The Journey's Just Begun
Chapter 3
Rob had started on his journey that morning, determined not to let Arina Ketchum, a girl, beat him at being a Pokemon trainer. He got to Viridian Forest after catching a Sandshrew, which wasn't easy, and a Rattata outside the city. He had almost caught a Nidoran, but it had scampered off before he could battle it.
As he reached the midway point of the forest, he saw something that definitely wasn't a Pokemon, and definitely wasn't an inanimate object, especially since, upon further inspection, most forests and Pokemon don't have labels on them saying "Satoshi & co." on them. It was nobody else but Arina Ketchum, her back turned to him. If he snuck up on her, he could grab her and take her to the police station.
"AHA! I gotcha!" Rob cried as he jumped Arina. Arina screamed out of fright. She grabbed him and threw him off her.
"What's the big idea, if you wanted a match - ROB?"
"Um, hi, Arina."
"You big jerk! You could have given me a heart attack, sneaking up on me was a big mistake!"
"Geez, alright." Rob backed off. "Do you know how worried your parents are? The police are all over the place looking for you. They still think you haven't reached Viridian City."
"Good. I've given them the slip. I'll keep going. By the time they get through Viridian, I'll be in Fuchsia." I grabbed my bag and (carefully) stood up.
"Where do you think you're going?" Rob asked me.
"Why, onto Pewter of course." I started to walk away, but when I put pressure on my left ankle, I froze and leaned against a tree for support. My body shook in pain.
Rob must have seen my reaction, because he asked, "Are you ok?"
I gritted my teeth in anger, and pain. "No," I muttered, "I'm fine, thank you. I just hurt my ankle is all. I'll see you at the finish line." I pushed myself off of the tree, and took a few more tottering steps before falling to my knees in agony, tears running down my face, it hurt so much.
Rob ran over to me. "Still feel like going to Pewter on that leg?" Without getting a reply from me, he grabbed my arm and put it over his shoulder. He helped me stand up, acting as a crutch. He turned us around, and we began to walk back toward Viridian City.
* * * *
Ash slammed down the phone. "Misty!" he screamed, "They found her!"
Misty and all their Pokemon dashed into the kitchen in a mad rush. "Where? Is she ok?" Misty cried.
"She's at Viridian City hospital. I'll explain on the way." Ash grabbed her and dragged her outside to the car. Whatever reporters hadn't left for Viridian immediately rushed up to them, begging for reactions. Ash got angry, and instinctively grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. "Charizard, I choose you!"
The fire-breathing Pokemon flew out of its Pokeball and roared, sending the reporters back to their vans to hide, while Ash and Misty made a break for their car.
"Ash, what's going on? Why's Arina at the hospital?" Misty asked as Ash gunned the engine and tore off down the street.
"They said someone found her in Viridian Forest and rushed her to the hospital." Ash said.
Nearly all the color drained out of Misty's face. "Oh, no. . ." she whispered. She remembered the vicious Beedrills from Viridian Forest. Could they have gotten Arina?
"They didn't give any names as to who found her, either."
"This is all my fault."
"This is NOT all your fault, Misty. Arina got herself into this mess, and before the day is out, she'll be back home until she's 18 years old, Pokemon journey or no." Ash said in a tone he rarely used.
Misty just stared at him in shock. Ash had only been this serious once, when he was twenty, at the Pokemon League Tournaments and declared he would be the #1 Pokemon Master. He didn't flip his hat backwards, he didn't use his symbolic victory sign, just stated his declaration in a tone even Charizard wouldn't ignore.
"This isn't like last time, Ash." Misty said.
A beat. "I know it isn't, because Team Rocket had her then. As soon as we get home, I'm sending her off to reform school. She obviously needs more discipline than we can provide.
"Ash!" Misty cried. "Quit being ridiculous. And slow down before you hit something. Arina's not going anywhere."
Ash slowed down, then pulled over to the side. "We're bad parents." he whispered.
"Ash, no! That's not true! Arina's a great kid; we did a great job of raising her.
"Then why'd she take off like this?"
Misty shook her head. "We'll find out when we see her."
Ash couldn't hold back his emotions anymore. He leaned into the steering wheel and began to cry. Memories of what had happened to Arina when she was two came flooding back. He'd been more scared back then thinking what could possibly happen to her, but her disappearance yesterday, although with a note, still struck fear into him. And now, so much like eight years before, she had been found, this time injured, maybe gravely.
Misty unstrapped herself and leaned over to hug him. "I know Ash, I'm scared too." Misty felt tears come to her eyes. She had been, for the past eight years, living in absolute fear of a repeat kidnapping. Misty had tried to discourage her daughter from going on her Pokemon journey until she was at least twelve, but had failed. Arina had never liked school, although she got decent grades, so by her ninth birthday, she was declaring to everyone and anyone who would listen that she would be a Pokemon Master by her fifteenth birthday. Somehow, Misty knew she couldn't hold her daughter back, but she didn't want to let go of the little girl she'd lost once before.
Ash pulled away from her. "I don't want to lose her, Misty."
"I don't either." Misty admitted as Ash started the car again. "But she's growing up, we can't keep her caged in forever, it would kill her."
"But she gets into trouble. Look where she landed herself."
"Ash, I seem to recall a ten-year-old Pokemon Master who acted very much like her."
Ash looked over at her. "Me? Misty, I never acted like this!"
Misty nodded. "Yes, you did. Your crazy ideas got us into some situations I'd rather forget."
"I seem to recall a young lady who pleaded to an enormous Tentacruel to stop crushing Porta Vista."
"That was one time. I seem to recall you getting us involved with moving a Snorlax, getting Pikachu into a police canine training camp, the fossil dig at Grandpa Canyon, Lavendar Town's Ghost Tower -"
"All right! I get the point, she's my daughter!" Ash cut in, and then sighed. "What are we going to do with her?"
