Chapter 126 – The watcher above the forest

"What…The fuck."

Charizard panted heavily. His lower back, legs and tail hurt from where he had hit the ground, but it wasn't bad. The tree had not been particularly high, the ground was covered in soft dirt and leaf litter, and he had definitely had worse crashed when flying. It was more than shock of the floor suddenly giving way than anything else. He pulled himself out of the sprawling heap and sat up on his haunches. He found Charichu laying on the ground beside him, his tail still ablaze with that blue flame.

"Charichu," he gasped.

At last, Charizard's arms were free of the vines. He reached out and took a hold of the little Charmander, hugging him close to his chest.

"Char Charmander." Charichu hugged him back, burying his head in Charizard's chest.

Charizard felt a tiny set of claws grip his scales. The warmth of the small body in his arms was comforting, and he held Charichu tightly.

"You. You saved me," he mumbled. "You sensed I was in danger, and you saved me. Something activated your rage ability." He tightened his grip on Charichu. It was almost crushing, but Charichu didn't object. "Thank-you."

He closed his eyes for a moment, just to savor the moment. Then he opened them in order to take in his surrounds. How long had he been held captive in that secret base. It must have been a while, because night had fallen. The sky above was a dark blue and moonlight bathed the forest. Charizard examined the tree in which he had been imprisoned.

…Or, more accurately, what remained of the tree. A pile of twigs and splitters all around. Something, or someone, had shattered it. He started to feel uneasy. What on earth could have done that. It would have to have been a strong Pokémon to reduce a entire tall tree to wood pulp like that.

"We need to get out of here," he whispered to his kit. "We need to find Ashachu and the others."

But before he could move, he heard someone cry out. "Tel? Inteleon…TELLL!"

It didn't take him long to find the source of the noise. Sobble was sitting in the dirt, a few steps away from him, bawling his eyes out. He stepped over to take a better look and felt a sudden pain in his eyes. His eyes were burning as though someone was cooking with a thousand onions.

"Ahhh." He turned away, using his back and wings to shield Charichu. "That little squirt."

Charizard felt a hot flash of anger. That little shit had held a cloth in place over his head while the larger water type drowned him. Now he was all alone and crying for his brother. It would be so easy to end his life. So easy to make him suffer the way he had Charizard.

But before he could attack, another voice answered. "Sobby. Sobby. Don't worry I'm here."

Charizard felt a lurch in his stomach and his heart pound in his chest. It was the bigger one, Inteleon. His blinked the tears from his eyes and looked around trying to find him. He couldn't see him anywhere. He let out a low growl. As much as he would have liked to teach the little blue shit a lesson, he had no desire to face Inteleon again.

"Come on." He threw Charichu over his shoulder and ran off into the trees…

[Pokémon]

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest…

"Ashy…I'm hungry and bored…How much longer do we have to wait for those two."

Thunderbolt's whine penetrated the silence and broke Ashachu's concentration. So attentive had he been to the sounds of the forest, trying to pick up the smallest sound, that the loud obnoxious Pichu voice was almost painfully loud. He looked up at his brother, laying on top of his boulder and scowled. Ryu had fallen asleep in the grass, his head laying on the middle of his body.

"Shhh." Ashachu hissed at him. "I'm trying to listen."

"How long does it take to find a blind Charmander anyway," Thunderbolt asked. "It's not like he can get very far."

Ashachu felt annoyed. "Will you just shut up, please. It isn't normal for Charizard to be gone this long. I'm worried something's happened."

Thunderbolt sat up and raised his brows curiously at his brother. He had no idea why the older Raichu seemed so tense. "Well then, why don't we go look for them."

"Because," Ashachu snapped back. "I can't take you with me or leave you here. It could be dangerous."

Thunderbolt rolled his eyes. "So, you just want us to sit here and starve."

"No, I…" Ashachu stopped. He just realized that he didn't have a plan, or the faintest idea of what to do. He had just been standing there, stiff, waiting for his mate to return. A wait that was seeming more to more to be in vain. While dark thoughts penetrated his mind.

What could have happened to Charizard…Why wasn't he back…This isn't normal, something must have happened…Charizard could be in trouble.

"Charizard's tough," he tried to reassure himself. "He can handle himself."

Not tough enough for Shadow…Or Totem Serviper. If he can handle anything, then why hasn't he returned.

"Shut up," he told himself, unable to answer those questions.

