Authors Note – I learned a Japanese term, yay! Pokeball Monster Ball! So, I am going to be using that term from now on. I'm not comfortable with the rest of the terms yet to use them, except maybe Masara Town, but that's not so easy to discern, and this one is so simple that I can't resist. Also, I wrote a pokemon specific story, if anyone is interested that likes my writing style. It's about Harley though, so warnings based on the freakyness of that character. Anyway, enjoy this nice, long chapter.

...chapter 04 – Cerulean City

Bill made sure to knock loudly on the door before he opened it and descended. The musty air greeted him as he fumbled along the wall for the light switch.

A deep growl greeted him as the lights flickered to life. He focused on the bed, where the sound had originated from, and saw the figure occupying draw its cloak tighter to its body and turn away while a smaller creature at the foot of the bed stood and stretched. He watched it with curiosity before approaching the bed and extending a hand...

“Do not touch me.” The figure said dangerously, causing Bill to jump, stumble, and crash to the ground amidst the clutter that covered the floor. Vamdemon sat up reluctantly and stared at where the boy had fallen with narrowed eyes and a look of thin amusement. “How clumsy.”

'You don't need to tell me...” Bill muttered and stood painfully, brushing debris off his body. “I was just going to wake you up...”

“The light did that well enough.” Vamdemon muttered.

“Right, I see that now...”

“What time is it?” He grumbled.

“Almost noon. The clinic is expecting us, for Eevee... Speaking of, why is she out?”

“What do you mean 'out'?” Vamdemon asked with irritation.

“Out of her pokeball?”

“Why would she not be? You want to keep it in that tiny thing all night?” He continued, and let out a large yawn that revealed his sharp fangs to the boy before him. Bill paled slightly and wavered in place, nearly falling over again.

“W-well, they usually stay in them...”

“And it was said I was cruel to my servants. How, and why, would anyone want to do that?”

“You take the ball and press the button in the center. It will get bigger, and store the creature. It saves space, you know...”

“But it can't be very comfortable.”

“There haven't been many complaints...”

“Pray tell, how can they complain if they are incapable of speech?”

“Trust me, if they don't like it they let you know. Besides, imagine a creature the size of a house walking by your side!”

“I can, easily. Remember, I am not from this world. There were many large creatures that roamed free in the digital world, and it has yet to cause too much trouble over there.”

“Well things are different here, now get yourself covered so we can go into the city.”

Vamdemon sent him a venomous glare. “You do not tell me what to do.”

Bill shrunk back slightly. “S-sorry! Please?”

The glare held strong for a few seconds before Vamdemon turned away and pulled himself off the bed. “I will need a hooded cloak. I do hope you have one.”

“Yes...” He said hesitantly. “Upstairs...I'll have to go get it, hold on...”

Vamdemon watched with annoyance as the boy disappeared back up the stairs. He ran a hand through his messy hair as the sleep gradually left his being and turned his gaze to the creature that was looking back at him from the end of the bed. A curiosity that was mixed with fear danced in its large eyes. He extend his arm slightly in the creature's direction and spoke strongly, “Come here.” It hesitated, remembering the dismissal it had received the night before, and he repeated the words. Finally it stepped forward once, then again, and walked over to him, sniffing his hand. Without warning it rubbed against him, rather like a cat, and let out a squeak of joy. Vamdemon looked at it with slight disgust as the door opened once more.

“I've got it, could you come on up?” Bill called.

Vamdemon grumbled but did so, scooping the brown creature and monster ball into his arms as he moved. When he reached the top of the wooden planks he roughly shoved the eevee and monster ball into Bill's arms so that he could remove the cloak and pull it over his body. He clasped the front and slid the hood over his face so that is was obscured and stepped through the doorway and into the light of the day.

Within mere seconds he felt his power weaken. Frowning he turned back and plucked Eevee back from Bill and held it close to his chest. The creature's warmth seemed to help him cope with the pain.

“Are you alright?” Bill asked him with a worried expression. “You look ill... If you can't do this you can stay...”

“I will be fine.” Vamdemon stated quietly. “My powers are notably weaker...but I shouldn't need them if the humans are, as you say, peaceful.”

