PHALANX - The series

Episode nineteen: no inspiration.

So, here I am: staring at the big title on the top of this white and empty screen. Normally, I would know where to start an episode, but this time, there was no way I was going to get this ready. I had a list of things that needed to happen: the children would be born, a crossover with the pokémon universe would be in this one as well… but I had no idea on how to get the show on the road.

So, for the last couple of weeks, since I uploaded episode 18, I have left the Phalanx universe alone, thinking that I would find inspiration over time. No such luck. To make matters worse, the inspiration for other stories left as well. I managed to write some small quantities for my CAMP experiment, and I wrote the first couple of paragraphs on a highlander/Buffy the vampire slayer crossover I was thinking about, but that was it.

Basically, I haven't written more than ten pages since episode 18, and I feel bad about it. So, I carried on. I watched TV, went to the movies with my best friend, Talked, jogged three times a week to get my lazy ass into shape, but writing was not on my curriculum. So, I talked to D about it. He's my best friend, ever since first grade. We don't know why. Maybe it was one of those fate things. I don't know, and he doesn't care. The most important part is that we're best friends, and that we know that we'll always have someone to talk to when there is need. Like when my grandfather died, a couple of years ago.

"D, I got a problem," I said after we completed our run.

"Let's hear it," he said, just as I thought he would.

"I think I'm going nuts, man. I have these ideas for stories but I can't get them into a story. You know, they're just scenes, and the plotline eludes me."

"Awch," he said, wincing in sympathy. "Alright, tell me what you've got."

"I can't just tell you… you know that. But, you can read the few things I have."

"Alright. Let me just go tell my grandmother, and we're off." D used to live with his grandparents (sad story, not mine to tell. Now that his grandfather was seriously ill, his grandmother is all he has left. So, after he told his grandmother he was going to be at my place, and promising he would be back in a couple of hours, we perched into my 12-year-old car. Even though it didn't show it's age, the old model was a dead giveaway.

We talked about my idea to join the military while I was driving to my home, and we continued the conversation while we waited for my computer to boot.

"Now show me what you have so far," D asked me when the computer was finally booted. I opened Word, and opened the small file containing a birth scene.

 

Frederic woke up during the night, with a physical activity coming through the link. He woke up completely when he knew what it meant: Jenny!

"Jenny, love, can you hear me?" his voice was worried.

"I…can, love," she wheezed. "I think…it's time."

Frederic was excited and worried at the same time. Hurriedly, he relocated both of them to the sickbay, where Linda had by now created a medical holographic version of herself.

Daphnix came running as well, Linda having notified him as soon as the transporter had beamed Frederic and Jennifer to the sickbay. Frederic was holding on to Jennifer's right hand as she grunted and wheezed under the strain of giving birth.

"Look what you did to me," Jennifer grunted, attempting humor in between two contractions.

"Then let me help you, love," Frederic said, opening up his side of the link. Daphnix, standing at one side feeling totally out of his place, took over as Jennifer's face lighted and Frederic's changed to a more pained expression.

"What a wonderful gift this link is," Daphnix thought. "They can share everything with each other, helping each other at the most strange of times, including birth pains."

Linda had activated a couple of medical holograms, assisting her as she took the role of doctor, shouting orders to the couple.

"I can see the first head," Linda said, having trouble containing her enthusiasm. After all, she was a life form, with feelings, and this was the first birth she was witnessing. She slammed a block on her emotional subroutines. This was neither the time nor the place to make mistakes due to emotions.

"Alright. I want you to push hard for the count of ten, ok?" Linda said. Both Jennifer and Frederic nodded, not breaking their deep eye contact. At this point, Daphnix doubted that they could actually see anything.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, relax!" Linda commanded. Daphnix was expecting screams, grunts, or anything else one would expect when confronted with childbirth. He didn't expect both of them just to gasp slightly; with a sharp intake of air that was all that was accompanying a contraction of Jennifer's abdominal and womb muscles.

Linda was holding on to the first head, checking for an umbilical cord. Finding the baby's neck to be clear, she gently brought the child into the world. She sealed the cord, then severed it with a laser scalpel, and handed the little bundle to one of the assistants. Both Frederic and Jennifer were positively beaming.

"It's a healthy baby boy," Linda said, smiling. "Now, there's one more."

The second baby came easier, with the vagina opened up because of the first baby. Not two minutes later, Jennifer was beaming at the two freshly washed children she was holding in her arms. Frederic was sitting next to her on the bed where his wife had been moved after the two placentas had been delivered. Both Daphnix and Linda made their quiet exit, knowing that the two adults would need some time to pull themselves together.

"They're beautiful, love," Frederic whispered in his wife's ear as the two children dozed off.

"They are, my love," Jennifer agreed. "You know, with all the hassle of this Ketari pregnancy, we never discussed names."

Frederic gave a wide grin, and had to restrain himself not to laugh out loud. "I know," he said. The link between the two most powerful minds of the Human race deepened, their minds becoming one.

"David…"Frederic began.

"…and Jessica," Jennifer ended. Both smiled at each other, both totally happy, content. "Maybe we should let the others in now," Jennifer suggested. Frederic looked at the closed door, and gave a small nod. Not feeling the need to break his posture, he just gave a mental signal to Daphnix. The two children broke from their slumber the moment the signal left Frederic's mind. The two parents looked at each other, both knowing what this meant: the children were Mentals.

Daphnix and Linda entered the sickbay, looking on in curiosity as the visages of the two parents changed.

"We just found out our children are Mentals," Frederic explained, a big, happy smile on his face.

Daphnix and Linda smiled, and nodded. They came closer to the bed, looking at the two tiny bundles, wrapped in Jennifer's arms.

 

"That's nice," D said. "David and Jessica, huh? Why not give them a name from the other races too? After all, Fred is Phalanx of three races."

"Great idea! First, two Oech-anya names," I answered. This was not something I had thought about, not at all.

D grinned. "How does an Oech-anya name sound, anyway? And a Ketari for that matter?"

"Good question. The Oech-anya were warriors, so something strong?"

"Strong. Great. That helps a lot, you know." We both plunged into total silence. We would eventually work it out, I was sure of it.

"How about Conan?" he suggested finally.

"Sounds good, if it weren't a name already in use," I grinned. D just nodded, smiling.

"I forgot," he excused himself.

"We could do a variation, you know," I suggested. "How about Konandrum?"

"Too close to Conundrum," D said, shaking his head.

"We could make it Lonandrum," I suggested.

"Sounds good, but how about Lonandram?"

"Even better," I smiled. I knew we would work it out. "So, we have David Lonandram Something."

"What are the Ketari like?"

"A scientific race, but under the influence of a dark Phalanx, so the scientific area has never been told in the story," I told him. "So, we should make it something scientific, you know, intelligent."

"Great. That's even harder to do than the strong name."

This time, it was I who broke the silence of our thoughts. "How about Driavezst?"

His expression was worth gold. Make that platinum. I thought he would choke as his face turned bright red before returning to its more normal color.

"How in Hell did you come up with that?" he semi-choked. I shrugged. "Call it the inspiration fairy," I joked.

"So, we have David Lonandram Driavezst," He said, almost breaking his tongue on the pronunciation.

"Right. Now we need to do the same for Jessica," I grinned, and laughed when his face fell.

