(Continued)
Charizard roared its frustration as it slashed and tore and flamed. It battled its best, using all its strength and skill. Every muscle, sinew and nerve pushed beyond the limits. Every attack perfectly and savagely done. No enemy could have withstood such a brutal onslaught. Yet it was losing. It could feel its strength failing even as it pushed itself further. Eventually, Charizard fell, trembling with exhaustion. It had gained no ground....in fact....it actually felt as if it had lost ground.
It lay, struggling to regain its strength, glaring at the nearly invisible gray fog that held it captive. It could see out. It could see what was happening outside the fog, but it could not control it. It couldnÕt get out and it couldnÕt stop what was happening. All the trapped dragon could do was watch in rage filled helplessness as a body it no longer could control attacked the people and pokemon it cared about.
As it rested, Charizard thought back to when this nightmare began. It wasnÕt sure exactly what caused this to happen, but it knew it had felt something was wrong the moment Team Rocket arrived in their camp.
Not that that was particularly suspicious in itself, all the pokemon had fell that way. TheyÕd decided that one of them would, at all times, be within striking distance of Jessie, James and Meowth in case they tried something funny. PikachuÕd been especially doubtful of Team RocketÕs intentions and had been doubly cautious. Lot of good it did, Charizard thought painfully. Should have been watching me.
Charizard swallowed the self loathing and tried to remember that it hadnÕt been able to stop what had happened. It didnÕt work. Not really. Charizard couldnÕt forget the battle surge that had flowed through its blood when it was attacking Pikachu. It couldnÕt drown out the triumphant sound coming from its own throat when the electric mouse fell. Desperate to understand how this could have happened, Charizard tried to recreate the events despite the despair that threatened to overwhelm it.
As the day proceeded, it remembered, the pokemon slowly relaxed around Team Rocket. They had proved to be incredibly helpful and amazingly skillful at helping Ash. James especially seemed to know just what to do. CharizardÕs foreboding feelings hadnÕt decreased though. TheyÕd grown. The longer it was around Team Rocket...the more uneasy it felt. It was grateful for the help and more relieved than it could ever express when AshÕs fever broke, but that didnÕt take away the inexplicable anxiety it was experiencing.
When Ash was wrapped up by the fire, Misty had returned the other pokemon to their balls to rest. TheyÕd all gone feeling nothing but pleased relief and gratitude. Charizard hadnÕt. It had gone into its ball burdened by the certainty that something horrible was going to happen.
The dreams Charizard had were apprehensive. Filled with the same impenetrable gray fog that plagued it now. In the dreams the dragon was trapped, held down by something that it couldnÕt see. As it struggled, a voice would echo through the void, saying things that Charizard couldnÕt make out....but that frightened the pokemon none the less. Images and sounds flashed through the void at the helpless Charizard. It heard an angry roar from a Rhyhorn.....the receding sound of a boy in pain....and cruel laughter. Accompanying the laughter was the image of a man. A man who pointed back the way Charizard had come. In its dream, the confused and frightened dragonÕs eyes focused on the manÕs hand....on the ring. The ring with the bright red ÔRÕ. The ÔRÕ grew in size until it was all Charizard could see.
That was when it happened. Charizard woke up from one nightmare....and found itself trapped by a worse one. Two little words spoken by the Rocket member James had thrown Charizard into this foggy abyss where it couldnÕt even control the violence its body was doing. It was forced to watch as it viciously flamed its friend. It had cheered silently when the humans sent their pokemon to fight it and it did everything it could to help them, but nothing worked. The attacks failed to stop it and Charizard couldnÕt stop itself from flying away with Pikachu.
Charizard could feel PikachuÕs heartbeat against arms that wouldnÕt obey. The electric mouseÕs heart was beating erratically and the dragon was terrified that it would stop before they got where ever they were going. Grief, fear and guilt threatened to swallow Charizard whole. Ash.....Pikachu...., it thought. Both hurt because of me. I did leave Ash....I did. And now....Pikachu....
No! it shouted silently. I didnÕt. I couldnÕt have. Something....someone made me do these things. Someone forced me to leave Ash...Someone made me hurt Pikachu....and Someone is making me take it somewhere. Charizard felt rage warring with the guilt. That person will pay, the dragon promised.
As Charizard began to decent toward a campsite.....the rage won the battle.
To Be Continued....