“Right then... “ Bill whispered and opened the door. More light streamed into the home, and Vamdemon reluctantly exited through the door frame. They traveled the same route he had the night before, though it was now filled with young trainers anxiously looking for battles and searching for wild pokemon.

“That's the place you came from?” Bill asked as they started to cross Nugget Bridge. Vamdemon glanced to the cavern in the distance and nodded weakly, not in the mood to answer him with words. “Incredible...”

Finally a large red and white building came into view. “A Pokemon Center.” Bill said as they approached and entered through the sliding doors. Artificial lighting fell upon the pair, and instantly Vamdemon felt relieved. He pulled down his hood and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow in discomfort.

“Bill!” A woman called and walked to their position. “You're a little late, but I've come to expect that from you.”

“Eh...s-sorry.” He muttered sheepishly and bowed his head. “But I'm here now, and that's all the matters...”

“Of course.” She said pleasantly. “So, where is she? I'll need her to treat her, you know.”

“Naturally.” He stated, and turned to Vamdemon. “This is my friend, and new owner of Eevee...”

“A pleasure.” The woman said and extended her hand expectantly.

Vamdemon stared at her. “You aren't going to hold this thing with one hand...” He said, watching the 'stupid' woman and producing the creature from beneath the cloak. It's large eyes stared up at the nurse with happiness.

“What is it doing out of its ball? That can get to a pokemon's head, you know.” She commented.

“Do not tell me how to raise my monster.” Vamdemon growled. Bill glanced at him with worry.

“Temper, temper.” She muttered and wiggled her finger, causing the angry look on Vamdemon's face to grow. Without another word she pulled the eevee out of his gloved hands and retreated to the back of the room. “It'll be about an hour, Bill. If you go out, please, don't be late to pick her up.”

“Yes, ma'am!” He called and dragged Vamdemon to a corner of the building. He leaned close to him. “What are you thinking? I thought you wanted to blend in?”

“She was being rude and snarky.” He said with fading anger and glared back to the door.

“She was just doing her job...” Bill said. “Anyway, just let it go... Being angry with her isn't going to get you anywhere.

“Whatever you say. Tell me, why hasn't anyone commented on my attire? I would imagine a cloaked man would arouse some form of suspicion.”

“No, not really... I mean, there is a degree of variability between the regions, but people are known to dress and behave oddly around here. Some travel around in bathing suits, others, like you, are cloaked. Some even dress up like pokemon, either in costume or in an outfit that is made to resemble a creature's skin or patterns. I do that sometimes, to try and get into a pokemon's head and understand them better. Some cross dress, others act completely like the opposite sex. So, really, you aren't so abnormal, and though such behavior isn't as common here in Kanto, it does exist.”

Vamdemon rolled his eyes at the idea of humans doing such odd things. “Kanto? That is what this place is called? I thought this was Cerulean City.”

“Oh, it is...this is Cerulean City, where we are, but the region as a whole is Kanto. There are others, like Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, and each have some species of pokemon that are rather specific to the area, especially the 'starters' that some professors hand out.”

“Why couldn't I have gotten one of these 'starters'? They sound useful, so why am I stuck with that weak little fluff ball?”

“Eevee isn't weak, you will see that in time...” Bill said rather defensively. After all, it was his favorite creature. “As for why, well, the professors usually reside in the small towns in secluded areas of the region. The place for Kanto, Pallet town, is southwest and rather far away. The starters would be Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander. They each represent an element – grass, water, and fire. Eevee is a normal type, which means it doesn't have control over any particular element, but its evolutions do. Your eevee can evolve into a grass, fire, water, ice, light, dark, or electric type, depending on how you raise it and what you expose it to, which is valuable for a starting trainer such as yourself. The starters evolve into creatures of the same type, so there isn't as much choice.”

“Or? It can only evolve once?”

“Yeah...”

“What a pain.” He grumbled. “When a digimon evolves, depending on our power, we can stay in that form, but we can also revert back to the previous level. It is useful, as you stated in your defense of those horrid monster balls, to travel around more discreetly and appear less intimidating. How many times will this eevee evolve.”

