*Note, since we authors both live in different countries, we spell some words differently from each other, so in our stories you'll find both Mom/Mum, Center/Centre, Color/Colour, realized/realised, etc. It just depends on who wrote what part. So be prepared for a variety of spellings.
*The Meowth from last chapter is now shiny. (Looks like a regular Meowth except with pink ears, tail, and feet.)
* - "Dialogue written like this," Is human speech/Pokemon sounds. Humans and Pokemon understand this.
- 'Dialogue like this is Pokemon speech,' Pokemon understand this, human only hear Pokemon noises.
- Dialogue like this, Is telepathy or someone's thoughts. Only who's thinking/who the telepathy is directed at can understand this.
"Ivy, quick, use Twister!"
"Vee!" The small Snivy darted forward, releasing the purple mass of energy swirling from around her hands at the herd of Tauros. The Tauros snorted, all of them stamping their feet in displeasure as the dragon type move hit them. Ivy summoned her Vine Whip attack, cracking them against the ground, trying to get the stubborn Pokemon to move.
Lilly sighed, tapping her feet impatiently, "Why did Ash have to catch thirty of these things?"
Ivy let out a small growl in agreement. The bull Pokemon had figured out that they could jump higher than the fence, and enjoyed escaping from their paddock when they got bored, which was often. The professor didn't have time to get taller fences, so instead she and Lilly got the pleasant job of herding them back into their pen, "Sni!" She cried at the Tauros, begging them to get moving.
Finally the leader of the herd snorted, having enough of being pestered by Lilly and Ivy, and trotted back towards his paddock. Lilly leaned against the fence with a huge sigh of relief as the rest of the herd followed. She quickly counted them as they passed through the gate, slamming it shut as number thirty past through. Lilly panted, giving her Snivy a huge smile.
"Not much longer now," She said, "I'll be ten in just a month, then we'll be out of here! Out on a journey, no more stupid ranch work, but gym badges for the both of us!"
"Vee!" Ivy chirped, gym battles sounding much more appealing than the ranch chores Lilly was assigned to do. Lilly had learned the hard way that having Gary gone wasn't the best thing, since many of his jobs had fallen into her hands.
It had been nearly a year since Gary and Ash had left on their journey, and nearly a year since she had received Ivy. Though the duo hadn't gotten off on the best start, Ivy had soon grown use to her future trainer's... enthusiasm for things. Lilly had soon become aware that her Snivy enjoyed a bit of space and quiet, and had done her best to respect that. Though it had taken some time, Ivy had decided that this human was a good friend, and would be just as good as a trainer.
"Hey Lilly!"
"Pichupi!"
Lilly looked up, a smile spreading across her face as she watched Rose approach. Perched up on her shoulder was her small Pichu, who was waving both paws excitedly. The girl and the electric type were inseparable, both quickly bonding in just a short amount of time. Pika never wandered off anywhere unless Rose was in line of his sight, and Rose was never quite relaxed unless Pika was by her side. While not replacing her close bond she had with her brother, Ash, the Pichu was able to fill the emptiness that Ash had created when he had left on his journey.
"Hey Rose," Lilly said, "What's up."
Rose had a huge smile spread across her face, "Ash called today," She said, and Lilly nodded in understanding. A call from her brother would always make Rose's day, but the smile on her face seemed to suggest that wasn't all.
"And...?" Lilly asked, knowing that there was more.
"He's almost to Viridian City, he's going to be fighting there for his last badge," Rose said, "The professor said Gary would be battling there soon as well."
"Well," Lilly said as Ivy climbed up onto the fence, hopping onto Lilly's shoulder, smiling at Pichu, "They better swing by here, I want to see that idiotic brother of mine. And I know both you and Ms. Ketchum would have a breakdown if Ash didn't stop by if he was that close to home."
"Ash says he plans on visiting soon," Rose said, and she looked away slightly, "You know... Viridian is just the next town over... It'd be neat if we could go watch their last gym battles..."
Lilly ran a hand down Ivy's back, making the small Snivy chirp in pleasure, "Now that would be fun," She sounded like she didn't believe that it would happen, "A change in pace around here would be nice. Nothing exciting has really happened since they've left," She glanced at her Snivy, "Except you guys of course."
"Vee!" Ivy cried happily.
"Chu!" Pika cooed, climbing onto Rose's head. His cheeks sparked happily, proud of the climb. Rose gently picked him up, bringing him into a hug.
"But I'm serious," Rose said, "We should go to Viridian to watch their last gym battle!"
Lilly raised an eyebrow, "What about Gramps? He freaks out if I follow him out onto route one when he has his Dragonite with him! There's no way he's let me leave Pallet Town, even if it was to the next city!" Lilly looked away, "And I doubt that Delia would let you leave before we're trainers after what happened to our fathers..." Lilly trailed off quietly, and Ivy looked up at her curiously, tilting her head to one side.
They sat in silence for a moment, before Rose spoke up again, "I know, but this is our last chance to see our brothers earn a Kanto badge! Don't you want to see them in a battle?"
Lilly considered the possibility carefully and a smile crossed her face, "If we could go watch their battles that would be awesome, and it's not like we're tiny kids any more, we'll be trainers in just about a month anyways!"
Their faces lit up as the thought of becoming a trainer entered their minds. Rose looked down at the small Pichu in her arms, "We're almost there Pika! Soon we'll be traveling the world together!"
