THEME SONG: Taipou:WAIRDO - Type:WILD, Pocket Monsters, fifth ending theme


Erin's mouth was open in a silent scream. Within a second, Rachel and Karlie had leapt off their couches, awakened by a sharp, burning sensation in their chests. They stared around warily, then their gazes fell mutually onto Erin, who was curled up into a ball, her head resting on her knees, and crying quietly.

~*~

Mia scuffed the dirt with the heel of her trainer as she stalked around the campsite – what had woke her up? Hesitantly, she placed two fingers on her chest, moving her pendant out of the way so she could test the area underneath it. Her skin was cool – which surprised her, as a moment ago, she could have sworn it was burning red-hot.

~*~

Michelle sat on her boulder, picking at the fraying ends of her denim flares, basking in the glow of the sunrise and oh-so-quietly freaking out. First of all she suddenly took a drop through the air, from her bedroom to the arms of some weird kid with a camera; then he makes her sit through a six hour slide show of all his 'best captures on film'; then there was – and she knew this sounded crazy – what looked like a Murkrow on a tree right near her.

Yup, a Murkrow. A Pokémon. Riny would love this, Michelle thought to herself. That stupid bird on the other hand was gonna get it – it had flown off with her friendship bracelet that she had taken off when 'Todd' had made her bathe. Bathe in the river. In a freezing cold, gungey, publicly accessible river. Michelle shuddered.

Then of course, there was the weird, and annoyingly shaped pendant that had suddenly appeared around her neck. She couldn't get it off of course, that would just be way too easy. Her pendant was a bright, one might even say 'neon' pink in colour; this gave it the delightful effect of looking exotic and expensive and brash and cheap at the same time.

"Haven't you slept?" came Todd's voice, as he appeared. "Michelle, I'm not going to rape you or anything, will you please chill out?" Michelle looked down her nose at him.

"Well that's exactly what you would say isn't it?" she snapped. Todd sighed in defeat.

"Well it's like, four-thirty in the morning, so I'm going to take some pics of morning active Pokémon-" Todd stopped as he saw Michelle flinch, and her hand fly up to her chest. "-What? What's wrong?"

"Ow," breathed Michelle, as she withdrew her fingers from the base of her neck. "It just felt like my pendant was burning for a second…"

~*~

"Why the hell am I cooking," the young woman grumbled as she bent over the small fire in the woodland clearing, desperately trying to get it hot enough to cook a breakfast over. Nearby, piled underneath a tree was a slim, cerise-haired woman; a cream-coloured cat with a large golden charm on its forehead; and a charismatic man with longish lavender hair, who had impressed Trish greatly by managing to catch her from her fall and whip out a red rose at the same time.

"We have to get up early tomorrow, er, Trash," Trish mocked the haughty voice of the woman. "So make sure you've got our breakfast ready by 5am!!" Finally giving up on the pitiful excuse for a cooking fire, Trish lay back against the rough trunk of a tree, whimpering slightly from the early morning cold. It wasn't fair, she thought to herself. If I was going to be transported to a completely different world, I wish I had been allowed to put proper clothes on…

It was like straight out of one of her fanfics; one minute she had been typing furiously away at her computer in her nightwear, and the next minute she had been in the arms of who looked suspiciously like James from Team Rocket…in her nightwear.

Around her neck was now hung a pendant, suspended by a thin gold chain, and with a gem a pale yellow colour; it showed up well against her skin, tanned by an Australian climate. Aimlessly, Trish fiddled with the end of her messy ponytail of long, black hair, before dropping it with a gasp as her pendant burned against her skin.

~*~

"What do you mean you can't remember?" asked Ash, trying to sound annoyed, but his voice came out more scared than anything else.

"I don't know," repeated Erin, as Misty stood behind her, nervously twisting Erin's thick hair into a French plait of sorts as she listened. "The details disappeared as soon as I opened my eyes – but, but, I know it was a warning about something…someone died…"

And our pendants burned…" chorused Karlie and Rachel in matching sober tones. "It woke us up…" There was silence for a second. Then it was tactlessly broken.

