Chapter 4. Devising
Ash, Misty, and Pikachu were all inside the Well.
It was damp... and humid.
The well had not been used in a very long time.
No water could be seen.... at all.
It was a rather old place, with cobwebs, grime and muk everywhere.
Speaking of which, Grimer and Muk could be seen tunneling through the passageways of the forgotten caves. Making odd sounds, they followed each other, trying to avoid the shadows.
( Grimer and Muk : The Sludge Pokemon )
The well was a rather dark place... It was fairly difficuilt to see.
Ash turned on his lighter. He began to wonder just how useful it was becoming......
' So Misty, where abouts are we?? '
Ash was curious...
' Well, basically, we have ended up where we wanted to go...'
' What?? Ash replied. ' You mean this is the Base? I never expected it to be such a dump...'
' Call it what you like. But yes, this is our hideout.'
Ash was puzzled...' It was so lucky we fell down here then... What on earth were the odds hm? '
Misty laughed...
' We were running in this direction for a reason Ash. I knew this place was here...'
' Oh... I thought we were just trying to escape from that shadow randomly... Never knew were we were going.
Nice job Misty.'
' Hows Pikachu doing? They cared deeply for that little fuzzle...
Ash stared at the mouse between his arms.
He was sleeping, in his gentle grasp.
He seemed undisturbed, dispite that chase earlier.
' He seems fine, he replied. ' Its a miracle he wasn't woken when we were running here. '
They gently stroked him... he was very furry.
' Good thing we didn't drop him, we were moving Very fast back there....'
Ash rubbed the back of his head... It sure was a heck of a fall down here.
' So.... Misty, anyway shouldn't we be moving?'
Misty just realized the same thing... They'd been standing there for ages now.
' Oh yeah, lets go. The others should be close.'
In the distance, lights could be seen in the tunnel up ahead.
For a Well, it sure was a massive place.
As they quietly walked through the the maze, Ash thought to himself...
( I wonder if the others are ok down here. Maybe we'll get to see our old friends again... Its been... I dunno how long. I hate to see them in these circumstances though. To be honest, I can't really see anyone coping in this waste.... )
They kept walking, until they reached a hollowed door.
It was creepy looking... thorns everywhere. It was almost as if it was staring right at you with its face.... At least, it looks like a face.
Its a piece of wood anywho.
' This is it Ash. Here we go.'
Misty opened the door.
They walked inside the room, deep within the Well.
Inside, were many people.
Most of them looked like they were at least 18 years old.
One of them, was a boy with black hair, a green shirt, and blue jeans.
His face was warming... Like an old friend you hadn't seen in years. It looked like he was sketching something.
The next person was an older woman, with brown hair, a blue dress, and a pink shirt. She was cooking... It smelt delicious...
In the far corner, was a man on his laptop.
He was looking at an internet site... about Pokemon Breeding.
His hair was brown, slightly spiked, with his Green coat and orange shirt brightening up the gloom.
The last person was the oldest of the group.
In his white lab coat, his presence gave the union hope.
' Oh My God, Ash is that you!!??
Tracy Sketchit... His old friend had run upto them, and completely embraced them in a massive hug.
' Tracy!!'
Ash was over-pleased to see his old friends...
The other man had just noticed they came in.
' Ash!! Where have you been?????'
It was Brock.
The legendary Pokemon Breeder.
Ash!!!! The woman cried... literally...
' Mom! Brock... Everyone........'
A tear slipped from Ash's eye....
The proffessor also gathered round.
' Pro.... Proffessor...'
' Welcome back Ash.
It was Proffessor Birch from the Hoenn Region.
All of them hugged one another... there was so much happiness in the room...
Pikachu woke up. He had fully recovered, and yawned gently.
Pikachu!!! Pika!!
Pikachu suddenly jumped, and licked everyone in sight.
He was just as happy as the others...
For a while, everyone talked, and sat down on the wooden chairs in the damp room. They discussed their journeys, everything thats happened, and how they had all got here.
The room they were in had a bookshelf, on Pokemon research.
Brock's Laptop, with fully functional internet connections.
A few beds, and a food cabinet.
Ash spoke, in a voice quite weak, yet strong.
' Everyone... Its great to see you all again.
Tracy... Brock... Mom.. Proffessor Birch, Misty...
But, can someone please explain to us what on earth is going on???????
Ash had never been more confused and relieved at the same time.
It was insane basically.
' Well, to begin with Ash' Tracy answered...
' We all came here from the Orange Islands. Me and Mrs. Ketchum had been on holiday there, so I could draw pictures of all the pokemon.
We had a really nice time there, and it added a whole bunch of new features to Oak's research. But thats when....
Proffessor Birch took it from here.
' Thats when, Proffessor Oak E-Mailed me.
I was in Hoenn at the time. He said, that something was wrong.
Something about Shadows, in the darkness.
I Contacted Tracy immediately.
We all agreed to meet up here, in Kanto.
It was the most convenient Place, since this is where Oak's lab is.
But anyway, Brock just so happened to be coming here too.
Brock stood up, and brushed his coat.
He spoke.
' Yes, Ash went ahead, and come back to Pallet Town first.
After our Sinnoh Journey, I had to stay behind a bit, to help Proffessor Rowan understand Pokemon Breeding.
After all the talk of Shadows, I took the next ferry here.
Dawn stayed behind. She still had a few contests to win apparently.
Anyway Ash....
We are glad you are here at last.
Now, I know this was supposed to be a Party... Since you won the Sinnoh Gyms and all... But this is quite a calamity.
Misty held Brock's arm...
Misty wanted to talk, so Brock stopped for a moment.
' The reason I was here, is that I herd about the party..
I came as soon as I could, and on the way I heard about the shadows too...
But Ash... we all got here 5 days before you did.
Thats obviously why we have this base, and the knowledge of the situation like we do now. Its such a shame... But don't worry.
We Will have a party, as soon as we solve the problem of the Shadows.
Tracy slowly rose from his seat.
' So thats pretty much the story Ash.'
' Were sorry... This is kinda sudden. But to be honest, we need your help.
' You see, all these Shadows are so terrifying, we have lost all hope in what to do. We've been stuck here in this awful Well hiding from them for almost a week now, and were just waiting for the good Proffessor here to come up with a plan...'
Ash looked down....
Then looked up.
His face was straight.
It was certain... His eyes glowed with fire...
' You can Count on it.'
' Together, we have conquered every challenge we have ever faced.
' With my friends and Pikachu by my side, there is nothing we can't do.
' We WILL find a way to stop these shadows.
Pikachu shouted, in praise, ' Pika!!!!!'
They all cheered.... Ash was their salvation to their crisis.
They were ready.
They were gonna fight.
To Be Continued.....Real Soon.............
