Chapter 44
Andy woke up with a start. His head was throbbing and his stomach was hurting. Getting up with a start certainly didn’t help with his headache. He closed his eyes and rubbed his head.
Ibuprofen would certainly do wonders right about now.
He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in some kind of building or man-made structure, as he was surrounded by walls that did not look natural. Dust was settling around him, and it smelled funny. His only light source was right above him, where he could see a hole in the ceiling.
That must be where I fell through.
Judging by the way the hole moved by shifting his view, he could tell that he fell through multiple floors of this structure. The last thing he could remember was falling out of the Scar.
I must have hit my head on debris, because I don’t remember crashing through this place.
“West! Claire! ...Josh?” He shouted into the area and listened. There was no response.
Well, they may not have woken up like I did, so I’ll have to go find them and wake them up myself.
He looked around the room. It was more like a spacious closet, with some cleaning supplies here and there. There was a door on one of the walls, as most doors are common to be found on.
First thing is first though, I have to find something to eat and maybe something for this headache.
He opened the door and let the light shine through into the hall. Some of the lights were on, but not all of them. Most of the bulbs had died out, with some barely clinging to life by flickering on and off. It reminded Andy of a sort of horror movie hallway. He was not afraid, however, because he knew that somewhere his friends would be here, and he would find company pretty soon.
Andy walked through the hallway. He had an idea to use the aura to sense the area and see if he could recognize his friends, potential enemies, or even just food. He closed his eyes, focused and...darkness.
Oh yeah, I forgot.
He looked into any room that he came across. Most of them had beds and some personal containers in them. Andy broke into one of said containers and found a map inside one of them. He opened it up, and was surprised at what he found inside.
Oh my goodness, this is a Pokextinction ship! Wait, how did it get here, in the Pokemon world? Am I still in the Pokemon world?
It was the same model that Andy and his friends infiltrated some time ago, stopping Vincent and getting the Time Gears. One of the rooms on the map was circled. Andy inferred that the circled room was the very room he was standing in. He looked over the map to see any rooms of significance. First he needed to get something to eat and drink. He looked at the map and located the mess hall of the ship.
I’ll figure it out soon enough. Somewhere there must be food there. And after that I’ll go to the medical center for some medicine for this headache.
He followed the map and navigated the ship. He felt grateful he found a map in a place like this. All of these hallways and rooms looked similar to each other. In the quarters section of the area, the hallway had stairs going up at one end and stairs going down on the other end. There were rooms all along the hall way, similar to how a hotel would make the hallway formats similar.
Something was eating at the back of Andy’s mind. When he and his friends were following Vincent and retrieving the Time Gears, they had to be extra stealthy and make sure that nobody saw them. But now, nobody is around.
It was more of a passing thought to Andy. Right now he needed to focus on his most basic need, which was to gain sustenance.
As he climbed the stairs, he felt something strange. The air was heavy, and something stank. It stank really bad.
Must be spoiled food or something. I should try to avoid that, there must be granola bars or something around here that’s kept fresh.
When he climbed up the stairs, he realized what the smell was. When he climbed the stairs where the cafeteria was, he saw Pokextinction members lying all around the floor. None of them moved, and when Andy moved his head he saw that limbs were missing. These members were clearly dead. Following the trail of bodies, he saw that the cafeteria (which had doors that were laying on the floor, as if blown down by some huge force) was littered with bodies and parts.
This was too much for Andy. His body went into shock, and he felt that he was about to throw up. He quickly ran to the bathroom and went into a stall.
After that happened, Andy took the time to notice that there was a new smell added into the mix. It smelled the opposite of death, but was still as gross. It smelled like rotten eggs, and the smell was sourced right in the bathroom. He went to the sink to wash his face to calm him down, but when he looked down into the sink he saw something that caused him to fly back into the stall.
Inside the sink was a small, pinkish creature. It’s head was bigger than it’s body, and the lack of eyelids made it look like an alien. It had a long tail, and it was lumpy and wrinkly. Surrounding the small being was eggshell pieces and the hardened remains of an amniotic sac.
