Chapter 8: useful talents
A/N: I've changed the Restoration Machine's instant healing to every one week instead of two. I've already fixed this in chapter 3. Also, I've realized that I may have been pushing the plot too quickly for the sake of the villains, but for the next few chapters, there will be more of the journey and battles.
Chapter 8 START
Doctor Vikasa was looking out the window, marveling at the sight before him. It was so clear. The clouds went past the serene blue sky and shriveled through the rotors just to be replaced by more of itself, but now in different shapes and sizes. As he watched this endless dance of nature, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of nostalgia for simpler times, when he could afford to lose himself in such beautiful moments without his obsession for biology always in his head
How beautiful, how disgusting. He didn't have time for this dramatic fluffy shit. Man ain't got time for that. He had some science to do. What was fascinating was this mission he was on. He was sitting in a large quadcopter that looked similar to those drones but on a full-scale size. They would need a vehicle this big for storage. Ghetsis was going to do what he promised and get him the subjects he needed by kidnapping them from low-level trainers In Nacrene City. It was a smart move, if they were strong then there would be a chance for them to escape and he hated failure.
He was going along this time. It wasn't too important to have collected the dream mist, but fuck he wanted to mess around with that shit, so this time there wouldn't be any mock-ups and he'll see what they would bring him firsthand. This was essential mostly for Team Plasma as there was a specific type of Pokemon he needed for his mind control device. Ghetsis had been pestering him about its progress recently and he could only give out so many excuses before he saw through his bullshit. One doesn't become the leader of what is basically a cult without cognitive abilities.
The rest would be for him to play with. When making the ultimate creature you have to see the pros and cons of the lessers. That is how you can make the creature who will dominate the world and he will be the one to bring it forth. What wonders he could create like Garland. Dang, he loved the little guy. Every time he looked at him it made his heart swell with pride. He still couldn't believe he actually brought his creation to life. He's almost completed his therapy and will be ready for his missions.
"Woah!" Came an excited voice from next to him. Of course, he wasn't the only one in this helicopter. He was accompanied by two rookies, one of which was flying the helicopter. She hadn't made a single sound aside from the occasional yawn before casually going back to the control panel. Her half-lidded eyes showed how much of a shit she gave for her job and would make one wonder why she signed up for the team in the first place. Whatever, he didn't care.
The guy next to him had been staring out the window this entire time, not even sparing him a glance.
"Hey dickwad, you good or something?" Vikasa said in a mocking tone. Now the grunt would have no choice but to look at him. He realized he was just a random grunt that you could find amongst the newbies.
"Eeeer y-yes sir!" He responded a little louder than he intended.
"Doctor. It's Doctor Vikasa. I didn't get 8 PHDs for nothing you know and what's wrong with you, you look like a melting ice lolly." Vikasa looked at the sweat dripping from his forehead. It's not that hot, in fact, the weather is really nice.
When he couldn't respond, his teammate spoke for him.
"He's afraid of you sir."
"Rizzy!" He whispered through his teeth, but it was hard for Vikasa not to hear when he was sat right next to him.
"Ho ho ho and for what possible reason could that be for huh? Don't you know that I was once paid a million pounds to sit next to the Prime Minister of England...okay that's not true, but you get my point." He said before putting an arm around his assailant which totally didn't make him feel more uncomfortable. "And dang I didn't know a woman would be here, but hey, I do respect fenisism-"
"It's feminism."
"And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
The grunt was actually the other one who failed him during the dream mist operation. He was praying that Vikasa wouldn't realize that or he would be fucked, maybe literally. When being around him, who knew what would happen.
Vikasa was going to interrogate him further when the radio had kicked in.
"Agent-107 are you at the location?" A robotic male voice had come through.
"Yes, we've just arrived and are ready for landing." Sally, with her same half-lidded eyes, was clicking buttons all over the control panel. The helicopter had remained in position for a moment before descending. Vikasa looked out the window to see an average-sized warehouse in the middle of a large forest. There...There were his babies ready to show him their powers.
He cracked his knuckles before stretching his back, a dark sadistic grin forming on his lips. It's showtime.
(Team Sarah)
"I am so goddamn bored right now." Theodore was sitting on the lounge of Nacrene City's Pokemon Centre, waiting for two rascals to be healed. After yesterday's victory they had celebrated with an ice cream then booked a room in the Pokemon Centre. Anubis and Athena- with their dopamine rush- ignored their body's need for rest after giving it their all in the Gym battle. It was in the morning that he had a rude awakening from their pained shouts. Sarah apologized profusely for forgetting her Pokemon's needs, but at least she admitted it and took responsibility.
Perhaps it was because they were all kids why they could act that way; so innocent and carefree. It was funny and admittedly calming. He's now realized that perhaps being as tense as he is all the time isn't a good idea.
Don't blame him though, he was born and raised in East London, and let's just say that if you aren't aware of what's around you, you could find yourself at the end of a machete. This wasn't the case here, you could walk next to a fire-breathing dragon, who could destroy buildings for fun yet didn't have to worry about any sort of harm.
Anyways, he was starting to get off topic. Here he was in the boring main area of the Centre watching trainers come and go after getting their Pokemon healed. Sarah was sitting next to him sorting some stuff out on her pokedex. He should probably check those things out because they seemed more than scanners with information about Pokemon. From how he's seen Sarah use it, it definitely had additional features not shown in the anime.
She was waiting longer than the other trainers because it's been less than a week for Anubis to get healed from the Restoration Machine back in Striaton City, so Nurse Joy will just be using some potions on him. Although, Athena could use it.
Theodore looked around the room, wondering.
