Noctowl
Everyone call me elf monster.
Here's a Pokemon fic I've only just started. I just want some feedback on it, as I don't know if it is worth completing or not. I only have two chapters done so far.
Chapter One
Keronin got out of his bed with a start. Another bad dream. The Aipom got out of bed slowly, rubbing his grey eyes and looking out of the window that was next to his bed. The window was open, as Keronin had problems breathing at night. The doctors said that it was due to the toxic atmosphere around him, but Keronin had no choice but to live in the polluted city known as Scaron. Keronin's room was a brown, drab box. The bed was ruffled slightly, with four squashed pillows on the floor, and a mirror that was covered with a strange brown substance.
Keronin looked in the mirror. A tired purple head looked back at him, with a tan face and a frown that never really left it. Keronin was quite tall for his young age, but also was a little bit fat, a strange bulge forming out of his purple stomach. His hands were thin and stubby, as most Aipom's were, leaving him unable to pick up objects with them. His legs were thin and long, almost seeming as if the Aipom would buckle under the weight. And finally, the most interesting thing about the Aipom species in general, Keronin had a long purple tail with a three fingered hand on the end.
Keronin flexed his three fingered appendage, and walked out of the small room, to the last room of his one floored house. This room was a kitchen, bathroom and living room rolled into one. In the right corner of the room was a small grey fridge which was making an odd humming noise (Keronin always forgot to get that checked out), an oven that was covered in grime and had a pile of dirty dishes on one of the hobs, and a simple three legged stool in which Keronin ate his meals. Keronin walked towards the fridge, scratching himself as his three fingered hand carefully picked up an egg. He looked at the pans depressively, not having the heart to clean them up, and stuffed the egg in his mouth. Despite the fact that it was raw, and probably teaming with bacteria, Keronin swallowed the egg after chewing it for a few minutes. He looked over at the clock on the oven. 10:30. With a sigh, Keronin walked out of his house, returning again to find his keys, and then walked out of the floor his house was at.
The carpet was sticky, again. Keronin sighed as he tried to get the strange coloured gloop off of his naked tan foot. It didn't sting or anything, but it was still disgusting. He passed a Rattata as he walked. Greeting the little purple rat, Keronin turned to walk away from the strange, scabby looking creature, but for some reason the rat wanted to talk to him.
"There's not enough time!" The Rattata said, wriggling his curled up tail. "You've got to listen to me!"
"What is it?" Keronin sighed, walking towards the elevator. Yet again, he accidently stepped in some gloop on the floor, causing him to cry out in frustration.
"You just have to get out of here!" The Rattata yelled, grabbing at the Aipom's shoulder's in desperation. "They'll chip us all next…you know where science is going!"
"Chip?" Keronin sighed, pushing the button the call the elevator. The Aipom looked over to the Rattata properly. The rat was slightly smaller than him, though thanks to growth formulas Pokemon all grew the same size. That is, except for the legendaries, a group of Pokemon who lived of growth formulas and used their size to claim superiority over everyone else. The rat had red eyes that looked around in a paranoid manner. The whiskers of the Pokemon were bent out of shape, looking a little like lightning blots. The fur of the rat was scruffy and covered with more gloop than the carpet. At that moment, Keronin summed it all up; this Rattata was another of the crazies.
"Oh yeah!" The Rattata said, "But...we're gonna stop the chips from being made! We have a legendary at our side!"
"You've got to be kidding me." Keronin rolled his eyes, knowing at this point the Rattata was defiantly out of their little mind.
"I knew you'd say that." The Rattata wagged their tail. "Look, I have the documents back at my apartment…if you'd have the time to…"
DING. Finally, the elevator door opened. "Sorry, I have to go." Keronin smirked, "I have to live through this thing called the real world, I'm afraid." The Rattata sighed as the Aipom walked into the elevator door, shaking their head as the doors closed.
"You'll be eating those words, mister." The rat sighed, before the doors completely shut them out of sight.
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"Another day at work, eh Keronin?" Chuck, Keronin's co-worker, chuckled.
The Bidoof was about half Keronin's size, a little like the Rattata that Keronin had met earlier. Nothing interesting stood out about Chuck, other than his huge tooth size and his smoothened head. He had shaved off the clumps of fur that normal Bidoof had, just so he could wear a hat. The hat he was wearing today was a black one, with the words 'number one dad' written in light blue. Unlike Keronin, Chuck was happily married, to a Furret known as Sacron. They had two children, with names that Keronin had never bothered to remember. Keronin liked to work alone, but was forced to work beside Chuck every day in his office job. This was mainly because Keronin was still a Normal IT apprentice. Keronin looked around his grey office block bleakly; this was more depressing than his small house.
Keronin sat down by his computer, not saying a word. He was working on filing the names of babies born this year, a long list since the Legendary government were encouraging higher birth rates. For what reason, Keronin didn't know or care, all he knew was that he had to list the number of babies born and report to Chuck, who would then report it to the boss, Terax the Ursaring. Programs to do this job were banned thirty years ago, to prevent unemployment from becoming too much of an issue. The Bidoof continued to sit around on his chair, spinning it occasionally. The Bidoof never really did any work; he would always give Keronin his jobs for the day and then goof off. Chuck was like that, he was so nice that even a hardened Pokemon such as Keronin himself couldn't say no.
Chuck gave a yawn. "You know what they're developing now?" The Bidoof asked, fiddling with a yellow pencil.
Keronin turned around, remembering that the last number was 100, and the last name was Tootie. "What?" Keronin snapped.
Chuck recoiled a little. "Hey, calm down!" The Bidoof rolled his eyes. "They're developing chips. These chips will detect the wearer's DNA so that some information is easily accessible."
"What sort of information?" Keronin asked, trying to look bored but at the same time remembering what the Rattata had been talking about.
