Disclaimer: Pokemon is owned by Nintendo, Gamefreak, 4kids, and other such partys, I recognise this and do not own in any part the Pokemon license. I own all original aspects of this story including but not limited to original charecters (Roz, Anne etc but not Ash, Erika etc) and plot. Special thanks to all who have been reading this sereis, it will continue, thanks for the support you’ve shown me. Versions for interested webmasters will be available shortly.

Crystal Lake: Erika’s Prison

Indigo Island is an anolomy, its surrounding isles are an extended phenomenon.

Once, it had been subject to regular invasion by those neighbouring lands jealous of the jewels in its crown, jealous of Pokémon.

Eventually the humans and the Pokémon of the island unified, trainer and Pokémon, they fought back each invasion, and their powers were far beyond the range of the current weaponry their enemies possessed. Their enemies grew all the more jealous of these trainers, and they fought relentlessly through the ages. Indigo found itself out numbered. When war was no longer an option, peace had been sought. Though it for the collection of counties that made Indigo, it was more of a dictated peace. They agreed to share with the rest of the world the advances in technology made by Pokémon related science. They agreed never again to interfere with the affairs of other lands. They agreed to be governed by a group of morally strong leaders, an archaic elite four, who would be above all, even the democratically elected government, all, save the Pokémon Master. The competition for the title would be so tight, and the journey so arduous that only those of a pure heart and will of iron could ever hope to win. There would be no chance that an evil soul could posses such power. Times change, and both commercial and underworld alliances are formed, mirroring the alliance of human and Pokémon. The islands thrive economically, independently. Centuries pass. The ancient treaties still stand. Despite their age, some resent their limitations as a fresh wound. They do not posses a pure heart or a will of iron, and they seek to control the island. Already, they have taken over Team Rocket, inspired its troops with promises of power. Possessed by the ideal of so much strength, masked by a pretence that they wish to break their islands shackles, they show little regard for others. For life. For Pokémon, as their leaders show no evidence of a bond as with trainers of old, their Pokémon often victim to cruel genetic enhancements. Some defy them the right to posses their home. As so long before, only war can herald radical change. But this time the land is not united, each individual must choose sides.

Crystal Lake…I’m still not even sure how it came about. When myself, Quinn, David and Kat fought for Saffron, we met some other guys, trainers too, and we fought with them. But…it seems silly now, but all we meant to do then was to take back my Magikarp that Team Rocket stole. Well, we did that…and then forged an alliance, I guess that’s what Crystal Lake is, funded by Silph we founded a little band of young people…trainers, who had agreed to stand up against TR. I’m counted as a trainer here, but I’ve been ‘training’ less than a week. If someone would just tell me what to do…

"Who are you guys?" Cameron found himself asking Richard, nicknamed Frog. Yes, he had spent the last day or so in their company, but to the best of his ability he attempted to keep himself to himself. Now that he would be required to fight alongside these people, he wanted to learn as much about them as possible.

"Hmm? Oh…well," He looked around, not sure where to start "Well, I’m Frog…as you know…"

"Yeah. Why are you called that anyway?"

"Water Types. I train Water Types"

"oh" Cem answered weakly. Crystal Lake was a team, but he felt uncomfortable around people he didn’t know.

"That’s Euan over there…he’s pretty deep into his whole martial arts thing or whatever it is, good thing he’s on our side…"

Cameron knew Euan had refused to lead Crystal Lake, and David had been elected in his place. Euan held the respect of most of them, David still had to earn it from those he didn’t know.

"Anne is someone you want to be avoiding right now. She’s cut up as much as the rest of us about losing Pokémon at Silph, and tends to be a little edgy…"

"That’s understandable"

"Yeah, from your point of view maybe…" Frog spoke, he had lost Pokémon too, and Annes lashing out twisted the dagger "Roz is another one to avoid, until you know how to handle her. She borders on anti social…"

"I thought she was pretty funny" Cem stated

"Well…yeah, I suppose she can be. But I’m her only real friend here. She’s not really that good with people."

"Who’s that?" Cameron pointed to another area of the heli bus.

"Sitting next to Euan? Bennet. Or just Ben. He’s like me, he only trains one type, but his element is Psychic…he’s kind of like our own Mr Spock"

Richard laughed, and Cammie tried to draw parallels with the ears.

"Why do you say that?"

"Oh, its just…well, take now for instance. Underneath it all, he’s hurting from Saffron. But he keeps it all in. Sometimes I worry that…maybe just because he’s not expressing the emotion…well, never mind. I think that’s everyone that I know at least, except this little bundle of joy…" Frog pointed at his younger brother Simon sitting beside him.

"Ah, the kid with the Lapras!"

"Keep your voice down!" Frog comically hushed, over paranoid. They were several miles above ground, and surrounded by friends. Who would hear? "He’s under 10, so can’t legally have a Pokémon. Think of Lapras as mine. He just plays with it officially…"

"I saw him ‘play’ with rocket forces back at Silph!"

"Yes, that’s exactly what you saw! After all, someone his age couldn’t possibly master the complexities of…"

Camerons mind drifted. What was he going to do about the complexities of training? He was a complete novice. Who could teach him?

"You’re coping well" Cameron couldn’t think what else to say. Not so long ago he’d viewed Pokémon as nothing more than tools, now he had discovered so much more.

"No" Richards voice changed completely, almost aged "No, I’m not. None of us are, not really. If I stop talking, if I stop busying myself with one particular task, my hands shake, my heart pounds, and I just want to curl up in a ball and be left alone"

Cameron knew he shouldn’t pry any further, even as he did.

"You are coping well; you’re hiding it well. That’s stren-"

"Cem…the thing is, I’m in shock. And the horror that I experienced is ripping me up inside, every time I hear any reference to Team Rocket, its like an irresistible tidal wave, its only a matter of time till it all breaks out. For now, and I feel bad saying this, but I know I speak for everyone else, the desire for revenge, no, the possibility and potential for revenge allows us to carry on. But not indefinitely"

***

Indigo Stadium was once a gladiatorial arena. Thousands would flood the arteries of the Plateau rushing toward its centre jewel, to watch, to cheer, to applaud those who were about to die. Nowadays the stadium hosted socially acceptable Pokémon battles, even more spectacular clashes of strength will and determination. Today, its beginnings echo forward in a fight to the finish, the victor would be called Pokémon Master and rule over the elite four.

"This is it folks, the final battle! We’ve seen great things from both competitors, now lets see how they fare head to head!"

The crowd cheered. Some things never change.

