Chapter 5: The Change
As they walked through the terminal in Celedon City, Tracey noticed that Marill was acting a little strangely. He tried everything that he could think of to calm down his Pokemon but Marill just seemed agitated.
"Something wrong, Marill?" Tracey asked as he stroked her head.
"Mar marill marill mar marill." (I saw what happened before we got off the plane and it scares me.) Marill cried.
"Its okay, sweetheart. I'm pretty sure I can make it. We'll be getting right onto another plane and I'm not even tired yet." Tracey reassured her quietly. Little did Tracey know that this unplanned miscalculation on his part would be very difficult for his friends.
When they got to the gate and showed their tickets they were given bad news. The plane that they were supposed to take had hit bad weather leaving its last destination and would be fifteen minutes late.
"Oh, no. What have I done? There's almost no way I can stay out of trouble now." Tracey thought in a panic. His mind raced for ways to keep himself awake as long as he possible. Already he was gradually beginning to get sleepy.
At this point, Ash had begun to pick up on Tracey's nervous mood and wondered if something was going on. "Something wrong, Trace?" Ash was very concerned.
Ash's question jolted Tracey out of his thoughts. "What? Oh, no. Everything's fine, Ash." he answered distantly.
Eventually a ticket agent came over to them and said that the plane was five minutes away from landing because it had picked up some of the lost time in the air. By this time Tracey was so drowsy from the sedative he had taken that he was having a hard time staying awake. He began to pace back and forth hoping that movement would help him stay with it until they got on the plane where he could collapse. At first it seemed to be working but after a minute or two Tracey became defeated by his need to close his weighted eyes and he fell into a chair and plunged headlong into a deep, dreamless sleep. The last thing he heard before he sank into oblivion was the panicked squeals of his Marill.
"Mar marill mar!" (Someone help me!)
"Pikapi! Pika pikachu!" (Ash! Come quick!)
Ash had just swallowed one of the sedatives himself when he heard Pikachu and Marill shouting.
"What's the matter, Pikachu?" Ash's eyes got as wide as softballs as he noticed what had startled the Pokemon. "Tracey! What's wrong?!?!" When he got no response from his friend Ash panicked. "Brock get over here and give me a hand! I think Tracey fainted!"
Brock heard Ash's shouting and ran over to help him. "Tracey! Hey, wake up Trace! What happened?" Brock shouted.
"I really don't know. I came when I heard Pikachu call me and Marill cry out. When I got here I found Tracey like this. The only thing I can figure is he fainted for some reason." Ash was concerned that they couldn't awaken Tracey.
"Marill mar marill mar mar." (I know what happened.) Marill spoke up once she had gotten over her shock.
"Can you tell me, Marill? What made Tracey faint like that?" Ash asked quietly, scooping the scared Pokemon up into his arms to comfort her.
"Mar marill marill, mar rill marill." (He didn't faint, he's sleeping.) Marill said and then began to cry. Ash stroked her head to calm her down.
"Pi pika chu pika pi Pipichupipika chu pi pikachu pika pichu ka pika." (Before we got off of the plane last time, Tracey took some of those weird things like you and he tried to stay awake but he couldn't.) Pikachu chimed in, clearly finishing where Marill had left off.
Ash and Brock just looked at each other for a while. The announcement that the plane was about to board prompted Brock to speak up. "What are we going to do, Ash? We need to get him on the plane and we obviously can't wake him up. Do you think that Bulbasaur can carry our bags on for us? If you have the strength before you fall asleep too you'll have to help me carry Tracey. Can you do it, Ash?" Brock asked.
"Sure. I think I can help you carry Trace. Let me call out Bulbasaur and we can get started." Ash pulled a Pokeball off of his belt and tossed it into the air. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!" Ash called.
"Bulba bulb saur." (You called me?) Bulbasaur answered looking up at Ash.
"Bulbasaur, can you use your vine whip to carry those two bags over there? We need to carry Tracey." Ash nodded to the carry on bags that were sitting near Misty's feet.
"Bulba!" (Sure can!) Bulbasaur walked over to where Ash had indicated and extended his vines to pick up the bags. This alerted Misty's attention.
"Bulbasaur, what are you…." Misty looked up at Ash and Brock and gasped. "What happened?" she asked.
"Tracey's okay, just sound asleep. Brock and I have to carry him on the plane." Ash said quickly as he and Brock draped Tracey's arms over their shoulders and moved towards Misty. "Let's get going."
