For those of you who are confused by the last chapter, here it is in a
nutshell. Ashley is still alive, Jellic must follow any direct command
that Elvor gives him (but neither one of them is consciously aware of
this), and Jellic is now a Scyther. Jellic's life is about to get even
more complicated... and you didn't think it was possible! C&C is my
friend... please send me some! I'll cry if you don't...
Jellic�s Hateful Quest
Chapter 21: Smoke on the Wather, a Fire in the Scy
As the smoke began to clear, Jellic stepped out of the machine � and
nearly fell over. His knees now bent in the direction opposite that he
was used to, and his legs extended backwards from his body, placing his
center of gravity far in front. He extended his arms backwards, hoping
to steady himself by grabbing hold of the machine, but the sharp blades
found no purchase in the smooth metal, and he collapsed thorax-first on
the floor. His sharp insect senses detected a moving object above, and
he quickly rolled aside as a huge metal fist pounded the floor where he
had been.
�This is amazing!� shouted Elvor triumphantly. �My machine works!�
�What have you done to Jellic?� asked Ashley, as Jellic tried once
again to stand on his unfamiliar legs. Before Elvor could answer, Jellic
slashed at the Crusher that stood over him. His blade scratched the
metal with a sound roughly equivalent to fingernails across a
chalkboard. Both Ashley and Elvor cringed at the sound, but since the
robot had no pain sensors and the sound was well below the Scyther�s
threshold of pain, the battle continued. Jellic finally worked his way
into a standing position, using his arms to hold himself up, just in
time to receive a powerful Arm Swing that knocked him into the air.
�Scyther scy!� shouted Jellic, reflexively spreading his wings to
break his fall. The torn lab coat fell to the ground in pieces as the
paper-thin wings began to beat, adjusting Jellic�s path so that he
landed lightly on his feet. His flight muscles automatically positioned
his wings to balance his weight. At last able to stand upright, Jellic
raised his blades menacingly and slashed the air in front of the cyborg.
�Crusher, stand down!� ordered Elvor. The cyborg halted momentarily,
and sparks flew from its eyes. The Crusher lurched forward again,
heedless of its trainer�s command, and blasted Jellic with a Laser Beam.
�What�s wrong with you?� shouted Elvor. �I ordered you to stand down!�
�I think it�s broken!� shouted Ashley as Jellic launched himself at
the Cyborg, swatting at it with one of his blades. The robot knocked him
aside and began to fire its Laser Beams at anything that moved,
including Elvor and Ashley. �The Hydro Pump must have fried its
circuitry! It�s out of control!�
Elvor grabbed the empty Pokeball and aimed it at the Crusher.
�Crusher, return!� The cyborg grabbed the ball in its fist and crushed
it into powder. �I don�t understand!� said Elvor. �Cyborg Pokemon are
programmed to unconditionally obey their trainers!�
Jellic took to the air, randomly swatting at the Crusher whenever he
could find an opening. The Crusher fought back with Arm Swings, punching
holes in the walls with every miss. Jellic landed in front of the
machine in the corner to catch his breath, leaping aside at the last
minute. The Crusher�s fist continued on its path, smashing the machine
into a useless hunk of metal.
�No!� shouted Elvor. �My beautiful machine!�
�Forget the machine!� returned Ashley. �We have to get out of here
before that thing kills us, too!�
�Wrong! I�m the only one who will be escaping!� Elvor slapped a wall
with the palm of his hand and a door slid open nearby, revealing a
hidden elevator. Elvor stepped inside, and the doors began to close.
�Wait!� shouted Ashley. �You can�t leave us here!�
�Try and stop me!� returned Elvor. Jellic hastily abandoned his
fight with the Crusher and launched himself at the closing elevator
door, jamming his blades into the narrowing crack. Elvor kicked at him
as he pried the door open, but he ignored the pain and forced the door
wider, allowing Ashley to enter. Finally, Jellic pushed his way past
Elvor and stood between Ashley and the Dark Lord as the doors closed and
the elevator began its slow ascent to the surface.
�Scyvor, ther scy scyther!� threatened Jellic, pressing his crossed
blades against Elvor�s throat.
�Wait!� shouted Ashley, causing both Jellic and Elvor to stare at
her. �We�re all just trying to escape right now, so killing each other
won�t get us anywhere. Why can�t we call a truce until we get out of
here?�
Elvor glared coldly at Ashley with a quivering jaw. �You expect me
to agree to a truce?� Jellic began to slowly and deliberately sharpen
his blades. Elvor swallowed hard. �Fine. Until we reach the surface, we
have a truce.�
�Then maybe you can tell us what you�ve done to Jellic.�
�Scy,� agreed Jellic.
