24. Part 2 Begins - The Militant Elite Four and The Pokerus Virus
"Today marks the fourth week of the assault on the Freed Kanto Pokemon Republic's base of operations in Saffron City."
Jack pulled his shirt over his shoulders and used it to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he looked up at the small television in the corner of the room. He leaned over to pick up a water bottle and winced in pain as the movement aggrevated the sore, newly gained muscles which had taken over his once stick-like figure. The boy's body had completely transformed in the time under Surge's tutelage, but the extent to which his actual abilities had actually increased was uncertain.
"One month ago today, the Elite Four revealed that the Republic had weaponized Pokemon under their control, in order to bomb a total of three cities over a single night. Following the reveal of the attack, informational bounties were set for the three fingers of Mewtwo, as well as the mastermind itself. The first of the fingers, Ho-Oh, the rainbow Pokemon whose flames still burn around Pallet Town, Viridian City and Pewter City, hasn't been seen since the attacks were announced, whereas West the Pidgeot and Dara the Sableye have been reported as fighting on the front lines. Any information regarding these three fingers as well as anything pertaining to their leader, Mewtwo should be sent to..."
Jack tuned out as the reporter continued on to tell where information on the noteworthy Pokemon should be sent. Jack clenched the shirt in his fist, causing the veins on his arms to bulge with his irritation. During his time under Surge, the boy had spent hours upon hours honing his own body alongside his Pokemon. The Gym Leader pit his own collection of Pokemon against Jack's two in hopes of expediting their leveling. Due to Surge's training, Jack's body wasn't the only one to go through a transformation. The once small Timburr had evolved into a much taller than average Gurdurr, and had departed with his signature crowbar in favor of a street lamp which he'd said felt more natural to his new body than the much smaller weapon he'd previously been using.
"What do you think you're doing?" Surge walked into the room with his right arm in a sling. "I didn't say for you to stop, did I? You know as well as I that you're nowhere near ready yet. A month of simple muscle building isn't the same as learning actual combat."
"Yeah? And what about you? You already had the opportunity to go off to that battle. Just because you're scared doesn't mean that you should hold me back too." Jack shifted on his feet, wrapping the shirt around his neck and holding tightly onto each end as he tried his best to look intimidating.
"Jack. Listen." The gym leader walked slowly over to a bench that he'd put across from where Jack had been doing his daily training. "You've toned your muscles up a bit, but that's not enough. Jackson is still out there somewhere, even if he has kept his head down since we encountered him last. His tools… they're not something you can beat the way that you are now. Besides him, there's all different types of Pokemon in the Republic, the likes of which include legendary and mythical Pokemon. You, a Croconaw, and a Gurdurr aren't going to be enough to stop them. Not now, and likely not ever. My Pokemon were seasoned veterans - ones that I'd kept with me ever since the Great Kanto War. They knew how to fight humans. They knew how to fight other Pokemon. The fact that…" The leader stopped and stared off into the distance. Surge gripped his pants with his left hand with such intensity that his whole body began to shake. "The fact that they were killed out there… it should make it more than apparent that you're no match for what's going on in the real world. This, here, this place, it's your whole world right now. You wake up, you train, you eat, you train and you sleep. Out there, there's no schedule. There's no eating or sleeping sometimes. There's a surplus of uncertainty and danger."
Jack stared at his feet, knowing full well that what his mentor was saying was true. The boy clenched his hands into fists and bit his lip.
"What of the barrier?" Lappe waddled up, clearing himself a path through the Magneton and Electrode that he'd managed to defeat. "Have they made any progress on it?"
The Lieutenant shook his head. "The leader of Saffron City is nowhere to be found, and the Psychic types at our disposal right now are no match for the legion of Alakazam that they've got fueling that thing. The news says that we're all fighting to control the front lines, but that's a lie. There is no front line. Every day, that front line changes as the forces of the Republic grow stronger and their barrier grows larger."
The Croconaw fell onto its butt and looked at the front windows of the gym, all of which had been boarded up in case of a bombing. "Then what's the point? If the barrier is only growing larger each day, wouldn't it be just as beneficial to us at this point to up and leave? What good will another month of training do us, if we even have that much time? Do they know exactly how fast it's expanding?"