The small Pichu's eyes got wide with excitement. He looked up at Rose, a huge smile on his face, "Pichupi!"
"But back to the main problem, they'd never let us leave Pallet! They've never taken us out of this small town," Lilly said, "I've never see Gramps as mad as when we'd try to sneak out of Pallet when we were younger. Even your mom, who never gets mad, always got real upset with us if we tried to leave," Lilly shook her head, "They act like us leaving would be the end of the world."
"So what if they won't let us!" Rose cried, "We can just sneak out or something, they wouldn't see it coming! We haven't tried to sneak out in years, and like you said, we'll be old enough in a month, so why not now?"
Lilly hesitated, usually she wasn't one to cross her grandfather, but like with her first battle back when they got their Pokemon, Lilly couldn't resist bending the rules with Rose if she saw a good reason, at least a good reason in their eyes.
"Well..." Lilly muttered, "Ash's Tauros herd got back into their pen sooner than usual, so Gramps probably won't come looking for me for a bit, and it's still earlier morning, so if we hurry..."
Rose got a huge grin, "My mother is talking with your grandpa right now, so let's leave while they're distracted."
Lilly glanced at the Tauros pen, nodding, "Yeah. Let's cut through the forest on the ranch, they're less likely to see us there."
The two girls took off running into the small forest, and Ivy shared a glance with Pika. Professor Oak had personally requested them to protect the girls and to keep them out of trouble, but she was just as sick of being stuck in Pallet Town as Lilly and Rose were. She and Pika were strong, they'd protect the girls from any trouble on this quick little adventure.
Besides, what was the worse thing that could happen?
'This place is ever so dark,' Pika said to Ivy, the thick tree coverage had created an eerie darkness in the forest, cloaking it in shadow despite it being high noon. The Pokemon felt uncomfortable as they traveled deeper, but the desire to protect the girls was stronger.
'You bet,' Ivy muttered back. The forest on the professor's land was brightly lit and was a nice place to be, this forest only gave off a dark feeling, 'I don't remember a thick forest being like this on route 1... At least according on the maps Oak always had out...'
'It feels like something is about to happen,' Pika said, fearing the worst. Ivy gave him a glance.
'Never say that,' Ivy quickly snapped back.
"Um..." Lilly said, looking around, "Do you have any idea where we are? This forest doesn't remind me of anything on the maps in Gramps lab. The only forest like on them this is the Viridian Forest, but that's after Viridian City, we haven't passed any sort of city or town."
"But we went off the path, maybe somehow we have gone past it, in the darkness," Rose said hearing her own echo, "This place is giving me the chills"
Ivy considered the human's words, then glanced at Pika, 'Do you think we went around Viridian City and ended up in the forest? You're from Viridian Forest, right?'
'I am,' He muttered, 'And I'm afraid that we are in Viridian Forest…' Pika confirmed, 'We should turn back and try to find the trail.'
"Don't worry you two," Lilly said, cuddling her Snivy, "I'm sure Viridian City is just up ahead!"
'I wish the humans could understand us,' Ivy muttered, but all the girls heard was a series of, "Snivy vee sni!"
Pika kept shaking his head trying to make the girls understand, but Rose shrugged the thought off, she listened to everything Lilly was saying as they only pressed deeper into the forest, farther from the main trail.
"Mew!" A sharp, high pitched call echoed through the quiet forest, making the two girls and Pokemon jump at the sound.
"What was that?" Rose whispered, she looked at Lilly, who knew more about Pokemon from living with the professor.
"I- I don't know..." Lilly muttered, "N-no feline Pokemon l-live around here..."
The girls caught a flash of something pink darting through the lower hanging branches, as if something had been flying by. They all jumped again, Pika quickly scurrying up onto Rose's head, while Ivy scanned the tree line nervously. There was no more sounds or movements.
They began to shake, "Is something watching us?" Rose asked, "I feel like we're movie or something..."
"It's pink," Lilly muttered, taking a few hesitant steps ahead, "A-according to the research Gramps did p-pink Pokemon usually possess more caring and motherly natures... Like Chansey... or Clefable... or Audino..." She fell silent, since none of those Pokemon matched the description of what they just briefly saw.
"Is it a new Pokemon?" Rose questioned.
Lilly shook her head, the researcher in her taking over, "Probably not, the chances are very unlikely, maybe it's one of those shinies Gramps talks or a Pokemon a trainer released, so it wouldn't be native here. Let's go check it out," She took a few steps forward, fear gone, eyes gleaming with interest at the possibilities
"Maybe we should stay back," Rose said nervously, "It's too fast for a normal Pokemon you would expect to see in the forests, it could be dangerous," Rose looked around at the trees to try to catch another glimpse of the Pokemon.
Lilly pressed through the thick underbrush, trying to spot the bright pink Pokemon once more. Ivy chittered nervously on her shoulder, not quite as eager as her trainer.
"Meow!" A voice cried as Lilly stumbled into a small clearing, with the same high pitched voice as before. Lilly looked around eagerly, eyes scanning around until they made contact with a slim, cream colored creature. It's feet, ears, and tail were all tipped with pink.
The creature was a feline, "What Pokemon is that?" Rose asked Lilly. It looked familiar, but Rose hadn't been out of Pallet town and had only seen the Pokemon at Professor Oak's lab.
