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Eddies

Chapter 27: Bill and Chris's excellent adventures.

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Eddies 27

By early afternoon, Chris was bored.

Bored out of his mind, in fact.

Not that the meeting wasn't interesting. He hadn't realised just how much pull the Ranger's had in this world, and their new found knowledge of their enemy had them discussing tactic after tactic in an attempt to decide how to proceed from this point.

The thing was, given the technical nature of the discussion, there was very little that Chris, with his limited experience, could contribute to the knowledge pool, and so he felt increasingly left out of the discussions.

A few minutes after they entered the meeting room, as the rest of the attendees arrived, Chris and Skyy found themselves surrounded by Ranger's they didn't know, who had been asked to join the meeting to provide their advice. As the day progressed, the meeting began bogging down in obscure semantics well beyond Chris's understanding. Although he tried futilely to keep up, he soon found himself unconsciously excluded from the bulk of the conversation, and began staring out the window vacantly in an attempt to alleviate the boredom.

It wasn't until a soft paw crept into his own hand that he realised he wasn't alone in his dilemma. Turning to look at the lucario, who rolled his eyes in defeat, Chris grinned suddenly, grabbing the paw and stood in his place. As the table conversation died, surprised glances thrown his way, he said to the group "Sorry, but I need some air. We'll be back in a bit".

Barklay gave him an absent wave of acknowledgement, still intent on the charts he was reading, and the discussion resumed as Chris all but dragged the relieved lucario from the room. He still managed to catch an amused glance from Storm, as the typhlosion rolled his eyes from behind his companions back, clearly as excited with the meeting as they were.

As the conference room doors closed behind them, Skyy gave a deep breath of relief, leaning against the hallway wall and cracking his neck to relieve the tense muscles. Turning to his friend, the lucario said "I thought we'd never get out of there! Did you get much of all that?"

Chris shrugged, grinning as he began to head to the lift, Skyy's paw still held tightly as he dragged the lucario behind him.

"Nope. They lost me hours ago. I think we can leave them to it for a while. I need some space, and something to eat!"

Nodding, Skyy followed the human, ignoring the amused looks they received from some of the Ranger's they passed. Making the lift, as the doors closed behind them, Chris leaned back against the cold stainless rail circling the elevator interior and sighed.

"Bit out of our depths?" the Lucario joked, and laughed as Chris nodded vehemently.

"To the point of drowning, yeah" said Chris dryly, giving the paw a squeeze as they arrived at the reception level, and left the building through the glass doors, waving briefly at the Ranger on duty, who flashed a smile in acknowledgement.

Walking down the street, Skyy made to remove his paw from his human friend's hand, only to have Chris grip it more firmly. Giving the human a quick glance of surprise, he received a smile in return. Muzzle split in a content grin, Skyy kept pace with Chris as they made their way down the sidewalk through the busy afternoon traffic, until they found an out-of-the-way coffee shop that would also serve pokemon. Even relaxing under an umbrella, Chris felt tense as he sipped a local coffee substitute, still concerned for Raikou, but watched in amusement as Skyy slurped from a chocolate milkshake.

"I thought canines couldn't drink chocolate?" he quipped, laughing as Skyy gave him the finger, muzzle still wrapped firmly around the straw.

"I'm a lucario!" he mumbled, trying to stop the contents of his mouth dribbling down his cheek, somewhat unsuccessfully, but unwilling to stop drinking the delicious drink.

Leaning across the table to hand him a serviette, Chris asked him "I'm still worried about Raikou running out like that earlier today. What did that guy say that had him so worked up?"

Skyy let the straw drop from his lips as his eyes narrowed in thought.

"I didn't get much of it. The doors were thick enough to still do a pretty good job of muffling the conversation. But it seems that the Ranger's are beginning to step on toes within the government here, and it's making some people nervous. That guy was the leader of a group who were insistent the Ranger's cease any further activities towards Sinnotech."

Chris frowned. "How'd they know Sinnotech was involved?"

