Chapter 4
A Union of Tribes
I have wandered in the higher realms. I have seen and communicated the Spirits personally. I have made a grave conclusion. Our souls have become orphans. It is the reason why the Great Spirits help us. We are lost and without a home. So the Great Spirits take us in and our souls become one with the pokemon. But this physical change confuses the Spirits, for they think in ways that no mortal person can understand. They see not a human soul in a pokemon body, but a pokemon with a strange soul and that will be corrected sooner or later. Where is our Great Spirit? The Great Spirit of Humanity? Such question only gives me despair. – Shaman Aurum of the Lucario Tribe
"That's the third try this week." Andrew muttered to himself as he runs off to the mall. 'I need to hurry.' He thought, 'They might still be around.' He suddenly looks around, closes his eyes, and vanishes into thin air.
Arnold and George can only watch at the Ghost Types around with suppressed fear and horror.
'They were transformed when they were dying.' They thought. But before one of them could say something, a makeshift ball lands nearby and a Sableye wearing what looks like a soccer uniform runs and grabs it.
"Ah, Tom, can you escort our guests out." Henry said, and the Sableye simply nodded and smiled. The two Haunters then left while the Sableye happily runs towards the exit.
"Are you two just going o stand there or not?" Tom said to them as they snap out of their thoughts and slowly walk towards Tom. There is an awkward silence as the three walk towards the exit, the only breaks in it are the rhythmic taps of the ball as Tom bounces it on his head.
"So, Tom, you seem rather happy." Arnold said.
"Yeah, yeah," Tom said with annoyance as he stops playing with the ball, "I'm now a Ghost Type. I nearly died. But," He said with a many toothed grin, "At least I can do things again."
"What do you mean? Don't you want to be human again?"
"When I was human, I developed a severe case of NDS, Neural Degradation Syndrome, pretty obvious what that mean. I was already bed ridden, with life support, and on borrowed time when I turned into a Sableye." He look down at the ground with a frown, "But now, now I can go outside and play soccer, and move, and do what I wasn't able to do ever since I was young." They then reach the gate. "Well, I'll see you around then." Tom then wave goodbye and run towards the other Ghost Types wearing the same soccer uniform.
"Tell me something," Arnold said to George, "What do you think would happen to them when we're back to normal?"
"I'm not sure Arnold." George then looks at the soccer playing Ghost Types, "But I don't think it'll be good."
"Alright!" Mabel said to her friends as they walk out of the arena near the end of the day. She then raises her gold martial arts trophy up in the air. Her friends, both male, are Max, who's reading a book, and Ace, who's cheering with her. There's no one else around the small park area.
"You finally did it." Ace said as his phone begins to ring. "Sorry." He said as he walks away to answer. "Hello?" Ace whispered at the phone with his back behind his friends.
"Ace! So, are ya gonna ask her out?" His roommate said as Ace didn't notice a car parking near his friends, and their university teacher Ms. Monroe exiting it.
"Not now man. Once she's ready." After a small chat, the two then enter the car and she closes the door.
"Ready? Ya gonna end up asking her in ya thirty's. Come on Ace, you're the ace, ya better act like one." There was some movement in the car for a few seconds before stopping, Max and Mabel left at the opposite side, and hide.
"Not now, just, not now Robert." He then turns back and sees Ms. Monroe standing by the car. "Oh, I'll call you back, Ms. Monroe's here to fetch us."
"Ya were able ta get Ms. Monroe to bring ya guys home? You're lucky ya got the hot-" Ace ends the call and walk towards his old teacher.
"Where's Mabel and Max?" Ace asked her.
"I ask them to buy something to drink. You can wait inside the car if you like." She said. Ace simply nods and he enters the car. Ms. Monroe simply smiles sincerely with a feeling of emptiness in her eyes, with Ace inside the car, she closes the door and press a hidden button on car's remote, locking him in.
"Wha, what is this?" Ace shouted as he bangs on the door. "Did they ask you to prank me? Mabel? This is not funny." Ms. Monroe can only look through the dark tinted glass of the car with a comforting smile as she press another hidden button, releasing a strange gas. She then pulls out the third pokeball.
