Ten
(You teach me, and I'll teach you.)
A zigzagoon lifted her head to the sky. Her dark eyes blinked as she sniffed the crisp, afternoon air. Although her ears twitched and strained to listen to her surroundings, she heard nothing but the wind. The forest had been silent since the red things and the monsters had appeared. She had seen many members of her kind die to the strange creatures, but with nowhere else to go, she did her best to survive where she was. At least there was more food for her.
Stopping at the base of a tree, she sniffed at a patch of orange mushrooms. Deeming them to be edible, her sharp claws scraped at the dirt around them. Just before she successfully dug them out of the earth, she stopped. Her ears twitched again; she could have sworn she heard something clicking not far away. With a snort, she moved, prepared to dash deeper into the forest.
Then, a silver hand came down hard on her back.
Bill emerged fully from his hiding spot in the brush beside the tree. He had been waiting for something to come along for the mushrooms for half the afternoon, and now, he stared at his catch as she struggled under his hands.
"I'm truly sorry," he whispered. "Please forgive me."
In response, the zigzagoon lifted her head and whined. Bill flinched, his tail wagging in annoyance. That was the worst part of hunting: the crying. His victims always cried. It almost made him want to release his catch if it wasn't for the hunger he felt.
"Please don't do this," he murmured. "Please.
Please be quiet."
His hands tightened around the raccoon, causing her to yelp louder. He knew, however, that he wasn't the one controlling his fingers.
Bill, Adam hissed in his mind.
Bite it now.
He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. Inside, Adam sighed.
You are absolutely useless.
Bill felt himself bend and sink bared teeth into fur and flesh. One last scream blasted from the zigzagoon's throat before she fell silent. Slowly, he opened his eyes to watch his body feed on the limp pokémon on its own. Warm blood flooded his mouth as the creature fell limp, fainted from extreme terror. He closed his eyes again, trying to will himself away, but he couldn't force any part of him to move.
Let me go, he demanded.
Adam's grip tightened on the zigzagoon. Beneath his hands, Bill could feel the raccoon's heart slow.
Not until we finish, Adam replied.
You must learn how to drink on your own. You hunt, but you release everything you catch. You will kill us both if you continue to resist.
You're killing it! Bill mentally cried.
Let go! Please!
Adam opened his eyes and immediately narrowed them.
We have not consumed our fill in days. This forest is bare. We cannot let a drop go wasted, or we will go hungry.
Must we drink all
of its blood? Bill asked.
Perhaps we can leave some for the zigzagoon to recover.
Adam withdrew and smiled.
Perhaps I can teach you the alternative.
Suddenly, a sharp pain laced through Bill's side as Adam released him. He found himself in control of his body again, except for the movement he felt just under the flesh covering his ribs. With a choked cry, he doubled over, pressing his forehead into the earth beside the body of the zigzagoon as his arms wrapped around him. Tears blurred his vision; he felt as if knives were trying to burst from his chest.
Stop, he begged.
Please stop!
The pain subsided, but Bill had no time to relax. Before he could recover, Adam forced him onto his hands and knees, bringing his face close to the zigzagoon's limp form.
Drink, Adam snapped.
Bill hesitated for a moment. Then, slowly, he brought his lips to the wound and sucked on it. Blood filled his mouth and warmed him from the inside again. He closed his eyes and placed his hands on the carcass. Although her body was still warm, she didn't breathe, and her heart stopped beating long before Bill finally drained the last drop of blood from her flesh.
After awhile, Bill sat up and licked the remaining redness from his lips. He carefully maneuvered to lean against the tree trunk. The zigzagoon helped stem his appetite for that moment, but he knew it wasn't enough.
That will be all for today, Bill, Adam said.
Are you sure? Bill asked.
If we stop now, we'll need to hunt again soon.
Adam smirked. "Are you saying you want to hunt now?"
It stood and began walking away from the zigzagoon carcass. In his horror, Bill realized belatedly that Adam had taken control, and upon that revelation, he frantically pressed his mind onto the parasite's.
What are you doing? Bill demanded.