Skyy sighed. "Good question. That's about the point that Raikou started getting riled. I think that guy is in it up to his eyeballs, and they're pulling all strings possible to protect themselves. Barklay basically told him to go fuck himself, and take his cronies with him; his words incidentally; which unsurprisingly is where the conversation became heated."

Chris chewed his lip a moment. "But what did Raikou mean about "his masters"?"

Skyy shrugged, taking another long slurp from his milkshake as he considered his reply. "I'm assuming he meant Sinnotech, although Raikou never seemed to care much about them before. Otherwise, I don't really know. He certainly seemed to be stressing about something when he left so abruptly. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was worried!"

Chris nodded, and said "My thoughts, too. What do you think about us trying to find him and ask him?"

Skyy frowned. "Where would we even start looking?"

Chris grinned, holding up the arm on which his pokedex was still attached. "Magic pokemon thingie!" he chuckled, dropping the arm to the table and rifling through the screens. "Surely there must be something in here you can use to find your lost pokemon?"

Skyy shrugged, and leant over his friend's wrist as they scrolled through the menus. It took a few minutes, but eventually they found an app-like program that had a pokeball tracker in it. It took even longer to work out how to put in the RFID chip number of the pokeball in the software, but a test using Skyy's pokeball gave them hope.

"Pokemon Type: Lucario. Condition: Excellent. RFID number 5648877674. Owner: Chris Sharp. Registered Training Facility: Star City Gym. Present location: One meter due east of pokedex position. Do you wish your home gym notified of your pokemon's location?"

Chris frantically pressed the "No" button illuminated on the screen, giving a sigh of relief as the pokedex acknowledged his negative input. Last thing they needed was their exact position being relayed to Jasper's home gym, even if the gym leader wasn't present.

Giving Skyy a loaded look, he transferred in the RFID from Raikou's ball, pasting it into the space provided. The 'dex buzzed a long moment before a moving map sprang up, positioning the legendary in an area of dense woodlands several kilometres outside the city boundaries. He was currently stationary, and Chris groaned at the thought of having to travel so far to find him.

Skyy, meanwhile, had considered something else. "So, what's to stop the bad guys tracking one of us via this program? Surely, they could get access to a RFID easily enough?"

Chris thought about it, and said "Well, it does say that such information is the sole right of access of the trainer, or the Ranger's. However, I reckon that's about as secure as shit when it comes to someone having enough money to buy, or bribe, the information out of someone."

Skyy nodded. "I think we need to be careful in the future. We should ask Scott or Storm whether this can be masked somehow, when we get back from finding Raikou. I don't like the thought of arriving somewhere, only to have a group of bad guys waiting for us!"

Chris said "We might ask the Ranger's if we can transfer the ball registration elsewhere; even Ranger HQ. That should stop them."

The lucario nodded, still staring at the 'dex screen.

"Now the big question; how do we get to Raikou?" Chris thought out loud, causing Skyy to chuckle. When he looked up at his friend, the lucario pointed to the street, indicating a strangely familiar black and white vehicle parked nearby.

"Taxi?" he said, smirk splitting his muzzle.

"Smart arse!"

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Chris groaned as he pushed what little remained of his local currency back into his pocket. The trip to the city outskirts had cost more than they had expected, and it was only when they'd reached their destination and paid the disgruntled driver, that he realised they were unlikely to have enough funds to pay for the return journey back to Ranger HQ.

Shit! He cursed to himself. Let's hope the Ranger's will cover the cost of their return cab fare on credit, although the chances of finding a cab out here in the boonies to even get them home seemed remote. Their driver had acted pretty pissed at having to go so far out from his normal civilised route, although by his home world standards, it was barely 10 minutes beyond the city limits.

The moving map in his pokedex still indicated Raikou had not left the area they'd originally tracked him to. What was there of interest was impossible to judge, although Chris was happy he didn't have to chase after the big guy as he moved around.