Misty shook her head as they crossed into Viridian City from Pallet. "Let's see how she's doing, first, then decide our next move."
Ash parked the car at the Viridian hospital underground parking lot and a policeman escorted them through the back way of the hospital, directly to the in-patient center. A doctor met them at the nurses' station, introducing himself as Dr. McGregor. He explained that Arina had suffered a few minor cuts and bruises and a sprained ankle and that Rob Oak had found her. Misty and Ash were relieved to find the wounds weren't anymore serious than that.
"Pika-Pi!" (Ash!)
Ash turned. "Pikachu?! What are you doing here?"
Pikachu jumped into his friends arms "Pika-Pika-Pikachu?" (How's Arina?)
Ash looked down at his friend. "How did you know Arina was here? For that matter, how did you know we were here?"
"Pikachu . . ." (Oops . . .)
* * * *
It had now been two hours since I'd arrived at the hospital. Pikachu must have flown to the Pokemon Center, because, by the time Rob and I got to the edge of the forest, Officer Jenny, her team, an ambulance and it's crew were there, ready to get me. Everyone was very nice to me, but I'm sure they thought I was a lunatic, running away from home like I did. Now even I thought I was nuts. What exactly had I been trying to prove - that I could scare my parents? No, the only thing I'd proven was how stupid I was. Running away from home wasn't going to resolve any fights between my parents and I'd certainly not win any brownie points for courage.
Well, it had been fun being a trainer. I knew as soon as Mom and Dad got here, they'd take me home, read me the riot act and have me on a leash till I was eighteen. Something to look forward to. Whee.
The door to my room opened a crack as I lay on my bed and Pikachu popped his head in. "Pikachu!" he cried.
I didn't get a chance to respond because the door flew open all the way, and Dad stormed in, looking madder than his Primeape on a good day, Mom right behind him, looking...a little more forlorn.
"Young lady, you're in some seriously deep trouble!" he shouted. Ouch, maybe I'd get the riot act before we got home.
"Get your stuff together, we're going home." he ordered.
Anger suddenly flashed in my eyes and I sat up. Who did he think he was? I didn't deserve to be treated like this, mistake or no. "No, I will not." I said defiantly, clearly taking aback both my parents. "I'm not just one of your Pokemon you can order around and I'm not some baby. I made a mistake about Dewgong the other day, but I apologized for it. Mom's behavior and your actions right now are nothing less than immature!"
"Pika-Pi." Pikachu sat frozen to my bed looking at me, then Dad.
I felt a lump form in my throat, but I pushed on. I needed to be heard, for once. "I hate the way you treat me like some four-year-old who needs to be watched constantly, and I hate the way you treat each other." I felt my tears of anger spill over. "You two fight all the time, I don't care if it is the basis of your relationship, it's hurting me and I am SICK OF IT!"
A minute passed before my mother spoke. "Oh, Arina!" she started to come toward me.
"Don't." I warned angrily. "Don't come any closer. Just get out of here before I do something other than yell."
So they left, except Pikachu. I lay down and buried my head in my pillow to sob. Yet, at the same time, I felt so much better because I'd finally told my parents exactly what I felt and thought about them.
* * * *
A little while later, Ash was sitting in a booth at the cafeteria, staring at the cup of coffee he'd bought, a mix of emotions on his face.
"Hey."
Ash looked up to see Misty sliding into the other side of the booth. "Hey," he replied, his voice rough.
"We've really blown it this time, haven't we?"
Ash didn't bother to argue this was mainly her fault, simply said with a sigh. "Yeah, we have."
Misty look over at the cafeteria buffet, where the woman at the cash register was wiping down the counter. "The parenting books didn't say how to fix problems like this."
"Pika Pikachu-Pi-Pika!" (This isn't a problem, it's a situation!) Pikachu said as he stormed into the cafeteria, and jumped onto the table, surprising the two humans. He continued (in Pikachu!), "Arina is upset, she has been even before I left for Pewter City. She's right - your fighting is immature. She's terrified you're going to get a divorce."
Misty looked a little shocked. "A divorce?" she asked quietly.
Pikachu nodded, "You need to apologize to her."
"Apologize?!" Ash and Misty both cried. "She's the one that ran away!"
"Pika!" Pikachu gave them a thunderbolt. "SHE DID APOLOGIZE . . . weren't you worried about your Pokemon when it got hurt? You really hurt her first by fighting with each other. If you two really love each other and Arina, you'd look at this from her point of view.
Misty sat back against the booth, eyes closed, and a few minutes later, said, "We've been selfish. We haven't been thinking about how Arina feels."
"Well, we know now, although running away doesn't prove a point." Ash added.
"Pika-Pi-Pikachu-Pi-Pika-Pika." (She felt trapped. You always discouraged her from leaving.)
Misty slid out of the booth then. "Arina needs to know why. I think it's time she found out."
Ash let her go without a word.
* * * *
I, meanwhile, was sitting on the floor of my room, sorting through the contents of my backpack. At some point, I felt Mom's presence, standing at the door watching me. I didn't bother to look up, simply asked, "Are you going to yell at me too?"
"No, Arina, I'm not. I came here to apologize and talk."
I noticed there wasn't a tag-on of "Oh and we're letting you go on your Pokemon journey", but I took what I was given. "Apology accepted."
Mom pulled a lock of long red hair away from her face, before sitting down on the floor next to me. "Have you caught any Pokemon yet?"
"Uh-huh. Bulbasaur growled at two Weedles and they both fainted, then one evolved into Kakuna. Then, after I met up with Pikachu, we found a baby Pikachu being attacked by a Spearow and a Pidgey, so Pikachu KO'd the birds while I sprayed some antidote on the baby. We were heading to the Pokemon Center at Pewter, when I tripped over a tree root and did this." I motioned to my ankle. "I told Pikachu to get the baby to the Pokemon Center, and to get help for me. While I was gone, I battled a Rattata with my Weedle and caught it."
