Chapter 3

Syca's Sacrifice


By the time Blue Eyes's eyelids fluttered open at last, the clearing was empty and the sumac bushes were devoid of Chu - save for one young Pichu lingering behind a gnarled tree stump.

"The Big Bolt ran away after the battle," the Pichu said, wide-eyed, as Blue Eyes wearily moved forward. "You won the bet."

"I know, Syca," Blue Eyes told the Pichu tiredly.

The size of Sycamore's eyes did not diminish. "Does this mean tha' the rest of us aren't gonna eat now?" Syca asked worriedly. Its little stomach growled in protest.

"No." Tail swaying behind its back, Blue Eyes started through the leaves of the sumac, Syca following hesitantly. "The pack can keep its Berries," Blue Eyes said as the Chu duo neared the drinking pool. Ducking its head into the cool, cool water, Blue Eyes took a long, deep sip. Syca watched nervously as the Pikachu's head remained in the water for several minutes.

"Blue?" Syca said anxiously, yanking the Pikachu backwards by the tail. "Blue? You okay?"

Drops of water ran down its cheeks in rivulets, but Blue Eyes made no move to wipe its face. "Syca, I can't stay here anymore," the Pikachu said softly. "Ever since Blackberry was Captured, I've lost my connection with the pack. After the way that battle turned out, Zap'll want me gone for sure."

The Pichu shook its head and gulped. "Blue, why'd you take the Big Bolt's bet? You should've known he'd just spark himself into a rage!"

"I should've." Closing its strange eyes ruefully, the tiny Pikachu let its skinny shoulders sag. "But I got the strangest feeling about that Trainer, and I just didn't care about Zap. Chau'hu-chu, I know."

"Very chau'hu-chu, Blue. Sitting there with your eyes closed and talking 'bout old Blacky. I was scared the Big Bolt was gonna shock you to the other side of the island!"

Blue Eyes emitted a low, tired laugh. "So was I," it admitted.

"But the Big Bolt ran, didn't he? He was scared of you!" Syca protested, stubby black tail waving about vigorously. "Chaser was scared speechless when the Big Bolt ran! I've never seen Chaser not able to talk before! But bringin' up Blacky, now that was chau'hu'chu, Blue. Everyone knows Zap hated Blacky. Doesn't like to be reminded that the only reason he's the Big Bolt now is 'cause he's Blacky's brother. Even now, some of the Chu are sayin' that Zap..." Syca broke off in mid-sentence, hesitant about going on.

"That Zap bumped Blackberry off himself, I'll bet," Blue Eyes finished.

"You think so too, huh? Blue, what are you gonna do about Zap? If the Big Bolt didn't care about shovin' out his own sis, there's no tellin' what he'll do to you when you go back to the pack!"

Watching a drop of water slide from its nose to the grass below, Blue Eyes blinked. From where Syca stood beside it, the Pichu could not tell whether Blue Eyes's face was wet with pond water, or perhaps trickling tears. "I'm not going back to the pack, Syca," Blue Eyes said at last. "That'd just be chau'hu-chu, right?"

"Too chau'hu-chu even for you," Syca agreed, swiping hastily at its face with a paw. It smiled at Blue Eyes through its blurring eyes. "It's not like anyone'll miss you anyway, Blue. They'll just be glad you aren't around to take their Berries."

"Guess you're right about that," Blue Eyes laughed, batting at the head of a giggling Syca. "I could've gotten the tail on outta here ages ago and done something useful, for once...like finding Blackberry, and bringing her back here to stop Zap. No one would've noticed me gone, I'll bet. Maybe every once in a while they'll wonder what happened to that freak runt with the ugly eyes..."

Syca's round face straightened into seriousness as its giggles subsided. "I don't think your eyes are ugly, Blue," it said earnestly. "But they're nowhere as good-lookin' as mine!"

