A car parks in a driveway of an upper middle class home before the passengers disembark. Three humans and two Pokémon enter the house. Unbeknownst to the family, another car sits idle on the other side of the street. Inside the vehicle are two Team Rocket members: a man and a woman.
"That's definitely him." The female grunt says.
"You're Positive?" The man leans his head sideways just in time to watch some lights turn on in the house.
"Look at the info; his face and everything." She brandishes a paper at him.
The male slaps his hands on his lap before saying, "Tch…why does Anthony Preston even bother with this kid? He should have other things to worry about."
"Like making sure Doctor Bartoli stays in jail." She retorts.
He lays his head back and puts his hands behind his head in a nonchalant manner, "Exactly, Anthony Preston said he was going to make more of this formula thing very soon, but Doctor Bartoli put him in a cage when things went down in Outpost 3C 273. He needs to make sure she keeps her mouth shut."
"Still can't believe she did what she did." The woman says as she folds the piece of paper and puts it away.
"Yea, and video surveillance shows her letting those brats go. She helped them escape."
"It sucks, it's because of her we've got no outpost now…well, I see where you're going with this, but orders are orders." The female grunt explains.
"Yea…" The man says softly before silence takes over for several seconds, "You think he's with them? This 'Cy' guy, I mean?" He asks.
She raises an eyebrow, "We'll find out once we go in the house."
"Alright." The man says "You ready?"
Without him knowing, she had been staring out the window and has been inspecting the house. She turns to him, "I think we should wait. I say we should see what goes on in the house for a while. Then, once we know where things are and how things go on around here, that's when we'll strike." She explains.
"You sure? That sounds boring." The man leans back on his chair again.
"It may be boring for me too but we wanna get this kid without causing much of a fuss." She says.
"I guess…but we're ganna be causing fuss for kidnapping him anyway."
"So? What do you say?" She asks.
"Fine…"
"Okay…" She finishes the conversation.
The car shuts off and remains idle in the darkness of the street.
...
Chapter thirty-three: Snow
Several days have passed since we've been at the mall. I've been told that we're leaving to see Bill in two days which excites me greatly. Despite knowing that I may be a human again within a few days, I've been training with Orion more and more rigorously. I've been learning how to move and how to focus my energy as a Pokémon much better than before; all of my training before I came here took place inside a small cage after all. It is a relief to finally be able to have space for training. As for our English, Orion has improved on his English handwriting. He's learning fast and I'm actually starting to think that he'll be able to write full sentences very soon! Me on the other hand, I've improved on my pronunciations as a Pikachu, but my speech patterns are still sluggish, but I hope to fix that once I see Bill. As I wait for that to happen, I make yet another attempt to beat Orion in battle.
"You ready?" Orion asks me as he goes down on all fours.
I nod, "Yea."
"Just try and hit me once." Orion lowers his head slightly just before I charge at him; however, just as I am about to tackle him, he jumps in the air as expected. Unfortunately, I am unable to reach him despite my improvements in jumping.
As he falls, he unleashes a lightning bolt at me in retaliation. Without hesitation, I use Thundershock. Both lightning bolts strike each other, but Orion's Thunderbolt is vastly superior. I land on the ground and I sidestep to avoid his lightning strike. The Pikachu, now on the ground as well, immediately rushes toward me from the other side of the yard: quickly gaining speed in the process.
I fall down on all fours and focus hard on the rapidly moving Pikachu. I boldly do the same, but I use a different technique instead: I use quick attack this time without him knowing about it. Orion makes a confident smile but he suddenly slows down significantly along with everything else around me.
At first I am positive that I will succeed; however, much to my surprise, he begins picking up speed again and the effects from the slowing of time disappears around him: it seems as though he has used quick attack as well.
I stop moving and I unleash electricity from my body and it travels to him, but he jumps over me and turns around to face me. I feel the Pikachu grab my shoulders. He turns me around as time returns to normal. Fur all over my body rises up before lightning strikes me. I fall on my back as he laughs victoriously. Soon after, he kindly lends me a hand and picks me up.
