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Prologue

The train grunt and squealed as it roared down the tracks. Nearby birds burst from their nests, startled by the noise as it passed by. It was a clear day, with few cotton ball clouds floating in the blue sky. The town of Dixie was at least 20 kilometers away, it will take at least 5 minutes for the train to past. The conductor wiped the sweat off his forehead with a hankerchief, then pulled the train horn for the 6th time. Anyone or anything up ahead was alerted to its annoying toot, assuming something with ears heard it.

Stretching at least 3 kilometers long, 4 meters tall, and 4 meters wide, the train packed a serious punch. Built 15 years ago, the locomotive carried its freight from town to town, delivering electronics, food, and appliances. From there, workers truck it over to the store for consumers to buy. The freight train was reliable. Always one time, always on schedule. Sometimes a little bit ahead of schedule, as its long time conductor always go a little too fast. Like cars on roads, trains also obey speed limits. For this train and the track it was lumbering on, it was 140 KPH. But the conductor, looking to earn a bonus for extra time, sped it up to 160 KPH. Train speed limits weren't well enforced as car speed limits, so when the conductor checked to see if nobody was watching, he gunned the engines near the max and rode by the seat of his pants. The train moved so fast that it could have been one of those new bullet trains.

In the back, several freight cars carried appliances, electronics, the usual stuff. However, there were 10 carts carrying more sensitive and delicate cargo. Locked away in padded cages, were Pikachus and Raichus from multiple Pokémon labs. They were shut in tight, almost hunching in the near darkness while listening to the roar of human power. These Mouse Pokémon were specially bred for compliance and experimentation, they had the tattooed serial numbers under their left foots to prove it. When they reach their destination, they would be violated and experimented on for "the good of humanity." To them, it was sadistic torture. Yes, they were fed properly. Yes, they were bathed. Yes, they got social interaction with each other. No matter, they were still imprisoned. Held against their will. They chatted amongst themselves in the cars, Pikachus and Raichus were so social that a hundred yammering mouths was almost louder than the roar of a train's diesel engine. A few Pikachus and Raichus didn't bother trying to communicate, sleeping soundly or tending to their thoughts.

Somewhere up ahead, rust covered the tracks like fast-growing mold. These tracks were poorly maintained, maintenance crews simply pulverize the weeds growing in the tracks, doing nothing more. Anything else that doesn't involve plant work was not their domain. The tracks were much older than the train's newest parts, they were begging Mother Nature to pull them apart. Ahead of the train, their was a tight curve. A hard turn to the left. The tracks here were more worn in than the straighter ones. Here, rust had eaten into the rivets. Vibrations from passing trains knock off the rust and more rust formed until it gets to the center. From their, the rivets fail, but still hold up since trains who past before always go slower around turns.

Until now.

The conductor sees the turn up ahead, he made no attempt to slow down the train. He just kept the train cruising along at its current speed, confident that the tracts would hold. Unova's infrastructure was one of the mightiest in the world, they were literally built to take on sheer limits. Truth was, train tracks made out of stretched and battered steel could only take in so much.

The train hit the curve and proceed to make the turn. The train groaned and squealed as the wheels ground into the tracks. The rusty rivets could hold no more. Like a zipper going down, the rivets snapped and the tracks came loose. The train's momentum tore up the tracks and derail. The conductor didn't feel the tracks give way, but when he saw the world started turning clockwise he panicked. The smartest thing the conductor done all day was hit the emergency stop button. The engine was killed and all emergency brakes on all cars lock up. The deafening squeal of a thousand wheels grinding against the tracks in a violent choir. The conductor hang on, the main car started rolling like crazy. The nearby trees helped slowed the momentum but the huge work of metal snapped them like tooth picks. The conductor was flung around in his seat until he smashed his head on the control panel, he died instantly. The main car was twisted off from the rest of the cars and was tossed aside, coming to rest on its top.

With the emergency brakes engaged on all cars, they should ground to a halt. However, the high speed and heavy weight of the cars kept them going. More track rivets went, the rails were pulled apart. Every car that went through the broken turn was turned over and pushed aside by the car behind it in a violent case of dominoes. The Mice Pokémon in the 10 cars were also derailed. First they heard a loud squeal of grinding metal, then the world started spinning. The padded cages, more protected than the conductor's compartment, kept the Pokémon safe as the cars started rolling. The walls held firm against the earth, but the roof was made out of riveted plastic. A chunk of it was torn off from every past over the ground as the cars rolled. All the Mice Pokémon screamed as they were tossed around in their cages like ping pong balls. Two minutes from the moment the train derailed, the last few cars still remaining on the track ground to a halt. The sad mutilation of human ingenuity lay scattered across the forest of splinters and downed trees. This train's life on the rails – as well as its conductor – was officially over.

