Good morning or good evening, depending on the time you are reading this chapter. I am your Reshiram Lego, great dragon enthusiast, and today I will expand our heroes' story with a chapter that will make your blood run cold, even if it's not the season for chills.
A recommendation: if you are sensitive to strong content such as scenes of terror, do not read this chapter for your own safety. For those who might get scared (which I find almost impossible from my standpoint), stop immediately. Now, adrenaline lovers would like to read the juicy content, happy reading.
Anita managed to win her second badge against Lenora, but the good news ends here. Team Plasma attempted to steal the skull from the museum in Nacrene City, and the peace of the Pinwheel Forest was threatened by workers who wanted to build a large building inside it.
The Villa
Ash, Serena, Carlos, and Anita, after preventing a significant part of the forest from being razed by a multinational company to build a facility, left Nacrene City. Before saying goodbye to the city, they went to the Pokémon Center to return the keys to the rooms where they had slept until the previous night. Nurse Joy thanked the kids: «We really appreciated your presence, I hope you come back soon!» The four responded in unison: «See you soon!» After saying goodbye to the nurse, the four left the Pokémon Center and headed to Pinwheel Forest. After walking a stretch on foot, they stopped at the bus stop. Since the forest was a protected area, the road that crossed it could only be traveled on foot or by eco-friendly means, like bicycles. Another option was electric vehicles. In fact, the bus that would take them there was electric. By taking the bus, they would reach Austropoli, the economic and social center of the region. One of the most important cities in the world, with its towering skyscrapers, including the tallest in the world, the Duralux Grand Hummels, headquarters of Mechas, a tech giant, which along with Amon and other giants, was among the five hundred most important companies in Unova.
The four arrived at the entrance of the forest. Serena and Anita curbed Carlos's adventurous spirit that was boiling in his veins. «Don't you think it's a bit cold in there?» Serena asked him. Anita confirmed her friend's words, replying, «I don't like the cold, nor the darkness. We risk tripping over some roots or being attacked by some wild Pokémon.» The girl glanced at her Smart Rotom. «There aren't just Sewaddle, but also Scolipede. Pokémon known for being very aggressive towards those who violate their territory.» Carlos was surprised by his friend's fear: «Oh, I'm sure it will be fine! I don't care about the darkness! Let's go!» The boy still hadn't digested the fact that, up to that moment, it had always been Ash who enjoyed the most daring adventures. Ash, for his part, tried to encourage the girls: «Come on! Don't be shy, I'm here to protect you! As long as Pikachu and I are here, you have nothing to fear.» Serena blushed. «He's so brave!» She commented quietly. «Actually, even though it's a bit cloudy, you can see perfectly. At least until it starts raining. Although...» The boy glanced at the weather app on his Smart Rotom. «Today the forecast says it will be partly cloudy. It could be the perfect opportunity to catch some Ghost, Poison, or... Bug-type Pokémon, and if we're lucky, even Dark-type.» Serena didn't seem enthusiastic: «I'm not sure if it's a good idea. It could get dark all of a sudden. And even if we stay close, we risk getting lost.» The girls were trembling like leaves. «Okay, now I'm fed up, I say we go. The bus is coming soon and it won't stop here!» Carlos encouraged them. The four, as the day before, but with a completely different atmosphere, crossed the threshold that separated the Pinwheel Forest from the fields of Nacrene City. «Fortunately, it's not as dark as I imagined.» Anita commented, followed shortly after by Serena. «Let's hope it stays like this and doesn't rain...» Just as Serena finished speaking, she felt a drop on her nose. She looked up and thought: "Oh no, please, not right after I said that!" Serena's hopes were extinguished like a match. At that moment, Carlos felt a drop on his back. Then Pikachu felt a drop on his tail. Ash and Anita felt it simultaneously on their knees. What had initially been just scattered drops had turned into much more. It had started raining.
Ash dragged his friends towards a light in the distance, against Carlos's will, who only wanted to find a place to shelter and enjoy the darkness that emerged with the rain. «Carlos! Move! You don't want to catch a cold!» Ash scolded him, but Carlos had no intention of following his friend. He stood there, still and motionless, enjoying that dark atmosphere, then came back to himself: «Okay, now we can go.» He hadn't noticed that Ash and the girls were already quite distant. They had almost reached the source of that light: a house.
In the end, the three were safe. They had climbed onto a small porch that sheltered them from the rain. A few moments later, Carlos, running as if riding a Rapidash, reached them at full speed. He was so fast that he was stopped only by Snorlax's belly, bouncing off it, causing everyone's laughter. «Thanks, buddy.» Ash thanked the Sleepy Pokémon before recalling it into the Poké Ball.
They had arrived in front of a wooden gate. Attached to it was a wooden plaque with the word "HERMITAGE" in all caps. On one of the pillars supporting the gate, there was an intercom. Carlos seemed reluctant to ring. If it had been up to Ash, they could have waited even under that small roof. The girls had a completely different idea. After a quick exchange of glances, Serena rang the bell. From that gate, the house, a tall and narrow villa, was visible. It seemed to have a basement, judging by the windows that could be seen. The entrance was raised, and from there you could see the front door, made of fine wood. After a few seconds, the door was unlocked with an electric sound. A little girl came out of the front door. She had short pink hair, green eyes, wore a yellow shirt, a pink jacket, and a black miniskirt. They entered the villa's large and well-kept garden, which clashed with the wild environment of the forest. Before they could say anything, Ash and his friends were preempted by the young girl. «Oh, hello, are you travelers? I love travelers who come to visit us!» Carlos stepped forward and began to explain the situation: «Good morning to you. It's raining outside and doesn't seem to be stopping, can we stay at your place for a few hours? SOMEONE got the bus departure time wrong and…» The boy emphasized the word "someone," referring to Ash. The boy hadn't finished with his reproaches. «While SOMEONE ELSE can't keep their mouth shut, but I can't blame her!» He emphasized "someone else" this time, referring to Serena, who, unlike Ash, accepted the half-compliment following the reproach. Ash intervened to defend himself: «I had a slight craving that made me misread, any problems?» The girl started laughing: «You remind me of the old world champions, you know?» Then she turned and shouted, «DADDYYYYYYYYY! THERE ARE STRANGERS AT THE DOOR!» The girl let out a shrill cry that reminded Ash and Serena of Ash's Noibat's Supersonic.
A few moments later, a man came down the stairs. He had gray hair, a darker beard, almost black, dark eyes, wore a red sweater, brown pants, and shoes of the same color. He had thick round glasses.
He descended the stairs and headed for the door. Noticing the kids, he greeted them with a small wave of his hand: «Hello, strangers!» he welcomed them. «I see you've already met my daughter... I am the owner of this humble abode.» Ash was starting to get impatient. Serena stopped him before it was too late and explained: «Good morning to you. It's raining outside, and we saw your house from afar... It's gotten cold outside and...» The man smiled slightly, then turned to his daughter: «Aelita, do you remember what to do with strangers?» The young girl nodded and said with great enthusiasm: «You can stay with us until the rain stops, but on one condition. Two of you must battle us in our basement!»
As usual, Ash was thrilled with the idea: «Let's go to the battle field!» he said poetically. «Joking aside, a battle is never to be
refused!»
The four entered the house. It was truly well-maintained. The walls were covered with wallpaper featuring trees, and majestic chandeliers hung from the high ceilings. The warmth could be felt in every corner of the house. Ash took a quick glance at the rooms visible from the entrance. They appeared to be living rooms. In both rooms, there was a large fireplace.
The man, followed by his daughter, led the four to the basement. He opened a door next to the one leading upstairs. The door opened to a ladder illuminated by two light bulbs. They reached the first room, rectangular in shape, with walls lined with wine racks holding numerous bottles. It seemed the man was a wine connoisseur or something similar.
After passing through this room, they arrived at the main room. It was literally a battle field, identical in every way to those in Gyms. At the center of the field was a large stylized Poké Ball. The difference from other fields was the flooring, made of synthetic grass rather than dirt. Like the battle fields in Pokémon Centers, there were seats on the sides.
Upon arriving at the battle field, Ash began to dictate: «So, it will be a double battle. I imagine the usual rules apply. We can each use one Pokémon. I'd say Anita can try battling with Sewaddle. It's her first battle, but she has to start somewhere... while I'll use Servine, what do you think?» The girl interrupted him: «No, young man, we want to battle her!» The girl pointed to Serena. The native of Kalos gulped audibly before getting up and giving Anita her spot. Carlos had released Umbreon and Houndour from their respective Poké Balls to watch the match.
«Carlos, you will be the referee.» Ash said to Carlos. «Why me? I think Anita can easily do it too.» Ash, as a good teacher, said: «You already have experience as a Gym assistant. Anita should focus on the battle.» Carlos sighed, realizing his friend was right. He got up from his bench and positioned himself at the center of the field. With great enthusiasm, the boy announced the start of the match: «Trainers, prepare for the battle! Choose your Pokémon.»
Serena would send out her Lilligant without hesitation, while Ash would choose Servine. Serena hoped that with few people around, her Pokémon could perform at her best without hesitation. The opponents' Pokémon, however, weren't in Poké Balls but came literally from the wine room. They were a Mimikyu, a Pokémon whose body was entirely covered by a rather old, tattered Pikachu doll, much more faded than the original yellow. The ears were pointed and appeared wrinkled, the eyes and cheeks seemed drawn with crayons by a child, while the mouth was jagged. In the middle of the body were two slits that allowed the Pokémon to see through the fabric. It didn't seem to have any legs. The lower part of the doll ended in a zigzag pattern. And a Dusclops, a gray Pokémon with horizontal lines across its body and three square marks around its mouth that almost resembled a mustache, hands, and a sort of light gray hair, the same color as its hands. The most noticeable feature was its eerie single red eye, which made it truly intimidating. The two Pokémon stepped onto the field, while Ash and Serena sent out Servine and Lilligant, exchanging a friendly glance as they often did during training.
Anita took the opportunity to scan the two Ghost-type Pokémon, starting with Dusclops: «Dusclops, Beckon Pokémon, Ghost type, Female specimen. It is feared because it is said to be able to steal the soul from anyone who watches the mysterious movements of its hands. Known moves: Leech Life, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball.» Then she scanned Mimikyu. «Mimikyu, Disguise Pokémon, Ghost and Fairy type, Male specimen. It was identified as a Pokémon quite recently; before that, it was thought to be just a ghost covered by a cloth. Known moves: Play Rough, Destiny Bond, Shadow Ball, Shadow Claw.» Then she released her four Pokémon from their Poké Balls in order: Vivillon, Herdier, Sewaddle, and Oshawott, saying to them: «Now, please sit here and enjoy this battle. Grass vs. Ghost.»
Lilligant, however, was petrified at the sight of that Dusclops. She had bad memories related to that Pokémon. She was just a Petilil then.
Petilil was the third child in a family consisting of a Lilligant and an Eldegoss. She had two sisters and three brothers: one Gossifleur and another Petilil, while the brothers were two Gossifleur and one Petilil. While Lilligant cared for her little ones, Petilil's father, Eldegoss, had gone out to find food for his family. As he returned, carrying a basket full of berries, and as his children were already celebrating his arrival in what had become their home, a small hollow inside a tree, a Dusclops was about to attack him with a Dark Pulse.
It wasn't a wild Pokémon but one following its Trainer's instructions. Eldegoss felt pain in his tail. After leaving the basket with the mother of his children, he began to fight back. He could clearly hear a voice commanding the Hypnosis Pokémon. The Trainer seemed annoyed. He seemed determined to capture that Eldegoss at any cost. Eldegoss, for his part, couldn't leave his family and tried to defend himself in every way. He was defeated after a long battle. Eldegoss was dragged away and never returned. Since then, mama Lilligant had tried to make her children forget the trauma, trying to play the father's role too.