"You've improved, but not enough to beat me still." Orion says proudly.
Without him expecting me to do so, I quickly electrocute him as he's holding my hand. Startled, he backs away in a defensive manner. I stand up as well, smiling in the process, "Got you."
"I don't think so…we were done the moment you fell down." Orion lowers his stance.
"You only told me to hit you one time." I cross my arms in objection, "You never said we were done."
Orion nods, "Okay, that was just practice…now let's see if you can do that again for real."
I fix the blue goggles on my head as I prepare to fight; however, we both hear a door suddenly open and we turn to face the fence adjacent to the house.
We see Rigel usher his bike to the shed; his father follows behind him with a similar bicycle before closing the fence door, "Hey guys, try not to make a mess of things. We're having a party here tonight." George says while coming into the yard
A party? I think to myself.
Orion rushes to his trainer happily and they both embrace for several seconds. George raises his hand up to his son, "Put it here: that was some nice bike riding." Rigel stands up and makes a high-five with his father. Seconds later he opens the door of the shed and both of them place the bikes inside. Once they come out, Rigel wipes sweat off his forehead, "It's been a while since I've biked up and down the area around the lake."
"I know. I've missed biking with you, bud." George retorts as he inspects the backyard, "That felt good, right?"
"Yea, I should have taken the bike with me for the journey." Rigel responds, brushing his hair sideways.
"No sweat, you can take it." His dad explains.
"Really? Thanks dad!" Rigel locks the shed and then sighs, "Well…I'm going to go change clothes then practice on the piano." Rigel says before opening the door of the sunroom.
"Alright, but I'll need you later."
"Okay." Rigel enters the house.
George turns toward Orion and I and asks, "Mind if you two go inside? I've got to mow the lawn."
Orion and I nod before we leave.
…
A few minutes later, Rigel is practicing the same song he has been learning for the past several days now. Orion relaxes on the piano as I take off my jacket and use it as a pillow. It appears as though riding along the bike trail near the house has placed Rigel into a state of jauntiness today. The both of them talk fanciful nonsense as I try and take a short nap.
Later on, Rigel's mother comes home and helps prepare the house for the party, but not without asking her son to bathe both Orion and I. After giving us a bath the three of us hang out around the house doing things we usually do to pass the time. Eventually, however, George gets Rigel to help around the house.
…
It's nighttime and it's cold outside. The sky is clear, which is a rather welcoming setting for a good get-together outdoors. The only thing I'm wearing tonight is a black bow-tie.
The first guests appear and the greet goes as follows: the guests enter the house, George and May hug them, they take the bottles they brought to the kitchen, and they chat amongst themselves there. They, of course, ask who I am, but George comes up with the explanation that Rigel captured me during his journey and decided to keep me.
Rigel goes upstairs and brings a Poké ball to show to his dad, "Can I let Charmeleon out just for tonight?"
"No, you know how I feel about it."
"But he can light up the fire pit and impress everyone!"
"I said no, and I won't say it again." George asserts his dominance over his child. Rigel looks down and walks away.
As the guests chat and George and May greet more visitors, Rigel sits on the couch in the living room nearby, uninterested, and watches T.V. with Orion by his side. I decide to join them. He later rests the Poké ball on the couch and forgets to take it later on.
The party ultimately has only eight guests tonight .They are all adults and only serve to feed Rigel's increasing isolation from the party itself. He is, however, ushered outside along with everybody else to sit around a long wooden table to eat. The backyard is well lit with bamboo Tiki torches scattered throughout the area. The pool's underwater lamps are on and are changing colors slowly. It's quiet outside with only a few crickets singing in the distance. All in all, it's a nice time to be outside.
