Chapter Twelve: The Search

Authorities didn't take long to send search parties across Kalos. Even though they had never heard of this Team Rocket, they only had Brock, Misty and Gary as a primary source of information. Despite that, two officers drove along the back roads from Lumiose City, their destination: Cyllage City. From the information that the Kalos Police Force received from those three kids, they had picked up some rather alarming information; Team Rocket originated in the Kanto region, long ways away from Kalos. While others were posted to search cities within a radius of time passed while traveling in a hot air balloon, this duo was sent to Cyllage City, in hopes to prevent a possible get away via said hot air balloon or by boat.

"I highly doubt that Team Rocket can fly that balloon from Kalos to Kanto. They'd fall into the ocean far before they reach land. They'd be lucky if they reach the Unovan Islands." One officer said, peering out the window, towards the sky, in hopes to spot the balloon. He remembers Gary saying that it was in the shape of a Meowth.

"You never know, John. The three kids said that they had managed that before. The tall one said that Team Rocket has been following this kid for years." The other officer, Connor, responded, "I'm surprised that they hadn't done this before."

As they get closer to other cars ahead of them, John flicked on the sirens for a few seconds, just to allow the other drivers to let them through. They cannot waste time, something that John decided to emphasize "It was good timing on them. They chose rush hour as the time to snatch the kid. I just hope that we can get to Cyllage in time."

"I thought taking the back roads would be quicker, but I guessed so has everyone else." Connor spoke, "I'm sure that we can make it. We are almost there anyways." He then peeked over to look at John, "Anything from HQ? I hadn't gotten anything over the radio."

"No, nothing. They must still be trying to find ways to track Team Rocket down before they cross the sea."

…

Officer Jenny, normally called Aqua as her code name, along with her fellow cousins, looked over the files in front of them, now hung on a cork board, in hopes to find any form of connection between each piece of evidence. She signed, "Ladies, any ideas?"

"Unfortunately, no. All I can think of is how Team Rocket has been after Mr. Ketchum's Pikachu for several years. And when they took the boy, they took the Pikachu too."

"Yes, and Pikachu doesn't like being in a pokéball. I'm not even sure if the boy even kept it." Aqua remembered, "That is something I can question the kids outside for. Maybe they'd know if Mr. Ketchum kept it or not."

As she ordered the rest to continue their work, Aqua walked out of the room and down the short hallway that led to the lobby. If the boy still has the pokéball in his backpack, or any where that she can get access to, it will be a game changer.

The door automatically opened, letting her enter the lobby. Misty, Brock and Gary sat on the chairs along the wall furthest from the door Aqua just went through. Misty leaned her head against Brock's shoulder, her cheeks red from possible crying, or anger, Aqua wasn't sure. Brock watched over her, a worried look worn on his face. Gary kept his head down, staring at the tiled flooring of the Police Department.

He wasn't easy to convince to allow the Police to search for their friend. He wanted to search for him, at least with any one of the groups of Police already out there. Aqua didn't blame him, it just comes to show just how much Gary cared for his friend.

"Hello, you three." Her voice startled the three occupants, immediately giving her their attention, "Officer!" Misty gasped, "Did you find anything?"

"Not as of yet, but we may be on to something." Aqua informed, "I have questions to ask you three."

"We will do anything to help you find Ash." Brock answered, Misty nodded in agreement. Gary stared at Aqua, his face pained with worry and regret. He then nodded as well, now fully willing to cooperate with them. Aqua smiled, "Good," She then grabbed a chair, and brought it towards the others. Once she sat, she spoke once more, "How much do you know about Pikachu?"

"Pikachu?" Gary asked, "What does Pikachu have to do with Ash?"

"Everything. With Pikachu captured along with your friend, by the same people, I must know more information about it. This can change everything, Mr. Oak." Aqua emphasized, "The more information we can gather, the more we can help them both."

"Pikachu was Ash's starter, they had traveled together for years." Brock supplied, "Ash and Pikachu managed to defeat my Onix, with only using electric type moves. And they've only gotten stronger, and so has their bond to each other."

"I see," The Officer made a mental note of that, "Anything else?"

"Pikachu absolutely hates being in its pokéball. No one is sure why. Well, except Ash." Misty added, "But Ash still keeps its pokéball, mainly for getting Pikachu out of a deadly situation. He has done it once or twice, as far as I remember."

