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Chapter I

Road of Tears

It was the middle of the night, the air was choked with fog. One can see the mist as it formed the mildew for morning, how it hovered like a ghost in the most peaceful state. I hang tight to my Mama as she moved along on all fours pushing through the darkness. The mist broke apart from her steps, only to recollect itself once she past. The soft mating calls of at least a hundred bug-types echo through Viridian Forest, some of them looking for love, a few probably looking for a midnight snack to munch on.

The latter scared me, I pressed my face into my Mama's back as I hanged on tight. Her heartbeat was strong, her breathing fierce. I smelled her warm fur as she plowed through the bushes and big leafy plants, braving the dangers of the night to reach safety. Several times I let out a squawk when I saw something scary, but Mama ignored it. She knew I didn't mean it, Mama knew the way around her forest since she was my age, knew all the dangers, where the food grows, and the other Pokémon living out here. It was dangerous to be out in Viridian forest at night, the thick canopy blocked out all but the faintest rays of moonlight. I could barely see my hand in front of my face, I couldn't see any danger lurking around.

I was scared, but somehow relaxed, as Mama would surely protect me.

Her mama and daddy were Raichus. Raichus tend to have lots and lots of Pichus. Mama claimed that her mother bore 20 Pichus in the past 10 years. When she was all grown up, it was hard for her to leave the nest. I don't know how she did it, but she did. Mama told me she had other Pichu children, but they long since grown up and left the nest. I was her 4th Pichu, and her first little girl. I asked what had become of father, she didn't exactly said what happened to him. All my mother would say he was a Pikachu, with a scar that runs down his face.

Where ever were we going, I wonder why we must go under the cover of darkness. I didn't ask her, I just did what she told me. She said to hang on to her back, and hang on tight. Being a good little Pichu, I hanged on. I couldn't believe how strong Mama was, she ran fast, though careful not to throw me off. She crossed over a rushing stream on a rotten log, dodged ancient trees, and vaulted over giant rocks. We gotten as far as 3 kilometers I think, when she started to slow down she panted hard under her breath.

She was tired, I thought she was going to pass out. I got worried. When she slowed down to a crawl, she crawled up next to a mossy boulder and slumped down. I jumped off her back and tried to help her up, my eyes bulged with fear, "Pi Pi Pichu?" I asked. Are you alright, Mama?

Mama looked up at me with glossy black eyes, shining faintly underneath the moonlight, "Pikachu." I'm fine, Sweetie.

"Pichu?" Are you sure?

"Pi." Yeah.

She sat up and stretched her limbs, I hugged her belly tightly and she patted the back of the head. Mama was quite plush around the middle, probably from raising my brothers. It made her hugs more warm and loving. I tickle her every time I tug on her tender areas, it was always nice to hear her laugh, "Pi Pichu Pi?" I asked. Where are we going?

"Pika Pika." Mama answered. A more safer home.

"Pichu Pichu Pi?" What happened to our previous home?

Mama let out a depressing sigh, "Pikachu Chu." Human encroachment.

I remembered the development at the edge of Viridian, the humans drove big machines that plow the earth, clear cutting the trees to expose bright orange soil. It had been going on for just a few weeks, I never thought much of it. Mama strictly told me not to go near that place, so I didn't. Eventually the noise of human ingenuity and imagination grew so loud that it wore Mama's nerves raw. That was what drove her to relocate, I almost forgotten we were refugees from human civilization.

The humans took our ancient homeland. They rolled in the metal behemoths, knocked down the trees, and burn what remained. They build the structures, using wood they harvested from clear-cutting the land. They recycled a lot of their materials, but what can't recycle was burned on the spot. The world was getting smaller and smaller everyday, so small that there wasn't much elbow room for we Pokémon anymore.

"Pi Pichu Chu?" I asked. Why did they take our home?

"Pi Ka Kachu," said Mama, "Pika Pikachu." They didn't take our home, they destroyed it.

"Pichu Pichu?" Are they after us?

Mama shook her head, "Pikachu." I don't think so.

We sat there and listened to the bug-type lover calls. I clutched my Mama tightly when thunder cracked from afar, she stroke my ears and whispered a tune. I calmed down, I was just about to sleep when she jarred me awake, "Pika," she said, "Pi Pi Pika." Come on, we gotta get moving.