About ten minutes later we settled for Jessica Urrab N'yckei. Both of us were happy with the names, although we both doubted if the readers of the damn story would like them as much as we did. Shrugging, we both decided it would be for the best to let the Fates decide. So, I reworked the scene a little.

 

"David…"Frederic began.

"…and Jessica," Jennifer ended. Both smiled at each other, both totally happy, content. "Maybe we should let the others in, now," Jennifer suggested. Frederic looked at the closed door, and gave a small nod. Not feeling the need to break his posture, he just gave a mental signal to Daphnix. The two children broke from their slumber the moment the signal left Frederic's mind. The two parents looked at each other, both knowing what this meant: the children were Mentals.

Daphnix and Linda entered the sickbay, looking on in curiosity as the visages of the two parents changed.

"We just found out our children are Mentals," Frederic explained, a big, happy smile on his face.

Daphnix and Linda smiled, and nodded. They came closer to the bed, looking at the two tiny bundles, wrapped in Jennifer's arms.

"Meet David Lonandram Driavezst," Frederic said to introduce his newborn son. Was it his imagination, or was the boy looking up at his father while he was saying the boy's name? Frederic wrote it off to his over imaginative imagination.

"And Jessica Urrab N'yckei," Jennifer said, looking at the baby girl. Now it was her turn to shake off her imagination, as she thought the girl looked directly at her.

 

"I like the eye part," D said. "Leaves all kinds of possibilities for making the kids intelligent. Well, your definition of intelligent, anyway," D said, laughing.

"Exactly," I winked. "If I can get my thoughts together, you'll be surprised at what else I have in store for the kids."

"I'm sure," D grinned at me.

"Now, I'm not sure about the next scene," I said. "Should I put it before the birth scene, or after it?"

 

Frederic was at Avalon. He had amassed a great amount of special metals, and was now forging a blade out of them. Again and again his hammer came down on the red-hot material, it being constantly heated due to Frederic's mental powers.

The material was plentiful, and Frederic knew he could forge thousands of blades out of it, but he also knew that, what he would be doing would preclude him, or anyone else for that matter, from ever making another magical sword.

After he finished the blade, he dipped the lower part, the part where the handle was to come, in molten gold. Layer upon layer of the purest gold, alloyed with the same metal as the blade, was put upon the lower region of the blade. As soon as he finished the handle, he rolled the semi-liquid outer layer in the purest diamonds he could find.

Frederic held the blade up to the sunlight, allowing it to catch the rays. He turned the blade, enjoying the sight of the rays reflecting off the fine sword. Now came the hard part.

Pouring the remainder of the gold-metal alloy into the shapes he had set up to create the dragon's head, and its feet and tail. After allowing it to cool, he opened the shapes; only to find out he would have to recast them.

"That's what I was afraid of. I'm a warrior, not a goldsmith," he grunted, recasting the parts. It took him four tries before he got them right. After he got the head, legs, and tail, he used the same outer-layer superheating trick he used to reassemble the sphere when he first came aboard the Enterprise-D to melt the parts together.

Now he had a sword. The next step was to actually impose the magic on it. He started by making it ready to receive its magical abilities. To his surprise, the sword received a golden glow, creating a nice aura of golden tints around the blade.

"By the magic of the Ancients, I hereby give you the name Galaxy Sword!" Frederic shouted, holding the golden sword up into the air, the tip pointed toward the sky.

Over the course of the next few hours, he imposed the magical attributes. He made the blade able to retract back into the handle, like his own swords could do. He also made it receptive of hostile magic, enabling it to absorb hostile magic, and use it to boost its own strength. The Galaxy Sword also received the same attributes as the Swords of Destiny, enabling it to kill evil and undead more easily.

He could feel his magical reserves drain, and he knew why Merlin had required the help of others. Frederic fed his magical abilities with his mental reserves, enabling him to finish the new Sword.

"I, Frederic Fromthefield, hereby seal the magical attributes within this enchanted and holy blade!" Frederic once more stabbed the sword towards the Heavens, and a flash of lightning engulfed the golden blade.

The next moment, the God appeared next to him.

"Young Phalanx, what are you doing?" he asked, putting his hand upon Frederic's forearm, gently pushing the blade towards the ground.

"Since I have two children, and only one more Sword of destiny, I am creating a Sword for my wife, with powers rivaling my own Sword, save for the boosting in mental strength and the ability to summon the Phalanx warrior armor, " Frederic said, looking directly into the God's eyes, as if daring him to object. Much to Frederic's surprise, the God did object.

"The magic you have imposed on that blade is too powerful, young Phalanx! You have drained all the magical reserves of the island of Avalon! It will be impossible to create another blade for centuries! The drain of creating the nine Swords of Destiny was so major it took over one thousand years to replenish. Creating this… Galaxy Sword has drained Avalon to near zero."

"I will not be in need for other Swords for centuries. Unless I have more children… in which case I am sure I can think of something," Frederic responded. The God just shook his head.

"Now, excuse me." Frederic looked over the golden Sword one last time, pleased with his work, and disappeared from the Realm of Avalon.

"I wish that for once, he would listen," the God muttered before disappearing.

 

D grinned at the last part. "The poor Gods have to bite the dust again. But seriously. Are you sure about the name Galaxy Sword?"

I shrugged. "Why? You not happy with it?"

"I don't know,' he said, shrugging. "How about something more…forceful? Like … Dragon Blade?"

"The Dragon's Blade," I repeated. "Has a nice ring to it. I'll do it. Dragon's Blade it is. Now, timing. Before, or after the birth scene?"

"Well, where is Fred's guilt? In neither of the scenes you gave any sign about him having guilt about the stuff in episode 18," D suggested.

"I was thinking about not giving him any guilt whatsoever. Not everything he does should give him a guilt trip," I grinned.

"How about this," D suggested, "he feels guilty about not feeling guilty."

"Sounds like him," I grinned.

D nodded. "Now, maybe you could put the sword scene first. I don’t know. I just haven't got the slightest idea."

"Maybe he was forging the Dragon's Blade to get rid of his feelings," I suggested. D nodded enthusiastically. "That'd be perfect!" he said.

I turned back to the computer, and reworked the sword scene.

 

Frederic was at Avalon. He didn't feel guilty at all about what he did to get Jennifer back, and it troubled him. He should feel guilty, shouldn't he? After all, he had broken everything he believed in, he had threatened, he had bullied; he had transformed himself into something BorgFred wouldn't want to be, for Christ's sake! He had apologized profusely to Linda for calling her a piece of scrap, and to Daphnix for being so abrupt. Just to escape his own emotions, he had migrated here; to make a blade to replace the one Jennifer would give up in favor of one of their children. He had amassed a great amount of special metals, and was now forging a blade out of them. Again and again his hammer came down on the red-hot material, it being constantly heated due to Frederic's mental powers.

 

"Makes a nice opening scene," D said. "Are you going to put those two right behind each other?"

"Probably. Why?"

"When is he going to give that Blade to her?"

"I see your point. Let me conjure up something," I said, turning to the computer.

 

That night, Frederic excused himself right after the two new parents had returned to their own quarters. For the better part of the day, the two had stayed in sickbay, just to be sure that everything was all right. The two children had been put in the new nursery room, quarters directly opposed Frederic and Jennifer's own. The quarters that were there had undergone extensive remodeling, creating a playroom, two bedrooms, and an extra bathroom. A direct intercom had been put in between the children's room and the parent's room, enabling Frederic and Jennifer to monitor the situation of their children at all times.