Inside, Ace screams. His hair falls off and his organs reform. He rips off his shirt and sees his insides moving like a swarm of bugs. He then collapse on the car's floor as his bones melt. In this moment of bag like shape, he can only watch and silently scream at what's happening. His body then slowly crawls into its new shape. His arms and legs move inside his torso as the organs in his head are also pulled in. His last sight before the darkness was the openings of his eyes and mouth slowly closing. What was once a human being is now an egg made out of human flesh with something wiggling inside, trying to escape. After a few moments of silence, the egg burst into dust, leaving behind an unconscious mushroom-less Paras. A strange pokeball which upper side is olive green with a bug symbol and its lower side is green with a leaf symbol, a Bug/Grass Type Ball. It then shoots a red beam on Ace, wiggles three times, pings, and vanishes.
Ms. Monroe's concerned smile grew as she unlocks the car, opens the door, and releases the Ditto from the pokeball. The Ditto then enters the clothes, and transforms into an exact duplicate of Ace, except of the fact that his shirt is ruined. The fake Ace then exits the car, pats the dust away, and happily joins with Max and Mabel who left their hiding place. Ms. Monroe then looks at the three like a concerned mother.
"Remember what I told you." She said to them as she heads to the driver's seat. "I'll get this car clean of this dust." She said before she drives off, leaving behind the doppelgangers. The three can only look at each other, smile, hold their hands together, and run to the park, singing a child-like song.
Jump, jump, jump so high,
Jump, jump, 'til we die,
Jump, jump, so we'll fly,
Jump, jump, to the sky.
Samantha is resting her head as; once again, her mind begins to mix with her other selves. She stands in a golden glow as images of her other selves appear around her.
"Samantha Jones, freelance reporter." Said the version of her in a blue suit.
"Samantha Jones, freelance detective." Said the version of her in a brown trench coat.
"Samantha Jones, freelance shaman." Said the version of her in a tribal outfit.
"Samantha Jones, freelance AI specialist." Said the version of her in a futuristic armor.
"Samantha Jones, freelance barbarian." Said the version of her in steel armor.
"Samantha Jones, freelance prime minister." Said the version of her in black formal attire.
"Samantha Jones, freelance housewife." Said the version of her in an apron.
Within this confusing mess of her selves, she sees a familiar image forming in some distance in front of her. The image slowly forms into a brown haired man in rather formal attire. When she sees the man pulls out and checks on a pocket watch, she smiles.
"Barin?" She said as she runs past the mirror images of herself and to the image. "Barin Barisov?" She raises her left arm to grab him but a feeling of being pulled back stops her. "Barin!"
"You're in great danger." A voice said as the image looks at her. "Leave this place with anyone you can save. Take your family and friends. Tell Paul to ready the ship. I need to stay behind to prevent the worst." She begins to be pulled back as she tries to grab the image but to no avail.
"Barin! What's going on!?" She yelled.
"You must go." The image said before he vanishes. Samantha wakes up on the couch with Paul standing with a worried look on his face.
"It happened, your condition." The hologram said as he wipes away the blood from her cheeks with a handkerchief. "You were bleeding so much." He said as he wipes the blood from below her eyes, her ears, her nose, and her mouth.
"Thanks Paul." She said as she stands up. "Get a bath ready." The hologram simply nodded and Samantha walks to the hallway but stop for a moment. "Oh," she said, "Get ready to be brought along for the case. This upcoming disaster is big, really big." She then heads towards the bathroom. Paul simply closes his eyes as he changes his settings, turning less like a holographic projection and more like a real person in the process.
"The fort is taking form." The Flygon architect said as he looks at the blueprints. "Quite medieval looking but it will have to do." He said to the Excadrill.
"Good, Fort High Cliff will give us a unique vantage point of the surrounding area, protection of the nearby mines and quarries, and the starting location in fighting the Tochukaso Hivemind in its hiding place." The Excadrill said.
"Commander!" A Bagon in armor shouted as he runs towards the Excadrill.
"Yes? What is it?"
"There are reports of Parasect activity at the Deep Ore Mines." The Excadrill quickly goes to the barracks.
