Last Time On TMOM:
Lucario has at last uncovered the truth of his past. But in doing so, he has inadvertently badly injured his new friend, Ash Ketchum. Faced with the consequences, Lucario has fled the party. The others carry on in his wake.
Quote: 'With a powerful user, wave can do many things.'
Chapter Sixteen: Burned
I'd never dreamed that I'd meet somebody like you
And I'd never dreamed that I'd lose somebody like you
-Chris Isaak
It was a small mercy that Ash remembered nothing of the last several hours. Lost in a blissful sea of unconsciousness, Ash escaped most of the pain. When Ash finally floated back to the surface, he first felt the slippery polyester of his sleeping bag underneath him. Then he acknowledged the tight feel of bandages wrapped around his arms like a second more uncomfortable skin. His throat was raw and dry. His cheeks were damp. Before Ash had even opened his eyes, he had reassembled what must have happened in his weary mind.
Lucario hit me... I'm still alive...
Ash came back to himself slowly because it seemed he lacked the strength to do so any faster. He cracked open his eyes and then tried to sit up. His arms radiated with sudden pain. Unable to support his own weight, Ash fell back on the sleeping bag. The movement caught the eyes of others in the camp.
"He's awake."
Someone fussed over him. Ash could tell by the brush of her hands and the familiar but slight floral scent that it had to be Aileen. He forced his eyes open wider. His eyesight was a bleary mess for many frightening seconds. Ash blinked back the watery sheen and thankfully, focus gradually returned.
He was back in camp although that was hardly a surprise. Aileen being at his side too was unsurprising. What was surprising was how quiet everything seemed. Although he'd be hard pressed to admit it, Ash had woken up in a fair share of unusual locations, including many hospitals. The life of a pokemon trainer was not without its dangers. But when consciousness returned in those places, it was like being dropped into an angry beedrill hive. The frenzied activity around him in those moments was a stark reminder that the world was going to carry on with or without him in it.
But here, in this moment, it felt as if the world had momentarily paused to catch him up. And Ash didn't know how to feel about it. There was a miasma like aura hanging thick and heavy over the camp. The others, aside from Aileen, only briefly acknowledged Ash's return to consciousness. Then slowly and with some reluctance, they returned to their former tasks.
It only took Ash a few moments to piece together what Kidd and Team Rocket were up to. James clumsily rolled and then rerolled his sleeping bag. Jessie gathered up the cookware left in the scattered ashes of their morning campfire. Kidd saddled her motorcycle with the bags already carefully packed.
"What's going on?" Ash asked though he already knew.
Aileen gave Ash a pitying look and then turned away. Only Kidd, who dropped what bags she had left at hand by the motorcycles, let out a deep affected sigh and turned to face him.
"We are going back to Cameron."
"B-but," Ash wrested with a tongue still thick with drowsiness. He sat up a little straighter, fighting against the stinging pain, and tried again. "B-but P-pik-achu is still-"
"We know," Jessie piped up from somewhere behind. Ash could only just turn his head her way to catch her irritated grumbles. "Do you think we want to leave Meowth? We've got no choice, twerp."
"She's right," Kidd added gently. She knelt beside his sleeping bag and Ash resisted the urge to scoot away from her. Her eyes were pleading but Ash didn't give her the satisfaction of meeting them. Still, she continued, "Lucario's gone."
Ash blinked. Somehow, he wasn't entirely surprised. He felt the pokemon's absence from their campsite but hadn't wanted to acknowledge it, hoping it hadn't meant what he feared. Now the pokemon's absence appeared like a yawning pit, directly blocking their path forward.
"He'll be back," said Ash desperately.
Kidd shook her head. "You can't know that."
"Yes, he will! We should wait for him. He'll be back, I'm sure of it!"
Kidd frowned and looked back at the others. Aileen was shaking her head lightly, disbelieving. And even though Jessie and James would benefit the most from such a possibility, even they looked unconvinced. Although, in retrospect, when had Team Rocket ever received willing help from another pokemon?