 

D was reading over my shoulder as I was writing the story. I could see him nod from the corner of my eye. "I was wondering how they were going to handle sleeping arrangements," he said. "But don't parents usually try to keep their children as close as possible?"

"The children are closer by than in most homes, D. Remember that this is not a house, but a spaceship. The quarters are only a bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom. Running out of the bedroom, across the living room, through the hall, and into the children's quarters doesn't take that long. And, if they really want to, there is always the transporter. Don't forget that these two people have the strongest minds of the Human race. They already talked about this, and worked it out, I'm sure," I grinned. It was one of my little shortcomings to talk about my characters as if they were real. D nodded his agreement. "Right. I forgot. So, why did he excuse himself from Jennifer?"

"She's wondering the same thing," I grinned, turning back to the computer.

 

Jennifer just sat there, in the chair, wondering what had possessed her husband to leave like this. For months she had been out of commission, and she had expected to have a very intense and deep conversation about the recent and not so recent events. Much to her surprise, he returned with two objects.

Holding out a box, he said, "This was a present I was keeping for a very special occasion. This certainly qualifies as one." his face was beaming as she took the gift-wrapped box. Gently prying open the package, her face colored in curiosity, she said: "you shouldn't have. I don't have anything for you."

"Jenny, I commissioned it while I was on my Soelasjna voyage. It was…and it still is, a sign of my love for you."

"In that case, thank you," she said, hugging him. Both lost themselves momentarily in their embrace, a simple sign of affection both had missed for a long time. After the embrace, which turned out to last for ten minutes, Jennifer returned to the package. After prying open the wrapping, she was holding a jewelry box.

"With love from Universe 22." Was written in gold lettering on top of the jewelry box.

"Universe 22? Those jewels are the rarest of all," she whispered.

"Yes, but they are also the most perfect, too perfect to be replicated. Now, are you going to open it, or should I have just given you the empty box?" he laughed. She laughed through her tears as she gently opened the box. Her breath stopped. 

Inside was a pair of earrings, a broche, a necklace, a tiara, and a bracelet. The earrings were pendants made of two fire-red rubies, framed by a gold frame set with diamonds. The necklace and the bracelet were similar in design, with two gold snakes twisting around each other, richly set with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and garnets. The locket for the necklace was crafted beautifully as the mouths of the two snakes, 'biting' into their own tails. The tiara was made of gold, with a dragon motif set in moonstones and opals.

The broche was also a dragon, set in the most brilliant of rubies and diamonds she had ever seen. Even in the dim lighting of their quarters, the jewelry shone in a magnificent splendor that made Jennifer's eyes water as they took in the beauty of the treasures.

"They're beautiful," she whispered, sniffing away at her tears. "Thank you." She threw her arms around him, and Frederic knew that the compliment and the thanks came from the bottom of her heart. A smile played on his face.

"I'm glad you like them," he said.

"They must have cost a fortune," she said, trying on the bracelet.

"Ten fortunes," Frederic grinned, his heart filling with joy at the sight of happiness on his wife's face. "Come on, try them on!" he urged her.

She looked at the nightgown she was wearing. Frederic's enthusiasm tempered a bit as he looked at the gown. "Jenny, put that bracelet down, love. You're about to have a make-over."

"You know, I keep forgetting how easy we have it," she said, a big smile on her face. She put the bracelet back in its spot in the box, and put it down on the table. She then stood up.

"Linda, clothing beam for my beautiful wife," Frederic requested, making Jennifer giggle. "Give her something appropriate for a big fancy banquet."

Will do. The AI's voice responded. Jennifer reappeared in a beautiful red gown, coming down to her ankles, and leaving an appropriate amount of neck bare. Carefully, she strode over to the table, and picked up the jewelry box. Walking to the bathroom, she whispered: "I'll be right back."

Frederic sat down, and put the Dragon's Blade down, next to the table. He had gift-wrapped it as well, but a Sword is not something you camouflage easily. The shape was a dead giveaway.

Fifteen minutes later, Jennifer emerged from the bathroom. Frederic wasn't easily startled, but he was now. The look on her face indicated that she had picked up on his astonishment as well. Be it through the link, or by reading his face, Frederic didn't care.

"Honey, you look… beautiful isn't enough. Gorgeous. Astonishing. Astronomical. Universal. No," he said at last. "Interdimensional." A big smile was plastered on his face.

Pivoting, Jennifer beamed at him. "I'm glad you like it."

Standing up, he walked over to her. A passionate embrace followed.

"I missed you, love," Frederic whispered in her ear.

"I missed you, too," she said back.

"I've got something else for you," Frederic said, looking into her eyes. "There's just one downside."

Frowning, she asked: "What is it?"

"It would mean I have to let go of you."

Jennifer laughed at him, and playfully hit his chest. "Oh, you!"

Laughing as well, Frederic let go, albeit reluctantly, and walked over to the table. He picked up the wrapped Dragon's Blade. "This is something that would go perfectly with that outfit," Frederic said, not yet having showed the package to his love.

Curious, she asked: "What is it?" As he turned around, her eyes went over the package. "A sword?"

Frederic gave her the package, and told her to unwrap it. Infinitely curious, she did so. She withdrew a sword, in a scabbard, and looked over it.

Slowly, she withdrew it. The Sword's golden glow greeted her, and astonishment colored her face. "What is this? I never heard of something like this."

"That is because I made it myself. Jenny, my love, meet the replacement for your Sword of destiny, the Dragon's Blade."

Her grip tightened on the handle as she swung the Sword experimentally. "Incredible," she muttered. "It feels just like yours!"

"It has all the powers my Sword of the Phalanx has, except for the power boost and the transformation, and it has all the powers of the Swords of Destiny. It also has something I am quite proud of: it will absorb any hostile magic directed at it, and use it to make itself stronger."

Jennifer looked at the golden blade, basking in the warmth of the light. The golden glow was beautiful, and it made her feel welcome. Frederic was right: the golden glow fit perfectly with her gown and jewelry. As she swung the sword back and forth experimentally, she could feel something coming over her. Something peaceful, strong, but also…a darkness characteristic of all warriors.

Frederic looked on as his wife was engulfed in the golden glow of the Sword. Concern filled his face as she sank to the ground, a small grunt escaping her lips. Her face was filled with bliss and excruciating torment at the same time. He wanted to run to her, to hold her, but he knew that she had to do this on herself. She was bonding with the Dragon's Blade, and it was bonding with her.

She looked up at him, her eyes a golden glow: the characteristic of the Blade's own combat transformation. It was nothing compared to his Phalanx transformation, which for some reason he didn't like to use, but it was enough to give her those precious extra point of protection that could decide victory or loss. The golden glow retreated from around her, and her eyes were back to normal.

"It's beautiful," she said as if nothing had happened. For the first time she was bringing her feelings about it under words. "But how did you get permission of the Gods to do this?"

Frederic snickered. Before he could answer, Jennifer's face twisted. "You didn't get permission," she guessed. Grinning, he spread his hands.

"You know me too well, love."

"They are doing their best to make it up, love. Please, make an effort yourself," Jennifer said, plastering herself to him again. He put his arms around her, and closed his eyes. He felt so peaceful in his wife's arms.

