Chapter 6
I got off Ponyta and called out all of Kom's Pokemon. Although we weren't going to split, I thought it would be wise to have a few extra pairs of eyes. I left the translator on Ponyta's neck and he didn't seem to mind.
"Free, free?"
"Where should we start?" translator.
"Where I found Kom. Noctowl, Butterfree! Can you fly up and see if you recognize where we were?"
"Free!"
"Noctowl!"
"Righto!" translator.
"It is done!" translator.
They flew up and splitted in different directions. Then they came back and gave me their reports.
"Free, free, butterfree!"
"I don't recognize the west section at all, it's not there." translator.
"Noctowl"
"I found the place, I remember a tree there." translator.
"Ok, lead the way. Is it ok I get back on you, Ponyta? I'm not as fast as you and every bit of time counts."
"Ponyta."
"Get on." translator.
We galloped off and Totodile held onto my waist. He had this frightened look on his face.
We reached the spot in no time. I immediately scanned the area. It was pretty hard because it's not like someone magically cut the grass since the last time I had been there. Finally, Totodile called at me to come to a tree.
"What's so special about a tree?"
"Totodile! Totototototodile!"
"Something different! It doesn't look right and my senses sense danger!" translator.
We all approached the tree. It was a different tree from the one Noctowl had recognized. I looked at it and it looked normal.
"It looks normal to me."
"Totodile!"
"Stare at it!" translator.
I looked at the tree and didn't blink. Then something funny happend. Everything got wavy, like a dream. The tree kept moving like a wave and it was mesmerizing. Back and forth, back and forth. It moved so fast till it was a blur. In fact, everything was a blur. I couldn't see anything clearly! Then everything suddenly stopped moving and my brain hurt.
"Ponyta!"
"My mind hurts!" translator.
"Free!"
"Mine, too!" translator.
"Noctowl."
"Mine is very painful as well." translator.
"Totodile? Totototototototototo!"
"See? Toldyoutoldyoutoldyou!" translator.
I rubbed my head and looked at the tree. "It has a blue star! Look at the trunk! Right in the top!!!"
It was very eye-catching and couldn't be missed. There was a blue star right where the forehead would be if it was a Pokemon.
"It's just like Kom said! Except that his was on an Alakazam..."
"Totototodile!"
"Not again!"
"What, Totodile?" His eyes crossed and he wiggled to and fro.
"Totodile? Are you ok?!?"
Then he regained his senses and pointed to the tree and screamed.
"Totodile!!!"
"Alakazam!!!" translator.
"Totodile! Are you ok? What's wrong with you?? Do you feel sick? I looked at the tree. It still looked like a tree with a blue star on it. Oh no, was Totodile going crazy? Or was he sick, too?
Then everything got all wavy again. Oh, how my head hurt! The waves
were even more extreme and it got out of control. Then unlike the first
time, it gradually lessened until I saw who was in front of me. It was the
Alakazam with a blue star on his forehead.
{Be gone!} A voice inside of my head...
"No! Not until you tell me what you did with Kom! And where did you take Stantler?"
{It is none of your concern! You are not welcome upon these grounds. Be gone!}
"Ponyta! Ny, ny, nyta!"
"At least tell us what you did to my master! He has been ill ever since you stole Stantler!" translator.
I could have sworn Alakazam smiled. {Nothing much! Just a little virus that'll kill him in a month's time. A slow, painful death! So painful, that he'll probably suicide before the virus actually gets to his brain.}
My hands went clammy and I felt weak. I knew I must have looked very pale at that moment.
"Please give me that antidote! How can you be so cruel!"
{Why should I? It'll be one obstacle out of the way. He does not deserve to live.}
"Why not?!?"
{That Stantler is no ordinary Stantler. It is not a he, it is a her. Because of some curse, my wife was changed to the figure of a Stantler. A lowly Stantler!} He trembled. {She was a beautiful Alakazam, she was a one of a kind. She loved me no matter how I hurt her. And she was loyal. If it wasn't for me, she would still be an Alakazam!}
"So what does Kom have anything to do with this?"
He turned to my and his star became really bright. {I tried to take care of her. But that boy's father caught her! Used her as an item, as transportation!} I felt anger radiate from his body.