Surge shook his head. "When I was out there, we'd go to bed one night, only to wake up the next morning with anywhere from a handful to over a dozen troops missing. Entire tents were overtaken by the barrier at times, whereas at others only a few inches had been gained. It's incredibly inconsistent, and nobody is sure why. Professor Oak and Professor Elm have both been looking into it, searching for any weak spots. If Gary Oak were around, he'd be a massive help… but…"
"He was in Viridian… alongside Brock…" Jack shook his head. "Damn. They got the drop on us, didn't they?" The boy choked back a laugh. "I can't believe this shit…"
Surge sighed and then looked up to the television. "Well, they're speaking some truth at least."
Jack's gaze rose to the small screen in the corner. His eyes took several seconds to adjust to the small picture, but he was still in a daze, wondering just what he should do.
"Reports have also started trickling in concerning the Pokerus virus. While the virus was once considered to be harmless, new activity surrounding Pokerus has quickly shifted the public and scientific perspective on it. Across the Kanto region, Pokemon infected with the Pokerus virus have been 'melting,' for lack of a better word. We now go live to our reporter in the field, Po Kackman. Po, what can you tell us about these melting symptoms that Pokemon are starting to experience?"
The image cut to a dark-skinned man whose eyes were bloodshot. The field reporter's eyes continuously darted from side to side as if he were warily searching for something. "Th-thank you Trish. I'm out here on route… what... what route are we on again?" The camera shook slightly as the reporter squinted his eyes, looking somewhere off beyond the lens and what the viewers could see. "R-right! Route Nine! We're out here on Route Nine, observing these Pokemon which have been infected with the Pokerus virus. R-reports have been coming in for over a month now about an abnormally increased infection rate in wild Pokemon, however due to the virus' benign nature scientists had ignored it. However, those same scientists are quickly coming to regret their decisions to neglect the virus, as Pokemon infected with it have begun to melt."
The reporter nodded his head, causing the camera to drop gently to the ground. The cameraman walked out from behind it, holding a glass jar which contained a yellow-ish mud-like liquid within it. It continuously moved, even after the cameraman had come to a stop next to Po.
"In this jar, we have captured a Pokemon which was in the process of melting. We say that these Pokemon are melting because, well… they melt." The reporter laughed anxiously, his eyes never leaving the jar. "These Pokemon start out like any other, but quickly turn into this liquid-like form and will, in fact, actually end up fusing together with other Pokemon which have been exposed to the virus, as well as others who have not. Some of these Pokemon have been puddling up around the region, waiting for their chance to latch on to an unsuspecting solid Pokemon or trainer. The Pokemon then fuses together in apparently whatever way it finds to be most comfortable. There are others, however, who have actively been searching out people and Pokemon to fuse with prior to turning into this form. Now... we're not sure exactly how long these symptoms have been active, but the first reported case was actually brought to us by the Elite Four as they fell back from the front lines."
The reporter's eyes quickly darted off to the side as he wrapped up his sentence. The man's eyes widened as he leaped forward, pushing the cameraman next to him to the ground. Po ran directly towards the camera, knocking it over as he passed it. As the camera fell to the ground, it picked up what appeared to be a Pokemon, though it was like none Jack had ever seen before. The monstrosity somewhat resembled a Nidoking, but seemed to be covered in the pelts of other Pokemon. However, as the figure drew closer, numerous autonomously moving eyes and mouths could be seen upon the Pokemon's body as it fell over in the direction of the cameraman.
"Reaea!" The Pokemon called out as it clawed its way closer to the man, causing him to scream out before being silenced. The jar which the man had been holding rolled out into the view of the camera, followed only seconds later by the abomination which had crashed the filming. The Pokemon - if it could even be called that at this point - reached out for the jar and broke it open with a needle covered fist. The yellow liquid quickly grabbed on to the hand which had freed it and began to inch up the monster's arm, all the way to its face. The monster lurched forward across the ground, screaming out with every inch that it gained. "Reaea! Reaea! Reeeaaaeaaaaa!" Eventually the monster's face came into view, and revealed that the Nidoking, which was the base of the fusion, was quickly being taken over by the newly added Pokemon. The Nidoking's face was covered in the yellow-ish liquid, before hardening into the tough outer shell of a Sandshrew.
