1 Chapter 20- Short Love and Long Histories
It all started out innocently enough. We were walking(something new for a change) along toward Celadon City. No one had seen any wild Pokemon, no one had tried to attack us; things were
about as boring as you could get.
"Man, this is Raichu boring..." I yawned. Having spent over a week without any excitement, I was starting to wonder where I got the idea that something exciting happens everyday as a trainer.
"Vaporeon..." I got a nod from Vaporeon in response.
"Bone..." I had Cubone out now, and Pidgeotto was perched on Sara's shoulder. I try to give a little more attention and caring to Cubone than I have toward my other Pokemon so far. After all, Cubone just lost his mother. He needs someone to rely upon now.
"Here, Pidgeotto." Sara held out her hand to Pidgeotto, who walked onto it. Holding out her hand in front of her, she said, "Why don't Vul go and strech Vul wings?"
"Pidgeo!" Pidgeotto seemed like to that idea. She streched out her wings, then began to take flight. As Pidgeotto took off, Sara pulled another ball off of her belt and opened it up, realsing Railina.
"Raichu!" she cried out when she was fully formed.
"Hey, Railina! Are Chu doing O.K?" I asked.
"Rai..." Railina smiled and looked up at me. She seemed very happy to see me, but I didn't think much of it.
We all started walking again. As we walked, though I couldn't help but notice that Railina was always smiling at me as we walked the whole way. My nose also detected an odd, yet kinda nice smell coming from her too.
"Hey, Sara? Chu smell that?"
"Smell what?"
"Rai coming from Railina. Rai smells nice, but Rai can't tell what it is."
"Vul? Dan, she smells the same Pix she always does."
"Chu sure? Vaporeon...Vaporeon!"
Vaporeon was sniffing the air around Railina, a smile on his short muzzle. Very slowly, he inched his way toward her, continuing to sniff around her.
"Rai!" Railina cracked her tail at Vaporeon, who backed away, looking upset.
"Vaporeon! Railina! What's going on...Vul?"
Having knocked away Vaporeon, Railina walked over to be and threw her arms around my leg, hugging it. She sighed happily as she rubbed her head against my pant leg.
"Railina! Come Rai, get off!" I attempted to shake Railina off my leg, but she just hugged it even tighter, refusing to move.
"Raichu love Chu!" she cried out.
"What? Love?" What was she trying to say? "Do Chu love someone?"
"Rai!" she said with a nod.
"Who?" Sara asked.
"Chu!" she said, giving my leg an extra hard hug.
"Me! Chu love me!"
"Rai!" How could Railina love me! I'm a human...well, kinda...but still, just because I'm part Raichu meant she was in love with me?
"What! Railina, Vul love Dan! How could...Pix..." Sara seemed to have just caught on to something.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Dan...Railina's Pix heat."
"Heat! She's in heat!"
For those uneducated on the subject, I'll explain. Only a female Pokemon can go into heat. When they do, they emit a scent that makes almost any male Pokemon think they're in love with the female. The female, in turn, will think they're in love with every male Pokemon until they find a male they find particular interest in, then ignore everyone else and give their total devotion and attention to the selected male. The female goes into heat about three times a year, and it usually only lasts about a week. Thankfully, only fully evolved Pokemon who are no longer considered young for their species can go into heat.
"Sara, get her off, Raichu!" I said, continuing to try and shake Railina off. That's another thing about females in heat; rejection just makes them try harder. I was actually kinda surprised I wasn't acting like Vaporeon, but I guess since I was originally a human, her scent
wasn't strong enough to affect me.
"Railina, return!" Sara pulled a Poke Ball from her belt to try and return Railina.
"RAICHU!" Railina quickly let go and ran behind me. She just avoided the beam that shot out to recall her, causing the beam to miss my foot by about an inch.
"Rai! Watch where Chu point that thing!" I yelped, leaping to the side.
"Sorry!" Sara put the ball away and looked at Railina, who was now hugging the back of my leg. "Well, she's not Vulpix on her own..."
"Rai guess we'll have to deal with it. How bad could Rai be?"
Oh, if I only knew...
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Railina wasn't too bad about this whole heat thing. She pretty much just clang to my leg the whole time and refused to get off. I had to walk a little slower because of her weight on my leg, but that was about it. This didn't seem as bad as I've heard people make it out to be. That
was, until we stopped to rest for the night.
"Railina, Chu really need to get off..."
"Rai!"
"What's wrong, Dan?" Sara asked, seeing I was trying to shake Railina off again.
"Well, Rai wanna go get changed for bed..."
"And?..."
"Rai not gonna change my clothes with Railina staring at me Rai whole time!"
"Vul...come here."
I walked over to Sara, who was sitting by the fire she'd set up. She grabbed Railina, and after a little work, we managed to yank her off. Railina looked extremly hurt when she realized what had happened.
"Rai..." She looked like she was gonna cry.
"It's O.K.! Rai be back in a little while, O.K?"
"Chu..." She still looked close to tears.
I quickly went back into the tent and began to change my clothes. Railina should be fine. After all, I'm just going in the tent for a few minutes. What's the worst that could happe...