“Just once, but some pokemon can evolve twice!”

“Again, a sign of inferiority. Digimon evolve through six stages, Baby, Baby II, Child, Adult, Perfect, and Ultimate, and sometimes even to a level above. This allows for incredible power... What is the power limit of these tiny creatures?”

“They get pretty powerful, but I'm afraid I can't fairly compare them to a digimon. I mean, there is you, but you said that your powers are weakened here. I'm sure they would be weakened as well if they were to go to your...digital world.”

“I suppose so, if we rely on principle. I wonder as well, if perhaps they would be able to revert to previous levels of evolution if one of them were exposed to it. I guess it will be tested when we go there.”

“We! You mean I'm going to the digital world with you?”

Vamdemon glanced at him with amusement. “Well, we don't know how to open a gate to the digital world from this one, so we don't yet know if you will be brought there along with me. Perhaps you will, perhaps you will not, but you mean to tell me that are not at all interested in the place?”

“I am interested, definitely, but... If the creatures are as powerful as you say, and as willing to harm humans as you seem to be, I would be live bait there.”

“I would protect you.” Vamdemon said quietly and Bill stared at him with surprise. “You appear shocked, but is it so surprising? You are human, but you have intelligence, and thus, my respect. Especially if you manage to help me open the gate – it would be unethical of me to leave you there without protection when you would have contributed to bringing me home. Furthermore, I know exactly how the gates work over in the digital world. I know for sure that you would be able to be sent back here safely, so long as I am able to learn the correct order of the key cards for this world. I think you would enjoy it there. It is very different from this plain world.”

“I see...” Bill muttered. “That means a lot to me...for you to say that. Makes me feel a bit safer as well...”

“Whatever you want to feel, but do remember that no matter how much I respect you, I am still dangerous. Don't come to grow to comfortable with me, in case I turn on you. Now, can you tell me more about the Rocket gang?”

A few heads turned to stare at them. Vamdemon returned the gazes angrily. Bill laughed nervously and stood, motioning Vamdemon to do the same. He pushed the hood over his face and headed towards the doorway and back into the day.

“People here don't want to hear about that.” Bill said as he lead Vamdemon away and to a shaded area under large trees. “Team Rocket caused a whole lot of trouble here a few years ago. Robberies, murders, among other things... It's best not to bring it up when there are others around.”

“Fine then...” Vamdemon whispered and leaned tiredly against the trunk of the tree, shutting his eyes. “Tell me about them. Where do I find them? How do I join?”

“Well, you know a lot of the basics. They are killers, thieves, and other unmentionable things. Many years ago they had recruitment operations here, along nugget bridge, but a young and rising trainer came through and cleared them out. After that they moved to Saffron and Lavender, but that trainer shut them down there as well. Nowadays they aren't as active as they once were, so I haven't a clue where you might find them. As to joining, unlike in the past, where they would take anyone with interest, you must now have actual worth before being accepted. This means you need powerful, and especially, rare, pokemon on your side. They would probably have you commit some crimes as well, as a test of initiation...”

Vamdemon groaned. “So much trouble... I ought to forget about them and take over this world myself. What are rare pokemon then? What makes them rare, and where can I find them?”

“Rare pokemon are pokemon that are rare...” Bill said, slightly troubled. “They are either one of a kind, difficult to evolve into, have low fertility rates, hide well in the wild, are part of legends, are godlike or have been driven to extinction. Mewtwo is one of a kind...as it was human made, certain pokemon, like Alakazam are hard to evolve into because it must be traded, the rare birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres most likely have trouble reproducing or hide young ones very well. Arcanine is a creature of legend, although it is fairly easy to evolve, and Combee are examples of pokemon that hide well, especially the females. Some examples of deities are Dialga or Arceus...”

“Any around here?”

“...um...no. And even if there were, most of those creatures are extremely powerful, akin to Mewtwo. You wouldn't stand a chance, and seeing as you don't even know how to catch a pokemon yet, it would be pointless to try.”

“Teach me then. We have time.”

Bill stared at him with surprise. “But...you are weak. Are you sure you are up to it?”

“I am fine.”