When they got to their seats, Misty got some pillows and blankets, putting one of the pillows in a seat. (They had a similar seating arrangement.) Tracey came to long enough to stretch across the seats and lie down before he passed out again. Brock sat down beside where Tracey slept and helped Misty put a blanket over him and make sure he was comfortable. Then Misty sat next to Brock and Ash wearily flopped into the seat on her right and stretched out. Bulbasaur had placed the bags on the floor in front of the seats. Ash took the Pokeball off of his belt again and held it out.
"Thank you, Bulbasaur. Return." Ash said as Bulbasaur obediently returned to his Pokeball.
"Even though it was tough carrying him, I think Tracey has the right idea." Ash muttered. The task at hand had given him an extra burst of strength and energy but now that he was resting, Ash discovered just how drowsy he actually was. Slowly, he felt his eyes begin to drift closed.
Misty gave Ash a pillow to rest his head on and covered him up. "Sweet dreams, Ash. You did a good thing helping Brock even though you were getting tired. You earned a rest. You should sleep now."
Ash was dimly aware of his surroundings as he felt as if he were drifting on a cloud. He then snuggled into Misty's lap and closed his eyes, allowing a peaceful sleep to carry him away.
Misty looked down and watched Ash while he slept. When she became lost in her thoughts something suddenly occurred to her. "Oh, no." she whispered. "We didn't get Tracey's backpack when he passed out back at the airport."
Suddenly, Marill jumped into Misty's lap carrying Tracey's backpack in her teeth. "Marill mar marill, marill." (You didn't, but I did.) she said brightly.
"Good job, Marill. Thanks." As Misty lost herself in her thoughts again, Marill got off of her lap and crawled up into the seat with Tracey where she cuddled into his arms and went to sleep.
Ten minutes later Brock looked up from the magazine that he was reading and noticed that Misty was staring blankly at the floor. Obviously she was troubled by the secret that she had reluctantly told him about earlier.
"Misty, are you okay? I can tell that something else is tearing you up inside. Do you want to talk to me about it? Maybe I can help." Brock said softly.
Misty looked at Brock and smiled. "Thanks Brock. You really do know me very well. Something is still eating at me. It just bothers me that I can't find the words to talk to Ash about this. I love him so much and it kills me to have to keep secrets from him but right now, Brock, I just don't know what else to do. Ash has enough on his plate right now without me burdening him with my problems."
"Pika pi chu pi pikachu, Pikachupi. Pikapi chu ka pika cha pi pikachu pi pika ka." (You wouldn't be burdening him, Misty. Ash loves you so much that it would burden him to see you upset and not know why.) Pikachu said, patting Misty on the leg.
"You really should listen to Pikachu, Misty. I happen to think that he knows his stuff on this one. Finding a way to say something like that isn't easy but just keep looking. You have to find the right thing to say. You know I'll help you in any way that I can but you can't let this keep eating away at you. It's tearing you up inside. I can see that so I'm sure that Ash can tell too." Brock smiled, placing a hand on Misty's shoulder.
"Okay. I'll find a way to tell Ash soon. But until I do, I need you both to promise me that you won't say anything to him about it. I need to do this on my own." Misty said.
"I promise that I won't say anything to Ash. I know you need time."
"Pi pikachu chu, Pikachupi." (I promise too, Misty.) Pikachu said, going to sit close to Ash.
Misty and Brock sat talking for another hour while Ash and Tracey slept. They talked about Pokemon, life in general, and what she should say to Ash. Then Brock realized that it was probably getting late.
"Hey, what time is it Misty?" Brock asked
Misty looked at her watch and shook her head. "It's almost 8:30 here."
"Oh. Okay. Listen, Misty, I am completely worn out from carrying Tracey back there at the airport. Its getting a little bit late so I think I'm gonna crash for a few hours. Goodnight." Brock yawned.
"Night, Brock." Misty smiled.
Brock got himself situated comfortably in his seat and leaned back and closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep rather easily.
Misty sat taking advantage of the silence. She thought about what Brock and Pikachu had said. She knew that she needed to tell Ash the truth and it really upset her that she couldn't find a way. The decision that Misty came to was that she needed to sleep on it. Misty looked at Ash, still sound asleep in her lap and smiled. "I love you, Ash." Then she settled into her seat and fell asleep with her arm around the one person she love more than life itself.
