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Chapter Two: Machines are Powerful and Mysterious Things
As they were walking towards the room Etan asked, “What is it? It must be good because you sound excited about.” “Well, actually it is good, but I’m not telling you what it is. You’ll just have to see!” As she was saying this they just walked into the room, which could even be called a lab, that Arial worked on all of her special projects in. As they walked in Etan noticed that Spearow was out of his cage just hopping around inside the lab. “What is he doing out of his cage? Did you let him out or something?” While he said this Spearow seamed a little bit more excited than usual and was making alot of noise. His mother didn’t reply but instead just smiled. Then she darted towards her work area and grabbed up an amulet shaped as a circle attached to some black string. The amulet didn’t look very special to Etan. It was just a black circular amulet to him, but to his mother it looked like it was much more special than just that. She quickly threw the string around his neck and then simply said, “Why don’t you ask Spearow yourself?”
At this time Spearow had gotten quiet. “Are you implying what I think your implying mom?” She just continued grinning at him. “Spearow did mom take you out of your cage?” Unbelievably to Etan’s surprise Spearow said, “Yes. She took me out, but why are you asking me this when there is so much more to talk about?” Etan’s mouth dropped. Trembling he said, “W-W-Wh-Wha-What? How did I understand Spearow. It’s amazing!!!” His mom replied, “It’s technology! I call it the Soul Talker, because I think talking to Pokemon is as revealing and as miraculous as being able to see Pokemon’s souls.” “Etan, don’t you want to talk to me?” Etan looked at Spearow. Well, of course he wanted to talk to Spearow. Ever since he had Spearow he had wondered what Spearow would say if he was able to talk, and now he had this opportunity! “Of course I do! Let me start off by asking you if you were always able to know what I was saying.” “Actually, I have always been able to understand you but you just never were able to understand me. Arial interrupted, “I have already talked to Spearow for quite a while so I think you guys should talk for a while by yourselves. The only thing is that I’m going to have to ask you guys to leave my lab because I still have a lot of things to do.”
“Ok, thanks mom! I can’t wait to find out more about Spearow!” Spearow and Etan left Arial to her work and went into Etan’s room. “So, what has it been like living in our family? Do you like it?” Etan was eager to hear Spearow’s reply. “Yeah, I love it here. It was much better than living at Pokemon Paradise. Your dad took good care of us, but we were treated more like animals than how you and your family have been treating me. Also, I hated seeing my good friends being sent away to Team Star.” “What?! You must be mistaken. They never send Pokemon away to Team Star. Maybe you mean that they sent the Pokemon away to another preservation or maybe your referring to the break-ins that have occurred. Is that what you meant?” “No…..I meant what I said. They send Pokemon away to Team Star. Your father might have been tricked into believing that we were going to another preservation, but that isn’t true. I know this because one night some people wearing Team Star logos had come in the preservation to take some of us away. I heard them talking to each other and they mentioned everything about their organization that you could think of.” “What did they say?” “Well, they said that they couldn’t believe how much money the government was making off of them and said that they were glad that the government funded them” “What?! Are you sure you didn’t hear something else but instead mistakenly took it for that? This is because I really doubt that the government could be corrupt.” “No, I know what I heard! They also called them too impatient and said that they were too lazy to do their own work. They said this because they mentioned about how the government couldn’t just wait for the Pokemon to be shipped to them through the Pokemon Paradise rangers.” “ If what you say is true then we better tell my mom about this because this is a very serious issue. Why didn’t you tell her yourself when you had the chance to talk to her?” “Well, I just kind of forgot about it. I mean I’ve known about it for quite a while, and almost all of the other Pokemon also know. It just has become common knowledge for me, so I just simply didn’t think about bringing it up.”