"So why am I here?" asked Gary, haughtily.

"Because we think that this could be something really important, and like it or not Gary, you're a part of this whole thing!" snapped Misty.

"And you're coming with us when we go to meet these other two girls today," added Tracey. There was another strained silence between the nine teenagers in the room.

"Well," Brock murmured. "It's about twenty past five. How about, we all get dressed, Rachel and Richie stop staring at each other, Karlie stops staring at Tracey, Tracey goes to the toilet 'cos it's obvious he needs to go, we all have something to eat, then get going!" Suddenly he was smashed to the floor by a mallet. The same mallet clattered to the kitchen floor, as Rachel gasped.

"Oh my God, Brock, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't even know I could do that! Oh!" Rachel apologised, feeling unnerved with the fact that she had no pocket in her skirt of which to pull a mallet out from. Karlie sniggered to herself as Brock squeaked from his mangled form on the floor.

~*~

"So…" said Mia, trying desperately to spark a conversation with the turquoise-bunched girl beside her, whom, up till now, seemed like she'd rather converse with the pink blob she called the Greatest Ditto Of All Time, than with Mia herself. "Um…have you ever met a photographer called Todd?"

"We'll be at the meeting point soon," murmured Duplica, before falling into the unnerving silence again. Mia sighed.

~*~

Ash and Misty were talking softly to each other as the group moved along the forest trail. Tracey was trying to sketch the three girls, whilst Karlie was attached to him; meanwhile, Richie was trying to stick close to Rachel but felt somehow obligated to stick near Karlie as well. Gary was walking along moodily with his arms folded, and Rachel was staying as far away from him as she could manage. Brock walked a little way behind Erin, feeling the need to protect her in some brotherly manner, but Erin seemed wrapped up in troubled thoughts.

Suddenly, the peace was shattered as Karlie threw herself down to her knees.

"I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" she wailed. "STOP THE BACKGROUND MUSIC! I HATE IT I HATE IT!" Once Erin had been startled out of her thoughts, she immediately heard and recognised the music that had been playing along in the background. She smiled.

"Aw, c'mon Karlie – it's only Type:WILD!" she grinned, as her friend looked a death-glare at her. Rachel smothered a giggle.

"We need to keep moving," murmured Tracey, and Karlie reluctantly got her feet, looking all around her accusingly as if she expected some guy to be sitting on a tree branch with a stereo, pumping out strains of the Japanese Pocket Monsters ending theme. Which Riny just happens to love, and I just happen to dislike, Karlie thought to herself. The group walked on in relative silence.

"Travelling day by day, competing along the way," Erin began to sing along with the music under her breath. "It's my history – no guides are here to tell me where I'm going, my heart, just leads the way…" Karlie glared at her, warningly. "The friends I made while travelling, help me to keep, going…"

"A Master is what I'm gonna be!" joined in Ash, making everyone half smile, half wince. "I'm getting there, but not easily!"

"But I can't stop – trying to be what I wanna be!" joined in Richie with a smile. Everyone, even Karlie laughed, and the mood lightened considerably as everyone but a sweatdropping Gary joined in for the chorus.

"And before you know it – Type Wild! Gonna reach my goal – Type Wild! Keep on going – Type Wild! Gonna be strong! Type Wiiiiiild!"

~*~

Her fingers itched to pick up the biro, to disbound Sincerity…to have the fun begin…but she stopped herself – she wanted to savour the taste of the youngest, the final author being disbound.

So Author continued to wait, watching her story write itself in her minds eye.