Andy didn’t know what he was looking at.
Okay, think, what is that thing? It looks kind of like those pictures I saw in biology class once upon a time. It looks like an underdeveloped fetus of some kind. And...wait, is it still alive?
Andy looked back down at the creature. He saw that its limbs were huddled together, and it was shivering a little bit.
I guess being an underdeveloped newborn being left in a metallic sink would leave me cold, too.
As gross as it was, Andy took pity on this creature. He couldn’t take it with him, for he had no idea how fragile it would be. Nor could he just leave it there.
After thinking it over, Andy went back to his map and located the medical center. He traveled there, and rummaged through the cabinets. The room was like a miniature hospital ward, with beds and curtains and a front desk reception area. The room was in a dull light green color. Not a very interesting place to stay in.
Andy eventually found a cabinet labeled ‘Maternity Supplies’. Inside the cabinet there were various tools and medicines, but what caught his interest was the small blankets that were kept for newborns. They were in plastic wrapping to ensure sterility.
This should do nicely. Andy thought.
He grabbed the blanket and took it to the bathroom with the creature inside it. Using his hand-spikes he tore into the plastic wrapping and unwrapped the blanket. He carefully draped the cloth over the little body, and made sure to carefully tuck the blanket under the fragile figure. The creature stopped shivering. It looked at the blanket it was given. Andy saw a tiny hand reach for the blanket and grab on to it, pulling it closer around its head.
“Thank you.” A voice unlike anything Andy had ever heard spoke to him, but the voice was not audible. It was like it was coming from his own mind, which startled Andy and made his jump.
“Who said that?”
“I did. Down here.” Andy looked down at the creature. “That’s me. Thank you for the blanket.”
“Er...no problem. Wait, who or what are you?”
“I am an Abra, communicating to you through telepathy. My parents did not give me a name, nor do I think they even cared about me that much.”
“Er...hi?”
“Hello.”
“...Okay, this is weird. Forgive me, for I have never talked to a fetus before.”
“Understandable.”
“You sure seem to know your stuff for being so young though.”
“I have many powerful psychic abilities. Perhaps my parents were aware of this fact and tried to destroy me by breaking the egg I was inside of.”
Andy was beginning to freak out. If this Abra were as powerful as he thought it was going to be, why would he be talking to it? It could snap his neck or crush his brain at any moment.
“Are you going to hurt me?”
“Why would I? That seems very illogical.”
“I’m sorry. So many new things have happened to me and I do not know what to do about it.”
“That’s fine. I may not be able to see you, but I know you cannot be all that bad. Not compared to the other beings on this ship, anyway.”
“Yeah.”
“What, might I ask, brings you here?”
Andy explained everything to it. He explained about Pokeumans, and the base, and Time Gears, and Vincent, and his lost friends. He explained his travels and that he was a Lucario who could no longer control the aura around him.
“I see,” said the Abra, “that sounds like quite the adventure you’ve had.”
“We’re not even done yet. I need to find my friends, and then...ah, I don’t know what else to do.”
“Well, I can tell you that none of your friends are on this ship. I’m afraid the only living beings here are you, me (for the time being), and the creatures of chaos that have been unleashed upon this land.”
“Creatures of...what?”
“Shortly after my parents smashed the egg containing me, everyone was called for an emergency gathering. There were alarms, shouting, and eventually the sounds were replaced with tearing, screaming and roaring. Afterwards, with nobody left alive to pilot the ship, it crashed into the shore.”
“Oh dang. Wait, where did this ship come from?”
“Well, from what you’ve told me, I know that we must have come through some kind of portal to get here.”
I’ll bet Vincent and Rufus summoned them here shortly after getting to the Scar. Or, I suppose, Rufus did. Two dollars says the creatures are Vincent’s doing.
“So,” Andy said, “What do we do now?”
“My powers are growing exponentially, but I am afraid my lifespan is dwindling. There is no way for me to leave this ship and stay alive. It appears the best option would be for you to prepare yourself for the outside world while avoiding the creatures in this ship, and then escape the ship. May I see the map?”