"Vap! Vaporeon!"
"Rai! Chu Raichu love Rai!"
"Va...Vap Eon Vaporeon..."
"Vaporeon! Railina! Cut Vul out!"
"Vaporeon!"
WHOOSH!
"PIX!"
"Vaporeon, Vapor Vapor!"
"RAICHU CHU ATTACK RAI!"
"Vaporeon your Vap, Vapor Eon Eon love..."
"Vaporeon, Vul in big trouble!"
"Raichu! Raiii...CHUUU!"
BZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTT!
"V-V-VVVAAAPPP!"
"What's on Earth is going on Rai there!" I called out.
"Vul don't wanna know!"
Thinking prehaps I should get out there, I quickly crawled through the door of my new tent, just having time to toss on my sweatpants in my haste. I quickly saw that all chaos was about to break loose.
Sara's fur was damp with water, probably from being on the recieving end of a water attack from Vaporeon, Vaporeon's skin and fins were burnt black in some areas from being attacked by Railina's electricty, and Railina herself was standing between Sara and Vaporeon, glaring angirly at Vaporeon while sparks shot out of her cheeks.
"Railina! Vaporeon! What are Chu two doing!" I yelled out.
"Raichu Ra..." Railina started to say angirly, until she looked at me. A sudden smile lit up her face when she saw me. "Rai!"
Railina quickly forgot about Sara and Vaporeon and ran back over to me, throwing her arms around my leg. I sighed, realized this wasn't going to be nearly as easy as I thought.
"Rai love Chu!" Railina said with a happy sigh.
"Rai know, Rai know..."
"Dan, maybe we'd better keep Vul two apart...at least for tonight." Sara said, looking at Vaporeon and Railina. "Why don't Vul take Vaporeon into the tent? Vul can probably control Pix better than me."
I nodded and called for Vaporeon. He glared angrily at me, almost like he was mad at me. He slowly came over and walked into the tent, not even looking at me. I decided this was a good time to stay quiet. After I'd gotten Railina off my leg again with Sara's help, Railina stayed by Sara (only after Sara promised to teach Railina how to impress me), and I went back to the tent.
Vaporeon went to a corner of the tent and laid down, facing away from me. I called all my Pokemon to come in; it was getting late anyway, and I didn't want to be stuck alone with Vaporeon.
After about an hour or two of studying the big Pokemon information book I'd bought with me and a quick game of chess with Furret(which I barely won) I could feel my eyelids starting to close on their own. No one else, not even Sara knows how to play chess, and I still can't figure out for the life of me how she learned. She's already beaten me three times in four days! Oh well; maybe her old trainer taught her how to play.
I yawned and curled up in my sleeping bag. At least I could go to sleep and not worry about a love-sick Pokemon tonight...
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Dan! Dan, wake up!
I moaned, still half asleep. I blinked a few times, trying to get my vision into focus. Hey, how'd I get out of my clothes...and why am I so deep in my bag...oh no!
Not again! I scrambled out of my bag on all fours, trying to see if it was right. Ah man, I thought as I looked at my now handless arms, why do I keep going totally Raichu like this?...
Dan! Face me, now!
Who's th...AH! I yelped when I saw Vaporeon's now huge looking face right next to me, staring at me very angrily. Geez, you scared me...
Dan, I challenge you to a battle!
What? Battle? I sighed and shook my head. Vaporeon, it's too early for this. Go back to sleep.
NO! I leapt back a little in shock. What was going on with him!
You and Sara are trying to keep me from my love! I will not stand for it!
Vaporeon...you don't truly love Railina. She's in heat, and her scent is makin...
Lies! She does love me, and I love her! You're confusing her and trying to get her to love you! The only way to settle this is a battle; winner gets Railina!
Vaporeon, I... I started to say, but was interrupted when someone entered the tent...NO! NOT NOW!
DAN!
Railina rushed over to me and hugged me, nuzzling my cheek with her nose. I sighed and tried to pry her off me, to no avail.
Railina, no! I don't...
Oh, you're even cuter like this! Railina said with a happy sigh.
See! She loves you because of all the mind tricks you've been using on her! Vaporeon said fiercely.
No, I...
I can't wait till we can settle down... Railina said as she continued to nuzzle me. We'll find a nice place to live, maybe a tree...we'll always be there for each other, and we can take care of
our little Pichus...
NO! I shoved Railina away, disgusted at the thought. Me and her, having kids together! I shuddered at the thought.
She throws herself at you when she knows how I feel for her! How else do you explain that! Vaporeon asked angrily, slowly moving to me.
V-V-Vaporeon... I stammered, backing up slowly as Vaporeon moved after me. I knew I had a type advantage over him, but his huge size compared to me, and he could still do some real damage even without his water attacks. "S-She's in heat...you don't love her, and neither do I! She just decided to imprint on me and not you..."
LIAR! Vaporeon shot a stream of water at me. I barely fell onto my back in time to dodge it as the water soaked a large part of the tent.
Vaporeon! Calm down! I rolled to all fours, feeling the sparks flying out of my cheeks. I don't want to fight you! Haven't either of you been listening to me!
