The Hybrid Experiment

Chapter 7: The Return of an Old Friend

*Nathan's POV*

I... I think I've lost them for now... But I can't stop going- my life, and Voltflare's life, depends on it! I think to myself, sprinting, north, through the forest as fast as I can.

A few minutes of running later, my hand catches on a low-hanging branch, and my lab coat snags on the offending tree. Shrugging, I pull some scissors from my bag and snip the frayed part off. While I know that the piece of blue fabric will alert the pursuing Rockets about my whereabouts, they will not know when I was there.

And that... I hope,
Is something that they never figure out...

With all haste, I blaze straight through the small Route 36 and into Ecruteak City. As I run through the tiny city, Elijah appears from his house and calls out to me.

"Hey, Nathan! Where are you off to in such a rush?" he asks, jogging over to me. I stop just long enough for him to catch up to me and continue to walk. Then, he notices my Rocket uniform and stops.

"You are... Part of...?" He tries to get the words out, but he can't seem to muster it.

"Was," I quickly interject.

"Not anymore. Not after what I've seen. Never again. Not after what they did to Voltflare- I mean, Jake- that made him this way. It's a long story, but those criminals took my research and did something that should never have been done by using it the wrong way- a morally corrupt experiment in regards to both people and Pokemon. Once I saw what went on behind the scenes, I knew my only chance to bring them down would be Voltflare. I saw my opportunity and took it- now, the entirety of Team Rocket is after me. I have a feeling Giovanni knows, too, what it is that Voltflare has that his other hybrids do not."

"The Hybrid Experiment..." Elijah stares at the ground, and he lets a single tear fall to the earth.

"I was the one behind that idea. I... I thought... That things would have turned out differently... But I was wrong, Nathan. I was hopelessly wrong! They took you in with the same idea, didn't they? That Pokemon would be stronger, more loyal, and so much more? It was all a ruse, and I'm sure you know that by now. But, Nathan..."

He is interrupted by a loud voice calling from outside the city,

"I found him! Notify HQ- we need backup!"

Both Elijah and I whirl around to the noise, and we see the quickly-assembling army of grunts beginning to surround the city.

"Go! Get away from here!" Elijah pushes me towards the city's eastern exit- the one that leads to Mahogany Town.

"If Voltflare really is the key to taking down Team Rocket, then I'll put my life on the line for him! Escape from here, and I'll hold off these louts! Go to Blackthorn City and find Clair. Her and her cousin's Dragon-type expertise will greatly aid us in our endeavors. Don't worry, even though you look like a Rocket, I feel that they will understand why you are there if you tell them. Now, go on! Get going!"

He turns me towards Route 42 and practically shoves me out of the city.

I begin to run, only looking back to see Elijah, Pokeball in hand and a smile on his face, slowly turn to the mob of Rocket grunts advancing on him.

"Go, Lucario!" is the last thing I hear from Ecruteak City before I begin to sprint down the badly-beaten path.

However, as soon as it starts, my journey comes to an abrupt end- a stretch of water separates me from Mahogany Town. Although it isn't very wide overall, it is wide enough to prevent any attempts to leap over it.