"It's a Meowth," Lilly muttered, "They're pretty common around cities. I've only seen pictures though, Gramps doesn't have one at his lab."
"Oh, It's a strange looking Pokemon," Rose said, recognition flashing in her eyes. She had seen a picture of it before too, now that she thought about it, but the pink on it just didn't look right on it. The feline looked upset, staring at them.
'Hello!' Ivy chirped to the Meowth, who was watching the two girls in shock, her blue eyes wide in surprise, 'Do you know the way to Viridian City by chance?'
'What are they doing out...' The Meowth muttered quickly, 'What are they doing...' She sounded panicked.
'Do you know them?' Pika asked, as he looked at the Meowth 'They can do what they please… we are protecting them!' He puffed out his chest proudly, and Meowth looked at Pika and Ivy with a stern face.
'No they cannot!' She replied sharply, and the hair on her back rose, 'Take them back to Pallet, now!' She hissed.
The two girls stumbled back, "Heh... I don't think she's too happy... Must have been abandoned or something..." Lilly muttered, only hearing hissing and snarls from the cat-like Pokemon.
"Maybe we should leave, I think she looks like she is going to attack us…" Rose said, watching the Meowth as she hissed. This wasn't the time to be picking fights.
Lilly nodded in agreement, glancing at Ivy, "Only attack if she does first," She muttered to the grass type, backing away slowly. The Meowth watched them, her tail twitching angrily.
"Same for you Pika," Rose whispered "Let's leave…" Pika nodded, he did not want to be in the presence of the Meowth any longer.
'Get them back there, now!' The Meowth snarled at Pika and Ivy, then jumped out of the trees and onto the ground, racing away into the forest without another word.
The two girls let out a small sigh of relief, continuing onto the forest. They were surprised by how little amount of the Pokemon they saw, they had always heard that off the trails was were all the Pokemon were, and they were far off the main path. Silence hung in the air, as if a constant presence was watching them. Minutes passed as they pressed on in silence, neither daring to say was they both were thinking until finally Rose let out a small sigh.
"We're lost," Rose said.
"Maybe we should have stayed on the path, better getting caught than getting lost like this..." Lilly muttered. What had seemed like a bright adventure back at the lab now seemed dim and dangerous.
"Next time we will!" Rose let out a nervous giggle. Rose looked up into the trees, and she quickly covered her mouth to stop a small surprised scream from escaping her mouth. Lilly threw her a confused glanced, and Rose gulped, "Lilly..." She whimpered quietly, "Look up... and please don't scream..." Lilly raised an eyebrow, but slowly looked up, letting out a small gasp.
A horde of Kakuna was asleep above them, each dangling from a thick String Shot attack. They blew gently in the wind, their hard shells clinking against each other. While there was only a few Weedle and its evolutions at Oak's Lab, both girls have heard plenty of stories about the aggression of the Beedrill line.
"O-okay..." Lilly gulped, "Let's just back up slowly, no noise now..." She stumbled back a few steps, eyes still glued to Kakuna covering the tree tops. Ivy, who was on her shoulder, glanced behind them, eyes widening. Suddenly two vines shot out of her neck, the Vine Whip attack quickly wrapping around a nearby tree, stopping hers and Lilly's retreat, "Ivy!" She cried, suppressing a small yelp from the sudden stop, then she turned around, "Oh my gosh!" Lilly screamed.
Rose turned as well, eyes widening, realizing that Ivy had just saved Lilly from a long fall into a huge gorge. Her feet were only a step away from the cliff slide, one more and they'd be falling into the deep ravine. The two girls stumbled forward away from the cliff's edge, only to stop as they heard a small hum.
Suddenly a bright glow engulfed the forest as dozens of Kakuna awakened, eyes gleaming angrily. Then each Kakuna entire body began to glow with a harsh white light. Rose's and Lilly's eyes widened as they slowly watched the Kakuna began to take a new form, huge wings sprouting from their backs, and legs forming from within the shells. They closed their eyes, along with the Pokemon as the mass of Kakuna slowly began to evolve, the light blinding them. The light died down, and a thick hum filled the air.
Lilly dared to open her eyes, "Oh no..." She muttered, watch a swarm of very angry Beedrills take form. Rose cracked open one eye, letting out a high pitched whimper. Ivy and Pika leapt down from their trainers, standing in front of them perfectly. With the cliff on one side and the Beedrill on the other, they were cornered.
'Intruders! Intruders!' The Beedrill hummed angrily, 'Interrupted evolving day! Interrupted evolving day!'
Pika's cheeks began to spark, 'We don't want a fight, let us pass.'
'Intruders! Intruders!' The swarm hummed together, 'Attack! Attack!'
The Beedrill raised their forearms, which were tipped with a huge powerful stinger. A half dozen darted forward, the tips of the stingers glowing a deep purple with a Poison Sting attack. Lilly and Rose flinched, and their Pokemon sprang into battle.
Pika released a Thundershock, the electric type move hitting several of the Beedrill. Ivy summoned her Vine Whip, slapping them against the incoming Beedrill. While Ivy's attack barely did anything to the bug and poison types, the force of her attack was able to knock the Beedrill off course, and they circled back around into the swarm.