"Blood group, immunities, future jobs, location…" Chuck threw the pencil on the floor and started counting with his stubby little fingers. "Stuff like that." Chuck smiled, showing off his buck teeth. "Can't wait till it comes out…make our lives easier, you know?"
"Yeah…sure…" Keronin sighed, turning around and continuing with his work. "Now…" he whispered to himself, "Was it Tootie or was it Fruity…"
"Talking to yourself again?" Chuck laughed, "I'm surprised they've not taken you to the loony bin yet…you'll be burned down for oil soon if you carry on acting crazy like that."
Keronin gulped a little, and continued counting the random names on the screen.
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"Ah, so you have returned!" The Rattata said as the elevator doors opened.
"Have you been waiting here this whole time?" Keronin asked, looking quite annoyed.
"It's the best place to recruit people!" The Rattata said, smiling brightly. "Lots of normal types come here…you know only normal types respect normal types."
"Yeah," Keronin sighed, "I know, we're lowest of the low…"
"But not for long!" The Rattata squeaked, "Just come with me, and you'll see!"
"Fine." Keronin rolled his eyes, "I have nothing better to do, honestly."
The Rattata then walked over to a crack in the wall next to the elevator button. Keronin watched for a second, wondering why he was even following this rat. The Rattata screeched into the crack, making Keronin cover his ears with his stubby hands. For a few seconds, nothing happened.
"Uh, ok." Keronin said after a pause. "I'll be…going now."
"Shush…" The Rattata hissed, "Just wait…"
Suddenly, a green swirly portal appeared in the wall. The Rattata gave a small smile, and motioned Keronin to get in. After the few seconds where Keronin made it obvious he wasn't going in, he was then pushed by the strong (for their size) Rattata. He then saw nothing but black for a few seconds, before he was thrown, head first, into a strange room.
The room seemed to be made completely from cobble like material, with pebbles seemingly stuck inside walls of concrete. A few candles were lit, and the room was filled with books. Books even seemed to cover the floor, almost forming a carpet of sorts. In the room were several Pokemon, but the one that caught Keronin's eye was a grinning Haunter.
Keronin turned to the Rattata in anger. "What trickery is this?" He growled, "How dare you send me to…one of them!"
"What do you mean?" The Rattata asked, looking confused.
"Oh, don't worry." The purple creature waved his disembodied hands around. "You see, ghost types and normal types were once at war. A war that ended years ago, maybe, but the hate still burns on. It is fuelled by the majors around here. It is to prevent team ups, and the overthrowing of the legendary party. Now Aipom, I excuse my being here, but I had to prove a point. I am no harm to you, as long as you are no harm to me."
"And how can I trust that?" Keronin glared at the Haunter, who remained calm, "You are all about trickery, after all."
"If I am the master of trickery…" The Haunter said, "Who cannot be trusted, why haven't I killed you yet? You have no useful information for us; you are just a computer apprentice."
"H-how do you know that?" Keronin stammered.
"We have been tracking the government's activities for a long time. " The Rattata grinned, "I found your picture in one of the data bases Data cracked. Your blood type is O, your age is 25 in Aipom years, and you love the taste of raw egg."
"You're stalkers, aren't you?" Keronin yelled. "Why have you taken me here?"
"To let you know that your government is getting bored of messing around with Pokemon, and they want to move on to greater things." Haunter sighed, "They play with us, toy us, and force us to rage war on each other. And now, they are planning on of the worst kind of war to begin. You see, you know about that well loved Pokemon…oh…what's his name…"
"You mean Hedgeworth?" Keronin said. Hedgeworth was a tall, dark blue Garchomp. Despite his vicious appearance, he was concerned for the welfare of all Pokemon everywhere, and joined the legendary party due to his strangely tall height, which was said to be from a mutation at birth. He was seen as a hero in many communities, even towns of ice or rock types, types who normally had a thick hatred of dragon types like him.
"That's the one." The Rattata smiled. "Too bad the Legendaries are gonna kill him off in one of the worst ways possible."
"What do you mean?" Keronin asked.
"Poison." The Haunter sighed, "They are gonna use poison types as a scapegoat. According to our research, they will spike his food with Arbok poison, as the mayor of the poison town, Araboh, is an Arbok."
"Then everyone will want him and everyone in his town dead!" The Rattata jumped up and down.
"What other dealings they will be doing is unknown for now." The Haunter said.
"What is this to do with me?" Keronin asked, "You started by talking about chips," Keronin looked at the Rattata harshly.
"It started as that, yes." The Rattata sighed, "But it seems that that news is some form of decoy. They won't be using it for big brother style spying…yet."
"This new piece of news was only just sniped off of the database this morning." The Haunter shrugged as best as he could with disembodied hands, "There's only so much data can do."
"You called?" A voice spoke, and suddenly a pink and blue duck shaped thing popped out of one of the walls. Data had crazy looking yellow eyes, and a head that looked upside down, but other than that looked like a duck that was standing on an elongated tail. The blue arms of the Porygon-Z flailed around randomly, as did the tail which seemed to serve as a leg.
"Ah, Data." The Haunter smiled.
"Smokepuff." Data nodded with a grin. "I have done some more cracking. Found something about psychic types now."
"Strange," Smokepuff said, "Psychic types are a very powerful and charismatic type. They haven't lost a lot of reputation…why bump them all off?"
"Maybe they got too cocky…" Data hung his head. "After all, a strong mind can move mountains, or in this case Legendary tyrants."
"So, it's out of fear." Smokepuff smiled grimly, "What a cowardly move. How are they planning to do it?"
"I think its going to be a pack of Houndoom, though I am not sure." Data frowned, "I need to get cracking with those MSN files."
"MSN?" The Rattata asked.
Data looked at the Rattata with a disbelieving look. Smokepuff looked on with a humoured grin.
"It's like email." Keronin explained after a pause. There was another short pause. "Like a fast letter."