"So you have seven Pokemon in less than two days?" Mom was shocked.
I counted them off, then shook my head no. "Only six. I didn't fight the baby Pikachu, I was only helping it survive a little longer."
"So you're going to let it go?" Mom asked.
"Yeah, I think so. It's only fair to it."
Mom chuckled. "You're a piece of work, you know that?"
It was nice to hear Mom laugh for once, but I remained sober. "I've decided to live with Dad for the first six months of the year, and the other six I'll live with you."
Mom looked bewildered, but I pressed on. "Of course, if you live close to each other, I could switch every other month or every three months."
Mom finally understood what I was talking about. "We're not getting a divorce, Arina. I know we fight a lot, but the last thing I want to do is lose your father."
"Then why do you fight? I mean I know we're in trouble with money -"
"How did you know about that?" Mom asked in surprise.
"I heard you late one night crying in bed and Dad was trying to calm you down."
"Oh my God! You poor kid! You shouldn't have to worry about this!"
"Yes, I should! I'm part of this family too! Why do you think I've wanted to go on my journey so badly? There's gold at the end of the rainbow!"
Mom looked away then. "Yes, there is." she murmured.
I rolled Bulbasaur's Pokeball around the floor next to me. "I don't understand though, if Dad's still the unbeaten Pokemon Master, after all this time, why are we struggling for money?"
Mom didn't answer at first and I figured it was some deep dark secret she didn't want to tell me yet, but then she said, "We took you to the beach when you were two years old. We were walking on the boardwalk and . . . one minute you were there, the next minute you'd vanished."
I stared at Mom in complete shock. I'd never heard this story before, and I'd never imagined her telling me this.
"We searched for you for days, the police, the Coast Guard, everyone. But no one could find you. The authorities stopped looking for you and started searching for your body.
I gulped. "What happened? They found me, right?"
Mom shook her head. "We came back one night to the beach house we were renting for the summer and there was a note slipped under the door. It was from Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni. He had you and wanted a million dollars in cash by the end of the week, or he threatened we'd never see you again,"
I sucked in my breath sharply. "But even the Pokemon Master doesn't get paid that much!" I said. "What happened?"
Mom looked away again. "We did what we had to."
"We didn't want to lose you Arina. Our families, Brock, helped out as much as they could, we paid out whatever we had left from my last tournament when I was twenty, which wasn't much. Somehow, by some miracle, we came up with all the money Giovanni wanted. Once he got that, you were returned to us, unharmed. The police didn't catch Giovanni." Dad said from the door.
I could only look at the floor. "This is all my fault. I'm the reason we're poor!"
"No, Arina, that's not true. We didn't tell you this just so you can blame yourself."
"Yeah, we told you because you wanted to know why we fight over money. We both have the honor of battling under the Pallet Town Fire and Ice Gym, but sometimes, one or both of us doesn't manage our budget very well, that's when the fights start."
I burst into tears then. I couldn't help it; I felt like dirt. Here I was being the world's biggest brat by running away, while my parents worried about where our next meal was coming from.
"I'm so sorry - (hiccup) - I ran away!" I bawled into Mom's shoulder as she hugged me. Not two seconds later, I felt Dad's arms around me too. All three of us together, closer than we'd ever been as a family in a while, was really nice, although I was too busy crying to notice.
Then we talked. Well, we got me out of the hospital first, and went out to a quiet little coffee shop to discuss certain issues. Pikachu and I split a donut while Mom and Dad had cappuccinos. For a while, we just sat there, dining quietly, then Dad broke the silence by saying, "You know running away was wrong, Arina."
I was quick to reply. "But what Mom was as wrong as what I did. If she had calmed down for about ten minutes, none of this would have happened."
"Whoa, I'm not letting this turn into a blame-fest." Mom held up her hand. "We're all equally to blame here, and I'm just thanking God you weren't hurt other than a sprained ankle."
"I really don't think you realize the possible dangers lurking out there, Ar. You could've been kidnapped again, or worse."
My donut looked less and less appealing to both Pikachu and me as we sat there, the little mouse in my lap, our heads bowed as I was lectured. "I know."
"But you're going to have to learn about those dangers sometime, and it might as well be now."
My head shot up. "Huh, you mean. . .?"
Dad nodded. "We're letting you go on your Pokemon journey, on ONE CONDITION, and that is that you write to us once a month telling us where you are, how many Pokemon you have, how many badges you have, etcetera."
"That's what phones are for. I'll save some space in the trash dump by spending my loose change to call home."
Dad crossed his arms at the chest and closed his eyes, assuming his thinking mode. Finally, he answered, "Very well."
"I'll only go under one other condition: that you two don't fight, but get along with each other. Please?"
Dad nodded, but Mom stood up and walked quickly to the bathroom. Catching our bewildered glances twenty minutes later when she returned, she simply smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well. I must have caught some sort of bug."
"Then maybe we'd better start from home." Dad stood up too, handing me my crutches. He held on tight to Mom until they got out of the restaurant. I paid the bill and met them outside momentarily. Pikachu jumped onto Dad's shoulder, just as Rob ran up to us.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum. Arina."
"Hello, Rob." Mom said sweetly. "I understand you're the one who saved Arina back in Viridian Forest."
Rob nodded. "She can put up a good fight when she wants to -" Dad narrowed his glance on me, I looked at Rob, shocked. "But I knew she had to get help with her leg twisted in the angle it was in." Rob was making himself to look like a saint! I could've killed him right then and there. But then he turned to me. "Arina, I've been looking for you everywhere. Your Pikachu, the one you brought in -"
"It's ok, isn't it?" I asked, my fear growing.
"It's fine . . . but at the same time it's not. You'll have to see for yourself. Nurse Joy wants you to come to the Pokecenter."