"Pichu." I complained. I'm tired.

"Pika Pika Pikachu." We'll get some sleep soon.

I got on my Mama's back and hanged on. She started slow at first, then picked up speed. She was running as fast as she was before, heading towards a destination unknown to me. I trusted her instincts, I knew I had to. I felt guilty for her to be this tired. My mother was putting all of her effort to protect me, she doesn't let up. She sheltered and fed me since I was born, I was everything to her.

When my mother slowed down again, I had to ask, "Pi Pi Pichu?" Are you tired?

"Pika." she panted. Yeah.

"Pichu Pichu Pi Pi?" Is there anybody who can help us?

She panted, "Pikachu." I don't know.

I rest my cheek on Mama's back and stared out into the black forest, the fog was getting thicker. Something told me that Mama didn't knew where she was going, how am I not surprised? She was scared as I was, or more scared. I can tell by the sound of her breath. The forest we knew and love feels like it was turning against us, sharpening our anxiety.

"Pichu, Pi Pi Pichu?" Mama, why are we traveling at night?

"Pika Pika." To cover more ground.

"Pi Pichu." Something doesn't feel right about it.

"Pika." I know.

Mama pushed through more bushes, then the bushes vanished. Before us was an asphalt road, as Mama called it. It was big enough for two human automobiles to pass side by side. Mama sniffed the road and looked down it, "Pikachu." This is a good start.

I looked down the road, I couldn't see anything beyond 5 meters. It was all fog.

"Pichu Pichu?" I asked. Where does it lead?

"Pikachu Pika." said Mama. Transformer yard.

I was lost, "Pichu Pi?" Transformer yard?

"Pika Pika Pika Pikachu, Pika Pika Pi." Place where humans speed up electricity for their power grid, it will shelter us for the night.

I shivered at the thought, "Pichu Pi?" Is it dangerous?

Mama shook her head, "Pikachu." Shouldn't be.

Mama kept a quick walking pace while crawling down the road, I relaxed my grip and rest my head on her back. I let out a yawn, I was so tired that I could sleep with my eyes open. Only the fear of being ambushed kept me awake, even if Mama was guarding me. I gazed towards where we were headed, it felt almost like a dream. All I could see was asphalt and fog. I barely see the outline of the trees, but they didn't seem to be there. The fog camouflaged them in such a way, their very existence was questioned. My heart stiffened with fear, a Tiny Mouse Pokémon like me shouldn't be out here even with their Mama at its side.

"Pichu Pichu Pi?" Did your mama ever moved her nest?

"Pika, Pika Pikachu." Once, when she was your age.

"Pichu?" How?

"Pika Pika Pikachu, Pikachu Pika." My mama faced a similar problem, so she moved me and my siblings somewhere else.

"Pichu Pichu?" Was it bad?

Mama shook her head, "Pikachu, Pika Pika Pika." I'm not sure how bad it was, all I know things turned out okay.

"Pi Pi Pichu?" Where is she now?

Mama thought for a moment before saying sorrowfully, "Pika Pi." I wished I knew.

I went back stairing off in the fog. I combed my mother's fur with my fingers as I tried to make out objects within the mist. The moonlight shined brighter on the road, but it was still quite dark. The night was getting quite cold, thankfully Mama's fur kept me warm. I thought about sleeping on her back, but I couldn't. The creepy noises of bug and flying-types howling and snickering in the distance made it impossible to sleep.

Thunder cracked again, this time I saw the flash before I heard the thunder. I tightened my grip, the thunderstorm was scaring me. I felt my mother jump every time she saw lightning, she too was scared of thunderstorms. Lightning can be mystifying, it's what comes after that was really scary. Kinda ironic for electric-types, especially for the Mouse Pokémon, who can create their own thunderstorms.

Just as I fell to near-sleep again, the world started to brighten. I rubbed my eyes and looked up, the sky was still dark. Suddenly there was this soft rising drone, followed by a loud buzzing noise that sounded like a fan. The world brighten as the drone got louder. Mama shot up and gasped, she turned around . . . everything happened fast.

"Pikachu!" she screamed. Take cover!

