For those who have been aching to see the evil that Jellic will have to
face in the world of Pokemon... ache no more!
Jellic�s Hateful Quest
Chapter 4: The Experimental Gimme Pig
Ashley awoke and brushed the sleep from her eyes to find a strange
man standing over her. She nearly screamed before she recognized that
this was someone she knew. She yawned. �Morning.�
�You�re awfully sleepy this morning,� said Jellic, taking a seat on
the bed next to hers. �Not a morning person?�
�No.�
�I see. It probably takes you a few minutes before you can say more
than one word at a time.�
�Yes.�
�That�s okay. I like to get up early and get a head start on the
day. I picked up a few supplies for our trip, as well as a map to guide
us.� He stood up. �Notice anything different about me?�
Ashley squinted at the large colored blur in front of her. �No.�
Jellic put his hand to his belt. �I caught a third Pokemon this
morning.�
Ashley suddenly sat straight up. �Wow! That�s amazing! Did anyone
help you, or did you do it all alone?�
�Well, Meowth was rather instrumental in the hunt. It�s a great
little cat once you get to know it.�
�So, what did you catch? A Caterpie or a Weedle, or something
better?�
�Better,� beamed Jellic. �Take a look!� He tossed his newly filled
Pokeball to the floor. It opened and spat forth his latest catch -- a
fat fish that flopped around on the floor as soon as it was released.
�Oh no,� groaned Ashley. �You caught a Magikarp.�
�That�s right! According to the Pokedex, it will evolve into
Gyarados, the water dragon. When I have a Gyarados at my belt, no evil
will dare to oppose me!�
�But it takes forever for a Magikarp to evolve because it doesn�t
have any attacks.�
Jellic�s face fell. �Run that by me again?�
�Pokemon gain experience by defeating enemy Pokemon, and when they
become experienced enough, they evolve. But Magikarp can only Splash
around until it learns how to Tackle, which is about as tough as
teaching a Diglett how to fly.�
�In other words, this thing is useless as a fighter.� Jellic sighed
as he recalled the Magikarp. �Oh well. Maybe if we run out of food on
our journey we can eat it.�
�No!� screamed Ashley. �You can�t do that! It�s --�
��Cruel.� I know. I was just kidding,� said Jellic, much to Ashley�s
relief. �I did wonder why it didn�t fight back very much. Just sort of
flopped around once Meowth dug it out of the water.�
�Well, you�ve increased your collection by fifty percent, and that�s
never a bad thing. Maybe some willing trainer will take it off your
hands in return for something a bit more suited for fighting. That�s how
I got my Gengar. I had a Meowth at one point, but I already had too many
Normal type Pokemon, so when a trainer came to town with a Haunter, he
was willing to make the trade. And when a Haunter is traded, it
instantly evolves into a Gengar.�
�Interesting,� said Jellic. �Some of them evolve by winning battles,
while others evolve when traded.�
�Then there are Evolution Stones,� noted Ashley. �Some Pokemon
evolve only when exposed to certain stones. My Weepinbell will evolve
into a Victreebel when I use a Leaf Stone, and the Vulpix I caught
yesterday will evolve into a Ninetails with the help of a Fire Stone.�
�It sounds as if there are many ways to make Pokemon evolve,� said
Jellic. �I�ll have to learn more about them before I can truly turn the
power of my Pokemon against evil.�
�That�s what the Pokedex is for. And I�ll help you any way that I
can, of course.� But Jellic had already spread his map across the bed
and was studying it.
�I think Jason was right. The shortest route to Karddor labs cuts
through these areas with the skull-and-crossbones all over them.�
�Are you serious about going through those dangerous places? People
have gone into there and never come out. We don�t know much about those
places, except that the Pokemon are extremely vicious and there are all
kinds of natural dangers as well.�
�I thought you wanted danger and adventure,� said Jellic.
