Disclaimer: Don't own pokémon!
A/N: Hey! Thanks everyone! I was so surprised to see that I had over 47 reviews!!! Thank you!!! Here's the next chappie, dedicated to Miroku-Girl for waiting so long (I have to e-mail this to her! Please keep reminding me I keep forgetting ^^;) Please do a little R n R after you're done reading!!
~ Kasagi Onaso ~
It WaS
* Little Green Monsters and Abduction *
Misty felt everything spinning around her but she gripped the banister tightly and clenched her eyes shut. She didn't want to faint now, she really didn't. They would see…they would know…know that she knew…she knew…
She quickly made her way up the stairs, sometimes missing them sometimes tripped over them, zigzagging until her foot thumped against the top stairs. The tears were coming now; she could feel them.
Stupid tears.
They always made an announcement when they were coming. First her throat would become all tight and odd-feeling. Then she would struggle to hold back those drops of saltwater that threatened to tumble from her eyes. Sometimes she was strong enough to hold them and swallow the lump in her throat. But at other times, they couldn't be contained. She struggled to keep the tears down, away, far away but they came anyway.
Damn, did it feel good to cry.
*******
Gary Oak raced through Viridian Woods, clumsily leaping over fallen logs and random boulders, a green vest clutched to him like a life preserver.
He wasn't sure why Brock had thrown him the vest but he had heard his friend's words and ran them over and over again in his mind. But he couldn't concentrate. So many things rushed through his mind that it felt overcrowded and uncomfortable. He suddenly felt paranoid and panicked and held the vest closer to him.
There. There it was. The Pokecenter. Oh please, oh please let Ash be there. Please.
He rushed through the door and people threw him funny looks. He knew it must look odd. A man of nearly nineteen, standing in the lobby of a Pokecenter, cheeks flushed and chest heaving and clutching a green vest so tightly his knuckles shone white.
Ash…where's Ash…
His amber eyes scanned the table, his heart racing and adrenaline pumping. Finally, he spotted Ash sitting at a table close to him, sipping a mocha. And who was that… Duplica?! No questions. Questions later.
He raced over to the table and threw the vest in front of the two.
"Gary?" cried Duplica, standing. "What's wrong? Why are you all red? Where IS everyone?"
"No time," he panted. "Look in…pockets…" Ash grabbed the vest and began searching the pockets, zipping and unzipping each until he pulled out a rumpled piece of paper. Gary snatched it from him, eyes wide and hands trembling. "This is it," he panted, holding it out to Ash.
"What is it?" asked Duplica and peered over Ash's shoulder.
"It looks like a map…"
"It's a map to the Rocket HQ," said Gary, gulping in great gasps of air. "Brock drew it so we would know the way back to it when we found you."
"Where are Brock and Richie?" asked Ash, holding the red-marked paper out to Gary. Gary took it and pulled up a chair, landing clumsily in the seat.
"We were hiding in the bushes," he said, still slightly out of breath. "Water, please."
"I got it," said Duplica hurriedly and rushed to fill a cup of water. She slid it across the now-clean table and the two watched as their companion drained the whole cup in three gulps.
"We were hiding in the bushes," Gary repeated, setting down his cup. "Waiting for Brock to finish his map and I was teasin' Richie 'cause of his goatee, y'know?" Ash chuckled and nodded. "That was all fine but when we stood to get up there were these people hold up guns." He made a gun out of his hand and pointed it at Ash. "Jus' like that. I started running and Brock threw me his vest telling me something about pockets, I dunno."
"You ran all the way here?" asked Duplica, utterly amazed. Despite his shape, Gary's ego was still there and he thrust his chest out a little more.
"Yeah," he said, rubbing his nose. "It wasn't hard."
"Please," smirked Ash.
"Anyway, I ran through Viridian Forest and came here to find you. They know we're coming now and there's only four of us."
"Three," said Duplica. "Misty looked pretty sick last time I saw her." Ash shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
"I'm sure she's fine," Gary said, waving his hand and giving Ash a quick look. Ash looked back, puzzled. "Let's go see."
"We'd better call up first," suggested Duplica as the two men rose. "Y'know, to make sure she's not asleep or something." They nodded and approached the front desk. Duplica quickly asked the man at the front desk to call their room. She took the phone and waited for Misty to pick up.
*******
Misty quickly wiped her face and cleared her throat as the phone rang on the nightstand beside the bed.
"Hello?" she said softly.
"Misty? Are you there?" It was only Duplica.
"Yeah, I'm here."
"How're you feeling?" Misty shrugged to the air and bit her lip.
"Fine, thanks. Gimme an Advil or two and I'll feel even better." Duplica chuckled lightly on the other end.
"Well they got Richie and Brock." Misty sat forward on the bed, wide-eyed.
"No!"
"Yeah. Come on down. We're heading out to the HQ in a bit and I think you might enjoy a nice hot drink, ne?" Misty smiled in spite of herself.
"Sounds great."
"A little somethin'-somethin' to wash the Advil down. So come on down and we'll update you. 'Kay?"
"All right."
"Bye." Misty slowly put the phone back in the cradle and went to the bathroom to wash her face. Her eyes were still a little red and her nose was a bit stuffy but she could always blame this 'flu' she had. She smiled slightly and headed towards the doubled stairs.
*******
Duplica rhythmically tapped her finger nails against the plastics table, staring at Ash's profile as they waited for Misty. After she had talked to the girl, she had felt a wave of guilt wash over her.
"Hey Misty," Gary said, grinning as the girl walked slowly down the stairs.
"Need help?" asked Duplica, standing quickly. Misty gave a watered-down smile and shook her head.
"No," she said softly, grimacing as she approached them. "I'm great."
"You don't look great," Duplica said and Misty smiled again.
"I feel better."
"Here." Duplica handed the pale girl the cup she had been holding and realized that she hadn't noticed how hot the cup had been until the cool air brushed her hand.
"Thanks," murmured Misty and took the cup.
"And here." She emptied two Advil onto the table and Misty slowly picked them up. She blushed as she realized everyone was watching her every move but dutifully swallowed each pill and set her almost-empty cup down on the table.
"So what's going on?" Misty asked finally.
"Put this under your tongue while we tell you," Duplica said. Misty took it, trying not to mind Ash's silence too much, and stuck the thermometer in her mouth as she sat down.
"Well we were out behind some bushes…" And Gary went on to explain what was going on. He stopped momentarily while Misty's thermometer beeped annoyingly. It flashed 101.2 in neon numbers and Duplica clucked her tongue. "As I was saying…" Misty listened intently as he talked, her expression changing from surprise to anger.
"We have to get them!" she exclaimed, pounding her fist on the table. Her cup clattered against the plastic table and Duplica looked at her with surprise.
"Misty! You're temperature is still over one hundred!" she scolded.
"I don't care!" Misty said, standing suddenly.
"Misty," Ash said, his voice almost pleading. She paused, thrown off slightly by his voice, but shook her head and continued.
"You guys can't just leave me out of this!" she exclaimed, her aqua eyes ablaze. "You can't! They're my friends too and we're all in this together! I don't care!" she exclaimed as Duplica stuttered that she was sick.
"But we do," Ash said softly, rising. Duplica and Gary blinked up at him.
"You don't care," Misty spat at him. Ash closed his eyes briefly.
"Misty," started Duplica and Ash shot her a look and quickly shook his head.
"Misty," he said slowly. "Listen to me." She glared at him, her mouth twisted into a frown. "It's not that I don't care—"
"You don't!" cried Misty, smacking the table, tears starting to run down her face. Ash looked crestfallen and remained silent. "You never have! I thought you did, Ash, I really did. Once I did. But now…?" She trailed off and began to slowly back away from the table.
"Misty," said Duplica. "What's going on?"
"I saw…" Misty gulped, the tears streaming freely down her face now. She suddenly laughed slightly. "Still the selfish bastard, eh Ash?" she said quietly.