Oh... Railina sighed happily. I can already tell we'll be attracted to each other like magnets...
...I'll take that as a no...
I'll win my love from you! Vaporeon cried before lunging at me again, baring his sharp teeth. I dove to the side, then ran out of the tent to see Sara sleeping by the fire.
Sara! Sara! I yelled, running over to her. Vaporeon's after me! Help! Help!
"Five more minutes..." she mumbled, rolling over.
SARA! WAKE UP! Still no response. Well, I didn't really want to do this, but...RAAAIII...CHHHUUUU!
I charged up and zapped Sara with a small bolt. She yelped and woke up with a start.
"Railina! Why'd you do that to me!...oh no, Railina! What'd you do...huh?" Sara looked oddly at me. "Railina? Where'd your bow go?"
I'm not Railina! It's me, Dan!
"Come on Railina, let's...huh?" I turned to see both Railina and Vaporeon brust out of the tent, both coming straight for me.
Come back to me, my love!
Stay away from her!
"Railina? That means...Dan!" Sara looked down at me in shock. "What happened!"
I don't know, but I'm getting out of here!
I took off on all fours, hearing Sara following close behind me. Vaporeon and Railina were still calling after me. My cries of, Vaporeon, you can have Railina! Railina, I don't love you! were either lost or ignored.
"We need to hide!" Sara yelled as we leapt over a small stream.
Fine, but where! I yelled back.
That's when it happened. Making a short turn around a tree, a big rock loomed ahead of me. I was going too fast to stop, so I tried to make the leap over it. Unfortunetly, the rock was just a little too big. I almost cleared it, but my back legs caught the top of the rock and made me land in a rolled up position.
Oh man! The hill beyond the rock was really steep, and the only thing I could think to do was curl into a ball and pray. For what seemed like an hour I rolled and rolled, sending a flock of Mukrow flapping away as I barreled through them.
I became extremly worried when I felt my body go up hill sharply before losing any contact with the ground and feeling only air around me. I admit; I was scared out of my mind. I thought this
was gonna be the end. After flying up for what seemed like forever, I rapidly began to fall to the ground; I was gonna be a Raichu pancake!
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I screamed at the top of my lungs, now just hoping it'd be over quick.
SPLOOSH!
For once, luck seemed to be on my side. I landed in some body of water, making a huge splash as I did. I hit the bottom quick, but the water broke the worst part of my fall. I managed to unroll myself and kick hard off the bottom, rising quickly to the surface. The water was moving fast, but I managed to swim to the side and collapse onto the ground, totally worn out.
Good grief...I tell those parents to keep an eye on their kids, but do they listen? No; no one listens to me an...oh!
Somebody rushed over to my side, seeing I wasn't in the best shape. They slowly helped me to my hind legs.
Thanks... I managed to mumble, trying to focus on my helper. I almost jumped away at first when I saw the Raichu face; I thought it was Railina. When I looked closer though, I realized it
couldn't be. This Raichu was older than her; its fur was starting to turn a little grey with age, and its skin was sagging a little under the fur. It also had a large, jagged scar across its belly, and it's voice sounded more like a males voice; deeper and not as high pitched.
Wow; you're soaking wet. You're lucky you didn't short out when you... Suddenly my helper looked to be in shock. Oh...oh great Mew...I don't believe it...
I looked oddly at him; it's been told that most Pokemon think of the legendary Pokemon Mew as the ultimate god, so saying something like, "Great Mew" is like a human saying, "Great God". Why was this guy so happy to see me? I was left to my confusion while the other Raichu called out to someone.
Rami! Rami! Mew answered our prayers! He's back! He's back after all these years!
What? a new voice responded, this one definitly female. Another Raichu emerged from a fallen tree, the inside hollow after years of weathering. She looked much like the male Raichu, but her face looked...softer compared to the male Raichu holding me. She also didn't have the scar across her belly.
He's back! After all these years...he's returned!
What? Who's back, dea...oh...oh my! Now the female Raichu looked shocked. He IS back! She rushed over and hugged me tightly, tears flooding her eyes.
It's...nice to see you too... What was going on here!
After all this time...we can finally be a family The female Raichu, who I guessed was named Rami, said inbetween tears.
Son...we've missed you so much...
SON!
It's . . . it's nice to see you again Dad . . . you too, Mom . . . I thought it was best to just play along for the moment. I was totally lost and in a unfamiliar body; maybe I can get some food and shelter from them until the others find me . . . and hopefully by then Railina will be back to her old self.
Please, son! Come into our home; we have so much we need to catch up on! Rami and the male Raichu let go of me and quickly led me into the tree while they tried to clear the tears out of their eyes. I tried to think of something to say, but the two of them seemed so emotional at the moment, I decided it was better to say nothing for the moment and just accept the hospitality they were offering.
The fallen tree went on for a little while before opening up into a hole in the ground. The two Raichus leading me hopped into the hole and started down a tunnel. I scrambled after them, feeling a little claustrophobic as I made my way through the fairly narrow tunnel.