�It�s simple,� said Elvor. �I�ve converted his human DNA to Pokemon
DNA.�
�Ther? Scy scyther?�
�How is that possible?� asked Ashley, lending her voice to Jellic�s
question.
Elvor sighed. �DNA is made up of long strings of protein compounds
called codons. There are four codons in human DNA, called A, C, G, and
T. However, Pokemon DNA has only two codons, zero and one. In essence,
Pokemon DNA is written in computer language! That�s how we were able to
program Porygon and the Cyborg Pokemon, as well as ��
�What about Jellic?� interrupted Ashley.
�I�m getting to that. Letting 00 represent A, 01 represent C, and so
on, human DNA can be freely translated into Pokemon DNA, and vice versa.
The machine that turned Jellic into a Scyther uses chemical and
electrical stimuli to transform the human codons into pairs of Pokemon
codons.�
�So that machine turns humans into Pokemon?�
�Precisely. Or at least, it did before it was destroyed. Now I have
no way to restore Jellic to his human form.� He chuckled. �What a
fitting end for him, though. How appropriate that his human DNA
translated into that of a Scyther. Quite a violent Pokemon, and built-in
weaponry to boot!�
�Can�t you make another machine?� Ashley asked frantically.
Elvor shook his head. �That machine was the result of months of
research into Pokemon evolution. It took nearly a year to isolate the
chemicals responsible for the mutations that cause evolution and
learning new techniques in Pokemon. Since Pokemon DNA has only 2 codons,
it�s a simple matter to make small changes that mutate the Pokemon into
another species or give it new abilities. However, translating from one
type of codon to another is a very precise process. As much as I would
love to be able to build another machine, now that all of the research
has been destroyed, it�s impossible.�
�I�m sorry, Jellic. This is all my fault.� Ashley threw her arms
around Jellic and tried her hardest not to cry. Jellic carefully
returned the embrace, keeping the sharp sides of his blades facing
outward.
�Please,� groaned Elvor. �Such cheap sentiment. Spare me the
sickening sap.� Jellic turned the upper half of his body to Leer at
Elvor, who despite his usual demeanor found himself rather cowed. As the
air between the two began to crackle, the elevator jolted to a stop and
the doors opened on a large empty warehouse. �Well, it appears that you�
ll have a chance to back up that glare with some action, Jellic. Our
truce is over.� He grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. �Prepare to fight.�
Jellic reached for his belt before he remembered that he no longer
had hands. Unable to grasp his Pokeballs, Jellic raised his blades and
took up an offensive crouch, ready to meet his opponent in hand-to-blade
combat. That opponent turned out to be a Charizard, the flying,
fire-breathing monstrosity that he�d seen while fighting Arthur for the
Solar Badge in Heliotrope City.
�Jellic, be careful!� warned Ashley. �You�re weak against Fire!�
�Scythow!� Jellic answered, taking to the air. The Charizard also
left the ground, but its large size proved to be a disadvantage, as
Jellic easily swooped around the great beast and Slashed at it
repeatedly. Jellic�s Agility gave him an obvious aerial advantage over
the slower Fire type.
�Charizard, land and use your Flamethrower attack!� commanded Elvor.
Now Jellic�s maneuverability was put to the test, as the flame lizard
could easily use its claws to ward off his attacks while he was forced
to dodge the steady stream of flame. He felt his endurance waning from
the effort of maintaining such irregular motion.
�Jellic, try Double Team!� shouted Ashley. Jellic paused briefly,
nearly getting himself fried in the process. That name sparked an odd
memory within his genetic fibers...
The Charizard suddenly found itself confronted with two identical
Scythers. Puzzled, it tried its best to incinerate both of them, but
they swooped in tandem to attack at close range, narrowly avoiding the
flames. The twin Scythers Slashed at Charizard�s belly with such speed
that it was impossible for it to tell which one was really doing the
damage. It struck back with its claws, but they were already out of
reach, circling around for another strafing run.
�Charizard, ignore Jellic and fry the girl!� growled Elvor. The
Charizard�s eyes glowed as it turned its head and blasted its
Flamethrower at Ashley. One of the Scythers veered way off course to
push Ashley out of the way, receiving severe burns in the process. As
the fake Scyther vanished, a very charred Jellic collapsed onto the
floor. Jellic was amazed to discover that he didn�t feel as much pain as
he�d expected; instead, he felt very tired. It would be nice to simply
relax on the floor and fall asleep...
