Chapter 5:
What's going on?
"S
o." I began, wondering where to start as I looked back briefly at Lacey,
"what exactly happened while we were gone?"
Ash looked at me and grinned, jerking a thumb at his redheaded companion.
"Oh nothing. Misty just had a nervous breakdown when she woke up and saw
you gone."
*WHACK!*
Lacey bit her lip to keep from laughing and I jumped back in surprise as
Ash rubbed his sore head in agony. Misty, her face completely red in rage,
held her fist up to his face menacingly. "ME? Ash Ketchum, I swear, you are
the biggest liar on the planet! I did not have a nervous breakdown!"
"Could've fooled me," Lacey whispered into my ear. I giggled quietly.
"Really! You freaked out just as much as me and you know it!" Misty
declared, an enormous popping vein swelling above her forehead.
"Well," Ash muttered meekly, "maybe just a little."
At this, I had to laugh out loud. Seriously, Ash is so adorable when he
looks like that! All innocent and hurt- it was just too cute!. and funny as
heck!
"That's quite a sister you've got there," I said to Lacey, nudging her in
the side with my elbow.
Instantly, Misty and Ash stopped, staring at me. I stopped walking and
turned around, facing them with a confused expression. "What?"
Ash, shaking off his surprise, laughed. "Hah, that's funny."
Again, I stared at Ash, insisting, "What?"
"Saying Misty was Kyra's sister," he replied as-a-matter-of-factly. I
looked up at Lacey who stood behind them, shrugging her shoulders in
complete confusion. Looking back at Ash, I smiled nervously.
"Uh, yeah. Really funny."
Jabbing a finger into Misty's shoulder, Ash smirked. "Maybe that's her way
of saying she doesn't wanna be your sister anymore, Misty."
For the split second that followed, my jaw dropped in disbelief, but as
Misty was busy yelling at Ash, and he was busy defending himself, no one
but the girl who echoed my expression noticed. But before I could step
forward to ask anyone about it, Ash pulled away and gruffly said, "Come on,
we still have a long way to go." Misty, with a satisfied grin on her face,
followed suit. Taking the opportunity, I briskly walked up to Lacey, and
together, the two of us held the rear.
"I thought you said she was your sister!" I hissed as soon as I was sure
the others were out of hearing distance.
"I thought so, too!" she replied sheepishly. "At least, that's how I had it
written. But then again, like I said before, everything's been going wacky.
I mean, if they seem to know you, and you seem to be a part of all this, I
guess it would kind of make sense that the rest was messed up."
"Make sense!? Please, elaborate, Lacey! Tell me, exactly what part of all
of this makes sense!?"
"Okay, point taken, but still, there's gotta be an explanation for
everything, right? I mean, people don't just randomly turn into cartoons on
a daily basis, do they?"
"I don't know, you tell me!"
Lacey sighed, resting her hands on the back of her head and looking up at
the puffy, white clouds. "I wish I could," she said softly.
I shook my head, trying to ease my frustration. "Alright, let's just get
our facts straight, for a minute. You and I. well, Prance and Kyra, we're
in the world of Pokemon. Not only in the world," I added carefully, "but in
the storyline, as well. Apparently, I'm Misty's sister, and we don't even
know where you come to play yet. We both have pokemon, and. hey, wait a
minute, speaking of which, where in the world did you come up with that
whole bit about me out capturing a fire pokemon?" I asked, eying her
curiously.
Lacey pointed her finger at the creature still on her shoulder. "He told
me."
I nodded. "Okay, so I guess that's another thing we can add to the list-
somehow, we've been written in a while ago. But why?"
"And why has my original story been changed?" Lacey added thoughtfully.
"Or better yet," I corrected, "why were any of the stories, both this one
and the one from Digimon, changed from what they used to be in the first
place?"
Lacey nodded, rubbing her chin. "Who knows? Maybe there's a reason we're
here."
I smirked. "Well, aren't you the optimistic one?"