While it was two against a few dozen, the Pichu and the Snivy managed to hold off the swarm for a little bit without taking any damage. The Beedrill were all recently evolved, and weren't yet use to their new mobile forms and wings. The bug types hadn't yet seemed to figure out that they could easily overwhelm them if they all attacked at once, nor have them seemed to realize how they could use flying to their advantage. They only would fly straight at them from one direction, a few at a time, then retreat back into the swarm. Ivy and Pika kept releasing Twisters and Thundershocks, but the Beedrill never permanently backed off. They glanced at each other, huffing.
'Stop!' The Beedrills hummed, 'Knock them down,' Their stingers glowed blue with a Twineedle attack, three attacking at once from different directions right at Pika, the main threat.
Ivy summoned her Vine Whip, knocking one away, and Pika released a Thundershock at the other two. The one that Ivy knocked away through didn't fly away like the others though, but instead turned to attack Ivy.
"Vee!" She let out a cry of pain as the Beedrill's stingers quickly were jabbed into her side twice, knocking her back. She quickly sprang back to her feet, but the Beedrill had already turned on Pika, hitting him with a Poison Sting while he was distracted. By the time Ivy hit him with a Twister and Pika with a Thundershock to chase him off, more Beedrill from the swarm had gathered around them, quickly realizing that they outnumbered the Pichu and Snivy, and could overwhelm them with their larger numbers.
"Meow!" A familiar high pitched voice cried, and a psychic blast came from behind the Beedrill. The bug types temporally scattered, allowing a sleek cream and pink Meowth dash forward towards the girls and the struggling Pokemon. The Meowth's charm gleamed pink, releasing another Psywave towards the Beedrill surrounding Ivy and Pika. They let out a screech as the psychic attack hit them, stingers holding their heads in pain.
The shiny Meowth spread out her claws, drenching them in a shadowy energy, slashing at the Beedrill. The Shadow Claw sliced at their thin skin, making them all quickly flee back into the safety of their swarm. The Meowth landed in front of the Snivy, Pikachu, and the two girls. She stood in front of them protectively, hissing at the Beedrill.
'You're that Meowth from before!' Ivy cried.
She looked back at them cooly, her blue eyes gleaming in anger, 'Yes, and I told you two to get the girls back to Pallet. Instead you've lead them deep into Beedrill territory, into a part of the forest that trainers rarely encounter,' She turned her eyes back to the Beedrill, 'And if these were normal Beedrilll, I could handle them with no problem. But of course they've been infected...' The fur on her back raised, and she released another Psywave at them.
For one little Meowth, the attack did a lot, causing some of the Beedrill to fall to the ground, letting out hisses. The rest of the swarm simply pressed closer.
'And what reason did we have to listen to a random Meowth?!' Ivy cried, 'You nearly gave us a heart attack back there!'
'What do you mean by "infected"?' Pika asked, glancing at the Beedrill. That's when the electric type noticed that these Beedrill looked different. He had been born and raised here in the Viridian Forest, but never had he seen Beedrill quite like these.
Instead of bright ruby red eyes, these Beedrills' eyes were a dark black. They lacked a bright yellow coloring, but instead had a pale sandy-colored body. Their wings were a deep gray, and their stingers looked like they had been dipped in tar. The Meowth was right, it looked like the Beedrill had been "infected" with a disease or something. But the bug types didn't look sick, in fact, they looked even fiercer.
'When they're infected with the Shadow's power there isn't much I can do myself,' The Meowth said, 'No more than this form will let me, and I'm afraid Meowths aren't know for their strength. I'll see what I can do, but when it comes to protecting the girls all of my energy resides inside of Pallet's border,' The pink Meowth lowered herself into a charging position, 'They're regrouping, get ready you two. Ranged attacks work the best,' Her charm glowed with psychic energy.
Ivy still didn't trust this strange Meowth, but having help with this swarm wasn't something she'd say no to. Ivy extended her leave-like hands, letting the purple energy of Twister swirl around them. Pika sparked his cheeks, building up an electrical charge as the Beedrill closed in.
The shiny Meowth released her Psywave, hitting a good chunk of the Beedrill. Pika and Ivy released a Thundershock and a Twister at the same time, hitting the remaining Beedrill. The Psywave did the most damage to the swarm, causing some to fall to the ground, fainted. But the Pichu and Snivy's attack did no more than bother the swarm. The Meowth twitched her nose, glancing back at the two terrified girls.
'I can't keep this up!' Pika cried in frustration, firing another Thundershock.
'Neither can I,' The Meowth said, 'It's a shame they now naturally resist my power. Not much more that I can do,' She fired one last Psywave, then turned towards the Snivy and Pichu, rearing up onto her hind legs. Her paws began to glow light pink, 'This whole area is slowly becoming infected, my powers will soon be useless here. I can't even teleport out here at the moment. I'll go see if I can get some assistance, take the last of my strength,' She fired pink energy at the two Pokemon, 'Do with it what you want.'
With that the Meowth turned, claws gleaming with Shadow Claw. She ran forward, slashing through the swarm, carving a temporally path through them for her to run through. Pika and Ivy stumbled as the pink energy hit them.
"Wait!" Lilly cried, "Please don't leave us!" She sounded panicked.
The shiny Meowth only flicked a pink ear as she ran, then she was gone. The Beedrill quickly closed the gap she had created, leaving no way for them to run. Rose took a hesitant step back, standing dangerously near the edge of the cliff.
Pika and Ivy groaned as the strange Meowth's energy rushed through them, increasing their power. They felt it winding through them, trying to find a way out. Ivy gritted her teeth as the power wove through her, and she glared at the direction that the Meowth ran off in.
