Chapter 16
Jon woke to a revive potion, on a medical bed, light overhead, and one prominent, very pleasant face. Nurse Joy smiled at him.
“Welcome back,” Joy said.
“Gisselle!” Jon said, sitting up.
“You saved her,” Loxy said, nodding in Gisselle’s direction.
Gisselle waved fingers. Everyone was there, Jenny holding Chester, Nick holding
Caterpie, Reese holding Furret, Mentos holding Pidgey, and Faye holding Cheeka, and Nissa holding a cat. Terror was there, too, holding her Gourgeist. There was another Nurse Joy, holding a Pikachu, probably the one that was in the cage that had been forced to shock Jon.
“You saved all the Pokémon from the Starship,” Terror said.
Jon eyes watered.
“OMG, not that again!” Mentos said.
“It’s okay, Jon, we are all safe,” Loxy said.
“I know, but it was just so intense,” Jon said. “I guess I am not cut out for all this hero business.”
That’s what makes you a true hero,” Jenny said.
“Oh, boo hoo,” came the voice of a newcomer. Saying this drew everyone’s attention.
She was an older woman, wearing a tight, black, glossy spandex super hero outfit. A Lampent followed her. “You know why my Lampent is shining so brightly? People died! Pokémon died.
You, Gisselle, were reckless. And you, Sir, are a complete menace! And I assure you, the weeping and gnashing of teeth is only just getting started.”
“Professor Shackleford?!” Loxy said.
“Have you taken one of my courses?” Shackleford asked.
“I don’t recall doing so, but I have heard a lot about you and read all of your books,” Loxy said.
“Did you write any pirate books?” Nick asked. “I like pirate books.”
“Her most famous book is probably Fantastic Pokémon and where to find them,” Loxy said.
“Oh, I read that one,” Mentos said. “It was just okay.”
“You mean I read it to you,” Reese said.
“Same thing,” Mentos said.
“Wait wait wait,” Jon said. “Are you related to Harrison?”
“Who?” Shackleford asked.
“Harrison Ford, is he your brother?” Jon asked.
“My name is Shackleford, not Shackle Ford,” Shackleford said.
“Shackle Ford,” Jon said.
“Shackleford!” Shackleford iterated.
“Right, I would really like to meet your brother,” Jon said.
“We don’t have time for this,” Shackleford said.
“We don’t have time to meet your brother?” Jon asked.
“He’s not my brother?!” Shackelford said.
“Oh,” Jon said, sadly. “Because I would really like to meet him.”
“All of you, follow me, now,” Shackleford ordered.
The group followed her out of the infirmary, down the corridor, and into an oversized lift.
As they walked, she provided an introductory speech about their facility, which continued even as they took their place in the lift. The doors closed, she pushed the down button, and she turned to them, continuing her speech as the lift proceeded down. They were aware when the lift came to a halt, but had not been aware the doors on the other side of the lift had opened, as it opened that quietly and they were that interested in her speech. She pushed through the mass of them to exit the lift. Basically, she was the head of a government agency that monitored Pokémon activity and maintained the second largest virtual Pokémon depository center, with multiple backup systems, three fusion power plants, multiple solar arrays, outlets for Electric type Pokémon to safely vent excess electric charges for system storage, and one hydroelectric plant. The room they were entering was dimly lit, and thousands of ‘operators’ were at thousands of personalized computer stations, each wearing head pieces with mics held on thin whispers of a wire projecting from the main earpiece. There was the quiet, hum of a thousand conversations, indistinct multiple, simultaneous conversations.
“More than likely, if you caught a Pokémon in the Kanto region while carrying your max of six, your catch was transmitted through our facility before being directed to your private account,” Shackleford explained, stepping off the lift.
A male wearing an Armani suit, very much like James Bond, approached; it was quickly realized though that he wasn’t an agent, but was Shackleford’s personal secretary.
“We’ve intercepted all the life pods from the spaceship, Mam,” he reported. “All of the ship personal will be brought her for questioning.”
“Good work,” Shackleford said, and turned to her guest.
“This is the central control room governing all of the Kanto region,” Shackleford explained. “Each of the personnel you see behind me are handlers, dealing directly with their infield agents.”
