Hello everyone, I'm back with the next chapter, hope you're not too angry at the cliffhanger before, I had to write it out that way, too irresistible not to. In any case, this chapter has Ashley waking up, catching Pikachu, and the gang will move on to Pewter City. See you guy's at the bottom!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON
Misty hurried after seeing Ashley fall to the ground, her Pokemon all coming out of their Pokeball's with a slightly fearful cry, surrounding their trainer and the wild Pikachu. Just before Ashley could hit her head though, Machop caught her and held onto her as much as he could with being smaller than she was. "Mach, Machop." He said worriedly as Misty approached warily, showing that she only wanted to help in case the Pokemon got aggressive, thankfully she was allowed to get close, but Poseidon growled at Samurai to stay away from his trainer, making the sword wielder gulp fearfully.
Misty gasped a bit at seeing Ashley's arm, it was bruised from the Ekan's bite and oozing blood and venom through the two bite gaps in the arm. She turned to Samurai frantically. "Quick, do you know of any place we could heal Ashley? We gotta get the poison out of her before it kills her." She said rather quickly. Worry flashed over Samurai's face. "I live in a cottage not too far from here, with my experience with poison types thanks to Beedril, I might be to able to stabilize her long enough for her to reach a doctor in Pewter City. You'll have to carry her though, I think her Pokemon don't trust anyone but you touching her at the moment." He said, watching the Growlithe and Gyarados warily, both were giving him glares and growling at him occasionally while he was speaking to the Shrieking maiden.
Misty gave him a nod and turned to Ashley's Pokemon. "Some of you may follow us but Poseidon, you have to go in your Pokeball, you can trust me, I promise Ashley will get better real soon and that you'll see her again, you just have to trust me." She pleaded with the Gyarados despite her fear of them. Poseidon just glared at the redhead trainer that was friends with his human girl to see her sincerity. So Misty gently gathered her friend into her arms and they carefully made their way to Samurai's cottage.
THE NEXT DAY:
Ashley could only see nothing but darkness when she regained her consciousness. She could barely move her arms, her right arm flared with a pain she had never felt before but she remembered how she got it in the first place, protecting a Pikachu from Team Rocket and getting bitten by their Ekans in the progress, she remembered falling but something had caught her before her head landed harshly on the ground, Machop, she realized, she'll have to think of a way to thank him for saving her fall and also remembered Misty's horrified face and her calling out to Ashley and knew she must wake up. She could almost feel everyone's worry.
Just as she tried to move, her arm flared up in the most painful way imaginable, making her groan out to the feeling. "Ashley!"Pika!" Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked up to see Misty and the Pikachu she saved looking down at her worriedly, relief filled Misty's face. "Oh Ashley, thank goodness you're okay, I was so worried when you suddenly broke out into a fever, but you're awake, that tells us you're going to be okay." She said happily. Ashley tried to sit up a bit but grimaced in pain, seeing what she was doing, Misty gently helped her into a sitting position, her back against the headboard. Ashley looked around the room and noticed they were inside a cottage.
"Where are we?" Ashley asked Misty. Misty's eyes lit up. "Oh that guy you battled before we ran into Team Rocket, Samurai, he led us here so we could get rid of the poison that was spreading through you're veins, he's been so helpful despite how he introduced himself in the beginning, oh and you're Pokemon, especially Poseidon, had been worried sick about you, I had to return them into their Pokeballs when they started getting a bit aggressive with us when we were getting the poison out of your system," Misty explained to her.
Ashley gave her an understanding but thankful nod and turned to Pikachu, surprised that he was still there, watching them talking. He gave her a coo and titled his head at her, the collar that was on him before thanks to Team Rocket was gone and he seemed to be fully healed. Ashley looked at Misty when she heard a giggle. "He wouldn't leave your side no matter what, stayed awake and kept an eye on you all night when we were too exhausted to stay awake." She said to her, happy that her friend was awake and her worry was dissipated.
Ashley turned to Pikachu with a large smile on her face, warmth filling her chest. "You stayed, but why?" She asked him. Pikachu just gave her a smile and rubbed his cheek against hers with a loud, "chaaa!" Ashley just continued to smile and raised her good arm and gently scratched him under his chin. "I think he wants to be with you from this point on, probably you helped him at the risk of your own life?" Misty asked Pikachu who nodded at her and looked at Ashley hopefully. "Oh, I guess you can come along with me then, wait if all of my other Pokemon are in their Pokeballs, where's Machop? You know he doesn't like his Pokeball." She asked the last part to Misty worriedly.
Misty sighed and grabbed a nearby chair and sat it next to her bed. "He was beside himself ever since you collapsed, of course, it was like he closed off his emotions even more so than he did before, but I could tell he was worried, kept training constantly all night, draining himself of his energy, and kept himself busy as he would change your bandages on your arm after Samurai showed him how to when he wouldn't let the man himself do it, I think he's starting to trust you, Ashley, even if he doesn't really show it." Ashley was quiet the entire time Misty talked of her new friend, Machop, in silent awe.
He was the one that kept her arm bandaged and cleaned? He really did care about her than she thought he did. She felt small tears starting to linger in her brown eyes and hastily rubbed them and turned to Misty. "Where is he now if he's not here?" She asked her friend. Misty gave her a gentle smile. "He went to gather firewood with Samurai a few minutes when he wouldn't give himself a break from watching over you, they should be here about, oh now." The girls and Pikachu both turned to the entrance of the small cottage and Ashley smiled at seeing an armful of sticks was Machop that came in first and she watched his dark widening in shock at seeing her wide awake. "Machop, why did you stop?" Samurai's voice asked the fighting type from outside the cottage. "Machop, I'm here, I'm okay now," Ashley said, coaxing him to come to her.
He moved the sticks they were going to use for firewood next to the fireplace, Samurai coming after him, brightening immediately at seeing Ashley awake. Machop, though was in shock, the human girl he was secretly worried over was finally awake, though in pain he could tell from her grimace when she tried to lean towards him reassuringly with that darn Pikachu she jumped in front of and got injured because of him in the first place was awake again. He had been so worried that he would have lost the only trainer that seemed to actually care about him wouldn't make it through the night, but again, this human proved him wrong and she was going to be okay, he went to her in a daze and as soon as he was in front of her, he wrapped his arms around her, mindful of her injured arm and said his species name in a single cry and just tighten his arms around the gir; before him that managed to win his heart.
Well, there you have it folks, the next chapter. Let me know what you guy's thought of it! I won't be able to get started on the next chapter the next day or two since I'll be busy with work thanks to the Kentucky Derby (I work in a restaurant as an assistant server inside a hotel by the airport if anyone had any questions about that) so I won't have the time for it. But here it is though, let me know what you folks think about it.
