Mysteries explained at last, as Jellic finally reaches Karddor Labs...
including some that you probably didn't want answers to. You know you
want to C&C this chapter. All it takes is a little typing...
Jellic�s Hateful Quest
Chapter 18: Savvy Savants in the Corridors of Karddor
Ashley awoke to feel a warm pressure on her hand. She stirred
slightly, trying to remember how to obtain a visual picture of her
surroundings. A sound registered in her ears. It sounded vaguely
familiar... like speech...
�She is?� asked a female voice that Ashley was certain she had never
heard before.
�She moved, just now,� answered a voice that she thought she
recognized. �Ashley, can you hear me?� There was a name associated with
that voice... A warm hand caressed her cheek, and her eyes opened. The
colors quickly formed a picture of a face that made her heart flutter.
She remembered the name now.
�Jellic,� she managed to say.
�It�s okay, Ashley,� answered Jellic. �The nurse says you�ll be fine
after a few days of rest.�
�Quite a miraculous recovery,� added the nurse. �Even the Chanseys
were worried that you might have been permanently injured.�
�You left an indentation in the wall of the Gym,� Jellic chuckled.
�I guess you could say that you made quite an impression on your rival
in more ways than one.� Jellic carefully lifted Ashley�s hand and placed
it on her chest. She felt a small shape of cold metal attached to her
shirt. �Vesper gave you the Power Badge and said that she�s proud of how
strong you�ve become.�
�What happened?� asked Ashley, summoning her drained reserves of
energy to speak even in brief sentences.
�You challenged your childhood rival, Vesper Allamantine, for the
Power Badge. An attack went astray during the fight and knocked you out.
That�s why you have to stay here for a few days. Vesper volunteered to
take your place on the tour this morning.�
�But... I...�
�You need to rest,� Jellic said forcefully. �In your condition, you�
d be too much of a burden on me, and Karddor isn�t going to be a safe
place for us even when you�re back to full health. Vesper is a certified
Pokemon Master, and I�m sure she�ll be able to handle herself.� Jellic
knelt beside the bed. �But don�t worry, Ashley. We won�t start the big
battle until you�re back to full health. This trip is just to check the
place out.�
�Be careful,� she admonished Jellic.
�Of course,� he replied. Ashley smiled, then closed her eyes and
immediately fell asleep. Jellic pulled the covers up to her neck and
stepped out of the ward.
�Is she going to be all right?� asked Vesper worriedly as Jellic
entered the lobby of the Pokemon Center.
Jellic nodded. �She�ll be fine.� He glanced at the wall clock. �It�s
almost time to head to the Lab. Did you bring the costume?�
Vesper handed Jellic a long cardboard box. �This should be good
enough to fool anyone who isn�t expecting you.�
Jellic stepped into the back and returned wearing a false mustache
and a business suit. �Well, dear, are you ready to spend a day with your
average working-class father touring the Lab?�
�Oh, yes Daddy!� enthused Vesper, warming to her role before the
situation became life-critical. She removed the Power Badge from her
blouse and placed it in a pocket of her schoolgirl skirt. She held
Jellic�s hand and skipped merrily along beside Jellic as they walked to
the bus stop, just in case they were being watched. The bus dropped them
off in front of the enormous building, and they stopped at the gate to
sign in before entering the facility.
�Welcome to Karddor Labs,� the belt girl greeted them as they
entered the lobby of the building. �Are you here for the tour? You�ll
need to check your Pokebelts here.� Vesper removed her Pokebelt and
placed it on the counter. Jellic hesitated before doing the same, hoping
that Mewthree wouldn�t mistake this for a theft attempt. Fortunately,
the belt girl was able to handle his belt without getting shocked, and
brought each of them a number. �Don�t lose that stub!� she warned them.
�If you do, you can�t get your Pokemon back!�
Jellic and Vesper took seats in the lobby and waited while the
remaining tourists signed in and checked their Pokebelts. Ten minutes
later, the tour guide entered the lobby and waved his arms in a grand
gesture. �Welcome to Karddor Labs, birthplace of the future of Pokemon
technology! If you�ll please just follow me, the tour will begin.�
The guide led the tour group through a series of automatic doors and
down a hallway lined with portraits of the founding fathers of Karddor
Labs. �These brilliant men had a vision: a future where humans and
Pokemon are closer than ever before, a future where absolutely anybody
can be a Pokemon trainer with no experience required, a future where
Pokemon benefit mankind through the aid of the latest technology. This,
ladies and gentlemen, is the future that Karddor Labs is working
constantly to bring to you. Through these halls, you will see some of
the innovations that we�ve already brought to you, as well as some new
technology that will someday bring the dreams of our founding fathers
closer to fruition.�
The tour stopped in front of a huge window that opened into a room
where hundreds of scientists in lab coats were busily working, fiddling
with knobs on the myriad machines and recording results on clipboards.
