Mareep did not greet the dawn.
Poison Lance and Pocket watch buried her in the morning, under the shadow of a tall elm tree. Little Ash watched and cried, uncomprehending of what was happening and what had happened.
Poison Lance gathered some berries and fruit that were safe for humans, mashed them up, and then began to try and feed the child. Pocket Watch began tearing the silk structures in the clearing, using his powers to wad up the material and bury it as well.
You know, when you offered to let me stay with you this winter,Pocket Watch said while he worked, this isn't the sort of situation I had in mind. I thought we'd sit around and reminisce about Lucas and the old days. Not have to deal with an orphan and a murderous organization of some sort.
Ah, but orphans and murderous organizations would have fit right in during the old days with Lucas, Poison Lance replied, pushing some more berry mush at Ash. The only thing that has really changed is that now we are so much stronger than we were back then.
We're also older, more tired, and we're missing several friends, Pocket Watch shot back. I really wish Lucas was still alive. He'd at least be able to talk to the people involved. The hypno grinned. I also wish that the Witch of the North Sky was still alive….
That is a horrible joke to keep making about a ghost-type pokémon, Poison Lance replied, though there was a slight tremble that might have betrayed some laughter. Next time I see her I'll have to mention that you're still making it after all these years.
She knows I'd never quit, Pocket Watch said. His grin faded. Still, what are we going to do about the kid? Should we just turn him over to the authorities?
No, Poison Lance shook his head. There is too much that we do not know about the situation. They may have been compromised or deceived by whomever was behind the murders. You and I will have to investigate before we decide on our final course of action.
By we of course you mean me, given that I can read minds, and you can't, Pocket Watch said. And someone will have to take care of the child.
I know some pokémon families we can trust him with for a few hours, Poison Lance said, still trying to feed the child, who was slowly coming around to the idea of eating the berry mush. And I should be there in case of misfortune. And you have had the unfortunate habit of missing a key detail on many an occasion.
Never going to let that go, are you, Pocket Watch sighed. Alright, let's find those babysitters, and figure out which humans we can dump the kid on.
And then we shall go visit the Ketchum house, Poison Lance glared into the distance. We need to witness what we can regarding this atrocity.
Broken and grey spears of wood stood out from the wreckage of the Ketchum home, now a charred black landscape covered with flakes of gray ash like a cruel parody of winter. Yellow and black police tape surrounded the ruined structure, and uniformed men and women combed through the wreckage, accompanied by red and black, tiger-dog like pokémon, growlithes and arcanines. There was an ambulance parked nearby, with two filled body bags on stretchers.
Pocket Watch and Poison Lance lurked nearby, at the edge of the forest around the property. They watched, hidden from notice by the hypno's powers, as the police bagged things and pokémon sniffed. A man in a white coat, with brown-gray hair, and a face with chiseled features, sat staring, uncomprehending, at two body bags.
I was hoping for an opportunity to look through the scene of the crime unmolested, but it would appear that it is impossible now, Poison Lance said.
We can always take a look at their findings, Pocket Watch suggested.
I am still unable to read, Poison Lance confessed, have you learned at some point?
No.
Then how will we decipher their reports? Poison Lance asked.
I was just planning on reading their minds, instead of their reports, Pocket Watch answered, and see if anyone learned anything interesting. Or if someone is hiding something…...
It was awfully suspicious that there was no sign of a response last night, Poison Lance agreed, eyes sweeping over those present. Any active psychic countermeasures?
A few abras, Pocket Watch answered. Basic protections. Nothing I can't slip past.
A turquoise haired woman in a police uniform walked over to the man in the white coat and put a hand on his shoulder.
I see there's a member of the Jenny clan out here as well, Poison Lance said. Do you know if they ever figured out the mutation that keeps their appearance so consistent?
Not now, I'm trying to concentrate, Pocket Watch replied, squinting at the man in the white coat. That man has good defenses. I have to be careful or he'll realize what I'm up to.
Oh, he is a psychic?
No, just well trained, Pocket Watch put two fingers to his forehead. Seems like it's the old-fashioned Kanto League methods. Do you know if any significant League personnel live around here?