Let me go!
Adam furrowed its eyebrows. "Stop that. I want to talk to you, but you get distracted when I give you control."
I'll listen to you if you let me walk on my own, Bill growled.
"Do I really alarm you that much?" Adam replied with a chuckle. "I was reading your memories recently. You were a scientist, were you not? Your research methods were certainly interesting. I would have thought you would be thrilled to have me show you what being a monster truly feels like."
At that, Bill was shocked into silence for a beat. He felt violated – like every last secret he kept was suddenly out in the open for anyone to see. Even more than that, he listened to the way the parasite drawled as it described his occupation, what he did for a living and would have normally loved. His own voice gained a sarcastic edge as it spat at him. Briefly, it made Bill wonder if it was because the parasite could have grasped better what he struggled for years to understand, and that only led to the realization of how much he didn't know about the creature. It was a foreign mind inside his own body, and it simultaneously piqued his curiosity and incited a crippling sense of terror.
Stay out of my head, he finally drawled.
At that, Adam stopped. A smile drew across his lips.
"'Getting inside its skin helps me get inside its head,'" Adam recited. "You said that once to a child. Do you remember? What if I wished to understand you? Would you not wish to understand me?"
It brought Bill's hands into view. Unable to do anything but observe the world as Adam saw it, Bill stared at his claws, still caked with brown mud from crawling around the forest floor.
"This may have originally been your body," Adam said, "but I created you. It is just as much your skin as it is mine. I can access your mind easily because it is a part of me. Yes, Bill, I am a parasite, and that means whatever is inside you is mine as well. However, you must make a conscious effort to get inside my mind. If you finally understand me, then perhaps, it won't be necessary for me to take control to force you to do something as simple as feeding." It closed its hands. "So, come. Do what you did with your ridiculous costumes."
No, Bill responded.
I can't. I don't want to—
Adam lowered its hands and glared to the side. "Why? Are you afraid of me?"
I don't want to be a monster. None of my experiments ever hurt anyone.
"And no one will be hurt if you do exactly as I say," Adam replied.
What about our victims? Bill asked.
We just killed an innocent zigzagoon. Don't tell me she didn't matter.
Adam scoffed and placed its hands on its hips. "We do what we must in order to survive. What is so difficult to understand?" It sneered. "You are truly impossible. Perhaps I should simply finish the process and replace your mind with mine."
Perhaps it would be better, Bill replied.
I would rather die than kill a pokémon.
At that response, Adam narrowed its eyes. "And perhaps I should annihilate your mind in the process the way my brothers and sisters have done to their hosts. Then, if I truly wish to stop restraining myself for your sake, I will kill those pathetic females you cherish so much."
For a long moment, Adam stood, listening closely for any sign of its partner. When it got no response, it frowned and mentally reached into itself until it finally found its host, stunned into cold, silent fear.
Inside, Bill could feel the presence, even if he didn't have his physical form. It pressed against him on all sides, threatening to crush him at first. Then, surprisingly, it merely wrapped itself around him to envelop him in a sense of warmth and strength.
What are you doing? he asked.
Adam shrugged and continued through the forest. "Getting your attention. I want you to understand something perfectly, Bill, and to do that, I want you to listen to every word I am about to say."
There was a short pause. Adam almost thought it had lost its host when finally, his voice responded.
I'm listening.
Adam nodded. "Good. While you may not enjoy living with me, the simple truth is that until one of us dies, we will be bonded together. I intend on making this relationship last as long as possible, and furthermore, I doubt I will die before you do."
It hesitated when it felt Bill cringe inside. With a frown, it shook its head.
"Also," it said, "there are two possibilities for our relationship: entirely parasitic or entirely mutual. I can help you just as much as I can hurt you. If you wish for me to help you, you must understand that we are to work together, not separately. I am not one of your little Terran pokémon who exist only to serve you and fight for you. I am your benefactor. I exist to give you the gifts of my people and teach you how to use them. When you learn, I will teach you to combine your power with mine so we may live together – not as one creature leeching off the other or one creature cowering and the other fighting." It narrowed its eyes. "Do you understand? You must fight, or our relationship will only be detrimental. Either you will be my parasite, depending on me for every little thing, or I will be your parasite and take control of your body until I have no use for it anymore."