Before Jellic could enter the Land of Nod, a round object hit him on
the head, and his body collapsed into itself as the Pokeball dragged him
inside. Jellic fought for control of his compressed limbs, stretching
them out into the hard casing that enclosed him. The ball gave way, and
Jellic found himself standing in the warehouse once again. He wasn�t
standing for long, however, as his legs gave out and he crashed to the
floor again.
�Just give up!� snarled Elvor. �You can�t escape me!� Jellic turned
his head just in time to see Elvor�s face twisted into an expression of
unimaginable fury before the second Pokeball hit him. For the second
time, Jellic was confined within the tiny orb, but this time he didn�t
even bother trying to escape. Escape would only lead to recapture, again
and again, as many times as it took...
Suddenly, the Pokeball was gone, and Jellic�s body went with it. He
felt strangely cold, even though he had no body to feel the cold with.
There was no floor beneath him, yet he was not falling. Was he floating,
weightless? � Can a body that does not exist be weightless? What is
gravity, to a wandering, homeless mind, but another vague idea that
cannot be seen or grasped? Then again, what exactly is a mind?
There were others, other awarenesses that shared this non-space with
Jellic. He reached out to them, but they did not reply. Did not, or
could not. Could he even touch them at all? He sought to stretch himself
out and reach them, but he had nothing to stretch... he was helpless
here. They existed, but they were not here with him, because �here� was
not a place... it was merely his mind�s way of representing the idea
that if it existed at all, it must exist in a place... but aren�t there
things that exist without being in a place? Age, time, love, desire...
The non-space faded, and Jellic could once again feel himself within
the confines of a Pokeball. The relief he felt at the return of his
senses overwhelmed even the immense pleasure of being released from the
ball. His muscles, miraculously, were not at all fatigued from having so
recently been crammed into a container the size of a grapefruit.
Suddenly, the circumstances of his capture leaped back into his
consciousness, and he whirled to face his captor. He was as surprised to
see Vesper Allamantine as she was to see him.
�This is Jellic?� asked Vesper, clenching the fist that wasn�t
hanging at her side in a sling.
Ashley nodded. �Elvor used a machine to turn Jellic into a Scyther,
and then the machine got smashed, so there�s no way to turn him back.
Then Elvor tried to catch Jellic, but I caught him instead, and Elvor
tried to hurt me. I had Gengar use its Confusion attack on him so that I
could escape and make my way to the Pokemon Center to get Jellic out of
the PC.�
�I�m glad you made it back alive. From what I�ve heard, the Pokemon
League Enforcers are moving around the city now, patrolling the streets.
Rumor has it that they now have total control of the entire country.�
�Scyther scy scyther scy scy?� asked Jellic, pointing to the cast on
Vesper�s arm.
�It�s trying to ask how you managed to get here with a broken arm,�
translated the nurse helpfully.
�It turns out that Natalie was far more interested in you than in
me. Since she didn�t consider me much of a threat, she left a few of her
goons to take care of me while she went with the others to look for you.
I had Machamp carry me back to town, and once I got to the Pokemon
Center, they didn�t dare attack me directly. They have to try to keep up
their image in this city, at least until their holdings elsewhere are
secure.�
�I don�t think that will stop them from killing me on sight,� said
Ashley. �I�m too much of a threat to them now.�
�In that case,� mused Vesper, �Elvor has done both of you a favor.
Now that he�s been turned into a Pokemon, Jellic is completely
unrecognizable. If we disguise you, the two of you should be able to
walk right out of the city without attracting any attention. Of course,
Jellic�s going to have to lose the Pokebelt, unless he wants to spend
more time in his Pokeball.� She reached forward to remove Jellic�s
Pokebelt, but he slashed at her hands, forcing her to pull away. �What�s
wrong, Jellic? You know I�m doing it for your own good!�
�He�s worried that the belt might try to shock you,� explained
Ashley. �Mewthree doesn�t like being separated from its owner. But I
should be able to remove it, since I�m planning to give the belt back as
soon as we�re out of the city.� She unfastened the clasps on Jellic�s
belt and put it into his satchel. She then placed the satchel on her own
shoulder.
�I wonder how Jellic�s satchel and Pokebelt could follow him into
the Pokeball,� said Vesper idly. Then, composing herself, she motioned
toward the back of the Center. �Jellic and I bought you a disguise that
we thought might come in handy for the trip to Karddor Labs. I guess
that�s not going to happen now, but at least you can put the disguise to
good use.�
Minutes later, a young boy dressed in overalls and a baseball cap
stepped out of the Pokemon Center with a Scyther in tow. Two Pokemon
League Enforcers glanced at him briefly before continuing on their
patrol. The boy sighed with relief and set out for the city border.