"I will, my love. For you," he whispered, holding on to her as if it were his last minutes on this plane of existence.

Later that night, Jennifer awoke from her light sleep. She instinctively knew that Frederic wasn't next to her in the bed. She looked around the bedroom, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Wondering what might be wrong, she got up, and opened the door. Frederic was looking out of the window, gazing at the stars.

She walked up to him, and knelt next to the chair he had dragged up to be able to look out.

"What's wrong, love?"

"Jenny, I…I'm a monster," he stated. As she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but confusion and pain in them.

She threw her arms around him, and she cringed inwardly as she felt him stiffen. "You're not a monster, love. Why would you think such a thing?"

"I…I…I violated everything. I abused my authorities, my privileges; I violated my body and my mind. I betrayed everyone…and you."

Fred, honey, look at me," she firmly commanded. Again, she cringed inwardly at the pain in his eyes. "You are not a monster."

"I am. I wanted to get you back so desperately… I betrayed everything I ever believed in…something I thought I couldn't do. Zells has won. He's raped my mind, destroyed my confidence. How can I go on doing what I do, knowing that I could be made to turn?"

To his surprise, Jennifer slapped him. Hard. "Don't you never EVER say something like that again! If you give up, Zells will surely have won! If you fight on instead, stronger than ever, you'll prove to him that you're better than he is!"

"You don't understand, Jenny. I don't feel a thing! I killed without mercy, betrayed everything and everybody, and I don't feel bad about it. That is what scares me. That is what makes me think I'm a monster."

"Fred, your heart tells you that you acted right. It's your mind that is not listening. Listen to your heart, love. Listen to me. Feel me…" her voice trailed off as she opened her part of the link completely, and her mind flew through it. She could feel his shields tremor as he lowered them, as if fearing what might happen next.

Their minds linked, and Jennifer experienced what Frederic had done… from his point of view. She felt what he had felt; she saw what he had seen. She could feel the power coursing through his body at the fatal moments, when he erupted from the previous level, and ascended the stairway to what he had perceived as perfection.

In the end, he had achieved that perfection, a warrior of cold blood and tremendous strengths. The Warrior had summoned Judgment Day itself, bringing death and destruction down upon the armies of Zells.

And now, after he had returned to his normal human mode, he didn't feel remorse, guilt, anger, or anything else about what he had done. Deep down, in his heart, he knew he had acted rightly, but his mind refused to accept it. It was so sure that he was a butcher, a monster who killed without mercy or distinction.

Frederic on the other hand, experienced Jennifer's love for him, how happy she was when he rescued her. Together, the two strongest minds of the Human race merged, becoming as one. Together, they healed. They were interrupted only once; the children needed to be fed.

 

"You know, you're turning into a sentimental fool," D said. "Look at his. It's all gooey romance. You're turning soft."

"I happen to like romance," I defended myself. "And besides, their children were just born, and I am not planning on any fighting in this episode. They should be going on a vacation next." My little scheme to throw D off track worked.

"A vacation? Good idea, they could use one after all the shit you put them through. Where are they going?"

With a straight face, I told him: "Pokémon."

He seemed to maul that over for a moment or two. "Looks like a peaceful enough world. Good choice."

"And besides, there's not much that can happen there, besides being attacked by Beedrils, or Team Rocket."

"The Beedrils are worse," D grinned.

"Much worse," I agreed. "Now, do you want to go over the vacation scenes, or should I drive you home?"

"I think it's better if you drove me home," he said after looking at the clock. So, I drove D home. Once I had returned to my sanctuary, I sat down behind the computer again.

"I can do this," I told myself. So, I wrote a scene.

 

A couple of days later, the entire group was on the bridge, the two kids playing with the Linda hologram on the floor directly in front of the main screen. This way, the rest could keep an eye on them. Not that they were much trouble, mind you. Their fledging mental abilities told the adults exactly what was wrong, be it hungry, thirsty, sleepy, or a dirty diaper. They didn't cry just for the fun of it, which was strange by itself, but the other occurrences dwarfed this little fact.

Like the reversed geometrical rate of aging the kids displayed. Another Ketari feat, the reverse geometrical aging rate would make the kids appear to be about the age of six years old by the time they were one year old. Right now, after only a few days, the kids appeared to be at least 6 months old. They would continue to age faster than normal, but the rate of aging would slow down over time, until it would reach 'normal', at around the age of one year.

According to scans, the kids were not human either. It was Fred who came up with the explanation: the Ketari mating ritual always selected the best genes of both parents to create the offspring, a Ketari trait. And because of Frederic's and Jennifer's unique physiology, the kids were Human, Ketari, Oech-anya hybrids. At least they had a normal human appearance, satisfying the two parents that their children wouldn't be outcasts when they went planet-bound.

"You know, maybe we should take a vacation," Daphnix suggested. "We have been through a lot lately."

Frederic nodded. "A bit too much," he agreed. "What do you have in mind?"

"I was just looking at this one planet, Earth 478. It's peaceful, has enormous amounts of open space between sparsely places cities, and is inhabited by strange animals called 'pokémon'. The Phalanxial probe has established a complete database on them, having monitored the planet from space for the last month."

"Put in on screen, so we can see as well," Frederic asked. Daphnix pressed a few keys, and the planet was called up onto the main screen.

It was soon decided. They would wait for a couple of days, until the aging had at least slowed down to something in the order of 20 to 30 to one. It was better than the thousand to one ratio they had at the last count. Of course, they could wait until the children were fully-grown, but with their hectic life-style, who knew where they would be in a year?

In those few days, Frederic constructed a carriage, which would house the two children on the trip. Estimates were that the children would appear to be around 9 months old by the time they left for the trip. At least the aging had slowed down enough so their rapid growing wasn't visible to the naked eye anymore. After all, no one can see the difference between a child that aged one day, or twenty days. That is, unless they had weeks to monitor the children's growth.

 

Looks like my writer's block had passed. I'd better continue, now that everything's still working. I did manage to get myself into a tight spot with this damn reversed geometric aging rate. But then again, nobody knew the equation, so who would know if I goofed up? And besides, I didn't have the math talent necessary to actually get myself a decent equation as to which I could build my story. Knowing some of my readers, I would get some pretty interesting comments on this one. You know… this is giving me an idea.

 

Frederic also discovered that the kid's rate of growth wasn't constant. The geometric equation seemed to be changing constantly, probably due to the fact that there were now THREE races whose aging rate were competing for supremacy. The slow-aging Humans, the rapidly aging Ketari, and the Oech-anya, who were somewhere in between. So, the best the two parents could do to come up with the exact rate of aging was to guess. Most of the time, they weren't far off, but the further in the future they would attempt to 'guess', the more chance they had of being wrong.

As it was, the initial projection of age six at around the first birthday would be heavily in dispute, even though it was unmistakable that the kids were reverting to their Human heritage when it came to aging. They would eventually age as normal Humans would. The question was just when, and how old they would be by the time this would happen.

 

There. That solved that problem nicely. The erratic aging would cover my errors, and I didn't contradict myself when it came to my stipulation of age six at the first birthday. I knew for sure that the kids would be aging normally at around age one, and that they would be around six in Human years. Just a way of covering my tracks.

The next day, I phoned D, asking him if he was feeling up to another brainstorming session. After he agreed, I picked him up. Together, we started the next big chunk of episode nineteen: the vacation.