Her personal secretary returned to her side, and seemed a bit antsy. She gave him the look. “Sorry to bother, but we’ve finally got Agent Ketchum online. He’s in Lavender Town.”
“Lavender Town! That’s kilometers away from his assignment!” Shackleford complained.
“He’s Ketchum, mam,” her secretary said, as if that was explanation enough.
“Damn, seat of your pant, rogue agents! Put him on the big screen!” Shackleford said, turning to the most forward wall. She pulled a headset out of her pocket and put it on. She proceeded to one of the open cubicle station, where a handler was working. Each Handler was in care of six in field agents; this Handler was in care of Ash. She had one active monitor devoted to each of her six, each labeled with the name of the agent. Jon wasn’t looking at the screen, but at the Handler; her dress was probably pushing the limits ‘professional attire’ with her belly bare, and the skirt a bit shorter than the other agents. The screen with which Ash’s image was supposed to be on kept breaking, not with static, but with frozen pixels and negative flashing; it mirrored the big screen. “Ash, this Professor Shackleford. Can you hear me?”
“Hello, control, can you hear me?” came a sketchy voice.
“Misty, clear that up!” Shackleford asked.
“I’m trying!” Misty said, almost in tears, as if the director yelling at her was making it personal. “The interference is on his side. Ash, try turning your transmitter to cartoon mode.”
The image on Misty’s monitor, the same image on the big screen, was suddenly crisp and clear, but with a clear Anime-Manga quality to it. “How’s that, Misty?!”
“Five by five!” Misty said, tremendously relieved. Loxy tapped Jon on the shoulder, as if to silently remind him he was ‘creeping’ on Misty. He was like ‘what,’ and she was like, directing her eyes to the wedding band, which mirrored the one Ash was wearing. It took a moment to realize she wasn’t trying to get him to notice her cleavage, but he did finally get his eyes on the ring, and got the gist of what Loxy was trying to quietly convey. What he didn’t realize was when he looked away, Loxy was also creeping on Misty. “Ash, you’re on with the director.” Misty was aware of the attention Jon and Loxy were giving her and smiled at them, pushed her hair out of her eyes.
A sound of an explosion in the background shook the screen as Ash covered down. “I’m not sure I have time for this. I’ve been following a rogue Tyranitar. It seems lost and confused, and it’s presently taking its frustration out on the broadcasting station. Hundreds of ghost type Pokémon have fled the building, multiple sighting, some secondary fired in progress. I could use some back up.”
“Stop screwing around and use your Agency’s Master Ball,” Shackleford said.
“I can’t get close enough,’ Ash said. “Pikachu tried to distract him, but the Tyranitar is just too big to even notice a Pikachu.”
“Who do we have near Lavender town?’ Shackleford asked the room.
“I have Cartman in the area,” someone said.
“Add him to the big screen,” Shackleford directed.
The screen split into two, and on the second screen, a cartoonish character of a big, fat kid appeared on the screen. “OMG! All teams, report to Lavender Town. We need back up.”
“Calm down, son,” Shackleford said into her mic.
“Calm down! They just killed Kinney!” Cartman said.
“Cartman, I need you to rally to Ash’s position,” Shackleford said, calmly.
“Screw you guys! I am taking my balls and going home,” Cartman said, and turned off his camera.
“Skippy?!” Shackelford said, and her secretary was suddenly by her side, shaking with fear. “I want the name of the person who recommended Eric to the agency, and the name of every Professor and Gym leader who ever passed him on, on my desk, one hour.”
“Yes, Mam!” Skippy ran away.
“Brock can be there in ten minutes,” Misty said.
“He doesn’t have ten minutes!” Gisselle said.
“Oh, that seems to be working?!” Ash said. “Wow! Who’s that agent?!”
“We didn’t send one,” Misty said. “Try to zoom in. And use your auto balance to reduce the rocking. You’re making some of the handlers seasick. That’s better. Who is that agent?”
“That’s Jon!” Mentos said.