“Oh, I guess I could understand that, but this is a very serious issue because this means that many Pokemon are being taken away from the preservations and are being put into real danger because of our own government! We have to do something! Come on let’s go tell my mom right now.” They both walked out of Etan’s room in search for Arial in her laboratory. However, she was not there. Etan got a little panicked at first, but as soon as he smelled the aroma of chicken that was going to be his dinner he knew his mom had to be in the kitchen, so naturally headed that way. As he entered Arial said, “Oh, hi Etan. Are you and Spearow already done talking with each other that soon? It’s only 4:13. I know I told you that I would be in the lab, but I had to get away from that kind of work for a while. That’s why I decided to go ahead and get an early start on making dinner. Etan you know it isn’t like me to be wasting my time.” Etan replied back, “Well, the reason why we’ve stopped talking so soon is because Spearow had some very important information that is almost unbelievable, but he swears it is true.” “What is it honey?” “He said that some people have come to Pokemon Paradise after dad got off of work and said that these people were wearing Team Star logos! As if this wasn’t bad enough, he also said that these people mentioned that they were being funded by our own government!” “Are you sure?” “Spearow says that he is sure.”
“Well, let’s just try to stay as calm as possible. Now what can we do? Let me think……I think I have an idea! Let’s just go ahead and warn your father. We can ask him to notify his bosses, so that they might be able to set up some twenty-four hour surveillance cameras. This would be so that we would maybe be able to use the tapes as proof against the government. This is only if Team Star tries to take any more Pokemon off of the preservation of course. You know, Mick has always wondered why the people that owned Pokemon Paradise didn’t allow surveillance cameras that the staff could use.” “Wait mom. What if his bosses work for the government or even Team Star, and what would surveillance cameras do? The government will just claim that these are random acts and will say that they have nothing to do with them.” “Well, ask Spearow if the Team Star members were able to get inside the preservation with ID cards or if they had to break in.” “Spearow you heard mom, so what is your answer?” Spearow replied, “They used some ID cards.” “He says that they used ID cards.” “That’s what I thought. The government must have let them get a hold of some Master ID cards. If we can get some footage of them using the cards, then at least we will be able to get some more attention towards this issue. I can’t really think of another way to make such a large accusation safely.” “You’re forgetting mom. I asked you what if dad’s own bosses are in on it?” “Are you talking about Steve and Alan? They couldn’t possibly be working for the government! You know how long they all have been your dad’s friends, don’t you? Your father is a good judge of character and trusts them, so I don’t think we have to worry about that.” “Well, if you say so mom.”
Arial got on the V-Phone (Visual Phone) right away. “4297-5990……” The phone call got through. “Hi Arail. What can I do for you?” “Oh hi Alan! I actually was trying to get a hold of Mick. Is there any way you could get him for me.” “Sure no problem. Is there any thing wrong? You usually don’t call him at work.” “Well, maybe. I can’t say for sure right now. You’ll hear from Mick if we need you.” “Ok. Well, I’ll be back in just one moment.” Arial just patiently waited wondering what Mick would think when she would explain about what Spearow had said and also thought of how she was going to have to explain that she made the Soul Talker. This would be the first time that he would hear about it, because she loved to keep her projects a secret until she was completely finished. “Hi Arial. What’s the matter? Alan told me that there might be something wrong. Are you ok? I was going to be able to get home at about 5:30. Do you need me to ask for permission to get off of work a little earlier?” “No. This isn’t an emergency. Well, I take that back because I’ve called you to tell you something that is very big and a horrible thing.” “What is it?” “I’ve been working on my latest project for quite a while. Haven’t you noticed that I’ve been in the lab more than usual?” “Yes. I guess so.” “Well, I finally finished my latest project. I call it the Soul Talker. It actually allows communication between Pokemon and human beings.” “Wow! That’s amazing, but what is the problem?”