"We can't stay here long. Camped this close to the tree, there will be dangerous pokemon. Aside from the Rocket members and myself, we aren't all properly equipped to handle an aggressive pokemon threat. If multiple aggressives were to ambush us, we would be short on good pokemon support… Don't you see, Ash? It just isn't feasible for us to stay here."
"Well, then let's camp further away from the tree. So that Lucario can find us there!"
"Even if Lucario were able to, we don't have enough rations to be sitting around and waiting for a pokemon guide that may or may not return. Without Lucario, we cannot go forward. We have no choice but to go back."
"Then we are just going to leave Pikachu? Meowth too?" Ash's eyes desperately sought out the gaze of the two Rocket members, hoping to find some sort of support. Neither one would meet his eye.
"We don't have any choice. And without any pokemon, you don't have any choice either, Ash. Lucario has abandoned us."
Ash shook his head vigorously, trying to knock the words from his ears. Kidd continued as if she didn't see. "You're badly hurt. We need to return to the castle, regroup and try again in a few weeks."
"Pikachu could be dead in a few weeks."
"You don't know that."
"No, you don't know that!" Ash paused, the sudden shout nearly knocking the wind out of his own lungs. He leaned over his knees and tried to slow his pounding heart.
He couldn't leave Pikachu. That was unacceptable. They had taken too long already.
"I'll guide us up the tree."
"You?" Kidd sputtered.
Ash nodded and slowly let go of his grip on his knees, unfolding his hands out before him. They were tightly bandaged, but even through the wrapping- he could feel the warm aura trying to rise up. His bandages ruffled in an airless wind. Injured or not, wave had not left him as his teacher had.
The wave is with me. The words tickled at his tongue but he refused to say them. It still wasn't an easy thing to confess. But it was something he was starting to know.
"I can do it. Not as easily as Lucario could but I can manage."
Ash could feel the others' eyes on him. No one said anything. Ash lifted his head to meet their conflicted expressions, hoping to project the confidence he was only just starting to grasp.
"I can do it," he said again for their benefit.
Jessie and James were starting to look hopeful. Their eyes brightened as they abandoned their once solemn tasks, eagerly bunching up with the others around Ash's sleeping bag. Aileen had her fingers pressed over her mouth, but there was something like a smile stealing across her face. Only Kidd still seemed reluctant.
She eyed Ash up and down and sighed, "Ash, you're hardly in a cond-"
But Ash was ready for this form of attack. He sat up straighter, sitting upon his knees to give himself more height against the tall woman. "Mew could heal my injuries."
Kidd's mouth hung open for just a moment. "Mew… heal…?"
"You're right. I am injured pretty badly. But the quickest way to get me help would be to ask Mew. It would take us a whole week to get back to the castle. The tree is right here. Mew is my best chance of getting better and fast."
"How do you know Mew would even help? Didn't it kidnap your pikachu?"
"Ash kind of has a history of making friends with powerful pokemon," James piped in. Even Jessie nodded her vigorous assent, pleased that their heading seemed to be taking a more beneficial turn. "Whatever it feels right now, I have no doubt that Ash could appeal to its better nature."
In the silence that followed, everyone stared expectantly at Kidd. And Kidd audibly sucked her teeth. Now that it was her turn to be looked at, she couldn't meet any of their eyes. "I don't like this. I don't want to be responsible for this, for whatever happens to you- to all of you. It's not just Ash in danger, all of us would be," At last, she looked back at Ash. His expression shook her resolve. "I want to believe you."
"Then believe me," said Ash.
Kidd shook her head. But it was Aileen who spoke. "He convinced Lucario to help… for however long a time. Even I… even I couldn't get Lucario to teach me… But Ash-" Aileen smiled down at him, causing Ash to blush. "Ash managed it. I believe him."
"Me too," said James.