I have not been paying attention to the local human gossip and the wild pokemon have not mentioned such a thing either, Poison Lance leaned forward to get a closer look at the man. Judging by his current behavior, it would seem that he was close to the Ketchums, but he may be putting on an act. We would need to interview the people of Pallet Town to anything resembling an accurate conclusion.
I'm going to come back to his mind later, Pocket Watch said. I'd like to scan the other humans first in case he catches me.
The two waited in silence as the mental scans continued. People continued to work, speaking only in whispers. And the man in the white coat sat staring at the bodies as the sun moved across the sky.
This one's suspicious, Pocket Watch said, breaking the silence.
Which one? Poison Lance asked. I am unable to read minds as you are aware.
That one, Pocket Watch pointed to a brown-haired man in a police uniform. He's got some defense training as well, but it's not any form I recognize.
Can you get past it?
Only one way to find out. Pocket Watch once again put two fingers on his forehead and began to glow with a faint purple light. Minutes passed with agonizing slowness as the hypno worked.
He knows the boy survived, Pocket Watch growled. Or at least that he was taken from the house. He knows and his- master? He's a human who calls the man he works for his master? Well, his master wants the boy.
Does he want the boy as a consolation prize, or was Ash the initial goal of the operation? Poison Lance asked.
Let's see if I can find out, Pocket Watch's glow increased in intensity. Another minute passed and Pocket Watch began to sweat. Poison Lance tensed, ready for a fight. Suddenly the target quit working and started looking around.
He noticed me, Pocket Watch hissed.
Crush his mind if you must, Poison Lance said, glaring at the man. I want whatever answers he has. Pocket Watch nodded and the man froze as the hypno attacked his mind.
It was an invisible assault on the foundations of his being, stripping away lies and defenses. Psychic power slowly began to take everything and leave him with nothing but bared memory and thought. Animal panic and shame coursed through his mind, even as he tried to marshal his defenses. He began to shake and shiver, and soon, real police officers noticed his odd behavior, moving closer to check on him.
#You will reveal the truth to me# Pocket Watch's thought echoed in Poison Lance's mind as the hypno clenched his fist, the air around the hypno gaining a strange weight. The man appeared to let out a whimper of pain, inaudible to the hidden pokemon, but not to the humans.
The others will realize what is happening soon, Poison Lance hissed. Hurry before they locate us!
But before anyone else could do anything, the brown-haired man drew a knife from his boot. He hesitated for a second and then drove the blade into his abdomen. People and pokemon flinched and screamed. The man yanked the blade out of his stomach and then jammed the knife into his own throat, crimson life-blood spurting out before the man fell to the ground.
Getting us out of here, Pocket Watch growled. Damned fanatic.
The world blinked out of existence for the briefest of moments and then the duo was somewhere else.
The pair re-appeared deeper into the forest with a pop of displaced air and then immediately teleported away once more to shake any potential pursuers. They repeated this process several more times, before arriving approximately half a kilometer away from their final destination. Pocket Watch looked around to see if they had been followed and then set off at a brisk walk.
What information were you able to glean from that human's mind? Poison Lance inquired.
Relevant information? Not nearly enough, Pocket Watch huffed. He was skilled at mental dissembling. He was Unovian originally and whomever he worked for seemed to at least have a base there. Ash was the goal of their operation and he wasn't the first child that they targeted, they managed to kidnap three others that were like him in some way.
What was the quality that they shared? What uniqueness singled these unfortunate children out for abduction?
The man didn't know, Pocket Watch said, glare on his face. Or if he did, then he hid the knowledge well. There was fourth child, separate from Ash and the other three, meant for some other purpose. I don't know what his master intended with that child either.
The seizure of young children as if they were common property, Poison Lance shook his head. Team Rocket never stooped to such levels, not even in the old days when they were poised to consume Kanto and the surrounding regions. What new foulness have we come upon in my old age?
There was a brief pause as the two walked through the sun-dappled forest, surrounded by greenery and the sound of leaves gently rustling in the slightest of breezes. Smells gently drifted in with the breeze, scents of leaves, and grass, and of wildflowers in full bloom.
I remember those times, Pocket Watch eventually said with a frown, breaking the brief silence. And I think you're forgetting that just because Team Rocket didn't commit this particular awful act, it doesn't mean that they weren't as bad as the people who did. Don't you remember how bad it was back then? How bad they were?