Yet for the Mice Pokémon, their lives had just begun.

Though the cages were rubber-coated and padded, the locks were out in the open. Some cage doors had burst open and their occupants thrown out like rag dolls. They simply got back up, brushed off the dust, and went to work trying to get the cages open. They picked up bits of metal and jammed them into the space between the door and the cage, using all their muscle to pop them open. The process was somewhat successful, some cages went while others stayed firmly shut. The Mice Pokémon were on a time limit. There was no telling when the police or some folks with authority would come around to investigate why the train hadn't arrived. If that happened, then the Pikachus and Raichus' moment of freedom would end.

One Pikachu figured it out, his cage broke and was thrown out by the inertia of the spinning car, momentary knocked out when he hit his head on the floor. When he awoke, he felt his arm was broken. When he held it up, he was horrified to find his left hand was somehow amputated from the accident. He tried looking for it, but to no avail. His right eye blurred, the blow had ruptured several blood vessels. The Pikachu couldn't find himself concerned right now, he kept a hand tight on what was left of his wrist, struggling to stop the bleeding. Being one of the oldest and wisest, he knew that the conductor had the keys and a first aid kit.

When he got a look at his surroundings, he saw the car had split in two. Several cages held firm, Pikachus and Raichus panicked and begged their elder to open the cages. Still stunned from the blow, he couldn't hear them. He doesn't need to. The keys had to be in the main car, all this Pikachu had to do was find it.

The Pikachu walked through the split of the car, bright sunlight blinded him. With his one good eye, he saw the carnage before him. Train cars were strewn everywhere, trees were mangled, the dirt churned up. The scene looked like a bomb had went off. Over in the distance, the Pikachu saw what looked like a storm, heading its way toward the train. That was good and bad. Good, because it would buy the Mice Pokémon time. Bad, because they would be exposed to the elements. They need to get out, or they would die here. The made his way past the broken cars, the cries of panicking Pikachus and Raichus rang in ten of them. One of them tried to unleash a big Thunderbolt, a train car lit up like the sun for a brief second before the rubber-coated cages canceled it out. The old Pikachu carefully navigated his way around the pulverized wreck, his head and wrist throbbed in pain. He had experienced pain from needles and electric shocks before, but this was unbearable. So unbearable that he wasn't sure if he was going to make it.

Well if that was the case, then he had to buy himself some time. His children and grandchildren and nephews and nieces needed him, they always relied on him. He swore he heard several of them scream his name.

The Pikachu hopped on a downed tree, he slipped on the bark and flopped on the other side. He landed on one of his ears. It stung with pain, the Pikachu tried not to cry. He got back up on his hind legs and continued on. He went around a few more cars. One car had burst open and boxes of appliances were spread out. The Pikachu walked passed them. He walked around a few more derailed cars and splintered trees. There it was, the main car. It sat on its roof, plumes of steam billow out from its belly as the hot engine cooled off. The Pikachu tightened the pressure over his wrist and walked up to one of the windows. The door to the cab had bust open, the Pikachu climbed through. Inside, the conductor's lifeless corpse hang from the seat. His arms dangle from his shoulders like spaghetti noodles. Blood dripped down from his broken skull to form a huge puddle of blood on the metal ceiling. Sitting at the corner, the Pikachu found the first aid kit he was looking for. It was battered from being flung around in the cab, but it held firm. His feet crunched against the broken glass as he walked toward it, giving occasional glances at the dead conductor. The Pikahcu grabbed the first aid kit and opened it up, then got to work.

He tore open a packet of alcohol swab and smear it all over the stump. The Pikachu breathed in through his teeth, it stung bad. Hot tears formed in his eyes as he cleaned up the wound. He tossed aside the bloodied alcohol swab, then placed a pad of gauze over the stump. He then unrolled some gauze strips and wrapped up the stump, getting it as tight as he can. He taped it down with medical tape and checked his work, it was good to go.

Next he wrapped gauze over his bad eye and part of his head. Not knowing how bad it was, he wrapped it up until it was snug, then taped it down. He felt around to see if the bandages would hold, it seemed it would. The Pikachu then repacked the first aid kit and sat it aside, next he needed to find the keys.