Loxy turned to find that Jon and Nissa were indeed no longer beside her. She turned back to the big screen where Jon and Nissa were at the top of the tower, directly addressing the Tyranitar. With the distraction, Ash was able to sneak in closer and he hit the Tyranitar with an Agency’s Master Ball. The flash back was so large the screen whited out, but when it returned, it was evident Ash was knocked on his ass, but the ball had come to a complete rest, and the light indicated a secured Pokémon.
“I got em!” Ash shouted. “The town is saved!”
Everyone in the station cheered. Jon and Nissa returned. Loxy, indeed all his friends, looked as cross and sore as Professor Shackleford. Only Misty rose from her chair to hug him, whispering thank you in his ear.
“What?” Jon asked. “I thought you said Ash needed help.”
“You could have gotten yourself killed!” Loxy snapped.
“You’re not a trained agent!” Gisselle snapped.
“You can’t keep throwing yourself in harm’s way like that,” Reese said.
“It’s exactly what Ash would have done,” Misty said.
“That was so cool!” Mentos said.
“As I was saying earlier, you, Sir, are a menace!” Shackleford said. “Everywhere you go, Pokémon are disturbed from their normal routines, drawn out of their natural habitats. You’re mere presence on this world is putting everyone’s life at risk, Pokémon and human alike. And your philosophies and your badge of many colors threatens the very fabric our social order!”
“At ease, Director,” came the calm, soothing voice of a man in charge. Professor Willow stepped up, gave her a slight, side hug. “It’s not his fault. People can’t help where there houses land after being caught up in a storm, now can they?”
“Wow,” Jon and his friends all said, each for different reasons, maybe because they all now knew the Oz reference, but also because Reese and Loxy were dazed by how healthy this salt and pepper Professor looked in person. Jon noticed that all the girls, except Shackleford, Terror, Gisselle, everyone were kind of dazed by him. He mumbled, “I wish girls looked at me like that.”
Loxy patted him on the shoulder reassuringly without looking at him. Gisselle said, “You just have to work out, walk a lot.”
Shackleford ended the doting moment. “The sooner he is back on his world of origin, the better!”
“I knew you guys were going to send me back! I just knew I shouldn’t have come here,” Jon said.
“Now, son,” Willow said. “We are going to provide you with options. First, let me explain what we know. Misty, please put my latest power point lecture on the big screen.” He handed her a flash drive. There were several documents on the drive which caused him to blush and quickly directed her to the file he wanted. On the big screen, Jon’s Pokédex entry became prominent. “My dossier on you is of course not complete, but we narrowed some personal characteristics through reliable intel and statistical analysis of the effect you’re exuding onto our world.” Several other screens became apparent, graphical displays showing proximity distance relationships, and different Pokémon’s response to that influence. “You, Sir, come from a parallel universe. The atoms in your body resonate to a peculiar frequency, which all Pokémon can detect.”
“How do they detect it?” Mentos asked.
“We don’t know,” Willow said, patiently.
“I don’t detect anything,” Mentos said. “Is he like radioactive?”
“Sort of,” Willow said.
“Like, spiderman radioactive?” Jon asked, hopefully.
“If you like,” Willow said, with just as much patience in his voice that was extended to Mentos, or any other room of ten year old kids.
“But if humans can’t detect it, how do you know Pokémon are detecting it?” Mentos asked.
“Mentos,” Reese snapped. “It’s not polite to argue with the good professor.”
“It’s okay, Reese,” Willow said. “He is asking good questions.”
“You know my name,” Reese said, going back to her dazed look.
“How do you know that…” Mentos pursued.
“A Talking Meow informed me,” Willow said.
“A talking meow told you my name?” Reese asked.
“No, we’re talking about Jon and his radioactive nature,” Mentos snapped at her. “The world isn’t all about you.”
“Yes it is,” Reese said.
“But even if that’s true, Professor, how could Jon radiate an effect field of that magnitude?” Mentos asked, pointing to the graphical reference on the big screen.
“You’re going to make a great agent one day,” Willow said. “Shackleford, make sure we track his progress.”
Shackleford crossed her arms and looked to her secretary who busily started a file on his electronic clipboard. On the big screen, images of Jon using different filtered lights ranging from ultra violet to infrared revealed radiation patterns. A defined aura, as if looking at a Kirlian photograph of him appeared, but the affect was greater than any photo he recalled of this nature.