"I’m sure I don’t need to tell you who these young men are, but I will anyway if only for dramatic affect; In the blue corner, we have championship favourite Ashley Ketchum!"

There was more applause, but the blue trainer shouted at the commentator

"Its just Ash!"

"And in the red corner! Marcus Blade!"

Again, still more applause. The crowd did not favour either competitor so much as crave the excitement in battle.

"I’m as eager to see the result as any of you, so let the battle commence!"

"Pikachu! I choose you!"

"GOLEM!" Blade thundered

Ooo’s and ah’s provided backing for the lyrics of the battle.

"Ketchum has brought out an electric type which cannot affect Golems Ground type! Has the battle been decided already?"

Ash would not give up. He loved his Pokémon, he believed in them, and the same was true of them that they believed in him. He wanted to win the championship so much he had endured journey after journey, and strayed further and further from home.

Marcus was leader of Team Rockets ‘Cell one’, and he sought the title for the power it would give to TR. Both knew the legend, that only the trainer with a pure heart could ever rule the elite four…because of it, Ketchum had trained long and hard, commited his life to the cause. Because of it, Blade had searched for another way, joined Team Rocket, rose through the ranks, and his Pokemon had hardly been trained but genetically enhanced. Unloved and petrified of their master. Would this master be allowed to spread his terror through the islands?

Only Ash stood in his way.

"That little Pikachu’s certainly fast! Look at it Surf! Golems in for it now!"

A water attack from an electric type, a pink surfboard, a war cry; Pikachu played the crowd like a professional musician.

"EARTHQUAKE!"

Blades orders were simple. One word. Loud. It echoed and rang with the guttural scream of the ground being torn asunder until it reached…

"Pikachu’s down!"

"Pikachu!" Blade saw Ash running toward his Pokémon as straight time wasting. He looked at a judge, for surely it was against the rules, and the same judge gave him a look as if to say ‘give the kid a break’. In his place, Marcus would assure his Pokémon there was only one reward for failure.

"Squirtle! I choose you!"

Marcus returned his Pokémon and brought out Electrode while Squirtle used Hydro Pump. Ash switched also, which meant Bulbasaur was the recipient of Thunder Wave. Marcus had used Electrode, Golem and had a Chansey in reserve. Golem could take Bulbasaur as ground is super effective v poison, and his Golem was genetically enhanced to be faster than Bulba’s Grass Attacks which would otherwise injure Golem. Electrode could take Squirtle. He switched to Chansey now, and though Ash managed to faint it, victory had eluded him. Yet again.

Sarah had lived in Cinnabar Island since she was a baby. Her uncle was Blaine, and they were both Pokémon Trainers. Sarah made a point to at least sometimes train in her uncles gym, though she preferred to be more independent. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her uncle, which she did, or that she wanted to spend as little time as possible with him, but she didn’t want to be labelled simply as Blaine's niece. She wanted to either be a Pokémon Trainer, a dream everyone shared so it was unlikely, or an actress. She wanted to be remembered and be special. Despite that, today she found herself inexplicably drawn to the building, though it was by now closed. Few trainers would remain, but her uncle would be there. She opened the door, but the lights were off. This was strange. Why would her uncle leave without locking up?

"Uncle, are you here?"

She heard the sound of feet shuffling.

"Um, Unc, I can hear you, so you can hear me, right?"

She didn’t like standing still in the dark, despite the buildings familiarity, Sarah feared its walls conspired against here, so she moved over to turn on the lights. They flickered, but immediately died as she heard a crash, like something had been damaged.

"Charmander, use your tail as a torch!"

The snap of a Pokeball, and an uncomprehensible reply. These things were familiar to her, and more trustworthy than the darkness.

This was the Pokémon she started with, a gift from her uncle. She ran to the end of the gym she knew Blaine favoured, but he was not there. He must be! But Sarah couldn’t see him. Again she heard feet, and the door behind her slammed shut. She saw a light, like a torch at the door, and began to make out a shadowy figure. Did it see her? What should she do? It wasn’t her uncle. Should she stand still hoping not to be noticed or fight? Sarah didn’t dare question the figure, fearing the answer. Surely it could see Charmanders light. For a few more seconds she stood just wondering, then the foreboding figure walked toward her slowly, she would have to fight, she was too scared to speak, there was no hint of her uncle in the strangers movements. She produced a Pokéball, and so too did the stranger, she would have a chance to earn an escape here, she could fight her way out and find Blaine.

But she couldn’t stop the bringers of darkness, for they were two to her one.

Was it the shadows themselves that knocked her cold from behind, she wondered, a day later, imprisoned.

***

 Frog gazed around the room fascinated, the sheer volume of technology made him wonder if the garage housed a car or spaceship. The building itself was huge, with enough rooms for all Crystal Lakes members and then some. Half of everything looked futuristic and the other half scavenged, the doors could have been dissected from a submarine, about one in three had an ominous danger sticker stretched across their width and almost all were covered in rust, as was the lighthouse meets laboratory owner, Bill. As he spoke he would periodically rub his hands on a cloth almost as oily as they were, as if to clean them, succeeding only in redistributing the dirt. Almost welded onto his shoulder was a Caterpie, which seemed to double as a tool, the sticky glue it produced holding together the less modern parts of the building, and the odd article of furniture.

"Welcome to my mountain retreat" Bill greeted offering a greasy hand to each. "It's not much, but few know of its existence. What it lacks in creature comforts it makes up for by being very out of the way, almost invisible. So…who's staying and who's going?"

I'll say one thing for him Kat thought he gets to the point quickly enough.

"Myself, Roz, Quinn, Bennet and Anne are going to Viridian Gym" Euan volunteered "Cameron and Katrina are going to Indigo Plateau and David is due for the Safari Zone"

"Me and my lil bro are staying here for now" Frog reported

"Can I please play with the big computer?" Simon asked. Frog covered Si's mouth.

"Well don’t let me get in your way, go where you have to go. I'll show these two lads around. Oh - before I go and lose them again, here, I made these"

He handed each of them a stylish Pokédex.

"Each has an audio/visual telecommunications device. You can contact base, each other, and link up with the super computers here. It works just like a normal phone too, your number is printed inside. You should be able to go online, and if that wasn't snazzy enough, it has a built in pokédex, with information on all 290 discovered Pokémon. It can also identify new types. Which, y'know, is nice"

Anne was impressed and overwhelmed…

"So, there's more than 150 Pokémon?"