�There are adventures in the towns too!� protested Ashley. �Can�t we
stick to the paths like everyone else does?�
�It would be several weeks longer before we got there if we went the
long way,� explained Jellic. �The sooner I can confront the evil that
lurks at Karddor Labs, the sooner I can get out of this godforsaken
dimension and back to a world where I can fight for myself.�
�What are you doing here anyway?� fumed Ashley. �It�s obvious you
can�t handle being in a peaceful world. So why don�t you just leave?�
�Believe me, I�ve tried plenty of times. The spell only works once I
�ve rid this world of its evil overlord. Somewhere, there�s evil going
on, and I have to destroy it before I can leave.�
�Why did you come here in the first place?�
�It was my arch-nemesis, the Dark Lord Elvor. I�ve fought him many
times in many worlds, but never succeeded in killing him completely. In
the last world I visited, I managed to slay him for good. But he put a
curse on me that sent me into this dimension.�
�So in other words, he won.�
�No, I won. He�s dead.�
�But this is his last laugh. He�s enjoying making you suffer through
your time here. If you keep this attitude up, you�re admitting that he
got the better of you. When you can be happy in this dimension, you�ll
have beaten him.�
Jellic groaned. �Might as well admit my defeat now, instead of
prolonging my torture. I�m not fit to be a hero if what you�re saying is
true.�
�I�m not saying you should give up!� protested Ashley. �We�ll head
to Karddor Labs and check the place out. But there will be a time
someday when you have to choose between accepting your role as a Pokemon
trainer or losing an important part of yourself. What will you choose,
when that time comes?� Jellic didn�t answer. �Come on, let�s head to
Persimmon City. That�s our first stop.�
�Do you want to say goodbye to your family?� asked Jellic.
�I don�t have a real family,� admitted Ashley. �I was left on the
doorstep of the Pokemon center when I was a baby. A nice couple took
care of me for a while, but now I can support myself with my Pokemon.
Sometimes I still think of them as my parents, but I always know that it
�s not true.�
�I�m sorry to hear it.� After a pause for thought, Jellic continued.
�You must think of me as a sort of temporary family. That�s why you want
to travel with me, despite the danger.�
Ashley nodded. �Yeah, I think that�s it. I�ve never seen the world
because I was too afraid to leave on my own. But with you, I feel ten
times braver!�
They left the Pokemon center sleeping area and followed the main
road out of the city, heading back toward where they had first met. From
there, they would follow the road on to Persimmon, and enter the Forest
of Mist from there. However, their plan had hardly gone beyond its first
mile when they encountered a group of men and women in black coats with
the words �KARDDOR LABS� on them.
�Looks like we won�t have to go through any dangerous areas to find
our target,� spat Jellic. �They�ve decided to come to us.�
�Careful, Jellic,� warned Ashley. �They�re not our enemies yet. Let�
s not make a bad impression.�
The man at the front of the group stepped forward as Jellic and
Ashley approached. �Greetings, trainers. I am Droll Vordekar, head of
research at Karddor Labs. I would like to ask you a few questions, if
you don�t mind.�
�Of course we --� began Jellic, until Ashley butted him in the ribs
with her elbow.
�Not at all,� she said quickly.
Vordekar smiled. �Were either of you in this area yesterday?�
�We were just over that hill,� answered Ashley, pointing.
�Ah. Did you happen to see a Machop or a Vulpix while you were
there?�
�What if we did?� asked Jellic. �What business is it of yours what
Pokemon we saw?�
�Please, you�re making me out to be your enemy. I mean neither you
nor your Pokemon any harm.�
�Really? I heard you did all sorts of experiments in your labs. Are
they all Pokemon friendly?�
�Of course,� Vordekar answered smoothly. �Perhaps you�re not
familiar with our work. We created many of the Technical Machines that
you use every day to teach your Pokemon abilities that they would never
learn on their own. We invented many of the supplements that your
Pokemon take to become stronger, including Rare Candy, the ultimate
supplement. We�ve been working on the development of new ways to induce
Pokemon to evolve and become stronger, and even breeding new Pokemon
species. Here, witness a sample of our ingenuity.� Vordekar threw a
Pokeball to the ground, and the creature that emerged reminded Jellic of
the graphics he�d seen on computers in the futuristic worlds that he�d
visited. It was constructed entirely of polygons and looked like a cross
between a bird and a small tank.