Um . . . Mom? Dad? Are we gonna be home soon? Where exactly was home, anyway? I don't remember Raichus being a burrowing species, so it seemed odd that we would be underground. Still, the two of them seemed to know what they were doing.
Don't worry, son; we're here now. The two of them suddenly cleared out of the way in front of me. I could see an opening and some light, which I quickly crawled out to.
This is a . . . nice . . . home. The space I was now in seemed to be a large dome shaped cavern; in the middle of it sat a stump; considering we had to be fairly deep underground, that must've been a very tall tree at one point. There we several tunnels that branched off this main room like the one I'd just crawled through, although the actual tunnels were all different sizes. What got me, though, were the torches hanging from the walls at various points that illuminated the entire dome. I was about to get a better look at one when the male Raichu started to tug on my arm.
Come son; we must introduce you to everybody! I can not wait to tell them the news . . .
Richi! Rami quickly separated us, scolding her husband for his behavior. Our son has just returned home for the first time in years from Mew knows where; he must be exhausted! Let him rest for now; the others can wait . . .
Yes, yes your right, Rami. The male, Richi I assumed his name was, looked down in embarrassment. I'm sorry, son; I'm just so glad to have you home again . . . your mother is correct, however; now is the time for you to rest.
Thank you, mother, father. I would appreciate that . . . I really would, too; Vaporeon had woken me up from an otherwise sound sleep in the middle of the night. After the unexpected run and swim, I was pretty tired.
Rami and Richi led me down another tunnel to another domed area, but this one had straw strewn all over the floor instead of the big stump and only one torch hanging on the far wall.
Here you go, son; this is where we sleep. We know it's not much . . .
It's fine; thank you . . . I stepped onto the straw and sat down, testing it with my paw for comfort. It was a little rough, but I didn't care much; I just wanted a place to sleep now.
Sleep well, son . . . Richi made his way back down the tunnel, and Rami started to follow him. I called to her before she got out of earshot; I still had a ton of questions.
Mom, wait . . . can I ask you something?
Yes, son? Rami practically dashed back to me, sounding very eager. Mental note: these two are definitely very happy to see me. Now, where do I start with the questions?
Mom . . . I've noticed you and Dad calling each other by name, but you always call me son. Why don't you call me by my name? Surely if I'm your son, you would have named me . . .
I was genuinely curious about the name thing, but at the same time, I wanted to try and hint to her that this was a big misunderstanding, and try to make it a little easier to her when I inevitably had to tell her the truth. She looked down at the ground, not looking at me.
We . . . I . . . when we lost you, you were so little . . . we hadn't even had a chance to name you yet. Ever since then, your father and I . . . we decided not to name you; not until we had you back with us.
. . . Oh . . . um, I'm sorry . . . I could feel my cheeks flushing under my fur; talk about embarrassing. I curled up on the straw, trying not to meet her eyes. I-I can wait with the other things; I was just curious . . .
It's alright, my child. You rest now. I could tell she was fighting back tears as she went out. Goodnight . . .
Goodnight . . . Mom . . . I curled up on the straw and closed my eyes; sleep came quickly thereafter.
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I awoke some time later, feeling much more refreshed. I looked myself over, half expecting to be back to my Hybrid form. Surprising, though, I was still in Pokemon form. That's odd; usually
I only stay in this form for a little while, and judging from the way I was fully recovered, I must've been asleep quite some time. What then . . . ?
Ssssss . . .
Huh? Where was that sound coming from? It sounded kinda like a gas pipe leaking, or an . . .
EKANS! I yelped and leapt away from the noise, turning quickly to see the poisonous Pokemon not inches from where I had been sleeping. I'd been warned often during my training before I left home to watch out for poisonous Pokemon in the wild; if you're deep in the wild, you have to be very careful. Though an Ekans' poison isn't particularly strong or anything, it can still be very dangerous. This Ekans seemed to be no threat, though, at least while it was still sleeping. It's snoring had scared the living daylights out of me, and while I didn't run out of the room, I did walk very quickly away, looking for Rami and Richi.
Mom? Dad? Um, there's an Ekans in my room . . . I stopped when I noticed the shapes of various Pokemon back in the central room with the stump. As I got closer, I could see that the Pokemon were all from the local area; a couple of Sentrets, some more Ekans, a Bellsprout and a Squirtle. I also caught glimpses of Rami and Richi; they all seemed to be talking as I approached.
The Pidgey's in the trees toward the river have said they've noticed a lot more humans coming from the direction of Viridian City . . .
We've found something dropped by some humans a few days ago; we put them with the others that we need to figure out the use of . . .
The Spearows and Mukrow have been having arguments over tree space; we're trying to get them to agree on some sort of peaceful settlement . . .
What the? . . . So much co-operation between so many different species, and they seem a lot more intelligent than the average wild Pokemon. Wild Pokemon aren't really dumb or anything, but this . . . this was certainly well above what most people think wild Pokemon are capable of. I moved a little closer, trying to stay close to what was happening without interrupting. Richi spotted me as I moved closer into the light, though, and called out to me.