As they walked through the terminal in Celedon City, Tracey noticed that Marill was acting a little strangely. He tried everything that he could think of to calm down his Pokemon but Marill just seemed agitated.
"Something wrong, Marill?" Tracey asked as he stroked her head.
"Mar marill marill mar marill." (I saw what happened before we got off the plane and it scares me.) Marill cried.
"Its okay, sweetheart. I'm pretty sure I can make it. We'll be getting right onto another plane and I'm not even tired yet." Tracey reassured her quietly. Little did Tracey know that this unplanned miscalculation on his part would be very difficult for his friends.
When they got to the gate and showed their tickets they were given bad news. The plane that they were supposed to take had hit bad weather leaving its last destination and would be fifteen minutes late.
"Oh, no. What have I done? There's almost no way I can stay out of trouble now." Tracey thought in a panic. His mind raced for ways to keep himself awake as long as he possible. Already he was gradually beginning to get sleepy.
At this point, Ash had begun to pick up on Tracey's nervous mood and wondered if something was going on. "Something wrong, Trace?" Ash was very concerned.
Ash's question jolted Tracey out of his thoughts. "What? Oh, no. Everything's fine, Ash." he answered distantly.
Eventually a ticket agent came over to them and said that the plane was five minutes away from landing because it had picked up some of the lost time in the air. By this time Tracey was so drowsy from the sedative he had taken that he was having a hard time staying awake. He began to pace back and forth hoping that movement would help him stay with it until they got on the plane where he could collapse. At first it seemed to be working but after a minute or two Tracey became defeated by his need to close his weighted eyes and he fell into a chair and plunged headlong into a deep, dreamless sleep. The last thing he heard before he sank into oblivion was the panicked squeals of his Marill.
"Mar marill mar!" (Someone help me!)
"Pikapi! Pika pikachu!" (Ash! Come quick!)
Ash had just swallowed one of the sedatives himself when he heard Pikachu and Marill shouting.
"What's the matter, Pikachu?" Ash's eyes got as wide as softballs as he noticed what had startled the Pokemon. "Tracey! What's wrong?!?!" When he got no response from his friend Ash panicked. "Brock get over here and give me a hand! I think Tracey fainted!"
Brock heard Ash's shouting and ran over to help him. "Tracey! Hey, wake up Trace! What happened?" Brock shouted.
"I really don't know. I came when I heard Pikachu call me and Marill cry out. When I got here I found Tracey like this. The only thing I can figure is he fainted for some reason." Ash was concerned that they couldn't awaken Tracey.
"Marill mar marill mar mar." (I know what happened.) Marill spoke up once she had gotten over her shock.
"Can you tell me, Marill? What made Tracey faint like that?" Ash asked quietly, scooping the scared Pokemon up into his arms to comfort her.
"Mar marill marill, mar rill marill." (He didn't faint, he's sleeping.) Marill said and then began to cry. Ash stroked her head to calm her down.
"Pi pika chu pika pi Pipichupipika chu pi pikachu pika pichu ka pika." (Before we got off of the plane last time, Tracey took some of those weird things like you and he tried to stay awake but he couldn't.) Pikachu chimed in, clearly finishing where Marill had left off.
Ash and Brock just looked at each other for a while. The announcement that the plane was about to board prompted Brock to speak up. "What are we going to do, Ash? We need to get him on the plane and we obviously can't wake him up. Do you think that Bulbasaur can carry our bags on for us? If you have the strength before you fall asleep too you'll have to help me carry Tracey. Can you do it, Ash?" Brock asked.
"Sure. I think I can help you carry Trace. Let me call out Bulbasaur and we can get started." Ash pulled a Pokeball off of his belt and tossed it into the air. "Bulbasaur, I choose you!" Ash called.
"Bulba bulb saur." (You called me?) Bulbasaur answered looking up at Ash.
"Bulbasaur, can you use your vine whip to carry those two bags over there? We need to carry Tracey." Ash nodded to the carry on bags that were sitting near Misty's feet.
"Bulba!" (Sure can!) Bulbasaur walked over to where Ash had indicated and extended his vines to pick up the bags. This alerted Misty's attention.
"Bulbasaur, what are you…." Misty looked up at Ash and Brock and gasped. "What happened?" she asked.
"Tracey's okay, just sound asleep. Brock and I have to carry him on the plane." Ash said quickly as he and Brock draped Tracey's arms over their shoulders and moved towards Misty. "Let's get going."