“When did you take those?” Jon asked, but the professor kept talking in response to Mentos last questions.
“Just like a shark can detect a single drop of blood within a kilometer radius, the effect Jon is having radiates into our world like a radio signal. Every one of his atoms and molecules resonates with the atoms and molecules in ours in very specific way that tends to exaggerate any sense detecting him. We’ve determined he is even having an effect on humans, however, it seems to be on a more subconscious level and appears to be fairly innocuous,” Willow said.
“You’re quite likely to have an inexplicable drawing towards him, or a repulsion to him. As his friends, you may have notice a peculiar fondness for him, an unexplainable liking, increased intuition, increased emotionalism.”
“He did make me really angry when he lost my money,” Mentos agreed.
“Oh!” Terror said. “Is that why he tastes like a Pokémon?”
Gisselle, Reese. Jenny, and Joy all blushed, their hands going to their mouths. Loxy seemed more interested in the answer than being bothered that she had shared the same thought as the others.
“Well, I have don’t have any data on that,” Willow said. “Based on your shared reaction, I hope you will each submit a subjective report about your experience so that I might examine the data, as detailed as you can make it, to my office. I suppose I could also design a study…”
“Oh, I would be glad to assist in generating that data,” Jon offered.
“I bet you would,” Terror said.
Even Loxy hit him the back of the head.
“Ow,” Jon said.
“I get that you saved the day and all, but that doesn’t give you license for humor,” Loxy said.
“Not aiming for funny. I endeavoring to be scientific,” Jon said.
“We have more important things to discuss,” Shackleford said.
“The Director is quite right…” Willow agreed.
“But Professor Low,” Jon interrupted.
“Willow,” Willow corrected.
“You want me to address you by your first and last name?” Jon asked.
“What?” they all asked.
“Will Low?” Jon asked.
“Willow,” Willow corrected.
“That’s what I said, Will Low. Like Wil Wheaton, Will Riker, Will Rodgers.”
“No, Willow,” Willow said. “Like the 1988 movie by Lucas that was actually a crossover
Star Wars Fiction that no one knew was a cross over due to insufficient crossover language.”
“Wait wait wait,” Jon insisted. “How is it you are familiar with the movie references that
I get but none of my friends get when I utilize the same analogy for effect and humor?”
“Because I am a professor,” Willow said. “I know things.”
“Well, since you know things, how did he get caught by Poké ball to begin with?” Mentos asked. “That’s like not supposed to happen, ever.”
“Well, that was mostly due to the improper construction of a Pokémon ball, but also because on arrival to our world his atomic resonance caused the computer interface to misclassify him as a Pokémon, which, unfortunately, cannot be removed from our system, because too many people have seen it and are interested in adding him to their collection,” Willow said. “Additionally, because of that computer quirk, and because of his resonance pattern, and being in a system saturated with Pokémon attributes, his Pokémon like abilities that he has manifested are likely to remain with him for life. We have identified at least two Pokémon who have established such a deep telepathic link with him that their minds are on the brink of merging.”
“Wait wait wait,” Loxy said. “Explain why the Pokémon that are tracking him lose sight of him when he levels up.”
“I am glad you asked that,” Willow said. “Based on a statistical analysis, we have determined that as he approaches leveling up, his resonance signature becomes more pronounced, as if his atoms are approaching full entrainment. The only difference between a steel bar and a magnet, is that a magnet has almost all the atoms facing the same way allowing for the flow of electrons, whereas in a non-magnetized steel bar the atoms are less organized. He is like a light house powering up, and on achieving his level, he goes dark until he approaches the next threshold. Each next threshold is always brighter than the last, which means, each time he levels up, the greater chance he has of attracting larger numbers of Pokémon from a greater distance. Basically, his sphere of influence is growing. More on that, the Pokémon that Jon has captured have enhanced abilities due to his relationship with him and due to his increasing radiant signature, their powers also wax and wane with the confluence of that cyclic pattern.”
“Oh,” Gisselle said. “That explains how he and Nissa were able to teleport into orbit, save me, and return.”
“Exactly,” Willow said. “We suspect Jon’s personal abilities wax and wane in correspondence with his level. We’re fairly certain that his greatest affect will be within five hundred points of leveling up.”