Lacey grinned. "Well, it never hurts, now, does it?"
"Hey, you guys!"
Lacey and I paused, looking up at Misty.
"What?"
"Well," Ash began, "it doesn't look like we're gonna make it to that town
Professor Oak told us about today, so we're going to stop at a Pokemon
Center not far away to rest for the night, kay?"
"Um, sure, okay," I replied, somewhat confused. As the two of them turned
back around, I looked at Lacey questioningly. "What town do you think they
mean?"
Lacey shrugged. "Dunno."
"Why don't you ask him?" I suggested, pointing at Raichu. Realizing it was
the object of our conversation, its ears perked and it looked at Lacey
curiously.
Turning her head towards it, Lacey asked politely, "Hey Raichu? What did
Ash mean by 'that town Professor Oak told us about'? Do you know what town
he was talking about?"
What followed was a stream of variations of its own name as the Pokemon
patiently explained the purpose behind Ash's meaning. Occasionally, Lacey
would nod, and ask a few minor questions of her own, but for the most part,
I sat back, watching the two communicate.
Finally, Lacey nodded and looked at me. "Well, for the most part, it goes
like this. Do you remember when Ash had said that yesterday, we were
talking to the Professor? You know, when he asked us where we were?"
"Yeah," I replied.
"Well, from what Raichu understands, during that conversation, Oak had told
Ash about some mysterious town that he had wanted them, or us I guess I
should say, to investigate. He said a lot of mysterious pokemon had been
seen there, yet there were no humans living around those areas for miles."
"Is it a place from the TV show?"
Lacey shook her head. "Nope, it's nothing I've ever heard of. It's some
dark, forest area called 'Destiny town.'"
I blinked. For a brief moment, I was reminded of my dream. The spooky one.
Your destiny is darkness.
I shook my head, trying to rid my mind of the memory.
"You okay?" Lacey asked.
"What? Oh, uh, yeah. I'm fine. But wait a sec," I said, thinking. "You said
that nobody lived around there, right? So why is it called Destiny Town?"
Lacey shrugged. "I guess that's what the people had eventually called it.
Rumor has it that some people brave to explore around the place, and return
years later, claiming their dreams had come true."
"Their dreams?"
"Yup."
"Weird," I muttered, eyes fixed on the ground.
"I know," Lacey agreed. "But hey, who knows? Maybe this Destiny Town has
some answers for us."
"Hope so."
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" I nodded, smiling warmly up at Nurse Joy. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep, that's all." I sat on the couch in the reception area of the Pokemon Center, my legs folded beneath me and my tail curled around my feet. The sun had already set by the time the four of us made it here, yet like I had said, I couldn't sleep. Too much was on my mind, but I didn't want the sweet, pink- haired Nurse Joy to worry herself too much by letting her know. Instead, I took another sip of my warm hot cocoa, and looked up at the nurse again. "Thanks again for the cocoa." Nurse Joy smiled. "No problem at all. It was my pleasure." With an uncertain expression, she glanced down the hallway. Reading her mind, I placed the cup back in my lap. "Really, Nurse Joy. I am fine. You should really go to bed, and not worry about me. I'll probably hit the sack in not too long, anyway." "Well," she began hesitantly, "if you're sure." "I am." "Okay. well, good night, then," she said softly, walking down the hallway towards where Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Raichu and Lacey slept, as well as the hidden Gatomon. After she had disappeared into the darkness of the corridors, I took another slow sip at my drink. Why can't I sleep? I wondered. Why is this all bugging me so much? Lacey's going through all the same stuff I am, yet she's in there, sleeping like a baby. Then again, I added, smiling to myself, it wouldn't exactly take much for her to fall dead asleep. "Why is all this happening to us?" I thought aloud. "I mean, it couldn't have possibly just been my wish- the one I made before all this happened. I don't have that kind of power. And even if I did, wouldn't all the other billions of wishes I've made come true, too?" I sighed, sinking back into the soft cushions