Before I knew it, she pried me off her back and threw me to the side of the road. Everything spun madly, I heard a loud crunch, then a squishy thud. I flopped on the asphalt with a grunt, then rolled into the ditch. I coughed as I shook the dust off my fur, I stood up on my hind legs and blinked. The world was dark again. I climbed back on the road and saw what just came by. A human automobile, pickup trucks as Mama called them, it lumbered away as fast as it came.

I stared at the red lights on its rear until the truck faded into the fog, when the lights vanished I looked around for my mother. Something happened, I soon feared the worst, "Pichu!" I called out, Mama!

No response.

I looked around wondering where she went. My head still spun from the spinning, I shook the dizziness away before getting my bearings. Like a curtain pulling up at a stage, the fog lifted, revealing Mama, lying face down on the side of the road. Her arm was bent in an awkward place, her foot smashed to putting. She wasn't moving.

"Pichu?" I asked. Mama.

I crawled up to my mother and shook her, she laid stiff as a brick, "Pichu, Pi Pichu." Mama, don't scare me.

I used all my strength and turned her on her back. I saw her face. She appeared to be sleeping, but . . . blood? . . . oozed out her nose and mouth. I felt her chest, it didn't feel right. It was all lumpy and jagged, was that her ribs? My heart raced, my eyes widened as I shook Mama again, "Pichu Pichu!" I pleaded. Mama, wake up.

No response.

"Pichu!" Mama!

Still no response.

I kept shaking her in panic, tears trailed down my cheeks as I felt my heart tore itself to shreds, "Pichu Pichu, Pichu Pichu!" Mama, wake up! Please, wake up!

I placed my ear against her chest and check for a heartbeat, there wasn't any. "Pichu!" I cried. Uh-no!

I stepped back and took a deep breath, my cheeks sparked with yellow electricity as I unleashed some of my power, "Pichu!"

Electricity arched from my body and onto Mama. She glowed bright yellow for a few seconds, I checked for a heartbeat again. My Thundershock did no good, I realized the horrible truth . . . my mother was dead . . .

Take cover! That was her last words. I sniffled and pressed my forehead against Mama's chest, "Pichu . . ." Mama . . .

I cried . . . I cried as hard as I could cry. A stream of tears trailed down my cheek, dripping on Mama's fur. The forest, as if it heard my grief, stopped all mating calls. The only sound I heard was my own grief. I cried. I had been orphaned, Mama had died, and I was all alone. Alone in the dark depths of Viridian Forest, with no help. I wasn't ready to be on my own, I was only a few months old. I didn't know what to do, I just don't know. I just don't know!

I wiped away a tear and stroke my mother's fur, her body was broken as my heart. Had she survived that wheeled beast, she would had suffered before she died. It was fast for her, I hope she didn't feel any pain. But to make it hard, I didn't get a chance to say goodbye . . . I pressed my head against her belly and let out another wave of tears, while the silence of the night continue to watch my despair.

. . .

I had no idea how long I mourned Mama's body. It felt like forever. My tears had long since dried, I couldn't cry anymore. I combed my fingers through my mother's fur. Her body cooled as the last of her soul faded away. There was no more love, no more warmth, just a shell of what used to fill it. I wasn't sure if there was another place, some heaven, that Pokémon go to. I kissed Mama on her cheek, it was time to leave, I couldn't stay here any longer.

"Pichu." I muttered under my breath. Goodbye.

Mama said there was a transformer yard down the road before she died, she said it was safe, but that was all she said about it. With no other plan in mind, it was my best bet. I was so tired, I just wanna sleep on the curb. The only thing on my mind was our destination, well, my destination now.

I glanced on last look at Mama, laying on her back at the curb. It would be the last time I would ever see her. I sniffled as I turned away, here goes nothing. I got on all fours and started running down the side of the road, as fast as I can. With my mother gone, the night just become more scary. The fear was reasserting itself with vengeance. My tiny feet were running as fast as they can, my lungs burned as I tried to keep pace. The fog got thicker and wrapped its grip around me, the outline of the trees faded. I was running blind.

The only thing I could see was the road, and the reflecting markers fixed to the curb. It helped me stayed on course, though I didn't really know where I was going. A part of me wanted to run back to my mother's body, but I couldn't, the forest was too scary for me to handle.

I heard the familiar sound of an automobile, it was approaching fast. I veered off into the curb and waited. Its headlights lit up the night as it passed by, it shining directly into my eyes. I yelped and fell backwards, after waiting for a brief second I poke my head up, just in time to see the car's red tail-lights to fade within the fog.