For a wild moment, Chris had the thought that perhaps there was another portal there, and his chances of returning home at some time in the near future were still likely. But reality struck soon enough. Had another been located so close to civilisation, it would have been discovered and documented years earlier, and the Ranger's had not mentioned any hint that such an edifice existed. Come to think of it, nor had Raikou, he sighed to himself. Regardless, he was sure the legendary would not have hesitated in giving him an option to return home, even if it was "secret".

Sighing, he dropped his eyes to the path they trudged up towards Raikou's location, only to smile as Skyy slipped a paw into his hand, squeezing his fingers in sympathy. Whether the lucario realised exactly why he sighed was irrelevant; that he was there to provide comfort regardless was pleasurable enough.

While overgrown, the trail itself didn't appear especially difficult to traverse, and Chris assumed it must be infrequently used by hikers or trainers moving about the area. Brushing through the odd spider's web seemed to indicate that no one had travelled along this track for at least a day or two, although this was an assumption. Raikou could well have taken another route, or the spiders (again, assuming they were spiders, and not some freaky pokemon) may have simply been efficient in repairing their webs after someone had passed.

Even given the cool climate, Chris had grown hot and sweaty in the chill forest air. Pulling the collar of his shirt away from his neck, he waved the fabric about to draw in some of the cool air to his chest. Turning to Skyy, he scowled at the lucario, who never seemed to have issues overheating and said "Don't you ever get hot? Even under all that fur? I would have thought you'd be cooking under all that!"

Skyy raised a surprised eyebrow and said "Nope. I use aura to regulate my body temperature. Otherwise, with the amount of power it produces, I'd fry myself internally before I could release it."

Chris grumbled under his breath something about cheating and decided comfort was better than decorum, stripping his shirt off his head and using it to wipe his hair. The fabric wasn't soaked enough to wring out, but hung heavily against his side as he stuffed it down his jeans, leaving it to flap behind him.

With sweat now dripping into his eyes, he was distracted enough to run into the lucario before him, not realising Skyy had stopped suddenly on the path ahead, long ears perked forward as he scanned the trail before them.

When Chris went to ask what was wrong, Skyy leaned back to cup a paw over his mouth, hushing the human's words. When Chris gave his friend a droll look, the lucario shook his head vehemently, drawing Chris down into a crouch as he leaned forward, whispering into his ear "I can hear Raikou. But... But he's not alone!"

Chris turned to him in surprise and hissed "So, who's he with?"

Skyy shrugged, unable to answer. However, he could feel the power of the strangers ahead, tracing arcs of energy across his aura as he clandestinely scanned the group.

"They're powerful, whoever they are" he whispered to Chris, who put a hand to his chin in thought.

"They're pokemon then?"

Skyy nodded. "I think so. But I can't pick what types; their auras are strange."

Chris dropped to the ground, crossed legged, and gave the matter some thought.

"Shit, bad enough one big, powerful pokemon in the picture to confuse things, but now he has company. How many are there?"

Skyy's ears dropped, and he sighed. "I can't tell. At least one. Maybe more. They're not acting aggressive or anything, but they are pretty...." Unable to formulate a reply, he shrugged helplessly.

Chris grinned, patting the lucario on the shoulder. "Scary?" he suggested helpfully, but frowned as Skyy gave a sudden nod.

"Yeah, very."

Shit, Chris thought. What do we do now?

With a sigh, he gained his feet, drawing Skyy up from where he'd sat beside him.

"I guess we'd better introduce ourselves, then!" he said, as Skyy looked nervous.

"Do you think that's wise?"

Chris chuckled. "Nope. But it's that, or head back to the Ranger's base and wait Raikou out in a terminally tedious meeting. Besides, I think our big fuzzy friend there is keeping a few secrets from us we might want to be in on."

Skyy groaned softly, massaging his neck with a paw.

"We're gonna get boned again, aren't we?" he said softly, eyeing Chris uncertainly, and grimacing as the human nodded.

"Probably." said Chris with a smirk. "But don't ever say things aren't exciting, huh?"