There was a beat of silence. Adam narrowed its eyes as it patiently awaited its host's answer.
I understand, Bill whispered.
"Good." Adam fell into step again. "You have a question."
What makes you say that?
Adam didn't respond. Instead, he smirked and waited as a realization settled on Bill.
Oh. Right. We're… we're linked. He hesitated slightly.
Why are you doing this? Clearly, you can take control of my body if you wanted.
"Ah, yes," Adam replied. "You have asked this before."
It hasn't killed me yet.
Adam shook its head. "No, it has not. However, I cannot maintain this state forever. Eventually, I will tire myself and retreat back to where I have been watching you."
So, in reality, your only concern is that it would kill you.
The parasite laughed. "Ridiculous. And you call yourself a scientist. No, if I forced myself onto you, then, yes, something would break."
Break?
It nodded. "Yes. That is one thing my brothers and sisters fail to realize. Strength comes from the bond between the host and oneself, not control."
I don't understand.
Adam narrowed its eyes. "You are a scientist. Figure it out." It paused. "You have another question."
I don't like that you can do that. If you know I have a question, why not simply answer it?
"Because you amuse me," Adam replied with a smile. "You have every opportunity to simply reach into my mind and find the answer, yet you refuse to do so, despite the fact that that is what you spent your time as a human doing." It shrugged. "However, I will respond to your question. Those females called us a monarch, yes, but a monarch—"
Before it could finish its sentence, a scream pierced the calm of the forest. Adam paused, straining its ears to listen. The scream was familiar, and judging by the feeling of its host cringing again within its body, it had a feeling it knew exactly what the scream was.
"Your sister," Adam said. "Shall we go?"
Bill didn't even hesitate before responding.
Yes! Go! Please!
Adam flashed one last grin before bolting back towards the cottage.
---
"Growlithe! Flamethrower!"
A jet of flames blasted from Growlithe's throat to wash over a lumbering target. The target in question was a massive metal behemoth: a hulking, bipedal creature almost as tall as the two-story cottage. Its arms, tipped with large, red hands, telescoped as they swung upwards to block the fire. There was no head, just a mound with black, reflective glass across the front. On its chest, a bright red R glistened, as if the paint on it was still wet.
Upon the failure of the Flamethrower alone, Numel jumped forward – between the robot, Veronica, and a cowering Rose – to fire a volley of fireballs. Growlithe, without skipping a beat, blasted another jet. Both attacks combined into a whirling blast of light that washed over the robot, but it slowly crossed its arms in front of itself before snapping them to the sides. The fire dissipated, leaving behind its masters who stood stunned by the ineffectiveness of their assault. A laugh echoed from the machine.
"Is that all you've got?" it said. "Mecha Rocket, grab them!"
Both of its hands lashed towards the machine's attackers. Growlithe and Numel tried to race away from it, but the hands were faster. They came down hard on the fire-types and closed around them. Fire licked the behemoth's fingers, but it, unshaken, lifted its hands into the air and tightened its grip.
In the nearby bushes, Adam stopped. Both it and its host watched quietly as Growlithe and Numel struggled against the hands.
Adam, Bill whispered,
what should we do?
Suddenly, he felt himself be pulled forward, and he stumbled as he regained control of his body. With wide eyes, he straightened and glanced at the jewel in his chest.
"What are you doing?" he hissed.
I have stayed out for far too long, Adam replied wearily.
Besides, what better way to learn how to fight than to let you do it?
"Me?!" Bill took a step back, eying the mechanical beast warily. "No! I-I can't! I'm not ready yet!"
He felt Adam settle in the back of his mind as a shiver ran down his spine. A weight of dread settled in his stomach.
Just do everything I say, and neither us nor your friends... Adam paused to flash images of Rose and Veronica through Bill's head.
...Will be harmed. What do you say?