I mainly remember fighting alongside Lucas and our comrades; the places we saw, the people we met, who and what we fought for, the sweet taste of victory, and the bittersweet taste of farewell. It might be that I simply neglected to commit the darker things to memory with the same care as I did for the memories I cherished. Poison Lance confessed.
I remember the darkness in those days well, Pocket Watch said, looking down as he walked through the sunlit forest, crossing from sunshine to shadow to sunshine again. Don't you remember the desperate fights where we couldn't afford to lose and we still lost? Or the constant fear that Team Rocket would steal some of our comrades and we wouldn't see them again?
At least, the hypno continued with an angry snort, unless it was some fight where we would find them abused and twisted, now on the other side, with little chance of being able to rescue them? You don't remember the constant deaths of people and pokémon?
I do, but not as well as I remember the thrill of taking a squad of Rockets by surprise, cutting them down as they planned to attack a League medical outpost, Poison Lance answered, eyes unfocused as his mind gazed into the distant past. Or the final battle at Saffron City when we helped to encircle the Rocket forces and hold them in place long enough for Surge and the League's Electric Type Artillery Division to get into position to finish them. Or the bittersweet memory of how we comforted Lucas after he found members of the family that rejected him dead and wearing Rocket uniforms, laying in the destruction after the battle and we understood that it was finally over.
Bittersweet, Pocket Watch huffed. Yes, that particular time when we comforted Lucas it was bittersweet. Other times were just bitter. Like when we had to comfort him for the lovers he lost. Do you remember how he just lay there, crying for days, after he heard that Mark was incinerated by a Hyper Beam? Or years later, when he had moved on, how Giselle died in his arms, while we and her team fought off the Rocket pokemon all around us? Do you remember how long it took for us to get him to move again after that? How he was never quite the same? And what about the friends we all lost, people and pokémon?
I constantly think of them I must confess, Poison Lance answered with a sigh, voice growing thick with emotion. Nostalgia is a most potent drink, its' bittersweet taste so intoxicating. It is easy to lose hours and days when imbuing such an elixir, Poison Lance answered looking into the sky. And I am hopelessly addicted.
Then do you remember how they killed Plush? How they had to slit his throat and send poison attacks directly into the wound? Pocket Watch clenched his fist. Even then he didn't go down easy, snorlaxes never do. Or how Blaziken saved us from that ambush in the mountains at the cost of her own life? Or when those Rocket magmars got the drop on us and Breloom burned?
No, Pocket Watch growled, continuing. Just because Team Rocket never kidnapped human children like this, it doesn't mean that things were better then. They were just as evil as the monsters who attacked the Ketchums. Nothing's any worse.
Oh? I must disagree. I think times were better back in those days. Even with all the tragedy and pain, in both defeat and triumph, loss and gain, love and grief, there was one very important thing that this current age lacks.
What?
All of us were together; Lucas and all of our comrades, and our friends, Poison Lance answered. Perhaps I may be letting that particular joy tint my perception of both my recollections and of the present. But it is also true that such happiness is gone and I would gladly return to those dark times if it meant I could partake in that joy once more.
I can understand that, but it's selfish, Pocket Watch replied as they passed through another patch of sunlight. Lucas wanted to fight for a better world and by some miracle, we achieved one. It's not perfect, but it was enough for him to be at peace when he died. Going back would mean undoing all that he accomplished and that's one thing that he could never accept.
Such cruel irony, Poison Lance shook his head. A human with such a great figurative heart taken from this poor world by a weak physical heart.
There was silence for a brief time as they continued walking. And then Pocket Watch spoke up again.
Well, he was certainly a very good man, Pocket Watch said. But, a great figurative heart? Let's be real, he could be an absolute ass at times. Lucas just absolutely hated some people for no reason sometimes. He was even cruel to Mark at first-
Mark gave as good as he got, Poison Lance interrupted, glaring at Pocket Watch.
But it was usually Lucas who started their fights, at least until the hate sex started, Pocket Watch retorted. Yes, he apologized to Mark after they started dating, and they eventually had a happy and healthy relationship, but still…... Oh, and remember how he used to get when someone beat him to the best spots for a tent or a bedroll?