Come on come one, surely there's something to do. My Nieoldiek brain needs some sort of stimulus. He kept looking around, hoping there was something to engage with his intellect like a puzzle or a book. Don't get him wrong, it's not like he has ADHD, but just sitting down and being unproductive really pissed him off. It was inefficient of his time and the word 'inefficient' doesn't belong to him, the peak of humankind.
He took a glance over his pokeball on Sarah's sash. He remembered when he was in it and felt an incredible amount of peace. No, don't consider it. It's your prison for as long as she has it then you can't escape, especially when Shinigami's bound you to her. But then he took a quick look around the room where there was nothing to do...
"Fuck it, it might as well masturbate in it. Besides, what's the worst that can happen? I know that I can get out whenever I want, so it's not like a solitary confinement." Sarah jumped when her furry companion, who was sitting next to her, pressed the button of his pokeball and turned into a red beam getting sucked into it. She blinked.
I thought he hated being in a pokeball. He always looks at it in disgust like it's an offense to his being. Whatever, he's a weirdo so let him carry on being weird.
When Theodore got inside he couldn't help but leep into the air. The mini island consisting of a mountain, a snowy area, and a frozen river was the perfect place for him to mess around in. There was no limit to how much he could stimulate himself since there was no one around nor would he have to hold himself back. However, since there wasn't an intellectual stimulus, which he would've preferred, he would practice an issue he had that other Pokemon didn't. The fact that he would have to keep his eyes open after an attack that was too close to him. It was a weakness and he hated weakness.
He grabbed a small branch from the floor before throwing it into the air, directly above himself. When the branch came spinning down, he watched as it was getting closer. He made sure not to flinch just before it hit his face, but out of instinct he did it anyway.
Damn it! I can't believe I did that! He stood up, grabbed the branch, and tried again. Not this time. Whatever you do don't blink.
He was doing his best to ignore the electrical impulses going to his brainstem, the part responsible for reflexes. He kept opening his eyes after they narrowed when the branch came. He blinked. So he tried again with frustration. He didn't think about why felt frustrated when he himself knew that he could quickly accomplish whatever task he had to do. It would only take a few minutes and he would already be done.
After a few minutes, he realized how tiring the day was after having to babysit some brats. Is this what parents feel at the end of the day? He would only take a small nap while the others were healing.
Sarah was about to get back to whatever it was she was doing in her pokedex until she heard a ding reverberate around the main room. When she looked at the front desk, Nurse Joy was looking in her direction, nodding her head. He put her device away and went. Immediately, Anubis jumped onto her while calling out his name in glee. She caught him and took a step back. The funny little guy was like a cannon. He nuzzled his head into her shoulder as she caressed his back.
"Anubis, my sweetie, were you being a good boy for Nurse Joy?"
"Rio!"
"Yes, he was." Nurse Joy answered. "He was a delight to take care of and he went through the pain of the potion formula with no problem. I've also seen his report from Striaton City and he's in a much better condition. Well done Sarah, you're doing a good job at raising him."
She blushed while rubbing her neck with her remaining hand.
"Aww thank you Nurse Joy, but I couldn't have done it alone." She said looking at her pokeball. "I had help from her friend."
"Then he must be a good friend who knows his stuff." You have no idea. "Also, here's your Ralts. She is healthy and ready to get back to battling."
Sarah gave her another thank you before reaching the pokeball, but before she could, the both of them had turned to hear a loud metallic sound over and over again. It was a strange black sphere with grey outlines bouncing across the floor till it reached the centre of the room. At first, Nurse Joy was going to slap her forehead thinking that it was some kids who hadn't learned to respect the Pokemon Centre, but before anyone could react, the sphere exploded, releasing a condensed smoke cloud throughout the room.
Sarah had to bring a hand over her eyes. She heard two sets of footsteps run past her, then heard the slamming of a door. She couldn't see who they were because the smoke cloud could make it where she could barely see her hand in front of her. The ventilation, having sensed the smoke, increased their power and quickly removed it all.
"Wha-what happened?" She looked around to see other also confused trainers wondering the same thing.
"The pokeballs!" She saw Nurse Joy sprint through the opened door. Sarah knew something bad was happening. She tried to get Theodore's pokeball out, but she only grabbed her sash.
"Huh? He-he's gone. Hold on." She looked at the desk where Athena's pokeball was. "She's gone too! Anubis get down, we need to follow Nurse Joy to where the pokeballs are. Those guys have got Theodore and Athena."
When he heard the danger they were in, he nodded and they both ran through the door. He was a Pokemon and was quicker, so he slowed down for her to catch up. When they got to a point where there were three hallways they stopped to wonder which one to take. They had missed the signs and didn't have the time to go back.
Anubis concentrated, clearing his mind and stopping all senses other than his eyes. His bangs raised as was using aura to find a reading on where Nurse Joy went. The people who had thrown the smoke bomb were too far away for his aura to sense them. He was only a few moon cycles old after all. He pointed to the hallway on their left.
"That way, then let's go." She hurried herself. She won't let her friends be taken away from her. After a few more hallways, they reached the room meant to temporarily keep the pokeballs of trainers getting their Pokemon healed. Nurse Joy sat on the floor with a devastated look on her face. Around them, the placeholders of the pokeballs were empty. The two guys had taken all the Pokemon.
"They're gone. I can't believe something like this would happen. Who would do such an awful thing?" Sarah had an idea that she knew was undoubtedly true. She looked out the broken window where she saw a small helicopter ascending and starting to fly away. She put a hand on Nurse Joy's shoulder.
"Don't worry Nurse Joy, I promise you I'll get them."
"Ri Ri"
"Sorry, WE'LL get them." Nurse Joy had strongly held her hand as she wiped her tears away.