and closing my eyes. "I wish I understood all this. I wish I knew why we're here, and why we were chosen out of all people. I wish. I wish." thump thump Instantly, my eyes snapped open, but I forced myself to remain calm, unmoving. Not for the first time, I silently praised myself for creating Prance with amplified feline abilities as my eyes swept the room, easily distinguishing the different objects in the darkness. Over there was the front desk, the one place one would normally see Nurse Joy in the daytime, along with her bubbly Chancey. And that shadow next to it was the videophone, the prime source of communication. And those three things over there were. moving? I rolled my eyes, calmly setting my mug down and pulling myself up to my feet. Guess it was only a matter of time, huh? With a stealth and silence I was just beginning to get used to, I crept towards the room I where I knew Lacey and the others slept, and just behind the corner I stopped, waiting. I knew they would be coming at any second. And, as I predicted, the same three shapes stole through the opposite hallway and snuck up to the door, chuckling crudely. Before one could reach for the doorknob, however, I stepped forward and flipped on the light. "Hello, again." Team Rocket froze, staring aghast at me. "H-hey wait a minute!" Jessie exclaimed. "What are you doing awake?" "Yeah," James added, "you're supposed to be asleep!" "Why? So you can sneak in and steal all of our pokemon?" I replied coolly. "Exactly!" James remarked. I rolled my eyes. Could he be any stupider? "Well, sorry to have disappointed you, but I'm awake. So," I added, whipping my hand to my skirt pocket where my poke-balls were hidden, "I guess you'll just have to deal with me!" Jessie grinned, reaching for her own poke-balls. "Fine, then. Have it your way. Once we get rid of you, it'll be a snap grabbing all the pokemon you twerps own." "Not to mention dat really rare one we saw earlier!" Meowth added maliciously. I raised an eyebrow. "What really rare one?" "That strange, white thing we saw you with the last time," Jessie replied. James nodded. "Yeah, even Meowth didn't know what it was, so it must be really really rare and, of course, really really valuable!" They probably mean Gatomon, I thought. "Well, too bad you won't get the opportunity to see how valuable she is!" "Hah, we'll just see!" Jessie said confidently. "Arbok! Go!" "You too, Victreebell!" James exclaimed. The same snake before was, this time, joined by a big, bright yellow eggplant-type thing with a large hole in its top as a mouth and vines sprouting from its sides. The instant it was released, however, it turned on its trainer and grabbed James, sticking him into his wide mouth. "Victreebell! Can't we do this somewhere else!?" "Typical," I muttered, pulling out the first poke-ball my fingers came into contact with and threw it in front of me. "Go!" Though on the outside, I seemed calm and collected, on the inside I was bubbling with excitement. I was actually releasing my own pokemon! This was so cool!!!! And, to my delight, the pokemon that emerged from the ball was exactly what I would have hoped it to be- an adorable orange puppy with white tufts of fur sprouting from its tail, chest, and the top of its head and black stripes running across its back. "Hah! You think we're afraid of that puny little Growlithe?" Jessie exclaimed. "Uh, Jessie?" James whispered. "If Growlithe's so puny, then why do we keep on getting beat by it?" A sweatdrop rolled down the side of her head as she muttered, "James, just focus on the battle, okay?" "Oh, okay. Well, then," he added vigorously, "go Victreebell! Vine whip, now!" I grinned, feeling the excitement within me rise. Oh, yeah, I was so ready for this! "Growlithe! Dodge it!" I commanded. With ease, the puppy pokemon jumped out of the way, landing in a perfect attacking position. "Grr, go get that Growlithe, Arbok!" Jessie ordered. With a hiss, the large snake began rapidly slithering forward. Yeah, right. I've seen this all time after time on TV before. Like this would actually work! "Growlithe, use take down!" Crouching low, Growlithe leapt forward with blinding speed, lowering his head in preparation for the collision. Upon impact, Arbok's eyes widened as it flew backward, crashing into the wall behind