Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon! They are copyrighted to Nintendo, Creatures Inc., Game Freak, WB for Kids, and whoever else I left out, please accept my apologies. I am just writing for fun not for profit like everyone else so don't sue me! Lupusa is mine and so is the plot for this fic.
Author's note: Words in 's and 's are pokémon speech translated. Words in *'s are thoughts, pokémon or human. *******'s in a row mean the point of view will change.
Friends to the End
By Ark9
Chapter Two
The Tree City
Brock: How many people live in this tree city? What is it called anyway?
Lupusa: Oh, it doesn't have a name and I am the only one here. It really isn't a whole city, I guess. It is all just a mirage. My Espeon keeps it looking that way, but our home is really a while away.
Ash: But why make a fake city to attract people?
Lupusa: There are also people that are created in the houses. They aren't very nice and when confronted, release pokémon that can not be defeated because they aren't real. The people who come are scared away that way.
Misty: What's wrong with people coming?
Ash: Yea, why did you come out for us?
Lupusa: Well, most people just what to cut down the forest but they don't want to disturb the houses already built. That would just waste their money; so they try to reason with the people. Of course it never works. Espeon saw you first. Eevee is the youngest of my pokémon. It saw you and decided that it wanted to handle it. Then the other pokémon just wanted to defend Eevee. Right Umbreon?
Umbreon: Umber! Yea!
Lupusa: But Espeon could have stopped it if it thought that you were here to steal away the village. It was the one who first noticed how much you all care about your pokémon.
Misty: Oh.
Ash: Um, thanks for noticin'…
Pikachu: Pikachu!
Prepare for Trouble
*********************
Girl voice: I don't see them anywhere!
Boy voice: Me neither. They just seemed to disappear into the trees.
Pokémon (strangely in English): We're gonna have to land dis thing and travel on foot so dat we can see 'em.
Girl/Boy: Right!
**********************
They were all sitting around a table at Lupusa's house, eating dinner. Well, that's one way of putting the way that Ash, Misty, and Brock started to eat everything in sight.
They were actually almost finished with what was there was a dark smoke poured into the room.
Ash: *Not again.*
Girl: Prepare for Trouble
Boy: Make it Double.
Girl: To protect the world from devastation.
Boy: To unite all peoples within our nation.
Girl: To denounce the evils of truth and love.
Boy: To extend our reach to the stars above.
The girl and boy hop down from the windowsill and one by one take off their heavy robes to reveal themselves as…
Girl: Jesse!
Boy: James!
Jesse: Team Rocket Blast off at the speed of light.
James: Surrender now or prepare to fight!
Meowth: Meowth that's right!
Everyone else: It's team rocket!
Ash: You're not getting Pikachu! (He picked up his favorite pokémon after this statement.)
Jesse: That's what you think, twerp! Arbok go!
Arbok: Char!!!
Jesse: Grab that Pikachu!
Lupusa: Espeon!
Espeon: Esp?
Lupusa: Psychic-attack!
Espeon: Espeon!!!
Arbok was very weak against psychic attacks because of its poison-type so it fainted and was returned to its pokéball before Team Rocket was sent flying through the roof.
Team Rocket: Team Rocket's blasting off again!
A twinkle in the distance was seen as they flew away.
Misty: Wow! That was great, Lupusa!
Lupusa (feeling a little embarrassed): Espeon is the one who should get all of the credit. It is a kind pokémon and is getting strong, too.
Espeon: Esp! Thanks!
Battle of a Lifetime
Ash (no longer able to hold back the temptation): Lupusa! I challenge you to a pokémon match!
Brock: Ash! You don't just demand a match!
Lupusa: That's ok. Two-on-two, ok?
Ash: Fine with me!
Everyone goes outside, eager to see what will come of this match.
Ash: As my first pokémon I choose, Charizard!
Charizard: Char! (It yells, happy to be in battle again)
Lupusa: Then as my pokémon, I choose Umbreon.
Brock (to Ash): But dark-types are weak against fire? Why would she use that?
Ash: Charizard, use your fire blast!
Charizard: Char!!!
Umbreon proved to be a better match than first speculated. It was extremely fast and Charizard couldn't seem to catch it. Charizard was down to thirty HP and he had been using bide.
Ash: Release the energy, now!!!
Charizard unleashed the doubled energy in the only form he used, fire. Umbreon was caught off guard and was easily taken down.
Lupusa: Umbreon, return. Good job, Ash. You won the first round but watch out! This one's tough! Go, Espeon!
Espeon: Espeon! I'm coming!
Lupusa: Espeon, use your psybeam!
Espeon created a beam with his psychic energy, almost effortless. Charizard was too tired to avoid being hit. Soon it was down.
Ash: Charizard, return! *Misty is right. I can't beat a psychic! What should I do?* Pikachu.
Pikachu: Pika?
Ash: I'm giving you the choice. Do you still want to battle?
Pikachu: Piiikachu!
Ash: Okay! Pikachu, give it all you've got! Agility!
Pikachu looked like a little yellow blur as he ran around the grass.
Lupusa: Espeon, use your psychic attack.