“The problem is what Spearow had to say to Etan when Etan was using the Soul Talker. He told Etan about how that he saw some people from Team Star at the preservation while he was there. He says that they mentioned about how our own government was funding them.” “What!? Are you sure?” “That’s exactly what I thought at first, but I don’t think Spearow would be able to come up with such a detailed lie. Anyway, Spearow loves Etan so I doubt he would lie to him in the first place.” “Well, why did you call me then? Do you have any ideas on what to do?” “Actually I do. I wondered if you could talk to Alan and Steve to see if they could secretly set up a surveillance system. This is because Spearow said that they used ID cards to get in. If we catch Team Star using the Master ID cards then we should be able to draw some attention, and then using the Soul Talker we could have Pokemon as witnesses. This is only if you feel Steve and Alan are trustworthy. You know that there is a possibility that they know about this.” “I think we can trust them and will suggest this right away, but why don’t we just use your Soul Talker?” “I was thinking about that, but it is hard to believe that it actually works so we might lose some credibility, and that wouldn’t get support towards us right away like the film footage would. If we don’t have people on our side and we let the government know that we know about them then we would be in real danger right away.” “Ok. I will tell them, but do you think you’ll be fine?” “Yes. Just make sure to tell them.” “Ok. Bye” “Bye,” replied Arial.
“Now what mom?” “Well, now we just enjoy the rest of our day. Why don’t you talk to Spearow again? I’m sure you both will have plenty to still talk about.” “Oh! I almost forgot about Spearow in all of the excitement. I’m sorry Spearow.” The always-forgiving Spearow replied back, “I don’t mind as long as we still can talk.” “Sure. Let’s go back to my room.” They returned to Etan’s room. “So what do you think about evolution?” “Your mom asked me about that earlier, but I don’t think I gave her the answer that she was looking for because she looked a little disappointed.” “ Well, what did you say?” “ I told her that I didn’t really know about evolution. In fact no Pokemon really does until it happens. I just said that all that I do know is that it happens when a Pokemon changes. It is usually associated with levels to human beings, but it is not that way for Pokemon. It is associated with change to Pokemon. When change is forced evolution is a bad thing and when change isn’t forced then it’s a good thing. What is it like in humans? Is it the same?” “I never really thought about it, but now that you’ve brought it up I guess it is similar. No one really notices changes inside themselves until after it happens. I wonder what kind of answer my mom wanted. She probably just wanted some new scientific definition of evolution to help her with her studies. I think the answer that you gave her and me seemed more like what a human would say than what a Pokemon would say.” “Well, I’m a Pokemon and it was what I said. It is probably how most other Pokemon would have replied too.”
“Yes. I guess you're right. Maybe, Pokemon and humans are much more similar than what most humans think. Have you heard of battling in the olden days? I think that might have been fun because it could have brought Pokemon and humans closer together, but that is only if the Pokemon would like battling. Do you think you would like to battle someday?” “Yeah. Actually, I have before with my friends. It was fun and it wasn’t as bad as most humans make it sound. We just have fun with each other and in the end it made us feel stronger too. When one of us got too worn out to battle or didn’t feel like fighting anymore we would all just stop fighting until the other wanted to battle again.” “That does sound a lot better than what most people make it sound like. Maybe one day we could battle against another Pokemon together. I have an idea. Why don’t we try to train now even if we don’t have any other Pokemon to battle?” “ That sounds fun! How will we start off?” “Well, I have an idea. First let’s practice increasing your attack power, but we will have a rule so that you won’t be able to use your claws or your beak. We can flip my mattress over so that it will lean against the wall and then you can practice your Tackle attack.” “That sounds kind of fun.” They both decided to go on with this idea, and surprisingly they had more fun then they originally thought.
“Hi guys! I’m home!” Etan’s father’s voice rang throughout the house at 5:48 PM. Etan and Spearow stopped their “training” and went to see Mick. “Hi dad! Spearow and me are training like they used to in the olden days or maybe not quite like they did in the olden days.” “What? Does your mother know about this?” Arial appeared at the door, “Know about what?” “Etan says that they are training.” “What? Really? I heard a bunch of noise coming from his room but didn’t know what they were up to.” Etan readily joined in by adding, “Yeah, we are training! We can’t fight other Pokemon so we are battling the mattress!” Both of his parents chimed in together, “Huh?” “Your not tearing it up, are you?” asked his mother. “No. We are just practicing Spearow’s Tackle attack.” “Oh, I see. Well, as long as your not destroying anything I guess it’s ok.” “Isn’t anyone going to ask me what happened at work today?” “Oh, I forgot all about that!” replied Etan. Arial said, “I knew you would Etan. As long as you have that Spearow it seems like you could forget all of your problems.” “Heh, heh, I guess that is kind of true.” “Come on, someone has to ask me about work today!” “Ok, settle down Mick. We can all hear about it over dinner. I’ve cooked chicken, got some salad ready, and you all can have ice cream for dessert!” “It sounds like a plan to me. After all, I am hungry after being at work. I didn’t even have time to get any lunch today.”
