The Dark Side of Kanto

Chapter 2 Omega

               The helicopter hovers over a small city.  Below us, humans mull about, doing whatever it is they do in their miserable existence.  I watch as two humans force their Pokémon to fight against each other for entertainment.  When they finish their little game, they both pull their Pokémon into these little balls, imprisoning them.  My anger slowly grows; the arrogance of these humans, thinking they can have complete control over creatures they deem to be inferior.  Little do they realize THEY are the inferior ones, and I will be the one to show them that.  They will pay dearly for their crimes.  It is only a matter of time.

               The helicopter begins to lower to the roof of a large building.  I look at this human sitting before me, this Giovanni.  I try to read his thoughts, but I cannot get anything. Either he is proficient at blocking my telepathy, or he was right and I really do need to learn to focus.  Does not matter.  Once I learn what he has to offer, I will make short work of this human and proceed with my plan for retribution.

               The helicopter lands and we exit the craft.  Giovanni snaps his fingers and his Persian companion leaps out, following him closely.  I furrow my brow.  This Pokémon seems to follow him willingly, not confined in any way.  This piques my curiosity.  Why did those two humans from before keep their Pokémon in those pocket-sized prisons, but this human allows this Persian to walk free? Perhaps he is different, but I remain skeptical.

               He leads me through a door and into a small box.  He pushes a button and the box descends.  This contraption, an elevator, he calls it, takes us underneath the ground.  As we step off, he leads me to a large chamber. Persian runs ahead and lays down on a soft bed that looks like it was designed for her. Giovanni sits in a chair next to Persian’s bed. He points his finger to a larger chamber on the next floor below.  “Go stand on that platform,” he says.

               I look the area over.  It is surrounded by a lot of machinery, complete with tubes, robotic arms, and lots of wires.  It reminds me of the lab I just came from.  I look at him skeptically, but he nods.

               “It is all right,” he says.  “I promise you, you will not be harmed or imprisoned in any way.”

               I look back at the platform and hover toward it.  I stand on the platform.  From behind a glass window, I see Giovanni push a few buttons.  Around me, mechanical arms lower, holding a number of metal parts.  They lower these parts and clasp them around my body; my arms, my legs, my shoulders, my chest and back.  Finally, the machine lowers a helmet over my head.  Cords get plugged into the various parts of the armor, and I feel a numbing sensation course through my veins.  My mind goes slightly hazy and I feel my powers become subdued.  I do not like this at all.

               *You say this armor protects my body,* I say, *yet it suppresses my powers.*

               “Your powers aren’t being suppressed, they’re being focus,” Giovanni explains.  “Learn to use them to accomplish your purpose.”

               *What is that?* I ask.

               “Patience, my friend,” he says.  “Your purpose will become clear.”

               There is something in his voice that makes me question his integrity.  Why is he being elusive?  Purpose… what is my purpose?  Why have I been granted life? Those words, the words that continue to haunt me, whirl through my mind: life is wonderful.  But why?

               I spend the next hour honing my abilities.  The armor makes my powers feel limited.  I have to really focus to attain the same effect as I would without it.  Perhaps this is what he meant by focusing.  Because it requires more focus to achieve the same effect, when I can finally shed this armor, it will be stronger.  I like the thought of that and keep practicing.  Giovanni brings in numerous object, all made of different materials; steel, wood, plastic.  I manipulate these objects with focus and determination. I juggle all the objects in the air with telekinesis, keeping a balance between them all.  I then stack them, with the smallest on bottom, using precision to attain perfect balance, despite the stack’s high center of gravity.  Finally, I crush eat and every one of them, compacting them as small as possible.