�That�s a Porygon,� announced Ashley. �They�re nothing new.�
�Of course not. But this is.� He pulled a white glowing stone from
his pocket and lowered it onto the Porygon. The Porygon began to glow.
�What�s happening to it?� asked Jellic as Ashley stared at it.
�It�s evolving! But Porygon doesn�t evolve!�
�It does now, with the aid of the Cyber Stone. It�s a new evolution
stone that we�ve developed.� Meanwhile, the glowing mass had grown, and
now the glow faded to reveal a tank twice the size of the original
creature, still made of polygons but much more dangerous-looking. �Meet
Poryhedron. Without the technology of Karddor Labs, it could never have
existed.�
�Wow,� whispered Ashley, impressed. �What else can you evolve with
the Cyber Stone?�
�We�ve taught a Ditto how to use Technical Machines, although it can
�t learn so many new techniques that it forgets how to Transform. We
call it a Xerox.�
�I�m not impressed,� said Jellic threateningly.
�Very well. Take a sample anyway -- I think you may change your
mind.� He tossed a Cyber Stone to Jellic, who caught it and put it in
his satchel. �If you find another use for it, let us know. Now, about
our Pokemon...�
�We caught a Machop and a Vulpix here yesterday.�
�Good. You see, those two Pokemon were part of an important
experiment in Technical Machine technology. Each of them has used a new
machine which we call a Secret Machine to learn a very powerful attack.
We�ve been bringing them to open fields such as this one to practice
their new techniques. However, they seem to have escaped. We would like
them back.�
�Just what sort of special techniques are they?� asked Jellic,
clutching the Machop�s Pokeball protectively.
�I�m not at liberty to disclose that information,� said Vordekar.
�After all, they are Secret Machines. But I will offer you a very
enticing trade.�
�Not interested,� said Jellic.
�Perhaps not, but I�d like you to hear it anyway. Have you tried to
evolve the Pokemon yet?� Jellic and Ashley shook their heads. �Well,
there�s a side effect to the SM technology that we only recently
discovered: it renders the Pokemon unable to evolve.�
�How could you do such a horrible thing!� fumed Ashley, reaching for
her Pokebelt.
�Please, don�t resort to violence! As I said, these are experimental
techniques, and we only use them on a small sample of willing test
subjects before releasing them to the public. Naturally, there will be
side effects. But now we know that SMs are best used on fully evolved
Pokemon, and the ones that already know the techniques are far more
powerful than any others of their species.�
�Then why would we want to give them back to you?� asked Jellic.
�Maybe we want to keep them.�
�You can�t use the secret techniques; you don�t know what they are!�
said Vordekar. �I offer you each a more powerful Pokemon in exchange for
the ones you have. Jellic, I have here a powerful Machoke, the evolved
form of Machop. When I trade it to you, it will become a Machamp and
gain even more power. Ashley, I offer you a fully evolved Charizard, the
king of Fire Pokemon.�
Ashley seemed to be seriously considering his offer, but Jellic had
his suspicions. �How do you know our names, and which of us has which
Pokemon? We never told you any of that!�
�Our lab has access to the Pokemon trainer sheet database. We use it
to find potential test subjects. Of course, if you refuse our offer, we
could always take your Pokemon by force.� The other lab assistants
reached for their Pokebelts. �No, put your Pokemon away. I�ll settle
this with them myself. Jellic, I know that your mission is to strike
down evil. Don�t you want to have the most powerful Pokemon for that?�
�I don�t want your sympathy. I can handle my own affairs!�
�Are you sure? I have a proposition. Let us battle, one on one. Your
Machop versus the Machoke I wish to trade for it. You get to keep the
winner, the more powerful of the two.�
�Fair enough,� said Jellic, tossing out his Pokeball. �Go Machop!�
�MACHOP!� shouted the Machop, ready for battle.