With the human leading, Skyy blinked and followed closely. He'd had enough excitement lately to last a lifetime.

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Bill found himself in an unusual limbo the days after their return from the mountain. While impressed with his new feline partner's abilities, most of the other officers who had been chosen to remain at the farm tended to avoid them, or if he was really honest, more specifically avoided Shadow. Likely the SWAT team spreading the story of her actions during the assault didn't help. Given she was a one-person assault machine, not to mention large, fanged and had claws like scimitars; most of his colleagues gave her a wide berth.

Bill found himself in the opposite scenario, finding her company more than enjoyable. He wasn't sure exactly when she really became a "person" to him. Perhaps when he caught himself talking to her animatedly, and clearly understanding her responses, as well as discovering she had a distinct personality with a tendency towards sarcastic humour that she changed from an animal to a person in his mind. That, and the obvious affection she continued to show him. It wasn't the dumb, mindless affection you'd experience from a pet dog. He'd had enough experience with that as a kid, and while ingratiating, certainly wasn't that shown by an equal.

Shadow was different. She gave her attention where she chose, and did so with an intensity that sometimes caught him off guard. She seemed to like him not because he was acting as her trainer, or fed her, or took care of her; she liked him because she chose to do so, and wanted to be there with him.

When they weren't training, he found himself left in her close company, as she never moved that far from his side. At night, she insisted sharing the bed with him, and he often found himself holding her closely after she woke, distraught, from the terrors of the nightmares that were plaguing her. She wasn't willing to go into much detail about them, simply inferring with shakes of her head that they were not of concern.

The truth was clearly contrary, and all he could do was hug her close until the terror subsided and she relaxed back into sleep.

Maybe this was why she kept him close; perhaps she felt her inattention to her previous owner caused this situation. Again, he wasn't sure, but he often turned to find her watching him, her large ruby red eyes just staring at him intently, while the thoughts underlying them remained unfathomable.

It was a bit disconcerting at times. But if he was truly honest, he was beginning to secretly dread the time she might return to her old trainer, and leave him.

From a professional standpoint, while he'd attempted to involve himself with the preparations being made for the offensive against Sinnotech, he often felt excluded from his colleagues. Again, perhaps it was Shadow's hovering presence that caused it. After Cameron had ordered him to consider his training with her as his main priority, given he felt she could be a real asset to their team in a tight spot. Because of this, he found himself isolated from the rest of their force most of the time, spending several hours a day exploring her new abilities and ensuring he could coordinate her attacks properly.

Of all the ironies surrounding the situation, he found himself spending most of his time around the fourteen year old son of the property owner, who insisted on training his charmander with him. Or, more specifically, the charmander wanted the training, and had his friend encourage Bill into it.

Even given the relative differences in size and power, the small orange lizard generally had no problems keeping up with the larger feline pokemon, and while her original training with the Ranger's was extensive, he had more experience battling pokemon to pokemon, often leaving her in his wake, which Bill could see she found infuriating. As the one on one battling was a much better experience builder than tackling the now devastated hay bale, Bill had no problems including the two youngsters into his training, and he could see the luxray improving her skills on a daily basis.

What he most appreciated was the two pokemon seemed to enjoy every bit of it. Clearly, they weren't trying to hurt each other, but they didn't hold back in their attempts to come out on top of each encounter. He'd made it clear to Shadow that the last thing they needed was any more injuries, and she agreed solemnly, keeping her attacks to a level where real damage was unlikely.

Even so, the spectacle of their training was like nothing anyone staying on the farm had ever seen, and it soon became a popular past time of the off-duty officers and family friends to perch on the arena railings, calling out encouragement to the pair as they battled, which only served to push them harder.

Bill pretended not to notice the occasional notes being exchanged, as a bet was won or lost on the outcomes.

