Notes : I may not be the best person to talk about this, but...
"I'm someone with a lot of ideas." This is the kind of sentence that makes me wary of a fanfic or even a movie. Why is that? Because of the confusion between "having lots of ideas" and "going off in all directions", to which I would add: "going off in all directions to the detriment of the coherence."
Yes, ideas are tricky, we love them, we want to share them quickly, and we fall headlong into the traps they set for us. Because of this, we rush the events that connect our ideas, we move too quickly from one idea to another without making them memorable, and we break the rule that we don't have complete control over our stories.
Sure, we have a fair amount of leeway in our first chapter to set the scene for our ideas (though this is already diminished in fanfiction), but as the chapters accumulate, the more you formalize the rules of your universe, the traits of your characters, the more your freedom diminishes. And that's where a writer needs to be able to say: "I love this idea, I'd love to use it, but in this form it doesn't fit into the story, I may even have to give it up, even though it hurts my heart".
The idea shouldn't stand alone; the idea should always be in dialog with the rules of your story. For example, let's say I just had an idea for Ash-charmander to fight in the Battle Subway, but, little problem: I noticed that our shapeshifter gets motion sickness. It's a limitation, and one that hinders me in implementing my idea, but if I decide to ignore it, I'll lose consistency, which could be exacerbated if I decide to give him motion sickness again later. It's at this point that we realize that our ideas are limited because they are subject to the laws and rules that, ironically, we put in place ourselves.
But it's also when new ideas are really born: take the kissing scene in XY&Z. Here, Yajima is faced with the constraint that the characters must separate and that the kiss must be censored. It's at this point that, faced with these constraints, he becomes inventive in both respecting them and using them to his advantage to create a scene that is unique to Pokémon and unlike any other anime.
In short, cherish your ideas, but always remember to confront them and respect the universe in which you want to use them, so that they come out bigger and better. ;-)
Don't leave yourself in the cinéraires field
Serena didn't move, staring at the hole in the ceiling. She could barely breathe because the air had become so hot. Had the danger... vaporized?
"Charmander, you've been..."
Ash collapsed to the ground. Some of his scales had blackened, and he coughed up smoke that resembled coal powder.
"Charmander?!"
Serena reached out, but had to pull it back quickly. He was burning up. The little creature moaned and coughed incessantly.
The coordinator thought back to that disproportionate attack, too powerful for a charmander. Much too powerful for her young Charmander's body. The trainer brought her backpack in front of her and rummaged through it, looking for something to help her friend. She pulled out a bottle, which she dropped the next second. Serena looked down at her trembling hands. And that wasn't all. Her arms, her shoulders, even her legs, her whole body was shaking in spastic little jerks.
"You'll feel better with this," she said in what she hoped was a reassuring voice.
She applied the potion to the reptile's body, and felt her stomach twist as she heard him moan. She waited a little, probably no more than a minute, but the seconds seemed to take a malevolent delight in slowing the passage of time. New scales were necrotizing and Serena had no more strength to wait. She reached out again and this time managed to touch him.
Good news, the monster's temperature was dropping. The young girl felt her stomach twist again. Good news? Serena wasn't so sure, especially since the reptile's skin seemed much colder than usual.
"How do you feel?" the young girl tried.
The pokemon whimpered again and curled up. The trainer's mouth twisted in horror as she screamed:
"Stay awake!"
"Chaaa," the pokemon replied with a shudder.
Serena heard a noise. She turned to see a cloud of dust where the exit had been. Wattson appeared, followed by the two electric rabbits. The leader looked around the ruined field in horror before noticing the young girl. He couldn't suppress a sigh of relief to see her safe and sound.
As he approached Serena, he looked around to assess the damage. The ceiling was a distant memory, all that remained were pieces of metal framework that miraculously managed to hang in the air. A few light fixtures still attached to their wires hung limply, the last bulwark against the room being completely plunged into darkness.
Wattson couldn't see the floors above because of the thick darkness that enveloped them, but he had a slight idea of what had happened. There were always gas lines in the complex to supply the staff's living quarters, and the AI must have managed to damage some of them in the areas he controlled, then an electrical spark and the job was done.
It was a miracle that the young trainer had escaped with her life. In fact, it was more than a miracle that only a small area in an almost perfect circle around Serena was spared by the cataclysm. It was as if the metal plates had suddenly changed their trajectory when they saw her.