~*~

Trish ran through the forest, feeling the shrubs and branches against her legs; in 'real-life' her thighs would have been scratched to pieces, but she knew without even looking down that they'd be fine, without a sight of blood. After all, this was either a dream, or she was really in the Pokémon world…

Her pendant flew up and down, banging against her chest as it descended, but she ignored it. She knew that she had to get away, and had the feeling that she wasn't supposed to be there. Trish trusted her instincts, and had ran (but thoughtfully extinguishing the fire first of course). She stopped, standing completely still, all her senses heightened by her flight. She could hear voices; sounded like kids singing a song. She almost sighed with relief, and headed towards the sound.

Everyone gasped with shock as a barely dressed woman broke through the bushes on the side of the trail and fell gasping into their view. Ash, Misty and Tracey immediately looked with an expectant dread at Brock, whilst Erin, Karlie and Rachel's force habit took over, and they quickly glanced at the woman's neck, saw the yellow pendant, and exchanged glances.

Trish looked around and immediately straightened up. Figures I would run in to the main characters of Pokémon while I'm half-naked, she thought to herself. Everyone stared back at her. However, it was a young girl whom she did not recognise from the show who approached her first.

"Trish?" inquired Karlie, of the older girl. Trish nodded, speechlessly. Karlie broke into a grin. "Karlie," she began, pointing to herself. "Erin and Rachel," she continued, pointing behind her. "Or you might know us as…" she said, softly to the frightened looking woman, "KazOhki, Erina-chan and pf14…" Trish's eyes opened wide.

~*~

"So basically you have no idea how we got here, and there's two more authors from Fanfiction.net, who we're gonna meet up with?" repeated Trish, after stories had been swapped. The nine teens around her nodded in unison. Trish sighed, and rubbed her hands up and down her cold legs as the ten of them sat in a circle on the ground.

Tracey reached up, and examined her pendant carefully.

"Wisdom…and um…Trish…shouldn't that be your nickname?" he asked.

"It is," Trish answered. "Short for Patricia…"

"Is there anything we can do for you?" asked Richie, in a worried voice. Trish smiled.

"Yes," she sniffed. "Trousers would be nice."

Ash, Richie, Tracey and Gary looked around at each other sweatdropping. Brock began to fumble with his belt.

"Anything for you, oh Patricia fair!" he crooned, as he wrestled to try to get his trousers off. Everyone looked away in alarm.

"Hey Rach, can you pull out that mallet again?" pleaded Ash. Rachel shrugged helplessly.

"Allow me!" yelled Misty, whipping a large mallet out of her back pocket, and putting an end to Brock's…fumbling.

~*~

Mia grinned to herself. A girl around her age had just stopped to ask them for directions, and the sulking 'oh-we-had-to-ask-for-directions-my-ego-is-bruised' boy with her was none other than Todd. Yeah, the stripy shirt and the camera around his neck was a dead giveaway.

"Yes that's where we're going," Duplica answered, in a slightly suspicious voice. "I don't suppose you're going to meet Ash Ketchum, are you?" The girl's eyes opened wide.

"We're meeting WHO?" she screeched at the cowering boy behind her.

"Er, yeah we are as a matter of fact," Todd answered Duplica, trying to ignore Michelle. It was then that Mia noticed the bright pink gem around the other girl's neck.

"Hey, I'm Mia," she introduced herself, as Todd and Duplica started talking about Ash.

"Michelle," the other girl answered, with a smile.

"Listen, I couldn't help noticing your pendant…" Mia began.

"It's horrible isn't it?" Michelle groaned. "I don't know how it got there!" Michelle was silenced as Mia brought out her matching dark green pendant from underneath her top.

"And apparently, there are three other girls with Ash who have these pendants as well," continued Mia, her voice hushed for some unknown reason. "And they all just fell out of the sky too – did you?" Michelle nodded, wordlessly. Suddenly, Todd interrupted them.

"Okay you two! Rhapsody Waterfall is just a few minutes walk away! Now you mention it, I can hear it!" The four of them walked on, in thoughtful silence.