D read what I had written, and he liked the stuff. "Isn't there a party?" he asked.

"That's not such a bad idea," I responded. "But I've already written the growth rate and stuff like that… unless they have the party AFTER they've decided to go on holiday, and before they actually leave."

"That would work. After all, you said that they would wait a couple of days before leaving. It's the perfect opportunity."

"Hey, how about letting them have a party without actually letting them have a party?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know… by some freak coincidence, and some help from Barbara, all their friends are going to show up."

"You're devious," D responded. "I like it. Now, hop to it!"

I did so.

 

In two days, the group would leave the Ortega for a well-deserved vacation in universe 478. The children were resting, the adults were going about their usual business, and the ship was doing its usual lazy orbits around the Earth of this uninhabited universe.

Incoming ship. Linda reported.

"On screen," Frederic asked, turning the command chair towards the screen. A fighter came out of the dimensional crossing.

"Identify," he asked.

"Hey, little brother," Barbara greeted him.

"Barbs!" surprise was written all over his face.

"So, are you going to let us on board so we can see the new members of the family, or do we have to fight our way in?" Barbara grinned.

"Sure, come in," Frederic said, motioning for Jennifer to open the bay doors.

After Barbara, Michelle, and Sonya did their fair share of 'oohs' and ahs', the entire group was relaxing in Frederic's quarters. Not designed to hold so many people, it was quite cozy with the 6 adults. The talk was light and friendly, and everyone was enjoying themselves.

Incoming crossing. USS Enterprise.

"Thank you, Linda," Frederic said, looking confused at his friends. "Sure is one hell of a coincidence," he muttered. "Let them in, please."

Of course.

The command crew of the USS Enterprise joined the six people already present in Frederic and Jennifer's quarters, which were by now getting really cramped. So, they decided to move to a holodeck, which was roomy enough to house a few dozen people, if necessary.

Not fifteen minutes later, two more fighters appeared, Buffy and her friends from universe001, and Jonny Quest and his friends and family. Everyone rekindled friendships, and the Holodeck was getting quite full with all the people present: Frederic, Jennifer, Daphnix, Barbara, Michelle, Sonya, Picard, Riker, Data, Troi, Crusher, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Cordelia, Oz, Angel, Giles, Johnny, Hadji, Race, and Dr. Quest. Because the large amount of visitors were straining for the children, everyone was brought in in a small group, just to catch a glimpse of the sleeping babies. They needed their rest because of the accelerated growth.

 By now, Frederic, Jennifer, and Daphnix were beginning to suspect something, but they held their mouths shut. Next to arrive, in that order, were Captain Sisko and the command crew of DS9, Captain Janeway and Voyager, the six Rangers-turned-Master Slayers, Freda and her friends, BorgFred, Jennifer, and the Amazons from 503, Admiral Decker, the command crew of the ESMF days, and the Amazons of 001. Because the Holodeck was now way too small, the fighter bay was once more commandeered for something else.

The ship's massive replication facilities did wonders for feeding the fair amount of people.

"We really should get a banquet hall in this ship," Frederic muttered to his friend. "We can't keep holding our parties in the fighter bay."

"Since when is this officially a party?" Daphnix asked back.

"Since Barbara decided we needed to hold one," Frederic grinned. The party lasted deep into the next day, synthahol long ago replaced by real alcohol got everyone quite tipsy, and the most hardheaded party-animals got quarters to sleep it off.

It was deep into the afternoon of the next day before everyone had left, and the three warriors had time to survey the damage that had been done. There was spilled food and drink everywhere. They were quite lucky to have the holographic crew take care of the dirt.

 

"Looks good to me," D said. "Now, get that vacation underway."

So, I immediately could start working on the vacation scenes themselves.

 

"Let's see if we have everything. Utensils, tents, carriage, picnic equipment, backpack," Frederic said. Jennifer and Daphnix rummaged through the stuff.

"Check, check, check, check, check," Jennifer droned.

"Good. We won't need anything else. I'm sure we can find ourselves some food with the money from our three backpacks, and the world seems peaceful enough so we won't need weapons," Frederic said.

Daphnix nodded. "Right," he said. "So, all we need now is the mobile emitter, and the kids."

Frederic and Jennifer went to the kid's room to pick up the new members of their team while Daphnix went to get Linda's mobile emitter. One never knew when a babysitter could come in handy. And besides, a mobile emitter could do more than just create Linda. A wide variety of musical instruments had been programmed into it, as well as a more resilient shelter, in case the weather decided to play tricks. The energy link to the ship would make sure that it had perpetual energy.

So, after everyone donned their backpacks, put on their share of the gear, and the kids had been put in their new home, the three adults and two babies beamed down to the surface of the planet.

"So this is one of the Orange Islands," Frederic said, looking around. "Sure has a nice climate."

"I just hope it stays that way," Jennifer grinned, looking around as well. It was so rare that they had the time to enjoy the surface of any of the planets they visited. And it was certainly rare that they had no obligations whatsoever on this surface.

"So, where do we go?" Frederic asked Daphnix.

"According to the map, there's a town that way," he pointed to a certain direction. "It's about a 3-hour walk."

"Or we could just stay here," Jennifer suggested, looking around the natural clearing in the forest they had materialized in. "The ocean isn't far away, and this place is beautiful."

"We are in no hurry," Frederic said. "We could stay here, or go to the town. According to the Phalanxial probe there are these building called 'pokémon centers' where travelers can get a free bed, if they so require."

"Strange. Why would anyone give away a free room?" Daphnix asked. "Oh well, we're here to enjoy ourselves, not dissect this society."

Frederic and Jennifer laughed. "Right," Frederic agreed. "So, what do we do? Put up our tents, and walk into town tomorrow, or walk into town, and sleep in a bed tonight?"

"Or we could walk into town, look around, have some fun, and put up our tents outside of town," Jennifer put in.

"It's all the same for me. But it has been a while since we roughed it. I am beginning to miss it," Frederic said.

"I am, too," Daphnix said. "I suggest we put up our tents tonight. Now, do we do it here, or next to the town?"

"It is still early. Maybe we could walk into town," Jennifer suggested.

"Town," Daphnix said. "Jenny has a point."

"Town it is," Frederic said, putting his hands on the carriage. The people started walking in the direction Daphnix pointed out earlier. They had been walking for barely five minutes, or Frederic said:

"I think I'm going to use the anti-grav units. The surface isn't suited for the wheels," he pressed the control panel on the carriage, causing it to lift. The wheels disappeared into the main body of the carriage.

"There. That's better," Frederic muttered. After looking in, making sure that the children were all right, the group resumed their journey to the small town. They chatted merrily for the walk there, enjoying the natural beauty around them immensely. 

Three hours later, Frederic put the carriage back on its wheels, making sure they wouldn't attract unwanted attention. They looked around the small town, enjoying themselves immensely. They wandered along the main street, looking into the small shops located there.

"Look at this," Jennifer said. She was pointing to one of the windows.

Frederic halted right next to her. "On sale: Pokéballs," he read. "Half price," he added.

"Won't those make a good souvenir?" she asked, looking at the red-and-white balls. One of them had been opened, showing the interior. The interior was plated with some kind of mirrors, along with some technological stuff they had no wish of exploring right now.

Frederic nodded. "They would," he agreed.

"I'll go buy some," Jennifer said, walking to the entrance.