I turned to my parents and the looks in their eyes told me they understood. "I'll call you when I get to Pewter City." We couldn't hug, not with me in crutches, so Mom and Dad simply waved, while they drove off, with Pikachu. Then Rob and I headed to the Pokemon Center.
* * * *
Nurse Joy and a Chansey met us at the door. We greeted each other and then headed toward the back where many of the sicker Pokemon were kept.
"It's been treated and it's healing nicely, but it refuses to eat anything. We've tried every brand of Pikachu Pokechow on it, and various methods to feed it, but so far nothing's worked. We're hoping you can convince it to eat since you found it." Joy explained to me quietly as we reached the Pikachu's room. I nodded and gave Joy the rest of my Pokemon to heal while I attended the baby. Rob held the door open for me, and the two of us went in.
Inside the room, the curtains were drawn, and the baby Pikachu was lying down on its side in an incubator, asleep. I sat down in a chair that had been placed next to the incubator (no doubt by someone trying to feed the Pikachu earlier). I tapped on the glass lightly and the baby woke up. At first, it looked confused, especially by its surroundings, and I was afraid it might start to panic, but it just laid its head down again.
"Hi, Pikachu, how are you doing?" I smiled.
"Pika, Pikachu." (Fine, no thanks to you.)
My smile drooped and I looked at Rob for help. He shrugged and asked, "Why so glum, Pikachu?"
Pikachu rolled over, its back now facing us. "Pikachu Pika-Pika-chu." (You should have let the flying Pokemon eat me.)
I was shocked. "Why?!" I asked in a stunned tone.
"Pikachu Pika Pikachu Pika." (Because I'm a runt of the litter.), it said, "Pika Pika Pi, Chu, Pikachu." (I'm not worth anything because I will never be big and strong, just small and weak.)
How could a baby even think like this?
It continued, in Pikachu. "When my tribe of Pikachu had to move to a different spot in the forest, I couldn't keep up with my other brothers and sisters, so I was left behind. Even my mother couldn't stay with me."
I felt tears sting my eyes. "I don't think you're small and weak."
"Pika?" (No?)
I shook my head vehemently. "Not at all. You held off the Pidgey and the Spearow very well and if I hadn't come along and interrupted you, you would've eaten THEM for dinner."
"Pika..." (Maybe...)
"How would you like to battle the Spearow and Pidgey again to teach them a lesson?"
"Pikachu!" (Would I!)
I smiled at Rob. "Then would you like to see the world with us?"
"Pikachu! Pika-Pi!"
"There's just one problem." Rob told me, a knowing glint in his eye.
"What's that?"
"Pikachu couldn't beat Spearow and Pidgey in it's current condition."
"Pikachu! Pikachu-Pika-Pi!" (He's right! Give me some of that food!)
Twenty minutes later, the baby had stuffed itself full, (much to the surprise and delight of Joy), and was sleeping peacefully.
As we left the room, I said to Rob, "Thank you for all your help. I know I didn't appreciate it earlier, but I do now."
Rob looked embarrassed. "It was nothin'."
"Come on, I'll take you out to lunch, and then later we'll head back into Viridian Forest to catch more Pokemon and really start our Pokemon journeys."
* * * *
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, welcome to the battle of the century - Pikachu vs. Spearow and Pidgey." Rob's voice boomed over at the Pokemon Center's backyard. It was now mid-afternoon and Pikachu was psyched and ready to battle, it was standing on one side of the backyard, Spearow, Pidgey and me at the other end.
Rob sounded the starting bell, and Pikachu ran out to the field.
"Pidgey, go!" I pointed out to the field. Pidgey took off. "Pidgey, gust attack!"
"Pidgeee!" The bird Pokemon cried as it flapped its wings. Pikachu jumped and tackled Pidgey, pinning it to the ground, then gave it a thundershock. Pidgey was down for the count.
"Pidgey, return." I recalled Pidgey to it's Pokeball. "Go, Spearow!"
I didn't even get a chance to give out a command before Pikachu sent out a thunderbolt. Spearow fell to the ground, fainted and weak.
"Return, Spearow!" Spearow went back into it's Pokeball. "Congratulations, Pikachu!" I cried. "You did a wonderful job!"
"Pika! Pikachu -Pika!" (Thanks! Now I'm ready to see the world with you!)
"Great, we're heading into your home now, Viridian Forest." Rob said.
"Chu." Pikachu looked sort of downcast at Rob's announcement.
"What's the matter, Pikachu?" Rob asked.
"I think Pikachu is a little down because we're going back to the place he was abandoned."
"Oh." Rob thought a minute. "Well, why not put Pikachu in a Pokeball?"
I looked down at Pikachu. "Would you like to get in a Pokeball? It's only temporary."
"Pikachu -Pika."
"Ok, let's try it." I fished around in my bag for a Pokeball and realized I'd run out of empty ones. I told Rob, but again he was prepared with an idea.
"You said you had a Weedle and a Kakuna, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Watch and learn." Rob threw an empty Pokeball at Pikachu and it disappeared. Rob picked up the ball and walked over to me. "Now we can trade. Your Kakuna for Pikachu."
"Sounds fair." I took out Kakuna's Pokeball and handed it to Rob, then he handed me Pikachu.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Ketchum."
"Same with you, Mr. Oak." I smiled. I tossed Pikachu's ball in front of me and Pikachu re-appeared.
"Pika! Pika-Pikachu!" (Hey! I liked it in there!) Pikachu was actually annoyed that I'd brought it back out! Quickly, it tapped the button on the Pokeball, and went back in.
"Little rascal." I muttered in chagrin. "Must be cozy in there."
"Let's go Arina! Our journey's just begun and we have lots more Pokemon to catch!" Rob called to me.
So were off to Viridian Forest, and our renewed journey.
End Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Rob had started on his journey that morning, determined not to let Arina Ketchum, a girl, beat him at being a Pokemon trainer. He got to Viridian Forest after catching a Sandshrew, which wasn't easy, and a Rattata outside the city. He had almost caught a Nidoran, but it had scampered off before he could battle it.
As he reached the midway point of the forest, he saw something that definitely wasn't a Pokemon, and definitely wasn't an inanimate object, especially since, upon further inspection, most forests and Pokemon don't have labels on them saying "Satoshi & co." on them. It was nobody else but Arina Ketchum, her back turned to him. If he snuck up on her, he could grab her and take her to the police station.
"AHA! I gotcha!" Rob cried as he jumped Arina. Arina screamed out of fright. She grabbed him and threw him off her.
"What's the big idea, if you wanted a match - ROB?"
"Um, hi, Arina."
"You big jerk! You could have given me a heart attack, sneaking up on me was a big mistake!"
"Geez, alright." Rob backed off. "Do you know how worried your parents are? The police are all over the place looking for you. They still think you haven't reached Viridian City."
"Good. I've given them the slip. I'll keep going. By the time they get through Viridian, I'll be in Fuchsia." I grabbed my bag and (carefully) stood up.
"Where do you think you're going?" Rob asked me.
"Why, onto Pewter of course." I started to walk away, but when I put pressure on my left ankle, I froze and leaned against a tree for support. My body shook in pain.
Rob must have seen my reaction, because he asked, "Are you ok?"
I gritted my teeth in anger, and pain. "No," I muttered, "I'm fine, thank you. I just hurt my ankle is all. I'll see you at the finish line." I pushed myself off of the tree, and took a few more tottering steps before falling to my knees in agony, tears running down my face, it hurt so much.
Rob ran over to me. "Still feel like going to Pewter on that leg?" Without getting a reply from me, he grabbed my arm and put it over his shoulder. He helped me stand up, acting as a crutch. He turned us around, and we began to walk back toward Viridian City.
* * * *
Ash slammed down the phone. "Misty!" he screamed, "They found her!"
Misty and all their Pokemon dashed into the kitchen in a mad rush. "Where? Is she ok?" Misty cried.
"She's at Viridian City hospital. I'll explain on the way." Ash grabbed her and dragged her outside to the car. Whatever reporters hadn't left for Viridian immediately rushed up to them, begging for reactions. Ash got angry, and instinctively grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. "Charizard, I choose you!"
The fire-breathing Pokemon flew out of its Pokeball and roared, sending the reporters back to their vans to hide, while Ash and Misty made a break for their car.
"Ash, what's going on? Why's Arina at the hospital?" Misty asked as Ash gunned the engine and tore off down the street.
"They said someone found her in Viridian Forest and rushed her to the hospital." Ash said.
Nearly all the color drained out of Misty's face. "Oh, no. . ." she whispered. She remembered the vicious Beedrills from Viridian Forest. Could they have gotten Arina?
"They didn't give any names as to who found her, either."
"This is all my fault."
"This is NOT all your fault, Misty. Arina got herself into this mess, and before the day is out, she'll be back home until she's 18 years old, Pokemon journey or no." Ash said in a tone he rarely used.
Misty just stared at him in shock. Ash had only been this serious once, when he was twenty, at the Pokemon League Tournaments and declared he would be the #1 Pokemon Master. He didn't flip his hat backwards, he didn't use his symbolic victory sign, just stated his declaration in a tone even Charizard wouldn't ignore.
"This isn't like last time, Ash." Misty said.
A beat. "I know it isn't, because Team Rocket had her then. As soon as we get home, I'm sending her off to reform school. She obviously needs more discipline than we can provide.
"Ash!" Misty cried. "Quit being ridiculous. And slow down before you hit something. Arina's not going anywhere."
Ash slowed down, then pulled over to the side. "We're bad parents." he whispered.
"Ash, no! That's not true! Arina's a great kid; we did a great job of raising her.
"Then why'd she take off like this?"
Misty shook her head. "We'll find out when we see her."
Ash couldn't hold back his emotions anymore. He leaned into the steering wheel and began to cry. Memories of what had happened to Arina when she was two came flooding back. He'd been more scared back then thinking what could possibly happen to her, but her disappearance yesterday, although with a note, still struck fear into him. And now, so much like eight years before, she had been found, this time injured, maybe gravely.
Misty unstrapped herself and leaned over to hug him. "I know Ash, I'm scared too." Misty felt tears come to her eyes. She had been, for the past eight years, living in absolute fear of a repeat kidnapping. Misty had tried to discourage her daughter from going on her Pokemon journey until she was at least twelve, but had failed. Arina had never liked school, although she got decent grades, so by her ninth birthday, she was declaring to everyone and anyone who would listen that she would be a Pokemon Master by her fifteenth birthday. Somehow, Misty knew she couldn't hold her daughter back, but she didn't want to let go of the little girl she'd lost once before.
Ash pulled away from her. "I don't want to lose her, Misty."
"I don't either." Misty admitted as Ash started the car again. "But she's growing up, we can't keep her caged in forever, it would kill her."
"But she gets into trouble. Look where she landed herself."
"Ash, I seem to recall a ten-year-old Pokemon Master who acted very much like her."
Ash looked over at her. "Me? Misty, I never acted like this!"
Misty nodded. "Yes, you did. Your crazy ideas got us into some situations I'd rather forget."
"I seem to recall a young lady who pleaded to an enormous Tentacruel to stop crushing Porta Vista."
"That was one time. I seem to recall you getting us involved with moving a Snorlax, getting Pikachu into a police canine training camp, the fossil dig at Grandpa Canyon, Lavendar Town's Ghost Tower -"
"All right! I get the point, she's my daughter!" Ash cut in, and then sighed. "What are we going to do with her?"