~*~

"Hey Misty! Remember here?" laughed Ash, as he dipped his toes in the water of the river; he hadn't been here in a while, what with having that river at the back of Professor Oak's lab for them to use during the summer. Misty looked up at him, frowning slightly under the bright sun.

"Yeah!" she called out as she walked over to join him by the waterside. "I can picture it as if it were yesterday! My line jerked – and out came a jerk!" Ash scowled good naturedly. "A jerk who owes me a bike," Misty continued, and Ash groaned.

Four pairs of eyes were watching them.

"Awwwwwwwww!" cooed Rachel and Erin, as Karlie made a disgusted face as she realised that the background music had changed to 'He Drives Me Crazy'. Trish laughed good-naturedly – out of the shade of the trees the weather was pleasantly warm, and she was just glad that Brock had NO excuse to be taking off his trousers any more.

"We're here!!" A cheery voice announced the arrival of a young teenaged girl with turquoise bunches and a Ditto bouncing along behind her as she came running into the clearing. Duplica was followed by Todd, who wandered into the clearing casually, fingering his camera strap. Todd was followed by two girls, practically huddled together in anticipation.

"Michelle!" squealed Erin. In a flash she was on her feet and hugging her slightly taller classmate with force. She finally let go, leaving Michelle looking slightly bemused, and to fall into a hug with Rachel. Erin turned to the other girl, and Karlie walked up behind her. Mia looked them up and down, and grinned.

"I can guess – Kaz and Riny?" The two girls grinned and nodded. "And Rachel?" Mia asked, pointing at where Rachel was hugging Michelle. Rachel shot her a thumbs up over Michelle's shoulder. "Aaaaaaaaand Trish?" Mia continued as she saw the woman that was approaching, smiling.

"Ash," murmured Gary. "I have the feeling these girls aren't being picked randomly…"

~*~

"So…" began Tracey, sighing, as he looked at the line of five girls sitting in front of him. Gary, Richie, Brock, Todd and Duplica stood behind their relative person; Ash and Misty stood behind Tracey. "We've got…"

He looked at Erin, in front of Brock: "Innocence…"

Karlie, in front of Richie: "Passion…"

Rachel, in front of Gary: "Soul…"

Mia, in front of Duplica: "Hope…"

Trish, sitting alone: "Wisdom…"

Michelle, in front of Todd: "And Reality…"

Gary leant over, and whispered something into Rachel's ear, that made her flush with anger, turn around and wallop him in the jaw.

"So what now guys?" Mia asked, quietly, as she helped a dazed Gary up off the floor.

"We'll all go back to mine, and figure out what to do," Ash said, decisively. "My mom can get Trish some, um, clothes…oh, and there's something I've been meaning to show you girls…"

Shrugging, the newly united group of fourteen moved towards Pallet Town.

~*~

Finally…finally it was the time that Author had been waiting for…time to unlock her special key. After all, she thought to herself, it wasn't as interesting if they didn't have sporting chances of survival…

Her fingers slightly shaking, Author grabbed the biro off the desk, and cleared the paper. She was a lot better at this now…it should only take a second and then Sincerity would be on her way…

"Sincerity…" she began, moaning louder than she thought her voice could reach. "Disbound!" she commanded. The whole desk shuddered, and papers flew around on an unknown force, but Author kept her undivided attention on the kanji of Sincerity that was glowing golden on the paper in front of her.

~*~

Michelle could hear it before anyone else could. She alerted them, and warily, they all began scanning the sky. They shouted as they saw her, the blurred figure of a girl falling through a cloudless sky. They tried to get underneath her so to catch her, but she seemed to move around in the air so that she came to rest above the head of one particular person.

Tracey picked the young girl out of the sky, and she looked up at him with wide, brown eyes, fingering the violet gem now mysteriously at her neck.

"Sincerity…" Tracey read off the gem. "Sarah…" He looked up again into the girl's frightened dark eyes.

Karlie hissed.