"No! I'll tell the league about this and they'll send some rangers and police officers on the case. You can't go yet when you've just started your journey, it's unsafe." She yanked her hand away from her hold.
"I don't care. They took away my family and taken away a part of us. They're not going to get away with that!"
She ran out back through the entrance where she stumbled and almost fell. With annoyance, she took off her pumps and put on her trainers. She doesn't like wearing them because they aren't cute enough, but sometimes you would need them when journeying across Unova. She also ripped the bottom of her dress on the sides. Now she was able to run quickly without any trouble.
They could see the helicopter quickly getting away as it went over Pinwheel Forest. The Pokemon Centre was located on the edge of the city and right next to the forest so it was smart for the kidnappers to do their operation here. They knew they would have to go through it so they kept tunning. They looked above their heads and through the tiny gaps of the trees' canopy, they went in the same direction.
There was nothing else going through her head. No questions or thoughts of worry, but only thoughts of getting her siblings back and an anger that she didn't know she was capable of feeling. She didn't realize it but her breathing was starting to get erratic and it wasn't from the running she wasn't used to.
Poor Athena, won't know what's going on. If she awakens and sees herself in a cage then she'll get scared and I won't be there to help her. I don't want her to go away and what if I don't find her!? And Theodore, he's smart and could probably find his own way out, but what if Team Plasma finds out how smart he is and experiment on him. Maybe they'll force him to work for them or maybe, maybe-
She broke out of her chaotic thoughts when Anubis shook her arm. He held her in place and stopped them from running further.
"What are you doing? If we stop then they'll get away?" He placed her hands on her chest. She was confused as to what he was doing, but he took a deep breath in then out then in then out. They were the same motions she had shown him in their gym battle against Lenora. She repeated the motions and all thoughts had disappeared, and she found herself able to think.
"He he he. Thank you Anubis, I needed that." She ruffled his head.
Right, now I can think. They kept running in the direction the helicopter went, but she could no longer see it through the gaps in the canopy. It was too fast and is now gone. Why are they going through Pinwheel Forest when you could go back to your base. Remember Sarah, what did the bad guys do in those cartoons when they kidnap the main character's friends? They don't go to their base because if detected they'll be compromised. They instead go to hidden temporary area to hide them, so that means that Team Plasma also has a temporary base within Pinwheel Forest that I just need to find.
"Anubis, can you use that aura ability you used in the Pokemon Centre to find where the pokeballs went." He tried to use his aura sense again, but he only saw a few local Pokemon within the forest. The helicopter was too far away. He could only give a disappointed shake of his head.
"I'm sorry Sarah, I'm just not good enough." She could sense what he was saying and hugged him.
"It's okay Anubis, you've already done more than enough. Honestly, I don't think any Riolu could sense the grunts at this stage let alone a Lucario. You should be happy with what you did." He hugged her back in delight.
"Sarah!?"
"N!?" The green-haired mysterious boy came out of the bushes.
"What are you doing here and why do you look like that. You look as if a Beartic was chasing you." He chuckled. He was on his way to Castelia City.
"I have to hurry! Team Plasma used a smoke grenade distraction and stole all the pokeballs from the Pokemon Centre with the trainer's Pokemon inside." His eyes narrowed and teeth bared at the team's mention. Usually, he would be okay with trainers having their Pokemon stripped from them, but knowing the direction the organization was going his friends were better off with their abusers.
"How do you know they were Team Plasma, they're usually sneaky in their operations. They wouldn't do this big of an act if it meant compromising their true intentions to the league."
"I know, I just feel it, I mean, who else would it be." Yeah, she was right there. There's no other organization in Unova that had enough followers for their 'cause'. They were starting to get more daring.
"I'll come with you. I told you that I've been looking into their operations, maybe I can help."
"YES! That sounds like a great idea. With you, we can get our friends back for sure." She smiled, already knowing that they'll get their friends back.
"Actually, you should stay here."
"Uhhh what?"
"Yes. It's too dangerous for you and I don't want to see one of my friends getting hurt due to Team Plasma's disgusting acts."
"No way dude! I can't sit back while my family are probably in a cage, scared. As their train-no as their sister, I will do whatever it takes to free them even if it means risking myself in the process."
N's eyes widened. The amount of care she was showing for his friends was only found amongst a few trainers. He could see the fiery determination in her eyes that shows that he won't be able to stop her. Her Riolu, too, brought a fist to the air and smirked.
"Ri Riolu." He knew what he was saying. We'll free them no matter what.
"Thank you Sarah ,those words mean a lot more to me than you realise. Then let's go."
"Their direction was that way." She said pointing North-East before they all ran.
(to the other two)
Theodore yawned loudly without placing a hand in front of his mouth and rubbed his eyes.
Man that was the worst sleep ever. There were so many loud noises and I could've sworn I felt the ground shake.
He shook his head clear before stretching his back. He needed to get that crack on his shoulder blade but then the world turned dark for a moment.
He looked around wondering what happened. He was in a cage that fit his size so a small one. It was a simple metallic one that he used to use when transporting animals from one zoo to another. It was a box bare the front which had bars. The barred door had a simple lock on it. He looked back at the man who had his arm stretched with his pokeball before he walked away. He was dressed in the same outfit those Team Plasma grunts wore in the Dreamyard
In a second, hundreds of thoughts were going through his head to figure out an explanation for what was going on until, after a second, it concluded to the most plausible. This was a kidnapping. This was supported when he looked outside his cage where they were in an abandoned warehouse. It was hard to tell it was abandoned when the walls were still sturdy and the ceiling didn't have any holes in it, but there was rust on the walls and the corner of the ceiling had slightly collapsed.
