Note: This is all of prologue part 3: a (revised), b, and c. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- PETRAS (Prologue part 3a) "What Oak Never Wanted to Know" Disclaimer: I Don't own the anime most of these characters belong to (I wish I did), and I make no profit from it (though that would be nice too). C&C to ilumanae@yahoo.com The recap's at the bottom of this story ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- Spoiler note: For Extreme Evangelion fans, if you didn't watch the end of Evangelion, or didn't read the scripts, or just don't wanna know what happened, avoid this story for awhile. . . ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- (Back to the story) Watching the viewscreen, Washuu felt her lungs wail. "Pick up that disk!" Oak could've sworn he heard a slightly nasal voice in the distance, but shrugged as he passed through his main laboratory. He already had strange visions every night during the past week; a red-haired woman passed through those dreams. He didn't need to lose his mind to such peculiarities during his consciousness. Still, odd feelings rushed upon him as he passed by his desk. He was working towards a more alert slowbro, but found himself becoming less awake each day. Oak was to either evolve the creature, or to increase its intelligence. It was one difficult task. "Every day I keep thinking he'll evolve, somehow," Oak muttered to himself, "But all he ever does is look back at me." Slowbro, the pokemon fused to a clam on his tail, merely looked back to the Professor dazedly. Who knew what that Slowbro really thought behind the expressionless face. At times, Oak began to feel SlowBro and other Pokemon like PsyDuck were just dumb Pokemon. It was too frustrating; too hard to figure why they were like that. Not once had he seen any expression that'd tell him they knew what was going on. "That disk!" Washuu began to key into her computer a command that would have something hit Oak on his head. A green-haired lady formed out of nowhere into Washuu's laboratory. Like she had once done before, she felt no fear or cluelessness of Washuu. Sensing the slight wince in Washuu, the green-haired lady turned to see the viewscreen. "A little frustrated?" Setsuna didn't wait for Washuu to reply. "Just watch for another minute." In less than a minute, Oak was slamming his clipboard to his neglected desk. All that time he'd tried figuring the slowbro problem, with no avail. If he'd been just a little more irate, he might've missed the yellowdisk that caught his eyes. "Hello, what do have here?" Oak scrolled his mind to realize he never had a disk that color. Staring at the viewscreen in slight awe, Washuu mouthed, "How the. . .did she know?" Oak placed the disk in his computer, letting thousands of files appear on the screen. Looking to the first of the batch, he chose to try it. "And this is where he finds that video file, right?" Washuu caught on to what would happen next. Besides, she WAS the "greatest scientist in the universe". Oak watched as the red-haired woman of his dreams appeared to him in the video, speaking of "Earth" and then some distortion of time. Even for a brilliant scientist, Oak was dumbfounded. As he opened the file the video instructed him to try, he muttered, "Terra incognita?" Impassively, Setsuna turned to Washuu. "Once he digs into the truth, it'll take him a while to actually believe it." "You really think he'd trust some disk?" But Washuu knew Setsuna was right. "Well, even if he did, do you really expect him to carry it out?" "I don't. You know that." The green-haired lady's staff glowed with the picture of a group of teenagers sitting below two adults with enlarged TR's on their shirts. "But at least it'll give them hope. That's what'll matter the most." Oak looked at his trash bin wearily. He knew it was the truth, despite all the lies he kept telling himself. He and his companions wasting their lives over studying those "pocket monsters" when in truth, all the answers were in that disk ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------- "You know how it'll always be," his eyes never strayed from Misty's as he clasped her hand in his. "But I wanted to finally ask..." Misty gasped at the small jewelry box Ash was taking from his pocket. "Misty, will you marr..." Gary looked to the two sixteen-year-olds with an air of stoicism. There kneeled Ash, who wasn't wearing his worn-out cap that time, in front of what was catching his attention. There was the auburn-haired maiden looking down in either shock or anticipation. He had been watching them for a minute before he realized they saw him. "Yo, Ash," Gary looked unaffected. "Grandpa wants to talk to you." "Huh, right now?" Ash looked a little anxious to return to his conversation. Almost gruffly, he asked, "What about?" "You know, probably the usual," Gary paused and with a slightly softer voice continued, "He also wants to see you too, Misty." "Um, sure," Misty stopped herself from going overboard, "It's not about that slowbro, is it?" Guessing exactly what Gary had, he looked to Misty for a few seconds before catching himself. It'd been around four years since he realized Misty and Ash were together, and would be together for a long time. All those years where he dated several girls, maybe hundreds were the years when Misty would repeatedly make it clear: she was Ash's. It was during those years that Gary struggled with the thought on how Ash knew it all along, and was merely let it rub in. Ash himself was preoccupied, or he was until Gary appeared. "Figures!" Ash sighed in his mind, thinking of the times Ash was sent to some trip. All those years after they stopped competing with each other through their Pokemon, they were just competing. Ash had his final chance to beat Gary, well, to the altar. Yet, he had ruined the moment. Ash was only a minute or so away from his agenda, when Gary carried an "important" message. Figures. "If it is, Oak already sent me to check out Rochelle Town last week," Ash stood from his past kneeling position, "The only slowbro I saw there was deceased." Not that he overlooked the matter. Ash grieved every lost Slowbro, or at least he tried to. So many slowbros were falling to a mysterious virus. Apparently, the Slowbro virus worked quicker than it had sounded. Every slowbro nearby it would lose the will to eat, to live, and would eventually turn too decrepit to survive. All the slowbros Ash had his diggletts bury appeared so sad, even through the masks of their impassive faces. It was too much for Ash, too much for everyone. "Lesse, a gourmet dinner, ginger ale, candles, a picnic blanket," Brock was checking his bag of supplies until he completely dropped them. "Oh, no, where's Jenny?" Brock could've sworn he was walking through the forest with Officer Jenny just a few minutes ago. Scrambling through his thoughts, he could only wonder why Jenny would disappear, especially after they heard the yell of some mysterious figure. Slapping himself on forehead, he could only stutter, "D..D..Darn." The Jenny