After we all eat dinner, George ignites the fire pit and we all huddle around it. The adults, with the exception of Rigel, indulge themselves with wine. A while after, everybody agrees to play a game: a game of Bocce. One of the guests clumsily throws the pallino into the ground nearby which starts the game off rather easily for the opposing team. I am invited to play but I watch quietly instead. After a while, I decide to branch off from the group to look up at the sky all by myself. I lie on the grass and I think hard on the days to come…my old life may be coming back to me very soon. I may be able to see my family again too, and everything will be as it was again…or will it?
Tonight felt too strange for me...I was acting a certain way…feeling like a pet…feeling like I'm not equal like the others. I didn't detest against it or anything! Am I actually starting to think that going to Bill is unnecessary?
What has happened to me?"
…
The next morning…
I wake up on the couch to find myself alone. I yawn and rub my eyes before I jump off the couch to look for Rigel. It does not take long for me to find him outside with Orion. His parents are most likely working at their respected jobs today, so it's just the three of us alone again for the afternoon.
I pass through the sunroom and I go through the "doggy door". The teenager and the Pikachu spot me coming outside, "Hey Lucas."
Rigel throws a ball of yarn up towards the air above Orion. The mouse Pokémon uses his head to hit the falling object, which sends it back to Rigel.
I raise an eyebrow as I step closer to them. Rigel notices and says, "Wanna play?" I shrug, "O…k."
"The object of the game is to keep hitting the yarn back to me and not let it fall on the ground. Want to try getting 5 then 10?" I smile.
"Alright, get ready." Rigel throws the ball into the air and quickly grabs another and throws it. After hitting the first yarn it heads in a different direction from the boy: I missed. A second later, I jump and hit my head against the second, which bounces back to Rigel, "Nice, three more."
Eventually when the game ends, I only managed to send two yarns back to him, but I don't think ill of it since it's just for fun. Orion and I continue taking turns for a while.
After a few minutes, we are exhausted and Rigel puts the yarns away in a bag and heads towards the door, "I'm going to put these away and get something to drink, be right back."
After the human leaves, I fall on my back and sigh softly; Orion follows suit. We lay on the grass quietly for a few seconds. The sunlight keeps me warm and the wind is a light breeze. Orion turns toward me and says, "Excited?"
I open my eyes, "To see Bill?"
"Yea." He says.
I close my eyes again, "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am."
"That's good…so…you'll visit us…right?" Orion asks.
"…" I think to myself, "I might, but I don't know if I will."
"What do you mean!?" Orion sits up in surprise.
"…"
"Lucas?"
"I wouldn't want to experience the nightmare a second time." I say softly.
"…you're scared." Orion says, now poignant.
"The first thing I'm doing once I'm human, and I hope I will be again, is to get me and my family out of here to a safer place. I want to be as far away from here as I can." I say, standing up, "Please, understand. You're my friend, and your family is as perfect as it can be, and I want to stay longer…but…I can't take the risk. I don't want them to find me again." I explain.
"…I understand." Orion looks down toward the ground.
"Look, let's just forget about this and do-"
We unexpectedly hear something strike the fence behind us. We quickly turn around to inspect the source of the noise. Orion walks ahead of me to get a closer look: a small brick had struck the wooden fence. Suddenly, I feel something clamp on my legs and I fall down to the ground flat on my stomach. Soon after, someone grabs me and hastily throws me inside something before everything gets dark. I immediately struggle to get free but nothing helps.
As all of this happens, Orion looks behind him and gasps loudly. Before he can strike back, a second figure appears behind him and swiftly throws a trap at the Pokémon. It opens up and ensnares the Pikachu. Orion struggles to break free from his restraints and use his Pokémon moves but all he can do is growl at his foes: who soon reveal themselves to be Team Rocket Grunts. The second Grunt, who is a female, goes to grab Orion but the Pikachu attempts to bite her repeatedly. With rubber gloves on, the Grunt places him inside the bag and closes it quickly. Now, we are both trapped.
"Use ThunderShock, anything, hurry!" Orion shouts as we both try to use electric attacks but it appears to be useless. It looks as though our PP had been drained thanks to the shackles. He tries to bite his way out but it's also useless. Orion begins shouting for help before I do the same.