As the grotesque fusion sequence ended, the broadcast cut back to the main reporter, Trish, whose face had gone completely white. The female reporter's hand was shaking over her mouth, and as her face moved back towards the camera, vomit spewed forth from between her fingers.
"I... I'm sorry." Chunks of whatever the woman had eaten earlier that day dripped from her chin as an aide slid into view and began to wipe the woman's face clean. Trish waved the man away, slightly shaking her head. "I have to finish," she whispered before straightening herself up. "The police have been putting out notices these past few days, warning residents of the cities surrounding Saffron to either stay in their homes or to flee South to Fuschia City. The police and military forces have banded together in a joint operation to tackle these mutated Pokemon, in hopes of eradicating it before the damage spreads too far. However, due to the manpower currently being delegated to the front against the Republic, it's uncertain just how much progress they'll make with these Pokerus mutations. I'm Trish Takaki, and I need to go clean myself up."
Jack's entire body was numb after having watched the entirety of what had just transpired. His gaze shakily fell to Surge, who was sitting with his legs crossed and his eyes sealed shut. The man's body was shaking and tears were running down his face.
"S-surge… I… what was that…"
"The truth." The leader shook his head and then took in a deep breath before opening his eyes again. "The Republic has something. Something dark and powerful. Something that nobody should have ever found, or created in the first place. Somehow, those monsters are transforming every single Pokemon which has refused to side with them into those abominations. It's happening all across the region, including on the front line. The first time that any of saw one of them was... it was... right before I'd been dismissed... it... well..."
The Lieutenant fell silent for a few seconds as tears fell from his eyes and his face twitched. Jack stared at the floor for a while, recalling the things which he'd seen before it all finally clicked together in his head. "Surge… oh my god… I'm so sorry, I didn't realize."
The man held out his hand and shook his head. "They were… they were my best friends… and they… I couldn't handle it any longer… I have nothing left anymore."
Jack walked slowly over to the Lieutenant and placed his hand on the man's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. "I understand. I really do. I've lost…" As Jack started to speak, Surge turned and buried his head into the boy's naked stomach. The man began to openly sob, allowing tears and snot to spew freely from both his nose and mouth as he'd given up on choking it all back. "We've all lost so much already." Jack placed his hands on the man's head and back, holding onto him tightly.
Several minutes passed before Surge had finally regained his composure. The man leaned his back against the wall, relaxing for what seemed like the first time in a very, very long time. The Lieutenant took several deep breaths, his eyes fixated on the ceiling as he triedt o control himself. "I think I need a cig. Would you… come outside with me?"
Jack looked down at Lappe, who nodded eagerly. It'd been almost two whole months now since they'd had their last smoke, and the thought of getting even a single puff off of one was intoxicating. "Sure thing."
Surge bobbed his head, smiling as he stood up. Lappe had already ran for the door, ready for both the fresh evening air and the promised cigarette. The Pokemon came to a halt as soon as it had opened the door however, and opted to simply stop and stare off to the North.
"It's… it's beautiful… but frightening…"
Surge nodded his head. "I know where you're coming from. It looks like a massive sun, just out of arm's reach. But you're right, it is frightening… it grew today… roughly two inches. I've been keeping measure ever since I first got to the front lines. Since the, it's nearly doubled in diameter."
Lappe turned to face Surge. The Pokemon's eyes widened and its mouth quivered, as if it wanted to say something. The Croconaw held its tongue, however, and waited patiently for Jack and Surge to come join it outside the building.
Jack walked through the front door and immediately looked off to the North as he shielded his eyes. It had been about three weeks since they'd last been outside after all. After Surge had boarded up the windows and left for the battlefield, Jack, Lappe and Eff all fell into their own rigorous training routine. They'd no idea what things were like outside, minus what the news had brought to them. Nothing prepared them for the reality of it though.
The Northern sky seemed to be completely consumed by a massive dome which pulsated with hews of purple and pink. Every building in the city had been closed down, their windows boarded up and signs out front stating their closure.
"Everyone's left already. Nobody wants to be stuck here once the dome takes the place over." Surge muttered to himself as he leaned up against the outside wall of the gym. "It's like this in almost every city now. Everyone's running, but to where, they don't know."