Espeon tried to lift the Pikachu to slam him on the ground but as it tried, it realized that it didn't know exactly where Pikachu was, it was too fast. Since it couldn't locate it, it's attacks all missed.
Ash: Good job, Pikachu. Now use your Thunder attack.
Lupusa: Espeon, as soon as Pikachu stops to prepare for his attack, use your psychic attack.
Pikachu amazed Lupusa by building energy while it ran but then it jumped unto Espeon and delivered its Thunder attack. Espeon was fading. It had always changed the flow of electricity so that it didn't ever hit it before so had never felt this kind of pain. But it couldn't let Lupusa down. With its last bit of energy, it pulled Pikachu away from itself and sent it slamming into a tree.
Ash: Pikachu!!!
Ash ran and picked up Pikachu. Are you ok, buddy?
Pikachu: Pikapi. I think so.
Ash: You win.
Espeon collapsed as soon as he said that.
Dreams Are Hard to Reach
Lupusa: You put up a good fight. I don't think I've battled anyone who was able to even hurt my Espeon at all since it learned psychic, two years ago. All four of our pokémon fainted, you know.
Ash: Yea. We'll keep getting stronger and some day I'll come back for a rematch. Right, Pikachu?
Pikachu (happily): Pikachu!
Misty: Good Job, Ash.
Brock: Yea, I've never seen Pikachu move so quickly!
Lupusa: It's getting dark. We should go inside.
Everyone was soon inside and asleep. Everyone, that is, except for Ash. He was afraid to fall asleep because he was scared. Scared of what he didn't know. Scared that somehow, this dream was going to happen. He finally fell into an uneasy sleep.
**********************
It was 2:00 in the morning. Ash looked at Pikachu and tried to fall back asleep, but it was impossible. Then he started to remember what had happened he couldn't bear it. He was out somewhere in the ice. It was white everywhere. Four of his pokémon were with him in their pokéballs but Pikachu was missing. Somehow he felt a very sad because Charizard wasn't there, but that it was in that Charific Valley place again. No one else was there and somehow he knew that Brock was in Pewter, where they had tried to go recently. Tracey was their other traveling buddy, but he knew inside that he was safe too. But somehow he knew that his two best friends were gone and he knew that he was to blame. Later he might learn more but now all he knew was that they were gone…Misty…and Pikachu.
Finally, he decided what he would do. He left a note on the table where they had eaten dinner. Then he cradled the still-sleeping Pikachu in his arms as he left into the night. Charizard hadn't had long enough to help them, he knew that. Then he decided to take out his other option, besides Charizard or Pikachu.
Ash (calling quietly): Bulbasaur come on out.
Bulbasaur: Bulba? What's wrong?
Ash: It's the dream. It happened again.
Bulbasaur: Bulbasaur bulba? What are we doing now?
Ash: I need you to use that bulb of yours like a flashlight so that we can see to get back to Pallet. (grins) Regardless of what Misty says, I do almost always know where I am. (serious again) Can you lead us that way?
Bulbasaur: Bulba! Gladly! Bulba bulbasaur? Where is everyone else?
Ash: They are not coming. They…don't know we're leaving either.
Bulbasaur: Bulbasaur? Where are we going?
Ash: On a great big adventure.
Bulbasaur: Bulba? Where to?
Ash: Some islands that are by the Orange Islands. They have boats that go there, though.
Bulbasaur: Bulba. okay.
Pikachu (waking up): Pikachu? Where am I?
Bulbasaur: Bulbasaur, saur. On a great big adventure.
When the morning comes
In the morning, Lupusa is the first one up and starts making breakfast. She cooked it and was setting the table when she noticed a new piece of paper. It was from Ash.
Lupusa (yelling through the house): Wake up, everyone! Ash is gone! He left a note, though.
Misty: What?
Brock: No way! He wouldn't leave without us!
Misty: Can we see the note?
Brock read it out-loud:
Dear Friends,
I thank you all for your help as I travel through the pokémon leagues. I am sorry to say that I have left on a journey of my own. If you all are right, then I will get no where and stay lost in these woods forever. I don't think that is the case, though. I will find my way to a new league that I found recently.
I hope that everyone makes it home safely as I have been warned that I will cause someone not to be so lucky. I hope I am wrong, though. At any rate, for the safety of everyone, I have gone. I hope that someday I can return and know that everyone will be all right, but until then I'll stay hidden as well as possible.
If Espeon can find me, then I guess I won't have anywhere to hide but I don't think even it can stop fate. If this is just some wild dream that has no chance of happening, I apologize and I'll see you again some day but I couldn't stand losing any of you.
Thank you once again for your support through everything.
~Ash
Brock just about broke down as he finished reading the sad letter.
Misty: We've got to do something.
Brock: We can't do anything. Ash is gone. Just to go home and hope for the best.
Lupusa (whispering as she understands everything): It won't help, Ash.
Misty: What did you say?
Lupusa: What? Oh, nothing. If Ash tries to come back there is going to be no stopping him, though.
The other two trainers look at each other confusedly as the picture fades out.