Episode 45:
Return to Pallet

After having a modest breakfast, Icy and Sara went to the docks. “Where are we headed Icy?”

“We can head north to Pallet Town.” Icy sent out Cyber who transformed into a boat. The pikachu couple hopped aboard and rode off into the open sea.

Meanwhile, Dreadite headed back to his previous assignment. “Mission accomplished. We shouldn’t have any more trouble from that psychic pikachu anymore.” The voice on the other end sounded pleased. Little did they know that not only had Icy survived, he now knew about the existence of the Doomsday Project.

“What’s in Pallet Town Icy?”

“A man by the name of Prof. Oak has a lab there. It’s also home to two of the greatest pokémon trainers.” Sara tried to look impressed. The waters were smooth today. With a little luck, they would reach Pallet by late afternoon.

The sun was directly overhead when they reached the shores of Pallet Town. Oak’s lab stood high upon a cliff overlooking the waters. They jumped on land and Icy returned Cyber to his pokéball. “Let’s pay Oak a visit. I haven’t seen him for a while.” They walked up the winding path to the front entrance and knocked.

Oak answered the door. “Yes? Oh look, two adorable pikachus. Wait a second, I recognize you. You’re Icy. And who’s this with you Icy?”

“This is my friend Sara.” Sara waved to Oak. He invited the two in for tea and crackers. They had a lot of catching up to do.

“So Icy, it’s been... how long since you last contacted me?”

“Sorry professor. Being a pikachu, I don’t regularly use phones.”

“How are your pokémon doing? I heard that your butterfree was seriously injured in a battle against Blaine. How is she now?”

“Buttercup? Oh, she’s doing much better. She’s a fighter.” Icy suddenly remembered something. He pulled the egg he had found in the canyon out from his bag. “I found this in Grandpa Canyon. Think you can tell me what’s inside?”

Oak examined the egg. “Hmmm. I’ve never seen this type of pokémon egg before. I can’t be sure what’s in it. It may hatch any day now, so make sure you keep it extra warm.”

Icy nodded and placed the egg carefully in his pack again. “I did win the Volcano Badge. I only need one more!”

“You’ve got seven badges? That’s quite a feat. So, when will you battle the Viridian Gym Leader?”

“I was hoping to battle him tomorrow. Do you know who it is?”

“I can’t tell you that Icy. The league likes keeping that a secret.”

“Hmphh... No fair... Professor, can we stay the night here?”

“Of course, Icy. You’re always welcome.” He noticed something troubling Icy. “Was there something else you wanted to tell me?”

“Ummm... Sara, I want to talk to the professor alone for a sec.” Sara understood and waited in another room. Icy turned his attention to Oak. “Professor, on Cinnabar Island, I uncovered data records from the experiment Bill was working on with me. But these records aren’t about his experiment, they were something about a TransPokéfier Gun. I think Team Rocket is involved in it.”

“Icy... There were many things that happened on that day. No one is still certain as to what exactly happened. As for Team Rocket, they were there to capture Bill, not you.”

“But the file was dated the same as the experiment.”

“It could have been about anything. People have same birthdays. They could have done research on the same day. It doesn’t seem like a definite connection.” Oak was holding something back. Icy didn’t sense it for some odd reason.

“Maybe you’re right. Another thing. On their central computer, I fo...” Oak covered Icy’s mouth.

“Not here.” He led Icy into a special soundproof room. “I’m sorry but we don’t need the neighbors listening in on us.”

“Like I was saying, on the main computer, I found a document titled ‘The Doomsday Project’. Do you know anything about it?”

Oak tried to hold back the worried look. He had to think fast. “Sounds like a dangerous project. Better not get too involved with it. Team Rocket has been getting quite aggressive lately.” Icy agreed. They walked back into the main room and joined Sara. It was getting late so Oak offered them some real dinner for once. They ate and went to bed.

Oak stayed up that night. “Done well, you have. Kept secret, our plan.” He sighed and went off to bed.