The tour guide gestured grandly at the window. �This is where new
technologies are being tested and developed, although not necessarily in
that order. Many of the Technical Machines and Hidden Machines that your
Pokemon use to learn new abilities were manufactured first in this very
room. Our scientists are currently working on a new type of machine that
gives Pokemon new abilities that have never before been seen!� Jellic
chuckled at this remark, and Vesper prodded him to keep him quiet. The
tour guide continued down the hallway, oblivious to Jellic�s sudden
levity.
�What�s so funny?� she hissed.
�I�ve seen those techniques he was talking about,� answered Jellic.
�They�re definitely powerful, but they�re not quite as secret as this
guy thinks.�
The guide stopped again, in front of a window displaying four
Pokemon that even Jellic had to admit were cute. The first was
nondescript, looking rather like a small tan rabbit with a huge bushy
tail. The other three resembled this one in subtle ways. One was
aquamarine in color and sported a fish�s tail and a huge ruff around its
neck, another was yellow and covered in hard spines, and the third was
red and had a growth on its head in the shape of a tongue of flame.
Jellic remembered having seen this last Pokemon in Heliotrope City, at
the Fire Flower Gym.
�Most of you are aware that Eevee is the only Pokemon in existence
that can evolve into any of three other Pokemon species: Vaporeon,
Jolteon, or Flareon, depending on whether you use the Water Stone,
Thunder Stone, or Flame Stone. Little do you realize that the first
Eevees only evolved into Flareon, and were unable to evolve into any
other types. Karddor Labs� program of selective breeding produced an
Eevee that could evolve in three ways, and these Eevees are now dominant
in the wild.�
Vesper nudged Jellic. �I never knew Karddor Labs had anything to do
with Eevees. Are you sure this is an evil organization? It seems to me
as if they�re really benefiting trainers.�
�They�re only displaying their legitimate front here,� replied
Jellic. �We�re going to have to get back there to see the real Karddor
Labs.� He pulled Vesper into a side hallway, completely unnoticed by the
tour guide, who was busy expounding upon the wonders of supplements.
�You know we�ll be in big trouble if we get caught,� she hissed at
him as he tugged at a nearby door handle. �We�re just supposed to be
here for the tour.�
�Relax,� he assured her, pulling a lockpick out of his satchel. �We
can handle ourselves, can�t we? After all, you�re a Gym Leader. Doesn�t
that count for something?� The lock gave way, and Jellic pulled Vesper
into the room, shutting the door behind them.
�Have you forgotten that our Pokebelts are currently sitting at the
front desk, with all of our Pokemon in them? Without our Pokemon, we�ll
be defenseless if we�re attacked!�
�Then it�s just back to basics,� replied Jellic, looking around the
room. The entire room seemed to be built around a large machine whose
sole purpose appeared to be the production of Pokeballs. Jellic grabbed
one off of the conveyor belt and stared at it critically. �I don�t think
these are empty,� he said. �There are Pokemon in these Pokeballs.�
�That doesn�t make sense,� said Vesper. �Why would they be
manufacturing Pokeballs with Pokemon inside of them? Even Porygon, the
synthetic Pokemon, is programmed on a PC and then transferred into an
empty Pokeball.�
�Maybe seeing what Pokemon this is will shed some light on things,�
said Jellic, winding up to throw the Pokeball. Suddenly, the door handle
turned, and Jellic quickly pulled Vesper behind a nearby crate as two
scientists entered the room.
�Odd, isn�t this door supposed to be kept locked?� one of them
asked.
�Jytter probably forgot to lock it after his shift again,� answered
the other.
�We should check around and make sure nothing�s out of place, just
in case,� said the first. He peered over the crate and received a fist
in the face. His partner, horrified at this display of violence,
hesitated just a bit too long before running for the door, and found
himself on the business end of a karate chop before he�d made it
halfway.