Misty shook her head as they crossed into Viridian City from Pallet. "Let's see how she's doing, first, then decide our next move."
Ash parked the car at the Viridian hospital underground parking lot and a policeman escorted them through the back way of the hospital, directly to the in-patient center. A doctor met them at the nurses' station, introducing himself as Dr. McGregor. He explained that Arina had suffered a few minor cuts and bruises and a sprained ankle and that Rob Oak had found her. Misty and Ash were relieved to find the wounds weren't anymore serious than that.
"Pika-Pi!" (Ash!)
Ash turned. "Pikachu?! What are you doing here?"
Pikachu jumped into his friends arms "Pika-Pika-Pikachu?" (How's Arina?)
Ash looked down at his friend. "How did you know Arina was here? For that matter, how did you know we were here?"
"Pikachu . . ." (Oops . . .)
* * * *
It had now been two hours since I'd arrived at the hospital. Pikachu must have flown to the Pokemon Center, because, by the time Rob and I got to the edge of the forest, Officer Jenny, her team, an ambulance and it's crew were there, ready to get me. Everyone was very nice to me, but I'm sure they thought I was a lunatic, running away from home like I did. Now even I thought I was nuts. What exactly had I been trying to prove - that I could scare my parents? No, the only thing I'd proven was how stupid I was. Running away from home wasn't going to resolve any fights between my parents and I'd certainly not win any brownie points for courage.
Well, it had been fun being a trainer. I knew as soon as Mom and Dad got here, they'd take me home, read me the riot act and have me on a leash till I was eighteen. Something to look forward to. Whee.
The door to my room opened a crack as I lay on my bed and Pikachu popped his head in. "Pikachu!" he cried.
I didn't get a chance to respond because the door flew open all the way, and Dad stormed in, looking madder than his Primeape on a good day, Mom right behind him, looking...a little more forlorn.
"Young lady, you're in some seriously deep trouble!" he shouted. Ouch, maybe I'd get the riot act before we got home.
"Get your stuff together, we're going home." he ordered.
Anger suddenly flashed in my eyes and I sat up. Who did he think he was? I didn't deserve to be treated like this, mistake or no. "No, I will not." I said defiantly, clearly taking aback both my parents. "I'm not just one of your Pokemon you can order around and I'm not some baby. I made a mistake about Dewgong the other day, but I apologized for it. Mom's behavior and your actions right now are nothing less than immature!"
"Pika-Pi." Pikachu sat frozen to my bed looking at me, then Dad.
I felt a lump form in my throat, but I pushed on. I needed to be heard, for once. "I hate the way you treat me like some four-year-old who needs to be watched constantly, and I hate the way you treat each other." I felt my tears of anger spill over. "You two fight all the time, I don't care if it is the basis of your relationship, it's hurting me and I am SICK OF IT!"
A minute passed before my mother spoke. "Oh, Arina!" she started to come toward me.
"Don't." I warned angrily. "Don't come any closer. Just get out of here before I do something other than yell."
So they left, except Pikachu. I lay down and buried my head in my pillow to sob. Yet, at the same time, I felt so much better because I'd finally told my parents exactly what I felt and thought about them.
* * * *
A little while later, Ash was sitting in a booth at the cafeteria, staring at the cup of coffee he'd bought, a mix of emotions on his face.
"Hey."
Ash looked up to see Misty sliding into the other side of the booth. "Hey," he replied, his voice rough.
"We've really blown it this time, haven't we?"
Ash didn't bother to argue this was mainly her fault, simply said with a sigh. "Yeah, we have."
Misty look over at the cafeteria buffet, where the woman at the cash register was wiping down the counter. "The parenting books didn't say how to fix problems like this."
"Pika Pikachu-Pi-Pika!" (This isn't a problem, it's a situation!) Pikachu said as he stormed into the cafeteria, and jumped onto the table, surprising the two humans. He continued (in Pikachu!), "Arina is upset, she has been even before I left for Pewter City. She's right - your fighting is immature. She's terrified you're going to get a divorce."
Misty looked a little shocked. "A divorce?" she asked quietly.
Pikachu nodded, "You need to apologize to her."
"Apologize?!" Ash and Misty both cried. "She's the one that ran away!"
"Pika!" Pikachu gave them a thunderbolt. "SHE DID APOLOGIZE . . . weren't you worried about your Pokemon when it got hurt? You really hurt her first by fighting with each other. If you two really love each other and Arina, you'd look at this from her point of view.
Misty sat back against the booth, eyes closed, and a few minutes later, said, "We've been selfish. We haven't been thinking about how Arina feels."
"Well, we know now, although running away doesn't prove a point." Ash added.
"Pika-Pi-Pikachu-Pi-Pika-Pika." (She felt trapped. You always discouraged her from leaving.)
Misty slid out of the booth then. "Arina needs to know why. I think it's time she found out."
Ash let her go without a word.
* * * *
I, meanwhile, was sitting on the floor of my room, sorting through the contents of my backpack. At some point, I felt Mom's presence, standing at the door watching me. I didn't bother to look up, simply asked, "Are you going to yell at me too?"
"No, Arina, I'm not. I came here to apologize and talk."
I noticed there wasn't a tag-on of "Oh and we're letting you go on your Pokemon journey", but I took what I was given. "Apology accepted."
Mom pulled a lock of long red hair away from her face, before sitting down on the floor next to me. "Have you caught any Pokemon yet?"
"Uh-huh. Bulbasaur growled at two Weedles and they both fainted, then one evolved into Kakuna. Then, after I met up with Pikachu, we found a baby Pikachu being attacked by a Spearow and a Pidgey, so Pikachu KO'd the birds while I sprayed some antidote on the baby. We were heading to the Pokemon Center at Pewter, when I tripped over a tree root and did this." I motioned to my ankle. "I told Pikachu to get the baby to the Pokemon Center, and to get help for me. While I was gone, I battled a Rattata with my Weedle and caught it."