"It goes without saying but I've seen the twerp do crazier shit," agreed Jessie.
Kidd let out a breathy laugh. She climbed back to her feet, offering a hand to Ash as she did so. Though a little surprised, Ash took her hand. Kidd pulled the injured boy back to his feet. He swayed for a moment before regaining his uncertain footing. The grin on his face mirrored the one on Kidd's own.
"I'm going to trust you, Ash. Definitely shouldn't. But I'm going to."
A small bubble of fear threatened to rise in Ash's chest but he fought it back. There was no place for William's memory in his heart right now. Pikachu needed him. To keep from anything showing on his face, Ash looked back up at the crystalline tree that stretched out above them. This close, the branches blocked out most of the sky. They wouldn't be in the tree's shade until later in the afternoon but it was already a little cooler around the tree's base as if they had stepped within the recess of a cave.
Somewhere, up there, his pokemon and a legendary Mew were hiding.
"I'm coming, Pikachu," Ash whispered under his breath. To the others, he said, "Pack up camp. We've got a long climb ahead of us."
Ash hadn't acknowledged his pokemon team in days. Ever since they had been sealed back in Cameron, their pokeballs felt empty and cold. Ash assumed that their essence or whatever form they took on in the balls had been transferred into Professor Oak's care.
Only today, as he helped the others pack camp, his pokebelt felt warm to the touch. A quick glance at his Pokédex informed him that his suspension was mere hours from running out. And so his pokemon must have returned, eagerly pressing themselves against the insides of their cages in the hopes that the lock would give way at any moment.
This was good news. But it wasn't great news. There were still several hours between then and now. And he needed the pokemon support sooner rather than later. They may unseal during the climb but Ash didn't want to wait around for it. Pikachu had been waiting for him long enough.
Ash decided not to inform the others for the very reason that they may try to encourage patience. Not when he had finally got them over to seeing his side of things. He didn't need patience getting in the way of Pikachu's rescue any longer.
In a shorter time than Ash could have anticipated, the camp was broken down and they closed in on the final leg of their journey. The massive crystalline tree roots had snaked their way in and out of the trail as if haphazardly woven into an ugly earthy tapestry. The obstacles quickly proved too much for the bikes, just as Lucario predicted they would. The team carried on by foot, with Ash taking point.
While anyone was looking, Ash made sure to appear confident and strong. But in truth, his legs were shaking and pain hung like a shroud over his mind. He pushed through it, focusing on the strength of his aura to ease the burning and trembling in his limbs. There wasn't much he could for his damaged arms. He kept them carefully slung up in the makeshift slings James had tried to make for him out of leftover bandages and cloth. It had turned out that their first aid kit was a little on the inadequate side for this sort of situation.
At least, Ash thought with a wry smile, my shoulder isn't bothering me anymore.
It was surprisingly easy to blaze the trail. They had so little left to travel that wave wasn't even necessary. Ash suspected that wouldn't be the case once they had entered the tree, but so far, he hadn't even needed to rely that heavily on his sixth sense. He still kept the necklace Aileen had made for him close; the crystal pressed comfortingly into his chest imbuing him with a constant connection to wave. Just because he didn't need it to navigate, didn't mean that he felt safe enough to not use it completely.
The group crested one final hill and suddenly the entrance to the tree yawned before them. Ash could feel the excitement bubbling off his teammates without even looking at them. But that wasn't the only thing he felt.
Ash quickly whirled about and loudly shushed them. The group obediently went silent. Only Jessie needed James' hand over her mouth to keep her from snapping back at the twerp.
"What is it, Ash?" Kidd dared to whisper after a moment's silence.
Ash didn't answer right away. His eyes were still darting around the empty area anxiously, searching for something he felt but couldn't yet see. The dead space felt wrong. Ash could sense danger in the soil as if a blanket were stretched tight over a giant hole in the ground ahead; a hole that could easily swallow all of them up.
"I don't know," Ash replied at last. "Something feels wrong here. I just can't figure out what it is."