Bill flinched and held his head as he lingered on the images that Adam had shown him. He took one more glance towards the robot as it threw Growlithe and Numel into an opening in its stomach. As it reared back, a door slipped over the hole, and in the next instant, one of its hands reached out to grab Veronica. She yelled and turned to escape, but soon, she found herself kicking the arm as the fingers gripped her. As the robot lifted her off the ground, its fist tightened, and a piercing scream tore from Veronica's throat.
"Veronica!" Bill gasped. "Adam, what do I do?"
Very good, Adam said.
First, let us learn how to fly. Imagine yourself with wings.
Swallowing, Bill glanced over his shoulder and tried to will his wings into existence. With a cold rush, they slid from the spikes on his back to form four metal blades.
Feel their muscles. Do what comes naturally.
Furrowing his eyebrows in concentration, Bill mentally reached to the base of the wings. He lifted them, spreading them as he tried to get them to work. Their bases spasmed, causing them to buzz and whir. It took a few moments, but the air around them lifted him until he hovered an inch off the ground.
Very good. Your body and tail serve to steer. Wherever you turn, your wings will take you.
With a nod, Bill swept himself away from the ground, nearly flipping over as he struggled to right himself and fly forward, towards the robot. By some miracle, he burst from the forest without smacking into the ground or the tree but instead darting in an erratic weave towards his target. For this reason, it took him several moments to finally reach the robot, and when he did, he brought his claws down to scratch the arm that held Veronica. Instantly, it released her, letting her drop limply to the ground. Without thinking, Bill stopped and hovered as he twisted to turn towards her unconscious form.
"Veronica!"
Bill, you fool! Adam snapped.
Never turn your back on the enemy!
He blinked. "What?"
Without warning, he was knocked out of the air by one of the robot's bulky arms. Slamming into the ground, Bill winced and retracted his wings. Carefully, he turned over and forced himself to sit up. The robot started forward while behind him, Rose trembled.
"Nii-san!" she screamed.
He glanced over his shoulder. "Rosie, go back inside!"
With a jump, she nodded and darted for the door. Bill turned back just in time to see one of the hands reach for him. He gasped and scrambled to his feet, but he was too slow to run. Fingers tightly clasped around him, and he felt himself be lifted off the ground. The grip around him tightened until he felt his armor bend under it.
"Stardust Experiment 02, Codename Adam," the voice within the robot recited. "I've been waiting for you."
The fingers released him, and he fell to the ground. Gasping for breath, he struggled to his knees.
"You're weaker than I thought you would be," the voice drawled. "Well, then. That makes this easier."
At that, the robot reared back, its arms swinging backwards before lashing towards him. Drawing in a breath, Bill shielded his head with his arms. He silently prayed for protection, and suddenly, he felt every muscle in his body tense. The behemoth's hands struck Bill's arms but ricocheted to the side. Slowly, Bill lowered his arms and blinked when he realized that he hadn't sustained much more than a dent on his forearms in damage.
"Using Harden like a little metapod?" the voice drawled. "How cute."
Bill struggled to stand. "Harden? Did I do that on my own?"
Adam scoffed.
Yes. Congratulations. You figured out how to execute a useless maneuver.
"I wouldn't call it useless," Bill whispered.
The arms swung towards him again. With a gasp, Bill extended his wings and jumped upward to escape another strike. He flitted around and behind the machine to land by scraping his hands and knees onto the ground. With wary eyes, he gazed towards the behemoth.
Adam, he thought,
teach me another move.
Metal Claw, Adam responded.
Extend your claws and imagine your energy flowing into them. You must focus, or it will fail.
Narrowing his eyes, Bill tensed his right hand and tried to do exactly as Adam had told him. He felt his claws tense until at last, they took on a white glow. In the meantime, the robot reared back, whirling around as it swung its arms outward. Before the mecha could hit him, Bill swiped, cutting through the air towards the oncoming hand. His eyes fixed on his target, the large metal palm almost as wide as he was tall. For a split second, he hesitated, uncertain about his attack. Then, furrowing his eyebrows, he pushed forward.