"Call Commander Hudson." He said to a Starly and it flies off. "Now," He said to the armor wearing pokemon, "Let's get ready to fight off the hivemind. All those who can dig, come with me, we'll be the welcoming committee."
"The Spirits are confused." The Lucario wearing a tribal headdress said to those who are listening. "They are confused and they wish to fix that. But the Spirits see things not like Man but like Spirits, and they see us not as humans turned into pokemon but pokemon with the wrong souls, an error they are fixing." The group begin to whisper between themselves.
"That is enough." An Arcanine, a tribal chieftain, said. "You must be careful with what you say Aurum. You might cause a panic." Aurum stayed silent for a moment before answering.
"Very well." He then stands up and walks away, "I'll commune with the Spirits."
"Get ready for the preparations." The Arcanine said once the shaman left the village, "The tribes will be convening soon."
At the forest near Outpost, an Aura Sphere flies by until it hits something; the force field appears for a moment before vanishing.
"How about now?" A Lucario in a white lab coat asked to his colleague.
"No change." A Kadabra in a white lab coat said.
"It's no use." The Lucario simply collapses to the ground. "We can't tell if it's weakening or not."
"Attacking it failed, digging under it failed, flying over it failed, calling for help failed, teleporting through it failed, but there has to be a way through. Transformed people end up appearing in the area, which implies that there's a way to pass this force field. We just need to figure out what that is." The Kadabra said as a Gardevoir appears nearby.
"Any progress?" She asked.
"No Sonya, nothing right now."
"At this rate, we'll start doing magic spells to break through it." The Lucario said as he stands up, which only made the Kadabra to glare at him.
"There is a rational answer to this mystery, and it will not be solved by nonsensical mumbo jumbo." The Kadabra said in an air of contempt as the force field begins to shimmer in a bluish glow.
'I'm not whether or not he's crazy or a genius with all that mumbo jumbo he's saying.' Meton thought as the Stranger simply passes the time by telling him some strange things.
"… By the time I finished, they ended up in a hole somewhere in the Celtic Isles. That was a very memorable bar mitzvah to say the least." The Stranger said with a smile as the reach Fortree City. "Ah, here we are, Fortree City, the image of a Green City by some environmentally conscious groups. Of course, if the trees start to change into colors other than green, well, there'll be another mess to clean up."
"What did you do to the Mightyena pack?" Meton asked, "And how were you able to understand them?"
"Them? I was hoping for the McKenzie family to be resting during that time, Mightyena and Poochyena shapeshifters. I'm just lucky to be in the reality where they're having their family vacation there."
"That only makes more questions."
"If you're asking on the promise I made, let's just say there a huge gaping hole in reality floating in deep space spewing things that shouldn't exist and I'll fix that sooner or later."
"What?" Meton said as the Stranger begins to climb up a ladder into the treetop city.
The area where the force field touches the ground is glowing. The research team of Psychic Types and Lucarios are now busily using their abilities in finding an opening. A Lucario, however, collapses while covering his eyes, like he was suddenly blinded by a bright light.
"If only there's such thing as aura sunglasses or something. That damn force field's aura is brighter than the Sun." He said as he instinctively rubs his eyes.
"Look for any openings, this is when the new arrivals tend to appear." The Kadabra said as he concentrates his psychic power. "Sonya, tell Commander Hudson to send out search team."
"Right." The Gardevoir said as she teleports away.
Samantha is in deep thought on what happened. Lying in the bathtub, looking at the ceiling, thinking nothing except the warning, she turns her head and looks at the small photograph on the sink showing her family, her ex-husband, her son, and Paul. She knows her ex-husband is missing for some time now and is presumed dead. Her son, the heir of the Jones' Estate, is out in his travels somewhere. This, of course, leaves the Jones' Manor to be taken care of by Paul, which might have caused the rumors of it being haunted by the ghost of a murdered butler to be more commonplace. She just needs to relax for but a moment before going back to the case.
Nearby, in the hallway, Paul looks at the answering machine, seeing the small number of messages left.
'Hey Samantha, it's me, the girls and I were wondering if you want to join us in going to the restaurant and spa we were talking about. I heard you got some connections with the place. If it's true, we want some exclusive deals.' A voice ringed in his head.
'Save that.' He thought as he moves to the next one.