"Help me," the trainer begged in a shaky voice.
Wattson frowned and knelt beside the ailing reptile.
"What happened?"
"He... he was trying to protect me and..." the trainer hiccupped.
"Calm down, I'll take care of it."
Protect her? Such a fragile pokemon? The old inventor noticed the flames in the rubble. Some of it was undoubtedly the short-circuited servers, but his instincts told him it was more than that. The leader touched Charmander's icy scales.
"How many fire-type attacks has he launched?" asked Wattson.
"Two..."
"Only two?"
"But they were nothing like what he usually produces. It was much more powerful and completely... disproportionate," she breathed the last word.
"You gave him ether?"
"Ether?"
The leader grimaced, it was still basic knowledge. He pulled a bottle from the large pockets of his yellow suit and held it to the pokemon's lips, forcing him to drink. But as soon as Ash took a sip, he spat it out. It didn't taste good, he was cold and wanted to sleep.
"Come on, Charmander, make an effort," the leader encouraged.
The little pokemon disagreed. He clawed blindly at the object they were trying to shove into his mouth.
"Serena, he'll probably have more confidence if his trainer gives it to him."
The young girl nodded and propped her friend up on her lap, holding his head with one hand. She brought the tip close to the reptile's pursed lips again.
"Charmander... I know this isn't pleasant, but it'll make you feel better."
Ash opened a tired eye as he recognized the Kalosian's voice. He could feel her fingers caressing his neck, but the smell under his nose didn't make him want to let go of the mouthpiece.
"We're going to have to do this the hard way," Wattson sighed.
"The hard way?" repeated Serena. "You're not going to hurt him, are you?"
"If we want to get him to open his mouth."
Serena continued to object, but Wattson was already losing interest. He placed his hands behind the monster's lower jaw and began to pull forward. Not that he hoped to force the mouth open mechanically, but he was counting on the pain it would cause. Ash grimaced and tried to free himself, but the pressure didn't ease as his arms were blocked by his trainer.
"Cha!" he shouted.
The tip touched his tongue as the leader's large hand closed his mouth and Serena continued to hold him back. He felt the sticky liquid fall onto his taste buds and drip down his throat. He had no choice but to swallow.
Once done, the pokemon relaxed, though a slight black smoke still came from his mouth. Serena stroked his skin, but was alarmed to see the necrotic scales peeling away. Some blackish blood ran down the exposed skin.
"They'll grow back," the leader reassured her.
"It's all my fault."
"It certainly wasn't you who blew up the ceiling."
"I should have called him back to his pokeball."
"Did you really want to get crushed?"
Serena didn't answer. There was no doubt that she wouldn't have made it without him.
"Come on, we'd better get out of here," the leader suggested.
Ash let the steady sound of the girl's footsteps lull him to sleep. Serena's fault? he repeated.
All that had happened was a chain of events beyond the Kalosian's control. But... deep down, he felt that it was indeed his trainer's fault. Because if it hadn't been for her, he'd be trying to figure out how to find his body in the middle of some dusty old archaeological site. Maybe he'd be human again by now.
An idea germinated within him, taking root deep in his heart. The moment the mask had fallen on him, even if it had only lasted a split second... he had thought of Serena. And at the same moment, he'd heard a buzzing, a sound that made no sense, yet made him feel as if it was trying to speak to him. Was seeing Serena again somehow what he...
A crackling sound. Black boxes ravaged by debris crackled, the last gasps of dying machines. They weren't the ones making the sound. Ash turned his head to the back of the room, where a computer continued to glow faintly amid the carnage. It flickered on and off, as if struggling to stay alive. A bit like an old television struggling to do its job. Slowly, the former human brought his hand up to his face to touch his scales.
They're really cold.
They were back in the break room. Everyone was hanging on their every word, but from the reptile's condition and the leader's distorted face, they already knew that things had not gone according to plan.
"Were you able to reset it?" Watt asked without much conviction.
"He destroyed the room," Wattson announced in a sullen voice.
The assistant's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open in pure amazement. Adele's reaction was more restrained, but Wattson could tell that she, too, was surprised.
"Why did he do it?" the woman muttered.
"How did he gain access to the computers in a protected area, that's the real question," the leader hissed.
Watt took off his glasses and wiped them nervously before placing them back on his nose.
"I thought this room was strong enough to withstand explosions," the assistant shuddered.