"Oh, now I get it!" The Rattata grinned, "Silly me, living in a cupboard isn't good for me, is it?"
"Never mind." Data shook his head. "Anyway, I'd better get cracking." The Porygon-Z vanished off into thin air.
"Smokepuff?" Keronin looked at the Haunter.
"It's a codename, as is Data." Smokepuff smiled, "Our activities are not the most legal of activities after all; we need to keep our identities hidden just in case there are hidden microphones."
"Mine is Shrapnel." The Rattata grinned, "I found it in an old human dictionary. I thought it was cool!"
"Yes." Smokepuff sighed, "And now, you…what would your codename be?"
"C-codename?" Keronin looked shocked, "I don't even know if I want to join this thing…first of all I don't even know you…second of all I rarely ever work in groups…and honestly…I feel like I've been pushed into this. I don't know what to think anymore."
"Take your time." Smokepuff said. "I know you still don't trust me, so don't worry about coming out with that. I suggest you rest at home and let things digest first."
"Yeah, I might do that." Keronin smiled. "Uh, which is the way out?"
"Shrapnel, show this nice guy the way out." Smokepuff said.
"Sure, why not?" Shrapnel grinned, pushing Keronin back the way he came. "Bye bye now, and don't forget to look for me if you change your mind…I'm only by the elevator most of the time!"
"Oh, Shrapnel…" Smokepuff sighed.
Suddenly, Keronin found himself seeing nothing but black again. He then found himself in front of the elevator, with the green portal at the front fading away. He gave a sigh, walked over the stickiy carpet, and went to his house to sleep.
Chapter 2
Morning broke far too early for Keronin, as the dim light of the sun burned his sensitive grey eyes. He got out of his bed, grumpily throwing the bed covers off the bed with a huff, and walked over to get breakfast. Today was a sunday, a day of rest. It was the only day where Keronin didn't have to work, and he often spent time with Chuck or some other Pokemon he randomly encountered. After stuffing his mouth with a few eggs, he raced to walk out of the door. The door opposite to his house opened as his did, and he groaned inside as he encountered one of the most annoying Pokemon he knew.
The Kecleon in front of him smiled kindly, holding a plate of strange grey cubes. These were known as nutriblocks, and were now being encouraged as a new food source rather than the "germ filled slop" that animals ate. The green lizard closed the door behind her with a curled up tail, and started at the Aipom with blank golden eyes.
"You've been eating eggs again, haven't you?" The Kecleon muttered, moving closer with the plate. "You really need to try these, our mayor claims it will give us an advantage during the great war!"
"Great war?" Keronin asked.
"Oh yes!" The green lizard smiled, moving the plate and almost dropping the grey blocks on the floor. "They say it can happen any time now...those other nations cannot be trusted." She moved the plate up to Keronin's face. "Have one."
"No thanks..." Keronin sighed, "I really do prefer eggs."
"Philistine." The Kecleon muttered, walking back into her house with a tut. "You'll die of salmonella."
"Good." Keronin muttered to himself. "Save me the trouble of having to live you with all the time."
He then walked out into the elevator stop, pausing to look at Shrapnel, who was walking around and trying to get the attention of the many Pokemon walking around. The small Rattata was running around and working hard to get the attention of the other Pokemon, but was failing due to the fact that most of the Pokemon were half awake and had no time for the purple rat's nonsense. Keronin walked beside the Rattata, looking at the purple rat carefully as the purple creature raced around.
"You're doing it wrong."Keronin sighed, causing the rat to look at him curiously. "Try later, their brains aren't awake yet."
"That's the point!" Shrapnel giggled, "They'll be too groggy to say no! I just need to find a way of attracting their attention without attracting too much attention, you know?"
"Hey!" Another purple blur raced towards the two. "What do you think you're doing?" Keronin faced a huge bipedal dog like creature, with a huge head that held massive fangs, and a stout and slightly fat body. The Granbull looked at the two with anger in their white eyes. Shrapnel seemed to shrink under the Pokemon's presence. Keronin, having seen guards before, knew that keeping calm was the best way of erasing suspicion.
"Waiting for the elevator." Keronin sighed, "I don't know what this Rattata is doing, to be honest."
Shrapnel shivered as the Granbull looked the Rattata over. "You look like a crazy." The Granbull growled, grabbing the Rattata like one would pick up a handbag. "You're coming with me."
"No!" Shrapnel shouted, "Please...don't...oh Arceus!"
"Arceus?" The Granbull dropped the Rattata in fear, "Is he here? Oh fuck...I hope I've done what he wanted me to do!"
"What do you mean?" Keronin asked.
"N-never mind!" The Granbull raced off, wagging his tail behind him.
"Oh my..." Shrapnel said, feeling rather dizzy. "That was pretty scary."
"Yeah." Keronin looked at his tan feet. "I'd hate the idea of you being turned into oil...that's just nasty."
Shrapnel blushed.
"I don't mean that way!" Keronin frowned, "I don't even know your gender...or your real name."
"For now, that's classified. When we get to know each other more, maybe you'll find out." Shrapnel grinned, spinning around in circles.
"Maybe." Keronin sighed, watching the lift doors open.
"So, you joining?" Shrapnel asked, tilting their head.
"Not sure..." Keronin said, watching the doors close in front of him.
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"Isn't it a wonderful day to be alive?" Chuck sighed, leaning against a concrete block.
The garden the two had once played in as children and teenagers had turned into a jungle of concrete blocks and wooden beams. The area had started out as a building site, but a change of plans resulted in the abandoning of the place. Deaths were common in a place such as this, though Chuck and Keronin would still visit out of a sense of duty, trying to squeeze a drop of their memories back into their lives, a time were flora and fauna were common, rather than the slabs of grey and brown around them. Keronin was lying on the ground, feeling small stones digging into his back, while Chuck was leaning backwards against a concrete block, looking rather depressed. The constant grey skies seemed to have finally got to him. Despite not wanting to admit it, Keronin was worried about his laid back and really lazy friend.