Jack slowly looked up to Surge, a puzzled look on his face. "Wait, if this dome is moving and growing at such a rate, then how in the hell did you expect to keep us here training for another month?"
The man chuckled lightly and then pulled a box of Abra 100's from his pants' pocket. "Here. Take some."
Jack looked slowly between the cigs and the man several times before finally accepting the bribe. The boy handed one of the cigs over to Lappe before lighting it for the one-armed Pokemon.
"Thanks, Jack, Surge." Lappe nodded his head and held the cigarette delicately between its thumb and middle finger. The Croconaw put the cig up to the side of its mouth and took a long, heavy drag on it before exhaling the smoke through its nose. "Aaahh, that's the good stuff."
Jack lit up the cigarette and took a couple of puffs on it before letting it flow out of his mouth. "Yeah. Just like what Mom used to buy."
Surge lit up his own cigarette, but didn't take any hits off of it. The three of them stood in relative silence for several minutes, with only their own breathing and the sound of the cherry crawling its way up their cigs with each puff to break it.
"Jack… Lappe… I know that I can't keep you here any longer." Surge pressed the cig up to his lips and took a hit, having let nearly half of it burn away before he'd actually even had a chance to smoke it. "I know what I said earlier, and I meant it. I need you to stay, but it's unrealistic of me. Your training isn't anywhere near complete, but with that dome closing in, it's only a matter of time. I'd like to say that I could keep you here and let you run around inside of it once it finally does hit us, but… the truth is, nobody knows what's really going on in there. That Pidgeot flies circles around the perimeter several times a day, but never leaves the safety of the dome while that Sableye General just keeps mocking us and throwing up defensive buffs at every point that we attack. We'll never make it through, I'm afraid. At this rate… it might just be better if you left for Johto while you still can."
Jack looked over to his teacher and then shook his head. "No. We have to make a stand here, in Kanto. We can't let them have it all, and we can't let them spread out to other regions."
Surge nodded his head knowingly. "Yeah, I figured as much." The man took another hit off of his cig and then tossed it to the ground beside him. "Here, let me give you something. I'd say that you could consider it a gift, but given who it's coming from that may be hard to fathom." The Lieutenant dug around in his pocket and then pulled free two pokeballs before holding them out towards Jack.
"What're these?" The boy grabbed both balls and then held them up to the light. One of the balls seemed to be holding a Pokemon already, but the other was completely empty. "A gift from… who?"
"Matt."
Jack nodded his head. "Should have figured. We haven't seen the old man since we took up residence at your place."
"Yeah, well… he took off with Garet so it's unlikely that you'll see him for a while."
"What's the deal with that guy anyways? Garet? I didn't realize it at the time, but I'd seen him on t.v. before."
"The Iron-Masked Marauder. He used to be a real high up guy in Team Rocket before they fell apart. Around the time that Giovanni was taken out by the legendary trainer Red, Garet led an attack on one of the Sevii islands in order to obtain some powerful Pokemon for the organization. When he got there, Lorelei confronted him. The two duked it out, but the woman beat the tar out of him. See, that was her home. And the Pokemon that they were trying to steal were ones that she'd raised on her own."
"So then… why did she marry him? It doesn't really make sense to me to be honest."
"Well… there's a lot to it… probably more than I should explain personally. Just let it be known that Lorelei changed his mind as well as his heart, and because of it they fell for each other. A lot of things happened back then that I'd… I'd rather just not remember."
"I… I understand." Jack couldn't help but wonder if something had gone on between Surge and Garet. Things had been tense between the two of them when Garet came riding in on that day, but he wasn't sure what it could have been. Perhaps it had something to do with Lorelei… whatever it was, now wasn't the time to worry about it. "Anyways, why did the old man go off with him?"
Surge shook his head. "That's just the way that he is. He's gone through a lot in his life, and there's much about him that I don't even know. Despite his behaviour, he's a good man. He gets in more than his fair share of trouble, and it's hard to defend him at times, but in the end he means well. He has a knack for being at the right place at the right time too so whatever he's off doing with Garet… well, I'm sure it's for the best."
Jack nodded his head. "And… these pokeballs?"
Surge turned to face the boy and took a knee, bringing himself almost to eye level with Jack. "I understand that you don't like the devices because of what they do, but just hear me out…"
"I'll do it." Eff slowly pushed open the door to the gym and stepped out into the middle of the two men.
