Me: Finally I continue this chapter! Here we go with Chapter 7.
Chloe: About time.
Chapter 7- Decisions, Decisions
Where am I? I feel as if I've been hit by three dozen double-decker buses. That does qualify that I'm dead right? But if I'm dead, why am I still thinking?
Tiny flickering lights rose above his eyes before fading once more in the inky blackness. The blackness seemed like an endless void with no sign of life. No sound, no company, nothing.
Where am I?
The flickering lights appeared before his eyes again, twinkling and scattering like stars. They were starting to give him a headache.
"Is he safe?"
He heard a faint voice in the distance, somewhere outside the dark void. It was a light female voice that sounded anxious and slightly cynical.
"That depends. He took several injuries."
The new voice that spoke was deeper and more masculine.
"Yes, I know."
The void suddenly became less dense and seemed to shine with brighter light. With great difficulty and effort, Ash Ketchum forced his eyes open.
The first face he saw was the anxious face of his best friend Pikachu, looking at him. The little creature's large dark eyes were worried and shining with fear.
"Pika…chu?"
Pikachu's face melted into that of relief. "Chu."
Another face joined the Pokémon's; Chloe's. "Oh thank goodness. I was afraid you'd never wake up again."
Ash blinked. "Chloe…where are we?"
"A safe place—or so that's what your feline friend tells me."
Huh? With Chloe's help, Ash sat up. Underneath his body was a bed of soft grass. Across from him was a pond of flowing water, the perfect blue waves rolling gently. "Is…this…?" He remembered this place; it was the area that Mewtwo had once hidden the cloned Pokémon. "I never dreamed we'd be here again."
Chloe stared at him. "Again? You mean, you've been to Mount Caina before?"
Her friend nodded. Chloe blinked in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I…"
"He made a promise."
At the sound of his voice, both Chloe and Ash turned to look at Mewtwo. "Ash and his friends have indeed been here before. They saved my life and the lives of the cloned Pokémon. But those who would only use this place for destruction or study had their memories erased."
Chloe stood up, her mystical eyes still locked on the Pokémon. "So why did you bring us here if I'm not supposed to know about this place?"
"You seem to be pure of heart—just
like Ash," Mewtwo replied. "Besides, you're not normal are you?"
The teen girl gulped and
looked away. It's okay…for all he knows;
I'm just an ordinary psychic.
Mewtwo smiled lightly at her. "For all I know, you're not."
Darn it! She glared at him. "Who said you could read my mind?" she demanded.
"Chloe is not an ordinary psychic Mewtwo," Ash said from his spot on the floor. "She's kind of like a human you. Her powers are not born; they're created. She was used as an experiment in order to test if Pokémon and psychic human DNA could be subjected to normal human beings. It worked but…" Ash looked at Chloe's pained expression. "It hurt her a lot. So much that she finally used her destructive powers to wipe out their lives—and the lab."
Chloe walked over to the pond and scooped a cupful of the sparkling water into her heads. "I had no other choice. A little more and they would've killed me." She let the water slip through her fingers. "But I still wish I didn't…"
Eager to change the subject, Ash shifted his gaze to Mewtwo. "Listen Mewtwo, thanks for helping us but we need to get back to Pallet Town—fast."
"What's the urgency?"
"Y'know those creatures we were fighting against? They're not Pokémon, they're Digimon. Call me crazy if you want, but it's true. We have to get back to Pallet Town because it's our fault we let them loose. They want to destroy our friends and if we don't find them and help, they'll die." Ash gave the Pokémon a pleading look. "Please, you've got to help us."
Mewtwo gazed back into Ash's pure dark eyes, seeing the fear in them. "What is it you want me to do?"
"We need backup support," Ash said urgently. "I don't know how many Pokémon were scared away by the Digimon but we need your power. Can't you lend us a hand? Chloe and I aren't strong enough to take them on alone."
All the while that Ash spoke, the psychic Pokémon paced up and down, his face pursed in a serious expression. Finally, he looked up. "All right. There seems to be two worlds on the line here—"
"No duh," Chloe muttered under her breath. Ash scowled at her.
"—and you'll need as much support as can be given," Mewtwo continued, ignoring her. "I suggest you rest up on your strength here and then seek out those Pokémon that will help you put a stop to this disorder. I will help you of course," he added seeing the startled expression on Ash's face.
Ash's face melted into relief. Chloe smiled. "Thanks Mewtwo."
* * *
"Anybody up for Scrabble?" Izzy asked in a dull voice.