Vesper stood up and stared at Jellic, unable to comprehend what had
happened. �How could you actually attack someone?� she demanded.
�It was us or them,� Jellic pointed out. �And they�ll wake up
eventually. Right now, we need to get out of here.� He reached down and
pulled the jacket off of the nearest scientist. �But first, see if that
uniform will fit you.�
Minutes later, Jellic and Vesper were traveling the corridors of
Karddor once again, this time wearing inconspicuous white lab coats. The
other scientists roaming the halls paid them no attention as they moved
from room to room, peering in at the various experiments in progress.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until they found another locked door.
It took a few minutes for Jellic to figure out which of the many keys on
the keyring in his pocket opened the door, but they quickly gained
entrance and stared in wonder at the largest machine they had seen yet.
A huge funnel at the top of the machine apparently took in raw
materials, and a conveyor belt sped the finished product into the next
room. Jellic examined the machine in an attempt to discover its purpose.
�Jellic, look up there!� shouted Vesper, pointing toward the
ceiling. A robotic arm had entered the room, moving along a ceiling
track toward the machine. The claw at the bottom held a small round
Pokemon that did not appear to enjoy its situation. Jellic aimed his
Pokedex.
�Jigglypuff, the pillow-like Pokemon. Jigglypuff�s song is famous
for putting any human or Pokemon who hears it to sleep. This natural
defense is easily countered by playing a Poke Flute, an instrument that
can wake even the heaviest sleeper. Jigglypuff puffs up like a balloon
when it is angered.�
�Jiggly,� moaned the Jigglypuff as the arm holding it came to a halt
right above the funnel.
�Please tell me they�re not going to do what I think they�re going
to do!� cried Vesper, her eyes fixed on the helpless Jigglypuff. The
claw opened, dropping the Jigglypuff into the machine. Various grinding
noises came from within, accompanied for the first few seconds by the
Jigglypuff�s screams. Vesper covered her face with her hands as the
screams faded away. After a few minutes, the machine fell silent, and
began to turn out small wrapped packages.
�I doubt anyone would eat Jigglypuff meat,� said Jellic, picking up
one of the tiny packages to inspect it. �Rare Candy? Where have I heard
that name before...�
�Rare Candies make Pokemon more powerful,� Vesper explained. �But no
one ever knew how they were made, until now.�
�Killing Pokemon to make others more powerful? That sounds like
something only my arch-nemesis Elvor would do...� The color drained from
Jellic�s face, and he quickly grabbed a pencil from the pocket of his
lab coat and wrote something on a piece of paper from his satchel.
�What are you doing?� asked Vesper, leaning over to look at what
Jellic was writing:
DROLL VORDEKAR
ORVELL KARDDOR
DARK LORD ELVOR
�Who�s Dark Lord Elvor?� she asked.
�I thought I�d killed him when we last met, but I was wrong,� said
Jellic. �He�s been in this dimension all this time, building up his
power for our next encounter. He�s been leading me here all along.�
Vesper shivered. �I don�t want to be here any longer, Jellic.
Especially not without my Pokemon.� Jellic simply nodded and stepped
back into the corridor, trying to keep a straight face as he and Vesper
made their way toward the exit. As they neared the hallway where they
had left the tour, a door behind them opened and two scientists emerged
wearing a business suit and a schoolgirl�s dress. Jellic quickly grabbed
Vesper�s shoulder and pulled her through the nearest door, which was
mercifully unlocked.