'Fine then!' She spat, 'Run you coward! Maybe my future trainer isn't perfect, but she's still my friend!' Ivy raised her hands up, and a green energy began to glow around her tail. The air around the leaf on her tail began to churn, whipping around her tail as sharp leafs began to form. The Leaf Tornado swirled faster around her tail, and she swung her body around, catching half a dozen Beedrill in her new attack.
The Beedrill hovered uncertainly, not sure of what to do with the new powerful attack. Pika took a step forward, a serious look entering his eyes.
'That's right! Rose is my bestest friend ever, and I'll do anything to protect her,' He sparked his cheeks at the Beedrill, 'She brought a happiness into my life, and I won't let anyone take that from me!'
Pika suddenly became engulfed in a powerful glow, white light radiating from his body. Ivy glanced over at her friend in surprise, watching as the small Pichu began to glow, his flat ears becoming tall and thin, and his small tail growing into a longer zigzagging shape. His body began to grow in size, his frame becoming slim and muscular. When the evolutionary light faded the small Pichu was gone, now a sleek Pikachu in his place. The Beedrill drifted back uncertainly.
"...Pika?" Rose muttered, and her newly evolved Pikachu glanced back at her, his coppery eyes gleaming with determination. The childish look was gone, a confident demeanor radiating from the Pikachu. His cheeks were a glossy bright red, and his fur a deep golden yellow. There was a small tuft of fur on his head, and he turned back towards the Beedrill, darting forward.
He became encased in a silvery light, dashing towards the Beedrill with a Quick Attack. He slammed into one, then turned in his new speedy form, releasing a powerful Thundershock at the Beedrill. The Beedrill hummed angrily, looking at one another. Then the Beedrill all at once rushed forward, attacking. Pika the Pikachu released a series of Thundershocks into the swarm, while Ivy swept the area in front of the girls with her Leaf Tornado.
The Pikachu quickly became the main target, and he tried to weave his way through the Beedrills with Quick Attack, releasing Thundershock after Thundershock. A few Beedrill were on the ground, fainted, but it didn't matter with dozens more still attacking. Ivy struggled more than ever, at a horrible type disadvantage with the bug and poison types. She ran forward, Tackling a Beedrill that got too close to the humans, only for it to retaliate with a Poison Sting.
'Ugh...' Ivy muttered as her scales became tinted purple- she was poisoned. She huffed, releasing a wide ranged Twister in front of her, trying to keep the Beedrills away from the two human girls. She stumbled a bit, and the Beedrill chittered excitedly, knowing that she was becoming weaker. She fired another Leaf Tornado at a group of Beedrill at came too close, but they took the grass type move with no trouble, only flying back up into the air after being knocked down. Ivy groaned, releasing another Twister at them, taking her eyes off of Lilly and Rose for a moment.
Pika jumped back as several Twineedle attacks came at him, and he swung his tail around, knocking away a Beedrill that tried to attack him from behind. The Pikachu huffed, loving and hating his new form at the same time. He loved the speed and power his Pikachu shape brought, but Pika was struggling with the unfamiliar form. He kept mistiming his speed, not use to his new swiftness. His electrical attacks were much easier to aim and control, not to mention that they were more powerful, but he didn't' expect that every time he released a Thundershock. It kept throwing him off, since he expected to still be a small clumsy Pichu.
The long tail was useful though, providing nice balance, and it acted like a club for any Pokemon attack from behind. He swung it side to side, distracting the Beedrill with the Tail Whip attack as he powered up another Thundershock with Charge. The Beedrill groaned as the electrical attack hit, paralyzing a few of them. Pika let out a sigh of relief, he didn't know Thunder Wave nor did he have the ability Static, so the paralysis was a nice surprise. He turned to another group of Beedrill, glowing as he used Charge again. Pika's cheeks sparked as he fired another Thundershock, but froze as something caught his eye.
Ivy was overwhelmed with several Beedrill, stumbling about as poison slowly sapped her strength, but that wasn't the big problem. With Ivy weakened and surrounded, Rose and Lilly were left wide open. A Beedrill turned his attention towards Rose, his black eyes gleaming dangerously. The Beedrill sped at Rose as she watched Ivy in worry, unaware of the Poison Sting coming right at her.
Pika's eyes widened as he realized that his precious trainer was only a few steps away from the cliff's edge, if the Beedrill managed to hit her at the speed it was currently going, she would-!
"Pikapichu!" He screamed, 'Rose!' He sped towards his friend with a Quick Attack, desperation dripping from his voice as he ran towards his trainer. Rose turned, eyes going wide in fear as she watched the Beedrill dive down at her, stingers glowing a harsh purple with a Poison Sting.
Pika threw himself into the air, placing himself between the Beedrill's stinger and Rose. His Quick Attack knocked the Beedrill away from his beloved trainer, but the Beedrill swung his other stinger around, stabbing the Pikachu in the stomach with Poison Sting. The force of the attack launched him away, right over the cliff's edge. Pika didn't even look down, only firing a final Thundershock at the Beedrill, knocking it to the ground.
"Pika!" Rose screamed as he watched her Pokemon begin to plummet over the edge.
Her Pikachu looked at her, eyes coppery eyes gleaming as he fell, "Pikapichu!" He cried to her, free falling into the gorge below.