"What's the matter, Chuck?" Keronin asked as he picked up a beam with the hand on his tail. He had placed it over his head to act as a form of shade, despite the lack of sun.
"One of my children, Emra..." Chuck looked down, "Has been found with the devil gene inside him."
"Devil gene?" Keronin asked, looking worried.
"The ability to preform Pokemon moves." Chuck looked ashamed, "I thought that gene was bred out of the community...but not so..."
"What's going to happen to..."
"Emra...he's..." Chuck started to cry, silent tears falling down his normally cheerful eyes, "Oiled."
"Why did you let them?" Keronin asked, now filled with fury.
"I wish I could have." Chuck continued to cry. "But...it was either him or my wife...they had her...held guns to her throat."
"It's not your fault, Chuck." Keronin sighed, "I never thought I would ever say that."
"I know it isn't..." Chuck sniffed, "It's just that little Emra is now probably fueling some higher up's TV...I don't even have TV and I am a star rank."
"He might not be dead yet." Keronin reassured him, "We could just send some letters demanding him back and..."
"What's the point?" Chuck threw himself against the block. "It could take weeks...months even, just to get a reply."
"But, what else can we do?" Keronin sighed.
"You could ask us for help." A voice sang. Keronin looked around sharply, seeing Shrapnel walk from behind a pile of concrete blocks.
"Us?" Chuck looked confused. "Who are you?"
"A friend of Keronin's..." Shrapnel smiled. "Agent Shrapnel, reporting for duty!"
"Agent..." Chuck's face went pale. "You are one of those terrorists, aren't you?"
"Ah, the lies have got to you too." Shrapnel nodded, "Don't worry, I know you wouldn't trust me. He didn't." The rat jabbed a clawed finger at Keronin.
"Or me, though that is understandable." Smokepuff suddenly appeared from behind Shrapnel.
"Shit, it's a trap!" Chuck looked around with fear in his eyes, "You can never trust these terrorists!"
"Oh for Arceus's..."
"Arceus?" Chuck's eyes went wide, "He's joined your side? I knew he wasn't to be trusted...I was part of the Regigigas party anyway..."
"Not another one..." Shrapnel sighed.
"Anyway." Smokepuff coughed.
"Excuse me!" Chuck shouted, causing the ghost to flinch. "I'm not letting you speak until you let us go!"
"You amuse me, Bidoof." Smokepuff smiled, using psychic powers to lift the Bidoof into the air. Chuck screamed and wriggled about, his little tail bobbing up and down. "Now, calm down. Data has tracked were all the oil fuel is being processed; we could save your son."
"Or we could stay here fighting, and then he would just be fuel." Shrapnel smiled a bitter smile. "So, we working together or what?"
"I don't trust you..." Chuck sighed, "But I'd do anything to get my family back together. I'll do it."
"Good." Smokepuff smiled, "Now, here's the plan..."
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Keronin found himself in front of the oil processing building. The huge building was a massive pile of concrete, with windows lined up on the sides of the building. There was a hole in the block which served as a door, with a sleeping Kangaskhan in the middle of the doorway. The brown coloured beast snored, the tan tummy with a small pouch moving up and down as she did. Shrapnel looked at the creature carefully, seeming to analyse the situation. The Rattata got out some strange looking glasses, and then started looking around.
"There are lasers in between the Kangaskhan and the door. Three of them, seemingly invisible to most. Kecleon work, this is. Three guns are situated at the doors; one in front of the door, three feet away from Kanga, and two of them on either side of the door." Shrapnel said, grinning. "My time to shine."
The Rattata leaped forward with a speed which made both Keronin and Chuck jump a little. Gun shots fired up, trying to hit the small blur that was Shrapnel. Keronin noticed that a bullet had hit its mark; Shrapnel now was bleeding slowly from a wound on their leg. This slowed the Rattata down, causing them to limp slowly towards the guns. With their huge buck teeth, Shrapnel nibbled on two wires that were attached to the gun that was to the right. The gun went crazy, firing off everywhere. One of the bullets managed to hit the Kangaskhan, hitting with an almost perfect head-shot. The Kangaskhan got up slowly, blood pouring from her head, and then slumped back down again as the blood loss got too much for her. Shrapnel continued their nibbling, and the gun turned off. The other guns were still firing wildly, bullets were flying everywhere as they tried to aim at Shrapnel. Shrapnel then limped over to the second gun, the lack of speed causing the Rattata to end up getting shot in the left arm this time. Just dragging themselves along, Shrapnel hopped near the second gun, and started nibbling again. Yet again, the gun shot wildly as it was being attacked, riddling the Kangaskhan with bullets yet again. Blood poured from the wounds that were made, indicating that the Pokemon was once still alive after the head-shot. Biting his lip from guilt, Chuck looked on as Shrapnel limped over to the third gun. The third gun had no trouble in shooting the last hind leg of the Pokemon, causing Shrapnel to slump to the ground. Chuck ran over quickly, he knew he could have helped if he knew how to. Bullets riddled past him as he looked at the Rattata carefully, and then raced over to the third gun. With a quick bite, the gun was down, and the Bidoof was now checking on Shrapnel to see if they were alright.
"Agent Shrapnel?" Chuck nosed the chest of the Pokemon, trying to detect a heartbeat. He smiled as he detected a faint pulse.
The Rattata groaned, "Go on...forget about me."
Chuck looked at the open door. "But,"
"Just go, I'll be fine." Shrapnel smiled, "My death will be quick and painless, hopefully."
Chuck bit his lip, which was pretty hard, and then raced through the door. Smokepuff looked at his fallen comrade with tears in his eyes.