Lucas had to struggle with his health problems. It made it difficult to get a full night's rest, Poison Lance said defensively. He was always out of sorts when he knew that the upcoming slumber would be subpar. Anyone would have struggled with such issues. And what is with these attacks on Lucas's character? You loved him just as well as I, or so I thought.
I did and still do, Pocket Watch answered. But the way you talk about him makes him seem flawless. You're glossing over those problems, big and little, that helped to make him who he was. It's unfair to him and his memory. And to the rest of our comrades. Some of us loved our trainer all the more for his flaws.
He was flawed, Poison Lance agreed. But his flaws seem so small to the other things I can recall. I remember him as the boy so happy to catch a weedle as his first pokemon. The boy who wanted to make friends, but who was constantly held back by a failing body and a toxic family. A boy who helped us to become strong. A man who constantly put himself at risk for people and pokemon, yes, even those people he hated for no good reason. The man with a secret shyness that he could not quite hide from his lovers. The man who was constantly tired, but refused to rest until everything was taken care of.
There was another brief silence as the two walked on, lost in memory.
I wish he were here¸ Pocket Watch sighed. He'd know what to do now.
Lucas is gone, but we remain, Poison Lance replied. We can make his memory proud. Now was there anything else you managed to get from the mind of the miscreant at the Ketchum house?
Not much. He was sent ahead to infiltrate the Pallet Town Police Department a few months ago in preparation for this, Pocket Watch answered. He was there to make sure that there wasn't any interference last night. That man had also done some work in most of the other Allied Regions. I couldn't get any names out of him, either for people or organizations.
Were you able to find out if his master had any more forces out here? Poison Lance asked.
No, I didn't. I also didn't find anything out about their future plans.
What about the man in the white coat? Were you able to find out anything about him?
Again, nothing, Pocket Watch said. I suspect that he's a high-ranking Leaguer of some sort, but I couldn't tell if his apparent grief was genuine or not. For all I know he might be the master that the dead man was serving.
A human high in the League ranks would be in a position to easily operate in many of the Allied Regions, Poison Lance mused. And they would also be the kind of individual that other humans might refer to as 'master'. Still, that does not mean that he is our culprit.
We don't know if he's on our side or their side, Pocket Watch sighed.
Oh? We already have a 'side'? Poison Lance would have raised an eyebrow if he had possessed them. I was unaware that this had become an us versus them situation. Are we to be engaged in a conflict with unknown enemies from here on out?
It became an 'us vs them' situation when they killed a family and tried to kidnap a child in our general vicinity, Pocket Watch snorted in retort. Don't act like you weren't thinking the same thing.
I must confess that the thought had crossed my mind, Poison Lance answered. But it would have been rude to assume that you had committed so readily.
It wasn't how I was planning to spend the year, Pocket Watch said with a small, careful shrug to avoid dislodging the weedle on his shoulder. But I'm in. He pushed some branches out of the way as they came to a small collection of bushes that was their destination.
A brow duck-like pokémon with a leek, a farfetch'd, was fussing over Ash while two tiny vulpixes romped around in the bushes. Nearby a white furred pokémon, with nine long tails, a ninetails, was sleeping, head on her tails, curled in a tight ball. She woke up when Pocket Watch and Poison Lance got closer, eyes opening to calmly watch the pair.
Did the boy give you any trouble? Poison Lance asked, jumping down from Pocket Watch.
No, he was asleep most of the time, Farfetch'd answered. The kids were fascinated by him; they haven't seen any humans yet. Kept them out of trouble for a few hours.
It was nice to be able to grab a nap, Ninetails added and then gave a small yawn. Did you find out what you needed to, Poison Lance?
We found a misbegotten wretch who committed suicide rather than giving up sufficient information, Poison Lance replied, standing on the side of a tree. And we left with more questions then we started with.
Oh dear, the Ninetails said with a yawn, standing up. Do you need to go again? Do you need us to watch over Ash some more? We would be happy to.
No, I don't think we can go again, Pocket Watch answered, leaning on the tree next to Poison Lance. They'll know that a psychic was spying on them. They'll beef up their defenses. I blew our only chance.
That is untrue, Poison Lance said. While we could have been more fortunate, or maybe have waited until we could extract the man from the police-
We didn't know if he was going to disappear soon, Pocket Watch interjected. He may have vanished once he found whatever he was looking for.