When they got to their seats, Misty got some pillows and blankets, putting one of the pillows in a seat. (They had a similar seating arrangement.) Tracey came to long enough to stretch across the seats and lie down before he passed out again. Brock sat down beside where Tracey slept and helped Misty put a blanket over him and make sure he was comfortable. Then Misty sat next to Brock and Ash wearily flopped into the seat on her right and stretched out. Bulbasaur had placed the bags on the floor in front of the seats. Ash took the Pokeball off of his belt again and held it out.
"Thank you, Bulbasaur. Return." Ash said as Bulbasaur obediently returned to his Pokeball.
"Even though it was tough carrying him, I think Tracey has the right idea." Ash muttered. The task at hand had given him an extra burst of strength and energy but now that he was resting, Ash discovered just how drowsy he actually was. Slowly, he felt his eyes begin to drift closed.
Misty gave Ash a pillow to rest his head on and covered him up. "Sweet dreams, Ash. You did a good thing helping Brock even though you were getting tired. You earned a rest. You should sleep now."
Ash was dimly aware of his surroundings as he felt as if he were drifting on a cloud. He then snuggled into Misty's lap and closed his eyes, allowing a peaceful sleep to carry him away.
Misty looked down and watched Ash while he slept. When she became lost in her thoughts something suddenly occurred to her. "Oh, no." she whispered. "We didn't get Tracey's backpack when he passed out back at the airport."
Suddenly, Marill jumped into Misty's lap carrying Tracey's backpack in her teeth. "Marill mar marill, marill." (You didn't, but I did.) she said brightly.
"Good job, Marill. Thanks." As Misty lost herself in her thoughts again, Marill got off of her lap and crawled up into the seat with Tracey where she cuddled into his arms and went to sleep.
Ten minutes later Brock looked up from the magazine that he was reading and noticed that Misty was staring blankly at the floor. Obviously she was troubled by the secret that she had reluctantly told him about earlier.
"Misty, are you okay? I can tell that something else is tearing you up inside. Do you want to talk to me about it? Maybe I can help." Brock said softly.
Misty looked at Brock and smiled. "Thanks Brock. You really do know me very well. Something is still eating at me. It just bothers me that I can't find the words to talk to Ash about this. I love him so much and it kills me to have to keep secrets from him but right now, Brock, I just don't know what else to do. Ash has enough on his plate right now without me burdening him with my problems."
"Pika pi chu pi pikachu, Pikachupi. Pikapi chu ka pika cha pi pikachu pi pika ka." (You wouldn't be burdening him, Misty. Ash loves you so much that it would burden him to see you upset and not know why.) Pikachu said, patting Misty on the leg.
"You really should listen to Pikachu, Misty. I happen to think that he knows his stuff on this one. Finding a way to say something like that isn't easy but just keep looking. You have to find the right thing to say. You know I'll help you in any way that I can but you can't let this keep eating away at you. It's tearing you up inside. I can see that so I'm sure that Ash can tell too." Brock smiled, placing a hand on Misty's shoulder.
"Okay. I'll find a way to tell Ash soon. But until I do, I need you both to promise me that you won't say anything to him about it. I need to do this on my own." Misty said.
"I promise that I won't say anything to Ash. I know you need time."
"Pi pikachu chu, Pikachupi." (I promise too, Misty.) Pikachu said, going to sit close to Ash.
Misty and Brock sat talking for another hour while Ash and Tracey slept. They talked about Pokemon, life in general, and what she should say to Ash. Then Brock realized that it was probably getting late.
"Hey, what time is it Misty?" Brock asked
Misty looked at her watch and shook her head. "It's almost 8:30 here."
"Oh. Okay. Listen, Misty, I am completely worn out from carrying Tracey back there at the airport. Its getting a little bit late so I think I'm gonna crash for a few hours. Goodnight." Brock yawned.
"Night, Brock." Misty smiled.
Brock got himself situated comfortably in his seat and leaned back and closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep rather easily.
Misty sat taking advantage of the silence. She thought about what Brock and Pikachu had said. She knew that she needed to tell Ash the truth and it really upset her that she couldn't find a way. The decision that Misty came to was that she needed to sleep on it. Misty looked at Ash, still sound asleep in her lap and smiled. "I love you, Ash." Then she settled into her seat and fell asleep with her arm around the one person she love more than life itself.