He looked up at the conductor again, there they were, clipped to his belt. They were out of reach. Just as the Pikachu tried to figure out how to get them, the seat belt broke and the body flopped to earth. The Pikachu jumped back and held his breath, the body laid there motionless. The guy was dead, no hope for him. Though he was the guy who was going to take them to another Pokémon lab for experiments, the Pikachu couldn't find much hate for him. He wasn't the guy who forced his family into this slavery, he was just doing what he was paid to do. The Pikachu hammered down his sympathies and refocused on the task. The keys. The Pikachu turned the body over and found them. He unclipped them from his belt and held them up. Bingo.

Thinking the Pikachu might need the first aid kit again, he undo the conductor's belt and pulled it out. He then took the first aid kit and used the belt to strap it onto his back. It was difficult to do it with only one hand, but he got it done. He checked his work, the belt would hold. Time to go.

The Pikachu climbed out of the main car with the keys in hand. He went back to the other Mice Pokémon and walked into one of the down cars. Three Pikachus worked desperately to force the cages open as their brethren cried around them. The older Pikachu whistled through his teeth, the whole car went silent. When he got the three Pikachus attention, he handed the keys to one of them. That Pikachu took the keys and checked for the right one. One of them made a perfect fit and the Pikachu unlocked it, freeing the trapped one inside. As he worked to unlock the other cages, the older Pikachu saw his work was done. The others could take over. Now all he had to do was find a nearby town with a Pokémon Center in it, then get professional medical attention. Some Pikachus came to his aid and help him along, then they made the journey through the woods to the unknown.

For the other Mice Pokémon, they broke from their cages within minutes. Then poured out of the cars in a mass formation and escaped to where they thought their elder went. Some Pikachus and Riachus stuck behind to retrieve some food caches from the cars, they planned to set up shop somewhere where they could celebrate their new-found freedom. Within an hour, the site was deserted. The thunderstorm in the distance had arrived, it rumbled and roared as its gray clouds approached. Lighting struck nearby, giving off the biggest thunder the land had ever heard.

. . .

30 Years Later...

"Chu Chu," said Pika, "Chu!" Chuchu, wake up!

Chuchu stirred. Faint rays of sunlight broke through the small opening of the burrow, she let out a yawn and sat up. Her mate sat before her, clutching their offspring in his hands. Chuchu smiled, warm fuzziness bloomed in her heart as she saw him.

"Pika, Pika." she said. Morning, Pika.

Pika handed her the Pichu egg, she scooped it up and hugged it, "Pikachu." Beautiful morning out there.

The couple crawled out of their small burrow and poked their heads out. Many ancient growth trees tower over them, their leaves faintly blocked out the sun. The air smelled fresh today, heck, it always smelled fresh in the morning. Pika and Chuchu sat at the mouth of their nest, their precious egg sitting between them, as they look out into the vast landscape of the forest. Their hearts beaming with pride.

"How's your brother?" Chuchu asked in their Pokémon language.

Pika shrugged, "Doing okay, I think he should come around sometime day."

Chuchu pick up the egg and clutch it in her arms, "Let's go see what the others are doing, maybe your brother would be there."

"I doubt it," said Pika, "He's no morning person."

"But you can never know."

"True, I suppose he'll turn up."

"Pika!" cried out a faint voice deep from the trees, it bounced around in the air before fading into a dying echo.

"Chu!" Pika called out, his voice flowed out, echoing into the distance in all directions.

"Sounds like the whole pack is up," Chuchu tucked Pika's hand, "Come on, Pika, let's see what they have for breakfast."

"I'm coming, Chuchu." Pika replied.

Pika and Chuchu walked side by side towards the pack. Pika walked on all fours as Chuchu walked on her hind legs, her arms preoccupied in carrying the egg. Starting a family was always difficult out in the wild. There was so many threats that could harm the tiny Pichus, but luckily there were other Mouse Pokémon dens nearby. Her pack had colonized this area of Dixieland National Park for sometime now, there was a den always within 50 meters from another. They were dug out and camouflaged into small hills and the trees. Dug properly, no one's the wiser. Poorly dug, the nest would cave in or leak. Even dug open by predators who took note of the nests. The Mouse Pokémon burrows were well padded with compressed dirt and clay. Dead leaves and other plant material was strewn over it to give insulation and waterproofing. One Mouse Pokémon might get lucky and find a fragment of a tarp or a trash bag from human civilization, use that for waterproofing. Or even better, rain collection.

