Secrets Exposed
Part 5 : A Hoedown?!
By Freakachu
:: Authors note:: In 'How Freakachu Came to Be' I mentioned Lilja catching various pokemon, and used the japanese names for them because they weren't translated yet. In this fanfic (I should have made this speech from the very first chapter ... ^_^;;) I've used the english names because people will soon become more familliar with them. o^_^o
:: End annoying authors comment::
Nyarthashi trod through the undergrowth. She wanted to get as far away fromViridian as possible. Killing didn't seem to bother her one tiny bit, and she felt no guilt. The people had it coming, and she had felt rage. Of course, the injections helped to make her stronger, and mature faster. She was also a fast learner though, and even after a month of martial arts training, she was already almost as good as any blackbelt. Giovanni had instructions for her to learn self defense, and how to kill people. He had been trying to get a perfect warrior, to steal rare pokemon, and to kill secretly if neccesary. What he didn't count on, was her excaping and causing a riot.
The leaves on the trees dripped with dew, and above the tops of the trees, the stars twinkled, unjudging of her, and not caring of the mass murder she had commited a week or so ago. It felt good to be free, like she felt when she was with the girl who had taken her from the Cinnabar Lab. She could remember her name, and pronounced it in her mind. Leel-ya. Of course, Lilja had Freakachu, and Giovanni wanted them for himself. Nyarthashi had no doubt that Giovanni had scouts out for her and her Freakachu, maybe they've been looking for her for awhile. Nyarthashi knew Rockets, and understood that if they found her, and she refused to give her Freakachu up (which she would, Nyarthy was positive) they'd kill her on the spot. She had to find Lilja first, and protect her. Obviously they didn't have her, or she would have heard talk about it.
Nyarthashi had a huge advantage. She knew how strong Rockets were. She trained with them, and in her training, had wounded alot of them, pretending it was unintentional. Although she had never killed any in training, she had wanted to, badly. She also knew Lilja, and was certain that she wouldn't give up her chu's to Team Rocket if she could help it. Lilja probably needed help to fend them off. That's why she had to find her as soon as possible.
Misty sighed as she followed Ash and Brock through Viridian Forest. This wasn't her first time through here, and she didn't like it any better than before. Bugs, bugs everywhere. And why was she even bothering to follow them around anymore? The only reason Ash was travelling again was to find that bimbo. Misty had kissed him that night, for him to warm up to her. Instead, it seemed to have bothered him endlessly. He really only talked to Pikachu now, and sometimes on rare occasions, Brock. Never to her. It was like he was scared of her. The real reason she was following him though, was because she did truly love him. She couldn't stand being away from him for long. He had his mind somewhere else of course, and it pained her.
'Why can't you see me, Ash? I'm right here, and I need you! I want you terribly!'
Naturally, he couldn't hear her thoughts, and probably didn't care. He was being heartless.
What Misty didn't notice was, that Ash was hurting in his own way.
Bill had been psyched to be given a Freakachu as a gift of thanks from Lilja before she left. He promised to take good care of it, and find out more about this strange species. She hadn't given him one that was following her, but used his phone to call her uncle and have one of them transported over. Now, she walked under the dark canopy of tree branches, the sun filtering through, and remembered the kindness Bill had shown her. He wasn't a bad guy, that Bill. She had always thought that the guy who owned Bills PC was a nerdy dork or worse. But Bill had been an extremely intellegent man. He didn't seem old, maybe mid-twenties. The forest floor was covered in a thick carpet of green three leaf clovers, and the atmospere smelled like rain, and wet dirt. Woodsy, of course.
Lilja's mind wandered back to Ash. What was he doing now? Probably in the Indigo League about now. He had talked about it so much, and was excited about it. Maybe he was with Misty. That girl had pissed her off, in more ways than one. She felt a deep sadness overwhelm her. Misty was probably there with him, and she was here. Alone, except for her pokemon. Misty had a chance with Ash. She had the fragile type of good looks, but in no way was she herself fragile. She had a mouth on her like a cannon and could shoot off words to make people feel completely opposite of what they had felt before, although she didn't seem to say things like that very often. Only that one time, that night when Misty went completely off her rocker and had shoved her over the side of the precipice.
She flopped down among the thick clover, and took off her shoes. The cool grass felt nice on her tired feet. Lilja layed flat out on the ground and looked up to the tops of the trees. Her chu's ran around, chasing each other, and their own flaming tails. She let out the other pokemon she had with her. Her Ditto, Eevee and Cleffa. The Ditto's name was Xerox, and that was because it was a little insane. She had caught it awhile ago, in Mount Moon, where it was terrorizing some very cute Clefaries and Clefables. The Clef's then awarded her with a Cleffa (pre evolution Clefairy) for defeating the Ditto. She hadn't had a bed to sleep in since being at Bill's over a month ago, and felt the engery within her drain away.
Coldness began to creep apon her, and her eyes popped open. She hadn't even noticed she had fallen asleep. All her pokemon she had with her were all sleeping as well, in various different places. The forest was darker now, the sun setting. She gathered her pokemon up into their pokeballs and began walking once more. Soon the trees came to an end abruptly, and she found herself on the edge of a large field. She couldn't believe what she saw in the distance. Lights! Quite possibly from a city. She pulled a map from her coat pocket and unfolded it. Sure enough, Aqua City was just ahead. By the time she got there though, it would be almost daylight.