"No!" Rose screamed, "Pika!" She fell to her knees, desperately looking over the edge, hoping that the electric type had found a ledge or a branch- something to keep him from falling to his death. All she saw was a bright flash of light, as if the Pikachu had been firing desperate Thundershocks as he fell. She stared down the cliff side- she couldn't she him- She couldn't see him! "N-no! Pika!" She screamed.
"Sni... vee?" Ivy whimpered, staring at the cliff's edge in shock, "Snivy sni! Snivy sni!" She cried.
Lilly only stared in horror, her nine year old mind racing as it tried to piece together what happened.
"Beezzz!" The Beedrill hummed triumphantly, realizing that the only threat was now gone. Ivy weakly raised her arms, trying to form a Twister attack, but it only sputtered out in her sorrow and fear. Lilly turned her eyes towards the Beedrill, eyes wide. Rose could only stare down at the cliff, hoping for some sign of her best friend.
The Beedrill raised their stingers, moving in.
"Pidgeotto, Wing Attack! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" An angry voice cried from behind the Beedrill. The swarm paused, humming uncertainly, only for a large bird to charge at them, wings glowing harshly as she cut through the mass of Beedrill with the super effective move. The Pidgeotto landed in front of the now-trio, cawing harshly at the swarm.
"Chu!" A voice cried, and a powerful bolt of electricity struck the swarm, electrocuting the entire mass. The Pidgeotto raised flapped her wings harshly, releasing a powerful Gust into the Beedrill, creating a hole in the swarm.
A boy with raven black hair and a red cap came charging through the swarm, a Pokeball in each hand, and an angry look on his face. A bright yellow Pikachu sat on the boy's shoulder, cheeks sparking. The boy's brown eyes gleamed dangerously as he released two more Pokemon, "Bulbasaur, Squirtle, cover Rose and Lilly! Pidgeotto and Pikachu, keep attacking!" He cried.
The Pikachu sprang off of his shoulder, and the Pidgeotto rose into the air, preparing their attacks. The Squirtle and the Bulbasaur took up defensive positions in front of Lilly and Rose, ready to attack any Beedrill that came near.
Ivy looked up at the boy, though it was her first time seeing him in real life, she recognized him from the video calls and pictures. This was Ash Ketchum- Rose's older brother.
Rose raised her head, staring at Ash as if he had never seen him before. Tears ran down her face as she tried to comprehend what had just taken place. Ash was here- and Pika was gone.
The rage on her brother's face was foreign to her- Ash was positive, naive, and silly. The ten year old trembled in anger, looking much older than he was. Though only a year older than the girls, he carried himself as if he were an adult- something that Ash never acted like.
The Bulbasaur fired a Razor Leaf, and the Squirtle a Water Gun as the Beedrill began to attack once more. Ivy stumbled, collapsing to the ground, too weak to continue. The Pidgeotto and Ash's Pikachu hammered the Beedrill with attacks, but only put a small dent in the swarm. Ash narrowed his gaze thinking. Two voices could be heard in the distance, calling for him, but he ignored that.
"Not leaving, huh?" He muttered at the Beedrill, and he grabbed another Pokeball, "Then you leave me no choice, you won't like this guy."
His Pikachu glanced back at him, eyes widening at the Pokeball in his hand, 'Not him Ash!' Pikachu cried, though all Ash heard was, "Pikachu Pikapi!"
Ash opened up the Pokeball, releasing a very grouchy looking Charizard, "Charizard," Ash ordered angrily, "Use Flamethrower on those Beedrill! Torch them all!" The winged lizard raised his head, eyes gleaming unhappily, snorting as he eyed the Beedrill swarm. He swung his gaze around, glaring at his trainer, as if horrified at he had been given a command.
The Charizard opened up his mouth, preparing the attack he had been ordered, but he was aiming right at Ash instead of the Beedrill, but then the Charizard paused as he saw the look on Ash's face. His trainer was a stupid, whiney boy, and only useful for target practice. But he didn't see that boy now, instead a very angry boy that looked like was ready to burn the whole forest down himself. It wasn't just the angry look on Ash's face, but it was radiating from his trainer. He could feel Ash's rage rolling off of him in great waves.
The Charizard shuddered, a mixture of respect for the new side of his trainer, but also fear. An angry trainer was never good, and memories of his time with Daiman surfaced. Rage and fear built up in Charizard as his thoughts turned to his old trainer.
"Ash!" A female voice cried, and Charizard saw Misty and Brock standing on the outside of the Beedrill swarm, and Misty froze, "Oh no- Brock, he let out Charizard!"
Charizard wanted to blast Ash with a Flamethrower, to remind the stupid trainer of his place- that he wasn't some tool to control- that he couldn't be insulted by being thrown into fights with weaklings- or be bothered with his mindless commands, but the deep fear was stronger in Charizard. He had never seen Ash this angry, and it only brought back memories of when Damian was angry. It had always hurt when Damian was angry, and fear ran through Charizard.
Charizard wheeled around to face the Beedrills, releasing a Flamethrower as ordered right at the bug types.
Pikachu, the rest of Ash's team, Misty, and Brock stared at Ash and Charizard in shock as the fire type obeyed, repeatedly blasting the swarm over and over again, fainting every Beedrill that the fire hit with only one attack. Within only a few powerful Flamethrowers the Beedrills were down, writhing on the ground, covered in huge burns. Charizard fired one last Flamethrower for good measure, not concerned at all as some of the forest caught fire.