“Okay. That sounds like a good plan. Here it is.” Andy held out the map for the Abra to see. Although the little one didn’t move its head, he knew it was being analyzed with the psychic powers Abra was using.
“I will communicate to you just as we are now. For the time being, get yourself something to eat and drink from the cafeteria, and then we will work on getting you a new move to replace your lost Aura Sphere.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He left the restroom and went into the cafeteria, doing his best to ignore the smell and head into the kitchen. “What move would you recommend I learn?”
“I am unfamiliar with a Lucario’s moveset, but if you get the option I would recommend getting a Psychic type move. I can best teach you how to use your new powers if you choose to go that route. Normally it would take time and energy to learn how to use such a move, but from what you’ve shown me on the map I have a theory on how to learn the move quickly.”
At this point Andy found some preserved food inside a cabinet and found a drinking station not too far off. With a cup of water and a tray of food, he ate voraciously. Once he was done, he put the cup away and tossed the trash. He looked at the map and tried to find what the Abra was talking about.
“You have a theory? Alright, let’s hear it then.”
“Look at the map. There’s a Pokemon research center on this ship. I would imagine that would be the best place to look for learning moves. I can project myself into that room and investigate it for you, though that would mean we would lose connection for some time.”
“Would you rather I wait here or start moving towards that room?”
“Stand right there, in the cafeteria. The more repulsive to the olfactory senses that you are, the better chances you have of survival in case I do not make it back in time.”
“What?”
“The creatures exist solely to hunt and to kill. They do not need sustenance such as you or I, but they will not waste their time on things that are already dead.”
“Great. I was kinda getting used to the smell, anyway.”
“Perfect. I will be gone for some time. I will not be long. Best case scenario, Pokextinction will have developed a machine to help you learn a new move. Worst case scenario, I will have to teach it to you myself.”
“I will wait for you here then. Let’s hope that there will be a shortcut to learning the move. I don’t want to stay here any longer than necessary.”
“And I only hope I will have enough life force in me to see you out of here. Goodbye for now, my friend.”
Next: here
Andy woke up with a start. His head was throbbing and his stomach was hurting. Getting up with a start certainly didn’t help with his headache. He closed his eyes and rubbed his head.
Ibuprofen would certainly do wonders right about now.
He opened his eyes and looked around. He was in some kind of building or man-made structure, as he was surrounded by walls that did not look natural. Dust was settling around him, and it smelled funny. His only light source was right above him, where he could see a hole in the ceiling.
That must be where I fell through.
Judging by the way the hole moved by shifting his view, he could tell that he fell through multiple floors of this structure. The last thing he could remember was falling out of the Scar.
I must have hit my head on debris, because I don’t remember crashing through this place.
“West! Claire! ...Josh?” He shouted into the area and listened. There was no response.
Well, they may not have woken up like I did, so I’ll have to go find them and wake them up myself.
He looked around the room. It was more like a spacious closet, with some cleaning supplies here and there. There was a door on one of the walls, as most doors are common to be found on.
First thing is first though, I have to find something to eat and maybe something for this headache.
He opened the door and let the light shine through into the hall. Some of the lights were on, but not all of them. Most of the bulbs had died out, with some barely clinging to life by flickering on and off. It reminded Andy of a sort of horror movie hallway. He was not afraid, however, because he knew that somewhere his friends would be here, and he would find company pretty soon.
Andy walked through the hallway. He had an idea to use the aura to sense the area and see if he could recognize his friends, potential enemies, or even just food. He closed his eyes, focused and...darkness.
Oh yeah, I forgot.
He looked into any room that he came across. Most of them had beds and some personal containers in them. Andy broke into one of said containers and found a map inside one of them. He opened it up, and was surprised at what he found inside.
Oh my goodness, this is a Pokextinction ship! Wait, how did it get here, in the Pokemon world? Am I still in the Pokemon world?
It was the same model that Andy and his friends infiltrated some time ago, stopping Vincent and getting the Time Gears. One of the rooms on the map was circled. Andy inferred that the circled room was the very room he was standing in. He looked over the map to see any rooms of significance. First he needed to get something to eat and drink. He looked at the map and located the mess hall of the ship.
