Sup guys! I'm really glad everyone's enjoying this story!(: It really makes my day! I hope you enjoy this next chapter, and please remember to review! It keeps me motivated on the story!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Any dialogue in pokemon language will be in italics!

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"Children, wake up

Hold your mistake up." ~Arcade Fire


Ash's P.O.V.

Distant voices and jumbled memories swirled throughout his mind, becoming louder and louder.

The van door slammed shut, sealing Pikachu inside its black walls.

Ash's eyes snapped open, inhaling sharply.

"P-PIKACHU!" he wailed, jerking upwards into a sitting position. He immediately grimaced, clutching his side as pain shot through it. Gazing frantically around himself, he took in all the sights of the hospital room he was in, searching...searching for his Pikachu and hoping it was all a dream.

He turned his head, finally noticing Brock, May, and Max all sitting at his bedside. Their eyes were full of concern, and Ash stared back at them with pleading eyes. They remained the same. It wasn't all a dream, it really happened.

"Oh god..." Ash choked, throwing the bed sheets off of himself and stumbling out of the bed with teeth clenched in pain.

"Ash!" May suddenly exclaimed, as all three of them sprang out of their chairs and grabbed on to him.

"You need to take it easy, you got hit pretty hard!"

"Let me go!" Ash cried, twisting this was and that to escape their grasp "They got him, they really got him! I need to find him! I need to save him!" he suddenly twisted sharply, throwing himself away from them and making a move for the door.

Brock's hand snapped out and snatched him by the collar of the shirt, "Ash! Will you just listen to us!"

"NO!" he growled, his voice cracking as he fought to free himself, "Let me go, right now!"

Losing his patience, Brock tugged Ash back with all his strength, sending the weakened boy stumbling backwards into his bed. May and Max grabbed his other arm tightly, as Brock clutched the other. "Ash, you need to-"

"NOO! I need to go right now!" Ash bellowed, tears were now coursing down his cheeks as he snarled and twisted this way and that.

"Ash-"

"I PROMISED HIM!" Ash screamed hoarsely, tears flowing freely down his cheeks, "I PROMISED HIM I WOULD SAVE HIM AND I DIDN'T! IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" he sucked in a sharp breath, sobbing loudly.

May released his arm, wrapping her arms firmly around him in a comforting hug. Max and Brock did the same, clinging to the crying boy and holding him down. Ash's struggling faded, his will to fight gone as he succumbed to his grief and sobbed openly. His best friend, the Pikachu who always stood by his side was snatched away in that instant, and Ash had no idea where he was.

He had never felt so lost in his life.

His wracking sobs slowly dwindled into quiet whimpers, his head hanging downwards as he drank in the comfort his friends were giving him.

...

Pikachu's P.O.V.

Thump.

Thump.

Pikachu squinted his eyes tighter shut, flattening his ears as he awoke slowly. His head...Oh his head hurt so badly. His entire body felt numb, from his pawtips to the end of his tail. He could vaguely feel himself...bouncing?

Thump.

His little brown eyes cracked open slowly, dim lighting and colors swirling before his eyes. A rush of dizziness overcame him, making him want to close his eyes again.

Pikachu's little black nose wiggled this way and that, but his senses were dulled too. Memory foggy, Pikachu's paws tightened on to the cold thing below him. What had just happened?

As the minutes passed, Pikachu's senses slowly came back to him and the fogginess of his mind faded. Memories of the recent events suddenly came crashing into his mind like a brick wall, and Pikachu immediately felt sick to his stomach again. No, no...Please no.

Eyes opening cautiously, Pikachu felt an overwhelming wave of grief crash over him as he took in the dark, cramped area all around him. He was trapped in a cage, and he could hear the undeniable hummer of a helicopter blade above him, along with the uneasy feeling of being up in air.

He had been captured, and they had taken him away from Ash.

Pikachu felt terror like none before, curling into himself and flattening his ears. "Pika-Pi..." he whimpered softly. Tears pushed at his eyes, never had he felt so scared in his life.

But he refused to cry. There was still a way out of this, as hopeless as the situation seemed. He would escape, and he would find Ash. Even if he died trying. Sniffling and swallowing another whimper, he choked down his fear and replaced it with new determination.

"Chuuu...Pika!" Pikachu hollered, summoning up an iron tail attack and striking the cage with it. It was to no avail.

"Chuuu..Pika!" Pikachu tried again, "Chuuu...Pika! Chuu...Pika! ! CHUUU..P-Pika! C-chu...Pika! Chu..Pika.."

Pikachu panted from the effort, already feeling exhausted. The earlier events had left him weaker, and he was losing energy fast. He stopped, pausing and gasping to catch his breath.

A quiet whine came from the corner, "E-Elec...t-trike?"

"Pika?" Pikachu's ears perked up, twitching for a moment.

"E-Electrike!" came a frightened yelp.

Pikachu whipped his head around, turning to a darkened corner of the helicopter. There trapped in a cage much like his own, was a cowering Electrike, shaking in fear.