As they entered the room, Vesper gasped. Jellic looked up from
locking the door and saw what had upset her. They were in the room
behind the Eevee display, which was being used as a storage space for
three small terrariums, the living quarters of three Pokemon that looked
oddly familiar to Jellic. One was covered in leaves, and another was
lavender in color and glowed like a Mew. The third terrarium held an
Eevee that was moaning in pain, even though Jellic could see nothing
wrong with it. �Those are Eevees!� exclaimed Vesper. �But I�ve never
seen those evolutions before!�
Jellic aimed his Pokedex. �Agrareon and Lunareon, the evolutions of
Eevee when exposed to the Leaf Stone or the Moon Stone. Eevee is known
as the evolution Pokemon because it can be adapted to evolve under any
stimulus, the most powerful of which are evolution stones. The
evolutions to Flareon, Vaporeon, and Jolteon have become inherent to the
Eevee species. However, evolution into other types must be induced
through prolonged exposure to the target stone, a very slow and painful
process for the Eevee.�
�That�s so horrible!� said Vesper, kneeling beside the terrarium
with the unevolved Eevee. �Look, there�s another stone next to this
one!�
Jellic peered into the cage. �It�s a Cyber Stone. Elvor is trying to
evolve this one, but he hasn�t had much success yet.� He read the label
on the case. � �Cybereon, the most powerful evolution of Eevee.� We can�
t let him get away with this.�
�The poor thing is in so much pain,� said Vesper sadly. �But how can
we get it out of there? The cage doesn�t have a door, and if we smash
it, we�ll be caught for sure!�
�We don�t need to free it,� Jellic pointed out. �We just need to
make sure Elvor doesn�t get his precious Cybereon.� He pulled the Sand
Stone out of his satchel. �Seems like a waste, but at least there won�t
ever be another Digmama.� The Eevee nuzzled the glass wall of the
terrarium as Jellic brought the Sand Stone closer. Both the stone and
the Eevee began to glow, and when the glow faded, a sphinx-like creature
was sitting in the Eevee�s place. Jellic already had his Pokedex out.
�Terrareon, an evolved form of Eevee under the influence of the Sand
Stone. This evolution is natural and does not cause the Eevee any
suffering. Terrareon is not very strong, but has excellent defensive
ability.�
Jellic smiled. �Wait until Elvor finds out his future warrior has
been turned into a weak attack Pokemon...�
�Those two scientists are probably gone by now,� said Vesper. �We
should see about getting out of here before someone finds us.�
�Right,� said Jellic, as a low rumbling noise hit his ear.
�Something is about to happen that I don�t like the sound of.�
Vesper jumped as a loud crash resounded through the building. �What
was that? It sounds like the building is being knocked down!�
�That may be the case,� said Jellic, but his voice was drowned out
by more crashing, and the rumbling that now sounded very much like
approaching hoofbeats. An alarm sounded, barely audible over the din
from outside. Jellic shoved Vesper aside, throwing himself on top of her
as the wall caved in and a huge bull charged into the room and passed
right through the space where they had been standing seconds before,
smashing through the opposite wall and continuing on its path of
destruction.
�A Tauros!� exclaimed Vesper. �Who would let a Tauros loose in a
place like this?�
�Not Vordekar, that�s for sure,� returned Jellic. �Whoever it is, I
don�t think we want to be here when they try to catch up with it.� They
quickly ran through the corridors, unnoticed by the panicked crowd. The
belt girl was nowhere in sight, so Jellic leaped over the counter and
recovered their Pokebelts from the back room.
�It�s my duty as an official Pokemon Master and a Gym Leader to try
to figure out what�s happening here,� said Vesper as she donned her
Pokebelt. �I�ll check out the rest of the lab; since it�s my job, no one
will question me. You should get back to the city.�
�Be careful,� Jellic warned her. �Elvor is extremely dangerous. If
you see him, come find me.� Vesper nodded and charged back into the
bustling laboratory as Jellic made his way to the entrance. The door to
the lobby had been destroyed by the Tauros, and a familiar figure stood
in the empty frame.
�You don�t look at all like a scientist,� said Natalie, the leader
of the Pokemon League. �In fact, you look very much like Jellic, if I�m
not mistaken.�
�You�re not,� answered Jellic. �But what are you doing here?�
�I could ask you the same question,� she smoothly replied, �but I
know what your answer would be. As for myself, I know Droll�s up to
something, and I don�t intend to let him finish it. He�s got a new
defense against Psychic types, and that�s a threat to the Pokemon
League.�
�Maybe the Pokemon League should capture some new types of Pokemon,�
suggested Jellic.
�Fool! Psychic Pokemon are the most powerful type! But the southern
city folk have their own Psychic types from the Forest of Mist, and so
the Pokemon League needs a powerful weapon against Psychic types. We�ve
experimented with exposing various Pokemon to large amounts of Psychic
energy, hoping to build up a resistance to Psychic power. However, not
all of our experiments have been successful.�
�The Muk you abandoned near Maroon Town, for example?� asked Jellic.
