Glitched

29 - Retro's Research Facility

A/N - First, some good news! I've finished writing this fanfic! Just some tweaking on the last chapter and epilogue needs to be done, but it's pretty much finished! That means there is going to be an additional update on Wednesdays as I try to get this all uploaded before Sun and Moon come out!

Also, I don't know about the rest of you, but I imagine both Amp and X talking with thick, British accents...

...

The only sound in the cavern was the gentle humming from the computer fans. Every pokemon had fallen into silence as the two groups stared at each other in bewilderment, albeit Pixel's group were all staring at the pink mew who bobbed in the air before them – Switch with a look of complete and utter shock and Vector with a mixed expression of surprise and irritation. Pixel, however, was close to tears.

"I don't believe this," she finally breathed out. "We... we've been looking for you and... and you..."

Retro reached out a paw towards her. "Pixel, I-"

"All this time you were here." The mawile raised her voice, letting her paws fall to her sides. "You were here and you never thought to contact us?!"

"And I have a good reason. If you'll let me explain-"

"Leaf thought you were dead!" Pixel's fur bristled down her spine. "He wouldn't admit it, but I could tell!"

Retro let out an exasperated sigh and ran a paw over her head. "Pixel, calm down!"

The look in the mew's blue eyes was not one of anger. Pixel tried to steady her breathing, but her paws were still balled tightly into fists. Vector placed a paw on her shoulder and she felt her body relax slightly. He wasn't looking at her, though. His eyes were still fixed on the mew, and any previous irritation had melted away.

The little, black exclamation pokemon cleared his throat and his eye flicked around the room at the tense group.

"Well, I'll go put the kettle on, shall I?" He drifted towards a small, round door at the back of the room.

Retro breathed out through her mouth and floated backwards into her chair. "Quick thinking, Amp. That should break some ice, I guess?"

The other two odd little pokemon eyed them curiously before drifting further into the room, allowing Pixel and her friends a bit of freedom to move. All tension had left her body and she moved cautiously towards the mew.

"So... what are you doing here?" she asked. "What happened to Nano and Chip?"

Retro's eyes closed and she looked away from her, turning her chair to face her computer. "They... they caught the virus."
"And you?"

"That's why I'm here," she explained. "Oddly enough I didn't catch it. I don't understand why at all. But it was safer, and easier, for me to research it. To focus all my attention on it, and to do that I had to separate myself from Cyan Island."

"But why not tell us?!" Pixel could feel her eyes welling with tears again.

Retro turned to fix her with hard eyes. "Can you honestly say you would have stayed put up there? Or would you have tried to join me?"
Pixel's mouth hung open wordlessly. She wasn't sure how to take this at all. Had Retro just abandoned them? She hadn't wanted their help?

A huge sigh came from Switch and he moved forwards, brushing an unimpressed Vector aside with his wing.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But this mawile has been looking for you. Not just her, but the entire island, or what was left of it. Would it really have hurt you to contact them and let them know? Because they haven't exactly been staying put and focusing on all their jobs. I mean... I found her in Raster City trying to track you down." He placed a wing on Pixel's back.