I have a confession. I'm a huge hypocrite. It irritates the heck out of me when people go back and change movies or books. Think "Lion King 1 ½." Or when there are multiple timelines for the same series.
Okay, but why does that make me a hypocrite? Because I love to throw my characters into stories and change things around. It's why Cara knows Mewtwo. And because Detective Pikachu features Mewtwo, I can't leave this movie alone either.
Polaris-Ponyta, Link-Raichu, Charren-Charizard, Tlaloc-Braviary, Kinesis-Alakazam, Yarak-Talonflame
Mewtwo, Lily-Mom Mewtwo, Twilight-young Mewtwo
Chapter 25: Smoking at the Mouth
Music blared through the open doors, but it wasn't enough to mask the sounds of battle from within the building. The entrance to the Roundhouse was packed with people. Despite being banned in Ryme City, Pokémon battles remained popular.
I held back, watching. Could anyone just walk in? It looked like it. Charren lifted her head, sniffing the air. She was hoping to catch a scent of the R, but no luck. I glanced to the rooftops where Tlaloc and Yarak were perched, waiting in case I needed them. I smiled at them before moving a little closer to the Roundhouse.
"So, they test the R here. Do you think they make it here too?"
I jerked to attention. Someone was talking about R. I scanned the street and spotted a guy with a Pikachu. It was the Pikachu who I'd heard. A Pikachu wearing a hat. What did he know about the R?
"Isn't that what we're trying to find out?" the Pikachu's trainer asked.
My mouth fell open. That human had responded to his Pikachu. He could talk to Pokémon! And they were also looking for the R. I acted without thinking, crossing the street to join them. Charren followed, staying back a bit so she wouldn't look intimidating. "You said you're looking for R?" It was ridiculous to march up to a pair of strangers and ask them about a potentially dangerous topic. But my automatic assumption was that that people who talk to Pokémon can't be bad.
The Pikachu and his trainer stared at me, wary. They glanced at Charren, wondering if we were a threat. The trainer was a little order than me with curly black hair. "Uh, I don't know what you're talking about," he said. It was a legitimate denial – he hadn't said anything about the R. And he had no reason to think I could understand Pikachu.
Pikachu stepped closer to me, looking suspicious. "How does she know we're looking for the R?"
By this point, I realized how stupid my approach was. It seemed like the only way to salvage the situation was to jump all the way in. "I heard you say so," I said to Pikachu.
"You can understand Pikachu?" The guy exclaimed.
"You heard me?" Pikachu asked at the same time.
"Yes. I talk to Pokémon. I'm also looking for the R. The people who made it stole a Pokémon from me. I have to find out why."
"They stole a Pokémon from you?" Pikachu asked. He beckoned for us to move out of the street and into a quieter corner. Charren stood by, keeping watch.
I nodded. "My Pokémon got away, but they hurt him."
"He got away," the trainer repeated. "Listen, my Dad was researching this stuff, and he disappeared."
"Oh, hell," I murmured. "This just keeps getting worse."
"Look," Pikachu said. "We don't even know who you are."
"My name's Cara. And this is Charren," I hesitated. I almost never played this card, but I supposed these guys needed a reason to trust me. I pulled out my champion ID. "I'm a champion from Kanto."
"A champion," Pikachu repeated. "Who talks to Pokémon? How cool is this, Tim? Two humans that can understand me."
"Yeah, I'm Tim. You can talk to any Pokémon?"
I nodded.
"I can only talk to Pikachu, but that's more than I can handle already." He thought for a moment. "Did I see you on the news?"
I grimaced. "You probably did." Tim could only understand Pikachu? I'd never heard of someone who could only talk to one Pokémon.
"Great!" Pikachu exclaimed. "We've got a champion on our team? Let's do this!"
Pikachu waved his arm and started for the entrance. Tim and I followed, Charren covering our backs.