“But I don't have any spare monster balls...”

“Use Eevee's.”

“But then she won't have a ball to return to...”

“So? I hate those things anyway, and see no reason for her to have to stay inside one, so use it.” He grumbled and pulled himself up with the ground. He waited a few moments as the sun caused a slight dizziness before following Bill to a place south of their current location. They walked past a strip of fence and jumped down a short hill and landed in a large patch of tall grass. After stopping, he turned to the boy. “Now what?”

“Now you wait. Stay still, and after a while a pokemon might reveal itself.”

“That's boring. Why can't we look for it ourselves?”

“Because they'll get scared and run away, now hush and wait.”

And he did, although with a scowl. He folded his arms in impatience as they stood there for minutes upon minutes, eyes scanning the grass for signs of life. Finally his impatience paid off, and a small tan head peered around a particularly thick piece of foliage.

“What is it, and what do we do next?” Vamdemon wondered.

“That's a meowth. It's discernable by the charm on it's forehead.” Bill said and leaned forward slightly. “Now we weaken it with another pokemon and throw the monster ball at it, but it looks young, perhaps we should let this one go...”

“No way.” Vamdemon growled with annoyance. “I didn't wait around under this damned ball of light just to let it get away. Catch it.”

“A-all right...calm down.” Bill muttered and fumbled around at his belt line. “Uh oh...” Vamdemon sent him a perturbed glare. “I didn't bring any of my pokemon...”

“And I thought you had more than half of a brain.” He growled, and shook his head in frustration. “No matter, I'll take care of this myself.”

“Eh?” Bill squeaked and took a few steps back, realizing he was about to see a demonstration of the power the vampire claimed he had.

Vamdemon drew his cloak close and rose his arms. The small cat watched him with curiosity, unaware that the 'human' before him was about to knock him out. “Night Raid!” He shouted and threw his arms forward, releasing a stream of black and blue bats that nipped and tore at the meowth's body.

Bill watched with an agape mouth as the two bat species worked together to reduce the creature to a weakened heap, and was rather afraid to ask where they had come from when last he saw them they were still in the cottage basement. Vamdemon turned to him with a smug look upon his face. Bill returned to the smile hesitantly and pushed the button on the small ball to enlarge it, before tossing it at the creature.

It disappeared in a flash of red light and the monster ball fell to the ground in its place. It shook for but a few seconds before emitting a faint sound and growing still. Bill took a few steps forward and picked it up, bringing it back and placing it in Vamdemon's waiting hand. The bats flew back to their master and disappeared back into his cloak.

“That was really weird...” Bill said softly, still rather surprised at what he had seen. Hesitantly, he peered inside the cloak, but couldn't see any of the creatures that had just flown inside. Vamdemon rolled his eyes at the action and pulled away from the searching eyes. “Incredible though. I guess its just odd seeing that sort of thing come from something that looks so human.”

“Uh huh.” Vamdemon said, dismissing the boy's admiration. “Now bring us back. I want my monster back.”

“I thought you didn't like eevee.” Bill said with a laugh as they climbed up the hill and headed back towards the city.

Vamdemon sent him a dirty look. “I don't, but she is mine, and I want her back. That woman has no right to spend so much time with it.”

“Well, that's good at least. Being protective like that can really give you guys a chance to form a bond. But don't forget about your new meowth. Are you going to let that one stay out of its monster ball too?”

“Probably, since I don't see a reason not to right now.”

“Before we go back home you'll need to let the pokemon center treat its wounds.” Bill told him, causing his brows to furrow at both the thought of the sea cottage being referred to as his home and the fact that he had to hand over another of his possessions to that rude woman. They re-entered the building and waited at the front of the counter.

The woman from earlier returned with Eevee in her arms. Upon see its master, her eyes lit up and she squirmed out of one grip and into another, Vamdemon's. He rolled his eyes at the creature's happiness and promptly placed the monster ball containing meowth into her hands.

“What's this?” She asked.

“A pokemon. Fix it.”

“Fix it? She inquired. “Its injured.”

“That would be implied.” He stated through clenched teeth. “Why else would I be bringing it here?”

