Chapter 19
"Exile"
I ran for a long time. I didn't know where I was going, and it didn't matter all that much anyway. As long as it was away from those people, I didn't care. I couldn't go someplace with a lot of people. They would just send me back. I was running into the wilderness. I was not going to turn back.
It was getting dark fast. A lot faster than normal. The wind picked up, and I finally recognized it as a storm. The rain started falling, lightly at first, then gradually with more power and coldness.
I was soaking by the time night had fallen. I slowed down. All that running had tired me out. I looked at my surroundings. A large tree was nearby, next to a big, grassy field. Behind me was nothing but more grass and some small trees. I decided I had run far enough. It was time to set up camp for the night.
A flash of lightning lit up the sky briefly. It was followed by a quick boom of thunder. I tried to ignore the wind howling through my ears and the rain driving me down.
I took off my backpack and searched for the tent that I rarely used, because it was too hard to set up. I found it, and took it out. I left my backpack next to a fallen log. I tried to find a good spot to set up the tent, but they all looked bad, plus the growing rain was making it harder and harder to see clearly.
This is a good a place as any, I decided, picking a random spot on the ground. I stuck one of the poles in the ground, and gripping the tent in my other hand I walked about five feet and stuck the other pole in the ground, or I tried. I must have hit a rock, because it didn't go in right away. I held the tent cover under my arm and used both hands to shove the pole in the ground. It wasn't easy. Just as I got it in there, a huge gust of wind hit me and the rest of the tent flew into the air.
"Wait!!"
It tumbled along swiftly. If I ran fast enough, maybe I could…
I ran as fast as I could. I was getting closer. I grabbed at it, but the wind carried it up high above my head.
I don't know exactly what happened next, but suddenly, all I could see was a bright light. It surrounded me, hurting me. It was a familiar feeling. It reminded me of…Pikachu.
* * *
I woke up to find myself lying in one of many slightly drying mud puddles. I pushed myself up painfully and looked around. The sun was up. The storm had passed. That meant I had been out for at least a night.
I got up and went back to the tree where I had left my stuff. They were all gone, of course.
That figures…Just when I need them the most, a storm comes and blows them all away…Oh well…I guess I'll just have to do this by myself…
…That's not gonna be easy…
I knew I couldn't stay out in the open. Surely the boss had already sent out his Rockets to come and search for me. I had to stay on move.
This is good…I'm a fugitive…and I'm not even running from the police…
Actually, it might have been a good thing if I had run into the police, but I hadn't, and it was too late for that now. I had to keep running.
Now that the storm was gone, I could see where I was better. Across the field was a thick forest. It looked like a good place to head to.
I did just that. It took a little while to get there, but once I did, I was glad. It was drier in the forest. I probably wasn't going to be able to get the mud off of me anytime soon, but that wasn't really important. All I had to do was hide out long enough for the boss to give up on me. Then I could go back, get Pikachu and my other Pokémon, and finally get on with my life. It seemed like a good plan…
As I walked, I started to regret not bringing Pikachu with me, but I reminded myself that it was very important that Pikachu stayed with the others. If I had brought it with me, then the boss would be extra mad at me, and he would really make sure I was found soon. Since I hadn't brought Pikachu, he wouldn't think that it was too big of a deal…right?
…The woods weren't too…woody. It was easy to walk through without having a lot of trees and stuff getting in the way.
I kept walking until I found myself at a small clearing. There was some dried out grass coming out of the ground, and some small rocks, but the most noticeable thing was the huge tree right at the very edge.
It towered up above the other trees. I had to crane my neck to see its crown. As I looked at it, I suddenly realized that I knew what it was. Normally, all trees looked the same to me. They weren't my specialty; Pokémon were. But Mom had made sure that I recognized this tree when I saw it. We had one in our backyard, and she always told me to remember it, because we had the same name.
"Hi, Ash…" I said quietly…then I started giggling, because I was talking to a tree.
I checked myself, then walked into the middle of the clearing and faced the tree. There was a huge, triangular-ish hole right above its roots. I went over to it and peeked inside. There wasn't much in there.
"Well…you've got yourself a nice…hole…" I told Ash.
It didn't say anything back.
"Um……Heh, I must look pretty silly, huh? Um……Y'know…I can't keep walking around. I probably oughta find a place to stay and…um…you uh…You wouldn't mind if I……"
It didn't looked liked it minded.
"…Uh, I didn't think so. Um…Thanks, Ash!"
It looked as though I would be staying with Ash for a while, so I decided that I might as well get to know the area. Since I was going to be camping there without any supplies, I needed to be able to provide for myself. I had never done anything like that before, but I figured that it couldn't be too hard…
A short distance to the right of Ash's clearing was a small stream. That solved my water needs. I took a quick drink, then started looking for food. I hadn't eaten anything all day, and it was already past noon.