"I may have exaggerated a bit," the leader admitted, attempting one of his greasy laughs.
Poor Watt didn't even feel like getting mad anymore. He explained to Adele that he needed to speak to Wattson privately, and the look on his face made it clear that no discussion was possible. She took no offense and shrugged before moving to the other end of the room as the two men moved away from the rest of the workers.
"Did we lose any data?"
"Probably some, but most of it had to be transferred to the CPUs in the other rooms."
It was little consolation to know that all of Mauville's data, including its banking data, ran through the mainframes hidden deep inside the plant. The macro-computers that had retrieved this new mass of information would idle to avoid overheating, and that would affect the city's systems.
"It's going to grate," Watt grinned.
Wattson scratched at his white hair. First they had to deal with Magnet.
"Maybe we should wait until Officer Jenny realizes something's wrong," Watt suggested.
"Maybe," the leader conceded.
"I know you don't like to wait, but you should... Wait! Do you agree?"
"I don't want another one of our precious rooms crushed under the rubble," the old man explained, taking off his jacket and throwing it boredly onto a bed.
"That's for sure..." Watt hesitated, unsure if his boss really intended to remain calm until the real reinforcements arrived.
The assistant couldn't help but glance at the girl who had moved away from the other workers. She remained prostrate, sitting on a bed with loose blankets, her friend moaning in her arms. Plusle had put his paw on the girl's arm in what he hoped was an encouraging gesture, while Minun kept his eyes glued to the poor salamander.
Watt took off his glasses, thinking that waiting wasn't the best option for the little pokemon. Maybe they should... no, that option would only make things worse. Besides, the reptile would probably hold out until they were free, or so he hoped.
"I'll tell the others what we've decided and... Wattson?"
The leader had left to join Serena, leaving his assistant and friend in the lurch.
"How is he?" the old man inquired.
He handed the trainer a bottle of water. Serena took a sip to reassure the leader, but she felt as if the liquid was stuck in her throat. The monster in her arms kept his mouth open to breathe, and the flame at the end of his tail could barely compete with the glow of a candle.
"What were you thinking?" the young girl muttered reproachfully.
The unconscious pokemon couldn't answer. Serena still remembered his face when he had put all his energy into saving her. He'd been so scared that she wondered if he was reliving a moment from his past. She blamed herself: not only had she failed to protect him, but she'd allowed painful memories to surface in her friend. And now...
"Is he going to be okay?" the trainer asked, not taking her eyes off her friend.
Wattson turned away. His poor judgment and reactions had put the girl's life in danger. He'd been so bad as a leader that it was a weak reptile who had to make up for his mistakes. And now... he was willing to wait while the pokemons outside were drained of their energy like ordinary batteries. It was pathetic, he was...
"What was I thinking!" the old man shouted angrily.
The leader wasted no time in putting his jacket back on as he headed for the exit.
"What are you doing?" shouted Watt, standing outside the door with his arms outstretched.
"If I can't reset him from a safe area, I'm going straight to his nerve center."
The specialist in electrical types took a step to the side, trying to get past his friend's defense.
"Do you understand what you're saying? You couldn't access it remotely, so you think, why not go there in person? You bet I am! It's so much easier! A real walk in the park, provided you don't get hit by those damn mechanical arms!"
"You think I'm a beginner trainer? I could be..."
"For once, I agree with Watt," Adele interjected. "Your pokemons may be more powerful than average, but they won't be able to withstand the electrical drain Magnet will inflict on them."
"And no one here has battle-trained pokemons, unless you want them to be slaughtered by our dear friend Artificial Intelligence," the assistant added.
"I had no intention of asking for help," Wattson grumbled.
"We'll just have to wait and see," Watt said in a soft voice, as if trying to charm the old man. "You'll see, everything will be fine and..."
Watt turned to the trainer, who had approached with her pokemon still in her arms. The assistant grumbled that she shouldn't show him the dying salamander to change his mind. But Serena didn't want Watt to feel guilty, she just wanted...
"I'm coming with you."
Her voice was calm, resolute, but you couldn't help but feel it was about to break. The old man gritted his teeth; it was the last thing he wanted.
"You have to take care of Charmander," he reminded her.
Serena looked at her pokemon. He was breathing erratically, and more scales were turning black.
"Charmander has to go to the Pokemon Center," the young girl tensed, before meeting the leader's gaze again. "We have to get out of here!"