'Paul, it's me. Don't tell mom about this. She'll freak out if she finds out. But I'm getting close. I found a lead on dad's disappearance.' The voice of Young Master Jones echoed in his head as Paul then deletes that from the phone's memory and moves on to the next message, 'I'm sure fairly dad was kidnapped, and whoever took him, well, I'm being followed by them. I'm calling in a secured line so they won't go and come after you guys. They'll lose men faster that way. I'm looking for a guy named Jonathan Evans, last thing I heard, he was hiding in a forest in the Sinnoh Region. I got to go, and remember, don't tell mom about this.' Paul continued to the final message after wiping that one from the phone's memory, 'They know. And I mean know know. I don't know how or why but they know about me. I don't know what's going on, but it's big. They know things that they shouldn't really know. Do things way ahead of its time. If I'm not giving another message within two to three days, tell mom about this, she might be the only one who can stop this.' Paul then looks at the answering machine with worry.
'[Young Master Jones,]' He thought in a strange tongue, '[What have you gotten yourself into?]' He then remembered the case. '[I wonder…]'
"Hello," A reporter said to the assistant of the main office, "I'm a reporter from the Daily Times. I'm here for my three o'clock appointment."
"It's two fifty five." The assistant said as the door opens, showing a graying haired man in his forties wearing a casual looking business suit.
"Ah, the reporter from the paper. Come, come in." The man said, beckoning her in.
"But sir-" The assistant said only for the man to raise his hand.
"I always prefer punctual people, those who come early even more so. Better to be five minutes early than to be on time, I always say." He said to her as he begins his interview with the reporter. The reporter sits down on the chair, noting the papers on a number of charities and organizations around the world. "Let's get started, shall we." The man said as he sits down on his chair and cleans up his desk. The man eyes, for a moment, the report with a photo of a teenager named Jonathan Evans before putting it with the rest of the reports. They then begin the interview.
"Now, Mr. Evans…"
"Breath in and stretch down," The Primeape monk said as the Yoga class continues on. "Feel the energy flow through and relax." The monk follows his meditation, he follows the chants, he follows the teachings. But ever since he turns into a Primeape, there is a growing voice in his mind, a voice that's completely against his pacifist beliefs. And he can tell that it's not only him having this problem.
"TO HELL WITH THIS!" A Mankey shouted as he begins to pound his mat.
"Calm down, and follow the-" The Primeape Monk said as the Mankey Student throws the mat at his face. The other students step back away from the two and hide or run away. "Just do the breathing exercises and relax." He said as he too begins to feel the anger growing inside of him, but he's keeping it under control. Wearing his blue robes, he walks to the Mankey with a calm emotionless face.
"HOW CAN YOU STAY CALM LIKE THAT!" The Student shouted as his anger steadily rises, "JUST LOOKING AT YOU SO CALM JUST MAKES ME ANGRY!" He then raises his fist in the air and jumps to attack. The Monk closes his eyes as he instinctively jumps at the Mankey and begins to repeatedly punch and kick him into a pulp in a blur, a Close Combat move.
A Chansey then runs inside the room after being told by a student and sees the fainted Mankey on the floor and the Primeape in deep meditation.
"What, what happened?"
"Please," The Monk said, still in his meditation. "Send us to Doctor Giles. I fear we're both turning Wild." The Monk could still feel it. The rage, the anger, it didn't subsided, it grew. Just a tiny amount, but he fears that fire, that ever growing, ever burning rage, to consume him completely one day, and so, the two are sent to Outpost to the Rehabilitation Center for Instincts and Urges.
"Was there a message for me Paul?" Samantha said in her bathrobe as she walks out of the bathroom with her hair covered by the towel.
"Only one." Paul said as he walks to the large monitor screen of the study.
"Anything strange popping up in the internet?" She asked as she begins to put on some clothes.
"Other than pop up ads, spam, and false advertisements, nothing out of the ordinary."
"And my son?" Paul then turns around to see Samantha in a more casual/semi-formal attire.
"He is in the Sinnoh Region, Jubilife City to be precise. He sent pictures." Which gave her a small smile as she watches the monitor screen with the images flying by.