"We'll stay here," Frederic said after her. He and D stayed outside, looking at the passing people. This truly was an amazing place. Everyone they saw appeared to be happy; there was no apparent trace of crime, even though they had passed a police station not so long ago. There was no trace of poverty either for that matter.

Five minutes later, Jennifer was back, putting the red-and-white balls into her backpack. "I got a free belt because I got six," she said, grinning.

The people resumed their walk along the main street of the town. Because it wasn't overly large, they soon reached the other side of the town.

"We have food for a couple of days, we have souvenirs, is there something else you'd like to see again?" Frederic asked when they where looking back at the way they had come.

"Nope," Daphnix said.

"Me neither. It was a nice town, but I think it's time to move on," Jennifer agreed.

Frederic smiled, and pushed the carriage back onto the forest road. The people soon lost sight of the town, and were once more enveloped in the green beauty of nature.

They made camp at around four that afternoon. They had eaten lunch while walking to the town, so the three adults desperately wanted to have a nice, long dinner. The children had had their bottles during the day, but she had decided to breast feed them in the evening. She wanted to breastfeed them all the time, but that was not always possible, so she had settled for just the evenings instead.

So, Frederic and Daphnix made camp while Jennifer fed David. Being a growing boy, he needed lots of energy, so he suckled hungrily on his mother's breast. Not long after, Frederic and Daphnix sat down. They had made camp.

"That is one hungry kid," Daphnix remarked.

"He's a growing boy," Frederic remarked. The three adults were totally comfortable around each other. Normal people would have left Jennifer alone during the feeding, but such concepts were of little use to people like Frederic, Jennifer, and Daphnix. None of them had anything to hide, so they talked openly about all sorts of stuff that would make other people blush…during their normal conversations. When they turned to really private topics, most people would find it…difficult to breathe.

"You know, you look really happy when you're doing that," Frederic remarked.

"That's because it feels good," Jennifer remarked. "Now I know why mothers like to breastfeed their children."

Frederic grinned. "I can imagine," he said.

"Want to feel?" Jennifer asked.

Frederic looked at her, smiling. "Sure," he said.

Jennifer gave him a warm smile. "You know what? You can feed Jessie," she said to her husband. "David's almost done here."

Not long after, she put the barely conscious David back in the carriage after putting her shirt back on correctly. She then turned to her husband, and looked him in the eye. Daphnix, expecting what is to come, wasn't shocked when he saw Jennifer sway on her feet a little.

"Next time, you should sit down before we do this," she grinned. Frederic raised his hands, and grinned.

Jennifer (Frederic) took little Jessica from the carriage. "So, what do I do?" Jennifer asked. To anyone not intimately familiar with Frederic and Jennifer this would seem like the most stupid thing a woman could ever ask.

"Sit down, pull down your shirt, and put her at your right breast," Frederic (Jennifer) pointed out. Jennifer (Frederic) sat down, pulled the right sleeve of the white shirt, baring the right breast. Holding the girl in her arms, Jennifer (Frederic) raised her to her breast. The girl locked on with her mouth and started suckling.

A small gasp escaped from Jennifer's (Fredric's) mouth. "Intense," she muttered.

"That big, huh?" Daphnix asked.

"Probably because I'm a man," Jennifer said. "I am feeling things no man has ever felt, and I think my mind has some problems coping."

Ignoring the suckling infant for now, the three adults chattered on about stuff. Just chitchat, holiday talk.

After Jennifer (Frederic) put the sleeping girl back in the carriage, she put the carriage inside the large tent. Jennifer(Frederic) then pressed a small button on the inside of the tent, soundproofing it.

She barely made it outside before her body's normal owner returned. A slight disorientation later, all three adults were sitting around a crisping campfire. Since it was still only four thirty that afternoon, there was still plenty of daylight. All three knew that the real fun would start after dark.

Frederic started dinner, all the while talking to his two friends. Linda preferred to remain on the Ortega for the moment. Frederic didn't know why, but he thought that the AI had something against going planet-side. She preferred the controlled environment of a spaceship, even if it was an artificial environment.

After they had eaten, washed their utensils in a nearby stream, and cleaned up the place somewhat, it was about five thirty. The sun was getting lower, but provided enough illumination to put the forest in a nice twilight.

Suddenly, during their conversation, something walked out of the bushes. It was about 85 centimeters tall, and looked at the three with an expression of curiosity.

"What is THAT?" Daphnix asked.

"Maybe it's one of those pokémon the Phalanxial probe told us about," Frederic guessed. He took the small device that held all the info the probe had managed to gather, and pointed it at the creature.

Name: Abra, the device responded. It can read minds; identify danger, and teleport to safety. Data suggests that these creatures are drawn to people with great psychic capacity, looking for prospective trainers.

"Great. And guess who just got selected?" Frederic grunted as the creature slowly walked up to them, looking intently at Frederic.

"Smart little devil, too," Daphnix said. "It distinguished our boosted powers from your real ones."

"It sure did," Frederic said, looking at the creature, which had now come to a complete standstill in front of him, still maintaining eye contact. Suddenly, its eyes turned blue.

"It's communicating with me. Hang on," Frederic said. "It's asking me to become its trainer. It knows that I don't know anything about pokémon, but it tells me that it will teach me what I need to know. In order for me to become its trainer, we need to bond."

Fascinated, both Jennifer and Daphnix looked on as Frederic continued:

"What should I do?"

"What can be the benefits of having such a creature with us?" Jennifer asked.

"Potential playmate for the children, an ally in our battles, a loyal friend when we need one," Frederic said.

"You mean… it's sentient?" Daphnix brought out.

"Its mind speaks a language consisting of only its name, but in different intonations. But its thought processes are too complex to be instinct only. I think it is sentient."

"Then it's like asking asylum?"

"No… more like proposing something that will benefit us both. He'll become stronger while we're linked, and I'll have someone who will stand by me…us, when we go to Hell."

"Sounds like you're all for it," Jennifer said.

"But I am still unsure about taking this creature away from its home planet," Frederic said, shaking his head. Abra's eyes flashed blue again. "He says he knows about that, and that he's willing to leave this world if needs be."

"Sounds to me like your last argument has been removed," Daphnix said. Frederic nodded, and turned to Abra.

"I accept," he stated simply. Abra's eyes flashed a bright blue, and a blue glow surrounded his body. Frederic's eyes flashed a momentary blue, for just a second or so, before returning to normal.

Frederic opened Jennifer's backpack, took one of the pokéballs bought earlier, and presented it to Abra. It was obvious that the creature had requested one. To the surprise of the three warriors, the pokéball opened, Abra turned into a bright red energy and flew into the empty ball, which snapped shut as soon as Abra was inside.

"Now THAT was unexpected," Daphnix brought out.

Shrugging, Frederic put the ball in his pocket. To his surprise, the ball shrunk in size as he touched it in the wrong place. Touching it again brought it back to normal size.  After playing with the ball's shrink-option a couple of more times, he put the red-white sphere in his pocket.

Not long after, the sun had set, and the three adults where beginning to enjoy themselves. Stories were being told, made-up on the spot.

"You know, it's been a long time since we sang," Jennifer said to Frederic after the laughter of Frederic's last slapstick story had died out.

"You're right," Frederic agreed, turning to his backpack. Opening it, he retrieved the mobile emitter. "Acoustic guitar," he requested. The emitter did as requested.