The middle of the room was chained off, creating an arena. Tim and I pushed up to the fence. The current match was between Gengar and Blastoise. Loudred blared out a beat to the music. We practically had to shout to talk to each other,
"I didn't know they had Pokémon battles in Ryme City," Tim said, watching the fight with fascination. So, he was a newcomer too.
"They're not supposed to," Pikachu said, hopping onto the fence to get a closer look. "Come on. Let's take a look around." As we circled around the arena, he continued, "Okay, so here's what we know. Harry traces the R to here. Then frequents this joint because someone here knows something about something. We just need to find the someone and the something."
I nodded, wondering if I'd understood anything he'd just said. It took me a moment to realize that Harry must be Tim's missing dad. At first I didn't notice that someone was shouting at us. There was a lot of hollering directed at the match.
"I think the 'someone' just found us," Tim noted.
A guy in a vest jumped down the stairs and stood in our path. He had a Charizard tattooed across his chest – one that looked like it was drawn by a teenager with no art classes.
"Wow," Pikachu said, eying the sketchy-looking guy. "I'd like to see this guy's Internet search history."
"I wouldn't," I muttered.
"Who are you?" The tattoo guy demanded.
Pikachu turned to Tim. "Let's see where this goes. Tell him you're my new partner."
Tim shrugged. "I'm his new partner."
"Well, that Pikachu's Thunderbolt almost wrecked my prized Charizard last time he was here. The scar's still fresh."
A Charizard stepped out of the crowd and loomed behind tattoo guy. Charren growled, wings mantled forward in case she needed to protect us. The other Charizard growled back, but didn't advance farther.
Pikachu was taking full advantage of the fact that only Tim and I could understand him. "All I hear are consonants, and all I see are nipples."
Tim tried not to react to Pikachu's words. I frowned, wondering at the way the Pokémon talked. While he had… interesting things to say it was more the way he spoke that seemed strange. I'd never heard another Pokémon talk like this before. Not even on Link's world. The other Charizard was now glaring at Pikachu, who was glaring right back. I kept an eye on the dragon as the tattoo guy chewed Tim out. In the arena, Gengar had won the battle.
"Uh, look," Tim finally said. "I just wanna know why his old partner was here. That's all."
"And I want a rematch," Tattoo guy declared, now that the arena was free. "You give me my rematch, I'll tell you everything you want to know. What I know."
Pikachu was still staring down the guy's Charizard. "Tell him he's on, amigo."
Tim smiled. "Okay."
"Do you want me to fight?" I offered.
But tattoo guy turned on me. "You wait your turn! It's that Pikachu I want to fight." I raised my eyebrows as he stalked off to prepare for battle.
"Here, hold my hat." Pikachu pulled off his detective hat and handed it to Tim. I was reminded of Link, who often wore the scarf he'd brought from his home. "I'm about to rock this place!" Pikachu headed into the arena, bouncing on the balls of his feet and doing some warm-up stretches. Something about the way he moved struck me as odd. It was like… it was like me. When I had become a Charmander, the other Pokémon said that I didn't act like a Charmander. I had short arms and legs, but I behaved as though I had longer limbs. I used attacks relying on throws and punches, instead of on fire.
But that thought was swept out of my mind. Across the arena, the tattoo guy slipped a vial out of his vest. When it cracked open, a purple gas billowed out. He stuck the vial against his Charizard's nose, making the Pokémon inhale the gas. Instantly Charizard snarled and his eyes glazed over.
Pikachu saw it too. "Give me my hat back1" He shouted. "That thing just chugged a year's worth of that R stuff!"
"That's R," I murmured.
Someone shut the gate before Pikachu could get out.
"Hey, hey," Tim said, crouching down in front of Pikachu. "It's like you said, okay? You did it before. You just gotta use your powers."
"We've got your back," I promised, gesturing to Charren. She nodded.
"That's great, but get me the hell out of here!" Pikachu growled, yanking at the bars.
"Begin!" the announcer shouted.