"Well, at least he's having fun." She muttered in melancholy. There was a rather unorthodox reason as to why she and her husband broke up. A difference in interest, especially when it comes to children, that and a rather awkward moment mixed with a number of mind boggling revelations.
"Is that the last one?" The Arcanine asked as a Swampert wearing tribal body paint enters the tent. There was a nod and they close the door flap. Inside the tent are all of the leaders of the tribes, the members of the Tribal Union. "We all know why we're here." The Arcanine said, "Our mystics are speaking of a wall that prevents the souls from leaving. They are speaking of the confusion of the Spirits. They are speaking of the correction of our souls. We live in harmony between both our human and pokemon sides but we'll soon fade away." The Arcanine then walks around the central fire, "And what of our children, and our children's children? Will they no longer be human? In both spirit and flesh? That is why we must agree in allying ourselves with both Outpost and Haven." This caused many whispers between the tribal leaders. "Sisters, brothers, we must not forget that they too are victims of this curse. The mad organization that blasphemes against the will of the world must be punished, and the Spirits appeased. We must help them, and, in turn, they will help us. For once this spell is broken, once the Spirits regain their senses, once the madness ends, only then will be seek the retribution against the world."
Later that day, Flying Types are sent to both the Haven Council and High Commander Vash on the decision of the Tribal Union. This changes the plan from persuading the Tribal Union to join into the first political meeting between the three groups. This would theoretically help form an alliance against those who turned Wild and to the organization that did this. Of course, it is theoretical.
Andrew appears in Eterna Forest, hanging on a branch with a relieved look on his face.
"I didn't think it would actually work." He said to himself as he lands near a large mossy rock. Looking at the rock, he walks closer to it, and closes his eyes. He then feels the unique radiation slowly enters him, while making sure the rock is unharmed in the process. When opens his eyes, it took a green hue before fading back into his normal brown. Pulling up the hood of his jacket, he heads deeper into the forest full of energy.
'Eterna Forest, the last known location of Jonathan Evans.' He thought as he turns around after noticing a strange sensation. 'Was that… nah.' He then continues his way into the forest.
"Now," The Stranger said to Meton, "Are you used to flying in airplanes?" He asked as he holds the two long distance airplane tickets in front of him as he pulls out a beige blazer from the racks of a clothes shop.
"Why yes, of course, every tribe folk knows everything about the city folk's metal flying things." Meton said while leaning on the floor. The Stranger simply looks at him with a sad smile.
"Look," The Stranger said as he pulls out some casual clothes for him, "I can understand what you're going through. To go back to a place you call home, only for everyone you know just disappear like that. Searching through many lands for any survivors. Finding no one for who knows how many years since then." He then looks away, "At least I'm not alone anymore." He then looks at the clothes and see if it's aesthetically appealing. "We look around the village. There was no blood. There was no death. It means that your tribe is still alive out there, somewhere. We just need to get some help finding them first." Meton looks up from his self-pity, only to find a shirt hitting his face. "And put some clothes on, you're giving people the wrong ideas with you and your loincloth."
"Commander Hudson." The search team said in a salute, or the closes one could get to a salute, as a Houndoom walks pass them.
"Good, find for any new arrivals. We don't want them being found by any Wild."
"Yes Commander." The team said as the either run or fly off. The Commander then walks to the next team, which is filled entirely with Fire Types.
"Join with Commander Jameson at the Deep Ore Mines. Eliminate every mushroom, Paras, and Parasect on sight."
"Yes sir." They said as they run off to the mines.
Deep in the mines, Commander Jameson is leading his small band of troops against the spore using Parasects.
"Stand your ground! Reinforcements are coming!" The Excadrill shouted as he looks at the Parasects white eyes with murderous rage as the memories of what happened replayed in his mind. In anger, he raises his arms in front of him and Dig down and attacking any Parasects that he can find, making sure they end up in a state pass unconsciousness.
It's been too long since I run. Too long since I return to civilization. Too long since I've seen another human being. Months, years, decades, it's too long. Now I'm living life in the forest of Eterna and in the old abandoned mansion. I can't stay in one place for too long. They might find me. I'll die before they'll take me.
My name is Jonathan Evans. And this is my life.