"You don't even know what I'm about to say," Surge said, irritated.
"No, but I can guess. The old man gave Jack the ball I was put in to begin with. I'm a member of the Republic, through and through, it doesn't matter what happens between us. For now, I'm travelling with you so that I can get revenge on that Jackson boy. Since the ball is coming from Matt, I'll get in it. It'll just make things easier for all of us, right? I won't have to worry about anyone else trying to pick me off, and you won't have to worry about me running off to the dome."
Surge nodded his head. "Alright then. I'm glad you're so understanding."
Jack turned to face the Gurdurr and held out his hand with the empty pokeball. "I guess… whenever you're ready, bud."
Eff looked up at Jack and then back down at the ball. "I swear, if I start thinkin' funny 'cause of this…" The Pokemon tapped its hand against the center of the ball twice, causing it to first enlarge and then to capture it.
Jack looked down at the ball and smiled. The boy put Eff's ball into his pocket and then held the other pokeball up to the light. "So then, what about this one?"
Surge stood and took in a deep breath. "Well, it seems that the particular Pokemon in that ball is a family member of a high-ranking member of the Republic. However, the Pokemon's father has vowed that it'll withdraw its troops from the battle if this little guy is returned to it safely. Matt picked it up, obviously, so it's still like a wild Pokemon. The number of things that he's doing behind the scenes probably matches up or exceeds that of every other group we're trying to fight right now. That old man can be scary at times, especially if he's left unchecked."
Jack looked at the pokeball and then tapped its center button twice, releasing the Pokemon from its captivity. The Pokemon shot out in a beam of red light, revealing itself to be a Teddiursa.
"It's name is Sal. Doesn't speak our language, so try not to scare it too bad. Luckily, you've got Eff and Lappe so translating what you want to say shouldn't be too hard. Just… make sure the thing doesn't get hurt on your way, alright?"
Jack looked down at the tiny, scared looking bear and then up at Surge. "So you're letting us go off on an adventure, just like that?"
The leader nodded slowly. "Not much choice in the matter, is there? It's best you get going now, otherwise there's the possibility that you'll get caught up in the dome. With a Pokemon like Dialga on your side, it's hard to imagine that you'd run into much trouble. So much is happening already that it wouldn't be strange for more things to be going on below the surface. You should know one thing though. About the Pokerus fusions… they're all incredibly powerful, much more so than the sum of their parts. The police are running around, eliminating them as best they can with the aid of two members of the Elite Four. However, there are some fusions out there that just can't be touched as they are now. If you run into anything like this… promise me, Jack. Promise me that you'll run as fast as you can. There's no need for you to die on a pointless mission like this."
Jack nodded his head. "Don't be foolhardy and try not to die. Got it."
Surge nodded his head. "Well. Guess it's that time then. You'd best get going. I need to take the Pokemon that Eff and Lappe beat to the Pokemon Center and get them healed up so that… so that I can make… my… my final stand…" The gym leader's eyes started to gloss over as he turned to head back into the gym.
Jack reached out, grabbing Surge's arm as firmly as he could. "Hey. Don't you go dying on me, alright? Worst comes to worst, I'll meet you in Fuschia, alright?"
"Yeah, I hear you. Good luck, kid."
The Lieutenant disappeared into the building, never meeting the boy's eyes and leaving Jack alone with Lappe and Sal, the latter of which was now sitting on the ground with its eyes beginning to water.
Jack squatted down and inched closer to the Teddiursa, his face contorted with concern. "Hey, hey, hey, what's wrong little guy? You upset?"
"T-t-t-teddiiiii!" The Pokemon cried out, tears now streaming down its face.
Jack put the Pokemon back on the ground and covered his mouth, wondering what to do. The boy looked down at Lappe, who simply averted the gaze. Jack scratched the top of his head as we wondered whether or not he should just put the Pokemon back in its ball.
"Jack, remember back when we first met?" Lappe sat on the ground across from the Teddiursa.
"Yeah, kinda. Why?" Jack thought back to their first meeting as he took a seat on the ground as well. "That was a long time ago, so some of it's kind of fuzzy for me, y'know?"
Lappe nodded his head. "In my eyes, you were just the same as Sal here."