After a steady week filled with training and work, on the Sunday Bill felt the two of them were about as capable as they could be, and decide a day off exploring the area was more than deserved. Begging the use of a quad drive RV from Paul, Bill loaded Shadow in the back before heading out across the property. His plan was to explore the distant areas of the farm where it backed onto the state forest, flying across the dirt as the vehicle sped randomly down dirt tracks. In the side view mirror, he caught a glimpse of Shadow standing behind him, head leaning out to catch the wind rushing past. Leaning up, he put out an arm to scratch her neck, and she nuzzled his palm for a moment before returning her attention to the pleasure of the drive.

An hour out from the main farmhouse area, with the sun hot overhead, the pair found themselves beneath the cover of large eucalypts underneath a set of sandstone cliffs, protecting a wide, still water of a lagoon. A small waterfall poured over the eroded stone cliff, splashing musically into the waters below. Some earlier reminders the place was popular for recreation remained, with what was left of a rope swing still swaying gently in the afternoon breeze from a large branch over the water. Unlike the red clay soil of the farm, the coarse sand lining the waterway was a gritty golden brown, and with the vehicle parked up under the shade of the trees, Bill eyed the cold, inviting water hungrily.

Looking back at his partner, the human said "Well? What do you think? Up for a swim?"

Shadow eyed the water uncertainly, before shrugging and jumping down from the RV, sauntering to the water's edge to drop her head for a cool drink.

Smirking, Bill slipped behind the vehicle, pulling off his shirt and dropping his shorts into a pile on the sand, before springing up naked to sprint to the water's edge. Holding his breath as he leapt past the startled luxray to cannonball into the lagoon, he sent a heavy sheet of water spraying out from his landing spot. Opening his eyes to the mottled translucent water, Bill felt his feet touch bottom and pushed off firmly, head breaking the surface to regard the droll look from the pokemon, who stood with drenched fur, holding up a paw which dripped water onto the sand as she regarded him in disgust.

"Awww, come on, you big sook!" he wheedled out, swimming the few strokes to the bank beneath her and leaning against the edge of the water, where it dropped sharply to the depths below. Shadow dropped her head down to his face, nose to nose as she stared into his eyes, before closing her eyes and sneezing abruptly, spraying warm, thick liquid across his face. When he shuddered and went to rub his face in disgust, next thing he knew he was spluttering beneath the water surface as she pushed him back under with a heavy paw pressed on his head.

After a moment, she released him and he rose again to cough out water, and eye the smug, satisfied look on her face.

"Bitch!" he said with a laugh, still coughing, and splashed water at her, grinning as she leapt aside with a yowl. After that, it was every man (or pokemon) for themselves, as he chased her around the lagoon, dodging through the trees and often resorting to a hasty retreat back to the water as she tried to catch him out. Before long, the pair were exhausted, and Bill flopped down onto the warn sand besides the luxray, resting his back against her side as her chest heaved while she caught her breath from their exertions.

With the sun dappling down through the branches above, and the warm sand beneath, it didn't take long before he nodded off to sleep, still resting against his furred friend, who accepted her new role as back rest with wry amusement. But it didn't take the warm sunlight long to lull her to sleep, and soon she dropped into a nap beside him.

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Author's note:

You know that calm before the storm...

When you're sitting back, in anticipation as to what's coming next.

*That tingly feeling that runs down your spine, sending shivers of excitement into your colon. *

*Or perhaps your spleen. *

*Somewhere in the plumbing down there somewhere. *

You know....

(Shit, I dunno, don't ask me! It's been twenty years since I studied human anatomy, and I still have vague difficulty with what a fucking mast cell is in histology, let alone where you get all fucking tingly, not to mention what....)

Err....

Let's just leave it at spleen then... Down there, in the spleen... I think....

Anyways, the tingly feeling in your spleen that reeks of exciting anticipation...

I have that right now.

In my spleen.

Or my colon.

Fuck it...wherever...

Yep.

Next chapter....OMG....

Well, sure, people say I'm a complete knut, who enjoys keeping people in suspense. So, for all those who have said it... Yes, it is true.

Completely and totally true. I am a complete knut. And I enjoy keeping people in suspense ;>

Tally ho, y'all!