"Do you even know what you're doing," Thunderbolt asked. The question grated on Ashachu's nerves. "Like at all?"

Ashachu rose himself to full height, glowered at his brother and snapped, "Look Bidoof-brain. I'm older, I'm in charge. Now just wait quietly until I tell you what to do!"

It was much harsher than Ashachu had intended to be. Thunderbolt went red in the face and glowered, angry and offended, at his older brother. "Bidoof-brain. I'll show you who's a bidoof-brain."

Ashachu turned away from him to stare back at the trees. "Come on Chari. Where are you."

He felt his stomach rumbled and at once felt bad about snapping at Thunderbolt. None of them had eaten anything since breakfast, and they were bound to be hungry. He wondered how hard it would be to find berries or something edible out here. Or they could try and make their way back to Ash and ask him for help. As soon as he thought that, he wondered why he hadn't come up with that idea in the first place. Then he remembered they had flown here with Charizard, and he didn't know the way back. The weight of his circumstances started to press down upon him.

And that was when he heard a scream… "AHHHHHHHHH!"

Both he and Thunderbolt straighten up, listening for the source of the noise. Ryu was woken from his slumber, raising his head to look at the sky.

"That sounded like," Ashachu started, when they heard the scream.

"Ahhh. Get off meeee!"

"Papa," cried Ryu.

It definitely sounded like Dragonite's voice…and it sounded like he was in trouble.

Ashachu's heart pounded in his chest. Now he had a choice to make. Did he stay and hope that help would arrive. Or did he go and try to find Dragonite. Could he find Dragonite? His choice was made for him.

"Come on," Ryu yelled as he slithered off into the tree."

"No…WAIT," Ashachu called after him, but too late. He had disappeared from sight. He signed to a moment before turning his head to Thunderbolt, dropping to his all four and shouting, "get on!"

[Pokémon]

Charizard blinked. The trees were so thick that they cast long shadows in the dim light. Charizard's had poor eyesight anyway, but this felt different somehow. It seemed almost harder to see than it usually was, even at night. Charizard breathed in heavily through his nose, trying to pick up familiar scents. But he couldn't detect Ashachu or any of the others.

"Where the hell are we," he grunted. He did not recognise this part of the forest. "How far did those lizard cunts drag me off."

He stopped by the trunk of a large tree and looked up. There was gap in the canopy and he could see a patch of deep blue sky. Instinct and sense were telling him to take flight. He would be safer in the sky and would have a better chance of finding his way. But something was keeping him from doing so. Something that made him feel uneasy.

"Get a grip on yourself," he mumbled. He swallowed and stretched out his wings.

But as he prepared to launch himself into the air, he felt something hard fall on his tail, pressing it to the ground. He fell flat onto his stomach, and only just managed to hold onto Charichu.

"Ouff." Charichu gasped in discomfort as he was crushed on Charizard, winding him.

Charizard whipped his head around to see what had caught him. Inteleon was standing over him, his foot firmly pressed down on his tail. Sobble was sitting on his shoulder.

"What the hell," cried Charizard, as he tried to pull his tail free.

"Let me go!"

"Hey, I'm not done with you yet," snapped Inteleon. "What the hell happened up there. Why did the tree collapse. What's going on here?"

Charizard groaned. "Really, you think I had something to do with that? Like I could do anything while I was tied down like that."

Inteleon's face softened a bit, and Charizard could see the doubt of his convictions seeping in. "Well, no but…You have friends out here that could have helped you? That Raichu, Pichu and Dratini."

"I already told you. The Raichu is my mate and Pichu and Dratini are just kits. None of them have the ability to do that. You saw what happened, the tree was shredded to wood pulp." He tried to crawl free of Inteleon, but the water lizard pressed his foot harder against his tail to keep him in place. Just how strong was this Pokémon?

"And let's not forget Shadow the Darkrai?"

"I keep telling you, he's dead," cried Charizard in desperation. "I have nothing to do with whatever is going on out here."

"So, it was a zombie who killed Guzma was it?" Said Inteleon.

"I don't know what happened to Guzma!"

"Char. Charmander."

It was at that moment that Charichu wriggle free from under Charizard. He stood beside him and roared at Inteleon and Sobble. A perfect predator's warning, puffing out his chest, opening his maw wide to display his fangs and brandishing his little claws. His tail stood tall, with it's birth blue flame blazing.

"CHARMANDER!"