Inside there were other small cages, the same as his own, scattered across the floor or placed on top of others. The cages were filling the back of the large room. There were a lot, about 53 cages from what he could see. There was a lot of chatter from the Pokemon inside; some were conversing with others, some were huddled in the corner of their cages and looked around in panic, and a few were sleeping and didn't realize what was going on around them. They were all low level which was smart because it would take more effort and resources to contain a Dragonite or a Krookodile
He saw Athena across him talking to a Kirlia, who was a few meters away. The Kirlia was on top of a Stunfish.
"-And then I told her no way, my dad is way cooler than the Milotic on TV and then Sarah was like-" She broke her conversation when she saw he was awake and yelped in delight.
"Theodore! I'm so glad you're okay. I was trying to wake you up for so long, but you weren't waking up and I got worried and then some Pokemon got mad at me and started yelling and and uhh." Her brain struggled to catch up to her mouth.
"Okay okay I get it. So do you know what happened here, how we ended up in these cages?"
"No, all I remember was that I was supposed to be healed by Nurse Joy, got healed by the Restoration Machine, and then ended up in here."
"Same as the rest of us." Said the Kirlia, her voice feminine. "I asked the others and none of them were out of their pokeballs when we were taken. This was an organized kidnapping."
"Huh." This was obviously Team Plasma, they were the only ones with the resources and manpower to do this sort of thing. Well, there's no use wondering about it. Might as well get out. He quickly summoned a Shadow Claw and slashed at the cage, but only made a small dent. This is not your normal metal, but a stronger alloy. From their technology, I'm not surprised they've found stronger yet dispensable material.
The warehouse's large double doors opened and all eyes turned to who entered.
"Wow!" A man whistled. He was wearing a lab coat over some simple clothing. His facial features were clean shaved and his hair was scraggly like it wasn't taken care of for days. He was looking at all the Pokemon in utter excitement. "Those guys did a sick job, I mean, look at all these test subjects just waiting to be improved upon. Look at that one, he's practically screaming at me to put him at the other end of a scalpel."
He was going around staring deeply into all the Pokemon that interested him. Behind him were two grunts, a nervous boy and a stoic girl.
He went to a cage at the front where there was a Growlithe and on top of it was a Herdier.
"Awww yes." He licked the bars of the cage as he stared at them with a crazed eye before whispering. "You two have just reminded of the double headed dog experiment in Ukraine and unlike them, I have the tools to keep the form sustainable. Thank you for volunteering to take part."
Theodore couldn't hear what he said when he got close to the cage. Did he say Ukraine or something? Nah must have been something else, although, who is he anyway? He's not in the show, the only real scientist there was Doctor Colress. Of course, there must have been others but he was the one given screen time which showed his significance. For this one to be acting this way and having the whole operation solely for him means he's significant too. This is odd.
But what bothered him more were his eyes. When looking at the Pokemon, they became very similar. They were the same as his when he worked with a new animal which he hadn't seen before like when working on a penguin after working on a sea lion. They were the ones he saw whenever he looked in the mirror before his next day of work where he planned to do his personal projects in the lab in secret because they involved some cruel methods. Actually, if it wasn't for the appearance then he would have thought that that was himself right there.
He picked up the cages in a surprising show of strength and threw them behind him at the two grunts. For the first time had the girl showed an expressions as they- surprised- barely caught the cages, the Pokemon inside tumbling.
"H-hey, what the hell?"
"Yeah, watch what where you're throwing that!"
He didn't pay attention as he kept throwing more cages for them to take to the quadcopter.
"I'll take this one and this one and ewww you're pretty garbage aren't you and...hold on a second." He said looking in Athena's direction. He rubbed his eyes.
The Kirlia quickly went to the back of her cage before charging forward. The momentum was enough to make the cage fall the one under it and land on its side. She was now covering Athena from view. His eyes were cleared.
"Holy shit it is! It's a Kirlia, I've been looking for one of you low level psychics for ages." He said as he put his hands through the cage and gripped the sides of her head, bringing it so their eyes almost touched.
A creature that dealt with telepathy was something very interesting he wanted to look into. There was no animal on earth that could do something like that. The closest thing to it were like insects releasing warning chemical signals into the air. Warrior ants and bees do this when there's a threat to the colony/hive. Because of this unchartered territory, he didn't want to risk using a strong one. It would also be useful for Ghetsis's mind control request.
The Kirlia could sense the sick emotions that the scientist was radiating and became scared, but still stood strong. She had to be for Athena or she would find her being taken instead and she couldn't let her be separated from her caring family especially when she told her of such happy tales.
They must be a wonderful bunch. Keep them close Athena as they will be your source of strength. I only wish I could return to James and my friends.
But she was a kid unlike her. Hopefully, with how young Athena was, she wouldn't be able to recognize the emotions the doctor was letting out. Her cage was taken by him personally to the copter.
"Hey Fizzy-"
"It's Rizzy."
"We're going now. Someone else is going to fly the copter. You stay here and keep an eye on them alright." The stoic girl sighed as she didn't really have a choice. She gave a weak salute as they left. When the doors closed she put her hand on the panel and the locks were enabled. They had preinstalled these when they found the warehouse in case the Pokemon escaped, you can never be too careful.
She looked at the Pokemon in the cages at their saddened and panicked faces, but shrugged and brought a dusty chair, which she cleared, and sat next to the door, going on her phone. Her gameplay of Guitar Hero played out loud. Now was the perfect time for escape.
Theodore thought for a moment. That guy did not give a shit about those Pokemon. Even Team Plasma grunts show a certain amount of respect to them despite what they would use them for and the people here are too righteous and weak and aren't capable of such deeds. I don't know why but I'm getting a bad feeling, even though, after this we shouldn't come across Team Plasma. The team and I shouldn't get involved in this crap.