Regardless, we did learn one very significant fact, Poison Lance continued. They were after Ash himself. His parents were collateral damage.
Which means whoever it was will come after him again, Farfetch'd said, smacking his leek into his wing like it was a riding crop. He started looking around everywhere. Crap. Is it safe here? Are they currently-
They currently have no clue where he is, Pocket Watch reassured the bird-like pokemon. That I could also glean from the man's mind.
However, they may start searching soon- Poison Lance began.
Maybe not, the police are riled up now, Pocket Watch interrupted. And the mole in the force just committed suicide….
The one mole that we were aware of, Poison Lance shot back. If there is another one, or if the people behind this act have some sort of control over the police force, then they could use the police as a proxy to search this forest for Ash.
Well, then we at least have a few hours while they organize things, Pocket Watch replied, before turning to the other two adult pokemon. We'll be out of your hair by then. You, uh, also might want to relocate, just in case.
That shouldn't be a problem, Farfetch'd said, looking over at Ninetails. We've got a couple of nests for the kids in this forest. Don't want to linger too long in one place and attract predators.
Or we could just kill the predators, the Ninetails shot back in a bored tone. And then eat them.
Please don't talk about that. Ninetails, I love you, but we both know that if it wasn't for my good looks there's a chance I might have been on your menu, Farfetch'd replied. You can keep the kids safe by killing things that want to eat them. I'll keep them safe by hiding them.
Well, at least in this case you two should hide, Pocket Watch interjected. You're dealing with a human organization that seems to have a lot of attack pokemon.
Or the human police who could also overwhelm you with numbers, Poison Lance added.
Fine, Ninetails sighed, laying down again. I'll just take a brief nap before we move.
Anyway, we need to figure out what we're going to do for Ash, Pocket Watch said. Long-term and short-term.
It might be prudent to give him to an orphanage, Poison Lance suggested. If we find one far enough away from here there will be nothing to connect this human child with the Ketchum family. Unless, by some strange happenstance, they have the DNA records for the Ketchums, but we can always scout things out-
There's a big problem with that plan, Pocket Watch said, sitting down on the grass.
What is the problem with my suggestion?
I'll answer your question with another question. How did they find Ash in the first place? Pocket Watch asked.
What do you mean- Wait, I see what you are saying, Poison Lance's brows knit in concentration?
Huh? You lost me, Farftech'd, who had been following the conversation, interrupted with a confused expression.
Whoever killed the Ketchums was after Ash specifically, because of some unknown quality that they thought he possessed, Poison Lance explained.
Okay, and? Ninetails asked, opening one eye.
How did they track this trait to Ash in the first place? Poison Lance asked. And can they repeat the process?
I think we can assume that it takes a little bit of time at least, Pocket Watch said. Or they might've already arrived here.
But unless we are able to discover what uniqueness that Ash has that drew them to him in the first place and the method, they used to locate him, then we cannot simply place him in an orphanage and leave, Poison Lance went on. If you are willing Pocket Watch, the two of us could guard the orphanage for a time-
Even if we did that, we'd be putting all the other humans in this hypothetical orphanage at risk, Pocket Watch retorted. I don't feel like having dead human children on my conscience.
Fine. If not an orphanage then we could find a human family looking to adopt. There would be fewer humans in the crossfire-
So, we pick a random family to kill? Nope.
I think between the two of us we could guard three people without issue, Poison Lance replied. Unless-
And if they have more children? Or they move somewhere that's hard to guard? What will we do then? Pocket Watch shot back.
Alright, fine, what about finding a region that uses a foster system- No, that would have the same inherent problems as the other possibilities. Poison Lance frowned. Hmm… Maybe there's a member of a region's Elite Four equivalent looking to adopt… No that is a patently ridiculous solution.
Glad I didn't even need to get started on what's wrong with that idea, Pocket Watch muttered.
Ash would be in the public eye too much if we tried that, Poison Lance said. And how would we be able to follow them if they specialize in anything other than bug-types or psychic-types? Maybe if we could construct disguises…
Yes, because that's the difficult part, not, you know, manipulating someone on the level of the Elite Four into doing what we want, Pocket Watch said, rolling his eyes.