The arm literally swept him off his feet.
When he smashed into the ground for a second time, he looked up and blinked as his vision blurred for several seconds. Then, he shakily rose to his feet, paused for a moment to ensure that he was stable, and then raced towards the machine. It stood as he swiped at it in a frenzy, his hands flashing with white energy every so often. After awhile, he finally stopped, breathing heavily in exhaustion.
In response, the robot batted him away with an arm.
I told you to focus, Adam hissed as its host slammed into a tree.
The moment your mind wanders, the power disperses, and the attack fails.
Groaning, Bill struggled to his knees. He was about to reply when a whir and a boom directed his attention back towards the robot. It was turned towards him, its arms swinging back for another strike.
Suddenly, something hit its shoulder with a plink. It paused, waiting until something else hit its shoulder. Then, it turned just enough for Bill to notice Veronica on her feet beyond the robot. She picked up another stone from the ground and threw it at the robot's mound head. It smacked the side of its metal frame, and with that, the robot turned completely towards Veronica.
"You little pest!" the voice snapped. "If you won't stay down, then die!"
As the robot's arms swung, Bill stared at its back. Suddenly, an idea hit him, and with that, he stood and darted towards one of the arms.
"Don't turn your back on the enemy," he murmured to himself.
He grabbed one of the arms and quickly climbed to the shoulder. The machine stopped, its second arm flying aimlessly over Veronica's head.
"What are you doing?!" the voice barked.
Bill wrapped his tail around the arm and straddled the shoulder as the mecha flailed its free arm.
"Focus," he whispered.
Clearing his mind, he concentrated until the claws on both of his hands began to glow white again. He swung down, slamming his hands into the robot's metal back. All ten claws pierced its armor.
"Hey!" the Rocket growled.
One arm finally flew up and smacked into Bill's side. With a yelp, he slipped from the shoulder to hang by his claws and tail. Furrowing his eyebrows, Bill planted his feet on the metal and pushed his claws down to cut long holes in the robot's back. The arm swung towards him again, and as he tried to pull the tracks apart to form a hole wide enough to fit through, the hand slammed into him from behind. Its fingers curled around him and yanked him off its back as he yelped and flailed in his desperation to get back to the hole. Instead, he was brought around to the front of the metal behemoth to stare into the black glass. With a wince, he grabbed the fingers around his waist and tried to pull them apart to work his way free. His struggling, however, only resulted in the machine gripping him tighter. He responded by gritting his teeth and tensing his every muscle again in another Harden.
"Where is that strength you had in Polaris Institute?" the voice asked. "Weren't you the one who tossed a rock-type twice your size into a wall?"
"What are you talking about?" Bill rasped as he strained to push the fingers open.
Another stone flew towards the mecha's face. This time, it hit its mark, and cracks laced across the black glass from the hole the stone left in the center of the panel. Veronica smirked.
"And that's how it's done!" she said.
The hands automatically opened, and Bill dropped once again to the ground. Its arms rose and flailed as the sound of the voice within the robot became distorted.
"Oh, you little twerp!" the voice shouted. "Smashing my mecha's visual sensor like that!"
It stepped forward, beginning to lumber towards Veronica as one arm lashed forward with the intent on grabbing her. However, the hand planted itself in the ground several feet away, giving Veronica ample time to throw another rock into the black glass and run. The rock hit and pierced through into the robot's body. Something crunched, and in the next moment, the robot flailed wildly as the voice became even more distorted.
"Wha... app... ing?" it screamed, its every syllable fighting against bursts of static.
The doors in the robot's stomach opened, and Growlithe eagerly leapt into the open with a howl. Numel followed not long after, pausing only to glance cautiously upwards at the robot's flailing arms.
In the meantime, behind the behemoth, Bill stood and shook off the shock of nearly being crushed. Extending his wings once more, he flitted up to the hole he'd created in the monster's back. Pulling it open a bit further, he pushed himself in just enough to look inside.