He realized that he had no choice but to step towards the danger in order to uncover it. Ignoring the frantic whispers of his group trying to call him back, Ash cautiously vaulted over the low tree root they had been sheltering behind. The ground sloped a little down towards the entrance of the tree. His sneakers slid across the loose and dry soil as he made his slow approach.
All while he moved his body forward, Ash sent out feelers in the wave; just as Lucario had taught him. He probed the landscape around for him for that little bit of danger he could sense prickling at the back of his mind.
But a different sense overpowered his weaker sixth sense. He heard loud and quick footsteps coming up behind him. Whoever had come after him had done nothing to mask the sounds of their movements. Their shoes slapped hard against the earth for everyone nearby to hear. Ash whirled about with half a mind to simultaneously scold and shush the interloper.
But when Ash turned away, he inadvertently stepped back from a spot of earth he was about to trod on. The interloper's reckless approach not only alerted what was hiding underneath to both humans' presence but luckily, saved Ash not a moment too soon. The ground behind him erupted in a shower of earth, nearly tossing the young boy to the dirt. He scrambled backward and into Aileen who had so rashly sprinted into danger.
"Regirock!" Aileen cried out.
Ash grabbed onto Aileen's arm; to pull her to safety or brace himself, Ash hardly knew. He cowered in the shadow of the massive pokemon that had suddenly appeared before them. Ash had encountered some large pokemon before, but never one so menacingly inorganic. It let out a series of incoherent beeps as it focused its small set of beady glowing eyes on the two frightened teenagers.
They could both hear the screams coming from the team they had left behind. But like a bad movie, the scene played on without their input. Ash felt before he saw the energy building behind its eyes. Ash yanked on Aileen's arm to pull her with him when he started to run. He only just managed to avoid the hyper beam that exploded into the earth behind them.
Aileen screamed as hot earth and rocks showered over them. Ash didn't have the breath to spend. His forearms were in agony from the rough and sudden movement. The bandages and slings did little to protect his arms if he kept insisting on using them anyway.
And he wasn't just restricted by pain- the wrappings kept him from full arm movement. His bandaged arms were stuck tucked in like Tyrantrum's; short, stubby, and useless. And certainly not any use to creating aura spheres. Even if Ash could get a second to concentrate, with his arms' current range of motion, Ash was sure he couldn't throw more than two feet in front of himself.
"Keep running! Don't stop!" Ash gasped out when Aileen's step momentarily faltered. She instinctively wanted to look back but Ash's sudden push kept her moving.
Regirock may have been temporarily distracted by the rest of the group. Ash suspected, from sound alone, they were throwing rocks. Ash had hoped they might unleash some of their pokemon to take the agro off of themselves. But Ash couldn't afford to stop and check. It would only be too easy for Regirock to turn and cast another deadly hyper beam their way.
After a series of beeps and clicks, Regirock did just that. Aileen shrieked again, throwing herself to the ground as the cliff face just ahead of them blasted apart. They had no choice now. As soon as the dust settled, Ash stepped protectively in front of the still downed Aileen.
Ash was never able to get the hang of an aura shield. A sphere was easier to mold and the energy seemed to naturally want to keep that shape. A shield wasn't the same. Whenever he had tried with Lucario, the energy would fold and droop out of Ash's control, spilling back into the ether from which it came.
He tried now; pushing out his injured palms in front of him and stretching out his arms against the full capacity of the bandages. The wave flickered to life at his call but only wavered weakly before his hands. Like a small flame trying to outlive a strong gust, the spark of wave sputtered and then died.
Regirock looked thoroughly unimpressed or at least Ash imagined he did. It was easy to personify a pokemon that was such a blank slate.
Regirock made a guttural clucking sound followed by several beeps as it fixated on the small flare of wave coming from the human. Short-lived as it might have been, Regirock could still register a threat when it saw one.