"Somewhere"

Bennet directed the Pokédex at Bill's Caterpie

"Caterpie. A Bug type Pokémon. It's feet are tipped with suction pads that enable it to tirelessly climb slopes and walls. It can spit a sticky glue that can be used to slow down prey"

"Hmm" Cammie mused, pointing his model toward David

"Unknown type. Its genetic code resembles both human and Pokémon. Uploading to base computer for further study. Do not recommend allowing this specimen into battle"

Cem laughed himself silly.

"Well that was a waste of hard disk space" Bill scolded jokingly "I thought I’d ironed out all the glitches too…"

"I'm going now" David said, pointing to the door. Quinn resisted the urge to follow him. She didn't want to say goodbye. Somehow, if she did, she knew they'd never see each other again. But they looked at each other one last time.

"Cammie, I think we should maybe go now too" Kat suggested

"Yeah" he was still tinkering with the Pokédex

"Well, coming?"

"mmmhmmm" Cool, its even passworded Cameron thought.

"Today?"

"I'm coming" he assured

***

Richards remote control aided channel hopping competed restlessly with Simons mouse clicking in equal but varied button depressing groans. Simon was frustrated, judging from his reactions to whatever the monitor displayed.

Richard (Frog) was frustrated, just watching TV.

He wanted to be fighting Team Rocket not minding his little brother. There was only one thing for it. He changed the channel again. From gardening to tropical gardens, but the feeling was not so far away. He glanced at Bill in the corner, and Caterpie, communicating (somehow), reinventing (something), redefining (someone’s) views of high end technology. Somehow, Frog wanted something he could do to fight back for all the someones he never knew who also defied TR. What he wouldn’t give for Roz, Kat, Euan or anyone to just give him a shout, offer a chance to help…

"Frog!" Simon surrendered, beaten by the enigma on the screen.

"Simon!" Frog answered

"’s busted! C’n you fix it?" the eight year old said, with his head lying on the desk, bored, frustrated, and in a transparent attempt to stir his brothers sympathy.

"You don’t say ‘ ‘s busted’, you say ‘its broken’. Or ‘it is busted’ at the very least"

"’s broken!"

"Is it? Really?" he said in a dull tone "Well I never. Quick! Phone the elite four! The national guard! Put CNN on alert! Coastguard!"

Sarcasm to Si was so much wasted air.

"Come to fix it Frog! Please!"

"Can’t be bothered!"

"Please!"

Richard bypassed five minutes attempting to un-bust the computer, which would not go online. His mind wondered back to the television….as the television in turn, wondered from its programming. The sunny shores of Scotland were replaced by-

"Citizens of Indigo Islands, please give me your undivided attention! My name is not important, think of me as your new landlord"

The arrogant and condescending nature of his voice, his appearance and the hatred Richard tried to ignore could only be for one man, known only as ‘Alistair’.

"Bill! I think you should see this! Tell me I’m having a nightmare!"

The television continued.

"…But I’m more than that. I am your Caesar, potentate, dictator, enemy to my enemies, and friend to the friends of the new Team Rocket. We will see. If you choose to side with me things will go well for you. I lay claim to this entire island, by the authority of Marcus Blade, the new Pokémon Master, as his newly appointed guardian I have authority over his power, and each one of you"

"Team Rocket is not the evil terrorist organisation that bore the name before. We believe in peace, we believe in having our say in world affairs. We will destroy the dictated treaties that force us to share our riches with other countries who give nothing in exchange. We believe in uniting under a strong leader"

Shut up, shut up Bill heard his thoughts scream. Someone might actually believe this rubbish. He had no doubt regarding the identity of this ‘strong leader’. Alistair was trying to appeal to every trainers strong sense of patriotism, with images of a noble liberation for their little island. He had the occasional valid point, but these were changes that could be made in other ways by other people, it didn’t begin to validate invasion or dictation.

"You will perhaps be experiencing trouble with telecommunications equipment"

"Yes!" Si shouted at the TV, though his attention was mostly on the computer

"We have established control over Cinnabar Island, which you may have realised houses Indigo ISP, and rebels to the Team Rocket regime have caused significant damage to this public service. We will be working round the clock to resolve these issues. While many will try to twist this scenario into being something like an invasion, we urge you to see things our way. We are simply taking what is ours, and are finally going to give Indigo the influence it deserves. All those who do not oppose us will be made rich, and all those who oppose us will either die, or wish they had. Is that wrong? Indigo will not lose this chance at freedom because of a lack of nerve on Team Rockets part. In these times you have to take the rough with the smooth. Please direct any questions to regional intendants, which will soon be established"

Bill turned off the TV in disgust.

"Bill! We might be able to use some information!"

"Its all propaganda, all we need to know is that he’s taking over the islands, and is trying to turn the people against us. Trying to get them to accept him"

"Well, he said he’d established control over Cinnabar didn’t he? You know what that means right?"

"What?"

"We’ve got to go rescue it silly!" Si chipped in

"David is away doing something or other, Euan and co. are away at Viridian, Kat and Cem are off to see the elite four. That leaves myself you and Si. Three people. Against a fortified island. There's something wrong with that line up, I just can’t put my finger on it…"

"Since when have we ever not been outnumbered?" Frog answered

"Since you’re the only proper trainer out of the three of us! Which is not a good thing if we came up against electric types! What’re we gonna do, ask them to leave? Do we go up to the leader and say ‘Please sir, call off your invasion before Si throws you a beating’?"

"Well, as the highest ranking member of Crystal Lake present-" Richard hoped that sounded convincing "I am making the executive decision that we will call Euan and see if he can get himself and the mob from Viridian to come help us. But either way, we’re going to liberate that island"

He hoped he could find a way to stop Si from coming. And he hoped that this time it wouldn’t result in the all out war that erupted in Saffron, Crystal Lake had barely survived and certainly not recovered from that battle.

***

Undisputed champion for Celadon, Erika had made her livelihood a teacher to a city of pupils, petitioned the elite four for a gym and toured the island in glory until now in the Safari Zone, challenging local representatives to defeat her.

David had lost good friends, found love, led a disjointed crawl across the length of Kanto and wondered why.

The crowd, friend and foe to the nameless faces of defeated puppets that were made to dance a tune, and sing a song, promoting Erika’s gym devoted their lungs to the cause.

Erika, battled on another plane.

David asked her to join Crystal Lake. He warned her of what was to come.

She said that she’d fight. But what she’d fight for would be her city, that was where she’d stay, in Celadon, to defend Celadon. As soon as this event was over, she’d help David with what he had to do, and rush back home, like a battle cry.