“I didn't see any other pokemon with you before.” She said.

“How I got it is none of your concern, now do you job and fix him, as I want to be away from this place as soon as possible.”

She glared at him for a few seconds before putting on a fake smile and setting herself to the task. She plopped the ball into a small device with six slots and pressed a button. The machine hummed to life and emitted a few flashed before growing quiet. She picked it up and handed it back to him.

“That's it?” He asked incredulously, thinking she hadn't taken him seriously.

“That's it.” Bill said, hoping to avoid further confrontation. “Thanks, Joy, we'll be going now...”

“No.” Vamdemon stated, glaring at Bill's impatience, even though he had displayed it earlier. “I have a question for you.”

Joy rose an eyebrow but waited expectantly. “I need to know where I can find blood.”

Bill paled slightly and Joy's look of curiosity grew. “Did I hear you right...blood?”

“Blood. I have bats. Lots of bats.”

“I see...hmm...” She paused, thinking. “Bill, he has lots of bats?”

“Y-yes... L-lots of them. Er, he's not from this region, so he hasn't set up ways to get food for them yet...”

She watched him for a few moments but shrugged her shoulders. “Alright, I'll believe it. I had to check, you never know if there might be a weirdo running around that wanted to do something weird with it. How much will you need?”

“Six pints.”

“Six! Just how many bats do you have?!”

“Enough to need that much. Can you provide it or not?” Vamdemon asked irritably.

“Yes, I can, but will you need that much every night?”

“Every other, or it can be stock piled. It doesn't matter.”

“Okay then... We'll set up a delivery perhaps, once a week maybe. Hold on while I get what you asked for.” She said quietly and disappeared into the back room once more.

“...do you really need to drink six pints a night?!” Bill asked with fear.

“In ideal circumstances, eight, but I didn't want to be too conspicuous.” He said, and watched in amusement as the boy grew paler. “It's bad enough I won't even be consuming all of what I asked for. I DO have to feed the bats. Mine would consume a pint, and I don't know how much those blue ones will need. Most likely I'm only going to get about four, so I might have to hunt as well. I am actually very surprised, I didn't truly expect them to keep it for distribution, but those monster must eat somehow when in captivity. I hope they don't charge money...well I can always run a tab I suppose. But is it that surprising? Think of how much food a human must consume to survive. Liquidize that and combine it with the amount of water you require and it equates to much more than I will drink.”

“Right...” Bill muttered, amazed at Vamdemon's explanation and ramble, that had ended just in time for Joy's return. In her hand was a bag tied tightly at the top, which was passed along to Bill, who stared at it, again pale.

“Thank you.” Vamdemon said with fake gratitude and bowed his head slightly before turning and heading for the door. Bill bid farewell to the woman and hurried to catch up.

“Are you going to go back to sleep when we get back?” Bill asked him.

“There's no way that will happen. I'm too awake. Maybe after I've filled my stomach a bit I'll be able to manage it.”

“So what are you going to do in the mean time? We should clean up the basement, since you are going to be living down there.”

“You clean it up, its your house. Your house, your mess, so take care of it.”

Bill glared at him slightly. “But you'll be living there too, and rent free I may add! It'll be your home as well so you should contribute.”

“I could very well live out in the wilderness. It wouldn't bother me in the least bit. I'm only staying with you because it is convenient and because your machines could help me go home.”

“That's right, your using my technology, so you should help!”

“Your treading on thin ice, human, perhaps I shall feed on you instead of what is in that parcel.” Vamdemon commented, though not really meaning it, and elicited the reaction he had been looking for, with Bill stumbling in his steps and glancing at him with worry. He would help the boy clear the messy room, if simply to keep him from falling every time he went to wake him. “After that room is cleaned up perhaps we can take a look at your technology. I am very interested in what it is capable of.”

“Yeah, sure...” He said absently, still spooked, and pushed open the door to the cottage. The mess once more glared at Vamdemon, and he decided he would help the boy clean the entire house, since filth was not something he was accustomed to living in.

He bent over and placed Eevee on the floor, who sat down and looked expectantly up at her master. Standing up he glanced at Bill, who was hastily picking things up off the floor so the brown pokemon wouldn't play with anything. “How do I get the other one out?”