Lilligant was almost paralyzed at the mere sight of her opponent. Servine turned in her direction and immediately noticed something was wrong. He tried to gather his kindness and attempted to reassure her, explaining that everything was going to be fine.
Ash broke the ice, saying: «Servine, start with Leaf Blade on Dusclops!» The girl ordered: «Mimikyu, attack Servine with Play Rough!» Serena tried to stop Mimikyu's attack: «Stop Mimikyu with Pollen Puff!» and finally, the old man ordered Dusclops: «Use Leech Life on Lilligant!» Servine ran towards Dusclops, Dusclops moved towards Lilligant, Mimikyu towards Servine, while Lilligant stood there ready to attack. The three Pokémon using close-range attacks were all heading towards Dusclops's trajectory and were all hit by a sphere of pollen, part of it purple, part of it yellow. Servine grabbed the yellow pollen and ate it. Different fate for the two Ghost-type Pokémon, hit by the purple pollen.
Servine, who had been healed by Pollen Puff, returned to his side of the field and smiled at Lilligant, who reciprocated. Meanwhile, Serena was already giving her a new order: «Use Quiver Dance!» Flowers formed around the Pokémon as she danced gently. Of course, it wasn't just a performance. Now the Pokémon felt much stronger.
Meanwhile, Ash took advantage of the moment to strike at Mimikyu. «Come on, Servine! Attack Mimikyu with Leaf Tornado!» The Pokémon generated two whirlwinds of grass and violently launched them towards the Ghost-type Pokémon. The girl ordered, «Neutralize them with Shadow Ball.» The man followed his daughter's lead, «You too, Dusclops!» The two Ghost-type Pokémon generated a large sphere of energy, a shade of dark purple, which they launched against Servine's whirlwinds. The impact produced a brown cloud of smoke. Serena seized the opportunity, «Go ahead, use Energy Ball on Mimikyu!» Lilligant generated a sphere of energy very similar to the one created by the two ghosts. The only difference was the color, green. Mimikyu was hit but still remained standing. Meanwhile, Anita was not cheering her friends from the stands; instead, she was searching on her Smart Rotom what the move "Destiny Bond" was. She had never heard of it before. Reading the description of the move, the girl shivered.
Ash finished the job, «Mimikyu seems like an easy target, hit it with Leaf Blade!» Servine's tail glowed green as she quickly approached Mimikyu. Meanwhile, the Ghost-type Pokémon received one last instruction from the girl, «Use it now!» Aelita shouted. Mimikyu was hit squarely in the stomach, or rather in the part of the costume that resembled a stomach. In any case, the hit was enough to knock Mimikyu out.
Carlos announced excitedly, «Mimikyu is unable to battle, so Dusclops will have to face either Servine or Lilligant!» While Lilligant was applauding Servine's beautiful victory, a shadow emerged from the lower part of Mimikyu's body, ready to grab Servine. «Defend with Leaf Blade!» ordered Ash, but the shadow passed right through the Pokémon's blade. Servine was seized and squeezed until she had no strength left, falling to the ground.
Carlos had to change the outcome of the battle, «Servine is unable to battle, so the match will depend on the fight between Dusclops and Lilligant!» The Flowering Pokémon was a bit anxious about battling alone against such a creepy Pokémon, especially since it was a Dusclops, the same Pokémon that took her father away when she was still small. Now she was there in the middle of the field, trembling like a leaf. She did not like the idea of facing the Pokémon that caused her father's disappearance.
Carlos announced, «Let the battle begin!»
Serena noticed the Pokémon's trembling and asked, «Are you okay, Lilligant?» The Pokémon nodded, not very convincingly. Serena ignored it and continued the battle, «Come on! Use Energy Ball!» The Pokémon created a smaller green sphere compared to before, which hit Dusclops squarely, barely making it stagger. The man ordered an attack from his Pokémon, «Dusclops, use Dark Pulse!» Rings of dark energy were generated from the Pokémon's hands and launched towards Lilligant. The Pokémon stood still, trembling before the Ghost Pokémon.
Dark Pulse hit the mark, but Lilligant remained in place. «Keep going with Dark Pulse!» ordered the man, again and again. Lilligant took each hit, but it was clear she would not last much longer. Soon she would be exhausted.
From the stands, Anita watched the scene with a fixed gaze while Herdier slept, indifferent to the battle.
Oshawott could not accept such a thing and began to stomp his feet like a drum, jumping on the rough wood of the seats. Vivillon followed suit, encouraging the Pokémon on the field. Sewaddle, meanwhile, watched the battle, nestled in his Trainer's arms.
Lilligant, noticing the cheers from Anita's Pokémon, calmed down. She gathered her last energies and stood up, waiting for Serena's orders. However, the girl did not know what to do.
«Use Energy Ball.» Serena tried to command an attack. Lilligant generated a large greenish sphere of energy and then hurled it accurately towards Dusclops. Serena took advantage of the opponent's confusion to order a second attack, «Pollen Puff!» The mass of purple pollen hit the opponent squarely, knocking it down. Lilligant had drawn on the anger and remorse she felt towards Dusclops, which made her attack much more powerful.
Carlos approached Dusclops and announced, «Dusclops is unable to battle, so Lilligant and Serena win!» Applause erupted from the stands. Lilligant blushed and bowed to her friends. Was it the first time she had managed to battle and even won?
The man congratulated them, «Congratulations! Now we can properly introduce ourselves. I am Waldo, and this is my daughter Aelita.» Ash did the introductions for his friends, «I am Ash, the...coff, coff...monarch of the World Coronation Series. I travel the world to achieve my dream of becoming a Pokémon Master. And this is Pikachu.» He said, pointing to the Mouse Pokémon on his shoulder, who greeted the hosts cheerfully. «She is Serena, winner of the last Showcase, and this is Lilligant.» Serena greeted the two, a bit embarrassed. Then Ash hurried over to Carlos, «The guy who acted as referee is Carlos. I can assure you he is an extraordinary cook. This is his Umbreon.» Without giving him a chance to breathe, he moved towards Anita, «And this is Anita. She is a very promising Trainer. She travels with us to become the Champion of Unova. I try to help her achieve her goal. These are Sewaddle, Vivillon, Oshawott, and Herdier.» Anita timidly greeted them, complimenting them on the great battle she had witnessed, «It was really a great battle! No one before Mimikyu had ever defeated Ash's Servine. Can I know how it learned that move?»
The girl replied, «Let's say we had some dealings with a rather famous Spiritomb.» The girl winked. Ash immediately understood which Spiritomb she was referring to. However, before the native of Kanto could intervene, Carlos changed the subject, «Now, if you don't mind, can we please go back upstairs? This place makes me uncomfortable.» The man agreed, «Alright boy, let's go, let's head to the living room.»
As he spoke, he headed towards the exit and pointed his finger straight at the stairs.
Once everyone was upstairs, Waldo turned to his daughter, «Aelita, show our guests the living room. I will go get some food. What do you prefer? Tea and cookies or hot chocolate? Or maybe some jelly? Or why not, some chocolate? Orange juice?» The man didn't give his interlocutors time to respond. «In fact, let's do this... we'll get everything. Dusclops, Mimikyu, let's go!» While the kids were heading to the living room, guided by Aelita, Carlos was fascinated by the numerous dark corners that the villa had. Anita shivered, not because of the house, but rather because of the jelly. She still hadn't recovered from that experience with her grandparents. "Don't think about it now," she thought. Ash and Serena were asking the girl some questions, like when they had started living there, how it feels to live in a place that many might consider creepy on nights like that, and many others. «Welcome to my humble abode!» The "abode" was nothing more than a fort made of blue striped cushions and blankets, built by Aelita, to the right of the entrance. She then chuckled, «Okay, now look at the real living room...»
The real living room was a huge room, almost the size of a Pokémon Center. The ceiling was very high. It seemed like it could even hold Eternatus inside. The floor was decorated with reddish diamonds bordered by a thin black line. Various furniture with mirrors lined the walls. In the center of the room, four large sofas and a glass coffee table decorated with a vase of orchids.
The girl then addressed the guests, «Please, please have a seat, don't be shy.» Ash, Serena, Anita, and Carlos followed Aelita's words and relaxed in the environment. The girls were at ease. The place seemed very quiet. Sure, the villa's furnishings were in a vintage style, very... vintage. As often happens in grandmothers' houses, the only thing out of place was the flat-screen Mechas TV. All the other furniture was very antiquated, but that didn't mean it wasn't cozy. «Dad is coming!» Aelita intervened, seeing her father arriving in the living room. He had all sorts of treats, including blueberry jelly. The sight of the jelly alone made Anita shiver.
Fortunately, there was much more to eat, such as a cheesecake, two bottles of Moomoo Milk, a box of cookies, and six cups of hot chocolate. And no, these weren't just any cups, but cups shaped like Galarian Darumaka. All the food was placed on a large silver tray. The man smiled at the group: «Sorry if it's a simple snack, but not many Trainers manage to beat us.» Carlos, hearing those words, gulped loudly: «No, really, Mr. Waldo, it's perfect.» The boy tried not to be too impolite.
Dusclops and Mimikyu arrived in the living room shortly after, calmly carrying a giant stack of glasses and cutlery. Serena, making a quick count, noticed that there were far more utensils and glasses than people present. The girl from Kalos barely had time to finish her thought before Aelita began to explain: «You see, when we have guests, we need all these things for a... let's say a... » The young girl made gestures with her hands as if trying to polish a precious stone. «You'll see later.» She added a few moments later. Anita thought, "Please, let it not be something embarrassing!" Meanwhile, Ash attacked the cheesecake; luckily, it was already sliced, otherwise, he would have devoured it all, leaving only crumbs for the others.
Waldo sat on the nearest couch. He remained still and silent for a few moments before addressing his guests: «SO... from what I see, Ash and Anita are Pokémon Trainers, while Serena is a competitor in some kind of style contest whose name I don't remember, and you... I think you're a referee.» Carlos raised his hands as if to contradict him: «Not exactly. I worked as an assistant and substitute Gym Leader in a Gym, and I have some experience in this field, but I still haven't decided what to do. For now, I'm just aiming to become a good Trainer.» Waldo skillfully deflected the topic: «Yes, yes, okay, I understand... and you... what are your goals?» Ash spoke up: «I want to become a Pokémon Master, and that's why I came to Unova, to help her... » He pointed to Anita «... become a successful Trainer.» Waldo stroked his beard: «That sounds fantastic... and you, Serena?» The girl responded: «I want to become the Queen of Unova.» Waldo combed his beard again: «That's a great ambition. But I'm sure you can do it. Even if there's a small chance, even a tiny one... and I'm speaking as someone who often deals with mathematics, as long as it's not all zeros, you can try and succeed. It doesn't matter how small the chance is, how many decimal places there are... » The four looked at the man as if to say, "I didn't understand anything!" Aelita tried to explain it more simply: «Finding a shiny Pokémon is actually like finding a normal one, because, as rare as it is, you can find it. If Shiny Pokémon didn't exist, it would be pointless to look for them.» At those words, there was a loud «Aaaaaaah» that made it clear what Waldo meant with his mathematical-psychological observation.
Ash asked Aelita the same question: «And you, Aelita? What are your ambitions?» The girl seemed rather amused: «I've already done what I wanted!» Ash didn't understand what the girl was implying with that phrase, nor did his friends. Serena ventured a hypothesis: «I think your only wish is to study and have a profession that requires a lot of knowledge, and you've already achieved that, right?» The girl rounded off her response: «Mmmm no!» Serena scratched her head and said: «Then you definitely mean living with your father in blissful tranquility.» This time the girl shook her head and said to her father: «Dad, can you please tell them how things really are?» The father apparently changed the subject: «Why don't you let your Pokémon roam around the villa? Maybe they'll get to know our Pokémon properly.» The four simply nodded and released their Pokémon. «Well, I see there are quite a few... okay, you can let them go!» Oshawott seemed intrigued by something, looking almost dazed. He stood there, eyes dreamy, staring at the jellies. The Otter Pokémon picked up one of the spoons from the table, leaving an eerie silence in the villa. Anita had already guessed what was about to happen but couldn't find the strength to stop him. To make matters worse, the others and their Pokémon were all watching the scene.
