Creation began on 03-18-19

Creation ended on 04-07-19

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Nightmares or Events Predetermined?

A/N: Haven't you ever wondered what kept Shinji up at night when he thinks about other people from his world having Pokemon of their own? This takes place during intermissions between traveling from one place to the next in each region over the last three-and-a-half years, but prior to Hearthome City, when Kensuke was returned to the conscious realm of the Eva universe.

Looking up at the night sky, Shinji had found sleep to be unaffordable to him again for the sixth night since he and Kensuke began traveling in the Sinnoh Region. Sometimes, it was difficult to relax when the random thought of encountering people that see Pokemon as nothing more than pawns, tools or weapons to amass wealth without any regard to their well-being was something he had witnessed when he met members of organizations that used Pokemon like that.

Team Rocket, he thought, seeing a shooting star, Team Aqua, Team Magma, Team Galactic…and every other criminal organization that treats Pokemon as though they were expendable. How cold and unappreciative of Pokemon can people be that don't see their true value as Pokemon have been around longer than even the first generation of cavemen and will be around after we're gone?

He thought back to a day over three years ago where, while in the Johto Region, he, Misato and Kensuke had a chance encounter with three people that were part of this Team Rocket. Fortunately, they had been versed in the basic knowledge of such an organization from Prof. Oak, who heard of them from Ash and his group from their adventures, so they weren't too concerned about dealing with them, especially since the trio they met was the same one the Pallet Town Pokemon Trainer had history with: A young woman with long, magenta hair, a young man with short, lavender hair, and a Meowth that could talk.

"Prepare for trouble," the woman warned him as she summoned her Arbok.

"And make it double," the man added as he summoned his Weezing.

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth finished, extending his talons.

Unfortunately, they never came close, because Misato used her Swift attack to send them flying again. They weren't even a threat, let alone a challenge. And yet, it seemed that every now and then, wherever they were in a current region, Shinji would encounter this faction of Team Rocket when they were known to pursue Ash for his Pikachu while they were in the region they were in, and then they'd forget about the Electric-Type Pokemon in favor of his Eevee, whom they suspected was a lot more powerful than any other Eevee, even those that were evolved.

Looking at his sleeping Eevee, Shinji doubted there was anything particularly unique about Misato beyond the fact that she was his closest companion since they met outside of Pallet Town and he awoke in the Pokemon world. Sure, he had trained her to be at her best, but there were no such Normal-Type Pokemon that were next to invincible, and Misato had been in her fair share of losses when they faced Gym Leaders. She was strong, but he respected this Eevee more for just being his friend, not as a powerhouse.

If people like those of these criminal organizations were as common as war and sickness, it would prove that no matter which universe you reside in, people are the same, capable of good or bad, just like how there are Pokemon capable of either helping or harming others. That would mean…that the people back in my world are just as capable. They can either see Pokemon as pets, companions…or as weapons. Shinji thought, already imagining a horrible sight in his mind.

He saw his father as an example of the worst of humanity, standing in front of him with an Arcanine that appeared scorched and with dark eyes like flames searing past the lids and out into the world, appearing rather demonic in a sense.

"You will relinquish your Pokemon to me, boy," the Gendo hallucination told him, and then the corrupt Arcanine unleashed a Fire Blast towards him. "They're wasted on you."

Shinji shook his head to clear his mind of that horrid fantasy and found himself alone in the silence of the night with just his thoughts to keep him company as Misato and Kensuke continued to sleep.

Get a grip on yourself, Shinji, he instructed himself as he grabbed his forehead whilst sitting beside a tree, otherwise, you'll believe that everyone back in Tokyo-3 and all across Japan will treat Pokemon like how Team Rocket and these other groups do. But so long as I'm here and Father is back there, he can't possess any Pokemon and treat them as less than how they do. Protect the Pokemon from people like that, and you do the world a service by keeping more badness from germinating out of control.