"Goodnight, sweet...uh..." He looked at Keronin and Chuck with a shy smile. "You know what I mean." The three raced through the door, and into the oil preparing room.
Chapter One
Keronin got out of his bed with a start. Another bad dream. The Aipom got out of bed slowly, rubbing his grey eyes and looking out of the window that was next to his bed. The window was open, as Keronin had problems breathing at night. The doctors said that it was due to the toxic atmosphere around him, but Keronin had no choice but to live in the polluted city known as Scaron. Keronin's room was a brown, drab box. The bed was ruffled slightly, with four squashed pillows on the floor, and a mirror that was covered with a strange brown substance.
Keronin looked in the mirror. A tired purple head looked back at him, with a tan face and a frown that never really left it. Keronin was quite tall for his young age, but also was a little bit fat, a strange bulge forming out of his purple stomach. His hands were thin and stubby, as most Aipom's were, leaving him unable to pick up objects with them. His legs were thin and long, almost seeming as if the Aipom would buckle under the weight. And finally, the most interesting thing about the Aipom species in general, Keronin had a long purple tail with a three fingered hand on the end.
Keronin flexed his three fingered appendage, and walked out of the small room, to the last room of his one floored house. This room was a kitchen, bathroom and living room rolled into one. In the right corner of the room was a small grey fridge which was making an odd humming noise (Keronin always forgot to get that checked out), an oven that was covered in grime and had a pile of dirty dishes on one of the hobs, and a simple three legged stool in which Keronin ate his meals. Keronin walked towards the fridge, scratching himself as his three fingered hand carefully picked up an egg. He looked at the pans depressively, not having the heart to clean them up, and stuffed the egg in his mouth. Despite the fact that it was raw, and probably teaming with bacteria, Keronin swallowed the egg after chewing it for a few minutes. He looked over at the clock on the oven. 10:30. With a sigh, Keronin walked out of his house, returning again to find his keys, and then walked out of the floor his house was at.
The carpet was sticky, again. Keronin sighed as he tried to get the strange coloured gloop off of his naked tan foot. It didn't sting or anything, but it was still disgusting. He passed a Rattata as he walked. Greeting the little purple rat, Keronin turned to walk away from the strange, scabby looking creature, but for some reason the rat wanted to talk to him.
"There's not enough time!" The Rattata said, wriggling his curled up tail. "You've got to listen to me!"
"What is it?" Keronin sighed, walking towards the elevator. Yet again, he accidently stepped in some gloop on the floor, causing him to cry out in frustration.
"You just have to get out of here!" The Rattata yelled, grabbing at the Aipom's shoulder's in desperation. "They'll chip us all next…you know where science is going!"
"Chip?" Keronin sighed, pushing the button the call the elevator. The Aipom looked over to the Rattata properly. The rat was slightly smaller than him, though thanks to growth formulas Pokemon all grew the same size. That is, except for the legendaries, a group of Pokemon who lived of growth formulas and used their size to claim superiority over everyone else. The rat had red eyes that looked around in a paranoid manner. The whiskers of the Pokemon were bent out of shape, looking a little like lightning blots. The fur of the rat was scruffy and covered with more gloop than the carpet. At that moment, Keronin summed it all up; this Rattata was another of the crazies.
"Oh yeah!" The Rattata said, "But...we're gonna stop the chips from being made! We have a legendary at our side!"
"You've got to be kidding me." Keronin rolled his eyes, knowing at this point the Rattata was defiantly out of their little mind.
"I knew you'd say that." The Rattata wagged their tail. "Look, I have the documents back at my apartment…if you'd have the time to…"
DING. Finally, the elevator door opened. "Sorry, I have to go." Keronin smirked, "I have to live through this thing called the real world, I'm afraid." The Rattata sighed as the Aipom walked into the elevator door, shaking their head as the doors closed.
"You'll be eating those words, mister." The rat sighed, before the doors completely shut them out of sight.
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"Another day at work, eh Keronin?" Chuck, Keronin's co-worker, chuckled.
The Bidoof was about half Keronin's size, a little like the Rattata that Keronin had met earlier. Nothing interesting stood out about Chuck, other than his huge tooth size and his smoothened head. He had shaved off the clumps of fur that normal Bidoof had, just so he could wear a hat. The hat he was wearing today was a black one, with the words 'number one dad' written in light blue. Unlike Keronin, Chuck was happily married, to a Furret known as Sacron. They had two children, with names that Keronin had never bothered to remember. Keronin liked to work alone, but was forced to work beside Chuck every day in his office job. This was mainly because Keronin was still a Normal IT apprentice. Keronin looked around his grey office block bleakly; this was more depressing than his small house.
Keronin sat down by his computer, not saying a word. He was working on filing the names of babies born this year, a long list since the Legendary government were encouraging higher birth rates. For what reason, Keronin didn't know or care, all he knew was that he had to list the number of babies born and report to Chuck, who would then report it to the boss, Terax the Ursaring. Programs to do this job were banned thirty years ago, to prevent unemployment from becoming too much of an issue. The Bidoof continued to sit around on his chair, spinning it occasionally. The Bidoof never really did any work; he would always give Keronin his jobs for the day and then goof off. Chuck was like that, he was so nice that even a hardened Pokemon such as Keronin himself couldn't say no.
Chuck gave a yawn. "You know what they're developing now?" The Bidoof asked, fiddling with a yellow pencil.
Keronin turned around, remembering that the last number was 100, and the last name was Tootie. "What?" Keronin snapped.
Chuck recoiled a little. "Hey, calm down!" The Bidoof rolled his eyes. "They're developing chips. These chips will detect the wearer's DNA so that some information is easily accessible."
"What sort of information?" Keronin asked, trying to look bored but at the same time remembering what the Rattata had been talking about.
"Blood group, immunities, future jobs, location…" Chuck threw the pencil on the floor and started counting with his stubby little fingers. "Stuff like that." Chuck smiled, showing off his buck teeth. "Can't wait till it comes out…make our lives easier, you know?"