"You sing, I'll play," Frederic suggested. "I bet you'll like the song."

"Alright," Jennifer agreed. Frederic began playing, a simple melody, but one Jennifer knew indeed. It was a song by a Belgian singer named Belle Perez. 'Hello World'.

Thanks to the benevolence of Grossclout, one of my editors, I have been able to include the lyrics of Hello World.

Hello World.

This is Me.

Life Should Be

Fun for Everyone.

 

Every now and then

I am insecure

Let me show you

Life can be so pure

 

Seize the day

Wear a big happy smile on your face.

In every life a little rain must fall.

That won't change my attitude at all.

You are you

I am me.

We'll be free.

 

Hello World.

This is Me.

Life Should Be

Fun for Everyone.

 

Hello World

Come and see

Life Should Be

Fun for Everyone.

 

Life is easy if you wear a smile.

Just be yourself, don't ever change your style.

I like you

You like me

Let's have fun

Be at peace.

 

Look into my eyes and tell me straight.

For you I'll make the whole world wait.

Let me know

If it's so

Let it show

 

Hello World.

This is Me.

 

Life Should Be

Fun for Everyone.

 

Hello World

Come and see

This is me

 

Come on Baby

Don't be afraid

Come on Baby

It's not too late

Say you do

Won't you open up the door and let me in

 

Dee-a-dee yeah

Dee-it-dee

Yeah yeah

Open up the door

 

Follow me, yeah

Yeah, yeah

Um, Mm

 

Hello World

This is me

Life should be um-mm yeah

fun for everyone

 

Hello World

Come and see

Life should be fun for everyone

 

Hello World

This is me

Life should be

Fun for you

Just fun for you, yes

Fun for everyone

Fun for everyone.

 

So, the three people enjoyed themselves with singing for some more time, until it was about eight thirty. Then, two boys and a girl entered the small clearing the warriors had chosen as their camp-out spot. They appeared to be in their teens. A yellow mouse-like creature was sitting on the shoulder of one of the boys.

"Excuse me?" the red-haired girl asked.

"Yes?" Frederic asked.

"Could you point us to the village? We're…lost," she shot a look at the taller of the two black-haired boys, who looked at the ground.

"He was probably the one reading the map wrong," Frederic thought. "It's about three hours walking, that way," he pointed his thumb over his shoulder.

"Great!" she said in exasperation.

"You know, it's pretty far to be doing tonight. Why don't you stay here? The clearing's big enough for all of us, there's a fire to warm yourselves at, and there's some food left from dinner," Frederic offered. He had seen how the two boys had looked wantonly at the fire, the smaller one also looking at the pot with the stew.

"Thanks, mister!" the two teenaged boys immediately dove for the fire, their hands already reaching out to warm themselves. Now that they saw the three warm themselves, the three warriors noticed that the night was pretty chilly.

"I'm Misty," the girl introduced herself. "That's Ash," she said pointing to the smaller boy, "and that's Tracy."

"I'm Frederic. That's my wife Jennifer, and my best friend Daphnix," Frederic introduced his friends. He saw Ash looking at the pot again.

"You know, there is plenty," he offered.

As Ash dove for the kettle, Misty grunted. "Oh, no…"

As the three adults looked on, Ash literally inhaled three plates of the stew. Granted, the stew was good, but that amount of food could sustain someone for days! Misty and Tracy served themselves, and ate in a more civilized manner, but Ash's slurping noises were hard to ignore.

"You know, I bet your mother loves cooking for you," Frederic said to the boy. "And? Do you like it?"

"Sssssssssss gudddddddd," the boy mumbled, not stopping the inhaling. Frederic grinned.

"Then you should try his mélange… it's to die for," Jennifer said. Frederic threw her a smile.

"Better than this?" Ash looked doubtingly at her.

"Much," she said. "The stew was thrown together in a hurry. Too bad the mélange takes a couple of hours to prepare…we don't always have the time for it."

"No," Frederic corrected her. "We don't have the time to prepare it for EVERY time you like to have it."

After the three teenagers had been fed, Frederic took the holographic guitar once more. Slowly, he and Jennifer set in a song. Daphnix just clapped along on the rhythm of the music. The teens did the same.

Suddenly, the music stopped, a gentle crying audible from the tent.

"Excuse me," Jennifer said, going into the tent.

"The children are hungry. Again," Frederic joked.

"Children?"

"Our children," Frederic said, his eyes getting a dreamy look. "David and Jessica."

"How old are they?"

"Nine months," Frederic answered the redhead.

"I LOVE babies! Can I see them?" she begged.

Frederic just smiled. "Maybe tomorrow. Right now, they're going right back to sleep after their supper."

It wasn't too late when everyone decided to call it a night. Frederic, Jennifer, and Daphnix disappeared inside the tent while the three teens rolled out their sleeping bags next to the warm, crackling fire. There was some reserve wood in case the fire burned low during the night.

The next morning, the three adults decided to join the teens on their trip to the village. Not so much for the trip, nor for the company, but to learn more about this strange world. As Misty had said, she loved babies. She hovered close to the carriage at all times, stealing a look whenever she could. Both Ash and Tracy kept their distance.

Frederic grinned inwardly as he remembered a time when he, too, didn't like children that small. What did draw his attention was that the three, although traveling together and obviously close friends, fought a lot too. Deciding not to let it concern him, he talked with Misty and Jennifer about the children, or joined Daphnix, Ash, and Tracy in their conversation about pokémon.

He found out that, at age ten, a child can leave home to become a pokémon trainer, going on a voyage to catch pokémon, train them, and hold matches with them. The strongest among them could then become pokémon masters. It was obviously Ash's intention to become the greatest one of all. Not one to ruin youthful enthusiasm, Daphnix and Frederic kept quiet. More so because they had absolutely no idea about Ash's level of skill.

Tracy, on the other hand, was a pokémon watcher. He observed pokémon, drawing them, taking pictures, and gathering information on them. He too, wanted to be the best in his field.

What also came out was that Misty was a water-pokémon trainer, but she had no special ambitions. She traveled with Ash because he owed her a bike. He had wrecked her old one trying to rush his 'Pikachu' to a pokémon center, which, as well as being a free hostel, was some kind of hospital for sick and injured pokémon.

During their trip into town, they found some fruit, laying just in the middle of the road.

"Now who would put fruit in the middle of the road?" Frederic asked. "Enough fruit seems to grow on the trees."

"Team Rocket, Of course," Ash responded as if it was the most normal topic in the world.

"Who or what is Team Rocket?" Jennifer asked.

"They try to steal our pokémon," Misty said. "It's obviously a trap. They haven't changed a bit. Last time, we fell for it. Come on, let's walk around it."

They walked around the fruit, when suddenly the ground started trembling under their feet. They fell into a large hole, about three meters deep.

Three adults and three teenagers fell into the hole. However, the carriage had been programmed with contingency procedures. As soon as it started falling, the anti-grav units engaged, righting the carriage, and putting it safely on the ground.

"Prepare for trouble," a feminine voice yelled.

"Team Rocket," Misty grunted.

"And make it double!" an effeminate man's voice added.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nations!" The woman and the man were alternating sentences.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!" the woman said.

"Evils?" Frederic asked. "Hey, lady! Truth and Love are the two biggest virtues and the strongest powers in the universe!"