“That might explain why sometimes you can capture Pokémon with a pinecone, and sometimes you can’t,” Loxy said.
“I concur,” Willow said. The one Pokémon that Jon had captured with a pinecone was reflected on the big screen.
“Professor Willow, if my affect is growing exponentially with each subsequent increase in level, then I am endangering not just my friends, but the entire world,” Jon said.
“That is correct,” Willow said.
“Then, I really have no choice,” Jon said. “You have to send me home.”
“Exactly what I have been saying,” Shackelford said.
“There has to be another way,” Loxy said.
“Yeah, I don’t want him to go, either,” Reese said.
“I love Jon,” Nick said.
“Me, too,” Joy echoed.
“And me,” Jenny said. Chester barked an affirmation. Jenny scratched his head. “You’re pretty smart for a not being a Pokémon.”
Terror started crying. “Me, too, and I never loved a guy like him before,” she sniffed.
“OMG!” Shackleford exclaimed. “How old are all of you?!”
“I am sure we’re biased by the affect he is having on us, and the kiss, and the fact he saved my life,” Gisselle said. “But I, too, want him to stay, even knowing that his being here is problematic.”
“And, if he chooses, he can stay. The longer he stays here, eats our food, drinks our water, breathes our air, the fewer atoms and molecules from his origin world he contains. He will never have zero atoms and molecules from his world, but in time, his affect will diminish. We can keep him here in this facility, in quarantine, limiting stimulation to decrease the rate of leveling up, until deemed safe enough to re-enter the world at large. Incidentally, all of you have been exposed to him, and will need to be quarantine, probably for a week. Ideally, we would like isolate all the atoms and molecules from his world of origin, as you shed them of course. Like Stardust, your origin world’s atoms and molecules are a rare commodity.”
“How can that be!” Jon said. “All atoms are forged in stars, which means everything in the Universe is comprised of stardust, by definition.”
“True enough, but yours resonates differently,” Willow said. “Just like, if our Pokémon went to your world, their atoms would be equally potent stardust.”
“If he has an effect on our world, what kind of affect will the Pokémon from our world have on his?” Gisselle asked.
“We have no data on that as of yet,” Willow said.
“How long would I have to stay in quarantine?” Jon asked.
“Roughly seven years,” Willow said. “We might be able to shorten that time by performing regularly scheduled blood transfusions.”
“Is he dangerous to us?” Terror asked. “I mean, like, to our health?”
“Oh, no, no, but all of us, even this very moment, are sharing atoms with each other with each and every breath we take, and so the longer we share space with Jon, the more likely we will have a detectable percentage of his origin atoms, which could attract unwarranted attention from various wild Pokémon. The Pokémon world is dangerous enough without painting a glow in the dark target on your personhood.”
“Well, I vote you stay here,” Loxy said. “I will stay in quarantine with you.”
“So will I,” Reese said.
“Count me out. I got training to do,” Reese said. The look he got from his sister was murderous. “What?! I got to train if I am going to be an agent like Gisselle!”
“I go where Jon goes,” Nick said.
“Well, let’s not be so hasty here. There is more you need to know before you make a decision, Jon,” Willow said. “We need someone to return to your origin world, stop team rocket, and capture all the Pokémon that was unleashed on the world, and closes the door so no else from that world can come here again, but more importantly, stop the flow of Pokémon into your world.”
“Wait wait wait,” Jon said. “I thought that was stopped when we diverted the flow from the ship back to the planet in that loop, but even if that’s not so, the ship and its transmitting device was destroyed,” Jon said.