Well, if we could get the correct paperwork-
Poison Lance, you're losing yourself to your 'overly complicated plan' bad habit again. We don't need a catastrophe on the level of the Ninja Mansion Incident again, Pocket Watch sighed.
Flygirl will never let me live that down, Poison Lance winced. Very well, new plan. We find an organization that makes use of child soldiers and infiltrate them in order to-
That's just a more complicated version of what was probably about to happen to Ash! Pocket Watch objected.
Fine, fine, we'll find a traveling circus and disguise him as a pokemon-
Do I even need to say anything at this point?
We launch an expedition to the distant south and locate the Temple of Mew-
It hurts me to think that you're being serious.
Fine! Poison Lance shouted. We can raise the child ourselves!
A minute of silence followed his outburst.
Actually, Poison Lance went on, nodding to himself, that might work…...
No, it wouldn't, Pocket Watch replied. There are so many problems with that idea. For one, how will we deal with the humans tracking him?
We can contact Flygirl, get her to help us. It is as you said, whatever method our enemies have used to locate Ash, there is evidence that it takes time to use. If we are constantly mobile then it will be much more difficult for them to track Ash down.
Okay, we can keep Ash safe physically that way, Pocket Watch agreed, rolling his eyes once more. But what about his mental health. Humans need human interaction when growing up and neither of us can give him that.
Oh, but we can provide human interaction indirectly! Pocket Watch replied, voice growing more excited. Between the two of us, we can sneak Ash into daycares and preschools-
Putting them at risk-
Not if we keep moving! Poison Lance's voiced indicated a manic grin even if his hidden mouth didn't show it. Whoever was behind the attack did not just have a group of psychic pokemon teleport in and grab Ash. Not only that, but they had to prepare for their operation. They had to send someone to infiltrate the police for over a month before they could act.
So? Pocket Watch asked.
Based on what little we know of them, I think if we do not linger in a location, we should be able to stay ahead of them, Poison Lance answered, practically bouncing with excitement.
If you're wrong? What if they just didn't have a teleport and grab squad available because it's busy with something else? Or maybe they just were willing to try and operate secretly because it was easier for them instead of because it was necessary? Pocket Watch countered. You can't assume that they won't change the way they operate.
But, if we stay with Ash like we were going to do in our other plans-
Your other plans you mean.
Then we can mitigate that risk by staying close to Ash at all times, Poison Lance continued, practically bouncing with excitement. Ideally, you would be around Ash at all times in order to teleport him out of danger, but Flygirl would also suffice for extraction.
Who still hasn't agreed to help with this- Pocket Watch added in a long-suffering tone of voice.
And if we stick to places with a significant League presence, a strong police force, or a powerful defense system, we can reduce the risk even more, Poison Lance went on. If our foes dared to act openly in such an environment, we stand a good chance of destroying them.
Except a lot of those places happen to be big cities and neither of us are the sort of wild pokemon who inhabit big cities, Pocket Watch shot back. That would be a problem, especially if we're trying to keep a low profile.
Fair enough. Poison Lance conceded. However, there are border towns and frontier towns that fit that criterion. We can still conceal ourselves in the wilds.
You still have to actually ask Flygirl to help with this mad scheme, Pocket Watch pointed out. And you haven't actually asked if I'm willing to put a decade of my life, instead of a year, into this mad plan.
Are you saying that you will not take part?
Don't go putting words into my mouth, Pocket Watch huffed, crossing his arms and looking away. I'll help. It would just be nice if you asked instead of assuming.
Wonderful. Then all that is left to do is to contact Flygirl to see if she is willing to assist us, Poison Lance said, actually bouncing a little with excitement.
Farfetch'd, who had been silent for a while, looked over at Ninetails.
Remember how much simpler it was for us to get some kids? He asked his mate.
Well, we were fine with our kids being pokemon, she replied. I imagine humans are much more complicated.
AN: I am amused by the few reviews that asked for me to spare mareep. I've got a 63,000 word buffer at this point. Fate is set in stone.
Of course you won't be seeing that writing for a long time. I'm going to aim for one chapter a week (of about 3,000-8,000 words) from here on out so I can maintain at least a 50,000 word lead. This means that there's far less chance of me needing to revise or edit a previously released chapter.
I'd like to thank Magnive for beta reading this chapter as well.
:AN