What could he say to that? Especially with the unconscious fire type making guttural, sometimes even bubbling noises.
"That's not the answer," Adele tried anyway. "I know you're worried about Charmander, but it's far too dangerous."
"He didn't let that stop him from acting! And I just watched, so I'm... I'm tired of disappointing him!"
Wattson could see that Serena's legs were shaking as if she were about to collapse.
"It's going to be dangerous," the inventor warned her one last time.
The girl lowered her head and slowly walked over to Adele, handing her young friend to her.
"Serena... he wouldn't want that," the woman refused, stepping back.
"And I don't want to lose him," the young girl vacillated.
"What about your other pokemons? You're dragging them into this without asking their opinion, when they're the ones taking the biggest risk, and..."
This was like an invitation to Serena's other friends, who all emerged from their capsule together. Pancham glanced at the fake pokemon before lowering his sunglasses in front of his eyes.
"Panch, Pancham!" the boy assured, clenching a leaf between his teeth as the other two monsters agreed.
"My friends..."
Serena approached Adele again and locked eyes with the woman.
"We have to do it," she said.
Adele was about to retaliate, to do everything in her power to prevent the girl from going to the scene. But just as she opened her mouth, the employee felt a vibration in her pocket. The woman sighed; she couldn't convince the trainer. She picked up the fire pokemon and simply said:
"If you don't come back, Charmander won't forgive you."
Serena stroked her pokemon's head one last time before joining Wattson, who was waiting for her on the doorstep. Watt stood still, white as the snow on Mt. Coronet.
Charmander, I won't let you go without me, Serena promised herself.
The two electric rabbits watched her go. They hesitated to join her, this strange girl who loved their pointless dance. But the brothers were too late, and the door closed with a slam that made all the workers jump. They were gone, leaving the workers in silence. A silence broken by the rales of a monster.
Give me up. Surrender me before I hurt you. Before you...
The last vestiges of his sanity crumbled away and he surrendered to the abyss that beckoned with its soft murmur, promising him a pleasant rest.
Boiling, burning, suffocating. Ash melted, lost his shape, became liquid. The heat subsided and he felt himself coming closer, merging, solidifying. Then he felt pain. Excruciating pain, as if he were being crushed and forced into a shape he hadn't chosen. Finally, he was plunged into an icy liquid and his form froze.
Ash opened his eyes. A man with a gray beard was staring at him. His eyes reddened, his cheeks blackened with soot. Ash wanted to speak, but his mouth remained motionless, and then... his body? All he could feel was his face and the old man's holding fingers. But the rest of him was gone.
"It is said that a craftsman puts his will into his creations. I hope you understand mine."
His creation? What did this man tell him? And let him go first!
"Now I'm beginning to believe in those old legends," the craftsman sighed. "But I'm not relying on them alone to help me."
His voice was firm, determined, and tired, making Ash shiver. The man looked up, breaking eye contact for the first time.
"So you accept?"
Ash couldn't move, his gaze fixed straight ahead. Who was this man talking to? What would become of him? The old man lowered his head again to look at him, and Ash felt himself pierced by the gray pupil.
"Sometimes it's necessary to change," the man murmured.
Ash opened his eyes. The stove, the stranger, all gone. He was in someone's arms. It wasn't Serena.
"Chaaa..." the monster groaned, feeling his aching body again.
"Don't struggle," Adele advised him.
And Serena? Where was she? He remembered the landslide, but what happened next?
"Your trainer left with Wattson to sort things out."
The employee had smiled as she said this, trying to be reassuring. Ash began to fidget, not caring what the woman told him. He wanted to see Serena!
"Stay calm," Adele tried to reason with him.
The fire monster bit her hand, forcing her to let go. The weak monster crumpled to the ground, his raw skin burning and the taste of blood in his mouth.
"Charmander!" cried the woman.
"Chaaaa!" the pokemon hissed, scaring her away.
"I promised Serena I'd take care of you, so don't... Stop him!"
Ash was easily tackled to the ground. The hands pressing down on him finished off the devascularized scales.
"Mand..."
He coughed violently. He could barely breathe. Plusle and Minun approached him and tried to calm him down. They were diplomatic at first, but in the face of the monster's stubbornness, Minun finally exploded:
"You're just disturbing them! "
Ash held his face to the cold ground. A nuisance? Was that what they thought? If Pikachu were with him, if he were still a trainer, no one would tell him that! He felt his body liquefy again, if only he hadn't changed... Would I be with Serena?