"Yeah…sure…" Keronin sighed, turning around and continuing with his work. "Now…" he whispered to himself, "Was it Tootie or was it Fruity…"
"Talking to yourself again?" Chuck laughed, "I'm surprised they've not taken you to the loony bin yet…you'll be burned down for oil soon if you carry on acting crazy like that."
Keronin gulped a little, and continued counting the random names on the screen.
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"Ah, so you have returned!" The Rattata said as the elevator doors opened.
"Have you been waiting here this whole time?" Keronin asked, looking quite annoyed.
"It's the best place to recruit people!" The Rattata said, smiling brightly. "Lots of normal types come here…you know only normal types respect normal types."
"Yeah," Keronin sighed, "I know, we're lowest of the low…"
"But not for long!" The Rattata squeaked, "Just come with me, and you'll see!"
"Fine." Keronin rolled his eyes, "I have nothing better to do, honestly."
The Rattata then walked over to a crack in the wall next to the elevator button. Keronin watched for a second, wondering why he was even following this rat. The Rattata screeched into the crack, making Keronin cover his ears with his stubby hands. For a few seconds, nothing happened.
"Uh, ok." Keronin said after a pause. "I'll be…going now."
"Shush…" The Rattata hissed, "Just wait…"
Suddenly, a green swirly portal appeared in the wall. The Rattata gave a small smile, and motioned Keronin to get in. After the few seconds where Keronin made it obvious he wasn't going in, he was then pushed by the strong (for their size) Rattata. He then saw nothing but black for a few seconds, before he was thrown, head first, into a strange room.
The room seemed to be made completely from cobble like material, with pebbles seemingly stuck inside walls of concrete. A few candles were lit, and the room was filled with books. Books even seemed to cover the floor, almost forming a carpet of sorts. In the room were several Pokemon, but the one that caught Keronin's eye was a grinning Haunter.
Keronin turned to the Rattata in anger. "What trickery is this?" He growled, "How dare you send me to…one of them!"
"What do you mean?" The Rattata asked, looking confused.
"Oh, don't worry." The purple creature waved his disembodied hands around. "You see, ghost types and normal types were once at war. A war that ended years ago, maybe, but the hate still burns on. It is fuelled by the majors around here. It is to prevent team ups, and the overthrowing of the legendary party. Now Aipom, I excuse my being here, but I had to prove a point. I am no harm to you, as long as you are no harm to me."
"And how can I trust that?" Keronin glared at the Haunter, who remained calm, "You are all about trickery, after all."
"If I am the master of trickery…" The Haunter said, "Who cannot be trusted, why haven't I killed you yet? You have no useful information for us; you are just a computer apprentice."
"H-how do you know that?" Keronin stammered.
"We have been tracking the government's activities for a long time. " The Rattata grinned, "I found your picture in one of the data bases Data cracked. Your blood type is O, your age is 25 in Aipom years, and you love the taste of raw egg."
"You're stalkers, aren't you?" Keronin yelled. "Why have you taken me here?"
"To let you know that your government is getting bored of messing around with Pokemon, and they want to move on to greater things." Haunter sighed, "They play with us, toy us, and force us to rage war on each other. And now, they are planning on of the worst kind of war to begin. You see, you know about that well loved Pokemon…oh…what's his name…"
"You mean Hedgeworth?" Keronin said. Hedgeworth was a tall, dark blue Garchomp. Despite his vicious appearance, he was concerned for the welfare of all Pokemon everywhere, and joined the legendary party due to his strangely tall height, which was said to be from a mutation at birth. He was seen as a hero in many communities, even towns of ice or rock types, types who normally had a thick hatred of dragon types like him.
"That's the one." The Rattata smiled. "Too bad the Legendaries are gonna kill him off in one of the worst ways possible."
"What do you mean?" Keronin asked.
"Poison." The Haunter sighed, "They are gonna use poison types as a scapegoat. According to our research, they will spike his food with Arbok poison, as the mayor of the poison town, Araboh, is an Arbok."
"Then everyone will want him and everyone in his town dead!" The Rattata jumped up and down.
"What other dealings they will be doing is unknown for now." The Haunter said.
"What is this to do with me?" Keronin asked, "You started by talking about chips," Keronin looked at the Rattata harshly.
"It started as that, yes." The Rattata sighed, "But it seems that that news is some form of decoy. They won't be using it for big brother style spying…yet."
"This new piece of news was only just sniped off of the database this morning." The Haunter shrugged as best as he could with disembodied hands, "There's only so much data can do."
"You called?" A voice spoke, and suddenly a pink and blue duck shaped thing popped out of one of the walls. Data had crazy looking yellow eyes, and a head that looked upside down, but other than that looked like a duck that was standing on an elongated tail. The blue arms of the Porygon-Z flailed around randomly, as did the tail which seemed to serve as a leg.
"Ah, Data." The Haunter smiled.
"Smokepuff." Data nodded with a grin. "I have done some more cracking. Found something about psychic types now."
"Strange," Smokepuff said, "Psychic types are a very powerful and charismatic type. They haven't lost a lot of reputation…why bump them all off?"
"Maybe they got too cocky…" Data hung his head. "After all, a strong mind can move mountains, or in this case Legendary tyrants."
"So, it's out of fear." Smokepuff smiled grimly, "What a cowardly move. How are they planning to do it?"
"I think its going to be a pack of Houndoom, though I am not sure." Data frowned, "I need to get cracking with those MSN files."
"MSN?" The Rattata asked.
Data looked at the Rattata with a disbelieving look. Smokepuff looked on with a humoured grin.
"It's like email." Keronin explained after a pause. There was another short pause. "Like a fast letter."
"Oh, now I get it!" The Rattata grinned, "Silly me, living in a cupboard isn't good for me, is it?"