{He left before I could trace him! I have waited for many a year and all that was on my mind was revenge. Back then, I too was dumb and witless. Hatred has changed me. Finally, after twenty years, he comes back. With a family!! I should be the one with a family. Edna should be with me! I would have figured out how to help her!!}
Then his eyes glinted. {So I killed them.} He paused to let the effect set in. {The boy saw. The boy saw. He took Edna! His grandparents moved him away to his aunts and uncles. They stayed here and cared for the Miltank ranch. I bitterly wanted to kill them too. But I knew it to be an unwise move. If I did, there would be no way of the boy ever coming back.}
"You're a monster! How can you stoop so low!?!" I nearly screamed and tears came to my eyes. Kom's Pokemon remained silent and they continued to do so. They knew it unwise to butt in.
{How can I? He seperated me from my beloved Edna! I waited for for more than thirty years!! My Edna in bondage for thirty years!! And finally, Edna is with me.}
I didn't want to hear the next part, but I persisted. "Then what?"
{Then he came back. I watched silently. I saw how he treated Edna. As transportation! He was no different from his parents! I despised him. Then the earthquake. Then you. I saw. I waited.}
"Then what? We came to Flora Fields. Then what?"
{I saw him and surrounded him with a barriar. He couldn't escape now!!} He breathed heavily as if recalling a flashback. {I created a man, a mask of one. I used it so he wouldn't be suspicious. All of those Abras and Kadabras. Masks. I made the man push him off and take Stantler. He put up quite a fight. Little did he know, that it was just a mask and it was all useless. I told him to stop struggling. He wouldn't. I used Psychic on him. I flew him up really high, and dropped him.} He paused. {It's a shame he didn't break any bones! He was unconcious. I recalled all of those masks. I looked at him before I left. Anger rose in my heart. I had created a disease for thirty years. I had a guinea pig, how could I resist? I shot it at the boy. There was a Smeargle very near and the barriar was down. He was in the middle of a battle and suddenly he started to sweat. I knew I had accidentally gotten him, but I couldn't care much.}
"Why didn't I see anything? Feel anything? Notice anything?"
{You forget the barriar. And I would be a fool to stay visible. Ever since I had retrieved Edna, I couldn't understand a single word she said! All she says is Stantler, Stantler, Stantler! The curse had done away with her tongue as if she was a common Stantler! My punishment is just as bad as hers, I can't understand the Pokemon tongue anymore! It grieves me much that I can no longer communicate with her! And you want me to rescue the boy? You are so naive.}
"And the Smeargle!"
{I know he belongs to you, too. But why should you care? All he does is disobey you.}
"Because he's my friend!" Tears welled in my eyes. "They both are! I know I haven't known them for long, but I know they are my friends! But that's more than you can say who doesn't have any friends at all! All you can think about is revenge and not caring about anyone-"
{That's not true! I care about Edna!}
"And she won't speak to you, she might not have had human intelligence, but I bet she's unhappy with what you've done! You can't even understand her! How do yoou know she wasn't happy with Kom? Maybe she was! If she didn't, then why did she obey Kom when he told her to calm down the crowd at the warehouse? Why hadn't she run away for thirty years? Why didn't she run back to you after all of these years? Because she was happy and now you've gone and murdered the ones she loved!!"
{She was a loyal Alakzam. I am an honourable Alakazam. I was my duty to protect her! There was no way she could be happy with humans. She was never that kind of Pokemon! She was being used as transportation, as property! It was my duty to protect her for I am an honourable Alakazam!!!}
"You are not honourable at all! Hatred has changed you. She loved a different Alakazam, not you. And how do you know she wasn't happy? You can't understand her! Maybe she's mad at you now since you've brought sadness upon the one that has changed her life! If she wasn't happy, then why didn't she run away after all of these years?!?"
{SILENCE!!!}
"Tell me why!!!!!"
{I told you to be quiet!!!} I felt myself lifted from the ground a great distance. Then I was dropped.
"Free!"
"Hold on!" translator.
Butterfree dove under me and I think I smushed her.
"How could you be so stupid, Butterfree!?!"
"Free..."
"I'm ok..." translator.
I picked up the crumpled Butterfree and looked at Alakazam.
"Tell me why." I whispered fiercely.
He remained silent. {I don't know. But give me one good reason why I shouldn't inject you with my virus and kill you all.}
===End of Chapter 6===