No. Of course not. And he had always liked that. That was why he could travel with a smile on his face. And yet... why can't I? Ash felt the shape of his reptilian body again, the flame at the end of his tail burning brightly. He wanted to become a Pokemon Master, he wanted to travel with his best friend, it was his dream. But he couldn't forget Serena.
His hands were tingling, as if they were being shocked. He let out a groan as he curled up into a ball. The rabbits looked at each other, finding it hard to believe that this was the same energetic pokemon that had helped them earlier. Now, the weak, whimpering monster seemed lost, unable to decide which way to go.
The reptile had closed his eyes. He was panting, his flame dying. Desperation, that was what the two brothers sensed. All this... because he wasn't with her.
The other humans had let go of the reptile and looked down at the poor creature moaning on the ground. Adele approached, knelt down and stroked the still pokemon's head.
"Now you must rest," she murmured in a soothing voice.
The reptile's flame had dimmed further under the two rabbits' gaze. They were now convinced that Charmander had no business being here. The electric monsters brought their paws together, allowing the electrons to move between their bodies.
"Don't do it!" cried Adele, realizing what they were about to do.
Lightning flashed across the room in all directions, forcing the workers to stand back. When things quieted down, the mechanic noticed that the monsters were gone, and that a ventilation grille was lying on the floor.
"If it amuses them," the woman sighed wearily.
"Threat to NeZzz Lavandia. ViruZzz elimination."
Serena fought to keep herself and her team from succumbing to the machine's onslaught. Her ears ached from the alarm that wouldn't stop ringing, and the bright red strobe light burned her eyes.
"Braix!"
The trainer jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding one of the cables twisting out of the walls. No doubt, this room was Magnet's property and he liked to let intruders know it.
"Are you all right?" the leader worried.
Serena bit her lip. This was not the time to worry about her. Charmander was suffering as he waited for her to return, Sylveon was moaning in pain in her pokeball from one of Magnet's traps, and her two friends needed her to find an opening. An opening that wasn't coming.
"We need to get this over with."
She gave another command, hoping that this time her pokemon would break through the A.I.'s defenses.
"Cha!"
Serena turned her head to one of the walls. That voice couldn't be...
"Serena!" Wattson shouted.
The lightning bolt hurtling toward the trainer was narrowly blocked by a blue-clad pokemon. It shook its spiky yellow mane, sending out a few sparks. The champion's manectric snarled at the machine and plowed through the ground with its sharp claws. But Serena thought nothing of thanking her benefactor, too busy looking around.
"Stay focused," Wattson reminded her.
"I thought I heard Charmander," the young girl panicked.
"You're imagining things, he's safe with the others and..."
Wattson stopped talking. Manectric struggled, hoping to free himself from the cable that trapped him. The mechanical arm tightened its grip, and the pokemon screamed in pain as its energy was drained. The leader hurried to call it back into its pokeball, but the sheath twisted and avoided the beam of light.
The leader cursed, but that didn't stop Magnet from draining the monster's electrical reserves. His task complete, the black arm released its prey, who fell heavily to the ground with a whimper of pain.
"You'll be okay, old buddy. Rest in your pokeball," Wattson said, unable to hide the tremor in his voice.
Manectric was his last pokemon, and he'd just lost it. Now, he could only rely on the young trainer and his two remaining pokemons.
"Braixen launches Fire Blast! And you, Pancham, Stone Edge!"
The claws slammed into the rocks as the plastic shells melted with a hiss. A foul stench spread through the room, challenging the pokemons' keen sense of smell.
"We're almost there!" the young girl encouraged.
Serena was pinned to the wall. The jaws grabbed her throat, just enough to suffocate her without breaking her neck. The girl broke her nails on the cold metal, her breaths turning into high-pitched stridor.
"Elimination. Zzzzzz. Ah ah ah ah! Relax, your stress level is at... Zzzzzzz. Back to the safe areaZzz."
Serena's thoughts collided. She could hear her pokemons screaming as they did their best to reach her. Would they make it in time? She still had the right to give up, she had to give up! And yet... Serena's fingers tightened on the pieces of metal holding her back as her heart rate slowed.
"I...don't want... to disappoint him."