…
Meanwhile inside the house, Rigel is upstairs and is completely oblivious to what is unfolding outside. He has placed the bag of yarn on his bed and checked notifications on his computer. A few minutes after doing this, while the commotion is happening outside, he goes downstairs to the kitchen to get a drink. After pouring soda into a glass, he takes a sip but then notices two unfamiliar figures outside the window of the living room checking the inside of the house. The boy exhales forcefully and heedlessly drops the glass in the process. The shattering of the glass alerts the grunts outside.
"There." The male grunt points and says silently.
"Let's get him." The female commands as she drops the bag that contains the two Pokémon on the ground nearby. The both of them enter through the sunroom. Unable to see him for several moments, the teenager, with quick thinking, takes this opportunity to move into the next room adjacent to the one he was just in. The Team Rocket grunts take out guns filled with syringes and cautiously scan the living room and the kitchen for Rigel. The young boy takes quick and shallow breaths before hearing footsteps nearby which sends his heart racing even faster.
The phone…I've got to call for help… He thinks to himself.
Rigel advances silently to the library where the nearest phone is located. With sweaty palms, he opens the door as quietly as he can. Then, another idea forms in his head: he takes off one of his shoes and throws it across the hallway into another room which gets the attention of the grunts. He enters the library and sets the other shoe down beside the door. He quickly dashes for the phone and dials 9-11.
After talking briefly with the operator beside the door, he hears footsteps again in which he covers his mouth in fear.
"Check upstairs, he could have gone up there." The female voice demands, "Come out kid, no use hiding from us." She says.
"Sir, are you still there?" The operator says over the phone. Rigel has no choice but to hang up since it's making too much noise. He holds his breath in response. This, however, still gets the attention of the grunt who slowly brandishes her gun toward the door of the library and goes to open it. Once she's almost through the door with the gun, Rigel's heart stops.
"Up here! A door is locked, he's probably in here!" The male shouts from upstairs before sounds of banging can be heard.
The female decides to back off and runs to meet with her partner upstairs. Rigel exhales deeply and takes this time to leave the library to enter the living room once more to leave the house. Once there, he enters the sunroom and makes it outside. He hears squeaks of distress coming from a nearby location. He finds the black bag where the two Pikachu are.
"Guys!? Oh no!" He tries to open the bag but it's no use, "What should I do!? I can't take the bag with me, it's too heavy!" Rigel lets go of the bag and says, "I'll be back, I'll try and free you guys!"
Rigel reenters the house again to grab something sharp to open the bag with. As he makes his way through the living room, he finds a Poké ball, containing Charmeleon inside, on the couch next to him. Before he can attempt to grab it, he hears someone shout, "I see him!"
Rigel turns around but then takes a step back in fear which causes him to fall on the couch. The female grunt shoots her gun but misses just as the teenager falls. She holsters her gun and approaches him quickly and pounces on the teen. She restrains him while on the couch and takes out a syringe to stab him with it, "Hold still!"
The male grunt arrives and smiles, "Finally, hurry up with him." He says.
"Shut up!" She retorts.
He tries to prevent the tranquilizer from hitting one of his veins but he's quickly losing the battle. As it gets closer, Rigel moves his head sideways and fortunately finds the Poké ball nearby. He quickly extends his hand and grabs it. Pressing down on the button, the ball opens and the laser travels behind the grunts where the lizard Pokémon materializes. The male grunt quickly turns around and aims his gun at Charmeleon but the Pokémon uses ember without hesitation and the man tries to dodge it which causes it to hit the female grunt's backside instead. She yells in pain as she lets go of Rigel.
The boy gets out of the couch and runs out of sight. After he does, the red-colored lizard, without any regard for the house, releases more fire from its mouth toward the intruders which causes a fire to erupt. The male grunt fires several syringes but misses all of them thanks to Charmeleon using furniture as cover. Frustrated, the human takes out a small item and throws it toward the lizard which soon explodes into a large white cloud to blind and stun the creature. The Pokémon disappears inside it and it appears as though the plan worked. Unbeknownst to the grunt, however, he just made a life-threatening mistake.