The Pokémon twirled the tip of the spoon while looking at his trainer. The girl said nothing, and her expression remained impassive. Oshawott touched the jelly with the tip of the spoon, making it wobble. «Osha-Oshaaaaaaa» (WIIIIIIIIII, blueberry jelly) At that moment, only Anita, Carlos, Umbreon, Lilligant, Vivillon, and Herdier remained serious in the room; the others burst into uncontrollable laughter. Ash congratulated Oshawott: «I approve, Oshawott, ahahahahahah» Serena turned to her friend: «Your Oshawott is really funny when he does that, hahahahahaha» Waldo explained: «This was something done in your time, my dear, it was really funny ahahahah» The girl was crying with joy and pride and simply said: «Oshawott and Anita, you have my admiration AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA» She continued to laugh loudly for a few minutes before calming down.
«Okay, now let's get serious, so we can begin.» Waldo took a deep breath. However, he was immediately interrupted by Ash: «Show us the reason why your daughter has already completed her ambitions at twelve years old.» Aelita coughed: «Twelve.» Ash was taken aback and, to avoid thinking about his mistake, started eating some cookies. The man began his story:
It was a rainy spring day in Electronopolis, a city built to gather the world's best scientists. Although perhaps more than a city, the correct term to describe Electronopolis is a small town, as the population ranged between two thousand and two thousand two hundred. Despite the small number of inhabitants and the modest size of the town, it was quite welcoming. It was designed to allow researchers to live and work in the same place, with the possibility of having a home to stay with their families.
In one of those houses lived Waldo's family. The man was married to a beautiful woman named Martine. She had long pink hair and splendid green eyes. The two also had a daughter named Aelita.
Waldo and Martine had met at university and chose the same path, which eventually led them to work on the same project. Like all the scholars living in that city, Waldo and his wife had a laboratory where they conducted their experiments. It was filled with everything a scholar could wish for. At that moment, they were both absorbed in their work.
Martine was filling out some forms for the municipality's costs. In this community, no bills arrived to be paid. Electricity, gas, and all supplies were provided by the state. They were seen as distractions from research. For scientific progress, the State would do this and more. It was the policy of national indirect aid for scientific and technological progress, abbreviated as NIASTP.
Waldo, on the other hand, was looking at their latest discovery. A system capable of transporting Pokémon from one place to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible.
Waldo was reviewing documents to ensure that they clearly and comprehensibly reported the research results and that they contained no grammatical or punctuation errors, so they could be presented to his superiors. Waldo and Martine were tasked with this phase due to their dialectical skills and their ability as writers. They had already written and published books. Specifically: "Sidereal Glimmer" or "Infinitesimal" as well as philosophical texts like: "I Am Lying" or psychology texts like "Psycho-Humanoid."
At a certain point during the rereading, Waldo turned to his wife: «Honey, I've discovered something fantastic!» The woman raised her head, moving away from the documents she was examining. «What is it?» A few moments later, she got up from her chair and let down her long pink hair, which had been in a braid on the right side, and fixed her emerald green eyes on her husband. She then walked the short distance separating them and continued talking to him: «So, what have you discovered, honey?» Waldo replied: «Read this part here.» The man pointed to a section of the text highlighted in orange. Waldo handed the paper to the woman, who began reading aloud: «The J-038 prototype is not only capable of transferring Poké Balls through this mechanism, but it can also do so with... » The woman widened her eyes: «Other objects?» Although she couldn't believe her eyes, she continued reading. «Thanks to its atomic dismantling mechanism explained earlier on page 4, line 23, it can indeed be used on objects made of any element. It is currently unknown if the same procedure can be performed on humans.» The woman turned to Waldo: «Well, I'd say we've done a great job... What's wrong, Waldo?» She looked at him with concern: «I think it's better not to report this. We can't make the request; it would be immediately denied.»
Martine put her hand on her husband's shoulder and said, «Don't worry, honey. You're right. This discovery will never be put on the global market. Especially after what happened. I don't know how long it will take before someone finds out.» Waldo exclaimed: «We must keep this a secret, at all costs. No one else should know about it!»
None of the scientists working there knew that all the buildings and rooms had hidden cameras and microphones. They were so well hidden that they were invisible, even if the room was empty. The cameras and microphones captured every movement and recorded every sound twenty-four hours a day.
Martine tried to calm her husband: «Now let's not think about it, let's go home. It's eleven o'clock, Aelita went out with her friends today and is about to return.» Husband and wife exchanged a kiss, then left the room where they were conducting their research. They also walked through the hallway where all the rooms were located and left the research building. They headed to the parking lot and got into their car. Martine took the wheel, not before tying up her hair. Their house wasn't far from there, so the trip was rather short. They had just enough time to wash up and change before someone knocked on their door.
It was Aelita. She was wearing a green raincoat. As soon as she got home, she greeted her parents and then went to wash up. Aelita attended school. A top-level school that trained the new minds who would later work in that community. She went to school five days a week, from Monday to Thursday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. In the afternoon, extracurricular activities took place. After washing up and getting ready, she quickly put on her pajamas. It was Friday, and "Mickey Mouse" was on TV.
Aelita interrupted her father's story saying: «Mickey Mouse was beautiful, he looked like a Rattata but didn't have the big incisor, stood on two legs, and was black, white, and gray.» None of them seemed to remember the cartoon they were talking about. Ash, rather surprised, commented: «We've never heard of such a cartoon, was it good?» Waldo responded, almost as if it were obvious: «It was more educational, but it wasn't any less fun. In fact, neither Martine nor I minded it.» After drinking a glass of Moomoo Milk, the man returned to his story:
Midnight arrived, and the three went to sleep. Aelita in her little room, marked by a green sign on the door, while Waldo and Martine in the Red room. A spacious room with a double bed, light wood nightstands, and two lamps. On the dresser in front of the bed, there was a radio. The wardrobe was next to the dresser.
After turning off the light, Waldo wished his wife goodnight. Despite being quite tired, he couldn't sleep. Waldo kept tossing and turning in bed. The woman, to calm her husband, hugged him like a doll.
As he tried to fall asleep, Waldo thought about what might happen if someone else found out about the second function of that device. There was still a week left before presenting the report to General Alexander, the head of the project, the one who initially founded the community and acted as an intermediary between the scientists and the government representatives.
For Waldo and his wife, that was a really stressful week, despite the woman's attempts to do everything possible to calm her husband. Time, however, passed inexorably, and finally, the fateful day arrived.
That day, Waldo and his wife got up early, much earlier than usual. It wasn't even four in the morning. They barely had time to get ready when the car that would take them to General Alexander parked in front of their house. It was a large three-box sedan with classic and elegant shapes. The body was a classy dark red.
Waldo opened the door, revealing lavish interiors of leather and walnut burl, then made his wife and their still half-asleep daughter comfortable.
The journey was quite long, about the same distance that separated Four Winds from Spiraria. Throughout the trip, Martine held her husband's hand. Aelita, on the other hand, had practically fallen asleep as soon as she got on board. The driver didn't even show his face properly. He simply wore a soldier's uniform with a black hat. He remained completely silent throughout the journey. He was most likely listening to music with headphones, probably interested in something else.
The child interrupted her father and said: «Daddy, Dusclops and Mimikyu want to do that thing...» The man agreed and said: «Sure, go ahead, go ahead, now watch...» Silence fell, while various thoughts flew through the minds of the four boys about what might happen.
Mimikyu came on stage, turned away. A few moments later, the Ghostly Pokémon turned and stared into space for a few seconds. Suddenly, glasses and cutlery appeared above him. The latter fell towards him as if to kill him. Carlos stood up and exclaimed: «MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!» The boy launched himself towards Mimikyu. Unfortunately, the cutlery was behind him. When the boy turned, the cutlery was about to fall on him. Carlos tried to protect himself with his hands, while Umbreon and Houndour were petrified at the mere sight.
Carlos' hands caught and threw the cutlery and glasses back into the air without his consent, and he wondered, still with his eyes closed: «What's happening?» The boy opened his eyes and saw that his body was juggling the glasses and cutlery. He was spinning them, catching them from the same part. If he threw a glass holding it from the bottom, he made it do a spin so he could catch it from the bottom again.
Carlos opened his eyes and said: «Why are my arms not responding to my commands?» Shortly after, with superhuman skill, he threw them at Mimikyu, hitting him on the head and placing the glass like a hat. Then he brushed the costume with all the cutlery he had available.
Mimikyu, with the glasses on his head, began spinning them, making them fly towards the guest Pokémon, making them fall perfectly balanced on their heads. Shortly after, they were filled with Moomoo milk. The Pokémon and the four boys were amazed. The cutlery was thrown at the wall, forming a laughing face.
The four boys and their Pokémon were shocked, while the hosts remained impassive. Serena was completely stunned. She remained open-mouthed even during the applause, almost moved by the performance.
Dusclops came out into the open, and the lights came back on. The two ghost Pokémon bowed before everyone. Waldo took advantage of that performance to talk about the two Pokémon: «Mimikyu and Dusclops, before joining us, belonged to a Performer. The girl was the victim of an ambush by Team Plasma, who freed her Pokémon in the Pinwheel Forest.»
Those words evoked bad memories in Carlos' Houndour, who hid behind his Trainer's legs. «Don't worry, I will never abandon you.» the boy reassured his Pokémon. Meanwhile, Waldo continued to talk about the two Pokémon: «I believe that girl lived in Nuvema Town. They have been living with us for four years now.»
After a short pause, the man resumed his story:
As soon as they arrived, they prepared to be received by General Strategist Alexander. They were supposed to present their invention.
It was a sunny Saturday morning, but the good weather did not seem to alleviate Waldo's stress in any way. He and his wife entered the building where they would be received. It was a large brutalist architecture structure. It almost looked like a prison. They entered and, after walking through a hallway, took an elevator to the top floor, where the general's office was located.
The room practically occupied the entire floor, except for a small anteroom. The door that allowed entry was guarded by two guards on each side. The guards, dressed in uniform, held large machine guns and instilled a certain fear. The guards pointed their weapons at Waldo and his wife, avoiding pointing them at the child. «Halt! Identify yourselves!» the guards ordered. The two, quite frightened, handed two of the guards their Trainer cards. At the time, it was a laminated paper document similar to a small booklet, containing all personal information. Two of the guards carefully studied the documents while the others continued to hold their weapons.
«Mr. Waldo Hopper and Mrs. Martine Hopper. Two of the brightest scientists from Electropolis...» the guard paused for a moment. «...what brings you here?» Waldo tried to stay calm: «We need to present the report on our latest invention to General Alexander.» the man replied. The guards lowered their weapons and opened the office door for the two.
Sunlight entered through the windows on the right, illuminating all his titles and trophies for leading Our Army to victory. General Alexander was a great strategist, known for his unique and unpredictable formations and attack tactics. On the sides of the room, there were bookshelves filled with various kinds of books. On other shelves, there were various types of weapons. General Alexander believed these helped keep his mind sharp.
Next to the entrance were ficus plants. On the other side of the room was him, sitting at his mahogany desk with a glass top. Besides three telephones and pen holders, there was an elegant lamp. On the desk were the flags of Unova and the WNO, the World Nations Organization. The man was engrossed in reading "Sidereal Sparkle," one of the books written by Waldo and Martine. A book about space, a huge success that could easily be found in the science section of all libraries and bookstores.