David, felt the same.

He’d agreed to this battle, in exchange for the accommodation rendered to him during his stay in Erika’s city. But now the price was time he couldn’t afford to waste, he was leader of Crystal Lake. Why the leader? Euan had been the majorities first choice, but he had refused. David was next in line, and felt second best. He wasn’t fit for leadership. So far, he’d known so much pain he moved forward on momentum alone. But not alone. Quinn was his only reason for living…and these periodic visions, hallucinations or cosmic phone calls, plagued him, and pulled him down. Now he was to infiltrate TR on Allistairs trust, but where would he find the strength, away from his only remaining friends, in his enemies nest, where would he find the will to go on? He felt a burden, that everyones pain and sacrifice was his doing, blamed himself for everything that happened since he started the fight.

His heart ached with responsibility and uncertainty and doubt and reason and troubles and enemies, all burdens.

Erika had responsibility, reason, troubles, the same enemies.

She was a gym leader, he was just an ordinary guy.

"Rapidash, Go!" Erika opened.

Davids plan was flawed; he had hoped Erika would anticipate Fire to counter her famous Grass element and choose a Water type. But she hadn’t.

Reluctantly, he revealed his hand.

"Cain, I know we can still do this!" he summoned his Venusaur. Fire had the advantage over Cains Grass element.

The second Cain looked to be in too much trouble, David would try to recall him.

Rapidash charged, without need for instruction. Cain fired Razor Leaf.

"Cain, Razor Leaf isn’t going to be doing much to a Fire type!"

Afraid trainer of those, that know no fear. His Pokémon never doubted. They never backed down, or surrendered. Cain fought, as they all had the past week.
As he found the spirit in each of his Pokémon, to fight when he could not fight, to keep going no matter what, looking for victory in the harsh inevitable.

Razor Leaf did exactly nothing to Rapidash, it didn’t even hit. Davids Venusaur concentrated so hard on his mental control of these spinning disks, that he did not hear his trainer. It taxed him, tired him, but the first of the two pronged attack, flew over the opponent while the other span vertically and charged through its legs like a tidal wave, and they met, slicing into a tree, that fell across Rapidash’s midsection.

Was this undue aggression?

David backed away, taking strength from Cains emancipation from defeat. Almost as if, all that was really needed was will. Something Cain had. He felt useless, not needed here. And inspired.

He remembered, as if he would ever forget, a defeated Scyther, but evil in a rogue Voltorb, a last breath from a defunct denial of defeat.

He saw, indignation literally shoot forth in flame from Rapidash’s eyes. As the horse freed itself, and stood. As if the battle was never meant to end, a symbol of the war he fought.

"Rapidash, Fire Blast!"

David reached for Cains ball to return him. But it fell from his hand, as someone saw more at stake in every battle, saw chances, took every one, one of Cains vines threw the ball away from his trainers reached.

And that trainer found himself one with the crowd, roaring, cheering, rejoicing.

"Evade, Cain, evade!"

Instants were separated by flashes of cameras. Usually a photographer would pay little heed to a Venusaurs evasion, its short stumpy legs making for a less than impressive exit. But in the jungle of Safari Zones arena…

Cain flew. From tree to tree, he used his vine to swing from branch to branch, to the ground behind his enemy. A few Blastoise rapidly extinguished the flames created by Fire Blast, leaving a very muddy residue on Cains half of the field. He was now boxed in.

Davids Venusaur spat Toxic upon his opponent. Rapidash charged as before. Cain repeated his precarious evasion method, but his luck stopped there. He’d landed in the mud decorating the ground into which he sank, and Rapidash still charged. Erikas Pokémon had a clear hit.

"Cain, pull yourself out! Use your-"

It was too late, Cain had been thrown high and far, landed hard.

Rapidash, slipped, slided, and dropped.

The affects of Toxic had ran their course, the zero traction in the mud held Rapidash even as it fell.

The victors felt a barrier broken. As he had fought in the first rocket base they’d encountered, Davids Venusaur trusted David. As he had witnessed his Pokémon fighting with such a passion in battle whether or not the outcome mattered, David trusted his Venusaur.

Yes, David trusted Cain, and Cain, as a result, trusted David.

"Rapidash" the voice didn’t sit well with Erika "Return"

A grand gym leader had been taught humility, David had learned of the courage he wanted to share.

Some laughed at Erikas misfortune, others struggled to talk to either contender.

David, he felt awkward in the limelight. This was Cains victory.

His Venusaur was powerful, no doubt; the experience points to be earned from defeating an oversized…David wouldn’t believe the Scyther they fought was a Pokémon…

Erika shooed away stragglers and dispersed the crowd. She knew what was about to happen, in the midst of it all David had forgotten. If TR were serious about granting him 24 hours before choosing to join them, this is the place they’d confront him. He would be weakened, and easy to find.

They were alone. David gave her contact details and they briefly discussed the war, then she indicated her departure.

David was alone.

Even though he knew there were two enemies in the bushes, he was alone.

He’d never been alone before.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Meowth!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

"Wow!" David marvelled "A talking Meowth!"

"Thank you" Meowth replied "I do parties and celebrity openings"

"At least he can talk" James stated "He certainly can't fight"

Vicious exaggerated face slashing followed. At the end of it all, Meowth stood above James, his foot atop his head in a victory pose, like a hunter and a conquered bear.

"We’re here to make you an offer dat you can’t refuse!"

"I know. Well," he sighed "If I can’t refuse, I guess I have no choice but to accept"

***

"Stop right there!" Jessie ordered

Erika had no time for distractions.

"I’m in a hurry. Get out of my way"

Jessie threw a 'Trainer Ball' at her.

"You're dead"

 JESSIE

***

Some of them had conquered Goliath without a sling.

Some of them had held back an invasion without an army.

Some of them had seen death without experiencing death.

Each one of them now saw the folly of meeting the Viridian Gym Leader without an appointment.

"This is a waste of time! The queue is no shorter than it was half an hour ago!" Roz snapped. Everyone sighed. Roz had said the same half an hour ago.

"It would be if you’d just go away-" Anne shot back

"What did you say?"

"I said-"

"QUIET!" Euan shouted, cutting through the friction

"Yeah!" Bennet seconded. "We need to think of a way to get past this queue, arguing isn’t helping us, only helping Team Rocket!"

"Does that mean you have an idea?" Quinn asked. She was rather enjoying the prospect of a face off between Anne and Roz; her nerves had been tested by the latter. Bennet didn’t answer immediately.