Son! Come here! Gulping, I slowly stepped into the lit chamber, waving slightly to everybody.
Um . . . hi, everybody . . . I'm really not very good at public speaking, much less when the people I'm speaking to think I'm someone I'm not. "D-Don't mind me; I don't want to interrupt anything . . .
Nonsense! You're the reason we started all this! Come, stand next to me. Richi motioned to the space next to him as everybody else stared at me. As I approached, mostly because I had no idea what else to do, the others whispered to each other. They spoke in such low voices even my sensitive ears couldn't pick up most of what they were saying. Whatever it was, it didn't help to settle my nerves any.
Sara? Vaporeon? A rescue would be very welcome right about now. It's been hours; they should've found me by now. I mean, all they would've had to do was follow my scent down the cliff to the water where I landed . . . while my scent was dispersed in the air, covered up by the water, then covered even more by Rami and Richi when they led me into this cavern . . . and she would've had to keep Railina and Vaporeon apart while dealing with all the other Pokemon, and dragging around all of our equipment . . .
In hindsight, I said to myself as I moved between Rami and Richi, maybe this isn't as bad as I thought . . .
Wait . . . The Squirtle looked at me with a suspicious eye that matched his tone of voice. You're saying that this Raichu is your son that you supposedly lost years ago, the one that was taken away by humans in dark clothing over ten years ago, when he was still a Pichu? He just showed up last night after all these years?
Yes; it's a miracle. We found him soaking wet next to the nearby river. He must have fallen in somewhere upstream and was carried down toward the fallen log. Isn't that right, son? Rami asked me, looking for confirmation of her explanation.
Um, yeah, that's exactly what happened . . . Oh man, I hope I'm not gonna be put on the spot the whole time. I pondered telling them all the truth, hoping I remembered which tunnel led back to where I'd came in if I had to make a run for it as the Squirtle continued.
Rami, Richi, I mean no disrespect, but you have got to be kidding me! There's no way you can be certain that this is your kid, and even if it is, he's been gone for years! Who knows what could've happened to him in the meantime; for all we know, the same humans who took him could have put something on him and are listening to everything we say right now!
How could you say that, Toris! We should recognize our own son if we saw him! Besides, the only electrical aura that we can sense on him is his own natural one, and we all know that something like what your describing would have some sort of different, detectable aura! Richi looked steamed, small sparks shooting from his cheeks. I was still lost at who the heck Toris was until the Squirtle started talking again.
Hmmph; whatever. I'm still gonna keep an eye on him . . . Toris the Squirtle said with a huff, folding his arms over his chest. Boy, I feel welcome . . .
So, Mom, Dad . . . I said, quickly changing the subject. What exactly is all this?
This, son, is the home of the Guardians. Rami said, motioning to the whole dome. At first, it was just me and your father protecting the local Pokemon from the humans that came into the woods, seeking to capture and train us. Our plans weren't very good; most of the time we'd just throw ourselves at the humans and their Pokemon, trying to distract them while the one they were trying to capture escaped. Over the years, however, we've evolved into a group with members all over the world, helping to spread our ideas and helping those in need.
I see . . . A pair of Raichus who lost their child managed to do all this? This wasn't adding up; they knew way too much about human technologies, they were much more intelligent than the average Pokemon, and the level of organization they had . . . could this really be the work of a pair of parents hurt by the loss of their kid?
So, when the humans took yo . . . er, me . . . away, you guys decided to fight against humans and their Pokemon? I asked, trying to get more details out of them.
That was our only goal at first, yes . . . Richi said, nodding a little. But it wasn't too long before that changed. One time, while protecting a Rattata, we'd accidentally knocked the human trainer out. While we were none too fond of humans, we didn't want to leave her exposed to the less friendly Pokemon and the elements, so we tried to take care of the human till she revived. We quickly realized how little we actually knew about humans, so we released her Pokemon from their
balls, hoping they could help us care for her. They did, but they also showed to us that not all humans are bad. They really cared about Ashley; that's what her name was. They showed to us that most humans aren't like the ones that took you away, that many treated Pokemon much better. After that, we slowly began to learn more about humans as they passed through our forest, and Pokemon who heard of our deeds began to join our cause.
We've come to use some of the tools that humans use, and we've learned much about them and their technology. Rami continued. While we still protect Pokemon that need it, such as those that are too young to defend themselves properly, we do allow humans who we feel are worthy to capture those of us who are willing to join them and be exposed to the world of humans, while still serving their role as Guardians as well. All of our members who are now with trainers spread our message of understanding and co-operation to both humans and Pokemon, and they offer their aid to those in need however they can.
Wow; you guys really have done a lot . . . I guess they learned about some of the stuff through their encounters with humans; that's the only logical explanation. Still, everything they'd accomplished was pretty amazing. The building techniques here in the dome, the organization this group had, their overall high intelligence; it was pretty astounding.
Hmm? Mom? Dad? What's that? I asked, pointing to what I'd just noticed in the center of the stump. It appeared to be something burned into the wood; it looked something like a pawprint. The print itself was roughly oval shaped, and was topped off by a trio of toes, the middle one seemingly the most extended one of them all.