My heart pound furiously inside my chest, I breathed a sigh of relief.

A flash of light lit up the darkness, then the earth boomed. The lightning struck so close to me, every strand of hair on my body stood straight up. I screamed and ran. I heard a tree cracked, then the thomph! The smell of ozone and burning wood was so strong that I coughed, I looked back and saw the ghostly outline of a downed tree blocking the road. There was no turning back now.

Then I felt the first few drops of rain, it started as a sprinkle, then it poured into a shower. I continued running as the asphalt road became slick. My fur collected the rain and was drenched, when the wind picked up my body began shivering madly. The rain felt cold enough to freeze. I was exposed, I had to get out of the rain. But there was nowhere for me to go. The way back was barred, I can only go forward.

The shower quickly turned to a downpour, the ditch overflowed within minutes. I kept running as my muscles started locking up. Thunder boomed overhead as lightning snaked across the sky, the rain hissed loudly as it fell to earth. My eyes and ears were overwhelmed, for a moment I couldn't see where I was going.

I ran so fast I slipped, I flipped on the road and rolled into the flooded ditch. Ice cold water stabbed every corner of my skin as the world blackened, I somersaulted as I fought against the current. I swam to where I thought was up, my head poked out over the surface and I breathed fresh air. I swam back onto the road and shook most of the water off my fur, the frigid rainwater had drained most of my energy.

My eyes drooped as I continued down the road, walking in a zombie-like state. My hands, feet, and tail felt numb, I shivered so hard that my teeth chattered. Several muscles cramped up, feeling like sandpaper and rusted joints. Another flash of lightning helped wake me up, I stopped walking and started running, it felt I was running for kilometers.

Viridian Forest quickly gave way and the fog lifted. Up ahead I saw the transformer yard. It loomed in the distance. Purple lightning boomed in the horizon, leaving behind a fading glow in my eyes. When I got closer, I began to make out the details. It was surrounded by a chain-linked fence seemingly 3 meters tall. Several big metal boxes had wires snaking into them, which lead to these metal accordion statues. Wires then slither out their tops, they all conjoined into a single massive wire before sinking underground through a white plastic pipe. My mother said it was safe, but the skull and lightning-bolt warning signs said otherwise.

The transformer yard was elevated by a concrete platform, high enough away from the water. I leaped up and pulled myself up on the edge. I stared up at the fence, it towered over me like the trees, but it wasn't that opposing. The barbed wire strewn above it, however, seemed threatening enough. I stared at it for a moment, wondering how I was going to get through. I crawled across the edge and searched for a way. I soon found a small hole, a part of the fence that had rusted away. I squeezed through the hole and made my way inside.

The metal boxes hummed with energy. They felt friendly, I ran up to one and rubbed my back against it. The electric fields groomed my fur and tickled my cheeks, it gave off a steady heat that warmed my cold bones. The metal box made me feel better . . . somewhat better. After a few minutes of rubbing, my thoughts drifted back to Mama. I slumped down on my rump and stared up at the sky as rain continue to fall, the nearby outdoor lamp shined brightly, making the raindrops shine like diamonds.

I pressed my hand against my chest. It felt sore, broken. I was too tired to cry again. I just wanted to sit there, drift off to La La Land while the Goliath iron cases buzz and hum away. My hand flopped to my side into a forming rain puddle. I blinked and looked around. The concrete platform wasn't draining water properly, rain was pooling into large puddles. I was still under the wrath of the thunderstorm, still exposed. I took a deep breath and got up on my hind legs, my muscles felt so stiff I almost fell.

A large truck pulled up in front of the transformer yard. I panicked, I quickly ran towards the back, I crane my neck and frantically searched for a place to hide. There. Squeezed in between two huge metal boxes was large tin can, coated with a fine layer of dirt and rust. I ran towards it and crawled in, it was roomy and. Not only was it out of sight, it was also very good shelter. I got on my belly and peered back outside.