"Don't stand there! Go find the brat!" The female shouts with pain before the man nods his head and leaves the room. The female grunt, after using the couch as cover, stands up and aims her gun at the cloud and prepares to shoot; however, she hears growling and then sees a red haze through the cloud.
The male grunt takes a sharp turn toward the main hallway to look for the boy and ends up finding him hiding behind a piece of furniture. The man grabs him before he can run or fight back and takes out a syringe and makes the boy stand still, "I got you!"
Back in the living room, Charmeleon has now recovered and is angrier than before. The female gasps loudly before realizing what is about to happen: Charmeleon is going to use ember again. She emits a blood-curling scream, "No!" The female shoots her tranquilizer into the cloud when she sees several sparks. The sparks causes a chain reaction because of the cloud and the entire living room, kitchen, and sunroom explode violently and are destroyed. Half of the house rains with millions of shrapnel and patches of fire as remnants.
Meanwhile, the force of the explosion sends the male grunt and Rigel falling down into the ground. The man looks behind him with an intense expression. Half of the house is now gone and is on fire. He goes to the living room and only finds the Pokémon there, unconscious, and only charred remains of the house.
"Sam!? Sam!?"
The loud explosion immobilizes and deafens Rigel. Disorientated, he attempts to find the exit, but his vision is blurry and almost all sound is muted and this causes his escape to be much more challenging. He feels something force him into the ground once more only with more force than before: it's the male grunt.
He begins choking the young teen without any regard to his well-being, "What the hell did your Pokémon do!?" Rigel gasps for air as he thrashes around for help. His eyes begin to turn red as the veins on his neck appear longer than before. Rigel's vision begins to darken as he loses strength and life.
Suddenly, four law enforcement officers barge in the front door and quickly restrain the Team Rocket Grunt. The boy, now unconscious and not breathing, is picked up by one of the officers as he is taken outside. Police cars surround the house and neighbors watch with anguish.
"Call an ambulance now!" One of the officers say as a fire truck arrives on the scene to put out the fire. Minutes later, an officer brings out a moving black bag and says to his fellow men, "Team Rocket."
…
George and May rush through endless corridors of white floors and white walls. They pass various hospital equipment and personnel to get to their destination. They reach a lobby and see a young man behind the counter. Despite having shortness of breath, George manages to ask for Rigel and the parents are taken to a room where the young boy is held. May enters first and almost collapses on the ground upon seeing her child on the hospital bed. Rigel, wearing an oxygen mask, looks at them with a sorrowful and fearful face.
George and May waste no time to be as close to their son as possible, "Are you okay!?" George says with an agonizing voice while checking to see if Rigel had any hidden wounds, "Rigel, are you alright!?" He asks again with a much more demanding tone. Rigel's face is full of melancholy and closes his eyes as he slowly cries.
"Rigel, please, please tell me yes!" George demands, "Who did this to you!?"
George moves away from the boy and stands still for several moments. It takes only a few seconds for him to realize who would harm his son. Sound becomes muted for the father as his hands curls into fists and he begins to sweat.
"It's going to be alright Rigel, we're here now for you…George?" May turns around and stands up to see that he has disappeared.
Now in a nearby restroom and locking the door behind him, George washes his face before staring at a reflection of himself. He grabs the sink as his heartbeat quickens. As seconds go by, which feel like minutes for him, he grasps the sink harder than before. He moves them away from the sink to grab the hair on his head. His face becomes even more perturbed. Not being able to take it any longer, he suddenly punches the mirror as hard as he can and proceeds to destroy anything in sight.
Outside the hospital, it begins to snow.
…
Sorry for the long update, but the original file got lost so I had to write everything all over again. Plus, I've been dealing with school. Despite this, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll try to upload the next chapter sooner. Until next time!