He looked through the keyhole of his cage where he confirmed it was a simple padlock. You wouldn't need a high-security one when dealing with Pokemon. Locks like this have small pins in them where if you don't have the key, you can click each pin individually. They have to be done in a certain order, but after some trial and error you just need to find a way to twist the cylinder and it will unlock. How does he know this? simple.
I am not a crook!
Unfortunately, his claws were way too big to actually do this. If only I had a pin. There could be- ah, there's one.
"Big brother, where did they take her?" Athena asked referring to the Kirlia.
"I'm not sure." He did and could guess why, but didn't tell her the potentially gruesome answer.
On the ground, two meters away from him, were two bobby hair pins perfect for this job. They were amongst a bit of rubble and dust. He couldn't reach it with his small arms. It was too far to even utilize the extra reach Shadow Claw granted.
"Hey, you, yes you. Give me those pins would ya." He was talking to a Sunkern whose open bars were literally in front of the items and could be thrown to him.
"These black things...errr I can't reach. No arms you see." He smiled sheepishly at him.
"Are you serious, it's literally in front of your face and you're telling me you can't give it to me, even a Swaddle could use String Shot and shoot it at me." He said annoyed. "What are you anyway? You're just a seed, what a useless creature. I'm surprised you have a trainer in the first place like who the hell says 'oh I want a seed for a Pokemon to get me through the league because that sounds like a great idea'."
At this point the Sunkern had tears coming out, taking great offense to his words. He was looking downcast at the metallic floor. A small puddle began to form beneath it, a mix of tears and the dew that normally kept its leaves glistening with vitality.
"Theodore, that was really mean!" Athena, who was opposite him, had reprimanded. "Apologise to him right now!"
Theodore was thinking of a way to get those two pins. The nearby cages were either facing away from them or had Pokemon who weren't close enough. He was thinking in his head until he looked at Athena's horn, ignoring her scornful gaze.
"That's it! Athena, you're a psychic type so do you think you can get me those two pins over there."
"Err, maybe, I don't think I'm strong enough to do that though. Using telepathy is an advanced technique."
"Just try."
"Not before you apologize to that Sunkern." She said, pointing at the seed Pokemon who was now sniffling, but tears were still dropping.
"Who cares about that thing."
"I care!" He knew he wouldn't be able to get anything done without her. Usually, that's not the case and he tries to be independent as possible.
"Alright fine." He said facing the Sunkern. "I'm sorry for saying all those things to you."
It was so fake, but the naive Ralts took it as enough. She focused on the pins bringing out all her psychic energy to get it moving. It only moved an inch before it stopped moving. She was groaning and her horn was hurting. She had to let go before huffing in place.
Theodore clenched his fists before letting go and taking a breath. There's no time to get angry just think of another possibility. How can I move those pins in the padlock without the hair pi- ah another idea.
"Listen to me. I need you to do exactly what I say okay."
"Okay."
"This is going to be a bit difficult for you to understand but I know you can do it." He then explained the mechanics of the padlock as simply as he could for the child. He then explained the process of unlocking it with her psychic energy.
"Come on. You can do it you can do it." He said quietly, so he didn't distract her. She was currently going through each pin and he got excited after hearing the click of the first one. After 8 minutes, the final pin clicked into place. He gasped. She twisted the cylinder and opened her cage. She got the two pins and gave it to him.
Ecstatically, he lockpicked his own in under a minute and slammed the door open.
"Huh, what was that?" Rizzy said, pausing the next song she was on. After a minute of silence, she went back to playing. "Whatever."
Theodore rubbed the back of his head at his mistake.
"Athena you adorable genius." He picked her up and gave a quick kiss on her forehead. Surprised at the action coming from him of all Pokemon, she melted into a puddle from utter adoration.
"Big brotherrrrrr."
He jumped through the cages not caring for the noise. This got Rizzy's attention as her eyes widened in surprise.
"Quickly Vanilish get ou-" Before she could summon her Pokemon, Theodore had summoned a Shadow Claw and slashed her on the head. She was knocked out immediately.
"That was meant to chop her head off. I didn't hold back that much." There was a long cut on her head but it wasn't too deep. he couldn't even see her skull. He took her left arm and with his claw pushed down hard on her skin to the point where could feel bone.
Her skin and muscles are much tougher than they should be. I guess Pokemon aren't the only ones to evolve from war.
He tried the same thing on himself but with Shadow Claw. He had to tighten his mouth to stop himself from screaming from the searing pain. After going past the skin and then the muscles he realized only a small amount of blood was coming out and the capillaries underneath had rather slipped out of the way of his cutting. It was an efficient method of reducing blood loss he hadn't seen before.
He couldn't go deeper, there was something stopping him. Painfully, he widened the very deep wound.
"What the fuck?" He muttered. The arteries and veins were jumbled together underneath the muscles rather than the skin. Usually, they only house the major ones, but here they housed almost all of them. Also, they were behind a thick membrane that, even with Shadow Claw and a huge amount of effort, He barely made a scratch. There was a slight hint of fear within him.
These Pokemon have such powerful adaptations. I'm gobsmacked. These guys are way better than the animals on Earth, I mean, Anubis was showing that he could read.
Was he wrong about Pokemon, about how crap of a species they were? With these magnificent bodies and abilities, he was starting to doubt himself. Anyway, there were more pressing matters. He ripped a piece of Rizzy's clothing and wrapped it around his forearm as a makeshift bandage.
He lifted her hand to the panel.
"Access granted." Said the user interface and the sturdy double doors automatically opened.
"The sweet taste of freedom." He smelt the air and it didn't smell like a room full of cats. He walked out with Athena behind him. They walked to the forest's edge until she looked at him confusingly.