His round black eyes were glued to the words of that book until a guard, who had followed the couple, broke his concentration: «General Sir?» The man lifted his head from the book and stared at the two for a few moments. Shortly after, he stood up and approached them, welcoming them with a very gentle voice for someone holding such a crucial role in citizen protection: «Good morning, Dr. Hopper, and you too, Dr. Haxord.» the man addressed the woman by her maiden name. He introduced himself in turn. «I imagine you know me, but I am General Alexander Ypulz...»
The general was a very tall and muscular man. He wore a military uniform but did not have a general's hat. His short black hair was uncovered. On his face, two red marks were immediately noticeable on his cheeks, painted on. He had a round nose and a perpetually smiling expression. On his uniform, he wore a decoration for the great victory in the war. This was on his sash, which bore the regional flag. His shoes were black boots.
Despite his appearance, he was a gentleman. After shaking Waldo's hand, he gave the traditional hand-kiss to his wife. «It is truly a pleasure to have you here.» he greeted them. «We can start as soon as my aides and colleagues arrive, the General and the Head of the Army. You have arrived a bit early.»
Waldo was a bit frightened by this. He knew that the general acted as an intermediary between the scientists and the government representatives, but he did not think other military personnel would be involved. The Head of the Army was a captain who fought in battles alongside the other soldiers, while the General had the task of approving or rejecting all military body requests. Food rations, on the other hand, were managed by a separate body, the Suppliers. This body, along with the Sanctity Core, handled the soldiers' rations.
While waiting for the others, Alexander asked the two questions, mainly about their family. He told them how, during the six years of war, he never had the opportunity to see his wife and two children. Shortly after, the man added that he regretted not being with them at that moment, despite realizing how important his work was.
After about ten minutes, three young people entered, the top-voted young writers in the Fantasy and War category. There were two girls and a boy. Their names were Ed, Esmeralda, and Faith. As soon as they arrived, the three sat at the table, previously set up by the guards.
The girls seemed to be friends while the boy seemed to be a serious type. He had curly blond hair, red eyes, and a round nose. He wore a blue duffle coat and sports shoes. From his arrival, he asked Waldo several questions about how he developed his explanations on various topics. The boy didn't miss a single word, noting every word in a yellow notebook.
The girls, on the other hand, seemed interested in Aelita and Martine, showing great affection towards the child. Faith was a rather young girl with short blue hair, big eyes, and a short pointed nose. She wore bright pink clothes and magenta shoes with black laces. Her way of dressing suggested a very extroverted personality.
Esmeralda, however, seemed to be quite nosy. Despite this, she appeared quite cheerful. She had long black hair, small brown eyes quite close to each other, and a small button nose. The balance of her face was disturbed by one of her canines, which protruded from the left side of her mouth. Her hair was tied with a large orange bow. Her dress was also orange, and she wore red shoes.
The young woman, after all those explanations, had an idea for a new book titled "The Cannibal Party."
After a few minutes, the Head of the Army arrived. A middle-aged man with a bald head. He had a large scar on his left leg. He seemed to have some family ties with Esmeralda, given the great resemblance between the two. Like General Alexander, he wore a military uniform with black shoes.
The man immediately took an interest in the writer. The woman became acquainted with the serious Captain. The man shook Waldo's hand with great strength, showing considerable coldness, as one would expect from someone working in that field.
About fifteen minutes later, the General arrived. Like the Captain, he also had the air of a very serious person. As soon as he entered, he greeted everyone with a loud «Good morning everyone!» and then greeted each person individually.
The man had handlebar mustaches that hung from his gigantic pointed nose. His left eye was covered by a black patch, while his right eye was crossed. His appearance was quite threatening.
Aelita, being the curious child she was, asked him: «Sir, excuse me, but why do you wear the eye patch?» The general calmly answered the child's question: «I am General Llorente. I lost my eye during my first expedition. At that time, of course, I was just a cadet.» Satisfied with the man's response, Aelita stopped asking questions. The man sat down next to the Head of the Army, greeting him with a serious expression: «Captain Haddock, it's a pleasure to see you again.» The bald man replied: «It's a pleasure for me too, General Llorente, as well as for them.»
After the various respectful greetings, Waldo stood up and approached the desk where he was to explain the entire situation. Martine and Aelita wished him good luck. Strategist Alexander called for the attention of those present, then left the stage to Waldo, who began to explain how he and his team had studied and developed the device. The device consisted of an orange capsule, a keyboard to input addresses, and the system that physically transported the Poké Balls from one place to another. The latter resembled a sort of proboscis.
The device was capable of deconstructing and reconstructing the structure of the Poké Balls in perfect atomic order. Waldo then digressed a bit, explaining the various theories on the device's operation, concluding the presentation splendidly. The general seemed to like it, but something made Waldo particularly suspicious. The man's smile was not entirely sincere. After the presentation, the general immediately turned to Waldo: «And is this device capable of transporting other things besides Poké Balls?» Waldo shook his head. «Not at the moment. I do not exclude that, in the future, as research advances, we might be able to do so.» The excuse seemed to hold, at least until the General interrupted: «Then how do you explain this?»
The man pressed a button that turned on a projector. Slowly, an image appeared on the white screen. When the lamp reached temperature, the man pressed a second button. The image turned into a video. Waldo and his wife in the lab, talking. The video was from just a week earlier: «It can transfer other objects, maybe humans… we must keep it hidden… oh no! There's the alarm…» Everyone paused for a second to reflect on that last phrase. The two military officers accused Waldo and his wife: «You are traitors to the country! Why would you hide something like this from us? Are you spies of the Saracco government?» Martine tried to explain: «We were going to make an immediate request to put it on the global market.» Captain Haddock silenced her: «Silence! We would never have accepted that! Guards, take them!» Two guards advanced towards them to take them away. However, Alexander intervened: «Gentlemen, please, calm down. I understand they made a mistake, but it is not a reason to consider them traitors! To be honest, I would have done the same.» The strategist tried to defend them. Ed and Faith joined him: «The Strategist General is right, please do not punish them for a single mistake. We made mistakes too during the war.» Esmeralda, however, disagreed: «I think they deserve a life sentence. Hiding such an important piece of information… and now that almost all the work is done, it won't take much to finish it and… POOF it enters circulation.» Ed silenced her: «Do you read the newspapers? The economy is still recovering
after the great war effort. If they find out that so much public money is being invested in projects like this…»
The General took charge of the situation and said, «Enough! Take them away, to prison!» On the way, Martine tried to create openings to escape, something she managed to do quickly. Fortunately, the three managed to get out, pursued by the guards. If they had stopped, they would have seriously risked being imprisoned for life. The fear of spending the rest of his days behind bars pushed Waldo to run even more. As the three continued to flee, Martine tripped on a root: «Martiiiiiine!» Waldo shouted. «Go without me!» the woman shouted. «Waldo! Focus on getting Aelita to safety!» Waldo began to cry before exchanging a final kiss with his wife. The last words Waldo heard were: «I love you, now run!» Waldo and Aelita started running. After five minutes of running, Waldo realized that he and his daughter were safe. Their pursuers had lost their trail.
From then on, Waldo had to make the painful decision not to write to his wife. He feared that contact with her might lead to his discovery. After recovering from the fatigue, father and daughter set off for the nearest airport. They could not risk asking for rides. They would probably have been picked up by undercover soldiers. Their goal was to reach the airport. A place quite far from there. A good seven-hour walk. They had to reach the city of Cerafolipoli. Waldo turned to Aelita: «Okay, sweetie, now we need to go to Cerafolipoli. Try to make as little noise as possible!» The child simply nodded. The two set off towards the small city of just seven thousand inhabitants. They would spend the night there before departing.
The journey was long, pleasant but silent. To avoid being discovered, the two wandered among the trees far from roads and civilization, to reach Cerafolipoli safe and sound. During their journey, they encountered many Pokémon. Waldo was particularly fascinated by the Boltund and Manectric Pokémon Dog, which were concentrating a large amount of electric energy in that area. Alongside them, a Breloom. Waldo and his daughter stayed hidden, waiting for the two Pokémon to calm down.
They waited there for about ten minutes. During the wait, they noticed some Skwovet approaching that area rich in electric energy with their load of berries. Inside that perimeter, there was a delicious smell of flowers and Pokémon delicacies, even though there was no food of any kind. Everything was caused by the move Aromatic Mist. The Skwovet entered the electrified area, curious. They scoured the area in search of that smell, which came from the center of that area. When they got there, they realized there was nothing. Only then did the Cheek Pouch Pokémon realize they had fallen into a trap. They felt totally unable to move. It was the effect of paralysis. Boltund and Manectric, calmly, collected the berries that fell from the Skwovet's mouths. Some Skwovet tried to eat a Cheri Berry but were immediately paralyzed again by the high concentration of electricity caused by the two Electric-type Pokémon.
Once they had collected a good amount of berries, Waldo and his daughter left. For Waldo, it was simply a demonstration of survival instinct and the ability to build traps. Waldo noted that technique in his notebook, using it for a very different purpose than originally intended. The man had brought the notebook in case there were communications from General Alexander to report to his colleagues. The two continued their journey towards Cerafolipoli. It was now evening. They were only an hour away from their destination. They were very tired and stopped to sleep under the stars. Fortunately, the grass was soft and dry, perfect to be used as a mattress. They were short on blankets, but luckily it was quite warm. Not cold at all.
During their journey, Waldo had helped a Ponyta, which, out of gratitude, had joined them and would keep them warm all night and help them reach Cerafolipoli the next day. No one could sleep, Waldo and his daughter could not stop thinking about Martine. Ponyta, on the other hand, wondered if that man wanted to capture it or not. Aelita turned to her father: «Daddy, could you tell a story?» Waldo replied calmly: «All right, Aelita.» So he began to tell a story:
"Once upon a time, long ago, there was a boy named Leo. He was a very lively child, well-liked by everyone in the village of Gironficcante, in the lands of Milacco. His best skill was creating costumes. He had a real workshop filled with everything needed to make costumes. He secretly sourced all these materials from the village dump. Every night, to get there, Leo had to cross the path through the Sfruddu pine forest, named after the hero who defended the lands of Milacco, Sfruddu.
Leo was always accompanied by his trusty Eevee and Vibrava. Every night, they joined him on his escapades, and when they were at home, they helped him with the costumes. Leo relied heavily on his Pokémon. His parents were a soldier and a doctor, so they were extremely busy. Luckily for them, Leo was responsible enough to take care of himself. Despite this, they decided to leave him in Gironficcante with Uncle Kevin and Aunt Marilù.
One day, as was his habit, Leo headed to Vera's bar/ice cream parlor/tobacconist to buy tickets for a match between a trainer from Gironficcante and a trainer from a nearby village called Malaterra, a village slightly larger than Gironficcante. Besides the ticket, he also bought a banana berry and mango berry ice cream, which he shared with his Pokémon before returning to his workshop.
The boy was extremely surprised when, upon arriving at his workshop, he realized he was not alone. Waiting for him was the trainer who was supposed to fight that evening. The latter introduced himself nonchalantly: «You must be the kid everyone is talking about… the famous costume maker. I am Grimaldo, and this is Meganium.» The boy pointed to the Pokémon beside him. Leo invited him in and asked: «What costume do you need? I have many… I have this spy costume, this warehouse worker, firefighter, this police officer…» Grimaldo made a very specific request: «Actually, I want a costume for Meganium, something that will help him during the fight.» Leo was quite puzzled. He also made costumes for Pokémon, but usually for small Pokémon. He had never worked with such large Pokémon. So, he tried to negotiate with the trainer: «If I adjust this police officer costume to his size, will that do?» Meganium nodded. Vibrava and Eevee started taking measurements. This Meganium was much larger than average for its species. After putting down the pencil and measuring tape, the trainer and his Pokémon left, giving the boy a VIP pass so he could deliver the costume backstage.
