The Hybrid Experiment

Chapter 6: What's Next?

*Voltflare's POV*

"What... What was that? What did... Why did...?" My mind is running far faster than I can even talk. Nathan bends down and gently strokes my head.

"That was a battle- a common sight between two Trainers, people who take care of Pokemon and battle with them. During these struggles the bonds between Pokemon and Trainer are tested, and, as they say, to the victor goes the spoils- the winning Pokemon gains Experience, which can boost a Pokemon's performance in battle and..."

"When can I do that?!" I ask, a fire in my eyes.

"I want to get stronger! Even if the rest of my village is gone, I don't want to ever let my home down! I want to be able to fight for and protect what I cherish! Come on, let's go battle another Trainer!"

"Voltflare, please. It's past midnight. There isn't going to be anyone else awake at this time of..." He is cut off by a voice from the bushes.
"Did you say, 'battle?'"

I turned around to the noise to see a middle-aged man, holding some sort of mechanical device in his hands. He addresses Nathan as he approaches.

"I came out here to test my new R.C. chopper, but it seems like there's something more interesting to experiment with... Hmm... I see, so this is the Pokemon that caused the electrical disturbance in my device..."

The man tries to take a closer look at me, and Nathan places himself between the man and me.

"You're a Super Nerd, aren't you? I happen to be a scientist, myself, but I'm not interesting in letting you experiment on my Pokemon. But, since you were so kind to look me in the eyes, the only suitable course of action is to battle. You ready, Voltflare?"

Umm... What am I doing, though? is my only thought as the man sends out his Pokemon, a small ball with little metal appendages on the side, which bear a striking resemblance to the magnets I used to find when humans passed near the village.

Perhaps this Pokemon was made from stuff like that? I wonder... In any case, I'm in a 'battle,' right? So...

I look at Nathan, waiting for him to tell me what to do, when the Super Nerd commands,

"Magnemite, SonicBoom!"

I quickly turn around, and an invisible wave of energy crashes into me. I wince in pain as the initial shock wave continues to buffet me from the inside out. Then, I start to feel funny, like there's something in my stomach that just wants to come out. I paw at the ground, trying to abate the feeling, while simultaneously thinking,

Please don't be what I just ate...

Finally, after what feels like an eternity, Nathan finally says,

"Voltflare, use Fire Blast!"

In that instant, I finally understood what had been gnawing at gut from the inside. I open my mouth, and an enormous fireball works its way up my throat, promptly launching itself at the other man's Pokemon, at a speed that I had never seen before. In the air, the projectile slowly unravels into a starlike-shape, before hitting its mark on the Magnemite.

The floating Pokemon makes a few whirring sounds when the fireball engulfs it and, once the singing sphere dissipates, it falls to the ground. Its big white eye closes, and the man curses. He holds out his Pokeball and returns his Pokemon. I turn around to Nathan, surprised.

"Was I supposed to do that? I just couldn't help myself- it felt like it wanted to come out..."

"Don't worry. You did well, Voltflare," he says, smiling and gently petting my head. This time, the touch of his hand feels much more welcoming than it did when I first met him.