"Hold on a second, what about the others?" She said pointing at the rest of the Pokemon who were still stuck in their cages.
"What about them?"
"You forgot to free them."
"I didn't forget, I'm just not going to free them." He saw her confused expression. "I mean I don't want to free them. These guys aren't worth anything. Look at that Sunkern, it couldn't pick up something that was right in front of him. That's a useless creature, so what makes you think I'm going to save him?"
She looked horrified, disgusted even. Her mouth opened to say something back, but she had to pause to process his words. It was hard for her to do so, but now she knows what type of person he is.
"You." She said, pointing at him. "You're evil, aren't you! You're a bad guy who only cares about himself!"
Her eyes narrowed with a mix of anger and disappointment, scrutinizing every detail of his reaction. The accusation hung heavy in the air, challenging him to deny it or prove her wrong. He only shrugged and using her horn to sense his emotions she could tell that there was no remorse.
"Fine then." She said going back into the warehouse. "If you won't free them then I will. I won't be like you and watch them suffer when I can help."
She got to working on the padlocks like how he instructed her. A shame too, he was the one to show her how to do it and how it could be used for the Pokemon around her yet now he just wants to abandon them. It seemed like a waste of talent to her.
Theodore groaned. He couldn't go back to Sarah without her and who knew what Shinigami would do if he left her. With how long she was taking on that lock, there could be trouble coming their way. He went inside and started working on the first cage. While she took 6 minutes working on hers, Theodore already completed 5. it took over half an hour to free everyone.
Every time he freed one, the Pokemon expressed their utmost gratitude, wiping away tears and snot, and happy to be reunited with their trainers. Hah, he was only doing this because of Athena's stubborn selflessness otherwise he would've dipped. Like him to be someone's savior other than his own.
"T-thank you." The Sunkern from earlier said when he freed him.
"Shut up!" I can't believe I'm doing this.
"Okay." He stayed silent for a moment.
Everyone was out and waiting outside. A Hierdier from the front said he would lead them using his superior sense of smell to find their way back.
"Wait!" They stopped when Theodore shouted. He went back to the warehouse. He wiped his claws with some of the blood from the grunt and wrote many things across the walls.
"What are you doing?" Athena asked from behind, not disgusted by the blood. Her mother is a healer and was once active so you tend to see wounds from the neighbor's kids from time to time.
"Best part of a crime scene, make it look as bad as you possibly can. With this, the league will put this event higher in the investigator's priority list." He had written on the walls sentences you would find in a horror movie like 'you can't hide!', 'where's mommy', 'death is found in pain!', and other nonsense that sounded messed up.
"Alright." He wiped his laws of the blood. "let's go."
The group slowly rummaged through the forest, changing directions sometimes when the Herdier smelt a particular scent from somewhere. It was a quiet and slow walk as they had all calmed down from the stressful experience. They pushed through the bushes, vines, and overhanging branches and sometimes asked some bug Pokemon for directions. Athena was, for some reason, very quiet contrary to her cheerful attitude.
"Theodore." She called him. "Do you hate us? I don't mean Team Sarah, but us Pokemon."
"What brought that up?"
"Well, this isn't the first time you mentioned some Pokemon being useless creatures. But why does a Pokemon's capabilities determine their value. We're all creatures who are alive and should be respected, so it doesn't matter how strong your thunderbolt is, you don't dismiss others like that. This isn't how it was before the Great Pact, we've come a long way since then." This was surprisingly mature for her. Her English was getting better too.
"Athena, who am I talking to right now?" He asked.
"What do you mean, you're talking to me, Athena the adorable Ralts." She said pumping her chest out.
"Am I talking to Athena?" he responded confusing her. "Or am I talking to a Ralts who just happened to be called that. If I talked to another Ralts I found on the street then would there be any difference between you two, I don't think so. To me, you're all just the same old boring creatures that have no sense of uniqueness. When I think of Athena, what would pop up into my mind. What I'm trying to say is that are you your own individual who is her own person, has her own interests, and has her own personality. So far the only thing that comes to my head when I think of you is ice cream, which is good because that shows something unique about you."
He was an individualist. He cared more about the person himself than a group because if you aren't your own person with your own perks then you're nothing but an animal to him. She understood what he saying. She smirked.
"I'm not just Athena, Sarah's Ralts she uses to win her battles. I'm more than that, but you know what, I won't tell you what that is. You're going to discover it by being with me." She said taking hold of his hand. "Stay with us and you'll find out there's more to us Pokemon than you think."
"...I guess we'll see then." Not like he could get away from you guys anyway. They carried on walking
(Back to Sarah)
She stared at N weirdly.
How are his navigation skills so good? She was thinking. He was leading them on, looking around for clues. He deducted most of the path from how the helicopter's rotors must have blown some of the leaves away and ended up in certain locations. I mean who even thinks of that?
He was being weird though. When he ducked to scan the leaves, he 'accidentally' started walking on 4 legs like some Pokemon before walking like a human or when he sniffed the air by bringing his nose up for any scent. When questioned about it, he nervously tells her that he used to live with Pokemon for most of his childhood and he may have picked up some of their habits. He dropped the question quickly.
She didn't want to go deeper because he seemed like a troubled guy and might get offended, but the way he was acting was suspicious; animalistic.
"Riolu!" Anubis half-yelled grabbing her by the hand and bringing her to the ground. N ducked too.
"What is it, did you find someone?" He didn't answer and kept his ears pointed towards their front. When they didn't move, staying as still as they could, they could hear some footsteps and the leaves crunching coming towards them.