�The plan�s working so far,� said Ashley, �but what are we going to
do once we get out of the city? The Enforcers are too powerful, and you�
re not exactly in the best condition to fight Elvor.�
�Scy scy!� bragged Jellic, brandishing his blades with a flourish.
Ashley shook her head. �The first thing we have to do is figure out
how I�m supposed to understand you.�
Jellic concentrated, forcing his mouth to shape the unfamiliar
syllables. �Scee can�t therry about ther Scenforthers yet. Scelvor is
thour mather prothlem.�
�I think I understood that... You said we shouldn�t worry about the
Enforcers because Elvor is the real problem, right?�
�Clother scenough.�
The conversation ground quickly to a halt as another pair of
Enforcers passed by on the other side of the street. Ashley turned to
watch them as they went, staring with such intent that she didn�t see
the Enforcer standing right in front of her until she had bumped into
him. Jellic quickly did his best to act as if he would remain harmless
unless provoked. The Enforcer leaned down to peer under the brim of
Ashley�s cap.
�Watch where you�re going, runt!� warned the Enforcer.
�Yes, sorry sir,� mumbled Ashley in a deep voice. The Enforcer�s
eyes narrowed. Ashley�s did the same, but from fear rather than
suspicion.
�What�s your name?� asked the Enforcer.
Ashley panicked. �Ash- um, Ash,� she replied quickly.
The Enforcer grunted. �Pokedex, please.�
Ashley slowly pulled out her Pokedex and handed it to the Enforcer,
who roughly grabbed it out of her hand and opened it. �I am the Pokedex
belonging to Ashley of Sage City,� said the Pokedex. The Enforcer�s eyes
widened. As he opened his mouth to call for backup, the flat of a
Scyther blade smacked into his head, silencing him in mid-shout.
�We�d better hurry up and get out of here,� said Ashley. �I�m not
going to be able to keep up this disguise.�
�Scyther scy THER ther scy,� Jellic said under his breath. Ashley
was already too far away to hear, and Jellic had to take to the air to
catch up with her. Fortunately, Ashley had learned her lesson about
paying attention to where she was walking, and they reached the city
border without further incident. On Jellic�s advice, they avoided the
main road, keeping to the hills north of Obsidian City.
�Why are we hiding out here?� asked Ashley. �Shouldn�t we be trying
to find Elvor and finish him off before the Enforcers can find us?�
Jellic shook his head. �Scyvor will thind us no mather where we sco.
Ther League only has powther in ther scities. Scas long as we�ther out
here, ther�ll nether thind us.�
�Then we�re just waiting for Elvor to attack us?� asked Ashley. �All
right; what�s the plan for beating Elvor? I doubt you�ll get much use
out of your Pokemon now, and I don�t think mine are powerful enough for
the job.� Before Jellic could reply, a piercing scream shattered the
air. Jellic grabbed Ashley with his feet as he flew toward the sound,
keeping his blades ready.
A moving flame caught Jellic�s attention. He adjusted his flight
path slightly to continue moving toward it. The woman screamed again,
and this time Jellic could tell where it was coming from � the direction
of the flame. As the shape in the flames began to grow more visible,
Ashley gasped.
�It�s a Moltres!� she exclaimed. �I think it�s attacking someone!�
Jellic beat his wings furiously, hoping to reach the woman before the
phoenix-like Pokemon could hurt her. Fortunately, she seemed to be
surrounded by a soft glow that was deflecting the Moltres� flames.
The woman turned to Ashley and Jellic as they landed. �Please, kind
sir, help me! My attack magic has failed me, and this creature seeks to
destroy me!� At first, Ashley thought she must have recognized Jellic as
a human in Pokemon form, but then she remembered that she was still
disguised as a boy. Before she could explain this to the stranger, a
spark penetrated the barrier and caught in the woman�s leather armor.
She quickly beat it out, but as she lost her concentration, the barrier
vanished. The Moltres took the opportunity to dive at her while her
guard was down, and she barely ducked in time to avoid being badly
singed.
Jellic raised his blades, but Ashley held him back. �Jellic, there�s
no way you can win this fight! You�re weak against both Fire and Flying
types!� Jellic relaxed, and Ashley threw out one of her own Pokeballs.