�Vordekar tried to save that one, but couldn�t.�
Natalie nodded. �Poison Types were a poor choice, but we couldn�t
afford to reject them outright. Few of our test subjects survived the
treatment, actually. Our greatest successes were Bug Pokemon. You should
know about them. I�ve heard reports that you have one of our Caterpies.�
�It�s a Butterfree now, and I consider it mine, but you�re otherwise
correct.� Even as he said this, Jellic realized that the clues had been
there all along, even though he had failed to notice them. The Pinsir in
Heliotrope that had been immune to Psychic power, for a start... �So why
destroy the Lab? This isn�t going to look good for the Pokemon League.�
�Vordekar needed to be stopped at any cost. There was no time to
think of consequences. And besides,� she added, grabbing a Pokeball,
�you won�t be telling anyone that the Pokemon League was involved with
this incident. As far as anyone will know, a Tauros broke loose from an
experiment and destroyed the place.� She threw the Pokeball to the
ground. �Mewtwo, attack!�
�Butterfree, go!� shouted Jellic, throwing out one of his own
Pokeballs. The Butterfree flitted around the Mewtwo, sizing up its
opponent. �Tackle it!�
�Mewtwo, Swift!� commanded Natalie. The Mewtwo�s attack was powerful
enough to knock the Butterfree out of the air. �Just as I thought. Your
Pokemon are still weak!�
�Not all of them. Mewthree, go!� The Mewthree stared critically at
its opponent, then released a Swift attack. The Mewtwo raised a Barrier
to block the attack and retaliated with Psychic. Mewthree countered with
its own Psychic attack, and the battle degenerated quickly into a
staring contest. Natalie recalled her Mewtwo. �Giving up?� taunted
Jellic.
�Far from it,� she returned. �I may not have the kind of
anti-Psychic power that Droll does, but I do have my own special
Scyther!� She called out a Pokemon that looked like a preying mantis,
but obviously meant business. Its razor sharp arms slashed at the air as
it stared down the Mewthree. �Scyther, Swords Dance!�
�Mewthree, take it out quickly with Swift!� commanded Jellic as the
Scyther sharpened its blades with complicated motions.
�Scyther, counter with Quick Attack and Slash!� The Scyther was upon
Mewthree like a bolt of lightning, slashing with its powerful claws
before the Psychic type could launch its attack.
�Mewthree, use Barrier!� The Scyther�s sharpened claws easily
pierced the Mewthree�s psychic barrier and nearly sliced it in half.
Jellic recalled his fainted Pokemon and called out his Gyarados.
�Gyarados, Dragon Rage!� The Gyarados� sharp fangs tore the Scyther
apart, forcing Natalie to recall it and send her Mewtwo back into the
battle.
�Mewtwo, Psychic!� The powerful Psychic attack was too much for the
Gyarados, which fainted. Cursing silently, Jellic threw out his Persian,
which immediately suffered the same fate. �You�ve got one Pokemon left,
Jellic! Let�s see it!� Jellic threw out his final Pokeball. �A Machop?
Don�t make me laugh!�
�It�s not quite over yet!� shouted Jellic. �Machop, Bitter End!�
Natalie watched in horror as the Machop expanded and brought its fist
down on the Mewtwo�s head. Both Pokemon fell to the ground.
�Get up, Mewtwo!� shouted Natalie, giving the fallen Psychic cat a
sharp kick. The Mewtwo slowly pushed itself up to its feet and fixed its
stare on Jellic. Jellic felt his willpower draining as the Mewtwo�s
attack burned his soul. �You�re out of Pokemon, Jellic. Hand over the
Mewthree now and I won�t have to hurt you or your friends anymore.�
�Never!� he shouted, reaching for his last reserves of strength.
Pushing away the clouds in his mind, Jellic grabbed the Pokeball from
his satchel. �I hope this thing�s willing to obey me,� he prayed
silently as he threw the Pokeball that contained his last hope...
--------------------------------------------------------------
MOM: I'm getting rid of this TV before the mindless garbage rots your
brain!
JOHNNY: Mindless garbage not rot brain!
(SHAMPOO: Mindless Johnny not got brain to rot!)
"There's a billion places like home. But only one of them's where you
live." - Granny Weatherwax, "Witches Abroad" by Terry Pratchett
JACKIE CHAN: Oh, sorry. I broke your spy camera! (pause) SPY CAMERA?!
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp