Faith in a Child
Chapter Eleven: Bark That Bites
Ash laid gasping on the floor for quite some time. He had narrowly escaped death again. He deserved a little break at least. Jessie was the first to her feet. She let out a squeal of astonishment. Ash took a glimpse at what she was gawking at. The room they were in now looked like a jungle. Ash's eyes widened.
"So dat's why it's so hot in here!" Meowth exclaimed, "Really! Is dis a rain forest with no rain?"
James, who was still clutching the floor, forced himself to look up. He wasn't really surprise at what he saw.
"So grass is what we face next," James shrugged, "Doesn't seem that hard."
Ash got to his feet wearily and glared out at the many vines and trees of the thick forest.
"Nothing is what it seem, James." Ash said softly.
This made James' heart skip a beat. Ash's voice was so bone chilling. All of Team Rocket turned to stare at Ash. He ignored their stares.
"What's wrong with him?" James whispered to Jessie. Jessie just shrugged,
"Nerves, I guess."
Ash stood with his back to Team Rocket for a while in till he finally fell to his knees. Team Rocket was once again startled. James rushed to Ash's side.
"Did you feel it?" Ash gasped as James helped Ash shakily to his feet.
"What? Feel what?"
"He was here. Zai… He spoke to you, James."
"He said Nothing is what it seems, James?" James guessed.
Ash looked surprised. He turned his amber eyes to James once more, "So you did hear it?"
"Yeah. It came out of you, twerp," Meowth muttered approaching Ash carefully with Jessie at his side.
"It did?" Ash gulped covering his mouth.
"Yeah… You went all weird and said that," Jessie nodded.
Ash blinked and looked around the room wildly.
"How can that be… Zai said that! Not me!" Ash protested.
"But it came from you…" James muttered in confusion.
"How… But… Zai must of-" Ash gulped and then let out a violent shutter; Ash closed his eyes and continued. "Zai must have been controlling me and didn't even know it…"
"But you were able to regain control. So that was something…" James tried to point out.
Ash opened his eyes and stared at James sadly, "Yeah… Or was that Zai wanted?
"Okay enough." Jessie said suddenly breaking the creepy silence that was looming over the group, "Let's not worry about Zai yet. We need to worry about the elements right now."
"Right!" Ash smiled getting back his spirit and getting up on his own feet.
"So how do we defeat this jungle…" James asked.
"Maybe…" Meowth said taking a step towards the mass of green. A vine shot out at him swing over the group. Everyone ducked the blow.
"Okay! Never mind!" Meowth squealed jumping into Jessie's arms.
Jessie let out a snort of disgust and dropped the frightened cat pokemon.
"My turn!" James smiled, "Go Victorybell!"
"Go Chikorita! Go Bulbasaur!" Ash commanded catching on.
"Use razor leaf!" Both trainers shouted in unison.
The plant pokemon (Yes, even Victorybell) all sent out sharp leaves toward the jungle and merely deflected on contact.
Ash and James both dropped their heads in disappointment. But Ash, suddenly, got a idea…
"Go Cyndaquil!" Ash shouted sending out another pokemon.
In the flash of red light, out popped the cute mouse pokemon again. It immediately charged up it back a spurt of flame erupted there.
"Flamethrower!" Ash commanded.
The fire pokemon nodded and shot out a trail of fire from its mouth. It hit the forest but unfortunately its attempts were futile.
"Fiddlesticks," Ash snapped his fingers throw the air. "It didn't work."
"Well, this was pretty far. Maybe this was as far as we go," James gave in.
Ash nodded returning Chikorita and Bulbasaur. James returned Victorybell as well.
Just as Ash was about to return Cyndaquil he noticed something funny about it. It was glowing red and radiating with heat.
"Look!" Ash managed to cry to Team Rocket before Cyndaquil let out a determined squeal.
"It's not gonna end here! Not if I can help it! This is for you master!"
Cyndaquil drew back a huge breath and then spurt out the biggest flamethrower Ash had ever seen. It was so big it couldn't be a flame thrower. It had to be…
"Fire Blast?" Team Rocket gulped.
The forest withered and died before their very eyes.
"Is this wishful thinking? I think we made it though another task!" Jessie muttered quietly.
Cyndaquil fell in a faint. Ash kneed besides his tuckered out pokemon and smiled, "Great job. You made me very proud. You deserve a good rest. Return."
To Be Continued…
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The water chapter is next. Thank you, James Bond and Dragoness, for reviewing!