from Pallet Town was just like all the other officers. She was probably investigating the situation, as was the instinct for all the Officer Jennies. Walking back to where he and Jenny heard the "mysterious" voice, he eyed Jenny. There she was, tapping her feet, as if she was waiting for him all along. "Where were you?" her eyes were slit in anger. "Jenny, dear, I. . ." Brock couldn't help but feel frustrated. Suddenly reflecting her expression, Brock replied, "Looking for you." It didn't take Brock very long to relent. As with any Jenny, Brock couldn't stand being mad at one for very long, if ever. Changing his tone to a more apologetic appeal, his voice became almost inaudible. "Sorry." Jenny's dour expression was lifted. "That's okay, Brock. I should've told you where I was off too, anyway." During that reply, Brock felt like falling over. "It was just a wild Growlithe." Picking up the pace of the conversation, Brock felt more light-hearted. The argument he usually went through with Jenny would end quickly. "That's a relief. So, then," Brock's voice became less confident. He'd been planning to ask the question the whole past week. At every date, even with the romantic settings, he'd either forget or be too intimidated. He waited all his life to marry a Jenny or Nurse Joy. Why couldn't he try then? The setting wasn't very romantic, yet it seemed perfect to Brock. The swamp-like forest around them seemed to be swarmed with insects and bugs, yet there wasn't a person in site. The hum of the butterfrees inhabiting the swamp seemed to tell him "Will you marry me?" "What?" Jenny obviously heard Brock's outburst. "Um. . .well, Jenny," Brock was first startled, but felt his voice slowly crescendo. "Will you do the honor of being my wife?' He said it perfectly, or at least didn't stutter the question to her. It didn't take long to hear a reply, as Brock's ears were flooded with the joyful shout "Yes!" There wasn't much to talk about that didn't lead to more silence. If there was anything to save the faltering conversation, it had to come right then and there. It was then that two gleeful teenagers distracted the faltered conversation. One of them was a brown-haired male with a green-linen vest. The other was a slightly shorter female whose blue hair seemed to stand out even in the darkness. Both seemed to be in a daze as they approached Ash, Misty, and Gary. "Hey Ash!" Brock held Jenny's right hand up, "Guess what?" The ring on Jenny's finger caught Misty's attention the quickest. "You're getting married?!" One quick nod from the officer brought on a fury of excitement. All through the hysterics and delight, Gary remained silent. Was he the only one remembering why they were supposed to meet with Oak? As if he was waiting through eternity, he halted the conversation on the future wedding with "Grandpa wants to see us." The boy across him immediately responded. If Gary looked closer to what the teenager was placing in his pocket, he might've forgotten about "Grandpa". Walking towards the building behind them, Ash walked off. The hand that was once in his pocket was then occupied in sifting through his dark hair. In complete innocence to the proceedings, Misty walked after him, thus leaving the rest of the group behind. "Ash," Misty was gasping as he paused for her, "What'd you run off for?" "I walked," Ash responded, only to meet a mallet. Strangely, he kept the same stance, even with Misty's acute irritation. "You could've waited." Receiving no answer, Misty sighed, "Gary always interrupts our conversations, do you ever realize?" Umm, by the way, what were you going to ask?" No matter what age, Ash was a toddler in handling relation- ships. Confused by Brock's new engagement and angered by the bad timing, he sighed. "Um, Misty..." Ash sighed, then pleaded, "if you can, will you wait till' next week for the question?" What was it, a weekly soap' or somethin'? But knowing Ash, Misty grumbled, "Yes." ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- "Where were you?" Oak fumed at the group before him. "Uh, O. . .Professor Oak," Ash noted the aged man. Only a few weeks ago, the man was passionately recalling all the heights of the Pokemon in the world. Professor Oak was so full of scientific fervor and youth in his old age. What changed? "I won't tolerate lateness like this any more. From now on, I expect more discipline, especially with this new. . . assignment." "Project?" Jenny wasn't sure if she was supposed to be part of the research staff. "Yes. I'll need all the help I can get for this," Oak paused as he held up a yellow disk before continuing, "This disk." Gary chose to take his turn in explaining by being handed the disk. "Apparently, Grandpa discovered the disk while researching the Slowbro Project." He inserted the disk into a computer as he typed a few commands. "Call this a preview." As a red-haired woman came onto the computer screen, Professor Oak sighed, "You're not gonna like this." Onscreen was a red-haired lady. Obviously not shy of the camera, she cleared her throat a moment before beginning to speak. "As you can see, I, Washuu, the greatest scientist in the," she seemed to turn in the direction of an offscreen woman's voice. "Get on with it." Before continuing, Washuu sighed, and then turned back to the camera. "I, the world's greatest scientist in the universe have discovered why you're here." "Is this some kind of joke?" Ash looked to Oak for some kind of laugh, but saw the ireful and sleepless man wasn't in the mood for humor. "When looking back into your history, it spanned over another planet." It took a full ten minutes before the red-haired woman showed them the planet she meant. Beforehand, she was only noting the history of Pokemon, and how they were AT FIRST genetically altered creations by the colonists who inhabited their land. Who'd believe her account of "animals", the convenient use of transporting them with Pokeballs? (Hence the name Pokemon), their unique adaptations to their new world and eventual "evolutions"? While the idea was harebrained at the first second, it was almost... After slightly accepting the theory, the viewers of the vid, besides Oak, wondered of the green and blue planet "Washuu" was presenting. Technologically advanced from some screenshots, the "Earth" seemed to amaze, and mostly worry them. When Oak mumbled something about an "invasion" during the viewing, Ash phased out a second. His dreams of marriage, possibly a family, somehow...dwindled. "Professor Oak, did you just say something?" Oak sighed ruefully, "Wait and you'll see." "Ahem!" the screen's narrator, Washuu seemed to say. Somehow, the viewers didn't seem to hear it, but were somehow brought back to attention on the screen. "...and apparently, the inhabitants of Earth were forced to evacuate into two main colonial groups. From, most likely, your new *friends*, the Alayans." A screen with pictures of industrial, city-sized spacecraft appeared and dissipated to show the scientist again. The room answered the scientist's presentation with tense twitches and gasps of reaction. "...I suggest you gather all your possible forces and immediately follow these plans from the disk. I promise to send further information once gathered.," Washuu gritted worriedly on the screen. "You have roughly a year, or less, before their arrival from space. Use that time well..." and the vid went blank. What affected Officer Jenny the most was The so-called "forces" of their world were almost nil, even with the local police stations in each town. Jenny usually relied on her Growlithes for backup instead of other towering warships. The only type of large army Jenny heard of being developed was consisting mainly of Pokemon. The factor of having another dominating world was too overwhelming. Still, Washuu hinted the luck of having highly developed "animals", which on their world rightfully known as "Pokemon". There had to be a chance. "I can't help but feel sorry for them." Washuu sighed at her viewscreen. Washuu could've sworn she saw Rei nod before she began to speak, in her monotone way. "Professor Washuu, the job left to you now is in observing them carefully, like a guardian...angel." Washuu raised a brow, but preceeded in viewing their world, along with a few others her viewscreen was able to. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- Those who didn't first laugh off the news broadcast in Rochelle Town were divided. Some Pokemon owners still preferred having their Pokemon outside the Pokeballs, but others worried. In the case of emergency, they'd be needed. Even with the turmoil over the news, there were an even more select few who were dealing with the broadcast. It was only six months or so after the reports were confirmed, by notable entities like Professor Oak or Professor Bill. . . "Five months, dear," James sighed, "You promise to stay the same afterwards?" Stay the same. The wife standing beside him sighed as they looked over the town center. Nothing stayed the same when they began their chain of restaurants, shopping centers, and any other franchise that involved money. When they started the legal life, they became incredibly wealthy. Their lives had changed. Jesse fingered a lock of James' turquoise hair. "Only if you do." From the roof of their building, they could've looked upon the town forever, but time intervened. Entering the rooftop apartment, a bushed Meowth struggled to bring in a cardboard box. With a hoarse, worn voice, he called from an empty room, "Jesse, James!" Both the tall, auburn-haired female and the blue-haired billionaires turned in the direction of the voice. They knew a long time ago the ambition and spirit in the quickly aging feline Meowth made him as valuable as the past "precious" pokemon they met before. As they turned to the living room, both Jesse and James reminisced of the past Team Rocket lives. "To protect the world from devastation," Jesse smiled. "To unite all peoples within our nation," James continued. "Team Rocket blasting off at the speed of light," "Surrender now or prepare to figh. . ." James' line was shortly cut off. "Jesse! James!" Meowth's worn voice beckoned once again for them to go. "Just a second, Meowth!" Jesse yelled. She never appreciated their old motto being interrupted. Heaving the box to one of the couches nearby, Meowth merely sighed. Every time he entered the couple's apartment, it'd take them a few minutes for them to even respond. They were married how long? As their mumbles decreased in sound, there was an increase in nearness as Meowth heard them approaching. Taking a half-filled, blue 3-inch binder from the box, he opened it instantaneously to some random page. "I was expecting you two," he looked down to the page, which had some random scribbles and doodles on it. Immediately switching the page in embarrassment, he directed his attention to another page, filled with numbers and some dozen calculations. "Ah, yes. The 'ETRAS report'. I trust you two read over the booklets I gave you." Their blank expressions told him no. "Just where were you two last night?!" "Going over the Celadon City Mall accounts!" Jesse blurted. At the exact time, James replied, "At the Saffron City Convention!" Afterward, they immediately said each other's replies, bringing them into a deeper hole than before. "At the movies," they both sighed afterwards. Normally, Meowth would've readied his claws in annoyance, but merely stood in front of them. At first statuesque, Meowth's expression slowly dissolved into a smile. "How'd I get stuck with you two?" he walked back towards the cardboard box, reaching in it for two portfolios. Red and blue, he handed them to Jesse and James. "Pretty much, they're the budget reports for this whole Sector 9." "Refresh me again on 'Sector 9'?" James sighed as he opened the portfolio. His jaw dropping at the site of some disturbing numbers on the report, he turned to the cat. "Are you nuts?! This'll cost us millions!" "Correction, hundreds of millions!" Jesse mirrored James's expression. "What're you trying to do to us?" It didn't matter which of the two said it. Meowth used his claws that time. "Don't you remember? This is because of the whole ETRAS ordeal!" They looked to each other for a clue, both recalling all they'd forgotten during the night watching the new Spielbug movie. Something about close encounters with the relatively same kind. . . "Ah, yeah, the 'gotta-save-our-planet' budget." "Exactly." Meowth quieted a moment, continuing, "The base that's got our fair city's planning officials quirked." Directly 1700 meters below them was a station housing at least thousands of former "pokemon trainers". Only six months ago, they'd given up training for Pokemon leagues and turned to training for something greater. Their planet. Only, what separated them from the hundreds of thousands of other trainers who'd done the same was where they were there. Underground. "It's been, what, four months here?" Richie poured some soda into his mug. "Want some?" Ash waved one hand as he read one of many documents strewn on his desktop. "Nah. Misty noted how that company polluted the Orange Sea. Looking towards the label of "Purple Soda", Richie merely sighed. From getting to know Misty, he realized she wasn't his type. Her love of water, and all the special creatures in it, would obviously eliminate most food choices. Every time Ash told him of some of the substances that quirked Misty, which once happened daily, he sighed. As he put down the bottle of "Purple Soda", Richie sighed again, but in relief that he wasn't in that kind of relationship. "You miss her," Richie commented, as he was already over the loss of the soda. Ash stared at the document titled "ETRAS". He just couldn't concentrate on all the figures, the notations, that report that was updated daily. Of course he missed her. Putting the packet of papers down, the teenager replied, "That obvious?" "I could read you like a book. An easily read one, that is." Richie glanced a moment towards the purple soda. "Why don't you just call her?" "There's supposed to be a limited contact with the outside, remember? One call every month or so." "So, you can fudge the rules a little, Commander." Richie cunningly remarked, only to frown at his statement. When a law applied to the soldiers under his command, it counted doubly for himself. "Well, it's been, what, four months since you've contacted her? Besides, by now, she probably thinks you're dead or something." "There was a time when she actually thought so," Ash recalled Lavender Town from his statement and smiled in thought. "It shook her up then, but now, I think.. ." "She'd be plenty worried now." Richie might've seemed slightly irritated. "Just like she's worried now." Seeming to ignore the comment, Ash picked up the document again, looking it over a minute before returning his gaze to Richie. "It seems that Oak's slowbro's still survived." "That's the daily report?" Richie knew there was more to the headline. "That and apparently, he's found more to the ETRAS disk." The ETRAS disk. Richie saw it only once; realizing it was named after the label on it. Even if he didn't see the contents within it himself, he'd heard plenty from rumors and mostly Ash that it was what stirred their whole operation. Whether it was still classified was another lingering thought that crept into his mind. Richie listened as Ash continued; "There were these coordinates in one of the data files." Ash held the report up. "Just coordinates?" Richie didn't need to ask "Nothing more?" "Probably a sign I'd better give him a call," Ash said exactly what he was motioning to do. Pressing a speed-dial button, he was immediately connected with the scientist. Ash knew from months before that he wouldn't see the Oak of the past. None of that scientific enthusiasm that lighted those near him, Oak was aging. With no sign of the youthful expression in the senior, Ash expected a forlorn scientist. He called one. Oak, who was right next to the videophone, instead let it ring awhile before giving into it. He was no longer delved into work that he'd forget the phone by accident; he just chose to let it ring. Come the sixth ring, Oak gave up and went in front of the phone camera, answering it in a hoarse manner. "Hello?" his voice creaked. He answered the caller's first question with "Yeah, it's been faxed to pretty much every sector." "I see," Ash's voiced, letting the silence on the other end direct him to continue. "So pretty much, you forgot to tell Sector 9 what it was." "Not to you." Oak couldn't help sounding rough as he said it. Continuing after a very short pause, he sighed. "No, not to anyone. If anyone thought it was important, I would've been called." Ash knew how Oak preferred sharing his information in person. "It must be, professor. Why else was the headline so vague?" Whatever. Oak could've said something like it, but he was somehow flattered. Oak originally intended the headline to be "eye-catching" that day, but only Ash had requested an answer to it. "Yes," Oak's voice suddenly uplifted. "In truth, the coordinates were well-placed. They're not there!" While Oak held the same posture and expression like the minute before, the gaze of his eyes had changed. He seemed to glow of interest towards the subject. "What do you mean?" Ash asked inevitably, growing in more curiosity. "As if the space around it disappeared, Ash. I had both G and M check out the coordinates and points around it. Nothing, though there was enough evidence to believe there was . . ." "Something," Ash ended the sentence. "So you mean we were meant to find that place?" "Possibly. But don't you mean us scientists here?" Ash nodded. There was more to discuss with their conversation, but they both had duties. Ash had to act as the Commander of Sector 9, and Oak had his own obligations, to the Pokemon and the new "coordinate problem". Gary and Misty themselves were delved into their work. What were they planning to become? Astronomers? Their conversation ended only minutes afterward. Ash was more focused on the daily drill exercises, over the scientific data he'd probably never understand. Oak walked over to G and M. Like usual, Gary stood over the telescope machinery with one eye on the lens, and the other on M. Misty would record the data read to her, and would usually repeat the dictation, for every observation to remain relevant. They worked unusually well together. Once she recognized the approaching figure, Misty exclaimed, "Professor!" Her smile seemed to light up the room. Either she was finally contacted by Ash or she and Gary discovered something. It was the latter. "Professor Oak," Gary took the chance to greet him formally. "Apparently Washuu's coordinates were off." Somewhere in the cosmos was a red-haired scientist screaming at her viewscreen, "What?" "Please. Explain." Oak was once again felt somewhat morose. Sitting down at the desk closest to the pair of astronomers, he seemed to motion "I'm all ears". Gary immediately typed numerous codes into a nearby computer. The first of three images appearing was of mere space. Shortly after was the viewing of a blurry light. Typing more commands, Gary allowed the computer screen to project the same light, only surrounded by a slightly illuminated space. "As you can see, Professor Oak," Misty's voice echoed the tone of Gary's, "That is a black hole." "And. . ." Professor Oak couldn't help but respond roughly. "And the pictures were taken in less than a second's difference of each other." Gary responded. "What's your point?" "The spot where we observed this was half a light-year away." "Then don't focus on the black hole." Oak also could've mentioned it was easy as that, but declined. "There's nothing within the area of the coordinates," Gary sighed, but then took a breath. It was very quick, since Oak was about to mention how he already knew". Immediately continuing his words, Gary noted, "Nor any abnormalities around the entire area." "The data we've found on the disk, has it ever failed us before?" Out in another universe was a red-haired scientist glued to her viewscreen. "Exactly," she exclaimed, "I'm the greatest scientist in the universe!". With an "A" and "B" puppet-size version of her on each shoulder, she pretty much chanted the statement. "Then there's nothing more to study, Professor," Gary let Misty hand him a clipboard as he walked off out of the room. The data on the black hole they were just studying, it would probably have become another lost amount of information. He walked off with it. Breaking her solemnity, Misty got up from her chair, looking straight into the despaired Professor's eyes. "Please don't take it personally, Professor." Oak merely sighed as he turned away for a moment. "Don't worry, I haven't." She couldn't accept it. "He's just tired. We're all tired," Misty's cheeriness faded slightly to reveal a worn expression. Still, throughout her fatigue was the look of sincerity when she said, " But he does love you." Oak didn't need to reply. It'd honestly been awhile since someone pointed out how Gary actually cared for his Grandpa. Finally reassured, his face lightened. "We've got work to do," Oak's mouth moved to form a smile. ---------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- PETRAS (Prologue part 3b) "What Oak Never Wanted to Know" Disclaimer: I Don't own the anime most of these characters belong to (I wish I did), and I make no profit from it (though that would be nice too). C&C to ilumanae@yahoo.com The recap's at the bottom of this story ---------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- Spoiler note: For Extreme Evangelion fans, if you didn't watch the end of Evangelion, or didn't read the scripts, or just don't wanna know what happened, avoid this story for awhile. . . ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------- "Ugh, how many meters left?" James staggered across the elevator room. "I'd say at least 1100, James," Meowth looked as the altitude was lowering to almost a kilometer below ground. "Wow, you don't look too good." Jesse looked down to the blue-haired male. "Of course I don't!" James eyed an underground river outside the elevator. The uniformed man across the room was checking the elevator controls. "-200 meters and decreasing" he bellowed across the room, which consisted of only him, Meowth, and the married billionaire couple. "You've been calling out the number every 10 meters!" James shouted in an ireful state. "Huh?" Sergeant looked around the room, which was actually quite small; detecting it was the gentlemen in front of him who said it. "Oh, sorry, uh sir, uh Mr. Rochelle." He immediately hollered from rechecking the controls, "-210 meters and decreas. . ." Three angry elevator passengers halted the officer. It took 200 more meters before the room settled. "So tell me, what should we call you anyways?" Jesse asked. "Corporal General," the officer smiled. "You're a general?" James was already intrigued, or at least shocked. "Corporal General" shook his blonde head. "No, General's my last name." "What's your first?" Meowth replied. "Sergeant." If the room were larger, the three other elevator riders would've fallen over. Eying the Corporal, they realized it was no joke. "So, you're the Corporal of this elevator," James sighed. "Exactly," Sergeant General smiled as he eyed the elevator controls. "-500 meters and decreasing!" he hollered. "This cost us millions," Jesse exasperated. "Nice to meet you, Mr. And Ms. Rochelle," Ash shook both their hands. "Uh huh!" both the Rochelles nodded to the teenager in slight wonder. Years ago, they were after his pokemon, mainly his pikachu, and there they were. They were the same side, with different titles from their past; one former pokemon master and two former Team Rocket members. Their meeting was discomforting. "Commander Ketchum, is it?" Jesse feigned a pleasant greeting. The screening on Washuu's viewscreen was paused a moment as the viewer turned to look at the shadow behind her. "You know, you could just go and talk to Sasami." Rei's red eyes dimmed as she replied, "Not time." Some things were what even Washuu couldn't understand, especially Rei. The girl with the short, blue hair merely stared back to the viewscreen. It'd been minutes since Rei noted her purpose, though not specifically. "I can skip later or so, right?" Washuu's question went unanswered for what seemed minutes in time. "Okay, then. ---------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- "Promise me you will," Oak firmly addressed the teenager. "If you are truly an Oak, take it." Gary was flickering in emotions. He knew that taking the detonation trigger would mean accepting a fatal promise, for the building and especially Professor Oak, but what could he do? Oak was right when he noted the importance of each piece of information in the lab. "In any event, if they get their hands on any article in this disk," Oak held up the yellow diskette as he sighed, "Then we'll automatically lose." It'd been a month since they discontinued the black hole observations; a month since they discovered the black hole was only a small part of the coordinates given in the diskette. They'd already read one-fourth of the many files within the disk. "But all the pokemon," Gary sifted for an excuse to refuse. "All the pokemon here are residents in this building by their own will. They already know the dangers of being studied here, but they've consented. You think they'd rather have the invaders use them for information?" Gary held his palm out, accepting the small device, which held more power in taking out a city. A mere trigger, it would only take a certain push of the code to activate a building explosion. "In any case, if there's any signs of Sector 8 failing in defense, it's your trigger." The mysterious Sectors. There were rumors that even spread to Pallet Town of underground armies of defense. Gary knew Ash was part of one of them, feeling all the more worried as Oak said the previous statement. He wasn't sure if his sleeves were catching tears from his eyes. It'd been a long time since Gary had tried venting his worry. "I promise." The alarms around all Sectors were blaring. Somewhere in Sector 9 were two Commanders preparing themselves for flight. "This is it," Ash grimly spoke to Commander Richie. Richie nodded in the same expression, but then changed his tone into a more cheery fashion. "So, when are you gonna propose already?" Ash placed a hand in his pocket, with the other hand in his hair, "Ah, I've left it off too long. It's *weird* though, I just can't now. Not until it's safe, you know?" He paused and shook off a super-deformed, image of green aliens and their troops storming through Oak's laboratory. Richie seemed to sense the fear. "Relax, Ash, you still have to worry of Misty's mallet for holding off the proposal THIS long." Ash's look upon Richie seemed to ask, "She knew?" Getting a rough nod from his fellow Commander, he grinned, "How bout' after we take out these 'aliens'?" They smiled, as they ran to their stations, but during the running, there were plenty others surrounding them. Merely running towards his plane, Ash failed to notice what was falling out of his pocket. Keeping his pace, he merely ran off. With a set of keen eyes, Richie noticed something had fallen from Ash's pocket. Since there were plenty other officers in that hall running to their designated areas, Richie hoped to preserve whatever had fallen from his friend's pocket. Looking down to the floor, he immediately noticed it wasn't yet trampled. He'd give it back to Ash later Though Richie seemed to understand what it was as he looked to what he was picking up. "The ring!" The alarms were blaring in Pallet Town. It was truly happening. While there were flocks of people heading to their local shelters, the ones in the laboratory building were merely evacuating the materials first. "You've gotta get outta here!" Gary was ushering a petulant Misty out of the lab. "Gary!" Misty simply defied him, quickly continuing, "I'll be all right! I've just gotta fax today's coordinates to the sectors." The surrounding sounds were of blaring alarms. Gary pleaded, with a look of desperation, "Misty, please, I seriously don't want you to get hurt in all this." "And I won't. Now, get Professor Oak and the Slowbro out of the lab. I'll be right out with you." Gary knew he had to give in. "Promise?" "Of course," Misty looked up from the fax machines, only to turn silent. With one hand on her cheek, he leaned for a kiss. Before he could do so, Misty stepped back and slapped him. Only a second after, she regretfully noted, "I promise." Unlike an expected facefault from Ash, Gary's face turned stoic. He nodded without a wince to the slap or emotional response before leaving. In a daze she spent a few seconds thinking of what happened seconds ago. They were the longest seconds ever. Finally, her attention turned to the alarms. "I'll be fine!" Oak yelled over the alarms, running with the Slowbro in his arms. He was heading towards the exit of the building. Gary knew he didn't need to ask if his Grandpa was sure. He merely breathed as he rushed back to the laboratory where Misty was. Somehow, he still worried. Smacking his forehead, he recalled how Misty would be waiting for him outside anyways. Rushing back another way to another exit, he figured he'd meet Oak soon after. Misty would probably be heading towards the shelter by the lake. "That's strange," Oak turned to his slowbro. Only a few feet away from the building exit, the slowbro in Oak's arms seemed to glow. Even with the wrong time for it to occur, Oak was amazed. Slowbro was turning into a Slowking. Quickly, his attention was averted to a glowing green light right above him. Misty eyed Gary Heading outside. She still was unsure of what to say, but merely ran towards him. It was hard to catch up with him, so she chose to call out to him from the exit she was heading out of. "Gar. . ." A fast-moving object appeared to hit the ground between them. Hurled back, Misty found herself back in the building. Luckily, she had no bruises, as she shook off some dust from the rubble around her. Looking up, she noticed a glowing light. Gary could've sworn he heard someone, but instead chose to run first, before thinking of it. Right above him were frighteningly large crafts, not of friendly origin. He just barely missed the explosion from the missile aimed at him. Still running away, he knew he was heading towards the shelter where Misty'd be. Running with some instinct, he chose to go to Misty, but his mind soon caught up with him. "Oh no," Gary took out the device in his pocket, "I forgot." Looking up, he suddenly heard the crafts hovering over him. They already caught up with him. Eying his surroundings, he realized there were none. He was out in an open field. Knowing he had no chance out in the open, Gary typed in a code. He then looked up. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For explanations on where I've been and all the writing notes, check the bottom. PETRAS Prologue Part 3c "Liftoff" Disclaimer: No one likes to get sued, me especially. This story's mine, but most characters belong to their respective anime. Now, onto the story? Spoiler: Those who like Evangelion, but didn't yet see the end of it, don't read this if you don't wanna know the ending. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Terra incognita," Richie exasperated, "You want us to leave our homes, everything we've known for 'just some coordinates'?!" The commander he was addressing paid no attention. Sifting through the rubble of what was a laboratory building, a week ago that is, he murmured a few inaudible words. Above the commanders, miles in the sky were an aerial battle, which others would've easily spotted. Alien invasions weren't everyday events. Still, as explosions littered the sky, the two searched through the rubble. "Run this through me a couple more times," Richie trudged through the rubble, "and I still won't understand." Nothing. Not a trace of Misty, nor even the professor. If Ash was open to concern of anything else, he would've searched for the disk. For almost a week, he was strolling through the building's remnants. Nothing. "Ash," Richie was reaching the high point of his temper, "are you listening to. . ." Angrily tossing the piece of rubble from his hand, Ash stood to face his friend, retorting "Yes!" That time, Richie chose to say nothing. In the past, he merely was the voice of reason to his friend, yet they somehow switched places. Ash rarely spoke in the childish demeanor he once was in, and much less wore his signature red cap; he usually gripped the official's hat instead. "The last fax from Oak was on the coordinates, Commander." A week ago, after one of the few successful missions, Richie eyed one of the only remaining faxes. He remembered. "So tell me, what was on the fax?" Richie's tone lightened slightly. Handing him the faxed paper, Ash waited for Richie's response. Ash only saw his friend laugh uproariously. "That barely explains anything!" Ash himself looked to the paper Rich held, making sure it was the right one. Merely reading "Terra Incognita. Base point for any retreating sectors" with the coordinates below, nothing was specified. "Yeah, I guess you're right," Ash sighed, "But we might as well check it out." That's where Richie's laughter stopped. Neither solemn, nor cheery, Richie looked about gloomily. "Checkin' it out? The trip there'd take months; At least plenty of weeks with even our best ships." Richie wouldn't let Ash argue. Continuing, his voice rose steadily. "We have barely enough to defend ourselves here. If we leave with some of our ships, what'll the people down here do?" Ash took his turn to speak after Richie's question. As if in answer, he handed him another faxed paper. "This was the very last fax." "You were waitin' for this moment, eh?" Richie looked up to Ash. "Yep," Ash smirked jokingly. "Oak wrote some specifics: fuel, colony ships, all the basic stuff we were storing away. . . " "For a rainy day," Richie sighed as he clutched the sheet, "We're risking everything, for the slim chance of another place, somewhere out there?" Pointing out to some random piece of the sky, Richie waited for a reply. More like a question. In a darker tone, Ash asked, "Do you really think we'll win? We've lost already, what, a three-tenths of our so-called defense force in a few days. Look up around you, Richie." Both Ash and Richie watched the sky for a moment before he continued. "Out there, we're losing. It'll only be a matter of time before we're gone, Richie, and not just to another continent." "This risk. You really think there's any chance out there?" The question posed from Richie was answered with a firm nod. That's all Richie needed from his comrade. "Then, what're we waiting for?" He completely ignored the rubble he was in as he ran to his aircraft. Ash followed after him. Both their crafts created a swift wind that rushed and spread the rubble of the past laboratory. Like flying moltres birds, the fighter crafts glided below the battle, as if they were without care to what was above them. A yellow disk from deep within the rubble emerged, only to crack from the force of the crafts' wind. "Back to Sector nine, Rich. Over." "Roger, Ash. If it's still there, that is." From the earphones, Richie heard Ash laugh. "Commander?" Ash stopped laughing, though chuckled as he sighed, "Lookin' to the bright side of things, Commander?" "Yep." ---------------------------------------------------------- "I can't...I can't understand," Washuu uttered as the viewscreen before her showed mere pieces of the building once in it. Behind her was a green-haired woman stepping through a portal. Pointing her staff to it, Setsuna waited as it closed, and even after stood in the same position. Though seen as staring at the wall, Setsuna was in her own rush of thoughts. "Where's Gary?" Washuu wailed as she turned to face Setsuna. Setsuna turned a few degrees in Washuu's direction. Staring straight into her eyes, she stated, "I'm sorry, Washuu. That'll be no longer of your concern." (Flashback) Under her red eyes, how could Washuu possibly work? So far, on the viewscreen were scenes of Pokemon trainers setting their Pokemon free? Oddly enough, most Pokemon remained with their trainers, even if not in their Pokeballs. "Ash's Pikachu is quite a specimen," Washuu became slightly intrigued. "That is an electric type Pokemon." Rei spoke in a somewhat monotone voice. "Yes," Washuu rubbed her temples a moment in slight annoyance. "You've said that every time it appeared on the screen." "Sorry. Just trying to make conversation." Even then, Rei appeared to be speaking from a script somehow. "Never mind, Rei," Washuu felt her eyelids droop a moment. "We've still got to check out those astronomical charts." "If you're tired," Rei wasn't able to continue, since she was cut off. "What, me?" Washuu immediately perked up and turned back to the viewscreen. We still have to work, don't we?" Rei could've been speechless for a very long time, but chose to sigh "Yes." (And Back to their Present) "It's impossible. I gave you the time coordinates," Washuu spoke, then paused in recollection. Her eyelids were heavy when she was checking the astronomical charts. In utter horror, Washuu turned to Setsuna, gasping, "But I just closed my eyes a moment!" "And how many possibilities, predictions for that day passed by your closed eyes, Washuu? Anything could've happened." "Gary. He's. . . ?" "I cannot say." Setsuna opened another portal, her back turned to Washuu, and exited the laboratory. ---------------------------------------------------------- "This place is unbearable!" Asuka complained as she sat on the beach next to Shinji, "No air conditioning, this rotten darkness, and. . . you." Shinji took the remark sourly. "I never wanted to be stuck here with you either, Asuka." He stood up to walk away from her. "It's been a whole darn week with you whining." Asuka looked up to the teenager to retort the remark, but was cut off as he continued. "Believe me, I'd rather take on a thousand more angels than listen one more minute of you wishing to be elsewhere," he shouted as he walked away. Asuka sat there in silence a moment, then stood up. "Wait, where are you going?" Seeing that there was no response, she ran to catch up to him. Muttering, "Idiot Shinji," she sighed, "Now I've gotta run after him." Hearing her footsteps in the sand, Shinji quickened his pace, pretty much walking around the whole island to avoid her. Finally stopping to breathe, Shinji watched as Asuka stopped beside him. "What is it?" Somehow, Asuka was struggling to reply, but found an excuse. In her usual commanding tone, she replied, "Duh, I'm makin' sure you don't get lost." Looking at the island they were on, Shinji could only sigh, seeing it was barely the size of a soccer stadium. "Not much to lose." Not catching the meaning of his answer, Asuka shrugged, "Whatever. So what do you want for breakfast?" "It's morning?" Asuka shrugged again, "Dunno, I'm just hungry." "Fine," Shinji looked down to the sand, then looked up to the dark sky, "Then I'll have some coconuts and fish." They were two of the few available foods on the island. "Great," Asuka walked off, "Then go get em'." Shinji was speechless, but annoyed nevertheless. An hour later, Asuka was sitting by the beach, gathering some sand for her hut. In a week, Shinji and Asuka realized they needed some shelter, even with no hint of foul weather. On separate sides of the island, Asuka and Shinji's houses were intentionally placed far apart. FAR apart. Remembering one of the previous conversations on the island, Asuka shuddered. She told him of her talks with the ghostly voice of Rei, seeing only him in front of her, and all the rest of the weird experience. Whether it was a dream or something that actually happened, it shook her up, and seemed to worry Shinji much more. He was always weaker than her. Still, the voice Asuka recalled mentioned Shinji as a complex person. "Complex," Asuka thought as she gathered more sand, "that and extremely dull." On the other side of the island, Shinji was still gathering their "breakfast". It wasn't fun fishing, since the only suitable bait around were the bits of stale coconuts. The fishing line itself was weaved from some palm leaves, making it harder to pull any fish in. He could've sworn he saw a green light coming from behind him, but sighed as he felt the fishing line become taut. Not only taut, Shinji felt the line pulling him towards the sea, as he realized the fish behind it must've been big. The "fish" leaped out of the water, being as big as a whale. It might've been one, judging from the size of it. "Whaaa?" Shinji somehow felt a rush of fear within him. Unlike other times, he didn't feel like fighting a creature that big. Running from the beach, Shinji could've sworn he ran past another person, but had little time to think of it. Tripping over a rock in the island's forest area, Shinji fell over, only to feel a couple scrapes on him. "Ahhh!" Shinji cried out as he fell over from the cuts. If he was more enduring, he might've seen the red-haired woman coming towards him. "Are you all right?" the red-haired woman checked his scrapes. He wasn't crying before, but felt himself become quiet as he answered, "Yes." Seeing it was an obvious lie, the woman took some bandages from her medical apron, "Still, those cuts look pretty serious." She applied the bandages, of course. Back on the other side of the island, Asuka began to wonder where "idiot Shinji" went. He was already late with their "breakfast". Strolling through the forest patch of the island towards Shinji's side, Asuka found herself forgetting about her "breakfast" as she spotted a man in a tuxedo. Looking unconscious, the man with a mask on him laid there like a beggar on a bench. Gathering a rock in case, Asuka stepped cautiously towards the man, calling, "Excuse me!" The man appeared to wake from what must've been him sleeping. "Huh? Who. . .who're you?" Asuka gripped her rock less firmly, as she saw the man stand. Looking like Shinji, in the much older sense, Asuka could only wait for him to get up. Still, unlike Shinji, she noticed the man