1 Pokémon isn't mine. Simple as that. Have fun, now! Ooohhh, snicker-
doodles…
2
3 Ambush
Two days later, and Zeke's worst fear had come true. Mare had come down with the flu. He knew he shouldn't be worrying about Team Rocket renegades, but something about her caught him. Maybe it was the ebony hair that framed her pale face, or maybe it was just that her condition was so fragile and she needed someone to help her. Or maybe it was something different all together. He didn't know.
"Zeke…" she murmured. He looked over, checking if she was truly awake of if she was just talking in her sleep again. He was strangely touched by the fact that she called him in her subconscious. This time she was really coming out of her sleep.
"What is it, Mare?" he asked calmly. She didn't talk much, mostly because he shushed her if she talked a lot.
"Sorry to be such a trouble to you," she said quietly.
"Hey, this isn't any trouble to me. It's still raining outside anyway, so I couldn't do much else even if I wanted to," he replied, trying to make the mood in the cave a bit brighter. What he said was true. It was still raining above them, and there wasn't much he could do in a rainstorm. Besides, she still needed his help. He couldn't just turn her away, could he?
He filled a cup with water from the steadily growing stream flowing through the roof of their cave. He brought it over to her and raised her head again. Mare reached up and felt the cup, holding it as she drank from it. Zeke still didn't let go, just for safety. As she finished he lowered her head back to the pillow and stepped away.
"Where's Beacon?" Mare muttered. Zeke looked over at her. She had asked that question a few times over the past few days, usually before or after she asked for him. But what was 'Beacon'? Was it a signal or a Pokémon?
"What is Beacon, Mare?" he asked.
"Ampharos, Beacon, come back," she mumbled. Zeke hadn't expected her to answer at all. Usually when he asked her that question he was met by silence. "Why'd they take her?" she asked. "And Tyrant. Where'd he go? Mega, Growlie, Quagmire, Whisper, all of them gone."
"Who're they?" he asked. He hoped she would answer again.
"Tyrant, Larvitar, Mega, Bayleef, Growlie, Growlithe, Quagmire, Quagsire, Whisper, Espeon. They took them away," Mare whispered.
"Were they your original Pokémon?" Zeke asked. She shook her head, a tear in her eye. "Why are you crying? It must have been years ago that they took them," he chided, then bit his tongue. He shouldn't be hard on her, she was sick. He could lecture her when she felt better.
"Two months," she murmured, then groaned in pain. Zeke hurried over and checked her breathing. It was a bit irregular, but not harsh enough to be of much concern to him, or of much trouble to her.
"I really wish I could take you to my dad," he said to her. He must have told her that twenty times in the past week. He waited for her familiar reply.
"Why? You're doing just fine taking care of me. I really must be a bother if you want to dump me on your dad," she said, laughing quietly. He laughed right along with her. That response was like his way of knowing she was truly all right for the time. When she didn't give him that answer, Zeke knew it really was time to take Mare to his dad.
Suddenly Fluff, his Flaaffy, came rolling in through one of the curving tunnels leading to the surface.
"What's up, Fluff?" he asked the panting creature.
"FLAAAAFFYYY!!!" the Pokémon answered. Mare's eyes shot open and she sat up quickly, crying out in pain as the dull throbbing in her head became a hard pounding.
"Mare, lay back down," Zeke said, trying to push her back. She was just staring at the Flaaffy.
"They are here!?" she asked worriedly, ignoring the hammering in her head and the painful spikes that shot through her chest. The Pokémon nodded anxiously, and she pushed the blanket off her and stood up. She was slightly shaky, but Zeke could suddenly see why she had been called Mêlée. The look in her eyes was invigorating, a look that said she was ready to fight and win. A bit of color had returned to her pale face, and she now looked like a powerful trainer, not an eleven-year-old girl sick with the flu.
"Zeke," she said firmly. Her tone commanded attention, and he was instantly hanging on every word. Her teal eyes held a look of insane happiness and even more insane risks only she was daring enough to take. "Take your Pokémon and get out of here. If Team Rocket wants me they can have me."
"You can't!" he shouted, standing in front of her. "It's suicide!"
"And?" she asked. She was totally fearless, something he never would have thought of her. "I don't want you getting hurt. Besides, if I don't give myself up they're going to hurt Beacon and the rest of my Pokémon friends."
"How do you know they have your Pokémon with them!? And how will they know you were even here if we leave!?" he asked.
"Sorry, Zeke. I'm not running anymore." With that, Mare stepped toward one of the tunnels. Her stride was long and confident, ready to fight whatever awaited her outside the caves. As she neared the passage she was enveloped in electricity. Crying in intense pain, she collapsed to the ground.
"No, I'm sorry, Mare," Zeke whispered as the sparks of electricity surrounding Fluff dispelled. With incredible speed, he packed up the entire area, fitting everything into the orange backpack. Looking toward the corner of the cave, he saw the red satchel Mare had been carrying. He strode over to it and picked it up. Then he walked over to the girl lying on the floor. Very gently he picked her up, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Now you have to be very quiet if we're gonna make it out of here," he whispered to her. She whimpered softly in reply, and with that Zeke walked down one of the tunnels, Fluff leading the way.