After doing a couple of checks, Leo realized he needed some parts he didn't have but was sure he could find at the dump. Leo sighed, «Oh no! We need to get those parts by tonight, and the owner will never give them to me!» Vibrava tried to reassure him, saying he could still make it: «Maybe you're right!» Leo replied.
The three of them set off and crossed the forest. At that hour, it was still illuminated by the sun's rays. It was the first time Leo walked that path during the day. But, apart from the light, there were no differences from the night. When they reached the dump, Leo and his Pokémon found the owner. At that moment, he was busy feeding his Torterra. At the same time, he was explaining things to what appeared to be his son.
Leo, Eevee, and Vibrava tried to climb over the fence on the opposite side, with some success. They collected all the parts they might need.»
At this point, Aelita and Ponyta rubbed their eyes a bit:
«Just as they were about to climb back over the fence, the three fell to the ground, sleepy, thanks to a sweet melody sung by a Delcatty. After a few minutes, the three woke up from their sleep. In front of them were the owner, Delcatty, and Torterra, staring at them. The boy and his Pokémon were tied to chairs. The man began, «I caught you, kid, now I'll tell your uncles so they know what you do at night!» Leo struggled to free himself, without success. Eevee tried to cut the rope with Iron Tail, while Vibrava stared at his trainer. She felt great pain while hearing the sound of the pen writing. In desperation, she spontaneously launched a Dragon Pulse that tore the letter in two.
«Ah, you don't give up easily? Go on, Delcatty, muzzle her!» Delcatty muzzled her with its large paw. While the owner wrote
the second letter, the evolved Pokémon managed to free herself and shredded the second piece of paper. «You're getting in on this too?» the man complained. «Torterra, please pin it in the corner! I need to get another sheet.» He ordered shortly after, while he went to get another sheet. Meanwhile, Leo managed to free himself. He was immediately stopped by the owner's son, who also found the opportunity to say something to him: «Listen, friend, I don't want to do this, but you're forcing me!» The boy started reading some things: «The story begins about five thousand years ago, with the invention of writing…» Leo was experiencing immense pain hearing that whole story, the only thing he found useless, which was true only from certain points of view, the same ones touched by the owner's son.
Even Vibrava and Eevee couldn't stand those unnecessary explanations. They tried to fight back; Eevee used Iron Tail on Torterra, gradually pushing him back, while Vibrava freed herself from the rope using Dragon Claw, making Delcatty retreat as well. The owner's two Pokémon found themselves backing into the son, who, noticing the situation, turned and stopped his explanation. Eevee and Vibrava approached their opponents, as they were enveloped in a white light tending to blue. Both Pokémon were evolving. Eevee became taller and sleeker. His body turned pink and white. His ears elongated, becoming like those of a rabbit. Bows and long ribbons appeared on them. His eyes became larger and blue. Vibrava's fate was different. Her body curved and grew in size, her wings became larger and stronger. Her body now had a green coloration. Her eyes turned pink and, after a long time, the Pokémon finally had a real mouth. The two delivered the blow that knocked out Delcatty and Torterra.
Leo was amazed by his Pokémon's sudden evolution. «Wow! You are amazing! But now let's get out of here! But first, we must make everyone forget this story!» Fortunately for Leo, a Beheeyem had seen the whole scene and made the exhausted ones forget with a display of colors. Flygon stood in front of his friends to make them forget everything too.
«AHAh, I found you, kid, you have no escape!» The boy ordered the Psychic-type Pokémon, «Thank you, Beheeyem, could you do the same to him?» The boy referred to the man in the other room. «We need to go, or we'll be late for the fight, you'll find us at the arena for tonight's match.» The three escaped on Flygon's wings, who carried them to the workshop. Leo, after working hard to finish the costume, looked at the time. There was very little time left before the match started!
«Hurry, Flygon! Let's go to the stadium!» Flygon flew very fast, using the currents to go even faster. Sylveon held on tightly to his trainer to avoid falling.
Upon arriving at the stadium, the three rushed to the home team's locker room. «Just in time! Come, Meganium.» Leo's hard work paid off: the costume fit him perfectly.
The boy and his Meganium stepped onto the field as the challengers were announced. The three costumers took seats in the highest stands to get a better view of the match. Suddenly, behind them, appeared the Beheeyem who had helped Leo earlier. It held a Poké Ball in its hand, seemingly asking to be captured. Leo, noticing, fulfilled its wish: «Of course, you can!» Meganium won the match, and from that day, the costumer became an important figure throughout the region. Whenever someone wanted a costume, they immediately went to his workshop. Thanks to Beheeyem's ability to make people forget, which took the memories up to that moment and illustrated with a drawing how the costume should be, the work became easier. As always, Sylveon and Flygon took care of taking the measurements…»
Aelita and Ponyta fell asleep during the story.
«And it was from this story that I got the inspiration for my book "The Birth of an Artist".» Waldo returned to the present.
The man didn't tell the bedtime story; otherwise, the four would have missed the bus and had to stay there all night.
«Sorry, but I really need to go to the bathroom.»
Aelita explained to the kids: «Ponyta evolved into Rapidash. It's sleeping now, as usual, just behind the villa. If you want, I can call it.»
Ash immediately replied, «Go ahead, I don't think it's a problem.»
The girl opened the window and called the Fire Horse Pokémon, «Rapidash, wake up! We have guests!»
A few moments later, the sound of hooves and a quick gust of wind were heard. The Pokémon jumped through the window. Its size was immediately noticeable. It was one of the largest Rapidash ever seen, standing nearly 2 meters tall. Its body was white, tinged with yellow, while its eyes were... purple? Even its mane, made of flames, was the same color. Those beautiful flames burned calmly, emitting a pleasant warmth. The flames on its feet were the same color, while its hooves were black. Not only was it much larger than average, but it was also a shiny specimen.
The Pokémon entered the house elegantly, while Aelita, Dusclops, and Mimikyu greeted it. The kids were amazed by its majesty. Anita, enchanted by the powerful and elegant appearance of the Pokémon, decided to take a photo. Shortly after, she scanned it with the Pokédex function of her Smart Rotom:
«Rapidash, Fire Horse Pokémon. Female. Shiny form. Gallops at 240 km/h. When it dashes, its fiery mane waves. Known moves: Fire Blast, Poison Jab, Flare Blitz, Protect.»
Anita looked away from the Pokémon. She wanted to verify if her hypothesis was correct: «It says here that Rapidash is typically 1.7 meters tall and weighs 95 kg.»
Aelita scratched her head, rather puzzled: «Really? She's 2 meters and 6 centimeters tall and weighs 137 kg. Before evolving, she was quite small compared to other Ponyta.»
Carlos intervened, saying, «GIUSTIZIA! What did you feed it?»
Aelita tried to stifle a laugh, without much success: «Yeah, she evolved about three years ago. So, I don't really remember.»
Meanwhile, the young girl began to pet the large Pokémon.
Anita, rather curious, asked, «But isn't it raining outside? Shouldn't it be all wet?»
Aelita made a small gesture with her hand, as if to dismiss the girl's hypothesis. «There's a small room to the right of the window where Rapidash can sleep. It's warm and dry. And the area between the window and the room is protected from the rain.»
Serena, not wanting to feel too left out, asked a question that could clear up a doubt that had just occurred to her friend: «Are the flames it shoots also purple?»
The girl remained silent, motioning for everyone to follow her to the basement while she returned Rapidash to its Poké Ball.
Once downstairs, she motioned for the four to step aside. Dusclops and Rapidash were on the opposite side of the battle area. «If you want to film, do it now; it's a rare opportunity!» The kids took out their Smart Rotom and started filming the action.
Dusclops prepared to use Protect, while Rapidash created a large explosion of fire in front of it. It resembled a star, which it then launched towards Dusclops, displaying its purple hue, which shattered on the green barrier created in front of Dusclops. There was a purple explosion that revealed a purple figure resembling Lilligant. The latter blushed and remained petrified in place. But it wasn't over yet. Dusclops was preparing to use Leech Life, while Rapidash was about to launch another attack. Its body was enveloped in purple flames as it began to rush towards the Hypnosis Pokémon.
Rapidash took off like a rocket, reaching the ghost Pokémon with impressive speed, as all Rapidash do. The short time Rapidash took was enough for Dusclops to release two long fangs from its mouth, which quickly embedded into the flesh of the Fire Horse Pokémon. The clash between the two Pokémon generated a powerful explosion that, in turn, formed a closed rose. A few moments later, it opened, revealing black and white powders. Though, in truth, these combinations were
caused by Mimikyu doing whatever it wanted with these violent clashes.
The kids finished their recording. They had stood motionless with their mouths open. They hadn't noticed the deathly silence that had settled before breaking it with a loud applause.
Aelita turned to the four: «Did you enjoy the show?»
Serena was the first to respond, «You have a talent as a Performer or Coordinator, in my opinion.»
Aelita, though happy with the compliment, contradicted her: «No way! They do everything. I wouldn't see myself as a Coordinator or Performer at all; I have stage fright.»
Anita felt called into the conversation. «I participated in a Showcase. I was afraid my dress was too low-cut, too short... that anything could happen... but as soon as we performed, everything went well.»
Aelita shrugged. «If you say so.»
Serena simply nodded, while Aelita changed the subject: «Now we can go upstairs. I don't want Dad to worry.» As the five of them climbed the stairs, Serena recalled the incredible combinations she had seen so far. "Dusclops and Mimikyu's former Trainer must have been a high-level Performer," she thought.
Ash, on the other hand, was looking at Rapidash with dreamy eyes, while Pikachu complimented the Fire Horse Pokémon on its strength and speed. He also said he hadn't seen such a big Pokémon since he faced Steven's Mega Metagross. Rapidash thanked him with a simple wink.
They all returned to the living room, waiting for Waldo, who had been in the bathroom the whole time. The man had taken his time, so much so that everyone looked at him strangely as he returned. He still hadn't finished reading the newspaper.
Aelita interrupted him, «Da...»
The man apologized and greeted Rapidash, «Forgive my delay, but there was an important political news... good morning, Rapidash.»
Then, the man poured himself a glass of milk before resuming his story: «So, we were up to where Aelita and I fell asleep with Ponyta, right? Okay:
After a few minutes, not only did Aelita fall asleep, but so did Waldo and Ponyta. The grass was nice and soft and seemed so comfortable. The next day, Waldo, his daughter, and Ponyta woke up. The sun was still low. Their first concern was breakfast. They ate some berries they had picked in the area.
After the meal, they finally headed towards Driftveil City, a town known for being nestled in a valley surrounded by three mountains, which protected the entire area from strong winds. Even back then, the small town was known for its sausages. Other places of interest included the temple, built on the ruins of a building where it was said one of the two brothers who founded the Unova region liked to stay, and its airport. The airport was originally a military airport. It was built in a strategic location, protected from the winds and easy to defend. It had two parallel runways, each over three kilometers long.
When Waldo and Aelita arrived in town, the soldiers hadn't arrived yet. They took the opportunity to wander around the small town. It had at most two thousand two hundred inhabitants, most of whom were elderly.
Many of these elderly people used to gather in the majestic square outside one of the town's bars. They spent their time playing cards and judging everyone who passed by.
Waldo and his daughter tried to go unnoticed. A cold wind started blowing, ruffling their hair.
After buying something quick to eat from one of the few shops in town, the two continued their journey, finally reaching the airport. It was just an hour's walk, nothing compared to the long trek of the previous day.
Upon reaching the airport, the two immediately headed to the ticket office, but before they could reach the building, a man stood in front of them. He was about fifty years old.
He had black hair and eyes of the same color. He had a rather short beard and no mustache. He wore an elegant black suit and a red tie. He also wore a blue shirt and sheriff's boots.