it. "Arbok! Get up!" Jessie screamed angrily. "You're not supposed to lose!" "I would have thought by now you would have been used to it," I said, smirking. Turning back to my pokemon, I commanded, "Kay, Growlithe. Time for a flamethrower!" With a brief nod, Growlithe turned to the vulnerable grass-type pokemon (which, by the way, was weak against fire attacks) and opened his mouth, spewering a stream of fire towards Victreebell. When the flames receded, all that was left of the pokemon was a yellow and black lump. "No! Victreebell!" James cried, holding out his poke-ball so that the pokemon could return. Holding out her own, Jessie growled, "Don't think you've won anything, yet, twerp!" "Oh, haven't I?" I replied confidently. "I'm sorry, I don't think Growlithe believes you. Do you believe them, Growlithe?" I asked, turning to my adorable pokemon. The puppy crouched lower, growling ferociously at the three. Team Rocket's faces paled, and instantly, they took off towards the back entrance where they had originally entered. "F-forget it!" James whined. "We're outta here!" "Yeah, we'll come back for that rare pokemon later!" Jessie added, darting ahead of her partners. "See you's guys later!" Meowth hollered. As soon as they had disappeared, Growlithe stopped growling and began trotting towards me, sitting faithfully at my feet. Kneeling, I hugged him fiercely, rubbing his head and scratching behind his ears. "Aw, Growlithe, you're the absolute best! You put that nasty Team Rocket in their place. They won't mess with us, again, huh?" Growlithe barked happily, gently licking me in the face. I giggled. "Hey, stop that, silly!" "Heath- uh, I mean, Prance!" The two of us looked up, startled. Lacey, Ash, and Misty, along with their respective pokemon, each burst out of the room, spilling out into the hallway with stunned expressions on their faces. "What's going on?" Ash asked. "It sounded like there was a battle going on in here!" "And it looks like it, too," Misty added, pointing to the charred outline of Victreebell's shape. Lacey nodded, looking down at my Growlithe. I laughed, rubbing the back of my head. "Well, I heard Team Rocket sneaking around, so I just. took care of it." "Team Rocket?" Ash exclaimed. "Here?" Misty sighed. "Sounds like they were up to their no good tricks again." Lacey nodded, again, and yawned, rubbing her eyes. "Yeah, well, that's nice. So, Team Rocket, as usual, tried to steal our Pokemon and failed. Can we go back to bed, now?" I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, and as usual, all you can think of is your stomach and your pillow." Lacey gave me a look that I could only guess was her sleepy attempt at a glare before disappearing once again into the bedroom. Ash and Misty looked at me. "What do you mean?" "Growlithe, return," I said calmly, allowing the puppy to return to its poke-ball. Walking towards the door, I merely said, "Nothing. Kyra's right- let's go to sleep." Ignoring their puzzled expressions, I walked past them, preparing to enter the room when I saw it. Only for a brief moment did I see it, however. So brief, I thought I had imagined it. "Prance?" Misty asked, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" I blinked, shaking my head and smiling. "Sure. I just thought I saw a shadow, that's all. " With a carefree shrug, I walked into the bedroom, not giving the shadow another thought.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" I nodded, smiling warmly up at Nurse Joy. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just couldn't sleep, that's all." I sat on the couch in the reception area of the Pokemon Center, my legs folded beneath me and my tail curled around my feet. The sun had already set by the time the four of us made it here, yet like I had said, I couldn't sleep. Too much was on my mind, but I didn't want the sweet, pink- haired Nurse Joy to worry herself too much by letting her know. Instead, I took another sip of my warm hot cocoa, and looked up at the nurse again. "Thanks again for the cocoa." Nurse Joy smiled. "No problem at all. It was my pleasure." With an uncertain expression, she glanced down the hallway. Reading her mind, I placed the cup back in my lap. "Really, Nurse Joy. I am fine. You should really go to bed, and not worry about me. I'll probably hit