Charizard's eyes widened in amazement.

"Tel," squeaked Sobble nervously.

"Whoa." Inteleon took an instinctive step backwards, releasing Charizard's tail from underneath his paw.

Charizard got straight to his feet and stood behind Charichu.

"Charmander Char Char." Charichu snapped at Inteleon again.

Inteleon wasn't sure what to do. Should he fight this infant Charmander? Could he win? But before anyone could make another move, the forest was suddenly flooded in light from above. A voice echoed through the trees, "STOP!"

"What." Charizard looked up, squinting against the brightness assaulting his eyes. He held up a claw to shield his face. It was a floodlight of some kind. Definitely human made. And he could hear the whirr of engines.

And then he heard footsteps all around him. Looking back down, his eyes still adjusting to the light, he saw a group of humanoid figures with round heads and bodies in a circle surrounding him, Inteleon, Charichu and Sobble. All of them clutching deadly looking rifles in their hands, pointed at their heads and chests.

He knew what these were…Primids. Pokémon killers.

"Oh great. What else is going to go wrong today?"

"RAISE YOUR CLAWS IN THE AIR," said the voice from overhead again. "DO NOT MAKE ANY SUDDEN MOVEMENTS. SUDDEN MOVEMENTS WILL RESULT IN YOUR DEATH. YOU ARE BEING ARRESTED. PREPARE TO BE BROUGHT ABOARD."

[Pokémon]

"STOP…."

Crash….The light was so bright, and appeared so quickly in the darkening forest, that it blinded Ashachu. No longer able to see where he was running, he tripped over a root and went crashing into the base of a tree. Thunderbolt lost his grip on Ashachu's fur and rolled off his back.

"Ouch!"

"Whaaa!"

Ashachu quickly got back to his feet, ignoring the pain that had exploded through his head and shoulders. Craned his neck upwards, but the light was so bright that he was quickly forced to look away. Squinting, he quickly managed to find Thunderbolt laying in the dirt.

"Thunderbolt. You okay bro." He sat down behind the Pichu and put his arms around him, then licked his ear.

"I'm…fine." The little Pichu seemed dazed. "What's going on."

"Where's Ryu," Ashachu cried, looking around for the Dratini. He couldn't see him anywhere and he started to panic. "RYU!"

"RAISE YOUR PAWS IN THE AIR," said a loud voice from up above. "DO NOT MAKE ANY SUDDEN MOVEMENTS…"

"What," mumbled Ashachu his heart suddenly racing. His mousy brain was having trouble processing what was happening. He tightened his grip on Thunderbolt's shoulder and cried out again, "RYU. RYU! Where are you?"

"Ashachu. ASHACHU…ASHA...AHHHH."

A loud scream from between the trees. Ashachu picked up Thunderbolt up by the scruff of his neck in his maw and hurried towards the sound. Only to find himself surrounded by a group of Primids. They appeared seemingly from out of nowhere. About twice his size and armed with laser swords. Their tips pointed into his face.

Ashachu stopped and stood very still. His mind filled with images of Team Rocket's castle. Of walls and floors slick with blood and of corpses.

"What's going on," cried Thunderbolt, as he wiggled in Ashachu's mouth. "What are these things."

"D-o-n-t m-o-v-e," he managed to say through a mouthful of fur.

Again, the voice overhead sounded "DO NOT MAKE ANY SUDDEN MOVEMENTS. SUDDEN MOVEMENTS WILL RESULT IN YOUR DEATH. PREPARE TO BE BROUGHT ABOARD."

[Pokémon]

"Director Cobel on deck," the announcement was made by one of the officers on the flight deck of the airship as the silver haired woman entered.

The flight deck was adorned with two consoles on either side and a wheel in the centre like that of a ship. The console operators were human, but the wheel was worked by a Magmar; a vaguely humanoid fire type Pokémon with a long tail. A third man stood at the very front of the deck, beside the wheel, looking down at the forest below with a pair of binoculars. He lowered then and turned as the woman approached him.

"Ms. Cobel."

"Mr. Miltek," she said curtly. "What do you have to report?"

Harmony Cobel was the director of the International Police. A lawyer and public servant of nearly forty years, and a true devotee of the Pokkén Tournament political party, the Zygarde Movement and the Tabu family. A worker bee who was useful to the government in carrying out it's agenda, and whose appointment had stirred some controversy. Dracena Tabu's man in the police was how the Ninja's had put it. Miltek was a career law enforcement officer. He had started as a beat officer in Nimbassa City, then joined the International Police as an investigator and worked his way up to the staff of the director. He was not a party member but did as he was told so long as he was paid.