“Throw the ball at the floor.” Bill muttered through a bunch of papers that he had stuffed in his mouth to free up space in his hands. Vamdemon shook his head at the boy's odd behavior but did as he was told. He tossed the monster ball to the ground and upon impact it burst open to reveal the meowth he had caught earlier.

It emitted a soft 'nya' at him and too looked up expectantly. “What's with these things?”

“Hungry?” Bill suggested, throwing stacks of papers onto the couches.

“That's wonderful. What do they eat?”

“I'll take care of it.” He said, promptly disregarding his previous job and sliding into the kitchen. The pokemon's eyes followed the boy momentarily before they fell upon each other and meowth gave chase to eevee. Vamdemon watched in mild amusement as the two young pokemon pounced and tackled each other in the play of children before ignoring them and turning his attention onto more important matters.

Approaching the bag on the table eagerly, he removed his gloves and tore open the plastic with the nails of his exposed fingers. The bats materialized out of his cloak and perched on various pieces of furniture, awaiting their share just as excitedly. Inside the bag, beside the plastic pouches of red liquid, were a number of small plastic bowls. He didn't want to readily admit it, but that Joy woman knew what she was doing. He opened a pouch and filled each of the mini dishes until they were full and stepped back to allow the smaller creatures to gather round and drink their fill.

The smell of the substance invaded his senses, and he rose a freshly opened pouch of the stuff to his lips to satiate his growing hunger, drinking greedily until the container was empty. He shut his eyes and let out a sigh of contentment as the liquid settled comfortably in his stomach. Opening his eyes once more, he cocked his head to the side just to see what the eccentric boy's reaction was to this scene.

Bill looked ready to pass out, an expression of mixed shock and revulsion plastered on his face. Vamdemon licked his lips and watched the boy sway in place, then turn around so as not to witness any more of the scene. Smirking, he placed the empty pouch back into the bag along side the one from earlier and spoke, “You can look now, I'm done.”

The boy turned his head slightly to make sure he wasn't being lied to before facing Vamdemon completely. Stepping back into the room, he placed a plate onto the floor that the two energetic pokemon attacked. “Squeamish, human?”

“You could say that...” He muttered quietly.

“This should be an interesting arrangement then.” Vamdemon said, smirk still livid on his face. “I'm not going to feed in private just to please you.”

“I-I know... I guess I'll get used to it eventually...it's just that I've never seen...a creature that resembles a human...drink blood straight like that.” He shivered. “Just thinking about it makes me sick.”

“Then don't think.” Vamdemon rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his bats, who had just about emptied the containers and were resting in piles against one another. Once they were empty he scooped them up and brought them to the sink to be washed out then took the rest of his 'food' from the bag and tossed it into the refridgerator. The two pokemon on the floor had already finished their meals and were staring at him once more. “What do they want now?”

“Orders I guess. Pokemon aren't used to being out of their monster balls, remember? Usually its for a fight or some purpose, so give them one.”

“Like what?”

“Like, go outside and play. Or go take a nap.”

“Go fight each other until you aren't weaklings anymore.” Vamdemon said, and Bill shook his head quickly. He bent down and patted the two pokemon on the heads. “Take a nap it is then.” He muttered, seeing he had been overruled.

Bill stood up again. “You can't make them fight each other, they'll get confused! You make them fight other trainers pokemon.”

“So let them loose in that pen outside to fight yours.”

“That's not how its working either.” Bill sighed. “I'm not a fighter, remember? I'm a breeder, and a researcher, not a fighter.”

“Eh, whatever.” Vamdemon growled. “Let's get to cleaning that sty down stairs then. I don't feel like sleeping amongst levels of dirt again.”

“Right...” Bill said with a light laugh and descended into the basement. Rubbing his head, Vamdemon followed, knowing this venture would surely give him a headache.

If only writing my research paper was this fun... Hope this chapter was enjoyable. I'm going to try and update this a lot, since I'm having a bit of a block with my other story and feel that some time away from it will do me some good. REVIEW PLEASE, and thanks for reading.