the sack in not too long, anyway." "Well," she began hesitantly, "if you're sure." "I am." "Okay. well, good night, then," she said softly, walking down the hallway towards where Ash, Misty, Pikachu, Raichu and Lacey slept, as well as the hidden Gatomon. After she had disappeared into the darkness of the corridors, I took another slow sip at my drink. Why can't I sleep? I wondered. Why is this all bugging me so much? Lacey's going through all the same stuff I am, yet she's in there, sleeping like a baby. Then again, I added, smiling to myself, it wouldn't exactly take much for her to fall dead asleep. "Why is all this happening to us?" I thought aloud. "I mean, it couldn't have possibly just been my wish- the one I made before all this happened. I don't have that kind of power. And even if I did, wouldn't all the other billions of wishes I've made come true, too?" I sighed, sinking back into the soft cushions and closing my eyes. "I wish I understood all this. I wish I knew why we're here, and why we were chosen out of all people. I wish. I wish." thump thump Instantly, my eyes snapped open, but I forced myself to remain calm, unmoving. Not for the first time, I silently praised myself for creating Prance with amplified feline abilities as my eyes swept the room, easily distinguishing the different objects in the darkness. Over there was the front desk, the one place one would normally see Nurse Joy in the daytime, along with her bubbly Chancey. And that shadow next to it was the videophone, the prime source of communication. And those three things over there were. moving? I rolled my eyes, calmly setting my mug down and pulling myself up to my feet. Guess it was only a matter of time, huh? With a stealth and silence I was just beginning to get used to, I crept towards the room I where I knew Lacey and the others slept, and just behind the corner I stopped, waiting. I knew they would be coming at any second. And, as I predicted, the same three shapes stole through the opposite hallway and snuck up to the door, chuckling crudely. Before one could reach for the doorknob, however, I stepped forward and flipped on the light. "Hello, again." Team Rocket froze, staring aghast at me. "H-hey wait a minute!" Jessie exclaimed. "What are you doing awake?" "Yeah," James added, "you're supposed to be asleep!" "Why? So you can sneak in and steal all of our pokemon?" I replied coolly. "Exactly!" James remarked. I rolled my eyes. Could he be any stupider? "Well, sorry to have disappointed you, but I'm awake. So," I added, whipping my hand to my skirt pocket where my poke-balls were hidden, "I guess you'll just have to deal with me!" Jessie grinned, reaching for her own poke-balls. "Fine, then. Have it your way. Once we get rid of you, it'll be a snap grabbing all the pokemon you twerps own." "Not to mention dat really rare one we saw earlier!" Meowth added maliciously. I raised an eyebrow. "What really rare one?" "That strange, white thing we saw you with the last time," Jessie replied. James nodded. "Yeah, even Meowth didn't know what it was, so it must be really really rare and, of course, really really valuable!" They probably mean Gatomon, I thought. "Well, too bad you won't get the opportunity to see how valuable she is!" "Hah, we'll just see!" Jessie said confidently. "Arbok! Go!" "You too, Victreebell!" James exclaimed. The same snake before was, this time, joined by a big, bright yellow eggplant-type thing with a large hole in its top as a mouth and vines sprouting from its sides. The instant it was released, however, it turned on its trainer and grabbed James, sticking him into his wide mouth. "Victreebell! Can't we do this somewhere else!?" "Typical," I muttered, pulling out the first poke-ball my fingers came into contact with and threw it in front of me. "Go!" Though on the outside, I seemed calm and collected, on the inside I was bubbling with excitement. I was actually releasing my own pokemon! This was so cool!!!! And, to my delight, the pokemon that emerged from the ball was exactly what I would have hoped it to be- an adorable orange puppy with white tufts of fur sprouting from its tail, chest, and the top of its head and black stripes running across its back. "Hah! You think we're afraid of that puny little Growlithe?" Jessie exclaimed. "Uh, Jessie?" James