Pikachu placed his paws on the bars of his cage, staring at the other pokemon, "Did they capture you too?" Pikachu asked it.

The Electrike glanced nervously at him, before whimpering again, "Yes."

"Don't worry, I'll find a way out of this cage and I'll get you out too!" Pikachu exclaimed, a determined gleam in his eyes.

It didn't respond, only whimpering once more and cowering further. Pikachu chose to ignore the doubtful other pokemon, and began to strike at the bars of the cage repeatedly again with iron tail.

This action had caused a whole lot of racket, and before long the door slid open on the helicopter.

"What are you doing up?!" Stephan roared, "Were not even there yet!"

Pikachu rounded on the man, cheeks ablaze with angry electricity. He took in every detail of his captors, loathing in their presence and what they had done to him and Ash. He snarled. Never had he felt so angry in his life. "PIIKACHU!"

"Angry, are we?" Stephan chuckled, approaching the cage, "I do hope you forgive us for tearing you away from your trainer, but alas, that's life now isn't it?"

Pikachu snarled, taking a step back. He glanced nervously at Stephan's right hand, which was holding a syringe of tranquilizer solution.

"Life isn't fair, little Pikachu..." Stephan clucked his tongue, stepping closer, "Sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. But in the end, you just gotta..." he glanced at the syringe before making a dive at Pikachu. Pikachu cried out, trying to dodge away from it, but there was no way to move around in the cage. He gritted his teeth and whimpered in pain as he felt the syringe stick him in the side, the liquid contents draining into him and immediately making his head spin with drowsiness.

Stephan stood up, chuckling darkly, "...Stick with it." before turning and retreating back through the small door.

Pikachu swayed this way and that, feeling sick again. His head spun dangerously, and before he knew it, his world turned black and he hit the bottom of the cage with a thud. The world faded away into unconsciousness, the humming of the helicopter and the whimpering Electrike disappearing with it.

...

Ash's P.O.V

Ash lifted his head drowsily, dried tear tracks making his cheeks sticky. He didn't know how long he cried, only that it was gone now and all that was left was a dull throbbing pain in his heart. May, Max, and Brock released him from their hugs, sitting back onto the bed with him and staring at him worriedly.

A sudden thought made Ash sit straight up in panic, completley forgetting about it, "Brock, where are m-"

"Right here." Brock seemed to have read his mind, reaching into his backpack and retrieving all his pokeballs the Gengar had taken, "They're all ok, Nurse Joy checked over them. Right before those guys took off, the Gengar had tossed all of our pokeballs into the woods before vanishing. I guess he took them just as a distraction while they went after..." Brock trailed off, seeing Ash stiffen.

"Thanks." Ash grunted, grabbing them and clipping them back onto his belt.

"One more thing..." May started cautiously, also reaching into his backpack and digging around for something. She too retrieved a pokeball and handed it slowly to Ash, who took it back and examined it. He gasped.

There resting in his hand was Pikachu's pokeball, the signature lightning bolt zig-zagging on the top. It was slightly dented, a large crack cut along the side of it, most likely a result of the attack. Ash felt tears fill his eyes again, his heart swelling in pain. His fingers wrapped around the ball tightly, clutching it to his chest.

"We found it lying right next to you after you were knocked out. I think its broken now, but Nurse Joy can fix that crack right away if you want to." Brock explained.

Max placed his hand ontop of Ash's, it too resting on Pikachu's pokeball, "We will find him Ash..." he comforted.

May and Brock rested their hands on top of Ash's as well, and Ash lifted his head to look around at them gratefully. They all had equally sympathetic and determined smiles, and that helped draw strength in himself, "Thanks guys.." Ash whispered.

"No problem.." Brock smiled, "We'll always be here for you Ash. No matter what."

"Yeah." May and Max confirmed at the same time.

Ash's smile widened for the first time that day, and he gave them all one more hug before sitting back on the bed, still holding Pikachu's pokeball like a security blanket.

Brock and the others stood up, "We'll start looking for Pikachu tomorrow. I already filed a report to Officer Jenny.." he smiled dreamily at that, "And I called Professor Oak, Misty, and your Mom to let them know what happened. I think Misty is on her way over here right now."

Ash nodded, May turned her head to him, "Do you need anything right now?"

Ash again smiled gratefully at them, but it faded quickly as he looked downcast, "I think...I just wanna be alone right now."

Brock, May, and Max glanced at each other before nodding and leaving the room. Ash curled up in his bed, holding Pikachu's pokeball to his chest. He couldn't banish the frightening thoughts swirling through his mind. Who where those men, and what were they going to do to Pikachu? He felt tears prickle in his eyes, gripping the pokeball tighter. Even if it took forever, Ash would search for Pikachu until the end of his days. Nothing in this world could tear them apart. Ever.

His gaze shifted to the window, watching the raindrops begin to patter against the windowpane.

Wherever you are Pikachu, I will find you.


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