Laughing loudly enough to rouse half a sleeping forest, the two Chu clambered out of the clearing, Syca first with Blue Eyes hot on its tail. Panting and wheezing as it skid to a stop, the Pichu held up its paws in surrender and fell back against a nearby sapling.

Blue Eyes, bent nearly double in exertion, shook its head in Syca's direction. "Your 'good-lookin' eyes are wet," it noted emotionlessly.

"Dirt got in 'em," Syca defended itself hastily, scrubbing with one paw. "Well, whatcha waiting for, Blue? Go on and get outta here already."

"Miss me already, do you?"

Syca barked out a short laugh. "You wish!" Folding its paws, the Pichu sat back on its haunches and tapped its feet impatiently. "You're not really leaving, are you, Blue?" it said at last, eyes growing wide once more. "There are horrible things out there. Trainers, with their horrible, horrible Tamed Pokémon. What if you were Captured, Blue? What if some Trainer's Tamed hurt you?"

"I've seen the Trainers that come to the island with their Pokémon," Blue Eyes stated flatly. "And frankly, Syca, I've never found them all that frightening."

Syca shook its longs ears impatiently and screwed up its nose. "Yeah, right! Admit it, Blue. You're scared of Trainers, just like the rest of us!"

"I'm not, Syca," Blue Eyes protested. "Maybe I haven't lived here as long as everybody else. I don't know how else to explain it. As for the Tamed, aren't they just Pokémon like us? Pokémon who had the misfortune to be Captured by Humans, just like Blackberry."

"Blacky would never become evil like the Tamed, Blue! Blacky's made of stronger stuff than that! She would fight, fight to come back to us! And shock any Trainer to bits if they got in her way." With an emphatic sigh, Syca threw up its paws in frustration. "Blue, the way you shoot your mouth off, a Chu might think that you actually approved of Trainers...that you wouldn't mind leaving and getting Tamed yourself!"

"Well..." A musing look furrowed Blue Eyes's brow for a split-second, but was quickly broken by Syca's soft, pleading voice.

"Blue, you don't really mean any of that talk about leaving, do you?" the Pichu said anxiously, eyes growing even larger than before. "Even with Blacky gone and Zap around, you'll still risk staying here, won't you? Won't you, Blue?"

"Now that'd be chau'hu-chu, wouldn't it, runt?"

Both Syca and Blue Eyes spun about in time to see the Big Bolt himself emerge from under a nearby ailanthus tree. His ordinarily sleek fur disheveled and black eyes glinting madly, the Raichu swaggered forward and greeted both Chu with a slap of his tail. The dry crack resounded into the surrounding air, making both Syca and Blue Eyes wince.

"The pack has no need for demon runts like you," Zap informed Blue Eyes coldly. "That's what you are, isn't it? You and your ugly human eyes. Only a demon could know about the Trainer and that battle. I won't have filth like you in my pack any longer, runt. So get your sorry li'l half-charged rump outta my sight before I decide to come over there and give it a good kick."

Drawing itself up to its pitifully small full height, Syca looked Zap in the eye and cried boldly, "You can't make Blue Eyes leave! Blue's a part of the pack! Blacky said so!"

The Pichu staggered back moments later as Zap's tail slammed into its face, sending it sprawling into the dirt. "Never contradict the Big Bolt, chua'hu'a," Zap snarled, tail raised for another blow. Shooting a smirk in Blue Eyes's direction, the Raichu added swiftly, "If you don't get going on the count of three, runt, your achu'au-chu little friend here gets it."

Blood was running from a gash in Syca's cheek, along with a rebellious spark of electricity. Cheeks crackling, Blue Eyes stepped forward, body tense.

"A runt like you doesn't stand a chance against a fully-grown Raichu," Zap sneered, still holding its tail over Syca's prostrate body. "Heck, even the strongest Pikachu in the whole pack can't take me down. Pikachu and Pichu, they're all worthless until they evolve. Worthless, every single one of them."

