Disclaimer-Pokemon is not mine
To Alex Warlorn-OK, Alex, I know you're a great critique, but you have to give me a break on this. Just please bear in mind that I'm still sorta a newbie. In one month I'll have been a writer for a year. I've got 4 Pokemon stories up, so I'm still generally new at the Pokemon stories. (If you read my DBZ fics, they're all much better, and I got lucky with my Passions fanfics) And I stopped watching Pokemon, because, well, you have to admit, it's getting kinda corny.
BTW, Lee said 'How could he leave me to die' because she IS dying. Her doctor's appointment was a day after he left, so he must have known she scheduled an appointment, thus, he must have known something was wrong. He should've stuck around long enough to do that.
Also, it's my duty to screw up ages. That's just my way. So Brock is 3 like the rest of them.
On with the fic!
A Discovered Rumor
Misty burst through the door of the Cerulean City gym. It was 10 years after her parents' deaths, 10 years since she and her sisters had become orphans, and 7 years since they had told her the truth of their parent's death.
"Misty!" Daisy called. "Come back here!"
Misty kept running. She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't remain trapped in the company of death. She couldn't stay isolated from the world. She needed to free herself. She couldn't stand it.
She ran past the shut up houses lining the empty streets, the closed-up Pokemon center, the abandoned shops and theaters. Faintly, she heard her sisters calling for her, and she could hear their footsteps running behind her. She quickened her pace until she was in an all-out sprint.
She was approaching the hill that faced the Cerulean River, which led straight to the Viridian.
"Misty!" Lily screeched behind her, echoed by calls from Daisy and Violet.
Misty was crazed by desire to get out. She looked around frantically for a means of escape. Both ways were cut off by buildings. The only way out was to jump.
"MISTY!!"
Misty leaped over the edge of the hill, her legs pumping in the air. Her hair lifted up in its roots and she made impact into the Cerulean River.
The cold water shocked her to her sense as she bobbed to the surface, gasping for breath. The river's current dragged her underwater and she fought to the surface. Taking a deep breath of air, she dived underwater. She could swim better underneath the water, where the current was not quite as strong and would not force her along so quickly.
Despite her efforts, she bobbed to the surface like a floating cork, and her arm rammed into a rock. Her arm began to bleed, and the water around her turned red. She swore under her breath as she held onto her arm with one hand and tried to swim with just her legs.
Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm and yank her up into mid-air. She screamed and kicked her legs. Her arms flew around wildly, smacking the one who held her up. "Lemme go, lemme go!" she screeched.
"Hey! Calm down!"
The one holding her turned around and dropped her on the ground. Misty stood up, brushing of her legs, and looked at him up and down. He was dressed in ragged blue jeans, and black shirt, a jacket, sneakers, socks, and a cap. It was Ash Ketchum, now 13.
"Here." he said. He yanked off his jacket and wrapped it around her arm, tying it with the sleeves. "You okay?
"Y…yeah," Misty said. "So, the rumors were true…a boy does live out here."
"Rumors? About me? Damn, I tried to be careful…"
"You…you joined with the Pokemon."
He laughed. "Who told you that?"
"You've been seen with the Pikachu! You are a traitor!"
He laughed again. "Please. Those Pikachu are neutral. My mother and I joined with them after Pallet Town was destroyed."
"Pallet Town…" Her sisters had told her about Pallet Town, how it was the first to fall.
"Lemme guess...you're from Cerulean."
Misty looked shocked. "How…how did you…"
Ash pointed downstream. "There's a hill right there that leads to Cerulean."
"You're good."
"I know."
"You're cocky, too."
He grinned. "I know. So, what are you doing out here?"
"I ran away," Misty stated the obvious plainly. "I couldn't stand living in isolation anymore. The gym was just too…empty, I guess. Hollow."
He gave her a questioning look. "You tell me where you live seconds after accusing me of being a traitor. Why?"
"I…I honestly don't know. That's not my usual way. You must be special." Her eyes narrowed. "But that usually is the line of the enemy."
"No enemy here. I'll prove it to you." He stuck his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled.
There was a few seconds of silence, and suddenly the bushes rattled. Misty look at him, and he grinned at her and started talking Pikachu language. "Pika, chu pi, Pikapi! Ka chu pi!" (Translation: Current, it's me, Ash! Come on out!)
A rodent bounded out of the bushes and hopped into his arms. It was a Pikachu. "This is Pika, or Current," he said, turning back to Misty. "We've known each other for 10 years. He's harmless. Well…unless you grab his tail. Ka chu pi, Pika?" (Translation: Ain't that right, Current?)
"Chu!" Current said, smiling. (Translation: Yeah)
"Here." Ash plopped Current into Misty's arm. "See for yourself."
Misty flinched, waiting for the shock, but nothing happened. Current hopped out of her arms and landed on all fours, shaking out his fur, wet from rubbing against Misty's soaked clothes.
"Current is…your Pokemon?" Misty asked.
Ash shook his head. "Current and I are like brothers. We grew up together."
"But he came…"
"We call each other with whistles, and sometimes I carry him around just for kicks."
"But you treat him as if he can't…"
"Current isn't very trusting of strangers. I have to communicate to him if strangers want to talk to him."
"Can a I finish a sen…"
"Nope."
Misty threw up her hands, annoyed. "All right, I believe you. But…" Misty reached into her pocket and pulled out some Pokeballs. (A/N: She doesn't have her backpack. Remember, she didn't plan on running away. It was a just a crazed spur-of the-moment thing to get out) "I have very loyal Pokemon to kick your @$$."
Ash frowned. "Do they have collars?"
"Yes…"
Ash shook his head and sighed. "You honestly think that gains your Pokemon's loyalty? Do you have any idea what collars do to them?"
"What, Mr. Expert? How are you supposed to know what they do if you haven't been in civilization for 10 years?"
"Believe me, I've seen plenty of collared Pokemon when I go into town for food and clothes. First of all, there is no direct mind control involved. All those tight collars do is cut off some air supply. That makes the mind simpler and easier to control. Secondly, those collar are engineered to shock a Pokemon when it does something wrong. It's like an invisible pet fence. The Pokemon learns that if it does what it's supposed to, it won't get shocked. Soon enough, the Pokemon turns into a brainless simpleton who would fall for the wallet inspector prank."
Misty looked down at the Pokeballs in her hand. "Are…are you sure…"
"Absolutely. I've seen it with my own eyes."
Misty shoved her hand in her pocket. "Well, maybe."
Current pulled on Ash's pant leg. "Pikapi, ka chupi ka chu pi. Ka chu pi ka chu pi ka chu pi ka chu." (Translation: Ash, we shouldn't be out here. Our moms will kill us if they find us out here.)
"Pi, ka chu pi, Pika." (Translation: Yeah, we should go, Current) Ash turned to Misty. "If you're so intent on not going back, come with us."
Current pulled on Ash's pant leg. "Pikapi, ka chu pi. Ka chupi ka." (Translation: Ash, we really have to go. It's getting dark.)
"Last chance to turn back," Ash said.
Misty raised an eyebrow. "Go back? Hell, no. I'm coming with you."
"Then let's go."
"CHU!" Current yelled. (Translation: Now!)
Ash took hold of Misty's arm and started to lead her away. Current ran ahead of them.
The sun was slowly fading, and shadows dance across the ground as they ran.
"It'll be dark soon," Ash called back to her. "By the way, my name's Ash!"
"I'm Misty!" she called back, as they sped along the unbeaten trail.
That's it for Ch. 4!
By the way, Ash and Delia stay with the Pikachu because they give them protection. If they went back to civilization, they'd be more prone to attack.
REVIEW!!