That's our groups symbol The Bellsprout said, waving around slightly like a floor in the wind as it spoke. We use it mostly as a way for a member to show their allegiance to the Guardians, but we also use it for other things. We've encourage members to mark places where Pokemon and humans alike can be safe and comfortable.
Plusss . . . The Ekans added while I tried to ignore the slight chills it's hissing was giving me, We ussse it assss a warning sssign; if you ssssee our sssymbol with a large 'X' through it, avoid that area. We have no ssspecfic enemiesss, but sssome don't approve of what we do, either . . .
That's not entirely true . . . Richi said, shaking his head a little. We do have one specific enemy; the one's who took you away. Even after all these years, we still know nothing about them . . . wait . . . Richi's eyes suddenly lit up as he turned to me. Son, if you've managed to escape from them, then surely you must have some idea of who they are! There must be something you can tell us that will help us make sure nothing like this happens to anyone else ever again!
Richi put his paws on my shoulders, his eyes pleading, begging me for a name, a place, anything. I didn't think it would matter to him who I said or how hopeless the odds would be of him actually succeeding; he wanted revenge. My eyes darted back and forth as I thought desperately of something to say, feeling like I was holding a loaded gun in my hands and being told to pick something to shoot; the results could be devastating.
D-Dad, I-I . . . I d-d . . .
Please son; just tell me who they are! We have know! His grip tightened on me with each second, the desperation in his voice clearly evident. Rami came over, trying to get Richi to calm down as she tugged on his arm.
Dear, please, stop; you're hurting him . . .
Richi, forget about it. Look, if this really was your kid, he probably would've blurted out the whole story as soon as he found his way back here. Toris shook his head and sighed. That's not him . . .
BE QUIET! Richi let go of me, only to dive across the stump towards the Squirtle. The Squirtle fell backwards in shock, which combined with Rami wrapping her arms around Richi's tail at the last moment to keep him back, kept him from getting cooked.
I KNOW MY OWN CHILD WHEN I SEE HIM! HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY JUDGEMENT! Richi yelled in rage as I joined Rami in trying to reign in Richi, bringing my tail up to wrap around his foot and drag him back across the table.
Dad! Calm down! I yelled, walking backwards to pull him away from Toris as I kept my tail around him. He's not the one who took me away; he's trying to help! Don't hurt him! The Bellsprout put himself between Richi and Toris while the Ekans got the stunned Squirtle toward one of the exits.
Eventually I got Rami down to the ground away from everybody else, though he fought hard to chase after Toris. His rage soon burned out, though, and he collapsed against the stump in a heap, worn out. Rami looked none too pleased as she spoke.
Richi, you're getting much too old for this . . . she said with a sigh, looking to see the Bellsprout was now also making a hasty retreat. Guess that's all we're doing for now . . . Son, please help me get your father to the rest area . . .
Sure, Mom . . . We each knelt down to either side of him, getting his arms behind us and supporting him on our shoulders as we carried him to towards the room I'd just come out of.
I'm sorry you had to see that, son. Your father here's been like this ever since that night we lost you. Between seeing you taken away and the wound he suffered . . . it's been especially hard on him.
The wound? . . . Oh; that . . . Must've been referring to the scar on his belly. This was getting worse by the second; the longer this went on, the more hurtful the truth would be to them. It's not like I could try and fake it either; besides the fact that I had to get back to Sara and the others, these two would eventually realize the truth anyway; then there would be real trouble . . .
I glanced over at Richi to seem how he was doing. He seemed to be totally worn out, almost to the point of passing out. At least I should try and find out a little more about what happened to their kid; Rami seemed to be the calmer and more reasonable of the two, and Richi seemed like he could barely recognize what was happening around him, so it was unlikely he would be able to contribute much anyway.
Mom . . . I-I didn't wanna say anything before, but . . . what happened that night that I got taken away? It was so long ago, and I was so little, I-I really don't remember much . . . I said, trying to fake a bit of sadness in my voice to sound more believable. I thought it sounded genuine; in hindsight, it actually felt genuine to me . . .
You don't remember? . . . Rami seemed a little shocked, but she quickly recovered. N-no, I suppose you wouldn't remember everything . . . let's put your father down here . . .
Having made it to the rest area, we gently settled Richi down on the straw. After making sure he was alright, we moved to the other end of the room and sat down so Rami could tell the story.
You were always a curious little baby; sniffing every new plant you found, trying to eat anything that looked like food, getting into the strangest places when you explored . . . occasionally you would go out at night and explore then too. We didn't mind; you knew where our tree was, so you never got lost, and we never thought there was any real danger around here, so we let you have your fun. Rami looked upset as she sighed. We're still ashamed of that mistake, even after all these years . . .
Something happened one night when I was out by myself? I asked, blinking a little as I felt my eyes starting to get watery. Must've been some dirt from the ground or something; I certainly wasn't getting emotional. This wasn't really me we were talking about, after all . . .