2
3 Ambush
Two days later, and Zeke's worst fear had come true. Mare had come down with the flu. He knew he shouldn't be worrying about Team Rocket renegades, but something about her caught him. Maybe it was the ebony hair that framed her pale face, or maybe it was just that her condition was so fragile and she needed someone to help her. Or maybe it was something different all together. He didn't know.
"Zeke…" she murmured. He looked over, checking if she was truly awake of if she was just talking in her sleep again. He was strangely touched by the fact that she called him in her subconscious. This time she was really coming out of her sleep.
"What is it, Mare?" he asked calmly. She didn't talk much, mostly because he shushed her if she talked a lot.
"Sorry to be such a trouble to you," she said quietly.
"Hey, this isn't any trouble to me. It's still raining outside anyway, so I couldn't do much else even if I wanted to," he replied, trying to make the mood in the cave a bit brighter. What he said was true. It was still raining above them, and there wasn't much he could do in a rainstorm. Besides, she still needed his help. He couldn't just turn her away, could he?
He filled a cup with water from the steadily growing stream flowing through the roof of their cave. He brought it over to her and raised her head again. Mare reached up and felt the cup, holding it as she drank from it. Zeke still didn't let go, just for safety. As she finished he lowered her head back to the pillow and stepped away.
"Where's Beacon?" Mare muttered. Zeke looked over at her. She had asked that question a few times over the past few days, usually before or after she asked for him. But what was 'Beacon'? Was it a signal or a Pokémon?
"What is Beacon, Mare?" he asked.
"Ampharos, Beacon, come back," she mumbled. Zeke hadn't expected her to answer at all. Usually when he asked her that question he was met by silence. "Why'd they take her?" she asked. "And Tyrant. Where'd he go? Mega, Growlie, Quagmire, Whisper, all of them gone."
"Who're they?" he asked. He hoped she would answer again.
"Tyrant, Larvitar, Mega, Bayleef, Growlie, Growlithe, Quagmire, Quagsire, Whisper, Espeon. They took them away," Mare whispered.
"Were they your original Pokémon?" Zeke asked. She shook her head, a tear in her eye. "Why are you crying? It must have been years ago that they took them," he chided, then bit his tongue. He shouldn't be hard on her, she was sick. He could lecture her when she felt better.
"Two months," she murmured, then groaned in pain. Zeke hurried over and checked her breathing. It was a bit irregular, but not harsh enough to be of much concern to him, or of much trouble to her.
"I really wish I could take you to my dad," he said to her. He must have told her that twenty times in the past week. He waited for her familiar reply.
"Why? You're doing just fine taking care of me. I really must be a bother if you want to dump me on your dad," she said, laughing quietly. He laughed right along with her. That response was like his way of knowing she was truly all right for the time. When she didn't give him that answer, Zeke knew it really was time to take Mare to his dad.
Suddenly Fluff, his Flaaffy, came rolling in through one of the curving tunnels leading to the surface.
"What's up, Fluff?" he asked the panting creature.
"FLAAAAFFYYY!!!" the Pokémon answered. Mare's eyes shot open and she sat up quickly, crying out in pain as the dull throbbing in her head became a hard pounding.
"Mare, lay back down," Zeke said, trying to push her back. She was just staring at the Flaaffy.
"They are here!?" she asked worriedly, ignoring the hammering in her head and the painful spikes that shot through her chest. The Pokémon nodded anxiously, and she pushed the blanket off her and stood up. She was slightly shaky, but Zeke could suddenly see why she had been called Mêlée. The look in her eyes was invigorating, a look that said she was ready to fight and win. A bit of color had returned to her pale face, and she now looked like a powerful trainer, not an eleven-year-old girl sick with the flu.
"Zeke," she said firmly. Her tone commanded attention, and he was instantly hanging on every word. Her teal eyes held a look of insane happiness and even more insane risks only she was daring enough to take. "Take your Pokémon and get out of here. If Team Rocket wants me they can have me."
"You can't!" he shouted, standing in front of her. "It's suicide!"
"And?" she asked. She was totally fearless, something he never would have thought of her. "I don't want you getting hurt. Besides, if I don't give myself up they're going to hurt Beacon and the rest of my Pokémon friends."
"How do you know they have your Pokémon with them!? And how will they know you were even here if we leave!?" he asked.
"Sorry, Zeke. I'm not running anymore." With that, Mare stepped toward one of the tunnels. Her stride was long and confident, ready to fight whatever awaited her outside the caves. As she neared the passage she was enveloped in electricity. Crying in intense pain, she collapsed to the ground.
"No, I'm sorry, Mare," Zeke whispered as the sparks of electricity surrounding Fluff dispelled. With incredible speed, he packed up the entire area, fitting everything into the orange backpack. Looking toward the corner of the cave, he saw the red satchel Mare had been carrying. He strode over to it and picked it up. Then he walked over to the girl lying on the floor. Very gently he picked her up, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Now you have to be very quiet if we're gonna make it out of here," he whispered to her. She whimpered softly in reply, and with that Zeke walked down one of the tunnels, Fluff leading the way.