Charizard stormed into the arena. Tim and I leapt out of the way as he slammed into the fence. Pikachu bolted.
"Go for a critical hit!" Tim shouted. "Use Volt Tackle!"
"Volt Tackle will knock me out. I'm going for Thunderbolt." Pikachu whirled to face Charizard and stuck his tail in the air.
Nothing happened.
"What's wrong?" I asked, gripping the fence so hard my knuckles hurt. The cheering petered off as everyone stared at Pikachu standing in the middle of the arena, doing nothing.
"Hey, bud?" Tim called, sounding nervous. "What are you doing?"
"I can't do it when people are watching," Pikachu said. "Can everyone just look away, please? It's not working. I forgot how to use my powers." His tail drooped and panic rose in his voice.
"What does he mean, he forgot?" I demanded of Tim.
"He's got amnesia," Tim said, flustered.
"You sent a Pikachu out there to fight, when he doesn't even remember how to fight?" Charizard bore down on Pikachu and released a burst of flame. But the R had made Charizard unfocused, and the fire went everywhere. Pikachu fled. Charizard charged, hurling Pikachu into the fence. Pikachu fell with a grunt. Charizard advanced, flames flickering through his jaws. This wasn't a battle. That Charizard could kill Pikachu!
"Charren!"
The Charizard had damaged the gate when he slammed into it. Charren wrenched the gate open and dove into the arena. She slammed into the other Charizard, knocking him over. The two tumbled across the arena. Everyone shouted at the unexpected entry of another Pokémon. Tim slipped inside to go after Pikachu. The crowd started booing. Those jerks didn't even care if someone got hurt! Across the arena, the Charizard's trainer threw open the gate, shouting at us. "What are you doing to my baby!"
His Charizard blazed past, his tail knocking his trainer off his feet. Tattoo guy crashed to the ground and purple mist billowed out of his vest. I stared, bewildered at the cloud surrounding him. Then I realized what it was. He had more vials of R, and they had broken open when he fell. The gas billowed through the room. I let out a strangled yell and grabbed Charren's Pokéball, returning her before she could inhale it. All through the room, the other Pokémon were breathing in the R. Their eyes clouded over and they went wild. People started screaming and bolting for the exits as Pokémon of all types ripped at the fences and shot out attacks.
Charizard turned toward Tim, but Pikachu jumped on his head, yanking at his horns. I had to clear the air so I could let Charren out again.
I called out telepathically to Tlaloc and Yarak. "I need you guys to create an air current through the entrance! We have to clear gas from in here!" I could smell it, thick and sticky in my lungs. I hoped it didn't have any effects on humans. I ducked behind part of the gate as a Lickitung made a swipe at me.
While everyone fled the building, my two birds started pumping their wings and flooding air through the doorway. The gas started to churn and flow toward the exit. I dove out of the way of a rampaging Pangoro and notice that Tim had the Charizard's trainer pinned to the ground. He was demanding answers.
Charizard took to the air, trying to dislodge Pikachu. He crashed through the lights above the arena and Pikachu went flying. Tim leapt forward and caught Pikachu before he hit the ground. Charizard struggled to free itself from tangling wires. The air was clearing, so I sent Charren once more. The Charizard wrenched himself free only for Charren to tackle him and wrestle him to the ground. Her jaws held his neck firmly but gently to the arena floor. Her opponent shook his head, and his eyes started to clear. The R was wearing off. I breathed a sigh of relief. At least its effects didn't last long.
I ran to Tim and Pikachu. "Did he tell you anything?"
"Yeah," Tim said.
"Good. Let's get out of here." We hurried for the exit, which was a lot easier now that pretty much everyone else had fled. Charren let the other Charizard go and came after us. But we didn't make it to the street. Cars and flashing lights blocked the way. Police. For a moment, I was relieved. But then the cops circled around us. A policeman stepped up, held out his badge, and announced, "you're under arrest."