"So, he does keep Pikachu's pokéball."

"You knew? Then why did you ask if you already knew?" Gary asked, growing slightly agitated. Aqua shook her head, "No, it was just an assumption. Most trainers would normally keep their Pokémon's pokéball, at least to keep them out of harm's way or to rest up."

"So, what does this have to do with Pikachu's pokéball then? How can it help us?"

"Easy, if I can get the ID of Pikachu, which is assigned to a Pokémon the second they are captured, I can input that ID to a machine, and it will track Pikachu. And if my gut is correct, they must still have both Pikachu and Mr. Ketchum in their grasp." Aqua explained, "Next, I would need to contact the Pokémon Center that you three and Mr. Ketchum stayed at, I would need their surveillance footage, inside the building and outside. This will give us how they got away, and how they managed to get in."

"We can get the pokéball. You just worry about the footage." Brock replied, "The sooner we can locate Ash and Pikachu, the better."

…

Connor parked the police car next to the only entrance to the docks on land. The two officers stayed in the car, waiting for any new information, regardless if it were from headquarters or another officers during their own search.

After being told that the ID of the kid's Pikachu could locate their whereabouts, the two silently prayed that it would work. From their past experiences, tracking a Pokémon by their ID is more difficult than it really seems. If the Pokémon was traded, the Pokémon is then registered under a new ID, as it is in a new pokéball and under the custody of a new trainer. Of course, thankfully, this wasn't the case this time.

"Do you think that tracking the Pikachu would work?" John asked, looking at his partner. Connor sighed, "It is our only shot. It's got to work."

"What if Team Rocket is smarter than what the kids say they are? What if they abandoned the Pikachu and kept the boy?"

"From what the kids say, they probably would have abandoned the boy. They have been after Pikachu for years."

"Then why capture its trainer?"

"To prevent the trainer from fighting back, standing in their way, giving the Pokémon commands, you know. Things like that." Connor supplied, "But you are right, that is one of the variables that we don't have information on. And we probably won't know until Team Rocket is spotted, wherever they are."

Silence consumed the air, as they sat in waiting. The radio sounded, making John jump a little, "ID tracking is functioning. All units prepare for coordinates. I repeat, all units prepare for coordinates." John quickly reached into the glove box for a small notepad, they always have it, just in case for moments like these.

"The coordinates are as follows," The female voice then read off a series of numbers, then spoke once more, "It is on the move. Be on the lookout for a small white panel van."

After a quick drive by all the cars parked within the parking lot, they noted that none of the vehicles matched the description. As Connor was about to park back into their original spot, a loud boom sounded. Whatever it was, it was strong enough to even shake the earth. A look to the sky told them everything they need to know. An explosion occurred, not to far from their current location. Should they leave their post? If they leave, could that leave Team Rocket the right amount of time to escape?

"John, stay here. I am going to go check what that was."

"You shouldn't go alone, Connor."

"I need you to stay here, just in case Team Rocket arrives. We need to play this safe." Connor then stepped out of the car, taking his gun and setting it on safety mode. He then reached for a pokéball, throwing it into the air, releasing his loyal Arcanine. With a bark, it kneeled down to allow its trainer to climb onto its back, "I will be back as soon as I can."

"Be safe, alright? Don't do anything reckless."

"You too." With a slight pat on the head, Arcanine took off, leaving nothing but a trail of dust in its wake. Smoke can be seen above the trees, stretching towards the sky. Connor thought many theories as to what this was; a car crash? A rogue fire-type? Perhaps not an accident?

Thanks to the speed of Arcanine, they found themselves in front of the culprit. A car, appeared to have flipped several times before crashing to a stop at a tree, which both are on fire. Despite the damage, Connor was able to identify the variety: a panel van. The front doors were jarred open, possibly the occupants fled the scene. The back door was also open, but the door was in tatters, it appears as though something clawed its way out.

Despite the rising nervousness, Connor hopped off Arcanine and grabbed his gun, getting himself into position as he walked towards the back of the van. With only a few seconds, he sighed in relief, as he reached for his radio, "Call off the search. I found him and the Pikachu." He repeated once more, before clipping the radio back to his belt, then reaching inside to drag the occupants out. Until, a low growl met his ears.

That couldn't have been the Pikachu. And humans don't growl, right? He was pulled out of his thoughts when he was met with piercing red eyes, "Urrgh." The deep growl came out of the boy's throat, shaking Connors very core.