whispered. "If Growlithe's so puny, then why do we keep on getting beat by it?" A sweatdrop rolled down the side of her head as she muttered, "James, just focus on the battle, okay?" "Oh, okay. Well, then," he added vigorously, "go Victreebell! Vine whip, now!" I grinned, feeling the excitement within me rise. Oh, yeah, I was so ready for this! "Growlithe! Dodge it!" I commanded. With ease, the puppy pokemon jumped out of the way, landing in a perfect attacking position. "Grr, go get that Growlithe, Arbok!" Jessie ordered. With a hiss, the large snake began rapidly slithering forward. Yeah, right. I've seen this all time after time on TV before. Like this would actually work! "Growlithe, use take down!" Crouching low, Growlithe leapt forward with blinding speed, lowering his head in preparation for the collision. Upon impact, Arbok's eyes widened as it flew backward, crashing into the wall behind it. "Arbok! Get up!" Jessie screamed angrily. "You're not supposed to lose!" "I would have thought by now you would have been used to it," I said, smirking. Turning back to my pokemon, I commanded, "Kay, Growlithe. Time for a flamethrower!" With a brief nod, Growlithe turned to the vulnerable grass-type pokemon (which, by the way, was weak against fire attacks) and opened his mouth, spewering a stream of fire towards Victreebell. When the flames receded, all that was left of the pokemon was a yellow and black lump. "No! Victreebell!" James cried, holding out his poke-ball so that the pokemon could return. Holding out her own, Jessie growled, "Don't think you've won anything, yet, twerp!" "Oh, haven't I?" I replied confidently. "I'm sorry, I don't think Growlithe believes you. Do you believe them, Growlithe?" I asked, turning to my adorable pokemon. The puppy crouched lower, growling ferociously at the three. Team Rocket's faces paled, and instantly, they took off towards the back entrance where they had originally entered. "F-forget it!" James whined. "We're outta here!" "Yeah, we'll come back for that rare pokemon later!" Jessie added, darting ahead of her partners. "See you's guys later!" Meowth hollered. As soon as they had disappeared, Growlithe stopped growling and began trotting towards me, sitting faithfully at my feet. Kneeling, I hugged him fiercely, rubbing his head and scratching behind his ears. "Aw, Growlithe, you're the absolute best! You put that nasty Team Rocket in their place. They won't mess with us, again, huh?" Growlithe barked happily, gently licking me in the face. I giggled. "Hey, stop that, silly!" "Heath- uh, I mean, Prance!" The two of us looked up, startled. Lacey, Ash, and Misty, along with their respective pokemon, each burst out of the room, spilling out into the hallway with stunned expressions on their faces. "What's going on?" Ash asked. "It sounded like there was a battle going on in here!" "And it looks like it, too," Misty added, pointing to the charred outline of Victreebell's shape. Lacey nodded, looking down at my Growlithe. I laughed, rubbing the back of my head. "Well, I heard Team Rocket sneaking around, so I just. took care of it." "Team Rocket?" Ash exclaimed. "Here?" Misty sighed. "Sounds like they were up to their no good tricks again." Lacey nodded, again, and yawned, rubbing her eyes. "Yeah, well, that's nice. So, Team Rocket, as usual, tried to steal our Pokemon and failed. Can we go back to bed, now?" I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, and as usual, all you can think of is your stomach and your pillow." Lacey gave me a look that I could only guess was her sleepy attempt at a glare before disappearing once again into the bedroom. Ash and Misty looked at me. "What do you mean?" "Growlithe, return," I said calmly, allowing the puppy to return to its poke-ball. Walking towards the door, I merely said, "Nothing. Kyra's right- let's go to sleep." Ignoring their puzzled expressions, I walked past them, preparing to enter the room when I saw it. Only for a brief moment did I see it, however. So brief, I thought I had imagined it. "Prance?" Misty asked, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" I blinked, shaking my head and smiling. "Sure. I just thought I saw a shadow, that's all. " With a carefree shrug, I walked into the bedroom, not giving the shadow another thought.