Waldo greeted him as one greets old friends. «Don't worry, he's a former colleague of mine. He's a good man.» Waldo tried to reassure his daughter. «And he's also a great friend of the TV host Gerry Scott.»
«His name is Frisk Houston, he was the one who handled relations between the community and the army until he was replaced by our Martin Chessbot, who... I don't even want to talk about it.» Waldo explained.
Waldo greeted him and said, «Pssst... Frisk, Frisk, it's me, Waldo...» The man smiled at the two of them. «It's been a long time! You still look great! I didn't know you had a daughter... It's been ages...» The man greeted him in return.
Aelita tugged at her father's shirt sleeve. «Dad... I need to go to the bathroom... can you take me?» Waldo agreed, taking the girl to the restrooms. While the girl went into the women's restroom, the two men entered the one reserved for them. At least there, they wouldn't risk being seen.
Once in the restroom, Waldo could finally give some explanations, even if they didn't completely reflect the truth: «So Frisk, there's been a mess!» The man asked him: «But where is Martine? It's not that...» Waldo interrupted him and began to tell the story: «Well, we escaped from the army. We were unable to create a product they commissioned. Because of this, they kicked us out. We argued and left on bad terms. Since then, we've been on the run. Unfortunately, Martine was captured.»
A few minutes later, the three reunited. «So... can you help us?» Waldo asked Frisk. The man explained the plan to them: «So... now we head to Spiraria and travel to Balvanopoli, there my brother and I can hide you. But I can't allow your identities to be discovered. We'll need to change your identities when the time comes... I imagine you're willing to do... anything?» Waldo nodded. It seemed like a good plan. The three of them left and finally headed towards the ticket counter. It was a small booth in the center of the room. At the bottom was the logo of Unova Airlines, the national airline of the region. There, the two men bought three tickets to Spiraria.
From there, they would reach Balvanopoli, a city famous for its chocolate production. Balvanopoli was also a rather small town. It had just 1,800 inhabitants. It was perched on a hill and was quite exposed to the winds.
Carlos asked Aelita if it was normal to expose all that information about every place they talked about. The girl simply replied, «You need to know that for scientists, it's important to know every place they visit. Their laboratories can move anywhere, so it's important to know as many places as possible. My dad knows all the cities and towns in Unova. This way, he avoids having to ask for directions.» Carlos scratched his head, amazed, and turned his attention back to Waldo, who had resumed his story.
After a good half hour, the three got their tickets. They were economy class tickets, but after all, buying them at the last moment, they couldn't expect much. They considered themselves lucky to be allowed to bring Ponyta with them. It was the last extra ticket available for flying a Pokémon outside of its Poké Ball. The plane was scheduled to depart in just an hour and a half. It would land on the right runway, the second closest to the exit. That hour seemed practically endless, filled with tension. Waldo feared that someone had discovered them. Frisk, on the other hand, was very calm. To try to reduce the tension, he asked Waldo and his daughter several questions that had nothing to do with their current situation: «I don't know if you saw what McKenzie ate, but how can you miss that basket without an opponent, they lost just because of that free throw!» Waldo tried to play along until it was time to board. After passing through the almost nonexistent security procedures, the three reached the aircraft parking and boarded the plane. It was an Amon TJ10, a wide-body aircraft with a
bizarre three-engine configuration. Two engines were under the wings and one was on top of the tail.
The three were among the first to board, to gain precious minutes. As soon as they took off, the soldiers wouldn't be able to find them anymore. When all the passengers were boarded, a metallic voice announced to everyone present: «All passengers are requested to fasten their seatbelts and straighten their seatbacks.» The plane began to taxi and reached the runway. It started its takeoff run. The bulky trijet managed to lift off the ground after about two kilometers of runway. The flight lasted about three hours.
Waldo paused his story to make a brief comment. «Even today the journey would take just as long unless you're rich enough to afford a ticket for a supersonic flight. In that case, the flight would take even less than half the time... of course...»
After the brief digression, the man resumed his story.
During the entire flight, Waldo couldn't help but think about Martine, while Aelita petted Ponyta, complimenting its blue flame mane. Meanwhile, Frisk was pondering a few things about the game of chess.
«And, modestly, I was really a champion.» Waldo smiled slightly. «Do you want to play a game?» He asked. No response. «Are you really sure?» He asked. At that point, Serena stood up and said: «I know a few tricks, but you'll have to help me.» She referred to Anita. The girl tried to protest: «But... I don't know how to play...» Serena pointed out: «In the end, chess isn't that different from Pokémon battles. Actually... it might be even easier. You just need a bit of creativity, and you've already shown you're very good at understanding situations... I mean... you could do very well.» Anita sighed and accepted the proposal, albeit not very convinced: «Alright... then let's try...» The man resumed his story:
Once they landed in Spiraria, the three didn't have time to get off the plane before they had to rush to the city's bank. One of the many branches of the Unova Bank, where Frisk kept his car. Strangely, there were no soldiers in that area. This triggered two different reactions in Waldo. On one hand, he was happy but on the other hand, he was also very worried, even though he couldn't explain why. He began to think about how Esmeralda might have a plan to stop them in some bizarre way, according to the usual way those guys acted.
Waldo was certain that Ed, Faith, and the Strategist Alexander would never collaborate with her in an attempt to capture him.
Trying not to think too much about these things, Waldo and his daughter got into Frisk's car. A standard four-door sedan with rather square shapes.
Frisk turned the key in the ignition and without a word, drove off, pushing the car to its limits. The direction was clear, the city of Balvanopoli. The man soon realized that to avoid drawing suspicion, he would have to stick to the speed limits, and so he did.
At a certain point, he turned to the passenger in the front seat: «Waldo, I know it's hard, but don't make that face... you'll see that at my place you'll both feel much better!» He tried to reassure him.
Waldo thanked him.
Despite the driver's words, the man's expression didn't change. It remained constantly worried.
He had black hair and eyes of the same color. He had a rather short beard and no mustache. He wore an elegant black suit and a red tie. He also wore a blue shirt and sheriff's boots.
Waldo greeted him as one greets old friends. «Don't worry, he's a former colleague of mine. He's a good man.» Waldo tried to reassure his daughter. «And he's also a great friend of the TV host Gerry Scott.»
«His name is Frisk Houston, he was the one who handled relations between the community and the army until he was replaced by our Martin Chessbot, who... I don't even want to talk about it.» Waldo explained.
Waldo greeted him and said, «Pssst... Frisk, Frisk, it's me, Waldo...» The man smiled at the two of them. «It's been a long time! You still look great! I didn't know you had a daughter... It's been ages...» The man greeted him in return.
Aelita tugged at her father's shirt sleeve. «Dad... I need to go to the bathroom... can you take me?» Waldo agreed, taking the girl to the restrooms. While the girl went into the women's restroom, the two men entered the one reserved for them. At least there, they wouldn't risk being seen.
Once in the restroom, Waldo could finally give some explanations, even if they didn't completely reflect the truth: «So Frisk, there's been a mess!» The man asked him: «But where is Martine? It's not that...» Waldo interrupted him and began to tell the story: «Well, we escaped from the army. We were unable to create a product they commissioned. Because of this, they kicked us out. We argued and left on bad terms. Since then, we've been on the run. Unfortunately, Martine was captured.»
A few minutes later, the three reunited. «So... can you help us?» Waldo asked Frisk. The man explained the plan to them: «So... now we head to Spiraria and travel to Balvanopoli, there my brother and I can hide you. But I can't allow your identities to be discovered. We'll need to change your identities when the time comes... I imagine you're willing to do... anything?» Waldo nodded. It seemed like a good plan. The three of them left and finally headed towards the ticket counter. It was a small booth in the center of the room. At the bottom was the logo of Unima Airlines, the national airline of the region. There, the two men bought three tickets to Spiraria.
From there, they would reach Balvanopoli, a city famous for its chocolate production. Balvanopoli was also a rather small town. It had just 1,800 inhabitants. It was perched on a hill and was quite exposed to the winds.
Carlos asked Aelita if it was normal to expose all that information about every place they talked about. The girl simply replied, «You need to know that for scientists, it's important to know every place they visit. Their laboratories can move anywhere, so it's important to know as many places as possible. My dad knows all the cities and towns in Unima. This way, he avoids having to ask for directions.» Carlos scratched his head, amazed, and turned his attention back to Waldo, who had resumed his story.
After a good half hour, the three got their tickets. They were economy class tickets, but after all, buying them at the last moment, they couldn't expect much. They considered themselves lucky to be allowed to bring Ponyta with them. It was the last extra ticket available for flying a Pokémon outside of its Poké Ball. The plane was scheduled to depart in just an hour and a half. It would land on the right runway, the second closest to the exit. That hour seemed practically endless, filled with tension. Waldo feared that someone had discovered them. Frisk, on the other hand, was very calm. To try to reduce the tension, he asked Waldo and his daughter several questions that had nothing to do with their current situation: «I don't know if you saw what McKenzie ate, but how can you miss that basket without an opponent, they lost just because of that free throw!» Waldo tried to play along until it was time to board. After passing through the almost nonexistent security procedures, the three reached the aircraft parking and boarded the plane. It was an Amon TJ10, a wide-body aircraft with a
bizarre three-engine configuration. Two engines were under the wings and one was on top of the tail.
The three were among the first to board, to gain precious minutes. As soon as they took off, the soldiers wouldn't be able to find them anymore. When all the passengers were boarded, a metallic voice announced to everyone present: «All passengers are requested to fasten their seatbelts and straighten their seatbacks.» The plane began to taxi and reached the runway. It started its takeoff run. The bulky trijet managed to lift off the ground after about two kilometers of runway. The flight lasted about three hours.
Waldo paused his story to make a brief comment. «Even today the journey would take just as long unless you're rich enough to afford a ticket for a supersonic flight. In that case, the flight would take even less than half the time... of course...»
After the brief digression, the man resumed his story.
During the entire flight, Waldo couldn't help but think about Martine, while Aelita petted Ponyta, complimenting its blue flame mane. Meanwhile, Frisk was pondering a few things about the game of chess.
«And, modestly, I was really a champion.» Waldo smiled slightly. «Do you want to play a game?» He asked. No response. «Are you really sure?» He asked. At that point, Serena stood up and said: «I know a few tricks, but you'll have to help me.» She referred to Anita. The girl tried to protest: «But... I don't know how to play...» Serena pointed out: «In the end, chess isn't that different from Pokémon battles. Actually... it might be even easier. You just need a bit of creativity, and you've already shown you're very good at understanding situations... I mean... you could do very well.» Anita sighed and accepted the proposal, albeit not very convinced: «Alright... then let's try...» The man resumed his story:
Once they landed in Spiraria, the three didn't have time to get off the plane before they had to rush to the city's bank. One of the many branches of the Banca Popolare di Unima, where Frisk kept his car. Strangely, there were no soldiers in that area. This triggered two different reactions in Waldo. On one hand, he was happy but on the other hand, he was also very worried, even though he couldn't explain why. He began to think about how Esmeralda might have a plan to stop them in some bizarre way, according to the usual way those guys acted.
Waldo was certain that Ed, Faith, and the Strategist Alexander would never collaborate with her in an attempt to capture him.
Trying not to think too much about these things, Waldo and his daughter got into Frisk's car. A standard four-door sedan with rather square shapes.
Frisk turned the key in the ignition and without a word, drove off, pushing the car to its limits. The direction was clear, the city of Balvanopoli. The man soon realized that to avoid drawing suspicion, he would have to stick to the speed limits, and so he did.
At a certain point, he turned to the passenger in the front seat: «Waldo, I know it's hard, but don't make that face... you'll see that at my place you'll both feel much better!» He tried to reassure him.
Waldo thanked him.