None of his friends answered. Sora was staring vaguely out the window with Mimi. Matt was sitting on the floor across from Davis and Ken. Cody leaned against the computer monitor next to Izzy while Tai sat backwards on a chair. Joe and Yolei were trying to have a forced conversation but to no avail. Kari was pacing around and around the room. T.K. was absent.
After five minutes, Davis sighed. "Look guys, it's not good to think the worst. They should be fine…I hope."
"You're not helping Davis," Tai muttered.
"Sorry."
There were a few more minutes of silence before, "Has anyone seen T.K.?" That was Sora.
"He went outside soon after we received that message from Chloe," Matt answered her. "Said he needed to think."
Yolei sighed. "Poor T.K. This is a lot harder on him than the rest of us put together."
Kari stopped pacing around and edged towards the door. When no one made a move to stop her, she proceeded out the door, down the stairs of the apartment, and out onto the sidewalk. There, she found T.K. sitting on a wooden bench, lost in thought.
"T.K.?"
He looked up at her, his blue eyes surprised. "K-Kari? What are you doing out here?"
"I just wanted to see if you were okay," she answered softly, sitting down next to him. "I know you're really worried about the Pokémon trainers."
He nodded. "They…shouldn't have gone…but I let them go…it's all my fault…I should've stopped them."
Kari placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. "It was not your fault T.K. They wanted to go."
T.K. didn't look entirely convinced. "Chloe and the others could be dead for all we know. I just wish…"
Kari sighed and removed her hand from his shoulder. His emphasis on Chloe's name caused her to think differently. She bit her lip and then looked down at the ground. "So…"
"Yeah."
The silence was starting to unnerve them. Either one of them should say something or move on with life.
"T.K.?"
"Yes Kari?"
"Wellll…"
"I…"
They lifted their eyes at the same time and blurted out, "I'm sorry!" Both stared at each other and blinked. "You are?"
Kari blushed slightly and focused on the designs on the wooden bench. "You were right about the trainers. They're practically the best friends we could ever wish for. I'm just sorry I didn't listen to you."
T.K. shook his head. "No, I shouldn't have been so quick to judge you. You didn't deserve that." He took her hand, perceiving its warmth. "Friends?"
I want us to be more than that, Kari thought. But even as she tried to imagine it, a dark-haired girl with blue eyes kept appearing beside T.K. instead of herself. "Friends."
T.K. smiled. "That's great." I wish she'd be more than just a friend. If only she knew.
* * *
"I think I've found a way to help us recruit some Pokémon," Chloe told Ash and Mewtwo back in Pallet Town.
Ash raised an eyebrow. "And that
is…?"
Chloe smiled. "This."
With flourish, she pulled her precious ocarina from her pocket and placed it to her lips. Closing her eyes, she placed the instrument to her lips and began to play a haunting beautiful song: Lugia's Song.
(Play: The Legend Comes to Life)
From the waters, the skies, and even the areas behind them, Pokémon emerged from their hiding places, drawn towards the hypnotic melody that beckoned them. The surface of the ocean rippled as a towering creature arose from the depths. The being stretched its wings, the smooth white body glistening and sparkling. Blue markings line the back and around the eyes.
Chloe opened her eyes and nearly dropped the ocarina. "Lu…Lugia…"
Ash's eyes expanded. "You came."
Mewtwo said nothing but his eyes narrowed slightly.
Lugia's dark eyes poured into Ash's before his psychic powers allowed him to speak. "Chosen One." He turned his head to view Chloe. "My song."
"Lugia, I had to use your song to call the other Pokémon," she told him. "It was the only way they'd listen."
"I am not here to reprimand you child," said Lugia. "I only wanted to see the bearer of my song."
Chloe looked a little embarrassed, but Ash's face broke into a wide grin. "It's good you're here Lugia. Let me fill you in on what we're doing."
* * *
A light chill ran up Kari's spine. Shivering, she moved her hands up and down her arms.
T.K. glanced at Kari. "What is it?"
"Something's coming…darkness…I can feel it."
"Wha—?"
BOOM!
Before T.K. could say anymore, a shuddering sound broke through the silence. Kari grabbed onto him. "What was that?"
"I…I…don't know."
The Digidestined poured out of the apartment building. "What was that sound?" asked Ken.
Izzy pulled out his famous laptop. "My computer's telling me that something's happening in the center of Odaiba. We'd better get down there."
The others nodded. Izzy used the computer to bring their Digimon partners to the Real World. "What's up Davish?" asked Veemon.
"Yeah, why'd you ask us back so early?" Agumon added.
"Something's wrong…" T.K. said, the blood suddenly draining from his face. "And I think I know what it is."
(A/N:
Well there's Chapter 7. I'll try to post 8 tomorrow or the day after at the
latest. Promise!)