"So you have seven Pokemon in less than two days?" Mom was shocked.
I counted them off, then shook my head no. "Only six. I didn't fight the baby Pikachu, I was only helping it survive a little longer."
"So you're going to let it go?" Mom asked.
"Yeah, I think so. It's only fair to it."
Mom chuckled. "You're a piece of work, you know that?"
It was nice to hear Mom laugh for once, but I remained sober. "I've decided to live with Dad for the first six months of the year, and the other six I'll live with you."
Mom looked bewildered, but I pressed on. "Of course, if you live close to each other, I could switch every other month or every three months."
Mom finally understood what I was talking about. "We're not getting a divorce, Arina. I know we fight a lot, but the last thing I want to do is lose your father."
"Then why do you fight? I mean I know we're in trouble with money -"
"How did you know about that?" Mom asked in surprise.
"I heard you late one night crying in bed and Dad was trying to calm you down."
"Oh my God! You poor kid! You shouldn't have to worry about this!"
"Yes, I should! I'm part of this family too! Why do you think I've wanted to go on my journey so badly? There's gold at the end of the rainbow!"
Mom looked away then. "Yes, there is." she murmured.
I rolled Bulbasaur's Pokeball around the floor next to me. "I don't understand though, if Dad's still the unbeaten Pokemon Master, after all this time, why are we struggling for money?"
Mom didn't answer at first and I figured it was some deep dark secret she didn't want to tell me yet, but then she said, "We took you to the beach when you were two years old. We were walking on the boardwalk and . . . one minute you were there, the next minute you'd vanished."
I stared at Mom in complete shock. I'd never heard this story before, and I'd never imagined her telling me this.
"We searched for you for days, the police, the Coast Guard, everyone. But no one could find you. The authorities stopped looking for you and started searching for your body.
I gulped. "What happened? They found me, right?"
Mom shook her head. "We came back one night to the beach house we were renting for the summer and there was a note slipped under the door. It was from Team Rocket's leader, Giovanni. He had you and wanted a million dollars in cash by the end of the week, or he threatened we'd never see you again,"
I sucked in my breath sharply. "But even the Pokemon Master doesn't get paid that much!" I said. "What happened?"
Mom looked away again. "We did what we had to."
"We didn't want to lose you Arina. Our families, Brock, helped out as much as they could, we paid out whatever we had left from my last tournament when I was twenty, which wasn't much. Somehow, by some miracle, we came up with all the money Giovanni wanted. Once he got that, you were returned to us, unharmed. The police didn't catch Giovanni." Dad said from the door.
I could only look at the floor. "This is all my fault. I'm the reason we're poor!"
"No, Arina, that's not true. We didn't tell you this just so you can blame yourself."
"Yeah, we told you because you wanted to know why we fight over money. We both have the honor of battling under the Pallet Town Fire and Ice Gym, but sometimes, one or both of us doesn't manage our budget very well, that's when the fights start."
I burst into tears then. I couldn't help it; I felt like dirt. Here I was being the world's biggest brat by running away, while my parents worried about where our next meal was coming from.
"I'm so sorry - (hiccup) - I ran away!" I bawled into Mom's shoulder as she hugged me. Not two seconds later, I felt Dad's arms around me too. All three of us together, closer than we'd ever been as a family in a while, was really nice, although I was too busy crying to notice.
Then we talked. Well, we got me out of the hospital first, and went out to a quiet little coffee shop to discuss certain issues. Pikachu and I split a donut while Mom and Dad had cappuccinos. For a while, we just sat there, dining quietly, then Dad broke the silence by saying, "You know running away was wrong, Arina."
I was quick to reply. "But what Mom was as wrong as what I did. If she had calmed down for about ten minutes, none of this would have happened."
"Whoa, I'm not letting this turn into a blame-fest." Mom held up her hand. "We're all equally to blame here, and I'm just thanking God you weren't hurt other than a sprained ankle."
"I really don't think you realize the possible dangers lurking out there, Ar. You could've been kidnapped again, or worse."
My donut looked less and less appealing to both Pikachu and me as we sat there, the little mouse in my lap, our heads bowed as I was lectured. "I know."
"But you're going to have to learn about those dangers sometime, and it might as well be now."
My head shot up. "Huh, you mean. . .?"
Dad nodded. "We're letting you go on your Pokemon journey, on ONE CONDITION, and that is that you write to us once a month telling us where you are, how many Pokemon you have, how many badges you have, etcetera."
"That's what phones are for. I'll save some space in the trash dump by spending my loose change to call home."
Dad crossed his arms at the chest and closed his eyes, assuming his thinking mode. Finally, he answered, "Very well."
"I'll only go under one other condition: that you two don't fight, but get along with each other. Please?"
Dad nodded, but Mom stood up and walked quickly to the bathroom. Catching our bewildered glances twenty minutes later when she returned, she simply smiled and said, "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well. I must have caught some sort of bug."
"Then maybe we'd better start from home." Dad stood up too, handing me my crutches. He held on tight to Mom until they got out of the restaurant. I paid the bill and met them outside momentarily. Pikachu jumped onto Dad's shoulder, just as Rob ran up to us.
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum. Arina."
"Hello, Rob." Mom said sweetly. "I understand you're the one who saved Arina back in Viridian Forest."
Rob nodded. "She can put up a good fight when she wants to -" Dad narrowed his glance on me, I looked at Rob, shocked. "But I knew she had to get help with her leg twisted in the angle it was in." Rob was making himself to look like a saint! I could've killed him right then and there. But then he turned to me. "Arina, I've been looking for you everywhere. Your Pikachu, the one you brought in -"
"It's ok, isn't it?" I asked, my fear growing.
"It's fine . . . but at the same time it's not. You'll have to see for yourself. Nurse Joy wants you to come to the Pokecenter."
I turned to my parents and the looks in their eyes told me they understood. "I'll call you when I get to Pewter City." We couldn't hug, not with me in crutches, so Mom and Dad simply waved, while they drove off, with Pikachu. Then Rob and I headed to the Pokemon Center.
* * * *
Nurse Joy and a Chansey met us at the door. We greeted each other and then headed toward the back where many of the sicker Pokemon were kept.
"It's been treated and it's healing nicely, but it refuses to eat anything. We've tried every brand of Pikachu Pokechow on it, and various methods to feed it, but so far nothing's worked. We're hoping you can convince it to eat since you found it." Joy explained to me quietly as we reached the Pikachu's room. I nodded and gave Joy the rest of my Pokemon to heal while I attended the baby. Rob held the door open for me, and the two of us went in.
Inside the room, the curtains were drawn, and the baby Pikachu was lying down on its side in an incubator, asleep. I sat down in a chair that had been placed next to the incubator (no doubt by someone trying to feed the Pikachu earlier). I tapped on the glass lightly and the baby woke up. At first, it looked confused, especially by its surroundings, and I was afraid it might start to panic, but it just laid its head down again.
"Hi, Pikachu, how are you doing?" I smiled.
"Pika, Pikachu." (Fine, no thanks to you.)
My smile drooped and I looked at Rob for help. He shrugged and asked, "Why so glum, Pikachu?"
Pikachu rolled over, its back now facing us. "Pikachu Pika-Pika-chu." (You should have let the flying Pokemon eat me.)
I was shocked. "Why?!" I asked in a stunned tone.
"Pikachu Pika Pikachu Pika." (Because I'm a runt of the litter.), it said, "Pika Pika Pi, Chu, Pikachu." (I'm not worth anything because I will never be big and strong, just small and weak.)
How could a baby even think like this?
It continued, in Pikachu. "When my tribe of Pikachu had to move to a different spot in the forest, I couldn't keep up with my other brothers and sisters, so I was left behind. Even my mother couldn't stay with me."
I felt tears sting my eyes. "I don't think you're small and weak."
"Pika?" (No?)
I shook my head vehemently. "Not at all. You held off the Pidgey and the Spearow very well and if I hadn't come along and interrupted you, you would've eaten THEM for dinner."
"Pika..." (Maybe...)
"How would you like to battle the Spearow and Pidgey again to teach them a lesson?"
"Pikachu!" (Would I!)
I smiled at Rob. "Then would you like to see the world with us?"
"Pikachu! Pika-Pi!"
"There's just one problem." Rob told me, a knowing glint in his eye.
"What's that?"
"Pikachu couldn't beat Spearow and Pidgey in it's current condition."
"Pikachu! Pikachu-Pika-Pi!" (He's right! Give me some of that food!)
Twenty minutes later, the baby had stuffed itself full, (much to the surprise and delight of Joy), and was sleeping peacefully.
As we left the room, I said to Rob, "Thank you for all your help. I know I didn't appreciate it earlier, but I do now."
Rob looked embarrassed. "It was nothin'."
"Come on, I'll take you out to lunch, and then later we'll head back into Viridian Forest to catch more Pokemon and really start our Pokemon journeys."
* * * *
"Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, welcome to the battle of the century - Pikachu vs. Spearow and Pidgey." Rob's voice boomed over at the Pokemon Center's backyard. It was now mid-afternoon and Pikachu was psyched and ready to battle, it was standing on one side of the backyard, Spearow, Pidgey and me at the other end.
Rob sounded the starting bell, and Pikachu ran out to the field.
"Pidgey, go!" I pointed out to the field. Pidgey took off. "Pidgey, gust attack!"
"Pidgeee!" The bird Pokemon cried as it flapped its wings. Pikachu jumped and tackled Pidgey, pinning it to the ground, then gave it a thundershock. Pidgey was down for the count.
"Pidgey, return." I recalled Pidgey to it's Pokeball. "Go, Spearow!"
I didn't even get a chance to give out a command before Pikachu sent out a thunderbolt. Spearow fell to the ground, fainted and weak.
"Return, Spearow!" Spearow went back into it's Pokeball. "Congratulations, Pikachu!" I cried. "You did a wonderful job!"
"Pika! Pikachu -Pika!" (Thanks! Now I'm ready to see the world with you!)
"Great, we're heading into your home now, Viridian Forest." Rob said.
"Chu." Pikachu looked sort of downcast at Rob's announcement.
"What's the matter, Pikachu?" Rob asked.
"I think Pikachu is a little down because we're going back to the place he was abandoned."
"Oh." Rob thought a minute. "Well, why not put Pikachu in a Pokeball?"
I looked down at Pikachu. "Would you like to get in a Pokeball? It's only temporary."
"Pikachu -Pika."
"Ok, let's try it." I fished around in my bag for a Pokeball and realized I'd run out of empty ones. I told Rob, but again he was prepared with an idea.
"You said you had a Weedle and a Kakuna, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Watch and learn." Rob threw an empty Pokeball at Pikachu and it disappeared. Rob picked up the ball and walked over to me. "Now we can trade. Your Kakuna for Pikachu."
"Sounds fair." I took out Kakuna's Pokeball and handed it to Rob, then he handed me Pikachu.
"A pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Ketchum."
"Same with you, Mr. Oak." I smiled. I tossed Pikachu's ball in front of me and Pikachu re-appeared.
"Pika! Pika-Pikachu!" (Hey! I liked it in there!) Pikachu was actually annoyed that I'd brought it back out! Quickly, it tapped the button on the Pokeball, and went back in.
"Little rascal." I muttered in chagrin. "Must be cozy in there."
"Let's go Arina! Our journey's just begun and we have lots more Pokemon to catch!" Rob called to me.
So were off to Viridian Forest, and our renewed journey.
End Chapter 3