"Ash, it's okay. I am not here to hurt you." His voice was shaky, but he kept as calm as he could. Ash already seemed to be in a frightened state, and it is causing him to act like a Pokémon, almost feral. Now that Connor thought about it, his eyes weren't supposed to be red, right?

Red, feline-like eyes, focused, staring right through Connor, "Your friends are so worried about you. Please, calm down, and I can take you back." Another growl, which turned into a sharp hiss when Connor reached for Ash's wrist. His black ears laid flat against his head, his tail flicking anxiously. Connor knew that this wasn't going to be easy. Hell, he might even lose his job for this, but he is left with no other choice.

Connor patted his hip, calling Arcanine to his side, "Try talking to him. I don't want to have to hurt him if we don't have to." The dog nodded in understanding, then began to yip and yowl. Ash made noises back, mainly hissing. Arcanine hopped into the back of the van, now sitting on its haunches in front of the distressed hybrid. The fire type gave a short whine, followed by a soft bark.

"I—" An actual word came out of Ash's mouth this time, "I don't want… I don't—" His eyes slowly turned back into their normal brown, "I don't want to be thrown in a river." His voice, now resembling more of a terrified child, "Please, don't throw me in the river."

Arcanine leaned in, giving his cheek a nudge with its wet nose. This caused Ash to rush Arcanine into a tight hug, sobs escaped his throat, "I was… I was so scared… I thought—"

As Arcanine gave a swift flick of its tail, signaling Connor that it is safe to approach now, the Officer walked slowly past the two, to find the Pikachu still in an orb like cage. Luckily, it didn't take much to open it, as the Pikachu now hopped onto its trainer's shoulder, nuzzling its cheek against Ash's, "Pika cha, Pikapi."

"I'm sorry…" Ash spoke once more, now facing the officer, "I… I didn't mean to… it was an accident."

"What was an accident?" Connor asked, "This wasn't your fault."

"The crash." Ash supplied, "It was my fault." Connor then stared at the discarded door on the floor. Deep claw gashes on its interior. With a closer look, Connor noticed that similar claw marks resided all over the inside of the van.

"I don't remember everything." Ash sniffled, wiping away stray tears, "I just got scared, and I… I guess I lost control."

"Well, regardless, it doesn't appear like anyone got hurt." Connor noted, "Whoever was driving have already fled. I am going to have to take you and Pikachu to a Pokémon Center. Or a hospital for you, I guess?"

"Yeah." Ash nodded, "That's a good idea."

"I will be sure to let my partner radio HQ, to tell your friends that you are being taken there." Connor spoke, "Can you stand?"

"I think so." Ash began to stand up, albeit on wobbly legs. With the help of Arcanine, Ash was upright. Pikachu hopped off, to allow his trainer to stand without extra weight. Arcanine hopped onto the dirt, giving room for the rest to hop out as well.

"If we hop on Arcanine, we can save time."

…

"I just received good news." Aqua smiled, catching the attention of Misty, Brock and Gary. They had been here for hours, it was almost dark, as the sun has begun to set, "One of the units found Ash and Pikachu. They are being brought to a hospital for examination. But the Officer said by the looks of it, Mr. Ketchum is shaken up, but physically fine."

Misty cheered in glee, "Thank Arceus he's okay."

"What hospital?" Gary asked, "Where are they taking him?"

"They are coming back here, there is a small hospital just on the outskirts of town. They should be arriving shortly." She then reached into her pocket to retrieve her keys, "I will give you three a ride."

The drive there was a short one, as Gary paced the floor, waiting for Ash to walk through the front doors. Misty commented to Gary to sit down, but was promptly ignored. Despite her frustration, she bit her tongue, and proceeded to make conversation with Brock.

Gary stopped his pacing when the doors opened, letting in the one person he was hoping for, "Ash!" The brunette glomped his hybrid friend, hugging him tightly. Ash, despite feeling like he is being crushed, hugged back, "Gary," Ash sputtered out, "Can't breathe, I like to breathe!" Despite the black-haired hybrid's complaint, Gary didn't loosen his hold one bit, "I was so worried—"

"I know."

"I thought—what if they—"

"Gary, I am fine. Just a little shaken up." What happened next shocked every occupant in the room. Gary released Ash from the hug, only to slam his lips against Ash's.