Adventures in the Insane: A Pokemon Story

The Split

     You're probably asking yourself: Why would Kristen just abandon her friends and Pokemon in the middle of the base of operations for an unsavory group that was about to go up in fiery glory? Well, I'll tell you- I make poor life decisions. 

      At least, initially I do. 

     See I knew everything would be alright and I had a plan. Don't laugh. So I had half a plan. OKAY. I had the dream of a plan. I hope that makes you feel better! I was already beating myself up over the whole running off with Charles and Alan's Gengar thing. Which I was still in the process of doing actually. 

    "Charlie! Why is the base about to explode?" I yelled over the alarms as we raced toward an exit, Alan's Gengar clinging to my messed up hair so we wouldn't get separated, while the incubator clattered dangerously in the hand that wasn't being clung to by Charles. 

    "You really want to ask that question NOW?!" He gave me a quick glance before tugging on my arm harder. It was a miracle it hadn't popped out of my shoulder yet.

     I mulled over his own question for a moment. "Yes!"

     "Oh for the love of-" Oddly, I tore past him still running as he stopped and let go of my hand. 

    "Charlie! You can't stop! This place is about to blow!" I screamed, stopping the instant I couldn't feel his hand in mine.

    He gave me a pained look that quickly turned sour and became anger, snatching up my hand again, we pounded up a ramp and out the loading dock of the warehouse, just heading straight, as far away from the base as we could get. After a few blocks inside the warehouse district, he pulled me down another street and we finally slowed down to catch our breath.

     "What is going on, Charl-"

     "You want to know what's going on?!" He was being unnecessarily loud. I waited until he lifted his head, staring at the short blond curtain of hair that just covered his eyes when he was leaning forward on his knees with his head down. 

      "Yes," I whispered.

     "That base was a fake!" He ran a hand up over his forehead, clearing his eyes of hair. "It was a decoy. Set to blow when the cops got there to check the place, make them think they had accomplished something while we all got away."

      "And Cloud?" I asked softly, gathering the incubator close to me in some subconscious need for comfort. Gengar slid down to grasp at my waist, looking around my arm at the seething Charles.

      "Cloud was taken from me. I didn't lie to you in that elevator. I needed your help to get him back." Charles pulled out Cloud's pokeball from his pocket, a strange calm enveloping him as he pressed the release button. A normal colored Ampharos appeared next to him, standing at about shoulder height, his eyes were covered with his flippers (that's the only way I can describe those crazy arms), then he shook himself and blinked his eyes open. He gave me a curious look, stared up at Charles with his mouth slightly open, and tackled his waist in a hug. "Cloud." Charles choked out, embracing the Pokemon. 

Gengar

      I guess Team X found Charles's one weakness and exploited it. 

   Gengar's eyes met mine and I glanced over at the reunited team, a million more questions running through my head with Gengar's observation. "Charlie." An unguarded expression faced me and I almost forgot my insecurities about him. "Why are you with Team X?" 

     "Did you ever hear stories of the War, Kris?" He stood up to his full height, putting the dangerous mask back on. Cloud read his mood and stepped behind him, ready for a fight.