"What do you mean, 'I'm not sure which way to go'?! Come on, you live in the mountains for Christ's sake. I'm pretty sure you can find your way through some measly forest!" Vera hollered at the cowering Cletus. Her and Sergio had teamed up with Zeke and Cletus in a better attempt to find the girl they were looking for under Giovanni's orders. The other sets of partners on the team also joined into groups of four or more. Jessie and James were with Cassidy and Butch, much to all of their arguing with the boss.
"Sorry, I din' mean to upset ya. But I don't know this here woods. I never bin through here before."
The whole gang , except Sergio, was exasperated for different reasons. Cletus's parent's had been outraged at him becoming a rocket and had forbidden him to return until he turned his uniform in. Zeke was upset because he hated being lost. Something about a fear of wild pokemon, which was strange because he also lived up in the mountains near Cletus and there were plenty of savage pokemon there. Vera was miffed as well. The Chansey she had stolen for the boss had been given back to her by Giovanni as a reward for bringing in a bunch of rare pokemon, but had immediately taken a liking to Sergio the second it saw him. It wouldn't go back in it's pokeball when Sergio was around. Instead, it followed him everywhere, and that was fine for him because he loved it with a passion. Chansey was his most favorite pokemon, and he didn't have one of his own. He spent the days that they were lost just sitting there hugging the thing, and it hugged him right back!
"Damn this. I though ya had a map. Ya tole me ya had a map!" Zeke snapped at Cletus. He walked on ahead of the others, leaving Vera to mutter into her purse, Cletus to look again to see if he had something to help them out of the woods, and Sergio hugging Vera's Chansey. He wandered behind a grove of trees and turned to see if the others were coming. Still walking backwards, he bumped into something and knocked it down.
"Oof!" The figure on the ground choked. Zeke immediately turned around and there was James staring up at him, wearing... whatever the hell that was.. a dress?! And makeup?
"Holy hell! What are ya doin', boy? Lookin' fer men?!" He gasped.
James picked himself up off the ground and dusted his dress off.
"I happen to be following someone!" He replied arrogantly.
Zeke laughed.
"Who? Farmer Joe?" He pointed to James's dress, which was blue, and had a country look to it. Something that Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz" would probably wear.
A twig behind Zeke snapped and then came a sound of surprise.
"Oh my GOD! James is dressed like a WOMAN!" Vera stood there and giggled. "I point and laugh at you, James!" She did so.
"What's so funny?" Cassidy came up behind James.
By this time, Sergio and Cletus had arrived and were also laughing at James. Apparently, none of them knew of James's habit of dressing like a female.
"I'll have you know I dress like this alot!" James remarked, defensively.
This just made everyone laugh harder, except for Cassidy. She looked like she was trying not to laugh.
Cassidy whacked James in the back of the head.
"You are so embarrasing to have around."
Sergio looked around at everyone and noticed that a couple of them were missing.
"Where's Jessie and Butch?" He asked anyone who was listening.
"Right here, Chansey Boy." Jessie proclaimed as she dragged Butch into the clearing by his leg. "I can't stand another minute in this creepy forest with Butch, and especially her!" She dropped Butch and pointed at Cassidy.
"I'm glad the feeling is mutual!" Cassidy pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out at Jessie.
"Hey, hey, you gals, no need'a bicker and such." Cletus stepped between them. "Ya know what this group needs, Zeke?"
"What?"
"We needs'ta have a good ol' fashioned hoedown!" Cletus pulled a big brown jug and a bow shaped object with a string on it out of the bag he was carrying.
Vera facefaulted. "You mean to tell me, that instead of carrying a map, or a compass, or something useful, you have all that junk in there?!"
Zeke pulled a harmonica from his pocket and a washboard from his bag.
"Not this again!" Sergio hid behind Chansey. "He's been playing that damn harmonica ever since we left Vermillion!" He covered his ears.
Cletus started blowing on the jug, and strumming the pittiful string, while Zeke blew on the harmonica and ran a stick up and down the washboard, which was conveniently strapped on him with a rope. He started dancing around like a maniac, banging on the washboard and tooting his harmonica. Cletus stopped with the jug long enough to yell to his fellow hill-billy.
"Too bad yer pa ain't here with his fiddle! He sure knew how ta livin' up a good party!"
James, thinking this was really fun, started dancing around as well, fitting in perfectly with his country style dress and pigtails.He broke into song, singing "Cotton Eye Joe", much to everyone's discomfort.
James grabbed Jessie, his arm looped through hers, and slung her around. A grin spread across Butch's face, and he started tapping his foot to the lively tune. Cassidy saw, and socked him over the head with her fist, where he sunk to the ground and drooled.
"James!" Jessie hollored over the noise, "James, you moron, let go of me!" James spun Jessie around and toward Vera and Sergio. He grabbed Vera as well, and began jumping around in a circle with Vera on one arm and Jessie on the other. Sergio shrugged and sighed.