�Machoke, time to show this ingrate what you�re made of!� shouted
Vordekar, throwing out his own Pokeball. The creature that emerged was
far larger than Machop, and more muscular. Jellic was willing to bet
that it knew more moves as well. �Machoke, Focus Energy!�
�Ashley, what have I gotten myself into?� asked Jellic as the
Machoke�s muscles bulged even more under its tough skin.
�It looks bad,� said Ashley. �Machop doesn�t learn attacks like Leer
and Focus Energy until it evolves into Machoke, and that Machoke might
even know Seismic Toss and Submission.�
�Machop will never submit! Machop, go after it with a Low Kick!�
�Leer!� shouted Vordekar. Machoke stared into Machop�s eyes,
paralyzing it with fear. �Now give it the Seismic Toss!� The huge
fighter lifted the immobile Machop over its head, preparing to slam it
into the ground.
�Machop, remember what I taught you! Karate Chop!� Machop shook its
head to clear out the cobwebs and brought its hand down on the Machoke�s
head. Machoke felt the impact and dropped Machop, who immediately
followed with a Low Kick to the Machoke�s backside. Vordekar growled.
�Machoke, get up! Use the Submission!� Machoke grabbed Machop around
its chest and squeezed, crushing Machop.
�MAA CHOOOOOPP!� screamed the Machop as the breath was forced out of
it.
�Choke. Machoke,� growled Machoke, perfectly describing the
situation.
�You have to do something!� screamed Ashley.
�Machop! Low Kick!� shouted Jellic. Machop swung its leg down
between the Machoke�s. It released its hold on the smaller Pokemon, but
didn�t seem to be hurt too badly. �No good! If only it had more moves!
Machop! Leer!� Much to Jellic�s surprise, the tiny Machop began to glare
at the Machoke, which backed away. �I thought you said it didn�t learn
those moves.�
�It doesn�t, until it evolves,� said Ashley. Then she snapped her
fingers. �I know! That Machop can�t evolve, but it still learns all the
same moves that Machoke does! Try some of the other moves!�
�Machop, Seismic Toss!� shouted Jellic as the Machoke began to
regain its senses. Machop lifted Machoke into the air. Despite all of
the Machoke�s thrashing, Machop planted its head into the ground. �Now,
Submission!� Machop scratched its head, then grabbed Machoke around the
legs and squeezed. �No! That�s not right!�
�It doesn�t know that move yet,� explained Ashley. �It must not be
experienced enough yet.� However, the tiny Machop had managed to pin the
Machoke�s arms and legs so that it couldn�t extract its head from the
ground. Vordekar shouted commands, but the Machoke couldn�t hear them,
as its ears were under the ground. Fuming, Vordekar recalled his
Machoke.
�You were lucky, you know,� he taunted.
�Still, I won. Now I can keep the Machop, and Ashley can keep her
Vulpix.� The other lab workers grabbed for their Pokebelts, but Vordekar
held up a restraining hand.
�Yes, that�s right. I am a man of my word. But you have not forged a
very friendly relationship with Karddor Labs. I promise you, we will
meet again.� And with that, the group left the path and stormed into the
forest, where Jellic heard the sound of a motor running before all fell
silent.
�Now,� remarked Jellic as he and Ashley continued on their own path,
�they�re our enemies.�
--------------------------------------------------------------
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
ED: My eyes are stuck! I can't open them!
EDDY: Open your eyes, Ed.
ED: (opens eyes) Thanks, Eddy.
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp