The Viterals

Chapter 19: Makua's Mission

Mewtwo once said that people are like Pokémon, except that they do a lot more in between surviving and reproducing in order to survive and reproduce. It came from his Sayings of a Creation by Man. Often, Makua wondered what this particular quote meant. Animal behavior ensured that humans and Pokémon, both being sort of animals themselves, seek out ways to fulfill two things in life: survival and reproduction. What will humans do that Pokémon won't?

People kill. But Pokémon do too. Even Mewtwo himself did that. So what are these in between things? Makua wondered.

They left the forest in a blaze of light and arrived in Fuchsia City the same day. It was burning. All the trees cried out for water. The scent of death and destruction lingered in his nostrils. Apparently, the Safari Zone had been attacked and the Pokémon went crazy and struck back. Many of them escaped. A rather lively bunch made it to the forest and began causing trouble. According to Yumin, someone set fire to it in order to draw the Pokémon out again. They would do whatever was necessary in order to survive. And the humans were doing some in between stuff there that wasn't survival or reproduction.

Why? Why were the Viterals corralling Pokémon? Through all their talks and arguments neither Yumin nor Lyres seemed to know.

Makua stared out across the blending hues of purples and oranges throughout Fuchsia city. His brother would be here. Hopefully Kulow made it on his own, made it to the safety spot he and Makua had decided on. Each of the baby Eevee breathed silently in unclosed backpacks on the three members.

"They were trying to smoke us out." Yumin began his early morning argument, most times with no remorse.

"Oh get over yourself," Lyres replied. "No one gives two Hoothoots about us. Stop thinking that they do."

"No one gives a Crabby about you," Yumin said. "That part is right."

They had been fighting like this since they met, or since Makua had the pleasure of traveling with them and he wondered when it would stop. He had surmised at least this much: Lyres was part of Team Rocket and Yumin was part of Team Crimson. These two organizations were at odds and in some eternal new dance, the Viterals chose both of them as their dance partners. Whenever it suited their fancy. Makua wondered if Bambi knew about her older brother. It would be a great blow to take something like that.

"Even here, in a big city like Fuchsia the Pokémon roam wildly, like they don't know what to do."

"They've been mostly bred in captivity," Yumin replied as though the answer to this were easy. "They don't know what to do. They're probably doing all they can just to avoid the Clamp Balls being thrown at them."

In the past few days, Clamp Balls were mentioned a lot. Perhaps in the off chance that Lyres might feel bad for accepting what Yumin had given him in order to get his sister's necklace back and return it to the man who had first scooped it up.

They had arrived under the cover of night after getting Skarmory and Braviary ready for flight again. They ran into some battles and some wild swarms of Beedrill and herds of Tauros, but they'd finally made it out. About half their total team could still fight.

"We can at least try the Pokémon Center," Lyres suggested. "If the Viterals have it on lockdown they might allow normal citizens to use it."

Makua looked around to study this new scene. Men in black clothes, cloaks, and suits walked about from one building to the next, their hands stiffly at their sides. Makua couldn't see any Pokémon. They were either captured or had escaped at this point. No one seemed to be outside which made Makua, Yumin and Lyres stand out even more.