Despite the driver's words, the man's expression didn't change. It remained constantly worried.
Meanwhile, Aelita continued to give Ponyta some sort of massages, trying to distract herself from the rather gloomy atmosphere of the situation. After a journey of an uncertain length, the three finally arrived at the outskirts of the city of Balvanopoli. Like in many cities, the outskirts were dominated by factories and industrial centers, and in this aspect, Balvanopoli was no exception.
Among the numerous buildings, one in particular caught the driver's attention, so much so that Frisk turned in that direction. The building in question was a chocolate and confectionery factory. After turning and driving down a short asphalt road, Frisk parked the car near the gate of that building. After stopping the vehicle and turning off the engine, he got out of the car and motioned for his passengers to do the same and follow him.
The factory seemed to be a quiet place. Dozens of workers were moving boxes from one place to another. Some were loading trucks destined to reach various cities in Unima, while others were unloading trucks carrying raw materials to be processed. Waldo took his daughter's hand, trying not to draw attention. He also made Ponyta return to its Poké Ball. A Shiny Pokémon was too conspicuous.
Frisk led them to one of the trucks, which had just finished unloading. Without a word, he climbed aboard and then helped Waldo and his daughter up. A quick exchange of glances with the worker closing the rear door was all it took. For Aelita, it wasn't easy to get on board since the step to access the cabin was quite high, so her father had to help her. Once Aelita was aboard, the truck set off, following another truck leaving the factory and trailing it for several kilometers.
After a while, the truck reached the actual inhabited area, partially crossing it and parking near a tall building. They got off the vehicle, again with Aelita's usual difficulties, and quickly reached the gate that gave access to the building. It was a multi-story building with large balconies protected by black metal railings. Frisk took a bunch of keys from his pants pocket and opened the gate.
The entrance of the condominium was filled with plants and mailboxes. Shortly after, Frisk took another key and opened a second door, allowing access to the building itself. They climbed two flights of stairs before reaching Frisk's apartment. He opened the apartment door with yet another key from the bunch. As soon as the door was open, he invited them in.
The door opened onto a short hallway that led to several rooms. At the end was the bathroom, to the right were two bedrooms, and to the left was the living room with a kitchen view, which opened onto the balcony. Frisk made them comfortable in the living room, which overlooked the kitchen. «Sit down! Don't be shy!» he invited them, indicating one of the living room sofas. From the sofa, Waldo took a quick look at the kitchen.
In the kitchen, there was a woman who was about 30 years old. She seemed to be preparing dough for pizza, judging by the ingredients on the kitchen counter. She had long black hair and eyes of the same color. She was wearing an orange sweater covered by a white apron to keep the flour off her sweater and pants. Looking at her more closely, Waldo recognized who she was. There was no doubt. She was Frisk's sister, Chara. She waved at them.
Feeling safe, Waldo let Ponyta out of the Poké Ball. «Guys! It's been a long time! Wow! Aelita! How you've grown! Why do you have those faces? And where's Martine?» she greeted them, quite curious. Waldo and his daughter greeted her in return, trying to maintain some naturalness. Then Waldo tried to explain the situation: «Look, Chara, it's not something simple to explain like this, without it being very bitter to swallow... but the truth is that we are wanted by the army, and they've taken my wife.»
Chara dropped the wooden spoon on the counter. The news seemed too absurd to be true. «Please! Tell me everything!» she asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and fear, effectively obliging Waldo to recount everything that had happened up to that moment. Chara added more water, flour, and yeast to the dough to prepare another pizza. This slightly upset her plan to prepare pizza for lunch, pushing it back to dinner.
Shortly before Waldo started talking about their encounter with General Alexander, Chara interrupted him to ask a favor from her brother: «Frisk, would you mind going to buy something for lunch and some toppings for the pizza?» She then turned to her unexpected, but not unwelcome, guests. «How do you like your pizza?» she asked. «Just ham is fine, right, Aelita?» Waldo asked his daughter, who simply nodded.
While Frisk was out shopping, Waldo finished his story, recounting up to the moment they met. Frisk soon returned with the groceries. Besides mozzarella and ham for the pizza, he had bought some meat, bacon, vegetables, a carton of white wine, and mushrooms. He would take care of preparing lunch.
For the Pokémon, the situation was simpler. They only needed to prepare another bowl of food for Ponyta. Frisk started cooking both the meat and the mushrooms that would be on the side. Lunch would be a bit later than expected, so Chara prepared sandwiches for everyone to stave off hunger. For Waldo and Frisk, the sandwiches had the leftover bacon, while she and Aelita had ham. Due to a misunderstanding with the butcher, Frisk hadn't bought much more ham than necessary, so it wasn't a problem.
«As much as I'm happy to have you as guests...» Frisk assumed a rather worried expression. «You can't stay here long. They'll probably come looking for you, but don't worry. We'll find a solution.» Waldo seemed almost impassive at those words. He knew he was destined to live as a fugitive, so to speak. «Anything, as long as I can save Aelita.» Waldo replied.
«It won't be easy, but you'll need new identities and new documents. Don't worry... I'll take care of it.» Waldo nodded in agreement. «And you'll also need to find a new job, so as not to arouse suspicion. The fact that you have high qualifications is an advantage.» Hearing these words, Waldo couldn't help but smile.
«For example, you could work as a teacher at the Trainer School. Creating a false resume shouldn't be a problem.» Waldo didn't seem very happy with that idea. Perhaps a job so close to people wasn't the best choice. In Waldo's mind, a job with less contact with other people would be better. «Wouldn't it be better to have a job with less contact with people?» Waldo tried to express his doubts.
«You should have learned your lesson.» Frisk replied. «If you want to hide, you need to try to blend in with other people.» he explained. «You could work in Nacrene City, which is a fairly large city, but not too big.» he added shortly after. «Chara... do you remember that house... in the middle of Spinning Woods... it's fully furnished, although a bit... uh, old-fashioned. I think it's the best place to hide. What do you think?» Frisk asked. Chara just nodded.
«Don't worry...» Waldo responded to him. «What's the saying? You don't look a gift Rapidash in the mouth.» Frisk seemed to smile at those words. «You'll stay here for a couple of days... just enough time to prepare your new documents and make a visit to the bribes and recommendations office, and then you can start your new life.» the man explained. «For Aelita, it's easier... I don't think it will be too hard for her to blend in with the other students.» he added.
After a few relatively peaceful days, Frisk returned home. «I have good news, guys. I've found a job for Waldo. He'll be a science teacher at the Trainers' School. Aelita will be a regular student.» Waldo seemed to stay calm. «Are you sure it won't be strange for a teacher and a student to arrive together at the same school?» he asked. «Don't worry. I've thought of that too. You won't meet. You'll work in classes with older students, let's say the second three-year period of high school. In short... those students who have decided not to go on their journey as Trainers.» Frisk explained. Waldo gave a token response: «Oh! Good!» Frisk made a small gesture with his hand, as if to change the subject. «Anyway... we'll leave tonight after dinner. While you're at work, I'll do some grocery shopping for these days.» the man explained. «Just to help you integrate better, we'll have breakfast at the café tomorrow.» he added shortly after. That day, the four had dinner earlier than usual, so they could leave relatively early.
Given the long distance to cover, Frisk and Waldo would take turns driving, to avoid making more stops than necessary. Before leaving, Frisk filled up the tank, so they wouldn't need to stop at a gas station. Aelita sat in the back, on the right side, right behind her dad. The trip was relatively calm, with the radio program lulling the young girl to sleep, who didn't even notice the driver change halfway through the journey. Upon arriving at the entrance of the villa, Waldo had to wake up his daughter to lead her to their new home.
Waldo paused the story for a moment, noticing the puzzled faces of the four. «Well... let's not forget that the ban on combustion vehicles is quite recent. Then they realized how much damage car exhaust gases were causing to the environment, and so they decided to allow only electric vehicles to cross the woods, all managed by the public service, of course.» After the brief aside, the man resumed the story.
After the first few days, during which father and daughter had to get used to their new home and their new lives, just a week later, it seemed that Waldo and his daughter had always been there. Aelita had made several friends, while her father had quickly gained the respect and esteem of his colleagues, as well as the love of his students. Some time passed, and the situation seemed rather calm. Waldo and his daughter lived peacefully, despite using false documents and despite Waldo having that job thanks to a recommendation. For all those months, no member of the army hunted them down. At least until that day...
Waldo paused the story for a few moments, as if to indicate that the most important part of the story had arrived. «And so that day came... the day we will never forget for the deep pain it caused us.»
As usual, Aelita had returned from school, the same one where her father worked. It was the last day of school. That day, Aelita would finally finish the much-hated second year of middle school, shedding all the most boring subjects. She was top of her class and had been promoted since mid-March, both for her excellent results and for her previous references, which, though false, reflected her skill. This gave the girl a certain tranquility.
That same day, in the afternoon, the school had organized a test, a sort of exam that, in the principal's words, was necessary to move on to the next school year. Despite this, Aelita was quite calm. She would take that exam if it meant moving on to the next school year. After all, it couldn't be that difficult, right? What she couldn't know was the real purpose of that exam. The exam was actually meant to scout young people who would later be part of secret military projects. An especially difficult exam, set up by General Alexander's minions. Everything would have gone smoothly if not for a simple mistake by Aelita, who signed her real name instead of her new identity, and... this was enough to spark a thought in one of the General's minions, present at the school in civilian clothes. A spark that would not go out.
In any case, Aelita passed the exam brilliantly, and Waldo decided to celebrate with Frisk and Chara. Given the length of the journey to be made, Waldo suggested that the two spend the night with them, so they could leave the next day without any rush. The next morning, after breakfast, it was time for Frisk and Chara to go home. But before they could do so, someone rang the doorbell.
That same evening after Aelita's exam, while we were celebrating among ourselves, someone knocked on the door. «Don't worry... we'll go open it, it's probably just a door-to-door salesman, who would come at this hour?» Chara and Frisk got up and headed to the door. As soon as they opened the door, they immediately realized that the intentions of the person in front of them were not at all to sell products, but were much more serious.
From behind the door, General Llorente's voice was clearly heard. The man had come in person to get them and, of course, to scold them for their reckless act. The General and his men did not hesitate to forcibly take them and make them get into one of their trucks, with the threat of firearms pointed at them. The soldiers didn't spare even taking Ponyta with them. They discussed how they would release it as soon as possible, after all, it was just a useless burden.
After an impossibly long journey, Waldo and his daughter arrived at a military base. A complex of barracks and other buildings, filled with soldiers and guards, guarded by dozens and dozens of Houndoom. Not even the weather seemed to want to cheer up that day, as an incredible storm broke out with astonishing speed. The truck entered one of the buildings and stopped abruptly, jolting Waldo and Aelita inside the back compartment. With the constant threat of firearms, the two were made to get off the vehicle and tied to chairs with thick ropes. Heaven forbid they somehow manage to escape.
«It's over for you! You've reached the end of the line! I didn't think tracking you down would be so easy, but I must say your daughter gave us a big hand. Your daughter is truly an example to follow. For this, as a reward, I will kill her first. At least you will see her suffer and she won't see you suffer. As cruel as it may seem, it's the price to pay for what you've done.» The General began to play with his gun, spinning it on his finger.
Meanwhile, Aelita was trying in vain to free herself. She seemed to be processing what was happening. She would have to say goodbye to her father, her mother, whose fate she didn't know, to Ponyta, and to her friends. The latter were last but not least.
«Your last words before you die, young lady?» The General masked the immense cruelty he was about to commit with inhuman coldness. Aelita, unable to hold back her tears, didn't mince her words: «Go to hell! Damn you!» The General did not take those words well.
Without even thinking, he fired a single shot. From the barrel of his weapon, a bullet sliced through the air, leaving a trail of powder behind it. The expression on the man's face revealed his great desire to savor the moment, with unimaginable sadism and malice.