"Never mind." Data shook his head. "Anyway, I'd better get cracking." The Porygon-Z vanished off into thin air.
"Smokepuff?" Keronin looked at the Haunter.
"It's a codename, as is Data." Smokepuff smiled, "Our activities are not the most legal of activities after all; we need to keep our identities hidden just in case there are hidden microphones."
"Mine is Shrapnel." The Rattata grinned, "I found it in an old human dictionary. I thought it was cool!"
"Yes." Smokepuff sighed, "And now, you…what would your codename be?"
"C-codename?" Keronin looked shocked, "I don't even know if I want to join this thing…first of all I don't even know you…second of all I rarely ever work in groups…and honestly…I feel like I've been pushed into this. I don't know what to think anymore."
"Take your time." Smokepuff said. "I know you still don't trust me, so don't worry about coming out with that. I suggest you rest at home and let things digest first."
"Yeah, I might do that." Keronin smiled. "Uh, which is the way out?"
"Shrapnel, show this nice guy the way out." Smokepuff said.
"Sure, why not?" Shrapnel grinned, pushing Keronin back the way he came. "Bye bye now, and don't forget to look for me if you change your mind…I'm only by the elevator most of the time!"
"Oh, Shrapnel…" Smokepuff sighed.
Suddenly, Keronin found himself seeing nothing but black again. He then found himself in front of the elevator, with the green portal at the front fading away. He gave a sigh, walked over the stickiy carpet, and went to his house to sleep.
Chapter 2
Morning broke far too early for Keronin, as the dim light of the sun burned his sensitive grey eyes. He got out of his bed, grumpily throwing the bed covers off the bed with a huff, and walked over to get breakfast. Today was a sunday, a day of rest. It was the only day where Keronin didn't have to work, and he often spent time with Chuck or some other Pokemon he randomly encountered. After stuffing his mouth with a few eggs, he raced to walk out of the door. The door opposite to his house opened as his did, and he groaned inside as he encountered one of the most annoying Pokemon he knew.
The Kecleon in front of him smiled kindly, holding a plate of strange grey cubes. These were known as nutriblocks, and were now being encouraged as a new food source rather than the "germ filled slop" that animals ate. The green lizard closed the door behind her with a curled up tail, and started at the Aipom with blank golden eyes.
"You've been eating eggs again, haven't you?" The Kecleon muttered, moving closer with the plate. "You really need to try these, our mayor claims it will give us an advantage during the great war!"
"Great war?" Keronin asked.
"Oh yes!" The green lizard smiled, moving the plate and almost dropping the grey blocks on the floor. "They say it can happen any time now...those other nations cannot be trusted." She moved the plate up to Keronin's face. "Have one."
"No thanks..." Keronin sighed, "I really do prefer eggs."
"Philistine." The Kecleon muttered, walking back into her house with a tut. "You'll die of salmonella."
"Good." Keronin muttered to himself. "Save me the trouble of having to live you with all the time."
He then walked out into the elevator stop, pausing to look at Shrapnel, who was walking around and trying to get the attention of the many Pokemon walking around. The small Rattata was running around and working hard to get the attention of the other Pokemon, but was failing due to the fact that most of the Pokemon were half awake and had no time for the purple rat's nonsense. Keronin walked beside the Rattata, looking at the purple rat carefully as the purple creature raced around.
"You're doing it wrong."Keronin sighed, causing the rat to look at him curiously. "Try later, their brains aren't awake yet."
"That's the point!" Shrapnel giggled, "They'll be too groggy to say no! I just need to find a way of attracting their attention without attracting too much attention, you know?"
"Hey!" Another purple blur raced towards the two. "What do you think you're doing?" Keronin faced a huge bipedal dog like creature, with a huge head that held massive fangs, and a stout and slightly fat body. The Granbull looked at the two with anger in their white eyes. Shrapnel seemed to shrink under the Pokemon's presence. Keronin, having seen guards before, knew that keeping calm was the best way of erasing suspicion.
"Waiting for the elevator." Keronin sighed, "I don't know what this Rattata is doing, to be honest."
Shrapnel shivered as the Granbull looked the Rattata over. "You look like a crazy." The Granbull growled, grabbing the Rattata like one would pick up a handbag. "You're coming with me."
"No!" Shrapnel shouted, "Please...don't...oh Arceus!"
"Arceus?" The Granbull dropped the Rattata in fear, "Is he here? Oh fuck...I hope I've done what he wanted me to do!"
"What do you mean?" Keronin asked.
"N-never mind!" The Granbull raced off, wagging his tail behind him.
"Oh my..." Shrapnel said, feeling rather dizzy. "That was pretty scary."
"Yeah." Keronin looked at his tan feet. "I'd hate the idea of you being turned into oil...that's just nasty."
Shrapnel blushed.
"I don't mean that way!" Keronin frowned, "I don't even know your gender...or your real name."
"For now, that's classified. When we get to know each other more, maybe you'll find out." Shrapnel grinned, spinning around in circles.
"Maybe." Keronin sighed, watching the lift doors open.
"So, you joining?" Shrapnel asked, tilting their head.
"Not sure..." Keronin said, watching the doors close in front of him.
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"Isn't it a wonderful day to be alive?" Chuck sighed, leaning against a concrete block.
The garden the two had once played in as children and teenagers had turned into a jungle of concrete blocks and wooden beams. The area had started out as a building site, but a change of plans resulted in the abandoning of the place. Deaths were common in a place such as this, though Chuck and Keronin would still visit out of a sense of duty, trying to squeeze a drop of their memories back into their lives, a time were flora and fauna were common, rather than the slabs of grey and brown around them. Keronin was lying on the ground, feeling small stones digging into his back, while Chuck was leaning backwards against a concrete block, looking rather depressed. The constant grey skies seemed to have finally got to him. Despite not wanting to admit it, Keronin was worried about his laid back and really lazy friend.
