Chapter 2

"Avoiding a Second Lockerbie"

Now, you might be wondering why I was down in Cebu in the Philippines on that fateful day in 1994? Well, two days earlier, I was down in Cebu covering a regional Pokemon tournament in the tiny resort town south of Manila. But, why would I cover a Pokemon tournament that would otherwise be insignificant to the outside world?

You see, it was because in the years following the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, the protection of Pokemon Trainers and their Pokemon was magnified. Airports, Seaports and even trains and bus terminals were all on the same page to ensure that what happened on Pan Am 103 didn't happen again. Of course, Team Rocket would always find a way to loophole by any means necessary in order to obtain their ultimate goal of world domination.

"And how do you expect the metal detectors to provide security at all Pokemon tournaments?" I asked the tournament representative.

"Well, these aren't your average ordinary metal detectors, Miss Stevens," he explained. "These metal detectors are purposed to look inside a trainer's Pokeball and determine whether the Pokemon inside are corrupted by Team Rocket or not. The idea is to get into the head of a Pokemon by any means necessary."

I then watched as Psyduck attempted to walk through the detector in his curious state, much to my amusement and that of the representative.

"Well, as you can see," the representative said as he directed me to look at an agent manning the system. "Your Psyduck is being monitored for abnormal brain activity. If there is abnormal activity, we must make a determination if it has been tampered with."

"And what happens if you detect anything abnormal?" I asked.

"Then the Pokemon is confiscated and turned over to the nearest Pokemon center," the representative answered. "Our mission is to stay one step ahead of Team Rocket by any means necessary, Miss Stevens."

Of course, it wasn't just the Philippines that were taking precautions against Team Rocket. All over the world, Pokemon leagues and tournaments were taking these precautions.

"It may be an inconvenience, Miss Stevens, but our job is to protect the General Public and their Pokemon as a whole. The last thing any of us want is something happening that results in the loss of life."

At that moment, a pair of young boys came forward and attempted to try and bypass the detector. The representative saw this as an opportunity to demonstrate to me how the machine worked.

"I'm sorry, you must go through the detector," he said to the boys. "All attendees must."

"But we don't have Pokemon," one of the boys protested.

"It doesn't matter, young man."

Groaning, the boys went through the detector and because they didn't have any Pokemon on them, they were given the all clear.

"Thank you, enjoy the rest of the tournament."

I then noticed Psyduck staring at the detector again, studying it closely and walking through it repeatedly like walking through a door. I will say that Psyduck has and always will be the most curious Pokemon partner that I had ever had.

"The times are changing, Miss Stevens," he explained. "What happened in Lockerbie must never happen again. Surely, you get my understanding?"

"I do, I've been to Lockerbie and I've seen just what the damage can be."

…

Now, two days later, Psyduck and I are back at Cebu Airport for the flight back to Tokyo. Many of the passengers on board were simple ordinary Japanese citizens preparing for a routine flight back home, whether they be for business, pleasure or for Pokemon related reasons.

"Well, almost home, Psyduck," I said as we proceeded through the security checkpoint. The agent manning the machines saw Psyduck was having abnormal brain activity, causing one of the agents to step forward.

"Step over here, miss," said the security agent, directing me over to the side out of the way. "Sit your Pokemon here."

Feeling slightly nervous, Psyduck allowed me to sit him on the table as the agents placed a monitor on Psyduck's head, another sign of the security measures that were placed post-Pan Am 103.

"Does your Psyduck have any attacks that involve exploding, miss?" he asked.

"No, sir," I answered, as Psyduck began to slightly shake. "He's just nervous, that's all."

"Nervous," the agent muttered as he studied the brain waves. "So it is. Has it been tampered with in any way?"

"Of course not, he's with me all the time," I replied, trying to play by the rules of the agents. "I try to keep his anxiety down."

But Psyduck's shaking caused the agent to become even more slightly suspicious. Reaching into his radio, he radioed for assistance.

"Have Nurse Joy come here to the security checkpoint," he said. "We have a Psyduck that is displaying nervous behavior."

Naturally, this would have otherwise been unnecessary to say the least. But, safety is paramount in this day and age. Once Nurse Joy had arrived, Psyduck was taken to a blue medical tent and briefly examined by Nurse Joy.

"There's nothing out of the ordinary, Miss," she explained. "It's just a little anxious, that's all."

Fortunately, I still had the battery powered walkman I had given to Psyduck for Christmas in Lockerbie a few years earlier. That would help him calm down to an extent.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss," acknowledged the security agent. "Have a nice flight."

With the event passed, Psyduck and I proceeded over to the gate area to await our flight.

…

At 6:50am, Philippine Airlines Flight 434 touched down in Cebu after the short flight from Manila. Once the plane had parked, only 3 passengers stepped off the Boeing 747 and among them was Armando Forlani or so it seemed to be. I looked at him intently and he looked at me intently back with a dirty look. This was a look that I was going to remember for the longest time as this story progressed.

About 30 minutes later, we boarded the Boeing 747 and we were seated in Seat 33A, several rows back from Seat 26K. Why would I bring up this particular seat, you may say? Well, we would soon find out enough as Seat 26K would play a major part in this story. After a 38 minute delay due to airport congestion, Philippine Airlines Flight 434 took off from Cebu heading north towards Tokyo and little did we know of what was going on right under seat 26K…

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