"Man, I can't believe we got stuck with some boring mission. Find some potential Pokemon to recruit in Pinwheel Forest, hah, I would rather be preaching in Driftveil City. This wasn't what I was expecting when I joined Team Plasma. Did you Swadloon?"
"Swad Swad! No, I didn't.!"
"Maybe next time we can join some high end operation." The grunt said putting his hands together. "I know we would make Ghetsis proud."
"Hey, stop right there!" Sarah got up and shouted. "I have questions for you. What did you guys do in Nacrene City, and where are Theodore and Athena!" He brought up his guard when he heard her mention 'Nacrene City'.
"I'll tell you nothing! Swadloon use String Shot!" It shot out a thick white string that quickly approached Anubis.
"Use Quick Attack to avoid it and get in close, then use Brick Break!" Anubis shot out with a white blur of normal type energy exuding from behind him. He ducked from the String Shot going past his head. His arm was coated in white as he was about to slam it on the tiny Swadloon's head.
"Use String Shot again on his arm!" The grunt said desperately. Anubis's arm was now coated in this thick white string and when he hit the Swadloon it cushioned the blow. "Now use Razor Leaf."
Anubis took on many sharp leaves point blank to his body. He yelped as some small cuts formed throughout his torso. He fell back from the damage as he was still recovering from Lenora's gym battle and the potions didn't completely heal him.
"Bug Bite on his remaining arm."
"Quickly use Detect!" He saw from the tiny movements underneath the Swadloon where his trajectory was going to take him. He saw in great detail his fangs coming out and where his dark eyes pointed. Despite the surprisingly quick speed the Swadloon showed, he still dodged him, just barely. "Use Brick Break again!"
With the Swadloon in mid-air and no way to dodge, he charged up his most powerful Brick Break on his remaining arm, bringing it back, then launching it. He punched it into a tree with enough power that the tree broke and a crack was heard. It was not just from the tree. The Swadloon had fainted swirls on its eyes.
"Swadloon return." The grunt said before returning his Pokemon and quickly bringing out another pokeball to Sarah and N's surprise. They thought he would have given up there. "Come out Boldore!"
"Boldore at your service."
Anubis was already bringing his arms up despite one of them being coated in the sticky white silk. N stepped forward and held his arm out.
"No, you two, I'll take of this one. I have to join in the fight against Team Plasma. Braiviary, I need your help my friend."
Out came a large, majestic bird with a powerful build and valiant appearance. Its feathers were predominantly red, white, and grey with a distinctive white, bushy crest on its head. Its sharp, commanding eyes and robust beak highlight its fierce nature. Its expansive grey winges were the embodiment of strength and freedom giving it its namesake as the symbol of bravery and valor.
"I'm ready to take out some villains." Said Braiviary with a deep and strong masculine voice.
"Idiot, don't you know that flying types are weak against rock types. Boldore use Rock Tomb." He summoned 4 huge rocks from the sky out of nowhere that came crashing down through the canopy of trees. The others had to get out the way to not be crushed themselves. It was a smart move as it would be hard for Braviary to go to the sky to dodge it when they came down, but he still did. Now the rocks have crashed and created a clearing for him.
"Braviary end Boldore's misery by using Steel Wing." He rose to the sky, spreading his large majestic wings that became coated in steel type energy. He was still able to bend them as he came descending down to the Boldore who weren't known for their dodging ability.
The grunt could only watch as his Pokemon took the super effective attack and instantly fainted. It was a one-hit KO and he knew there was nowhere for him to run. He returned Boldore and put his hands up.
"Alright, I surrender. Now what is it you want, I haven't done anything against you guys."
"Return Braviary, thank you." N recalled him. Sarah walked up to the grunt with furrowed brows.
"What happened in the Nacrene City Pokemon Centre, why would Team Plasma take the Pokemon there? My siblings are some that have been taken so you better hurry up and explain." Anubis held up the fist that wasn't covered anymore and showed it to him menacingly.
"I actually don't know much." Her harsh glare made him raise his hands again. "B-but I'll tell you what I do know. I had eavesdropped on some of the higher ups when they were discussing a kidnapping and apparently it's for some long intended goal they have, something to do with taking control of something and that's all I know, I swear!"
N put a hand to his head. He knew what that something was. It was for the mind control project they'd use to take control of Kyurem and take over Unova. They would be testing their methods on low level Pokemon first then move on to stronger ones until they eventually can control a legendary. The worst part was who was in charge of the experiments themselves. he could already sense the torment his friends were going to go through.
If only I had enough power then I would be able to stop this.
"So where are they right now?" He demanded.
"They're in that direction where they're inside an abandoned warehouse. They're in cages so they won't have moved from there." He moved past the grunt, eyes darkened. They had no time to waste on insignificant scum. Sarah and Anubis followed.
After 20 mins of walking where there was no discussion, they were surprised to find a whole group of around 40 Pokemon in the middle of the forest. Sarah glowed as amongst them were her friends.
She dashed towards them and scooped them in her arms.
"H-hey, get off me!" Theodore moved her face away from him but it was no use. The power of friendship is too strong.
"Sarah!" Athena groped her face as they nuzzled their cheeks together. She put them down after a minute and wiped her tears and snot away. "I missed you guys so much, I thought you would be taken away and I would never see you again."
She started crying again at the thought. Anubis went in front of her as he eyed them carefully, checking for any wounds. He saw the makeshift bandage on Theodore's arm but other than that it was nothing.
"I'm glad you're both okay." He tried his hardest to hold his own tears back.
"Aww thanks big brother number 2."
"At least you have some dignity not to hug us." He was so tempted to do that now just to mess with him. He held his mischievous side down before he really did.