Rami nodded. We heard your cries for help far away one night. Your father and I rushed to you, but by the time we found you, several men in dark clothing had you in a net and were putting you into one of those human vehicles; I think it's called a van . . . you were crying and scared, begging us to help. We tried to get by the humans, but one of them used one of his trained Pokemon on us, a Nidoking. It just picked us up by our tails and held us while they locked you in the back
of the van. W-We couldn't do anything; it wasn't even fazed by our attacks . . .
Don't feel bad, Mom; it's a ground type, we can't use electricity on them . . . I said, trying to comfort her as I blinked back more water in my eyes; stupid cave dust . . .
I-I know, but . . . we felt so helpless; they didn't even feel we were worth taking . . . the human put the Nidoking back in his ball as they started to leave. I landed on my back when I fell, but Richi landed right on his feet and took off right after the human, biting him, yelling at him to give you back . . . he barely saw the knife the human pulled in time; if he hadn't leapt away when he did, I would've lost you both that night . . . it only grazed him, but it left that scar on him, just like it left a scar in our hearts when we realized we would probably never see you again as they drove away . . . Rami sniffed, the ground near her feet getting wet as she cried. We could still hear you crying . . .
M-Mom . . . I reached out and hugged her as best I could, my tears joining hers on the ground.
I've never really considered myself to be a very emotional guy, but I couldn't help but feel deeply saddened by her story. It couldn't have affected me on a personal level; it shouldn't have, but somehow it did. It just couldn't be that I was really their child, but for some reason,
on some level, it did really feel like I'd just been reunited with my parents.
I don't know exactly how long we stood there, supporting each other as we cried, her asking again and again to forgive them for what they did, me saying it was O.K . . . then I would cry even more, knowing that it wasn't really O.K at all, because they had the wrong Raichu, and it was going to be nearly impossible to tell them the truth now. It seemed like ages before we were finally able to regain control of ourselves.
W-Well . . . Rami said, sniffing and wiping away the tears from her eyes, the important thing is that you're back now; now's a time for us to be happy, not bawling like this . . .
R-Right . . . um, why don't you show me around, Mom? I really wanna see what kind of stuff you guys have here . . . I said, trying to straighten myself out as I slowly let go of her.
Certainly . . . She glanced back at Richi for a moment, then led me off back down the tunnel. Come, let's go . . .
Rami led me to the various areas of their little underground base, showing me where they collected technology that humans either lost or gave them, a small dome that they used for practice battles, and where they stored their food.
I was only half listening when Rami told me about the crude refrigeration system they used to store cold food, still mulling over her story in my mind. Parts of her story sounded very familiar; the men in dark clothes, their rough treatment, taking small children . . . there was a chance but it would be so coincidental; the odds were nearly impossible . . .
Son? Is everything O.K? Rami asked, shaking me from my thoughts.
Huh? Oh, yeah, everything's fine . . . I said quickly, trying to sound calm. I stifled a little yawn; all the activity had worn me out. Sorry Mom; I'm getting a little tired. Do you mind if I go and lay down for a little bit?
No, of course not . . . come; I should check on your father anyway . . . We started back toward the rest area, passing through the central area with the stump again as we did. I glanced back at their symbol burned into the wood; that looked familiar from somewhere . . .
Mom? That symbol you use . . . it looks familiar, but I can't quite . . .
It's a Pichu footprint. Rami said quickly, cutting me off. when we lost you, all we had left of you were some prints you'd left in the ground. When we started to become more organized, we decided to use that as a symbol, to remind us of what we were doing all this for . . .
I didn't say anything to that; I just nodded as we entered the rest area. Richi was still out cold as I sat against a wall. I didn't really want to fall asleep or anything; I just needed a couple of minutes to collect my thoughts and close my eyes. Just a few minutes . . .
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The big noisy thing we were all in stopped making noise after a while. Then its sides opened, and the people in the dark clothes who took me away took me with them out of it. I tried to tell them again that I didn't want to be here, that I wanted to go back with Mommy and Daddy, but I don't think they listened. Even if they did, I don't think they would let me go back to Mommy and Daddy; they didn't seem very nice . . .
The sun was in my eyes when they carried me out of the noisy thing; I covered my eyes so they wouldn't get hurt by the sun. When I didn't think the sun was there anymore, I opened my eyes again. We were in a different place now; it was very dark and I didn't like it much. There were other people here too; they had white clothes on and stood in front of big things with lots of bright and shiny things on them. I tried to tell them I wanted to go home, but they didn't listen either. Then I tried to play with the shiny and bright things, but the person in the dark clothes who was carrying me didn't let me do that, either.
The people in dark and white clothes said things to each other; I didn't understand it much, and it wasn't very fun. I looked around for something more fun to do, but there didn't seem to be a lot of fun things here at all. I didn't like this place . . .
The people's started to move as they talked, taking me with them. We went by lots of boring things, and I didn't really like them, but then, we stopped in front of something different. It looked like water was in something that had no color, but the water was green, and there was something inside the water too. It had some big thing on it's mouth, and it didn't look very happy. I couldn't see very much else, but then it started to move and make noise. The thing that held all the strange water started to shake when the thing in the water hit it. That was very scary, and I started to cry again.