"well not exactly…yes! Yes! I have it!" he shrieked, almost jumping.

"Don’t give it to me, it seems to have affected your brain" Roz replied

"I have an idea! Anne, bring out Jigglypuff!"

"Yes sir!" she replied sarcastically "Jigglypuff, the ‘boss’ wants you!"

"Jiggly!" <Come again?>

"Hey Jigglypuff!" Bennet greeted "Could you do me a favour and just walk to the front of the queue please?"

Jigglypuff walked. Hardly anyone else waiting even noticed.

"R i g h t…" Roz dragged "And the point of that was-?"

"OH NO!" Bennet shouted. Euan jumped to attention, looking for an enemy. But Bennet wasn’t shouting for his benefit. "IT’S A JIGGLYPUFF! AND, AND…I THINK IT KNOWS SING!"

People just looked at Ben for awhile, as did his fellow members of Crystal Lake. He began to wonder if this was going to work, or he’d succeeded exclusively in making a fool of himself. Fortunately people spotted Annes Pokémon, on its return lap.

"He’s right! A wild Jigglpuff! Run!"

The crowd formed a larger stampede than Ben could’ve guessed. One or two tried to drag his friends with them, fearing their safety.

"What a big deal over maybe falling asleep!" Quinn announced

"After you" Anne gestured to Roz, who positively fumed.

****

"I’ve got a bad feeling about this" Frog gulped

"Don’t think about food" Simon suggested

"You’ve got a bad feeling about liberating an island from the most technologically advanced regime in Indigo history with the help of an eight year old and someone who should know better?"

"Yeah, well, there’s that, but I also feel bad about us all being huddled together on a Lapras, most probably about to be shot at from the shore"

"I taught Lapras how to play Submarines!" Simon stated excitedly

"That’s nice" Frog said dismissivley

"Oh. Well. Right enough, that’s worrisome too" Bill replied to Frog

"I mean, we’re not exactly soldiers" Frog continued

"Lapras can play submarines!"

"Excuse me? Mr-we’re-not-exactly-soldiers, you’re the one that pulled rank and ordered us this far!"

"UNIDENTIFIED TRAINERS! THIS IS CINNIBAR ISLAND! TURN AROUND NOW!"
It was a loudspeaker they decided.

"Well, I don’t know about you guys," Frog said "I can only speak for me and Lapras, but I’m not turning back"

"You and Lapras? Now you’re pulling rank on Si's Pokémon? Oh that’s right, he’s too young to have one…its yours really…he just trains it, sorry, plays with it…"

"Are you coming or turning back?" Frog questioned

"I just don’t know. What do you think Simon? Fancy a ten mile swim back to the lighthouse?"

"We could always play submarines" Simon said simply

"UNIDENTIFIED TRAINERS! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!"

"What are they talking about?" Bill asked

"oh…fish…"

"What?"

"Missiles!"

Bill looked to the air. He looked hard, and then scanned the sea. The missiles in question were sea based.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"WE’RE GONNA DIE!" Frog screamed

Like knifes through air, the aerodynamic artillery cut through turbulence with ease.

Simon didn’t understand the consequences of their frightening speed. Did he?

"Lapras, play time!"

Lapras sang its agreement, while using Mist. The cloud formed and hung…and with a "okay, now submarine!" from Simon, it hardened around Lapras, creating a dome. The missiles were still unhampered, potentially still penetrating the dome.

Nose first, the water/ice Pokémon dived.

Richard, or Frog, and Bill continued screaming at the prospect of drowning. But there was air in this dome, and no water.

"Simon! I know I’m gonna regret telling you this in the morning, but…you’re a genius!"

"How…How did Mist…" Bill was a scientist, and what he saw did not compute.

"Lapras used Submarine!" Simon explained "We learned that together!"

"An…eight year old kid…is making up moves?"

"Lapras did it mostly!"

"Richard, your little bro could be Pokémon master material some day!"

"…Genius…" was all Frog could muster

****

"Euan, what are you doing?!"

The ninja stood over a floored Giovanni ready to deliver a second blow.

"This waste killed my father!" He explained

"I…did not" the gym leader wiped the blood from his face.

Euan hit him again, hard. By this time, his element of surprise was so much shock; Giovannis aides, all five of them, piled on the warrior.

"I don’t believe this! Euan, you’re not giving the man a chance to speak! And now you’re forcing us to go on the offensive with you! Ivysaur, use Vine Whip to restrain one of those guys!" Anne reluctantly instructed

Euan was wrapped in a huddle of shadows, with his wrist, he connected with a jaw and sent one of Giovanni's aides backward.

"Okay, some action! I choose you Golbat! Fly overhead, pick one of them up, and hold them high out of the way!" Roz shouted

At once, from the shadows, unprepared and blinded by anger, Euan could not guard against five foes. He staggered from their blows, before miraculously delivering a roundhouse kick. The 360 degrees attack in turn, staggered his opponents.

Shadows. Unprepared. Staggered.

That was how it was a lifetime ago, when his father was murdered by a Team Rocket terrorist (Author Note: See ‘Koga's Quest’).

Enraged…

He had undertaken a journey to find the one responsible (AN: See ‘Koga’, only part 1 is finished at time of writing).

Hurting…

From each blow, he reflected on what was very much, *the* blow, which had changed his life forever.

Fighting…

Now the killer had a face, it had five faces. Each one, in turn, would carry the pain he carried to their families.

Killing…

Was wrong, and yet he flew across the room, now there were only two, he hit back, finally.

They threw all their Pokéballs at once.

"ENOUGH!" Giovanni screamed. As if the puppeteer had cut the strings, the soldiers ceased battling, fell limp, while Euan still attacked.

Quinn was no ninja, she was just an ordinary trainer, so she hit him with an ordinary tackle.

He was pushed away from his ‘enemies’, Quinn now on top of him, inches from his face, she saw from this position, no hint of the Euan she knew

"Now what? Will you hit me too?" she whispered

He looked like he might.

"No" he eventually spoke, and reason returned

"Then neither hit any one of these" she gestured at Giovanni’s men "Because their boss said he didn’t kill your father, and unless you can prove it, that’s enough. Plus, we’re supposed to try and have this gym ally itself with Crystal Lake!"

She stood up, as did he, and Giovanni approached, bloodstained.

"I did not kill your father..."

"You are Giovanni! You killed him!"

"…I’m guessing Team Rocket did. But you have to understand; yes, I am Giovanni. One time leader of Team Rocket, and perhaps I will lead it once more. But it has a new leader; his name is Alistair and he ordered your fathers death"

"Why should I believe you?"