"We've located the agents Inteleon and Sobble in the forest," said Miltek. "The troopers are brining them aboard now," replied Miltek.

Cobel nodded. "Good. I will interrogate them myself. Any sign of the handler or Mr. Guzma."

"I'm afraid not," said Miltek. "I've ordered the remaining Primid scouts to conduct a sweep of the forest to see if he is out there. Police are on alert in Pallet Town and Viridian City. We have located several other Pokémon as well. There was a Charizard and Charmander in the forest along with Inteleon and Sobble, and we caught a Dragonite flying pretty close to the Samyaza. There was a Raichu, Pichu and Dratini in the forest."

Cobel raised her eyebrows. "Could they have been wild. What makes you think they have a connection to OSS."

"They're not wild Pokémon," said Miltek. "Neither the Charmander or Dratini line live or breed in this forest and most wild Pikachu live in viridian forest. Raichu aren't exactly common in the wild either due to the rarity of thunderstones. They may belong to a trainer and have no connection with the OSS. Inteleon and Sobble were attacking the Charizard. Inteleon had its foot on its tail."

Cobel considered this information for a moment. "Which could imply it is of interest to the OSS. But not necessarily linked to the Aether Investigation. But we won't know anything until we have identified and interrogated. We will also need to arrange for a message to be sent to the OSS so Inteleon and Sobble may be handed back to their handler. The diplomatic protocol will have to be followed."

"I'll have it done as soon as they're aboard and we know the serial number," agreed Miltek.

[Pokémon]

"Charizard!"

Ashachu felt a wave of emotion crash over him, as they arrived in the clearing and he saw his boyfriend steeping out of the trees. He sprinted over to him, and threw his paws around his stomach.

"Huh…Ashachu." Charizard looked down, saw who it was was, and hugged Ashachu back. He lowered his head, so that they could touch noses and muzzle.

"I was really worried about you," gasped Ashachu. "When you didn't come back."

Charizard held him tighter. "It's okay. I'm here now."

"Char," cried Charichu, who was clinging to Charizard's back.

Thunderbolt and Ryu came over to join Ashachu, hugging to each of his legs.

"What's going on here? Do you know," Ashachu asked, as they parted.

"I think we're being taken into that." Charizard pointed to something behind Ashachu.

The mouse looked over his shoulder. He had been so excited and relieved to find his mate alive and well that he hadn't noticed it when he had entered the clearing. It was a large black box like object. Just a bit larger than the average bus. It sat at the end of a set of long cables that reached into their air above the trees. Ashachu craned his head back and saw an enormous Zeppelin or blimp. His heart skipped a beat…Were they about to be spirted away.

"What. What is that," cried Thunderbolt.

"That is the airship Samyaza," said Inteleon. The other Pokémon turned around to see him standing behind Charizard. Looking cool and collected even with the Primids encircled around them. Sobble was clinging to his shoulder, still trembling.

Ashachu's eyes widened. He had never seen these Pokémon. "Who are you."

"Very long story," growled Charizard. "Probably the reason we're stuck in this mess."

"Nearly 500 meters long and 70 meters wide." Inteleon continued as though Charizard had said nothing. "The latest in a line of experimental aircraft built by the Seven Nations government and the remote headquarters of the International Police. I do believe we're going to meet the director."

One of the Primids hit Charizard in his flank.

"Ouch…What the."

It pointed aggressively towards the black box when Charizard looked down….

But there was one more captive Pokémon. As they were forced into the box, another group of Primids appeared escorting a bipedal lizard like Pokémon with a building chest. His eyes widened a smile spread across his flat muzzle when he saw them.

"Koriadon?" Ashachu exclaimed as the Primids forced him inside.

"Ashachu. Charizard," said Koriadon. "Thank Arceus you're okay. When I saw them take you into that tree."

Inteleon raised his brows. "Ah…so am I to take it you are the Pokémon who broke the secret base. I thought Charizard had friends here. You didn't tell me about him?"

"Didn't know he was there," growled Charizard. "Is anybody going to explain what the hell is going on here?"

The doors to the box sealed shut and the floor beneath their paws begun to shake as the box was slowly raised into the air, towards the airship high above…