He almost laughed when the bullet struck the girl's head, piercing her forehead. A river of blood stained the special occasion dress the girl was wearing. Waldo began to cry, as if this could somehow change his fate. The General turned to him. With the same coldness, he asked him the exact same question: «Your last words?» Waldo, his voice broken by tears, replied: «I will never forgive you for what you have done. No one will when your time comes.» The General, with the same malice, shot him directly in the heart, leaving the man in a pool of blood. After a few hours, someone moved the two bodies to the anatomy room.
Waldo interrupted his story: «Immediately I noticed something was wrong. Aelita and I were holding each other and... and we had become like ghosts. For some dark reason, we had remained on Earth. Despite this, we are perfectly capable of doing all the things a normal human can do, but the problem is... no one could see us except for Ghost, Psychic, and Dark-type Pokémon.» The man explained.
Anita and her friends remained silent. A heavy silence, but not filled with fear. The feeling experienced by the group was more akin to sorrow.
Waldo anticipated a possible question, «Rightly you might be asking, Waldo, how come Rapidash can see you? And how come you can see us, even though you are not Ghost, Psychic, or Dark-type Pokémon, except for some of your Pokémon? The reason is much simpler than it seems. You can see us only because of the rain, which makes us visible to the eyes of other humans. I believe it's clear that the events we have talked about happened many years ago. We have remained the same age and appearance as when we died. Rapidash, however, can see us even on sunny days, due to the strong bond he has formed with us. At least according to my research. And it seems that other researchers' studies have also shown the power of the bond between Trainers and Pokémon.»
The kids were even more stunned after discovering the rest of their story. Carlos tried to break the silence with another topic: «But when will this damn rain stop? The bus won't arrive until it does!» He complained. Realizing the gaffe he had made, he sat down. He hoped the sound of Ash munching on cookies had somehow masked his words.
Aelita, meanwhile, was trying to hide a laugh. At the same time, Waldo got up from the couch and went to say something to Dusclops and Mimikyu. After a minute, the two Pokémon arrived with... a chessboard and the various pieces needed for a game.
Serena rubbed her hands together to gear up and gestured to Anita to sit on the couch for a better view of the field lit by the lamps. Mimikyu and Dusclops once again demonstrated their abilities, using their psychokinetic powers to show the two contestants all possible moves. The pieces on the chessboard were surrounded by purple and blue lights, and even the individual squares of the board were illuminated in the same way.
Once all the pieces were in place, Waldo rotated the board to allow the girls to play as white. Meanwhile, the boys, who had positioned themselves opposite each other, were filming the game and acting as commentators. Not that they understood anything about chess, far from it. For them, every move was an incredible one that could turn the game around.
The girls started by trying to open the game with a pawn to D4, which, from their perspective, was the most logical move given their experience. Waldo responded by moving the Knight to F6, aiming to control the center.
The game continued, and finally, on the tenth move, both Serena and Anita and Waldo managed to castle their kings on the queen's side, a safe place due to the bishops.
After another four moves, they exchanged all the knights and two pawns. In the next three moves, due to a mistaken idea by Anita, the girls found themselves down a pawn, not a good thing as they had lost control of a square strategically.
The game went on for another 15 turns during which the girls and Waldo exchanged all the stronger pieces, leaving only the pawns, with Waldo having two more than the girls. Due to a strategic error by Serena, the two found themselves on the 34th move with only two pawns, both checked by two other pawns. Additionally, one of Waldo's pawns had been promoted to a queen.
In the final stages, the girls, thanks to Waldo's stubbornness in wanting more queens, managed to promote one of their two pawns. The board showed a king on D6 and a queen on H4 for the man, while the girls had a king on B7 and a pawn on C7, which they decided to promote to a knight to attack the opponent's king. Serena and Anita said in unison: «That was not a good idea at all.» The two continued to attack Waldo's king for several turns until they found themselves in this situation:
It was the girls' turn, and they had no idea what to do. Somehow, they were still "alive," even though they didn't know how. At that moment, they were completely at a disadvantage and were likely to lose. As they searched for moves to save the game, they looked at Ash and Carlos, who were making very positive comments about the position of the pieces on the board.
«It looks like it's all over for Waldo, but we mustn't forget that everyone can make mistakes, even if Anita and Serena can't afford to. They absolutely have to do something, otherwise, they could be beaten by a ghost!» commented Ash. At that point, Serena intervened: «Please, keep this video just to learn something, but don't upload it to PokéLink, okay?» Ash raised his hands and replied: «Sure, sure, no problem! We'll keep it to ourselves, don't worry, we can't risk their secret being discovered.»
Lilligant approached her Trainer, making her jump: «What's wrong, Lilligant?» The Pokémon pointed with her leaf-arm to move the king to A8, which would leave the knight undefended. To the native of Kalos, it seemed like a rather risky move: «Are you sure about this move? We're losing the only strong piece we have, not that it can help us win, but still...»
Lilligant winked at her, and Serena gently petted her: «Let's do it, then!» Serena took her King, while the squares on the board where the piece could move lit up. In particular, the squares A6, A8, B6, A7, and B8 were illuminated. Serena moved the piece to A8 and ended the turn.
Waldo reached for his queen but then stopped to better analyze the situation. The man ran his hands through his hair and said, «Fantastic! You narrowly avoided defeat, congratulations.»
Ash and Carlos closed the video with a dramatic phrase: «Waldo's oversight, and a great comeback for Serena and Anita who can now say they tied against a ghost. Now, we have to wrap this up.» Waldo was still shaken by what had happened until his daughter pointed something out to him: «Dad, look outside!» Waldo snapped back to reality, seeing the raindrops that were about to end.
This meant that soon he and his daughter would become invisible again. Because of this, they bid farewell to their guests: «Well, it was nice while it lasted, but soon you won't be able to see us until the next rain. We hope to meet again!» Waldo and his daughter shook hands with Ash and Carlos, and he kissed the hands of Serena and Anita, with the latter feeling quite embarrassed.
Aelita, after a small laugh, hugged each of them one by one. «Remember us forever!» she said.
Then it was time for the Pokémon. After mutual goodbyes, Dusclops hugged Lilligant, who, quite reassured, reciprocated by emitting a sweet fragrance, while Rapidash winked at everyone, leaving behind a small purple flame when it reopened its eyes, which Delphox absorbed, perhaps to use it in the future.
The four left the house and closed the door. Meanwhile, the rain had stopped, and through one of the windows, they saw the two ghosts dematerialize. The four recalled their Pokémon into their respective Poké Balls except for Pikachu, for obvious reasons, and Umbreon, who had refused when his Trainer had suggested it.
They then set off for the bus stop; during the walk, they talked about what had happened until Pikachu interrupted them, slightly tugging on Ash's shoulder: «What's up, buddy?» asked the Kanto native. Pikachu pointed out that they had probably arrived at the bus stop without noticing.
A bench covered by a blue rain shelter with metal decorations around it. Next to it, a two-and-a-half-meter pole that signaled the stop for the Twisting Woods Express line.
The four sat on the bench, waiting for the bus. «I don't know about you, but I'm a bit hungry.» Ash patted his stomach to emphasize his statement. «That's different. You're ALWAYS hungry.» replied Carlos, but then he backtracked after checking the time. Ash was right; it was almost dinnertime. «But if I have to start cooking, considering the bus ride… we'll be having dinner at midnight!» commented the boy.
«No problem.» Ash replied. «I found an app where you can book restaurants. Unfortunately, we'll be having dinner a bit later than usual, but not at midnight.» Ash said.
«I found this restaurant in Castelia City. It's also pretty close to a Pokémon Center. It's called 'Big George' and it seems to have great reviews. If you guys agree, I'll book it. What do you think?» he proposed. «Alright… as you wish!» they replied, not having many other options.
After about ten minutes, the bus finally arrived at the stop.
It was mostly white, except for light blue stripes on the lower part, from the headlights to the bottom. The upper part, from the panel displaying the line name to the upper part of the windows, was the same color. The windows, except for the windshield, were slightly tinted.
The bus had a rather modern look, with LED headlights providing excellent road illumination, and the same could be said for the rear lights, making the vehicle highly visible.
As soon as they boarded, the four sat down, accompanied by Pikachu and Umbreon. They sat on blue seats with a violet and green pattern. Serena sat next to Ash, while Anita and Carlos sat behind them. A slight hum was the only indication to the passengers that the vehicle was in motion. The bus made several stops, picking up other passengers, before heading to its final destination.
The four got off at the last stop, the terminal, just in front of a Pokémon Center, at the entrance of Castelia City.
Once all the passengers had disembarked, the bus turned around, ready to pick up passengers heading to Driftveil City. For the driver, this would be the second-to-last run of the day.
Once the vehicle completed its maneuver, Ash and his friends crossed the street to reach the Pokémon Center. Upon entering, they were greeted by the nurse on duty, as usual.
«Hello, everyone!» the woman greeted them as they entered. «Do you want me to take care of your Pokémon?» she asked. «Or do you want a room for the night? Or… both?» she inquired.
«Both, if possible.» Ash replied, approaching the counter. Shortly after, Carlos and the girls placed their Poké Balls on the counter as well.
Meanwhile, the nurse turned to a panel on the wall, where there were cards that allowed access to the rooms. «Take these.» The woman handed one card to Ash and one to Serena. «These are the electronic keys to the rooms.» the nurse explained. «I imagine you now want to relax or go out… or both…» Audino, who was assisting her, nudged her on the back, prompting her to make a decision. «In any case, if you plan to go out, the Pokémon Center usually closes at eleven o'clock at night, but if you want, you can come back later by entering this number on the keypad in front of the door.» The nurse explained while taking a piece of paper. She started writing some seemingly random numbers. «If you come back late, use this code. I'll have to inform the night guard, although I think you can inform him yourselves.» The nurse handed the note to Ash, who put it in his bag.
Shortly after, the four headed to their assigned rooms to freshen up, albeit very quickly.
They were supposed to be at the restaurant for dinner.
As Ash had anticipated, the Big George restaurant was very close to the Pokémon Center, just a few dozen meters away. From its appearance, the restaurant looked simple and welcoming.
As soon as they entered, they were greeted by a young woman wearing the establishment's uniform. A simple, sober white shirt with the restaurant's logo sewn on it. «Welcome to Big George!» she greeted them. «We have prepared a table for four right here and we also have dedicated spaces for your Pokémon.» The woman guided them to their table, while the four reached for their Poké Balls to let out their Pokémon.
The dinner was extremely abundant and quite heavy, consisting of several courses, mainly meat-based, each one heavier than the last.
Each dish had a rather homemade appearance, as if cooked not by a chef, but by an uncle… a grandfather or a father.
Rather than focusing on presentation, the emphasis was on the abundance of portions, perfectly complemented by excellent artisanal bread.
This was good news for Ash and his Pokémon, a bit less for the others.
After the hearty dinner, Ash went to the counter to pay the bill, realizing the great price despite the meal's abundance.
After dinner, the four returned to the Pokémon Center, where they would spend the night. Since it was past eleven, they had to enter the code to unlock the door. Fortunately, the night guard had been informed by the nurse.
«Oh! It's you! I've been expecting you!» she greeted them.
Were you scared? No? I know, we're not risking what some Japanese children experienced because of some episodes of the anime that were never aired again, but still, hey! Finally, the kids have arrived in Castelia City! What could possibly happen in Unova's most important city?
As for the aides of General Strategist Alexander, in my opinion, that's really how it is in real life but it's not certain. The chess game was meant to add a small factor called suspense.
As for Dusclops and Mimikyu's first trainer, we will never know how or when it happened.
Stay tuned for the next chapters for shocking revelations about someone, best regards.
Reshiramlego