mew said, drifting a bit closer. "Do not dwell on the things of the past. You have done more than was needed to honor your mother. Don't punish yourself, Shaiya."
Ella smiled. All the battles she'd been through seemed so insignificant compared to what she'd just done. She'd helped saved hundreds of lives. And she'd fought side-by-side with her mother. These new memories were already beginning to replace the old.
"I think I'm good."
She waved goodbye, and without morphing teleported away.
Ah. And so it comes to a close. To everyone that stuck through even the slow parts, many thanks.
Special thanks also, once again, to Debbie Aaron for use of her personal character, Aura.
You may have noticed the series' new name in the summary. Cursed Blessing and related stories are now called the Shaiya Chronicles. This also comes with the announcement of my third (yes, third; I'm not really considering Bloodline one of the main stories) Shaiya Chronicles tail, working title: The Power of Blood.
So remember to check my profile regularly or you'll miss out.