They all got ready for dinner and this time an extra spot was made for Spearow. They all sat down and turned their attention to Mick, except now he had his attention partly on the meal and partly on the Soul Talker. “Does that Soul Talker really work? If it does can I try using it?” Etan replied, “Well, of course it works! I haven’t been talking to myself all day. Here you try it.” Etan carefully passed it over the table to his dad. His dad put it on and asked Spearow, “Can you understand me?” “Yeah I can understand you, and I’ve always been able to understand you! How do you think I was able to overhear the Team Star members?” “Heh, I guess you haven’t been talking to yourself all day Etan. Well, if you understand me then I have a question for you Spearow. Why have you and the other Pokemon ignored me before when I’ve told you to get into your cages?” “Well, how would you feel if you were stuck in a cage? You obviously didn’t understand us, so we took advantage of this and just ignored you. I mean we couldn’t tell you how we felt or anything.” “Oh, I see. Here you can have it back Etan I want to tell all of you what happened at work anyways.” He passed it back to Etan.
“So, what happened, dad?” “Well, at work when I told Steve and Alan about what Spearow told us they looked just as shocked as we were but looked even more concerned.” “What did they say Mick?” asked Arial. “Well, they said that they didn’t think that they would be able to set up another surveillance system while at the same time being unnoticed. This is because they told me that they were expecting a preservation inspector soon and it would just draw way too much attention to them in the first place.” “Then how are we supposed to do anything?” asked Etan. “ They said that they wouldn’t be able to set up another surveillance system. However, they did say that they thought that they might be able to get a hold of some of the video footage of what the already present surveillance system had to offer. You know? I’m talking about the one that the owners don’t want any of the staff members to use. Alan and Steve know where the surveillance system room is, and they thought that they probably could break in without leaving anything that could be traced back to them.” “How soon will they do this Mick?” “They said that they would try tonight and that we should be expecting them tomorrow at about 2:30. Actually, they said you should be expecting them around 2:30 because they’ll probably just show me what the surveillance cameras have caught on tape at work.” “Oh, so I guess everything is settled now and all that we can do is wait until tomorrow,” replied Arial. “Yeah. That’s basically all that we can do, so why don’t we all just try to forget about this again until tomorrow. That way we will all be able to enjoy the rest of tonight together.”
This sounded like a good idea to all of them. This is why they all tried to forget about it and went on with their daily routines, with the exception of Etan and Spearow being able to talk with each other. However, each of them couldn’t help keeping this newly discovered problem somewhere towards the back of their minds. Etan’s mother and father finished up some of their chores and the rest of the work that they had from their jobs like usual. Etan finished up his own chores and did all of the homework that he had left. It was surprisingly less then he had originally thought he had because the classes that he had taken tests in didn’t give him any homework at all. After this Spearow and Etan talked with each other for a little bit more. They asked all the questions they’ve always wanted to ask each other, while at the same time becoming closer and closer to each other. If Etan had ever had an idea about what Pokemon and human bonds felt like that were commonly seen in the past but not so much more in this present year of 2121, it wouldn’t have come near as close to being as great as the bond that Spearow and he were now forming. Etan, Arial, Mick, and Spearow finished the day off by watching a little television with each other. They really enjoyed this, not because of the television program, which wasn’t all that great, but instead because of the closeness to each other and the simple family time. However, unknown to all of them, this was going to be the last time that they would all feel so complete.
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