It took a few heavy steps in their direction before two familiar-looking bi-clawed pokemon leaped upon its back.
"Weaville, fury swipes!" Kidd's voice rang out. Ash spotted her approach, jogging close to the action but not too close.
It was only then that Ash realized that Regirock was nearsighted. It reacted to things within its field of vision automatically but those at a further distance seemed to escape its notice. That must have been something that Kidd had realized as well, which was why she was keeping herself at a distance.
The weavile twins furiously sliced at Regirock but their metal claws just clanged uselessly against its skin. Ash doubted that Regirock even felt the blows. It reacted more to the presence of the pokemon clinging onto him than to any pain.
Regirock swung its large heavy body back and forth, trying to toss the pokemon from its shoulders. But the weaville were as stubborn as they were agile, keeping a firm grip into the joints of the Regirock with their hooked claws.
So mesmerized by the battle unfolding before him, Ash didn't notice that Aileen had climbed back to her feet. And before anyone could advise her otherwise, the young princess took off at a sprint towards the entrance of the tree.
"A-Aileen!"
"Aileen, wait!"
Regirock swung its body back towards the cavernous entrance, detecting the sudden movement. It let off a few guttural clicks and tipped back its head with the weight of a charging beam.
Ash felt as if time were freezing around him. He was far more than just an arm's length away from Aileen and yet Ash still felt compelled to reach out. As if by reaching out to her, he might be able to stop what was going to happen. Ash tried seizing up his control of wave but it slipped from his hands; nothing more than a sluggish congealed mess. His panic wasn't helping. He kept scrambling, trying to scoop the wave back up but it just continued to fall out of his trembling grip.
Terror rose like bile in the back of his throat. Ash choked out one final shout of warning to the fleeing girl, in perfect time with the released beam of energy. It screamed through the air- right on target. Aileen didn't even turn to look.
The explosion rocked Ash to his knees. Shock stole strength from his legs, leaving him as helpless as a beached magikarp. He knew he needed to get back up and away from Regirock. But he couldn't tear his eyes away from the place Aileen had been. The smoke was so thick that he couldn't even make out where her body had landed; if there even was a body left. Was she simply incinerated? Just like William?
Another series of beeps sounded in the proceeding silence. Smoke was tumbling across the scarred battlefield, partially obscuring the monstrous rock pokemon. But it did nothing to hide Ash.
Kidd's weavile were gone. Ash didn't even have time to wonder what had happened to them. Regirock had pointed its seven lifeless eyes in his direction. Ash could both see and feel the energy building behind them. Taking aim.
Ash took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
I'm sorry, Pikachu. I tried.
The sound of the proceeding explosion roared in Ash's ears. But so did the wind as it pushed past his flying body. Except it wasn't a wild flailing tailspin brought on by the explosion's recoil, no. It was a controlled upward ascent. Ash quickly realized that someone had their arm about his waist and was effortlessly carrying him out of danger.
And if his control over wave wasn't stuck in such an anxiety-fueled tangle, Ash would have realized far sooner who had come to his rescue.
"Lucario!" Ash gasped and instantly regretted it. They weren't quite clear of the explosion and the sudden intake of smokey air brought on a coughing fit.
Lucario had easily leaped up the side of the sheer canyon wall with a few expertly used footholds quite unlikely to be much use for a human climber. His deft use of wave and a pokemon's agility made quick work of the obstacle even with the extra weight of a human child. Once they were safely at the top, Lucario gently deposited Ash on the ground.
"Are you alright?"
Ash was still coughing hard. He couldn't get up the air to reply. His eyes stung with tears and his arms were in absolute agony from all the unnecessary exercise. Ash managed to push himself up to his knees. But rather than speak, he pulled the shocked pokemon into a tight hug.
"I- I'm so- so glad- you c-came back," Ash coughed out at last.
Lucario slowly disentangled himself from Ash's arms, genuinely puzzled by the trainer's warm reaction. He stared at the boy for a long moment before replying, "But I hurt you."