Charizard blinked, taking in what he had just done. He had listened to the stupid kid! He spun around, angry that he had let fear control him. But before he could do anything Ash had his Pokeball raised, returning the fierce Pokemon without a word. Ash took a deep breath as the Charizard was recalled, slipping the Pokeball onto his belt. He glanced at his Pokemon, who were still staring at him.
"Use Sand Attack and Water Gun to put out the fire," Ash said coldly, angry still in his tone, but it was now controlled, "Don't let it spread."
Pidgeotto let out a cry, kicking up sand and dirt to suffocate the flames as Squirtle fired jets of water from his mouth to put out the flames. Misty and Brock were gawking at Ash, not sure of what to make of this new attitude of his. Finally Misty released her water Pokemon and Brock let out his Geodude to help put out the fire caused by Charizard. Misty squirmed at the sight of the bug Pokemon, but carefully stepped over the burned and fainted Beedrills, making her ways towards Ash.
"I don't believe it!" She cried, "Charizard listened to you for once!" She glanced at Lilly and Rose, who were sitting there, shaking, "Now I see why you ran off suddenly, always trying to play the hero."
"Ash," Brock asked, noticing that Ash was shaking in his rage, "Are you okay?"
Ash spun around to face Rose and Lilly, glaring at them angrily. He sputtered out every word, as if trying to keep himself under control, "And what," He snarled at them, "Do you think you two are doing out of Pallet Town?!"
Lilly flinched at her neighbor's rage, but Rose didn't move. She just stared down at her hands, eyes empty and hollow. She didn't even seem like she had heard Ash. Misty and Brock fell silent as Ash continued addressing the girls.
"Do you think that everything is just a game?!" He growled, "Clear rules were laid out for you, and yet you think it's just fine to mess around?! In the unmarked parts of the Viridian Forest as well! What would have happened if I hadn't been around to protect you just now? Those Beedrill weren't just having an average battle- one of you could have died!"
Rose burst into tears at the last word, springing to her feet, and running forward towards Ash. She threw her arms around her brother, sobbing into his chest. The rage instantly died down a little from his face, gaze softening as he looked at his younger sister. He returned the hug, but a stern look remained on his face.
"P-P-Pika!" Rose choked out, "P-p-please! F-find h-him!" She pointed out towards the cliff, "P-please help h-him Ash! Please!" She broke down, shaking.
Ash glanced towards the cliff edge, "What?"
Lilly managed to find her voice, "P-pika, her Pich-Pikachu, he took an attack for her and he fell!"
Ash's Pikachu's ears went up in alarm, "Pika!?" He cried, looking around the forest for his cousin, but saw no sign. He looked at the cliff edge that Rose had pointed to, and he began shaking, "P-pika...?" He looked at Ivy, who was still poisoned. The grass type glanced away, tears in her eyes.
All the rage evaporated from Ash's face, and he wrapped his arms even tighter around Rose, "P-pidgeotto, go now into the ravine. Look for a Pichu- or a body of one," Ash gulped.
"He's a Pikachu now," Lilly whispered as Rose let out a whimper, she was shaking, "H-he evolved before he took an attack for her..."
"A Pikachu body," He muttered, and Rose sobbed even harder. Ash's own Pikachu raced forward, jumping onto Pidgeotto's back as she got ready to go down into the gorge. Ash glanced back towards Misty and Brock, who were watching the scene before them in pure confusion, "If you could let Zubat out to help that'd be nice," He muttered.
Brock nodded, pulling out a Pokeball, and releasing his Zubat from its Pokeball. He quietly gave the flying type instructions as Ash sat down with Rose, rocking her gently in his arms, "It's going be okay," He muttered, "Just breath Rose, just breath..."
Brock's Zubat dove into the ravine with Pidgeotto and Pikachu, letting out high pitched cries as he searched. Silence fell upon the small group except for Rose's sobbings. Lilly stumbled over to Ivy, picking up the poisoned took notice of this, quickly pulling out some medicine for the grass type.
Ivy sat quietly in Lilly's grip, rocking back and forth, not lifting up her head until she heard the sound of something running through the forest. Soon the humans picked up on it as well, stiffening as they heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.
An Eevee leapt out of the bushes, looking head to attack. He paused after a moment, blinking his big eyes at Rose, Lilly, and Ash. The group stared at the Eevee until his trainer broke through the bushes, panting as if he had been running. The green eyed trainer looked up, taking in the scene around them. After a moment his eyes went to Ash.
"Are they hurt?" He asked, and Ash shook his head, and the boy let out a sigh of relief.
"Gary!" Lilly cried at the sight of her older brother, and she dashed towards him. He glanced at her, quickly bringing her into an embrace as she approached, but the action seemed to be more out of protection than affection. Gary kept one arm around her, eying the Beedrill. Ash finding them way out here was one thing- but Gary as well? That wasn't a coincidence.
"Mrow!" A pink Meowth jumped out from the bushes, sitting next to Gary's Eevee. She licked one paw, completely relaxed. Ivy glared at her angrily.
'If you hadn't ran off Pika wouldn't be at the bottom of that gorge!' Ivy screamed at her, 'You dare show your face again?!'