I found some berries that I couldn't remember Mom telling me were poisonous, so I figured they were safe to eat. I snacked on those for a while, but they weren't very filling. I tried some other plant foods, but they either they didn't taste good, or they weren't able to fill my stomach.
I learned what I needed to do when I chanced upon a very small Pidgey. It was pecking at the ground, eating worms and stuff, when a Mankey suddenly pounced on it. I remember every move that it made very clearly.
First, it hammered it brutally with its fists, pounding it into the ground, making it unable to escape. After it had bruised it significantly, it broke both of its wings. With a powerful punch, it finally knocked it unconscious, then didn't hesitate to break its neck. With that done, the Mankey picked up the Pidgey, leapt into a tree and scampered away.
I had never seen anything like that before. I was stunned. I don't know how long I just stood there…going over the whole scene in my mind.
That Pidgey didn't stand a chance…
Finally, I turned around and went back to Ash. I crawled inside of it and sat there by myself. I had lost my appetite. I didn't really want to be there anymore, but I knew I couldn't go back.
If I go up against the boss…then I'll be just as likely to win…as that Pidgey…
I shut my eyes as tight as I could and willed myself to sleep.
How was I supposed to know that I would soon become just as ruthless as that Mankey?
* * *
I learned quickly that if I was going to survive in the wild, I had to live by their rules, which clearly stated: Eat or be eaten.
I wasn't a Pokémon. I didn't have the natural ability to kill. I couldn't creep up on them and pounce, like they did. I had to either trap them or attack from a distance.
I was lucky there was good supply of fruits, because I really wasn't good at hunting…at first. I wasn't able to catch anything for the first few days. I set up a few traps, Team Rocket style, but nothing ever happened to wander in. I also made some crude weapons.
At first, I just tried to pounce on my prey, like the Mankey did, but they always ran away before I could even get close. That forced me to make some throwing weapons. I had no idea where to start, so I just gathered together a bunch of stuff that looked like they could do some damage. I picked up a lot of rocks from nearby the creek, and I also broke off some strong branches from nearby trees. I didn't take any from Ash though.
The sticks were useless. I didn't have anything to modify them with, so I just stashed them inside of Ash in case I ever did find a use for them.
I was able to find a use for the stones though. If I chipped them away the right way, I could make them sharp. In my experience, sharp things were painful.
When I had made a good supply, I picked up a few and went out hunting. I didn't think I would be able to catch anything. I never had before.
One thing that I had learned was to be as quiet as possible. Pokémon usually have very good senses, so it was good to keep a low profile. I did just that. I was careful not to step on any dried up vegetation, and I also tried to keep myself hidden. I guess I didn't do that bad of a job. I had wandered for a little while, when I heard a soft stirring just in front of me. I froze and tried to see what it was.
A light tan creature was poking through some bushes. It was small, walked on four legs, and had a curly tail. Its ears were black, and there was something on its forehead…
It turned its head in my direction, and I suddenly knew what it was.
Meowth…
It stared at me for a while, but it didn't see me, because I was right behind a bush, and I wasn't moving at all. It decided that there wasn't anything there and continued to mind its own business. I picked out a stone without looking away from the Meowth and gripped it tightly. Its sharp edges bit into my hand.
I can't do it.
I never wanted to kill anything. I preferred to capture Pokémon in Pokéballs and train them. I had never thought about killing one myself and then eating it…
This Meowth never did anything to me…It's just a wild Pokémon minding its own business.
I continued to watch it, and it continued to just stand there. It seemed to be sniffing at the plant, but I couldn't see what was so interesting about that plant.
Come on, Ash…It'll be over in a second…
Then what? What would I do after that? Bring it back to Ash and…cook it?
I'm not a cook. I'll probably burn it…
…It's better than nothing.
I was tense. I couldn't bring myself to move, but I knew I couldn't just back down.
Just throw the rock already! It won't feel a thing.
…That's what I wanted to think.
It's eat or be eaten. Do you want to starve to death?
I answered myself.
No.
The Meowth sat down and yawned. It glanced around one more time, then started walking towards a nearby tree.
It's now or never.
I quickly took aim, shut my eyes as tight as I could, then hurled the rock at the Meowth with all of my strength. I heard a thud and a crack…Then there was silence.
I waited at least a minute before I finally opened my eyes.
The Meowth was lying on the ground in an unnatural position. Gathering up my courage, I moved the bush aside and went closer. I stood over it in total shock.
Its eyes were open. They stared straight ahead, unblinking. Its body was completely still. Blood was flowing from a large wound just behind its left ear. It stained its fur and trickled down its side. The rock that I had thrown lay nearby. It was halfway coated with dark red blood.
After a very long time, I was able to partially shake off my shock.
It's…dead…
Unable to take my eyes off of it, I knelt down.
I……I…killed……it.
I felt a knot form in my throat. It became harder to breathe, and my eyes began to sting. I reached out and closed its eyes.
I closed my eyes too…but that couldn't stop my tears.