"I know," Ash half laughed, half coughed. "I get hurt a lot. This is nothing special."
"That doesn't excuse my actions."
"Look, Lucario. It happens sometimes. Friends sometimes hurt each other. I'd hate you more if you never came back."
"Friends?"
"Sure," Ash paused, mulling the idea over in his head. He had spoken without thinking but in truth, he had started to consider the pokemon a friend for a little while now. Which made his disappearance only that much more upsetting. "We've been through enough to have made it, don't you think?"
Lucario was quiet for a moment. Then slowly, he nodded. Ash couldn't tell if that meant Lucario agreed or simply wanted to push the subject aside for now.
Ash climbed back to his feet alongside the ancient pokemon, both looking back down the canyon that was starting to clear of smoke.
"It's a good thing you saved us when you did. Regirock is one deadly pokemon."
"It's gone now."
"What? Really? You beat it?"
Lucario shook his head. "It was only trying to scare you away. I wouldn't have even needed to step in if those weavile hadn't made it so aggressive-" Lucario paused, suddenly struck by Ash's comment. "Saved… us?"
"Yeah. Did you… You did save Aileen, didn't you?"
Lucario's blank expression set Ash's heart racing. He looked wildly back down the canyon for some sign of the others. He even hastily tried climbing down himself but thankfully, Lucario was there to grab the boy by the back of his shirt.
"Ash, calm down."
"Aileen was hit! She could be dead!"
"You certainly will be if you throw yourself off this cliff."
Either because he took pity on the frantic boy or held some concern for Aileen himself, Lucario helped Ash onto his back. He got them both back down the canyon wall just as quickly as they had climbed up.
The others had already gathered by the time they had landed. Ash scrambled off Lucario's back and rushed over. But he was surprised to find that it wasn't Aileen's lifeless form they have all huddled around. In fact, Aileen was one of the people in the huddle. She stood next to Team Rocket, looking completely unharmed save for the tears running down her face. Her hands were pressed tight to her mouth.
"I'm so so sorry," Aileen kept muttering through her fingers.
It only took Ash a moment to realize who was missing and then who had to be at the center of their huddle. Even her weavile were there, looking on with glassy eyes.
Ash and Lucario reluctantly joined the others, gently pushing their way into the circle to see where Kidd laid. She wasn't as bad off as Ash might have feared. She must have pushed both her and Aileen out of the way of the blast- or at least, most of herself. Shrapnel from the explosion caught the adventurer as the two women tumbled; slicing into her left leg.
Kidd, to her credit, was trying to keep on a brave face. She smiled and weakly waved at Ash and Lucario as they approached. But they were not blind to how her body was trembling, the sweat beading down her face or the wet blood sticky on her hands. She hadn't yet lost a lot of blood as the sharp rock that had embedded itself into her thigh was still there. Although it was evident to all, as soon as the shard was removed, Kidd would bleed out.
"It's okay," Kidd said through gritted teeth. "No long face, little mouse."
Ash ignored her, looking to James for some sign of hope. After all, the Team Rocket member had displayed some rare talent with first aid when it came to Ash's own injury. But James' expression was uncharacteristically grave.
"Can't you do anything for her?" Aileen pleaded, having followed Ash's gaze and come upon the same conclusions. "Please."
"If we remove it…" James frowned and then shook his head. "This is beyond me. She needs a hospital."
"It's fine, really. I've had worse," Kidd tried again to sound brave. Her voice was weak and her face had lost a lot of color. She tried to casually brush the sweaty hair out of her eyes with bloodied fingers. Her hands shook and she couldn't take pressure off her leg wound for long.
"Let me try something."
Lucario knelt beside the trainer's leg, solemnly examining the sizable thorny shard. Then he pressed his own paws over the wound. Kidd might have protested if the sudden ripples of energy emanating off of Lucario hadn't hushed her. The whole group watched in wonder as Lucario carefully loosened the shard from Kidd's now glowing skin. Her skin continued to glow a brilliant white before smoothing out into a soft slightly irritated pink.