The Meowth eyed Gary and Ash, 'You're right, he wouldn't be at the bottom. He'd be dead here on top with all of you. If I hadn't ran off then the boys wouldn't know where you were. You would all be goners, and the Beedrill had fully intentions of killing.'
"Calm down Rose, Pika wouldn't want this…" Ash said calmly as he stared his sister straight in the eyes, he was worried about her and was devastated about Pika, "If only I got here sooner..." He muttered, clenching his fists.
Misty stood off to the side, unsure of what to do while Brock approached Lilly, offering an antidote for the poisoned Snivy. Lilly accepted the medicine, but Ivy didn't respond as Lilly offered it to her. The grass type kept staring at the side of the cliff, shaking, hoping that the flying types would come back with some sign that Pika was alright.
Rose kept clinging on to Ash, crying as he comforted his sister in her time of mourning. All the anger was now gone, as he quietly held his younger sister.
Ivy eyes were red from tears, she couldn't stop, even as Lilly forced the antidote down her throat, 'My...my best friend… gone,' She muttered, trying to digest what had just happened, 'If we never left Pika would still be alive...' Ivy started to cry harder, Lilly held the Pokemon tightly in her arms, but looked like she needed comfort herself.
The pink on the Meowth gleamed as she took a few steps towards the fainted Beedrill, touching them with one paw. 'They are no longer infected,' She muttered simply, 'Expected, it is gone as soon as it has no more use for the host,' The strange blackness was gone from the bug types, they now looked like regular Beedrill.
'What do you mean by "infected"!?' Ivy demanded, chittering angrily.
The Meowth looked at her, but didn't reply.
"What are they doing out here?!" Gary snarled at Ash angrily, "You know they can't leave Pallet Town!"
Ash glared at his rival cooly, standing up, "I found them out here, being attacked by a bunch of corrupted Beedrill. Do you honestly think I'd bring them out here?!"
"What do you mean corrupted?" Gary said, glancing at the fainted Beedrill, "These are normal Beedrill."
"They are now, but I know what I saw. We need to get these girls back to Pallet right now," Ash grabbed Rose's shoulder.
"N-no..." She muttered, "P-pika-!"
Ash sighed, then looked at Gary, "Her Pichu fell off the cliff in the attack, my Pokemon are looking for him right now. Can you get the girls to Viridian safely?"
"I will," Gary nodded his head "Come on Eevee!" The brown fox dashed towards his trainer, jumping onto his shoulder.
"Thank you Gary," said Ash as he gave Rose and Lilly a hug "Go home now," Ash said calmly as he held back his emotion.
Rose and Lilly quietly followed Gary to Viridian, heads hung low. Rose couldn't speak, eyes staring straight a head in disbelief. Lilly cradled Ivy, her gaze flickering between Rose, her Pokemon, and her brother.
Ash was quiet as the girls and Gary left, only staring over the cliff, waiting for his Pokemon to return. Misty jumped as a few the Beedrill started to awaken, but they didn't attack, only flew off weakly.
"I'm... impressed," Brock said slowly, "I think that's the first time you and Gary have ever gotten along, somewhat."
Ash didn't answer right away, "Rose and Lilly are more important than some stupid rivalry."
"Who were those girls anyway?" Misty asked. Ash hesitated for a moment.
"My neighbors..." Ash said quietly, "They're both my neighbors..."
"Really?" Brock said, "You seemed close to them."
"... When you come from a small town like Pallet you're close to everyone," Ash said slowly, walking away, waiting for Pidgeotto to return with Pikachu.
Gary hung up the video phone in the Pokemon Center, walking back towards the girls, "Gramps is coming to pick you two up, and he's not happy. Ms. Ketchum was panicking," He sighed, "I wouldn't be surprised if Gramps made you guys delay your journey for a stunt like this."
"I don't want to go on a journey!" Shouted Rose, as her eyes welled up with tears, "Not without Pika!"
The Pokemon Center fell silent at Rose's scream, glancing towards the trio. Gary hesitated, as if trying to find someway to comfort Rose, but he didn't seem to know what to say. Lilly threw her arms around her best friend, and Ivy made small cooing noises.
"Don't worry Rosie," Lilly whispered, "I won't leave without you. I'll stay with you until you're ready to go on a journey."
Rose didn't respond, and the doors to the Pokemon Center slid open. Ash walked in, expression unreadable. Pidgeotto was on his shoulder, and Pikachu in his arms. The small electric mouse had tears in his eyes. Misty and Brock walked in as well, keeping their distance. Rose looked up, the smallest amount of hope in her eyes.
"... Pika...?" She whispered quietly to her brother. Ash looked away, closing his eyes, and Rose began to shake, "N-no..."
"We couldn't find a body," Ash said hollowly, "There was a river at the bottom of the ravine, it was mostly likely swept away," He refused to make eye contact, and Lilly couldn't help but wonder if they had really found the body, but just didn't want Rose to see it. The remains of a fall from a cliff would not have been pretty.
"Rosie..." Lilly muttered quietly as Rose began to sob once more.
"Come on," Ash said gently, "Let's get you home."
Outside the Pokemon Center a pink Meowth watched them. After a moment she dipped her head, teleporting away.
That's the end of the prologue (This part was pretty long!) Next chapter will lead into the main part of the story, where Rose and Lilly will be sixteen, and Ash and Gary will be seventeen. It will take place during Ash's Kalos journey. Thank you for reading!