The truck was white as a ghost, it had an orange dome pulsing with a spinning light on the roof. It was a utility truck, the kind of trucks what people drive to service their power grid. Two humans got out. They wore black jackets and trousers and neon yellow hard hats. The humans walked up to the gate and unlocked it, I saw their shoes as they stepped on the concrete platform. It looked like thick rubber-sole boots, they appeared sturdy enough to crush a baby Pokémon like me. A chill ran down my spine, I scooted toward the back off the coffee can, as deep as it allowed. My butt kissed the back of the can as my nerves rocked with fright.

The humans approached one of the metal boxes and opened up a panel, I managed to get a closer look at their faces. One had a faint trace of red hair sticking out from the rim his yellow hat, the other had thick dark hair his hat could barely contain. The red-haired guy shined a flashlight into the panel and looked at something inside, "It ain't this panel," he said to his buddy, almost yelling over the hiss of the rain, "This sub-station is fine."

"Looks like the blackout didn't get this far." said the dark-haired guy.

"This storm is getting bad, we need to drive down Route 2 to check for any downed trees. It would cause travel problems in Viridian City if we can't clear it in time.

"Isn't that the same route they're building that new office building on?"

"Yeah, I think the locals are complaining about it because all of the Pokémon displaced there. What is the building called?"

"Viridian Corp. something."

"They might tap their power supply through this sub-station, the power lines stretch down the road towards the office building."

The red-haired guy fiddled with the panel before slamming it shut, "Let's get back to the power plant, I don't wanna be out in this rain any longer."

The humans lock the gate behind them and drove off in their utility truck. I was alone once again. A surge of fresh tears built up in my eyes, I held it back the best I could but it found a way out. They trailed down my cheek and drip down the tin can, I burrowed my head under an arm and sobbed. More thunder boomed overhead, the rain picked up again and dropped another wave of water. The concrete platform was high enough to avoid the floods and the coffee can sheltered from the rain, I should be safe, for now. . .

Safe . . . am I really safe? I was safe from humans, safe from the elements, but I still wasn't safe. I wasn't safe from my own thoughts, screaming in agony inside my little head. I wasn't safe, I couldn't protect myself from myself. I curled into a ball and laid helpless as each stray thought attacked my heart. They swooped down like famished birds, nipping pieces off of me with their beaks and talons. Their frenzied calls pierced my ears. I covered them with both hands, but it did no good. I whimpered under my breath as the relentless feelings pinned me in a corner, ready to devour me.

"Pichu!" I called out to the storm. Mama!

My cry for help went unheard, just an annoying squawk drowned out by the rain and wind. No mother couldn't ignore the screams of their helpless child, they were always there, always there for their young. But I had no mother, not anymore, so my cry for help went unheard – ignored – silenced by the fearsome thunderstorm.

"Pichu. . ." I let out a soft whimper. Mama. . .

I recalled the amount of times my mother had saved me from gruesome dangers. There was a time where I climbed up a tree because I wanted to see the top of the canopy, things would had been fine, if I hadn't looked down. I wasn't used to seeing tiny objects that were normally big, I got confused and slipped. As I fell back down to earth, I screamed at the top of my lungs. My mother was right there, she came in the nick of time and caught me before I hit the ground. I cried on her shoulders, scared from my experience, she soothed and hugged me saying I was alright.

I thought back to it, it was only about a month ago. How can being so high up disorient me? I never found the answer to that question, probably never will. I wondered to myself if that situation had any comparison to this . . . it doesn't. I let out a soft whine, this was a whole new experience for me.

The car that ran my mother over, whoever was driving, couldn't see us. The fog, the menacing fog, was so thick. How much time did my mother really had? She thrown me to the side of the road, then got ran overed in less than a second. It was so fast . . . so fast . . . why did it have to happen?

As the rain pound hard against the concrete platform, I struggled to sleep. I hadn't had any sleep since I'd left home for the last time. Now I didn't wanna sleep, I didn't feel like it. Sleeping alone wasn't the same as sleeping with my mother. Her warmth and reassuring hug helped me sleep through past thunderstorms, but this thunderstorm was more vicious than the rest. A powerful lighting bolt struck somewhere nearby, the boom rattled the tin can with sheer force.

I screamed. I was so scared, the only thing I could think of was screaming. I buried my face into my arm and shivered, the howling of the wind raged as my bad thoughts followed it up. I screamed until I had no voice to scream, I was all tired out. Under the oppressive power of the thunderstorm, exhaustion got the better of me, and the night closed in.

TO BE CONTINUED. . .