"What's the matter, Chuck?" Keronin asked as he picked up a beam with the hand on his tail. He had placed it over his head to act as a form of shade, despite the lack of sun.
"One of my children, Emra..." Chuck looked down, "Has been found with the devil gene inside him."
"Devil gene?" Keronin asked, looking worried.
"The ability to preform Pokemon moves." Chuck looked ashamed, "I thought that gene was bred out of the community...but not so..."
"What's going to happen to..."
"Emra...he's..." Chuck started to cry, silent tears falling down his normally cheerful eyes, "Oiled."
"Why did you let them?" Keronin asked, now filled with fury.
"I wish I could have." Chuck continued to cry. "But...it was either him or my wife...they had her...held guns to her throat."
"It's not your fault, Chuck." Keronin sighed, "I never thought I would ever say that."
"I know it isn't..." Chuck sniffed, "It's just that little Emra is now probably fueling some higher up's TV...I don't even have TV and I am a star rank."
"He might not be dead yet." Keronin reassured him, "We could just send some letters demanding him back and..."
"What's the point?" Chuck threw himself against the block. "It could take weeks...months even, just to get a reply."
"But, what else can we do?" Keronin sighed.
"You could ask us for help." A voice sang. Keronin looked around sharply, seeing Shrapnel walk from behind a pile of concrete blocks.
"Us?" Chuck looked confused. "Who are you?"
"A friend of Keronin's..." Shrapnel smiled. "Agent Shrapnel, reporting for duty!"
"Agent..." Chuck's face went pale. "You are one of those terrorists, aren't you?"
"Ah, the lies have got to you too." Shrapnel nodded, "Don't worry, I know you wouldn't trust me. He didn't." The rat jabbed a clawed finger at Keronin.
"Or me, though that is understandable." Smokepuff suddenly appeared from behind Shrapnel.
"Shit, it's a trap!" Chuck looked around with fear in his eyes, "You can never trust these terrorists!"
"Oh for Arceus's..."
"Arceus?" Chuck's eyes went wide, "He's joined your side? I knew he wasn't to be trusted...I was part of the Regigigas party anyway..."
"Not another one..." Shrapnel sighed.
"Anyway." Smokepuff coughed.
"Excuse me!" Chuck shouted, causing the ghost to flinch. "I'm not letting you speak until you let us go!"
"You amuse me, Bidoof." Smokepuff smiled, using psychic powers to lift the Bidoof into the air. Chuck screamed and wriggled about, his little tail bobbing up and down. "Now, calm down. Data has tracked were all the oil fuel is being processed; we could save your son."
"Or we could stay here fighting, and then he would just be fuel." Shrapnel smiled a bitter smile. "So, we working together or what?"
"I don't trust you..." Chuck sighed, "But I'd do anything to get my family back together. I'll do it."
"Good." Smokepuff smiled, "Now, here's the plan..."
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Keronin found himself in front of the oil processing building. The huge building was a massive pile of concrete, with windows lined up on the sides of the building. There was a hole in the block which served as a door, with a sleeping Kangaskhan in the middle of the doorway. The brown coloured beast snored, the tan tummy with a small pouch moving up and down as she did. Shrapnel looked at the creature carefully, seeming to analyse the situation. The Rattata got out some strange looking glasses, and then started looking around.
"There are lasers in between the Kangaskhan and the door. Three of them, seemingly invisible to most. Kecleon work, this is. Three guns are situated at the doors; one in front of the door, three feet away from Kanga, and two of them on either side of the door." Shrapnel said, grinning. "My time to shine."
The Rattata leaped forward with a speed which made both Keronin and Chuck jump a little. Gun shots fired up, trying to hit the small blur that was Shrapnel. Keronin noticed that a bullet had hit its mark; Shrapnel now was bleeding slowly from a wound on their leg. This slowed the Rattata down, causing them to limp slowly towards the guns. With their huge buck teeth, Shrapnel nibbled on two wires that were attached to the gun that was to the right. The gun went crazy, firing off everywhere. One of the bullets managed to hit the Kangaskhan, hitting with an almost perfect head-shot. The Kangaskhan got up slowly, blood pouring from her head, and then slumped back down again as the blood loss got too much for her. Shrapnel continued their nibbling, and the gun turned off. The other guns were still firing wildly, bullets were flying everywhere as they tried to aim at Shrapnel. Shrapnel then limped over to the second gun, the lack of speed causing the Rattata to end up getting shot in the left arm this time. Just dragging themselves along, Shrapnel hopped near the second gun, and started nibbling again. Yet again, the gun shot wildly as it was being attacked, riddling the Kangaskhan with bullets yet again. Blood poured from the wounds that were made, indicating that the Pokemon was once still alive after the head-shot. Biting his lip from guilt, Chuck looked on as Shrapnel limped over to the third gun. The third gun had no trouble in shooting the last hind leg of the Pokemon, causing Shrapnel to slump to the ground. Chuck ran over quickly, he knew he could have helped if he knew how to. Bullets riddled past him as he looked at the Rattata carefully, and then raced over to the third gun. With a quick bite, the gun was down, and the Bidoof was now checking on Shrapnel to see if they were alright.
"Agent Shrapnel?" Chuck nosed the chest of the Pokemon, trying to detect a heartbeat. He smiled as he detected a faint pulse.
The Rattata groaned, "Go on...forget about me."
Chuck looked at the open door. "But,"
"Just go, I'll be fine." Shrapnel smiled, "My death will be quick and painless, hopefully."
Chuck bit his lip, which was pretty hard, and then raced through the door. Smokepuff looked at his fallen comrade with tears in his eyes.
"Goodnight, sweet...uh..." He looked at Keronin and Chuck with a shy smile. "You know what I mean." The three raced through the door, and into the oil preparing room.
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