Worthless, even more worthless. Worthless, worthless, worthless! The taunting words echoed in Blue Eyes's throbbing head, repeating themselves over and over again in a terrible chorus. With a roar in its throat, Blue Eyes lowered its small head and barreled forward in Zap's direction.

The Big Bolt let out a howl of anguish before Blue Eyes even got close. Syca had clamped its jaws onto the Raichu's long tail and was refusing to let go. Screaming and twisting about wildly, Zap bounded back and forth across the clearing, Syca biting down for all it was worth. Calling out to the Pichu, Blue Eyes jumped into the middle of Zap's crazy path. It was smacked into a tree trunk moments later by Syca's flying body.

"Syca!" Blue Eyes cried, grabbing the Pichu's tail and lugging it to its feet. "Syca, you've got to get up!"

The Pichu didn't answer. The ugly gash on its forehead was bleeding down the side of its body, and its little head was hanging off the neck at a funny angle.

Looking up frantically, Blue Eyes caught sight of Zap getting to his feet, sparks fizzling at his cheeks. "Zap, stop!" the Pikachu cried out, planting itself in front of Syca's body. "Syca's hurt, Zap! Syca..."

But the Raichu wasn't hearing a word Blue Eyes was screaming. Eyes glinting in a feverish madness, the Big Bolt charged forward blindly, mouth open in a ferocious roar.

Blue Eyes went hurtling through the air, body curling into a tiny ball as it slammed into the ground moments later. Overhead, the Pikachu could hear Zap preparing himself for a second charge.

Syca, you shouldn't have been worrying about me! Blue Eyes thought, half-frozen by shock. Oh, Syca, I should've known...

Blue Eyes knew full well that Zap was right. Not even the strongest Pikachu in the pack had a chance of standing up to a fully-evolved Raichu. And as weak and runty as Blue Eyes was, the Pikachu did have one thing: the will to survive.

So as Zap thundered blindly through the foliage, sniffing and groping about for any trace of the Pikachu, Blue Eyes crept slowly and silently through the forest, using the numerous leaves and vines for cover. Inching its way farther and farther away until Zap's shouts of rage faded out of hearing range, Blue Eyes turned about and headed at a full run through the forest.

Shaking the last of the pond water, and the tears that had mingled with it, from its face, the Pikachu skid to a stop minutes later and briefly checked its bearings. The same, strange impulse Blue Eyes had experienced during its rash bet with Zap was returning in an overwhelming surge, taking control of the Pikachu's wobbling legs.

Ears jerking forward into the wind, Blue Eyes bounded in the direction of the ferry. And as it ran, the Pikachu forced away all memories of Tarroco Island and its inhabitants from its throbbing head.

It knew better than to look back now.


Putting a hand over his mouth to conceal a yawn, eleven year-old Lee Arcenciel gazed sleepily out over the Tarroco Island Port for any sign of the ferry boat to Hamlin Island. Dragoné, Lee's Dratini, was curled in his lap, dozing off the afternoon hours.

"I hope Mom doesn't mind if we're too late," Lee murmured to the sleeping Dragoné, who wiggled a bit in response. "I think I promised we'd be back...huh, two days ago?"

"Dra, dra," Dragoné muttered back groggily.

Getting to his feet as he saw the ferry chug up at last, Lee shifted Dragoné to one arm and shouldered his pack.

Funny; he hadn't remembered the pack being quite as heavy before. But then again, it was getting late, and Lee was getting tired.

Shrugging off his momentary worries, Lee boarded the ferry to Hamlin, paid his fare, and took a seat at the front of the boat. And as Tarroco Island, and the unpleasant memories it had brought, faded into the distance, the Pokémon trainer gave an inaudible sigh of relief.

So did the passenger hidden in his backpack.


Excerpt from Grey's Notebook

Three more popular Chu phrases:

achu'au: a close friend, one whose company is deeply valued
achu'au-a: literally, a little friend. In Chu slang, it also means "best friend."
achu'au-chu: dear; treasured