The other A.I. arms approached. Some were charging with electricity and the others kept their claws open to get a better look at the show.
" ViruZzz identified. Virus eliminated."
Serena shivered, the inside of her throat burning, the skin on her neck freezing. She let out a groan of horror as a lightning-fast claw approached her face. What should I do? What should I do? What I am supposed to do? She closed her eyes and pressed herself against the wall as if she could sink into it.
In the midst of the siren's shrill screams, another sound was heard. Magnet couldn't understand it; none of the creatures he watched under his artificial eyes could have made it. Then he noticed a problem: one of the room's ventilation grilles was out of place.
He brought an optical fiber to the recently crushed cardboard boxes and discovered three small pokemons. The two brothers jumped to their feet, their hair standing on end at the sight of the hideous tentacles approaching. As for the third monster, he struggled to his feet, offering his scales and blood to the boxes that had cushioned his fall.
"Cha..." he spat in the direction of the machine.
He extricated himself from the stiff paper, leaving a red trail softened by the brown material. Minun grabbed his arm, forbidding him to move any further. Ash freed himself from the grip, ready to fight even if it meant forgetting the pleas of his body. But he made a big mistake in thinking that he was the absolute master of this muscle pile. His body surrendered, rebelling against the commands of a despotic brain. The King of Rescue now lay on the ground, unable to force any new movements into his rigid muscles.
The machine had no interest in the collapsed parasite. On the other hand, the two small piles accompanying him had the attention of his multiple false eyes. Though this would be a meager meal for his ever-growing appetite. Magnet's circuit boards soon had to focus on the pokemons that had found their way to their trainer, causing him to lose a few mechanical arms in the process.
They annoyed him. The AI wrapped one of his cables around the helpless reptile and pulled it back to the center of the room. The viruses dropped their guard when one of them took damage. He had every intention of taking advantage.
"Charmander!" his trainer shouted.
The decapitated cables twisted in the air, while those still intact kept pokemons and humans away from the main stage.
"D... der," Ash tried with a low groan.
That didn't stop the seviper from crawling towards him, lightning flashing on its fangs. Magnet gave the pokemon a second, a second to hear the air around him crackle, to admire the light ready to punish him, to see the trainer lose her last hope of saving her friend.
"ViruZzz elimination," he recited his litany.
The yellow flash shot towards the reptile. Unstoppable, relentless, inevitable. Ash didn't take his eyes off it, his last scales rising, his flame crackling and...
"Stop!" the shapeshifter shouted.
Serena couldn't understand. Ash's face fell as she threw herself in front of him, her eyes rolling back as she screamed, surrounded by the bright light. She collapsed and he didn't take his eyes off her, not for a second.
She lay motionless on the ground. Ash reached out his arm to touch her. But he couldn't; they were still too far apart.
"Ch... Chhhhh... CHA!" he tried to say his trainer's name, but he couldn't.
The girl's fingers moved, she opened one eye and smiled in relief.
"Just in time," she struggled to say.
Ash couldn't stop shaking. He didn't understand. He was usually the one sacrificing himself for others, not the other way around. It was painful, seeing her hurt made him suffer, much more than his wounds burning him. Ash's panting increased. He was running out of air, suffocating.
"Don't be afraid. I'll... I'll protect you."
She'd barely managed to brace herself on her elbows before she collapsed again. And the cable was charging with energy, ready to finish the job. Serena's trembling hand found its way into her coat pocket. She felt the small spherical object between her fingers and clutched it as if it were the most precious treasure of all.
Ash looked worriedly at the pokeball her friend was now holding. She didn't want to...
"I know you hate this. But just this once, take cover," she begged.
Ash didn't answer. Why was he so stubborn? He had his dream to fulfill and Serena was just another friend, a friend he'd said goodbye to, a friend with her own goals. That was fine. That way he could go without causing any pain. And most importantly... You won't hate me.
The red beam left the orb, enveloping the pokemon in its glow. It was the right thing to do. Hiding in a pokeball, letting the world spin around him while time stood still in his own little world. Ash felt his body distort, as if it were liquefying to merge with the light that absorbed him.
A murmur. A brief murmur that passed through his mind without him understanding its meaning. But it was important, an important question, he realized. The red glow surrounding the former human turned blue and dissipated without having absorbed the monster into the orb.
"Now is not the time," the girl gasped, clutching the defective capsule in her hand.