I’ll figure it out soon enough. Somewhere there must be food there. And after that I’ll go to the medical center for some medicine for this headache.
He followed the map and navigated the ship. He felt grateful he found a map in a place like this. All of these hallways and rooms looked similar to each other. In the quarters section of the area, the hallway had stairs going up at one end and stairs going down on the other end. There were rooms all along the hall way, similar to how a hotel would make the hallway formats similar.
Something was eating at the back of Andy’s mind. When he and his friends were following Vincent and retrieving the Time Gears, they had to be extra stealthy and make sure that nobody saw them. But now, nobody is around.
It was more of a passing thought to Andy. Right now he needed to focus on his most basic need, which was to gain sustenance.
As he climbed the stairs, he felt something strange. The air was heavy, and something stank. It stank really bad.
Must be spoiled food or something. I should try to avoid that, there must be granola bars or something around here that’s kept fresh.
When he climbed up the stairs, he realized what the smell was. When he climbed the stairs where the cafeteria was, he saw Pokextinction members lying all around the floor. None of them moved, and when Andy moved his head he saw that limbs were missing. These members were clearly dead. Following the trail of bodies, he saw that the cafeteria (which had doors that were laying on the floor, as if blown down by some huge force) was littered with bodies and parts.
This was too much for Andy. His body went into shock, and he felt that he was about to throw up. He quickly ran to the bathroom and went into a stall.
After that happened, Andy took the time to notice that there was a new smell added into the mix. It smelled the opposite of death, but was still as gross. It smelled like rotten eggs, and the smell was sourced right in the bathroom. He went to the sink to wash his face to calm him down, but when he looked down into the sink he saw something that caused him to fly back into the stall.
Inside the sink was a small, pinkish creature. It’s head was bigger than it’s body, and the lack of eyelids made it look like an alien. It had a long tail, and it was lumpy and wrinkly. Surrounding the small being was eggshell pieces and the hardened remains of an amniotic sac.
Andy didn’t know what he was looking at.
Okay, think, what is that thing? It looks kind of like those pictures I saw in biology class once upon a time. It looks like an underdeveloped fetus of some kind. And...wait, is it still alive?
Andy looked back down at the creature. He saw that its limbs were huddled together, and it was shivering a little bit.
I guess being an underdeveloped newborn being left in a metallic sink would leave me cold, too.
As gross as it was, Andy took pity on this creature. He couldn’t take it with him, for he had no idea how fragile it would be. Nor could he just leave it there.
After thinking it over, Andy went back to his map and located the medical center. He traveled there, and rummaged through the cabinets. The room was like a miniature hospital ward, with beds and curtains and a front desk reception area. The room was in a dull light green color. Not a very interesting place to stay in.
Andy eventually found a cabinet labeled ‘Maternity Supplies’. Inside the cabinet there were various tools and medicines, but what caught his interest was the small blankets that were kept for newborns. They were in plastic wrapping to ensure sterility.
This should do nicely. Andy thought.
He grabbed the blanket and took it to the bathroom with the creature inside it. Using his hand-spikes he tore into the plastic wrapping and unwrapped the blanket. He carefully draped the cloth over the little body, and made sure to carefully tuck the blanket under the fragile figure. The creature stopped shivering. It looked at the blanket it was given. Andy saw a tiny hand reach for the blanket and grab on to it, pulling it closer around its head.
“Thank you.” A voice unlike anything Andy had ever heard spoke to him, but the voice was not audible. It was like it was coming from his own mind, which startled Andy and made his jump.
“Who said that?”
“I did. Down here.” Andy looked down at the creature. “That’s me. Thank you for the blanket.”
“Er...no problem. Wait, who or what are you?”
“I am an Abra, communicating to you through telepathy. My parents did not give me a name, nor do I think they even cared about me that much.”
“Er...hi?”
“Hello.”
“...Okay, this is weird. Forgive me, for I have never talked to a fetus before.”
“Understandable.”
“You sure seem to know your stuff for being so young though.”