Beams of light from the hole in the black glass filtered downward, revealing a bashed computer just behind the robot's visor. However, beneath that was a jungle of wires, looping in and out of a black box that hummed quietly. He narrowed his eyes at the box, realizing almost immediately what its presence meant.
"There's no one in here," Bill murmured. "Just an on-board computer."
Then, resolving himself, he pushed further into the machine, reaching up until he touched the black box – the object he knew to be the robot's core. Seizing it with both hands, he pulled down firmly. It tore free, sending a shower of sparks downward as he quickly pulled himself back out the hole. Crackling echoed from within the robot as it suddenly shuddered and froze. Bill paused briefly, waiting for something to happen. When he realized all was silent, he let his wings whir as he pushed off the robot with his feet. The robot, in response, fell forward onto its face. Veronica and the pokémon stood a short distance away, glancing first at the robot and then at Bill as he descended onto the robot's back.
"Not too bad, if I do say so myself," Veronica said.
Bill didn't respond. Instead, he stared at the box with furrowed eyebrows. His claws pried open one of the sides, just enough for him to see the circuit boards inside and another red R painted on the metal bottom of the box.
"What's with that look?" Veronica asked as she stepped forward. "We won, didn't we?"
Bill shook his head. "No. I think..." He looked up at her with a small frown. "I think we should move."
"Move?" She blinked. "Now?"
"As soon as possible."
Veronica tilted her head. "Are you sure you're up for it? You're still recovering, aren't you?"
"We don't have a choice!" Bill replied. "Veronica, this machine belongs to Team Rocket."
"Team Rocket?"
He nodded. "A criminal organization that—"
Veronica frowned. "I know who they are. I'm a cop, remember? I just didn't think they were in Hoenn."
Bill sat down and placed the black box in his lap. "Neither did I, but it seems they were searching for me."
Blinking, Veronica moved to sit beside him. "How do you know? It called you Adam, didn't it? Maybe they mistook you for someone else."
He shook his head again. "No. That's the name the National Defense Forces gave me. I don't know how Team Rocket got that information or how they found me, but they did." Looking up at Veronica, he furrowed his eyebrows. "Regardless of whether or not they're looking for me specifically, however, it's far too dangerous to stay here anyway. Now that they know someone is here, they'll come back."
"How do you know?" Veronica asked.
Bill raised the box. "I think the fact that we destroyed their robot is enough to assume that they don't have whatever they came here for."
"Oh."
He handed her the box, but his eyes remained on her for awhile. She studied it carefully, staring at the red R within it as she placed it in her lap.
"Okay," she said. "First thing tomorrow morning, we'll start out. Until then, we'll need to get some sleep so we'll be well-rested and recovered for the journey tomorrow." She looked up, intending on asking Bill for his opinion about her plan when she noticed his stare. "What?"
Bill looked away. "Your... um, the top buttons of your shirt must have come undone during the fight."
Raising her eyebrows, Veronica looked down to see that, in fact, her shirt was partly unbuttoned. With a grin, put the box aside and brought her hands to the cloth.
"Oh! Thanks," she said. "You know, Bill, I'm surprised you were looking there."
She glanced at him just in time to see him turn his head away with a blush. Her grin broke into a wide, mischievous smile as she touched his arm. When he turned back, she leaned forward and opened her shirt a little further.
"Here, have a better look," she offered.
Instantly, Bill pushed himself away as his face turned bright red. "What?!"
Veronica grinned and inched closer. "Aww, you won the fight, didn't you? It's only fair that you get a reward like a good little pokémon."
Bill jumped to his feet. "What kind of police officer are you?!"
Following him, Veronica stood and touched her chin with an index finger. "Hmm... either a good cop or a bad cop. I can't remember." She leaned closer to Bill. "Wanna help me figure it out?"
Instantly, Bill turned away and scrambled for the door. "I've got to make sure Rosie's all right."
Veronica watched him dash into the cottage and slam the door behind him. She waited for a few beats as she listened to the silence that ensued. Then, she sat down on the robot, crossed her legs, and buttoned her shirt.
"He's a virgin," she said to herself.