The couple walked passed several of their cousins' dens. They were empty. Everyone had gathered out in the meadow. Chuchu heard snores from one den, typical heavy sleepers. They always like to sleep in on Saturdays. Pika and Chuchu walked passed and made their way through some bushes. Low and behold, the wide open meadow was there before them. Pichus, Pikachus, and Raichus filled the meadow. Some Pikachus were cuddling with each others. A small group of Pichus were playing. One Raichu was playing with his Pichu children, tickling them and rolling them around. Several Pikachus chased each other, laughing as they dive-bombed on each other and roll in the grass. Some Mice Pokémon sat around and converse with each other, nibbling on foraged food from the forest.

Pika and Chuchu walked into the group and found a suitable spot, Chuchu sat down and wrapped her arms around the egg as Pika took a quick look around, "I'm going to find some food, you just hang tight. Okay, sweetie?"

"Sure, Pika." said Chuchu.

The two rubbed noses and Pika head off to search for food. Chuchu sat there and looked around, the sound of a million yammering Mice Pokémon was so loud she wondered why she couldn't hear it back at the den. No wonder many Mice Pokémon can sleep in, their work on the dens had paid off. Chuchu yawned and polished her Pichu egg with her wrist.

She could never forget the day when she first laid it. She was going to be a mother, and having the father around was a nice bonus. Sometimes the father wanders off to do their own thing, not cut out for parenting. Sometimes they stay to parent. At times, the Pichus themselves might choose to bail and take on the world, without being raised by their parents. The thought of her Pichu leaving right after its born made her sad, but not really sad. It wasn't like they were going anywhere. They always stick nearby, doing their own thing. Sometimes the Pichus band together with other Tiny Mice Pokémon to cause innocent chaos. Chuchu chuckled, Pichus are so mischievous at times.

She looked over to the edge of the field and saw a Pichu climbing over a Pikachu, the Pikachu just sat there as the Tiny Mouse Pokémon climbed over her face. Blocking her vision with its body. The Pikachu gently pulled the Pichu off and sat it down. The Tiny Mouse Pokémon simply climbed back on top of her head and covered her face again. She pulled it off, it climbed back up. The Pikachu pulled the Pichu off at least 10 times before she had enough. When the Pichu tried to get on her for the 11th time, the Pikachu plucked him off and pinned him to the ground. She placed her mouth on its belly and blew into its fur and skin, the Pichu squealed in laughter as it thrashed its little arms and legs. Nearby Mice Pokémon took notice, they watched for a minute before turning back to their own activities.

"Hey, Chuchu," a Pikachu called out, "Catch!"

Chuchu turned towards the voice, just in time to see a neon orange frisbee coming straight at her. She ducked. The frisbee soared over her head towards a Raichu. Its back was turned. The frisbee struck the back of his head and bounced off. The Raichu jumped, he looked around for what hit him. He couldn't find it. The Raichu went back to staring off into space.

The Pikachu who threw the frisbee quickly retrieved it, then jogged up to Chuchu, "Wanna play frisbee, Chuchu?" she asked.

Chuchu shook her head, "I'm waiting for breakfast. Besides, I have a nest egg to watch."

The Pikachu sniffed the egg, then turned back to ChuChu, "When is it due?"

"In a few days."

"What are you going to name it?"

"Not sure, I don't know if its a boy or girl."

The Pikachu sat up and sat the frisbee aside, "Don't know?"

"Yes, I don't know."

"You can't tell?"

"Does anyone around here guess the gender of their egg?"

The Pikachu didn't respond right away, "I guess not."

"Look," said Chuchu, "Go find someone else to play with, my mate get's anxious if he finds I'm gone."

The Pikachu clutched her frisbee in both hands, stared at it for a moment, then sighed, "Fine, I don't blame you. Taking care of a Pichu egg is a big responsibility."

"It is," said Chuchu, "wait until you lay an egg, you'll find out that responsibility soon enough."

The Pikachu held her head low as she walked off, dragging her frisbee along with her. Chuchu wondered where she got it. Strange how Pikachus and Raichus managed to get things in town. Easy thing to get was garbage, cause garbage was out in the open for anyone to feast from. Heck, that was how she met Pika. She was just cruising along the back alleys of the town of Dixie and there he was. Sitting in a mountain of scrap food in a dumpster. She remembered how their eyes met each other, feeling the love from first sight. Eventually she joined Pika in the dumpster and ate till their bellies were full, then mated in the dumpster in three different positions.