Jack scoffed. "Was not! I'd never cry like that for no reason!"
"No reason? Really? As best as I can recall, you were so scared of me that you shat yourself crying."
Jack leaned forward, grabbing on to the tips of his shoes. "Is that right?" The boy looked around him, just to make sure nobody else had heard what Lappe had said.
The Croconaw nodded its head. "Your parents had found me out on the street and decided to bring me home. Your father said that when he was growing up he'd had a Totodile just like me so he thought it'd be perfect for you to have one too. Little did they know, right?"
Jack nodded his head. "Yeah…"
Both boys fell quiet for several seconds. They'd not talked about his father in quite some time. Every time the subject came up, it'd turn out the exact same. The two would fall deathly silent, trying their best to flush out the memories and find something new to talk about.
"I hate that son of a bitch."
Lappe looked up at Jack. "Yeah, I know."
"But I miss him… I wish I knew where he'd gone… maybe we could go to him for help now..." Jack's body moved as if he were laughing, but no sound came out. "Wishful thinking I suppose…"
Lappe nodded his head. "Hey, Sal stopped crying."
Jack looked up at the Teddiursa which was sitting there across from the both of them, quietly chewing on the pokeball which it had come out of. Tears were still trickling down from its eyes, but at least now it had stopped audibly crying.
"Why don't you try talking to it, Lappe? I certainly can't, since I don't know how to speak Pokemon."
The Croconaw nodded its head. "Yeah, I suppose I could give it a go." Lappe leaned forward and waved his hand in front of the Teddiursa's face. 'Ey. Whatcha up to? Chewin' on a ball are ya?'
Sal stared at Lappe with empty eyes and then looked up to Jack before dropping the pokeball from its mouth and reaching its arms out to the boy. 'Da.'
Lappe looked over at Jack and then back at Sal. 'That's not your Pa. That's my friend, Jack.'
'Da.'
Lappe rubbed the side of his mouth with his hand and then shook his head. "The kid thinks you're his dad."
Jack looked at Lappe, confusion written across his face. "That doesn't even make sense. Just a few seconds ago the thing was crying because I tried to pick it up."
Lappe shook his head. "That's what he's saying at least. Don't ask me."
Jack sighed and then rose to his feet. "Do we really have time for this?"
'Da. Da da. Da. Lav da.'
"Lav da?" Lappe shook his head and then looked up to Jack. "Lav da?"
"Lavender maybe? That's to the East. Y'know… Surge never told us where to take the kid, so maybe Sal just knows where to go already?"
"Sounds as good a lead as any." Lappe rose to his feet and then looked between Sal and Jack. "Well? You gonna pick him up?"
Jack shot a glance at Lappe and then over to Sal. "I guess it's worth a shot. If I can't carry him, maybe he can ride in my backpack like you used to do."
"That might be the best thing to start with to be honest. It's pretty cozy in there once you move all the junk around into a little makeshift bed."
"Tch. It seems like it's been forever since you've been small enough to fit in there."
"Yeah, I kinda miss it sometimes… but I wouldn't have been able to beat Kris if I hadn't evolved, so it's for the best."
"Is it really though? What about your arm and the shit we went through with each other after it?"
Lappe shrugged his shoulders. "All in the past now, I guess. I'm kind of used to the arm thing now. Besides, I might get it back when I evolve again. I don't know if those types of things fix themselves through that or not, but throughout time Pokemon have used evolution to heal other wounds so I don't see why it just outright couldn't."
"So you're staying hopeful then?"
"What other choice do I got? I made amends with it already. Now it's just like… if it happens, that'd be cool. But if not it's not like it'll ruin my day or anything."
Jack shook his head. "Hey, whatever you say man."
The boy held out his hands towards Sal, waiting for the Pokemon to climb into them at its leisure. Sal wobbly rose to its feet before falling back down. The Teddiursa rolled over and started crawling in the direction opposite of Jack and Lappe, softly calling out with every few feet that it gained.
'Da. Da. Da.'
"Well, guess that's just the way it is." Lappe shrugged his shoulders and then looked up at Jack. "We'll just have to follow behind until he gets tired otherwise he'll throw another fit."
"Is that what he said?"
"Eh, more or less. C'mon. We got shit to do."