"What?" he near-yelled but in a flash of red hair, she was racing through the Pokecenter doors, leaving Ash red-faced and fists clenched, Duplica sitting open-mouthed with horror and amazement, and Gary just puzzled.
"Okay," Gary said. "Which one of you wants to explain this to me?"
*******
"Keep your head up! Straighter!" Brock struggled to raise his head as the Rocket Grunt instructed him to. Richie slumped beside him, hands bound tightly behind his back with harsh twine. "There we are. Keep walking!"
"Where're we gonna put 'em?" asked one, jabbing the barrel of the gun into Richie's back.
"I dunno. Here. In here." They slowly opened a cell and threw Brock and Richie into its depths.
"Were there more?" asked one.
"Yeah," said the other, the keys swinging in his gloved hands. "One, I think. But he got away."
"What? Boss is gonna kill ye for not getting him," said the other as they slammed the bar door shut.
"Not if he doesn't find out," laughed the first one and they both laughed as Richie and Brock stared at them with hatred, the bars' shadows streaking their face. Laughing, they locked up the door and strode down the dark hall. Richie and Brock were silent, the coldness of the ground soaking through their pants.
"God, how could we be so stupid?" whispered Richie and Brock chuckled ruefully.
"You and Gary were stupid." Richie glared at him and rose to sit on one of the stone benches supported by cold metal bars jutting out of the side of the wall.
"Brock, if you were smart you wouldn't be here right now. Now Ash and them don't know how to get here. You know how Gary is. He ran so fast he probably left his brain behind those bushes." Brock chuckled and remained seated.
"The map I drew, Richie. It was in my vest." Richie blinked in the dim light.
"That's right. Where's your vest?"
"Gary has it," Brock said triumphantly and Richie nearly laughed. For a moment, he was silent.
"Way to go, Brock-o," he said after a moment. "I've gotta hand it to ya. That was pretty smart."
"Now they have a map," said Brock. "They'll be able to come and get rid of Team Rocket once and for all."
"I wish they'd get here soon," whispered Richie, hugging his knees. "I hate this place."
"Thank you boys," came a familiar voice. One of the Rockets that had bought them here stepped out from the cell next to them. "I knew you weren't spying on the HQ for a reason. Rob! Alert the Boss. We're going to have to be prepared for our visitors." And in the dim light, Brock and Richie's faces paled.
*******
She didn't know where she was going but she had to get away from everything. From their accusing glances; their protests and lies.
And away from him.
He said he cared. He did. He was lying. Lying, lying, lying. She hated being lied to and he was lying.
Lying, lying, lying.
Coughs racked through her, and she stopped to rest, sitting on the stump of a fallen tree. She was well into the forest and well surrounded by trees but she looked around constantly, waiting to catch a flash of movement or shadow. Breath came out of her in wheezes and she bent over, looking at the multi-colored earth.
But she had the only thing they didn't.
Slowly, she pulled the crumpled piece of paper from under her shirt. She had tucked it into her jeans and under her shirt so they wouldn't notice and they hadn't. She had swiped it when they had been arguing. It had been only a crumpled ball and easy to take when no one had been staring at her hands.
She smiled.
She would save Brock and Richie herself. She would show them. She didn't need them to tell her how sick she was and that she couldn't go. She'd show them.
She would.
THIS IS AN AAMRN!!!! I SWEAR!!!!!!!!!! Just reassuring everyone heehee. Okay, a little short, but it's a good cutoff. RIGHT??? Well anyway, thank you EVERYONE for reviewing! I will make sure to thank you later I just can't remember everyone (coughanyonecough) right now except Imp is Insane. ^^ sorry! Did someone ask if I was French…? Damn I can't remember anything! @_@ Well it's Labor Day weekend (THREE DAY WEEKEND! HEHEHE!) so I'm going to try and get another chappie in. Please at least 56 reviews! Thanks!!!!!
~ KaSaGi OnAsO