Ah, good days.

Like all males, Chuchu suspected Pika to run off afterwords. Sometimes they come back to mate again, just for fun. They always do that, she once done that. She would had just moved on if Pika hadn't stuck around. The fact that he stayed with her, told Chuchu that it wasn't part-time love. It was full-time love. Real love, and not for fun. He showed no signs of cheating her, Chuchu gave him her trust. So far he hadn't broken it, though she sometimes question when Pika was out a little too long.

Chuchu sighed, she was bored. This egg she had to watch. She wondered what the gender was. She had her thoughts of naming her child, and so does Pika. She couldn't think of anything, since other Pikachus and Raichus already took the names she thought of. Maybe she would go out into town and eavesdrop on some humans, see what names they had. Of course, getting caught in the trash might spell an end to her. Assuming they could-

BOOM!

"SAHH!"

All conversations and thought processes ceased. That was a gunshot, sounded powerful too. Chuchu felt fear jam up her spine. Where was Pika? He should be back by now.

"Where did that come from?" cried a Pikachu.

"In the bushes," another Pikachu cried, "on our south flank!"

"Anyone shot?" a Raichu asked.

Another shot blasted through, this time Chuchu saw where the bullet went. It zipped through the crowd and punched through the skull of a Pikachu, brain matter was pulverized and strewn everywhere in a bloody confetti as the Pikachu flopped dead. Chuchu clutched her egg, she knew what this meant.

"POACHERS!" a Pikachu cried.

A loud whistle blew and a symphony of gunshots rang out. Multiple Pikachus and Raichus dropped like flies, blood explode as flesh was torn apart. Chuchu grabbed her egg and ran, ran as fast as she could back to the burrow. Bullets whizzed past her ears in giant puffs. They struck the Mice Pokémon in front of her. The bullets knocked them down with brute force, tearing up their insides in the process. Many Pichus ran for dear life, others stayed behind and tried to save their fallen parents, some of which were dead from fatal shots. Some shots struck Pichus, snuffing them out in a puff of red mist.

"PIKA!" Chuchu cried for her mate, "PIKAAA!"

A bullet struck her in the back, knocking her forward. The egg broke free from her grasp and rolled, she hit the ground hard as massive pain rippled up her back, "Help," she cried, "somebody help me!"

The Pikachu with the orange frisbee quickly ran to her aid as fast as she can, she ran on all fours with the frisbee on her head. Chuchu tried to crawl toward her, but the pain in her back kept her from moving, "Don't worry," the Pikachu cried, "I got y-"

A bullet cut the Pikachu off, it blew through her temple and blasted out the back of her head. She flopped face first, the orange frisbee dropped and rolled a meter away. Chuchu's eyes went big. The screams of Mice Pokémon grew louder and desperate, most becoming death cries.

She was just a kid, Chuchu thought as she stared at the frisbee Pikachu, just a kid, why?

Chuchu turned back to her egg, she used all her remaining strength and got back up to her feet. Blood trickled down her leg, making her foot sticky. Chuchu quickly picked up the egg and jumped over a small hill, two bullets blasted past her as she does so.

Now out of the kill zone, Chuchu quickly made her way past the other dens to her own. She thought again where Pika was, where was he and why hadn't he shown up when the attack happened? Chuchu felt betrayed, her heart ached as she clutched their offspring in her hands. The world began feeling dizzy, almost spinning. She managed to keep her balance as several more Mice Pokémon ran past her. The gunshots had mostly faded now, soon the poachers would move in to make sure they had hit their mark. If they found her and her egg, they both were done for.

Chuchu found the nest, she squeezed through the entrance and covered it up. She sat the egg down and collapsed. Hot tears trailed down her face as she struggled to breathe. The air temperature was dropping, the world became more dizzy. She knew what was happening.

I'm dying, she thought, no, no, no, I can't die. I don't want to leave my Pichu all alone!

She turned to her egg, and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I love you . . . I love you. . ."

Chuchu rested her head and relaxed. The loud screams and noises deafen as the world became darker. Before death claimed her, Chuchu placed her hand on her egg and breathed her last words, "Please, someone take care of my child!"

Then she let go.

TO BE CONTINUED. . .