The people in dark and white clothes didn't do anything to make me feel better, so I cried for a long time. The person in dark clothes that held me put me down in something as I started to stop crying. It was big and black, with long bars all around it. Then they walked away and left me alone. At least, I was alone at first.
When I wiped away the tears from my crying, I saw something else in here with me. It was yellow and black and red, with a black tail in a silly shape and red cheeks and big pointy ears. When I crawled toward him, he crawled toward me too. He must've been a baby too; he was very small like me too, and he didn't look happy to be here either. He looked like . . .
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Son? Son!
I was jerked out of my nap, feeling sparks flying off my cheeks as I jumped to my feet. Richi backed off quickly, looking hurt and confused as he did. Once I remembered where I was, I sighed and tried to calm down.
Sorry Dad, I didn't mean that . . .
I-It's alright, son . . . you were just saying strange things while you slept, and I was worried . . .
I-I'm fine . . . No, that was a lie; that dream had pretty much confirmed my suspicions. I could barely bring my eyes to meet Richi's as I spoke.
Dad . . . could you get Mom in here? I-I have to tell you guys something . . .
Yes son, certainly . . . Richi seemed confused, but he left to go get Rami as I stood up.
I started to collect my thoughts as I waited for them to come back; I couldn't hide the truth from them anymore. After having that dream, right after what they told me . . . it wasn't solid proof, but it was enough for me to confirm what I had been starting to suspect. I just hoped they would understand . . .
Rami and Richi came back quickly, both of them looking very confused. I took a deep breath; here goes nothing . . .
What is it, son? What did you want to tell us? Richi asked, tilting his head a little in confusion.
D . . . no, Richi . . . Rami, I'm . . . I'm not your son.
Both of them just stood there for a moment, letting that settle in. It felt like at least a minute had passed before Rami responded.
Son, don't be silly, of course you . . .
No; I'm not . . . not really . . . This is where things were going to get really complicated. Do you two understand genetics?
Jen . . . ecticks? Richi looked even more confused. We haven't found any of those . . .
No, you don't find them . . . do you know how, when you have a child, it's a little bit of both of it's parents? They both nodded slowly; we were off to a good start. Now, things would get complicated . . .
I told them about Hybrids, how they were made of both humans and Pokemon. I told them about Team Rocket, and how they had made Hybrids to use for their own reasons, but then lost most of them. Then I told them how I was one of those Hybrids, and that they could sometimes change into Pokemon.
But . . . Rami looked even more confused. I don't understand, what does this have to do with you not being our son? . . .
Well . . . in a way, I am your son, but in a way, I'm not eithier . . . remember how I said how Hybrids are made from humans and Pokemon? They both nodded in acknowledgment, so I continued.
Well, since I'm made from a human and a Pokemon, who each had their own parents, I technically have two mothers and two fathers.
But you are our son, your scent . . . Richi started, but I stopped him midway through.
I think . . . when they combined my human self with a Pokemon, the Pokemon they combined me with was . . . your son . . .
I let that sink in for a moment, going over the facts in my head just to be certain. It made sense; you can't pick up Pokemon DNA at your local PokeMart with your Potions; it would've had to have come from a Pokemon, and Mom had said that the tests they'd received proved I was their son. This was the only possible explanation; their son's DNA had been combined with my own to turn me into a Hybrid. That's why Rami and Richi seemed so certain that I was their kid; in a way, I was . . .
Rami, Richi . . . I-I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you sooner, but you were so happy to see me, to see your son . . . I couldn't bring myself to tell you. I wasn't even sure you'd understand . . .
N-No, it's alright . . . Richi sighed as Rami looked close to crying again. It was foolish of us to think you were our son without asking questions, getting more information . . .
L-Listen, if it will help any, I-I could stay a little while . . . I didn't think that would help much, but I felt guilty for having to hurt them like this; I wanted to make it up somehow. Rami blinked back her tears and shook her head.
N-No; that wouldn't be right. If you're truly not our son, then it we couldn't ask you to stay here, just for our sakes . . .
Then maybe you two could come with me; maybe one day we can find your real son and . . .
We can't do that either . . . Richi said; he kept a straight face, but I got the impression he was holding his real emotions back. We have a job to do here; we can't just abandon everything we've done here on a slim hope.
I understand. I said as I nodded in agreement. Rami, Richi . . . I have to get back to my friends; they're probably worried sick about me. I can't say for sure I'll find him, but if I ever can, I'll find the guys who did this to you, and make them pay; maybe I could even find your son
for you . . .
Thank you . . . Rami still looked crushed, but I thought I caught a little glimmer of hope in her eye. Richi glanced back toward the central hub with the stump.
Our tunnels run all around here; if you can give us a general idea where you came from, we could probably get you back very close to your friends . . .
Thank you . . . After getting some directions out, I started off back toward the others. I turned back just before I left, waving slowly to them.
Bye Mom . . . bye Dad . . . I managed to get out, giving them one last look before taking off, not wanting them to see me crying as I left. I could her Richi's words echoing through the tunnel behind me as I made my way back to my friends.
Bye, son . . .