The air vibrated and the next shock was imminent. Ash was no longer shaking, but his face was burning. He rose to his feet and limped toward the rubber-clad sevipers facing him.
Why are you sacrificing yourself for me?
"Come back! You're not..."
A false move made Serena groan in pain. No! She couldn't stay behind! Not when he was in danger!
This time, the fire pokemon didn't escape Magnet's thunderbolt. His body burned and tore. Why... why won't you leave me for your dream? The pain was so intense that it obliterated the world around him. He couldn't see her. He couldn't see Serena crawling, reaching out in a last ditch effort to pull him out of the deadly light.
"CHARMANDER!"
Serena felt her throat tear from the effort. Her pokemon's form continued to vibrate before her, surrounded by the electric halo.
"I'd like to believe it."
Serena flinched. Charmander had turned to her. He wasn't smiling, he wasn't trying to be reassuring. All she could see was a child on the verge of tears, a child who needed her.
"Stay with me," Serena whispered.
For a brief moment, the reptile's face was covered in black matter. The crystals enveloped the monster's features before breaking away to take on their own forms. The entire false body glowed a vivid blue.
Ash could feel it, a new wave of energy flowing through him, giving him a second wind. He looked down at his expanding hands. If he agreed to change, could he go back? He closed his fist and the blue light dissipated, revealing a red body.
"Charme!" shouted Ash.
The lightning that surrounded him crawled over the scaly body to reach his hands and focus there. He lunged forward, ready to make the arm that had dared to hurt his trainer pay. But the cables gathered in mass to block the new threat. The electricity under Ash's control dissipated upon contact with the rubber, but the fake pokemon wasn't done yet. His new claws lit up and he tore through the swarming mass.
However, the A.I. still had enough cable left for another attack. Ash stretched his arms out in front of him, bracing himself for the impact. But the lightning bolts were suddenly deflected and aimed at Plusle. The pokemon flinched, but didn't collapse. He even smiled, mocking the machine's inability to incapacitate a weak electric rabbit. And his brother at the other end of the room pushed the truck even further, laughing uncontrollably at the creature that had so frightened him.
"That Serena, she wanted us to show her more," Plusle laughed.
"She won't be disappointed, it will be a real show!" Minun added.
Their cheeks crackled as they stood among the remains of the weapons Magnet had lost in battle.
"ViruZzz elimination," the machine repeated.
Maget sent back a discharge that, like the previous one, arced and deflected toward one of the rabbits. The A.I.'s electricity was trapped, forced to follow a clear path until it reached one of the two rabbits, who then rushed to take refuge behind the barrier of the shell.
"A dipole! You're geniuses!" exclaimed Wattson.
Magnet wasn't as cheerful as his creator. He sent his clamps at the rebel batteries, determined to disable them.
" NewZzz priority target. Elimination."
Another arm was lost, then a second, a third. Magnet's vision narrowed, but that didn't stop him from seeing the grinning fox and panda challenging him.
"Serena!" called Wattson.
"I know," she grimaced.
She leaned on one of his arms, but didn't try to get up. A few more breaths, forgetting the pain, and finally she screamed to drown out the shrill sounds of this room, so that they could hear her orders despite her hoarse voice.
The last cables gesticulated under the torrents of attack. The A.I.'s field of vision now covered only a few points, and his circuit boards were calculating his remaining options at full speed.
"Zzz. Searching. Zzz. Searching. Zzzzzzzzzzzz"
It was time. The leader ran at full speed towards a cupboard at the back of the room. He gritted his teeth, expecting to be shocked before he could enter the code... But the metal cover was already open.
"Zzzzz. My friend, there's no need to go Zzzere."
Wattson didn't listen. The memory blocks were there, simple plastic boxes containing all that was artificial intelligence. Magnet was just that. The inventor was merciless, meticulously removing the components to put an end to this story that had gone on far too long.
"Zzzz. Error. Zzzzz. Error ZZZZZZZZ," the robot repeated over and over.
"It's over," the leader ordered.
The cables stopped. Everyone held their breath, still doubting if the leader had succeeded. Then the long black sheaths retracted into the walls as the voice uttered its final words.
"Stop automatic control. ZzzAh... Ah... AhZzz. Switching to manual mode."
Notes : To the person who left a review : Thanks! It makes me very happy to know that you enjoy this fic ^^.