looked like some sort of prince, even in his mask. While he looked slightly better looking, Asuka knew he'd be bigger than Shinji. "That's for me to know. Who're you?" The tuxedo man seemed confused himself uttering "Mamoru" dazedly. Taking off his mask, the dark-haired man felt more confident as he replied, "Mamoru." Asuka sighed as she approached him less cautiously. "Ok, Mamoru, I'm Asuka." "Nice to meet you," Mamoru shook hands with her, though somehow felt a flood of images as he noticed her red hair. "What is it?" Asuka seemed bewildered by the man. Catching himself, Mamoru sighed, "Nothing. Just. The color red. . ." Asuka lifted a brow to the queer statement, but they still walked through the forest. Shinji and the older woman walked through the forest of course, eventually meeting up with "Mamoru" and Asuka. The first thing Asuka spotted was the woman walking alongside Shinji. Stopping, she felt herself grow irate each second. Mamoru stopped himself, noticing the change in Asuka. "Asuka?" He wasn't quite sure what was wrong. Shinji himself noticed the man walking alongside Asuka. He felt slightly curious to who was walking with Asuka. "Asuka, meet..." Asuka trudged towards him, in a speculative manner. "Where's the breakfast?" The woman beside Shinji was carrying some fish wrapped in palm leaves. "These, you mean?" "Yes. Thank you. . ." Asuka stood there a moment in silence until she perked up, whispering to Shinji. "Um. . . What's her name?" Shinji himself didn't know. "I. I dunno." Back into his ear, Asuka shouted, "You don't even know her name?!" The energetic behavior behind Asuka made Mamoru remember someone else, but he wasn't quite sure who. He knew he forgot something, but what? "Nurse. . ." the older woman was struggling to remember. "Nurse Joy, but just call me Joy." "Joy," Asuka sighed. ---------------------------------------------------------- A thousand or so people and Pokemon boarded each craft. Within the confines of Sector 9, plenty were struggling to get into the crafts quickly. "We've got thirty-four out of the system so far. Over," Ash radioed Richie. "How many more? Over." Ash heard Richie over from the earphones of his spacecraft. "Just ours, Richie, over," Ash replied through his radio. "Roger. Seeya later, then." From his spacecraft, Ash asked, "Richie, ya' comin?" There was no response for what seemed a minute. Ash finally heard Richie's voice reply, "Sure. Once we get rid of these aliens, of course." "What?" Ash glowered over his radio, but gasped in surprise as the answer dawned on him. "You're staying here?" Ash failed to hear the launch of his spacecraft. Ash knew the answer was yes, but didn't hear it from Richie. Already, the liftoff was in progression. Ash was going and Richie was staying. Looking above from his aircraft, Richie felt like saluting the ascending spacecraft. "Seeya later, Ash." Suddenly a pang of thought hit him, or it was more like a ring from an upper compartment of his aircraft. Wincing at the slight pain and rubbing his head, he looked to the forgotten engagement ring. He still hadn't returned it to Ash. "Darn," he muttered. ----------------------------------------- RECAP: (But if u read the parts before this, why bother?) 1. Pokemon: So far, Jesse was introduced as a second SailorMars, much to Raye (SailorMars in SailorMoon) and Jesse's own distaste. Brock, dressed in a tuxedo with a rose in hand, was just sensing danger and was off on another crusade. A male in another tuxedo appeared to Brock with a yellow rodent on his shoulder. 2. Evangelion. Shinji Ikari, a dispirited young adult, was sharing an island with the girl who constantly nagged him in his past life. Asuka was rambling of "seeing only Shinji" while on the island with him. Though thinking they were the only survivors of the third impact (where every human on earth was turned to liquid), a classmate was having troubles of his own. Only a few months ago, Touji appeared on what seemed to be another world (the world of Ranma1/2) to greet a green-haired lady and a clumsy, blonde girl. With no recollection of the world he came from, he somehow ended up falling for Serena. Just recently falling in love with the girl (Serena A.K.A. SailorMoon), Touji kept noticing something was wrong with her. By visiting his adopted parents' friend, Dr. Tofu, Touji began recalling visions of Evas, and possibly the past he had forgotten. With the addition of a past classmate, Kensuke, Touji himself was recovering his past. 3. Tenchi Masaki (a boy who found out he was a prince from the world of Jurai) had dealt with unusual proceedings in his home. Dealing with the space pirate (Ryoko) and a relative who happened to be a princess from Jurai (Ayeka) was tough enough. Unfortunately, Tenchi found exactly what Washuu discovered (Shinji and Asuka on one of Washuu's homemade worlds.) and met a green-haired woman (Setsuna from SailorMoon). Another experiment or creation of Washuu's went wrong (Just like usual). 4. Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo had their own weird lives in Nerima before meeting a green-haired lady (Setsuna). Ranma was a guy who turned to a girl when splashed with cold water, who'd usually go into harsh situations to turn back (with hot water) to a guy. Akane was the martial arts school owner's daughter who was set up to marry Ranma. Combining their weird fiancées parents, enemies, and whatever came their way, their lives became a great mess until they were finally married. Only five years after their marriage, they both realized Ranma wouldn't be able to give Akane a child. Once Setsuna came to them in their fifteenth year of marriage, they were more than willing to accept a child and whatever would happen next. A year after Serena's arrival, Touji came (read part2) and somehow fell for Serena (literally and figuratively). Both Serena and Touji knew nothing of their past in their own worlds (from the aid of a certain green-haired lady), yet began recalling it by visiting Dr. Tofu. From seeing inkblots, Serena lost more control of her mind than Touji; letting herself recall her past as SailorMoon and the guy she once loved (Mamoru A.K.A. Tuxedo Mask). Oblivious to Serena's past, Touji merely let himself and Serena fall further from each other. 5. SailorMoon (known as Serena in SailorMoon) wasn't the only character with bad recollections. When Setsuna sent Serena from her world to Ranma's, Jesse was sent in her place as SailorMars2. Handling everything as well as they could, the other sailor scouts merely let Jesse be a Sailor Scout, except SailorMars (Raye). Setsuna (SailorPluto A.K.A. the green-haired lady A.K.A. the protector of time) went over to greet Washuu on a "little" disturbance in time. -- Oh, yeah, umm, if there were some unaswered C&C's to my old email, sorry. Yep. Unbelievably, I've had the worst luck with computers this year. Recovering with a better computer and a week of free-writing time, I finally rewritten part 3. While I've already written like two other parts, I've really gotta revise. C&C to Ilumanae@yahoo.com