"Because…" Giovanni snapped his fingers. Another ten of his men appeared "…I could have you killed. I have no reason to lie to you. Why would I when I could kill you?"

"Mr Giovanni" Ben said, approaching both him and Euan. "I apologise on behalf of Euan, and the rest of us. We came here in peace, for peace. You say Team Rocket is no longer yours. Then you have a reason to fight whoever that stole it from you. We fight for other reasons. But we need you to prepare Viridian for invasion. To build walls, and fortify the surroundings. If Viridian falls-"

"I understand the consequences child. We will have no part in Team Rocket, rather, we will fight for every inch of this land"

Euan felt a rumble at his side. He took its source, the Pokédex Bill gave him from his pocket, and opened it.

"Euan! Its Richard!" it crackled over the video-link between the two members of Crystal Lake

"Richard. Do my eyes deceive me or are you not at base setting up vital equipment at all but in fact several leagues under the sea?"

"Listen, there's a perfectly good reason!"

"There would have to be-"

"If by vital equipment you mean that fancy web site David suggested inspiring everyone to take up arms against TR then-"

Euan noted his sarcastic tone

"That site is vital!"

"Yeah, well, get this: Cinnabar Island is being invaded! We were hard at work coding the uh…anyway, all of a sudden the ISP went down! So we couldn’t inspire the nation anyway. Then there was that TV broadcast…" Bill laughed in the background at Frogs being ‘hard at work’.

"What TV broadcast?" Everyone was huddled round Euans communications device meets Pokédex.

"It doesn’t matter! I’ll tell you later! Right now, we need you lot, and those guys at Viridian Gym to come help us liberate Cinnabar! Just be careful, they have sea based missiles!"

Richard hung up at that point, rather than waste time with Euans questions; he knew what he had to know, and Frog wouldn’t be told off for doing the right thing.

Euan didn’t bother to re call him. Because no matter how little or much sense it made, it boiled down to the same; he would have to fight alongside his sworn enemy.

****

Cameron Trent re-paced the pokécentre and rechecked the time.

2 hours.

That was one hundred and twenty minutes Kat had been gone to her meeting with Lance. Cem paced all the more bitterly, resenting that he had not been allowed to accompany her, because he didn’t have enough Gym Badges to be considered for an audience, because he wasn’t good enough. His pride in the islands ancient bureaucracy was fading with each reverberating step.

In this democracy you were below the elite fours sight unless you had eight badges and a league under your belt.

Kat had six badges and won the Celadon Under 14s a few years back. She also had a phone call from the president of Silph recommending they listen to her. So there she was, and had been for 2 hours-and-one-minute, while Cem looked after her Pokémon at the centre.

It gave him something to do at least…but he felt doubly uneasy that Kat wasn’t allowed to bring anyone, Pokémon or human. She was on her own.

He felt restricted, he wanted to act but his hands were tied. Since he had made the decision to become a trainer himself, he’d sank knee deep in the adventure of his life, but in the midst of dragons and knights, where heroes and warriors were being decided and good or evil was a choice between life or death, he felt powerless, unable. He had four Pokémon previously belonging to Jessie and James, and he had his Gyarados, that evolved from the Magikarp they had taken from him a lifetime ago. But he didn’t feel confident in using them, or fighting with them; he was being forced to the sidelines. He wanted to help and fight, but needed instruction, searched for teaching. Cameron knew little to nothing about Pokémon.

He sat down and covered his head with his hands. And waited still more.

The walls seemed to close in. He didn’t want to wait.

Cammie was vaguely aware of the shattering of glass, a window broken, on the wall of the Pokémon centre, on the walls closing in.

"A’right!" A burly man, middle aged and uneven, with a broken accent, stood up from the main desk "That’s the signal! If ye’re a visitor here, I suggest ye get back on home, but Ah know for a fact most of ye are with me on this; its time we make our stand. Sam said he’d give us a signal when the rockets started movin’ in. Ah’ll no think any less o ye if you surrender now, after all some of ye have got family to look after…but don’t stand in our way, or Ah’ll personally come down on ye like a ton of bricks. Lets move!"

A drove of trainers followed the man out of the centre, more than Cameron had guessed were there, and he found himself at the front of their crowd.

Indigo City was under siege, fights were breaking out in all quarters. The lower reaches of the once reassuring castle were on fire, though only the building below which acted as a pedestal, the castle itself stubbornly observed, in indestructible impartiality.

"Hey!" Cameron shouted at the leader "I’m in a group called Crystal Lake…"

"Can’t you see this is war son? Get out of here!"

Again, he felt useless. A black clad comet dived for him, threw him back toward the centre. He didn’t register the attack till he was on the ground, and quickly cocked his head to avoid an impending punch. Yes, this was war. With no other option, his hands tethered and legs in no place to help, he head-butted the assailant. Twice, the pain bounced around his skull. He released his hands, but the attacker was not fazed and their hands were quickly locked in a wrestle grip, Cameron tried to push the man off him, while the opponent resisted furiously.
The fire across the way, the foundations of the fortress caught his eye. Kat!

She was in there!

Pokémon battles and unarmed combat sprouted rapidly, as the city took sides. He had a chance to fight, a chance to do something other than sit on the sidelines…Kat…He pushed still harder the strain too great, his elbows being forced back into the ground, he was in good shape but the assailant was stronger, and had his body weight to help him. Cem closed his eyes and pushed, tried to raise his knees to help, every pore of his body fighting. And the attacker slowly lifted. Cem blinked. He was winning!
"I thought I tol’ ya to get gone!" the man said, as he threw Cems attacker a lazy but effective fist to the face, and the attacker fell. "Get!"

"Sir! My…someone who means a lot to me is stuck in that building over there! And its on fire! I’m getting her out, please help me!"

"Son, there are too many people in too many burning buildings"

"My names Cameron and I’m in Crystal Lake, I don’t have time to explain, but its of paramount importance to resistance forces everywhere that she escapes safely!"

"Ye better no be telling me any lies now son. Ah’m thinking I shouldn’t be doin’ this…just go help her, and we’ll cover yer tail"

Cameron threw a ball to the ground, feeling a trainers spirit rise up in him.

"Gyarados!"

Some were humbled by its size, this boy jumped atop his dragon, which shot in the direction of the building. Instantly, a quartet of flying Pokémon followed him.

"Gyarados, Agility!"

Gyarados didn’t know Agility. Cem didn’t know that Gyarados didn’t know. The order was ignored.