“Those statements are mostly true,” Willow said. “Diverting the Pokémon back planet side was clever, but did not stop the flow of Pokémon to your world. We have an excess of Pokémon. Some Trainers release their unwanted Pokémon back into the world, some just keep them on the system, and some people transfer their Pokémon to their favorite professors. For some inexplicable reason, these latter are being diverted to your world. We are speculating that there is a Pokémon, just inside the portal to your world, holding it open so that others may exit the system into what must look like to them, a pristine, new world. Again, this is speculative, we won’t know for certain until we have feet on the ground, your planet. If it’s what we suspect, we will need someone to entice this Pokémon out or use a special device to drive him back to us, which will cease all flow. An analogy, you can think of this virtual, wireless connection as if it was actual wires, or spider webs, connecting our two worlds, and the Pokémon are like electrons flowing towards equilibrium; I use electrons because that’s a better analogy than water through a pipe, but water and flow offers a fall back analogy. There is some credible evidence that electrons are smart, and know where to go; there is absolute evidence that Pokémon are smart, and they know where they want to go, and they go. They’re actively pursuing your world. Until we severe the connection between our worlds, there will be Pokémon trickling into yours. Mayhem and havoc is sure to follow. Some people might think it just poltergeist, or UFO’s, as there will be isolated incidents and encounters, but the Pokémon are likely to go unnoticed until they reach that threshold in their population where they start to compete for resources with human, and at that point, humans will become a resource. I dare say, your population is not ready for this. ”
“They’ll eat people!” Nick said.
“Probably,” Willow said.
“Oh,” Reese said, covering Reese ears. “How can you say that to a small boy?”
“I merely speak the truth. Pokémon can be dangerous,” Willow said.
“And you want me to go back and close that door,” Jon said.
“Ideally, yes,” Willow said. “You world can’t handle Pokémon and our world can’t handle any more migration from your world. You are just one person, and you are wreaking havoc here, imagine what twenty of you would do, or a thousand.”
“And only I can go back there?” Jon asked. “Like, I have to go back to provide balance to the Universe?”
“Oh, don’t be so mystically and dramatically perverse,” Shackleford said. “It doesn’t have to be you. We were thinking about sending Gisselle first, followed by Ash.”
“Oh!” Misty said.
“But ideally, you have the best shot at arriving in your home world, because of your atomic radiant signature. Like attracts like, similar to magnets catching. If we were to send you, your statistical odds of arriving safely are so far above any of our own agents, that it’s simply better if you volunteer to go,” Willow said.
“I’ll go,” Jon said, humbly.
“Jon!” Loxy snapped. “He’s not through educating us about our options yet. Right, Professor. There’s more.”
“A great deal more,” Willow said. “I can’t send you in the same manner that Team Rocket used. Their method was spur of the moment reckless, and they have complicated the whole matter in their efforts. The best analogy I have to offer is their transport to your world, coupled with the volume of Pokémon that preceded them and is still trickling in, has caused a severe disturbance in the space-time continuum. From our frame of reference, it is like looking into the reflected image of a sky in a puddle. Their entry caused severe ripples which has distorted the field view. But it’s not just an image problem; all of space time is reverberating with the continued impact of this event, like two black holes colliding.”
“Oh, so getting someone there is like trying to insert an IV needle into a patients veins while being carried by a rescue helicopter,” Joy said. “The oscillations are making it hard to hit the target?”
“Exactly. If we are to close the door between our two worlds, we need to do it now, because the amplitude of those oscillations are increasing, which is disturbing the fabric of space-time in our universe, and is ultimately likely to result in a tsunami of matter from your world, people, plants, and or animals, thrusting them back into ours. Unlike your entry, which was relatively controlled, this would be more of a scattering, literally a peppering of the countryside with small, tactical nukes. Again, it’s just the peculiar nature of your radiant resonance of your Universe and the energetic manner in which it will come back at us. ”
“Then, you better send me now,” Jon said.
“Jon! Let him finish,” Loxy said.
“That’s pretty much the highlights,” Willow said.
“But there’s more, isn’t there,” Loxy insisted.
“I think that’s sufficient to take in for now,” Willow said. “For a more detailed explanation of my analysis, I must insist you wait for the article in Pokémon Quarterly, or wait for the book to be published.”
“No, there’s something else, something you’re not telling,” Loxy insisted. “Like, how you’re going to get him home.”
“Oh, yeah, one really small detail, really not worth mentioning, but statically measurable as a probability set,” Willow said.
“Spit it out,” Loxy said.
“The medical procedure we have to perform before we can send him back could kill him,” Willow said.
“Wait wait wait,” Jon said. “What medical procedure? You just stick me on a teleporter and beam me back home, right?”
“Oh, no,” Willow said. “No, no, no. Team Rocket did that and it made a mess o