�Blastoise, go!� The Blastoise emerged from its Pokeball and immediately
charged with a Skull Bash � right into Jellic. �Blastoise, stop! Don�t
attack Jellic!� Ignoring its trainer, the Blastoise fired a Water Gun at
the fallen Scyther. Jellic flew up into the air to avoid the attack,
only to narrowly miss the Moltres� Peck attack. Ashley quickly recalled
the Blastoise.
�Scit knows Sci�m not a normal Scyther,� said Jellic. �Scit�s
atheraid of me.�
�Then you�ll have to get inside your Pokeball, Jellic. Blastoise won
�t listen to me otherwise.� She aimed the Pokeball at Jellic. �Jellic,
return!� Jellic dodged the beam. �Jellic, what�s with you?�
�Sci�m NOT going in thert ball!� shouted Jellic. Before Ashley could
argue any further, the Moltres swooped down at her. She threw herself to
the ground to avoid it, but the hot rush of air against her back told
her that it had been a near miss. Too near.
�If you won�t go in your Pokeball, then you�ll have to take on the
Moltres yourself!� said Ashley, crossing her arms. Jellic raised his
blades and flew at the Moltres, using his Agility to increase his speed.
The Moltres dodged, its own Agility proving to be more than a match for
Jellic�s. Finally facing an opponent who was willing to fight back,
Moltres shrieked an ear-splitting battle cry and dove at Jellic, who
didn�t have time to do anything but counterattack. Jellic�s blade passed
harmlessly through the Moltres� flames as the flaming bird plowed
through him with the force of a battering ram, sending him spiraling
earthward.
Jellic quickly regained control of his flight and soared upwards
once again to face the Moltres. Realizing that his Slash attack wasn�t
going to do the job on its own, Jellic Leered at the Moltres, hoping to
gain the psychological advantage. The Moltres Leered right back, and
Jellic felt his own will draining. Focusing his Energy, Jellic lunged
with a Quick Attack, clipping the wing of the Moltres as it tried to
dodge. The bird retaliated with a Fire Spin, breathing fire in a
spiraling tornado that surrounded Jellic and began to close in on him.
Jellic folded his wings tightly around himself and plunged through the
flames, spinning his body around to prevent the flames from catching.
Even though he managed to avoid being seriously burned, Jellic took a
large amount of damage from the flames. He began to feel the fatigue
that accompanied the loss of energy.
�Jellic, don�t give up!� shouted Ashley encouragingly. �You can beat
it!� Jellic cast her a brief glance and felt a renewed surge of energy.
Suddenly, a idea leapt into his mind.
�Atherly!� he shouted. �Scall out ther Blasther!�
�But it will attack you!� she shouted back.
�Sci know!� answered Jellic. �Thert�s ther scidea!�
Ashley shrugged and called out her Blastoise. The turtle immediately
took aim at Jellic and let fly with a huge stream of water. Jellic
waited until the last possible second and dodged the blast, exposing the
Moltres to the full force of Blastoise�s Water Gun attack. The Moltres
turned to attack the Blastoise, but Jellic was already Slashing at the
fiery bird, finally able to hit it solidly now that its drenched
feathers hampered its speed. The Moltres decided that Jellic was the
more dangerous adversary and Pecked at him, but Jellic led the Moltres
toward the Blastoise�s Hydro Pump attack. The bird, wiser for the wear,
pulled up to avoid the parabolic stream of water, but the Blastoise�s
aim had already moved to follow Jellic, and the Moltres got a second
shower.
Jellic darted in to strike at the Moltres again, but it had already
decided that it had had enough. With a cry of �Molt, Moltres!� it flew
off in search of less dangerous prey. Jellic watched its retreating
embers vanish into the distance until only the trail of smoke was
visible. He smiled to himself before collapsing to the ground, breathing
heavily.
The Blastoise charged at Jellic as soon as he touched the ground,
but the recall beam dragged it into its Pokeball before it could
complete its attack. Replacing the Pokeball in her belt, Ashley ran to
kneel at Jellic�s side and administered a Burn Heal, followed by a Super
Potion. Jellic stood up, testing his legs for weakness but finding them
as strong as ever.
�Jellic, are you okay?� asked Ashley. Jellic nodded. �That was a
close fight! I�m glad you came out alive!�
�Excuse me,� said the woman they had rescued. �Did you call this
creature Jellic?�
�That�s his name, yes,� replied Ashley.
�What a coincidence,� the woman wondered aloud. �It was a young man
named Jellic who convinced me to become a hero in the first place.� Both
women stared at each other for a split second, then turned in unison to
stare at Jellic, who in complete disregard to the treatment that he had
just received, fainted dead away.
-------------------------------------------------------
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