The rest of the Pokemon had surrounded N as they conversed with him. His ability to read the hearts of Pokemon made him a charming character in their eyes. They all looked at him with hope as he promised to bring them back to their trainers. Theodore could see a glint of sadness though and he knew why. He would rather have them free completely, but it was better than being given to Team Plasma.
"Then let us leave at once shall we." He said, remembering the path back and leading them all. On the way he asked how they freed themselves from their cages as he had heard from the grunt and he knew that those cages aren't easy to break from low-level Pokemon like them. They all faced Theodore.
"then thank you, Theodore if it wasn't for you then a tragedy may have occurred." He bowed his head. Sarah beamed too trying to stroke his head, but he brushed her hand away. Then she tried using both to which he couldn't stop her. She saw a small smirk pop up on his face though, so maybe he wasn't the tough-guy act he tried to make himself look. N read his heart and a bit of comfort was in there. He probably didn't recognize it as he knew he hadn't felt it before. He smiled at the progress he was making.
Theodore did have a few disappointments though. He would rather have had them do it themselves rather than rely on him. Athena just proved that they were capable of it but they would continue on in ignorance rather than have a solution for a potential threat. At least Athena knew now, so that had impressed him a bit. She's still a piece of shit though.
They reached Nacrene City where they saw Nurse Joy in a conversation with Officer Jenny and some rangers. The trainers behind them looking worried or angry. There was guy behind held back by two others from going into the forest and saving his Darumaka. They all looked at the group emerging from the forest and in an instant, the trainers and Pokemon all ran to each other. There were tears, licks on the cheek, and other sentimental crap.
However, some of them didn't have their Pokemon in their arms and they looked around to find them, but they weren't there. They ran to the duo.
"E-excuse me, have you seen a Pidove anywhere?"
"Yeah, or my Roggenrola?"
"Or my Tranquil?" They all pleaded for their partners, but Sarah and N only gave them confused looks.
"Wasn't that all of them?" She said. "Sorry, but there was no one else there."
Theodore got his notebook and pen out from under his scarf and wrote to her.
SOME POKEMON WERE TAKEN WHILE THE REST OF US WERE LEFT.
They were all astonished by the fact that he could write, but quickly turned to horror that they would potentially never see their Pokemon again. One girl fell to her knees as she looked at the ground, emotionless, while crying. N could only put a hand on a boy's shoulder while he cried for his Oshawott. Officer Jenny and the rangers walked to them asking for an explanation.
They went to the station and explained all they could from what happened in the Pokemon Centre to finding the group of Pokemon in the forest. Theodore also told his side of the story. One ranger was being slightly paranoid about the event and asked him how he could write, finding it suspicious. Sarah quickly got to his defense but he held her back and gave an answer anyway.
I GOT TOO BORED IN THE FOREST, SO I FOUND AN ENGLISH TEACHING CHILD'S BOOK IN THE DUMPSTER AND GOT TO LEARNING. IT'S NOT THAT HARD ONCE YOU GET THE BASICS BUT HONESTLY, YOUR LANGUAGE IS CRAP.
He really thought that too. He knew multiple languages like Arabic which was a great language and was consistent in its rules, but English was a free for all. It is funny to see roadmen speak in the streets of London with their slang though.
"So now we're going to have to go to the warehouse ourselves and confirm everything you've told us." She finished writing in her notebook with a route to it.
"You don't believe us!" Sarah shouted, astonished. "We're telling you the truth. It really was Team Plasma, they're not the people who they preach to be on the streets!"
"Calm down, I obviously believe you. There's no going around this, but we need authentic proof if we want the league to look into this. Without it, we can't do much, especially with how popular Team Plasma has been recently amongst the people. This is something that needs extensive care."
"So they're not going to get away with it?" Sarah asked.
"If everything checks out then no, they shouldn't." Officer Jenny confirmed. "Thank you for your cooperation. We thank you very much for this. Good luck on your journey." She and the rangers placed a hand to their chests and bowed their heads.
"You're welcome."
After the whole ordeal, N and Team Sarah had left the station, tired from the mess of a day. Sarah hoped she wouldn't have to face Team Plasma again because it was making her deviate from her journey of completing the league. She wanted a normal journey to explore the Unova region and become stronger, more independent, not deal with this type of thing.
While they were walking, she noticed that Athena, who was on her shoulder, kept giving odd glances at Theodore. They were ones of caution. Ever since they came back from the warehouse, she wasn't her normal cheerful self and was trying to hide that behind a fake smile. Sarah could tell it was, after all, they were sisters. Hopefully things will return to normal after they take the stress of the day out otherwise it would need addressing.
N was thinking about the investigation. If only I had the power then I could have brought justice myself with no delay. At least most of his friends were free thanks to him and Sarah, she's a kind girl.
"So Sarah, where are you heading to now? I remember you saying you would go to Castelia City after beating Lenora."
"Yes, I am. How about you, weren't you on your way there too?"
"Yes, I was. Sarah, could I travel with you guys till we reach there." She raised an eyebrow. "I'm interested in your bond with your Pokemon, they're amongst the unique ones I've come across so far in my journey across Unova and I want to see more of it. Since we're going to the same place I hope you won't mind."
She quickly shook her head.
"Of course not, we're friends aren't we, and friends stick together."
"Friends?" He said. No one had considered him a friend before, at least not amongst humankind. They all thought he was weird and he hated his kind anyway, so there was no point.
"Yes. Friends." She put up her pinky finger and wrapped it around his. He paused for a moment to stare at the gesture then chuckled.
"Thank you, Sarah. Yes, we are friends."
"You're welcome. Now come on, there's still some daylight left and I want to camp in the forest this time. I won't stand staying in this city for another day."
And with that, Team Sarah, now accompanied by N, left for Pinwheel Forest.