“I have many powerful psychic abilities. Perhaps my parents were aware of this fact and tried to destroy me by breaking the egg I was inside of.”
Andy was beginning to freak out. If this Abra were as powerful as he thought it was going to be, why would he be talking to it? It could snap his neck or crush his brain at any moment.
“Are you going to hurt me?”
“Why would I? That seems very illogical.”
“I’m sorry. So many new things have happened to me and I do not know what to do about it.”
“That’s fine. I may not be able to see you, but I know you cannot be all that bad. Not compared to the other beings on this ship, anyway.”
“Yeah.”
“What, might I ask, brings you here?”
Andy explained everything to it. He explained about Pokeumans, and the base, and Time Gears, and Vincent, and his lost friends. He explained his travels and that he was a Lucario who could no longer control the aura around him.
“I see,” said the Abra, “that sounds like quite the adventure you’ve had.”
“We’re not even done yet. I need to find my friends, and then...ah, I don’t know what else to do.”
“Well, I can tell you that none of your friends are on this ship. I’m afraid the only living beings here are you, me (for the time being), and the creatures of chaos that have been unleashed upon this land.”
“Creatures of...what?”
“Shortly after my parents smashed the egg containing me, everyone was called for an emergency gathering. There were alarms, shouting, and eventually the sounds were replaced with tearing, screaming and roaring. Afterwards, with nobody left alive to pilot the ship, it crashed into the shore.”
“Oh dang. Wait, where did this ship come from?”
“Well, from what you’ve told me, I know that we must have come through some kind of portal to get here.”
I’ll bet Vincent and Rufus summoned them here shortly after getting to the Scar. Or, I suppose, Rufus did. Two dollars says the creatures are Vincent’s doing.
“So,” Andy said, “What do we do now?”
“My powers are growing exponentially, but I am afraid my lifespan is dwindling. There is no way for me to leave this ship and stay alive. It appears the best option would be for you to prepare yourself for the outside world while avoiding the creatures in this ship, and then escape the ship. May I see the map?”
“Okay. That sounds like a good plan. Here it is.” Andy held out the map for the Abra to see. Although the little one didn’t move its head, he knew it was being analyzed with the psychic powers Abra was using.
“I will communicate to you just as we are now. For the time being, get yourself something to eat and drink from the cafeteria, and then we will work on getting you a new move to replace your lost Aura Sphere.”
“Sounds like a plan.” He left the restroom and went into the cafeteria, doing his best to ignore the smell and head into the kitchen. “What move would you recommend I learn?”
“I am unfamiliar with a Lucario’s moveset, but if you get the option I would recommend getting a Psychic type move. I can best teach you how to use your new powers if you choose to go that route. Normally it would take time and energy to learn how to use such a move, but from what you’ve shown me on the map I have a theory on how to learn the move quickly.”
At this point Andy found some preserved food inside a cabinet and found a drinking station not too far off. With a cup of water and a tray of food, he ate voraciously. Once he was done, he put the cup away and tossed the trash. He looked at the map and tried to find what the Abra was talking about.
“You have a theory? Alright, let’s hear it then.”
“Look at the map. There’s a Pokemon research center on this ship. I would imagine that would be the best place to look for learning moves. I can project myself into that room and investigate it for you, though that would mean we would lose connection for some time.”
“Would you rather I wait here or start moving towards that room?”
“Stand right there, in the cafeteria. The more repulsive to the olfactory senses that you are, the better chances you have of survival in case I do not make it back in time.”
“What?”
“The creatures exist solely to hunt and to kill. They do not need sustenance such as you or I, but they will not waste their time on things that are already dead.”
“Great. I was kinda getting used to the smell, anyway.”
“Perfect. I will be gone for some time. I will not be long. Best case scenario, Pokextinction will have developed a machine to help you learn a new move. Worst case scenario, I will have to teach it to you myself.”
“I will wait for you here then. Let’s hope that there will be a shortcut to learning the move. I don’t want to stay here any longer than necessary.”
“And I only hope I will have enough life force in me to see you out of here. Goodbye for now, my friend.”
Next: here