"If you get back kid, take ‘er to the gym in Cinnabar and tell ‘em Colton sent you!"

So that was his name.

The shout came just as an Ice Beam from the ground claimed a Charizard that followed him. There was clarity in the mans cry, not the usual rough accent Colton used. One by one, a Pidgeot, a Dodrio and then a Fearow fell, he was no longer being followed. And a hopeless all consuming furnace beckoned. He gulped, feeling in his heart the knowledge that Kat was most definitely in there, but not knowing how he knew. Knew what he’d find. He screamed at the top of his lungs…

"GET OUT OF THERE KAT!"

"GET OUT!"

"mmmfff"

Fire, in a faint cry, and fire in…

"Wake up" another voice. Her instinct.

Kat lifted herself from the ground and felt an abrasion on the back of her head, she had been hit by something, and fell unconscious.

Fire…a faint cry…she felt warm pressure on her skin, fire on ice, sea on sand, as amber and scarlet tore across the room. Burning, Kat thought as the smoke filled her lungs. Fire. She had to escape.

All these thoughts echoed in his distant mind also, in the same second.

The walls carried a light whisper, but growing stronger

"Get out of there!"

Kat would ordinarily not question the mandate; but whose was it? This was her indecision; should she flee and yet live or stay and die; searching for the voice that it might too be saved?

Too late, she realised and stood in awe of all encompassing, inescapable red hot fury. It danced, each flame in a unique pirouette while all that did not burn glowed the ominous colour of her awakening; scarlet, amber, now black with smoke.

Kat closed her eyes and dived through what she could not see and would not fear, hugging a wall till a window was in reach. She kicked at it, punched, but it would not yield. Double glazing?

"Kat!" And the voice taunted her, for she wanted now to save it

She fell to her knees and began to lose hope. And warm to the glow. Defiantly she opened tear flooded eyes to stare into her Grim Reapers and almost goaded them to finish their work. To kill her. But save Cameron, and Crystal Lake.
"Don’t ever give up"

This voice would likely burn with her too. And die.

"You’ll never take me!" she shouted at one flame then another "Even if I die, my soul will go on!"

With that, she began to lose consciousness, and the smoke and flame tugged at her.

Destruction incarnate, but from an explosion that wrecked one wall a voice appeared. Blue streaked the room, water, and a grief stricken teenager refused to lose hope, he took the body of his loved one, and ordered Gyarados to the nearest hospital.

"Quickly…please…"

****

"You’re kidding me"

"No, I’m not. I think you’re up to it. I have the highest respect for you"

David knew that while Alistair had a vaunted idea of his prowess as a trainer, Alistair was a psychopath. His stomach turned at the proximity to this man. He wanted to kill him for his betrayal at Celadon, for everything he’d caused. But for now he pretended to follow him.

"Do it to me, and prove your loyalty. Or I can send Cell 2…"

David had been told that the TR organisation consisted of cells, like a beehive, with Alistair the queen, and link between each. They were mini legions, and he knew Marcus to command Cell 1…He had minutes before now been offered a leaders roll in Cell 2. Ironic, given David led an entirely different ‘cell’ of his own, Crystal Lake. He was here to gather as much information about the enemy as possibly could be exploited from its leaders trust. Ideally he would penetrate the computer network…

" …And the job will be done, probably with a lot more blood shed and less finesse. I want you to either convince the Safari Zone to surrender, or force them to do so. I’m sending you instead of sending Cell Two. They are otherwise occupied at Indigo Plateau…will you do it?"

"I…well…yeah. I’ll do it."

Convincing the Safari Zone to surrender should be easy enough. After all, it was his parents that owned it.

You can tell a lot about a place, just by waking up there.

"My names Sarah. What's yours?"

"Erika. This place-?"

"I’m sorry, this is going to be a lot to try and take in…your actually in a sort of prison"

"Why?"

"Team Rocket obviously sees you as a risk to its invasion"

"Well, I’m getting out of here, you can…"

A door opened, Erika stood up, refusing to appear weak to her captors.

"How is she?" the visitor was male, uniformed and pale.

"Danny. Hi. About as well as the rest of us when we arrived"

"A little calmer than you if I-"

"YOU! YOU HAVE A UNIFORM! THAT MEANS YOU’RE ONE OF THEM!"

"Maybe not!" he gulped as Erika pushed him against a wall.

"Hey!" Sarah yelled "He’s on our side, leave him alone!"

Erika wasn’t swayed.

"He’s our only chance at escape"

She backed off.

"Yeah well, about that. Don’t go getting your hopes up. I’m still not seeing any way it can be done. As you know Sarah, there are no doors to this old ruin, the only way in being with a Pokémon that knows teleport"

"And unless its scheduled, the psi-shields hold back any Pokémon using teleport"

"Actually, the shields will be down, after that uprising one of the dishes became damaged, and they reckon they’ve got to shut everything down to fix it. Course if they’d just totally bypass the magnetic relay…"

"I told you he was on our side" Sarah said

"Yeah well, I’m just a guard, not a tech guy, I’m not supposed to know. And I’m not going to tell."

"Can you let me make a phone call?" Erika asked

"Uh…sure I suppose. Just keep it quiet"

"David here"

"David, this is Erika!"

"Erika, what’s the trouble? This is only for emergencies"

"I’m in a Team Rocket facility, a prison"

"What happened?"

"No time to explain…the prison isn’t in the Kanto region, over the mountains at the extreme north of Cerulean. The only way in and out is by teleporting Pokémon, when the psi shields are down. I know you have an Alakazam with teleport, you told me all about…Forge I think it was called. If you can get to a TR installation, and use the emergency…"

"…evacuation unit? Won’t that involve noisy alarms?"

The communication was audio only, and David heard some shuffling.

"David is it? My names Sarah, listen, if you go to a Pokécentre, they have pokéball transporters. They’re like evacuators but on a smaller scale. If you can get clearance to send Forge here, then we’ve got someone at our end who can pick up"

"Right. Okay. I’ll try. But it feels like I’m always being watched, I’m sorry, I can’t promise you anything. And…"

"yes?"

"Can you put Erika back on please?"

More shuffling.

"Erika here"

"Erika…Forge can only transport one person at a time. And even at that, its going to need time to recharge if its transporting over any length of unfamiliar territory. Quite a lot of time, and you better look after him. You’re giving me the impression these psi-shields or whatever you’re talking about won’t be down long. In that case, you will have to decide who goes and who stays"

"…"

"Erika?…oh. I suppose you don’t want anyone nearby to overhear. Okay…well…if you could just tell me who its going to be…"

"When I am free I will go back to Celadon and insure Team Rocket do not take it"

"Try not to think so much about leaving other people behind. That’ll only make things harder" David advised.