It seemed that his words went unheard as the man continued, "To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!" the woman shouted.

"James!" the man shouted as well.

And speaking together for the first time, they yelled, "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light! Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

A talking feline-type pokémon yelled, "Meowth! That's right!"

"Are you done yet?" Frederic yelled to the above world. "Then get us out of here!"

"Hey, Jessie, look at this… children," James said to his partner in crime.

The redhead peered in the carriage. "James, instead of pokémon, let's steal these children."

"But, Jessie…the Boss told us to get rare pokémon!"

"So? Look at this carriage. It's obvious those parents are rich."

"So?" James still didn't catch on. The cat, Meowth, did. "We ask ransom, and BUY the rare pokémon with the ransom!"

"I see! Brilliant plan, Jessie."

So, Jessie and James walked off with the carriage, the two children inside, the cat riding on top.

"NO!!" Jennifer shouted. Frederic just grunted. He was very close to revealing his powers. He reached in his pocket instead.

"Abra, teleportation!" he shouted. It took the small creature a mere second to teleport the three warriors and three teenagers to the surface. They were just in time to see Team Rocket, with carriage and children, take to the air.

<<We can't shoot them down. What'll happen to the children otherwise?>> Frederic sent to Jennifer.

Then, they noticed Abra. He was shining in a blinding white light, his form changing. The light stopped, and a new creature was standing in Abra's place.

"Kadabra!" the creature said. It was about 1.30 meters tall.

Name: Kadabra. Emits special alpha waves that cause headaches in, those nearby, the device told them.

"Never mind that now," Frederic said, looking at the balloon.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted to his yellow mouse-like friend. "Thunder Wave!"

The mouse yelled "Pika-CHUUUU!" and yellow streams of lighting blasted towards the balloon. The three culprits laughed.

"Our balloon is anti-static!" Jessie shouted. Ash balled his fist, and grunted in frustration.

"All right, our turn," Frederic shouted. "Those are our children. You have five seconds to land."

Again, Team Rocket laughed.

"Time elapsed," Frederic stated, in a voice so cold it sent shivers down the teenagers' spines. They had only heard Fredric talk normally… fluently… friendly, not like this. Not like a cold assassin.

"You don't scare us!" Jessie shouted, as the balloon drifted slowly away.

Frederic's eyes turned green. With a blast of dust, he blasted after the balloon. Surprised, but not scared, Team Rocket activated an engine, causing the balloon to pick up speed.

Frederic drew the sword-handle from its hideout. The blade flared an angry green, causing Team Rocket to realize for the first time that they might actually have gotten in over their heads.

The blade artfully cut the strings holding the basket under the hot-air balloon. As expected, the carriage executed its emergency directives, making it float. The problem previously had been that the carriage could have been tangled up into the ropes of the balloon if it went down. Without strings, and balloon, such a problem had been eliminated.

"Carriage, verbal command. Proceed to Jennifer's location."

Acknowledged, the carriage responded.

Ash, Misty and Tracy were shocked as they saw the carriage return to Jennifer, who immediately took out the two children, hugging them close.

The basket fell unceremoniously to the ground.

"I could kill you on the spot," Frederic said, deactivating the blade. The handle disappeared, as did the green glow in his eyes.

The two humans and the Meowth were crawling away from him. Then, suddenly, both Humans jumped up, and threw pokéballs.

"Arbock, now!" Jessie shouted.

"Wheezing, now!" James shouted.

A snake and something looking like a couple of bags of gas flew towards him.

"Glare!" Jessie ordered her snake. The paralyzing glare had no effect on the superhuman mind of Frederic.

"Smoke-screen!" James shouted, but the thick mist didn't hinder Frederic's infrared vision.

"Let's play," he said. "Kadabra! Psybeam!"

Kadabra, tapping into his master's vision, detonated a beam of energy on Arbock, who was blasted backwards. It was knocked unconscious. Frederic spread his arms, shattering the cloak the smog had put upon the battlefield.

"Kadabra, psychic!" Frederic shouted.

Wheezing, already a floating pokémon, was grabbed in a strong psychic hold, and catapulted against one of the trees. It too, was out cold.

"Lickitung!" Jessie shouted.

"Vicktreebel!" James shouted.

Kadabra grunted. Then, the same white light as earlier. The connection to a mind of this immense strength caused the pokémon to jump through its levels, now reaching the stage of…

"Alakazam!" the pokémon shouted. It wasn't much taller than its predecessor, but it appeared to be much stronger, emitting an air of danger from the very core of its being.

Name: Alakazam. Can outperform a supercomputer, with an estimated IQ of 5000.

"Lickitung, Slam!" Jessie shouted.

"Reflect," was all Frederic said. Lickitung's attack was reflected back at him, effectively slamming himself into the ground. Lickitung was out.

Vicktreebel, meanwhile, was busy eating James. When James got himself free, he shouted: "razorleaf!"

Again, the attack was reflected. Again, the pokémon was knocked out.

"Alakazam, psybeam," Frederic said. Team Rocket was blasted into the air, and disappeared over the horizon.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they shouted as they vanished.

Frederic recalled Alakazam, promising to have a nice long conversation with the pokémon later. Right now however, he had a lot of explaining to do to his new friends…or at least, he would have. A small, pink, ball-like pokémon jumped out of the bushes.

"Puff!" it said, raising a pen to its mouth as if it were a microphone.

"Oh, no, Jigglypuff!" Ash shouted.

"Run!" Misty shouted.

Frederic looked confused at his friends. "Why would we run?" he finally asked Misty.

"Because…" She never got to finish her sentence. Jigglypuff started singing, and really nicely too. Immediately, Frederic and his two companions could see their new friends beginning to get drowsy, and finally drift off to sleep, while Jigglypuff continued its song.

Always enjoying some good music, Frederic, Jennifer, and Daphnix sat down in the grass, listening to Jigglypuff's song. The pink ball-like pokémon looked strangely at the three people, but continued its song, with more and more vigor. Finally, it ended its song, a big smile on its face.

Frederic, Jennifer, and Daphnix clapped their hands. "Nice song!" Frederic complimented the pokémon, and it seemed to inflate with pride.

"Puff!" it said, taking a small bow. It then walked off, and disappeared back into the bushes.

"Now that was strange? And why are those three sleeping?"

Name: Jigglypuff, the device answered his question. When its huge eyes light up, it sings a mysteriously soothing melody that lulls its enemies to sleep.

"Well, it looks like those three will be out for some time," Frederic commented dryly. 'That'll give us some time to prepare for what's going to happen next." His two companions wholeheartedly agreed.

 

"Nice," D commented. "You know, including those various stages to the Abra evolution really gives it a kick. But why the open ending?"

"Because it's always the same…the readers know who Fred and co are, they know their powers, and their abilities. And it's always the same: the new friends don't believe it at first, Fred demonstrates, and then the new friends do believe. After that, they promise to keep the secret."

"I see. You're just lazy," D stated.

"That, too." I grinned, "And I am low on inspiration, as you already know."

D just nodded, and grunted an affirmative.

"So, can I post it?" I asked him.

"Go ahead," he responded. "It looks fine to me."

And I did just that, started by sending the file through my usual maze of editors and commentators: from Grossclout, my primary editor, to the Wp, where Xanthos would pick out the last remaining 'mistakes', and where the rest of my council would tell me what needed altering. And finally, I would be able to post it on my website.