Lucario drew back, looking a little winded but no worse for wear. The shard of stone clunked harmlessly to the ground beside Kidd's mended leg.
Kidd shakingly ran her hand over where the gaping wound had once been. She winced, gingerly patting the pink patch of fresh skin that had grown over in its place.
"I'm no healer. But you should be well enough to carry on now," said Lucario, as if the miracle he had just performed were really nothing unusual. "Don't put too much weight on your leg. I repaired most of the damage but you will also need time to heal naturally."
"Lucario… That was amazing," Aileen breathed.
"Wave is amazing," Lucario shrugged, casting Ash an odd look. Before Ash could figure out what to make of it, Lucario had climbed back to his feet. He rubbed off the dried blood from his paws with a handful of dirt. It helped only marginally but would do for the moment.
"Let's get going. Regirock will return if it senses us continuing on to the tree. So we should quickly get where it can no longer reach us."
Aileen and Kidd were quick to follow Lucario's advice. Kidd automatically returned her wayward weaviles after some much deserved praise. The princess urgently fell into the role of Kidd's helper, assisting the woman to her feet. But Team Rocket stood frozen, eying Lucario skeptically.
"So that's it then?" Jessie snapped. "You leave- abandon us. And now that you've come back we are just supposed to welcome you back with open arms?"
"Jessie-" Ash began.
"Oh shut it, Twerp. You should be on my side. He nearly killed you." Jessie huffed and tossed her long hair over her shoulder. "Not that I care. I just think this pretending nothing happened is some twerpy bullshit."
"He came back though, didn't he?"
Even James was shaking his head. "He shouldn't have."
Ash looked helplessly from the Team Rocket members to Lucario. The ancient pokemon didn't betray his thoughts, passively staring at the two humans. And oddly enough, the Rocket members would not back down. Even James looked on Lucario with some considerable disgust.
"We just need to work together until we find Pikachu and Meowth," Ash pleaded. "Please. You two have pokemon. We need you working with us."
"Look, twerp. I know you love all pokemon," Jessie rolled her eyes, "but do we really need a mentally disturbed pokemon leading us? How do you know Lucario won't snap again? It's dangerous. More dangerous than the usual sort you pal around with."
It was hard to keep his temper in check, especially with these two. Ash pleaded again through gritted teeth, "Please."
James surprised Ash by touching the boy's arm. This drew their attention to the long length of bandages snaking down both of Ash's arms. Bandages that James himself had wrapped and first aid he had to administer.
"Don't be too quick to forgive those that hurt you, Ash," said James softly.
Then with his piece being said, James turned back to the others. "We'll come along for now."
"You hear that. For now," Jessie spat, pointing at her eyes and then back at Lucario. "But any funny business… We're watching you."
"Fair enough."
The whole group, somehow still in one piece, ducked down into the tree's cavernous entrance. The crystal shards nestled into the walls glowed pleasantly at their approach. They managed to paint the snaking tunnels in soft blue light. With Lucario leading, Team Rocket reluctantly followed. And behind them, hobbled Aileen and Kidd. Ash took up the rear, sullen and quiet, still mulling over James' whispered advice.
To Be Continued…
Please Read and Review!
I'm doing Nanowrimo this year guys so I'll be focusing on Here I Am for the month of November. Please enjoy this chapter in the meantime.
A very special thank you to those who reviewed last time: YumeTakato, juaniu1994, Shaveza, Jeannot2978, canoerider, AshKetchumForever and Thor94.
Most of you predicted that Lucario would return this chapter and you were right! Congrats!
Next time on Mystery of Me, Ash struggles to understand his own feelings about what happened. And in struggling, ends up picking the scabs off a lot of other wounds.
Look forward to the next chapter in the January/December time frame! Stay safe! Wash your hands! Love you!