***

I’m just a mechanic, I’m not meant for all this…

"Hold on a second!" Bill shouted

"Keep your voice down!" Frog hushed

"Chzzzk!" echoed Caterpie on his shoulder against Bills eardrum

"Sorry. But…why are we here again?"

"We want to liberate Indigo ISP so we can…"

"Alistair said his men were working around the clock to fix it! We want them to fix it! We don’t want to liberate it and try to fix it ourselves! Its better in their hands!"

"Yeah, well…" Frog said, rubbing the back of his neck with his palm "We also…wanted to liberate the island itself"

"How? How do you liberate an island? What do you do and where do you start?"

"Well…" Frog started, casting his mind back "When we liberated Saffron it was more like fighting just erupted by itself. Anyone on the losing side at the end found themselves locked away in the jail under the police station or…"

"That’s not what I mean! What do we do, shout at the top of our voices demanding a battle with someone, and if we win, the island is liberated?"

"I…Simon help me out here…okay! We look for whatever fired missiles at us, and take it out so Euan and co can make it safely across"

"Fine. We’ll do that. Follow my lead" Bill called, as he walked boldly out the cavern, and up to street level. Richard and Simon struggled to maintain his proximity. Lapras remained.

Si and Richard were about five metres behind, climbing the beach wall.

Even from back there, Simon could see the obviously-Team-Rocket-guards familiar soot and scarlet shades, he tapped Richards shoulder, and he saw him too.

There was no way to tell Bill he was climbing into the spiders web, without alerting the spider.

Bill saw him too. But he didn’t care, he was moving like a man possessed.

A man possessed…and…spotted.

The guard reflexively reached for a Pokéball.

Caterpie spewed forth String Shot adhesive, covering, then hardening, around the guards forearms, body and up to his mouth. By this time Richard had caught up with him. Bill didn’t say anything, but picked the man up, and threw him down several feet toward the deserted beach, much to his partners shock. He too, jumped down after him.

Frog and Simon had only caught up with him, now they had to go back down again.
As the guard hit the ground, two of his pokéballs opened.

Mareep and Donphan.

Simon flipped out his Pokédex.

Frog threw down two balls himself, as Bill was outnumbered. The guard mumbled through a mouthful of String Shot, which sprang his Pokémon into action. Bill, and thus Caterpie, dived for cover.

Frogs Pokémon were Vaporeon and Wartortle, who bore a weakness to Ampharos. They didn’t stand a chance.

****

Cameron Trent was very much a prisoner to his own freedom.

He couldn’t fight the darkness of the last few days, or run from the light he’d found. Cem saw Kat as being more than just…but he had never told her…was that such a sin that he should now be punished?

Was it really his fault?

Kat lay on a hospital bed. In pain? Aware? Dead? Dying, he knew.

His fault?

Cammie sat at her side, holding her hand and refusing to let go. He was in pain. He was all too aware. And this was killing him.

She couldn’t die, she shouldn’t die, she…

"She’s not going to make it!"

These doctors were no diplomats.

She couldn’t die…his fault? Camerons thoughts cycled helplessly. He longed to reach out to the ones who held his loved ones life in their hands and use their skills to save.

"She has to make it" Cem managed to whimper

"I’m so-"

The air around them literally tore and shone, and disappeared from Cammies lungs.

The periodic beeps from the heart monitor faded, and became sporadic.

A green light bathed the room.

Cammie held Katrinas hand tighter.

He reached into his pocket, and produced his pokédex. Why, he couldn’t divine. But he did, and he pointed it to that which had emerged from whatever his shock couldn’t begin to assimilate.

The sound faded from his mind, and, from his heart.

Kat had died.

His….fault….

Porygon, a traveller, the same Porygon that had belonged to Marcus, that Dusk, Davids Gengar had fought and liberated, had followed them…to here…

"I want a trainer in here, we need to get this thing out now!" a Doctor shouted

Tighter still, his hand felt the cold thaw of his loves fading light.

"I’m a trainer" Cameron murmured, but wasn’t aware of the automatic response.

Instead of listening for a reply, the noise from his pokédex began to register in his brain…

Kat now shone, as she always had in his eyes. She shone the green of Porygons portal, she shone in radiant beauty…for the final time? The light was blinding. Cameron simply held her hand still. Willing his life energy into her.

Porygons mass stretched like a soul reaching out to a body…

…into Kat.

Cameron would not have his loved one violated.

He reached out to push away what he saw as an attacker, even in the brilliant hue, but Porygon was…gone. Kat still lay. Dead…his fault?

Beep.

Cammie ignored the noise, reason forcing him to accept it was merely a glitch.

Beep.

No, as much as he wanted to, he couldn’t believe Kat was…

Beep.

Alive!

"She’s coming back!" another Doctor announced to his colleagues.

This moment could be their last. Cameron wept. Unsure whether his hearts desire lived, or for how long, or why. He stammered, repeated…

"I love you Kat, I love you, I love you, I’ve grown to love you more and more"

Was this his last chance to tell her?

"These readings aren’t making any sense!"

Some more equipment had been moved in. Cem hoped it held the power to save…

He grabbed his Pokédex from the floor, where it had fell at some point…he looked up conversion as fast as he could, not daring to take his eye of Kat or cease testifying of his love, praying he could rescue her.

Now what did that mean?

Porygon was no longer present, so its type hadn’t been changed.

But something was different.

Before Conversion, Kat was dead, he hurt to think about it, and now she was alive, his heart rejoiced, but for how long? If this was a torturous game, would she live to be snatched away once more in another instant?

Porygon appeared to posses her. Was that thing in his Katrina?

The thought appalled him, but was it keeping her alive?

Some anomalous hi tech devices scanned the length of her body. He was glad of the technical advancement of this island.

"I don’t understand this! I’m getting two sets of readings!"

"Porygon. Pokémon that was just there…" Cameron provided, unsure his words made sense through the tears. The doctor, if that was his rank, looked to him, then to the device, and back.

"No, not a Pokémon…"

Then what?

He felt his heart beat like a drum, it shook him, it drained his tears, he covered his head, and didn’t stop holding her hand. If this was his…

"You never told us she was pregnant!" The doctor yelled at him accusatively "This changes everything!"

To Be Continued…