-x-

Kensuke couldn't help but suspect that Shinji, despite being the greatest Pokemon Trainer he knew (as well as one the only trainers he knew, really) was under the delusion that anyone like the criminals they met with were in possession of a Pokemon that was being mistreated, particularly the people they knew back in Tokyo-3, like his father, who was a stranger that governed NERV and had no sense of decency or any apparent sense of sympathy, there would be more trouble than they were worth already. Of course, he couldn't fault Shinji for feeling this way. Sometimes, he had to worry about how people would treat his Machamp, Brute-Chan, if he ever found a way to him back to the city with him; his greatest fears were Brute-Chan either getting shot at by the police or the military like he were a monster without a conscience…and being dissected like a lab rat because some scientists wanted to experiment on him, ignoring that he was as alive as they were.

"Hey, Shinji," he told him as they were walking down the road to the next town. "We're not in Tokyo-3 right now, so can you tell me what makes you so afraid of people there having Pokemon of their own a little?"

"It's not that simple, Kensuke," Shinji responded, expressing his concerns. "Can you imagine what might happen if some people, let's say some adults that may have less than good intentions, had Pokemon…and did things that they wouldn't have been able to do before…and decide they want more, regardless of the immorality of their decisions and the disgrace it causes to the Pokemon involved?"

"I doubt that anyone could even treat Pokemon like that if they were around in our world."

"But we don't really know that, Kensuke, and that's what I fear could happen if even one person decided to abuse Pokemon like they expendable."

"You mean, like your father?"

He saw Shinji shuddered at the mention of him, and that confirmed Shinji was definitely afraid of his old man having any Pokemon and treating them cruelly.

"I once envisioned him with an Arcanine, only it was messed up. He demanded that I give him all my Pokemon, that they were wasted upon me. Then his Arcanine unleashed a Fire Blast at me. Nothing terrifies me a little more than him of all people having any Pokemon and using them as weapons. I wouldn't even let him touch one hair on Misato's head if he ever made the mistake of mistreating her."

"Eee?" Misato had reacted, confused by that comment; whoever this father person was her trainer was referring to, he must've made Shinji uneasy.

"But none of that has happened, Shinji," Kensuke reassured him. "The chances of any Pokemon appearing in our world, excluding the Palkia I had mentioned was at this facility being used by the Giovani Corporation in their research on interdimensional travel, are practically slim to none. It would be a miracle if just some flock or Pidgey, Taillow or Wingull happened to fly in the skies above small towns or nest in some trees, but nothing like Growlithe or Heracross or even Porygon. And even if it were possible, who's to say that some people won't treat Pokemon like some of the people we met do? Who's to say that they won't be treated like pets by small children or the way Ms. Katsuragi treats Pen-Pen?"

"Pen-Pen is kinda in the gray area."

"If Pen-Pen were like Piplup, would he be in the gray area, then?"

"Okay, that's a little too far, but I doubt that even Misato would treat Piplup as though they were anything like Pen-Pen, even though they're as intelligent as he is."

"But what I'm trying to say is that we can't control what may or may not happen in the future yet to be written. So until we know for certain, you should relax from that fear. Pokemon exist here in this world, Palkia is protected from your old man, who might even be afraid of it, and even if something happens, well…we can always have the hope that there will be people like you, Shinji Ikari, one of the greatest of trainers and a hero in your own right, who will stand up for Pokemon…and save them from the bad people."

-x-

"…We can always have the hope that there will be people like you, Shinji Ikari, one of the greatest of trainers and a hero in your own right, who will stand up for Pokemon…and save them from the bad people," Kensuke's words repeated themselves in Shinji's mind a few days later while they were walking towards a city.

"Hey, Kensuke," he then uttered to his friend as he was practicing fist bumps with his Machamp, "what you said earlier about me being a hero to Pokemon, did you mean that?"

"I did."

"Heh…then Pokemon don't have to worry much about the bad people that might hurt them…because I'll be there to stand up for them."

To be continued…

A/N: Glad to have finished this chapter. Wouldn't any of you be afraid like Shinji would be if people like Gendo had possession of Pokemon? I hope the next chapter I continue on will be where Shinji defeats the last of the Sinnoh Elite Four. Peace!