Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
Chapter 4
He wasn’t sure he wanted to cross through a desert, but it was the shortest way and besides, he had loaded his backpack with twenty bottles of water in preparation for the overland check. Also, worse case scenario, Dragonair or Gyarados could use Rain Dance and quench him. Of course, that would also damage the sandy habitat – maybe – but he would rather stay alive…
That was selfish of him. He was here to complete his mission, after all, not wandering around having fun!
Still, he was sure the Council appreciated the weekly reports he sent. Besides, he still had a few months left before he would have to return home. He missed the ocean… he missed the gentle currents and the wild dragon and water pokemon, and he missed his cousin Lorelei a little too.
He hoped she was happy where she was.
“So, how much are these Go-goggles?”
“Only fifty pokeyen! A true bargain!” The trainer said. Red handed over the money readily and slipped Lance a pair. He looked at the younger boy in surprise.
“Here. I know you probably don’t have a pair.”
“Thank you.” Lance replied hesitantly. He slid them over his eyes, took a few deep breaths for reassurance, and then the two began walking into the desert. Barely had they entered before a Cacnea jumped out of the sand and attacked them.
“Poli, Water gun!”
Red’s Poliwrath dispatched several pokemon that had gathered. Two Sandshrew, a Cacnea, and a Graveler… but something was wrong. He could tell. There was a certain wild tightness in the lines of their eyes. Hmm…
He got a close look the next time a pokemon attacked. They’d walked for about fifteen more minutes before a Baltoy had exploded out of the dust in front of his face, teeth set in a snarl, almost a death rictus…
Red reacted, but Lance was faster. Dragonair exploded out of the air and dealt it a Hyper Beam attack.
Red’s jaw dropped. “That was… wow.”
“Something’s wrong with these pokemon.” Lance said carefully, not wanting to reveal too much.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, do they look wrong to you?”
Red frowned, but he quickly focused his eyes on the fallen pokemon. Frowning, he nodded in confirmation.
“You’re right… you always did have sharper eyes.”
“I think they’re dying.”
“Dying? But how – I mean, what is going on? Of what?” Questions flew through the air like falling rocks.
Lance held up his hands. “One at a time please, Red.”
“Okay.” Red nodded seriously. “Why do you think the pokemon are dying?”
“They look thin, like they’re starving or something. But it’s very strange.”
“Why would they be starving? The desert is their natural habitat. Aren’t they adapted to harsh conditions?”
“That is what I assumed, but I may be wrong…”
“Maybe I should give Professor Oak a call.”
“Do you have a camera?”
“Huh?” Red frowned, before he dug through his backpack. After a few moments, he came up with a disposable camera with half its pictures left. “Here.”
Lance snapped off several pictures of the area and the defeated pokemon, and nodded to his Dragonair. “Take these to Professor Oak, Hakuryuu.”
The Dragonair nodded and flew off.
“Well, that saves time.” Red conceded. Dragonair were fast if they wanted to be, and could travel both air and water at fast speeds. He grimaced. “Do you think…?”
“I think we should hurry. I have no doubt there are many more starving pokemon viewing us as potential food.”
Red needed no encouragement. Even if they ran into any more pokemon, he wasn’t sure he wanted to catch them. He had dealt with wild pokémon, or so he thought, but these things…
They were scary!
Was it childish of him to admit such things? Brave and a hero of the people they may hail him, but he was only thirteen…
There were still things in life that were uncontrollable. Sometimes, he just wanted to hide. There was only so much time he could spend playing a part…
Lance was proving to be very useful as a shield.
They ran through the desert, their pokemon clearing a path. Red did not want to think about the destruction left behind in their wake, or a particularly shrill almost human scream one pokemon had given when Venusaur had used Razor Leaf.
Maybe he had killed pokemon. But it was survival.
I’m sorry! But I don’t want to die!
Survival of the fitness was instinctive after all…
Fallarbor had never looked so welcome, though the city swirled with the grayish cloud of foggy dust. Lance coughed and Red helpfully handed him a breathing mask. He had a couple of extra left from a mission to exterminate a sewer full of Grimer…
“We’re safe.”
“Thank Lugia.” Lance murmured, as they entered the Pokemon Center and let the kind Nurse on duty heal their pokémon.
The Nurse Joys were one part of the system Lance could not figure out. What was the point in offering free healing?
Would that not decrease sales of healing items?
Devon and Silph… they were big companies, but they treated their workers fairly and did not experiment with pokemon… at least not in their laboratories in the big buildings. Rattatas were excellent spies.
Elsewhere, maybe…
He knew that Team Rocket was a threat. Team Magma was worse – if they expanded the land, what would happen to all the sea pokemon and the hybrids that lived hidden within the watery depths, the fay children?
Team Aqua… now their vision Lance might support, if they did so peacefully. Killing pokemon was not his favorite mode of work.
Well, to be honest, he hated it. However, he recognized it as necessary once in a while. The desert counted as one of those times. It was unfair to them, but they attacked first…
I’m sorry.
I cannot die though, so my life is stronger than yours, for now…
Oak stared at the photos with a feeling of dread. It was starting to happen… he looked at the Dragonair now resting in his lake.
The wild pokemon were becoming unpredictable. No one knew why, but it was rumored to do with a climate cycle. Every seventy-five years or so, the pokemon’s food supply would run out, and for three or four years, they would run wild, slaughtering humans and eating anything they could get…
Those were dangerous times. His own great-uncle had died in the last cycle.
What could he do though? Well, warn the public, damp pokemon training for the time being, and hopefully save a few lives.
The old man sighed. He was getting too old for this. He needed a successor, but May was currently off training with Professor Elm in Johto…
Things would eventually happen. Until then…
He began typing an email to Red’s pokédex.
End Chapter
Completed 2/22/06
Boy, I feel drained and hyper. Odd mix. At least the midterms are over, most of em. All that’s left is EPSM…