Chapter Twelve: The Mad Chikorita

"What 'cha find, Eevee?" Michael asked picking up his Pokémon, who promptly jumped out of his arms.

"Vee! Eevee! Vee! Vee!" Eevee was bouncing up and down with excitement.

"Show us ol' boy!" Eevee then ran to a wall and squealed. "Eeevee!"

"What could be here?" Julie asked, absent-mindedly leaning on the wall. All of a sudden, the wall moved slightly.

"Julie…!" Joshua started.

"Huh?" Julie managed to get out before the wall swung sideways and Julie fell over.

"Ow." She said getting up. "Next time I lean on a wall…"

"No, no" said Michael "I'm glad you did. What's a secret passage doing here anyway?"

"Darned if I know." Julie said "But I bet this is where they took Gloria. Let's check it out."

Back at the tunnels…

"Oh, oh. Dead end…" Gloria had run into an ending in the hall.

"Now we've got 'cha!" Daniel said triumphantly.

Gloria let out a very loud, very high-pitched chirp of anger and fear. If there was one thing she didn't want, it was to be caught by them. Just then, she got an idea. It was risky, sure, but she had no choice. Changing into her human form, she barreled past Janett and Daniel, running into an open room and slamming the door shut. Then she realized a fatal flaw in her plan. Not only was she in a hideous-looking lab of some sort, the lock to the door was on the outside…

"Hey! Hear that?" Joshua said cocking his head as if he couldn't believe he heard it.

"Gloria… C'mon, no time to waste! She sounded like she was in trouble!" Julie yelled as she ran down the corridor, Joshua and Michael following close.

"Ha! Foolish creature." Janett said as she locked the door to the room Gloria had run into. "She practically gave herself to us!"

"Yeah, no kidding." Daniel sneered. "The Boss will surely give us a big bonus for this!!!" As the duo went back down the hall, they never noticed that Daniel had dropped the keys.

"Hey! Let go of me!!!" Gloria yelled as she was grabbed from behind. Whoever/whatever grabbed her, threw her against the door. "Wha-?" she said in surprise as she recognized a Pokémon behind her: a Chikorita!

"Chikori?" said Chikorita. "ChikoRIta, chiko!"

Gloria sighed in relief. Only a Chikorita! How could she be frightened over a-?

"CHIKO!!!" Chikorita grabbed Gloria with his/her vines and tossed Gloria against the door!

"Ow, ow, OW! Stop that! OUCH!!!!!!" Gloria wailed as Chikorita continued to toss Gloria at the door.

BANG!

"Huh? What's that sound?" Julie wondered aloud.

"It came from that door!" Michael said pointing at the door to his left.

"Hey! Let me go!!! Put me down-OW!"

BANG-BANG!

"Gloria! She's in there!" Joshua said jumping back from the door.

"Chiko-chikorita!"

BANG-BANG-BANG!

"Is she trying to break it down?" Joshua wondered.

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!

"I think that Chikorita is using her as a battering ram?!?!?!" Michael yelled in surprise.

BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-crash! The door split at the side by the doorknob and Gloria flew out, slamming against the wall!

"Pika, pi!"

"Rai, rai, rai!"

"Bulbasaur!" Gloria's Pikachu ran by, followed by Bulbasaur and Raichu.

"What on-? She's out cold!" Joshua said from Gloria's side.

"CHIKORITA!!!" Chikorita jumped out the door.

"Is…that…the…Chikorita…!?!?" Julie said nervously.

"Chikori!" it whipped out its vines.

"Vee!" Eevee leapt out and Tackled Chikorita!

"Way to go, Evester!" Michael cheered.

"Vee…EEVEE!!!" Eevee used its Swift attack.

"Chik!!!" Chikorita wailed as it staggered back.

"Now's our chance!" Joshua yelled, carrying Gloria in his arms. "Let's go while Chikorita's stunned!" He took off racing down the halls, while the others followed his cue. (Yup, the Pokémon too. [Except Chikorita.])

Meanwhile at the Boss' office…

"Oh, Boss! Booooooss! Have we got some news for you!" Daniel yelled as he burst through the door.

"What is it? This had better be worth my trouble." The Boss said.

"Meow!" Said the Persian on his lap.

"It's about the Pokémon-lady. We got her!" Janett said.

"Oh, now you're joking. LEAVE HERE!!!" Boss turned his chair away from the duo, his Persian hissing in contempt.

"But, Boss!" Daniel whimpered. "It's for real this time. Come, I'll prove it!" With that, he ran out the door.

Janett shook her head. "Forgive him, Boss. He's been jumpy ever since we found her." Janett replied smoothly. Then she followed her partner out the door, Boss trailing reluctantly with his pet close behind him.

Back outside the secret door…

"How is she doing?" Michael asked.

"She may have broken a few bones, other than that she's fine." Joshua replied. He set Gloria down against the wall. "I studied to be a doctor, y'know."

"Good thing we lost that crazy Chikorita." Julie said. "But it didn't seem angry or anything…it attacked as if it was ordered to do so…"

"I wouldn't be surprised, considering how low Team Rocket has sunk in the past few years." Michael observed.

"Well, I've called the police and an ambulance. They should be here in no time…Huh?" Joshua said. He thought he saw the tip of a long, hairless tail poke out of the edge of Gloria's skirt. "Is it just me, or does Gloria have a tail!?"

Back in the passage…

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!?!" The Boss roared as he set his eyes on the wrecked door. "This better have a good explanation!!"

"What? Did she…?" Janett said curiously. Just then, Chikorita leapt out of the door.

"Uh-oh. The guard…!" Daniel squeaked. "RUN!!!"

"Chiko-chiko-chik!!!" Chikorita chirped as it ran after the trio, flailing its vines wildly.

Back outside…

"I don't believe it!" Julie said as if puzzled. "I thought she could trust us."

"Maybe," Michael said, "she didn't know whether to fully trust us or not. I would be like that too if I had been through what she has."

"Now isn't the time to discuss this!" Joshua interrupted. "We've gotta' do something to hide. We can't let them catch us!"

"He's got a point. What do we-?" Julie started.

"CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKOOOOOOOOOOOOORIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITA!!!" a familiar voice cried from down the hall.

"What the…yipe! Its that nutty Chikorita!" Michael yelled after peering down the secret passage.

"Chi-chi-chi…CHIKO!" Chikorita wailed as it ran out of the passage and behind Joshua.

"Huh? I-I think its scared…" He said cautiously.

"Chik" Chikorita squeaked softly. "Chikoritaaa…"

"Squirt squirtle squirt. Squirt-squirt." Squirtle said.

"…Squirtle says Chikorita's scared and wants us to take her with us!" Joshua replied. "But why did it…?"

"Chikorita. Chik-chik chikorita…chiko chikorita…"

Squirtle again repeated what Chikorita said. Joshua was silent for a while, and then he said. "She says Chikorita was ordered to attack any intruders. But when Chikorita's Master found her, he beat her! I guess that's why she's running away…"

Later, at the Pewter City hospital…

"Is she all right?" Michael asked as Joshua came from down the hall and into the waiting room.

"She's okay, surprisingly. I'd have expected worse, but it turns out she's going to be just fine."

"Which room is she in?"

"Number 134."

"Thanks, buddy." Michael went down the hall, his target, Room 134. He had to have a little talk with Gloria…

"You're all fools! If you had meant the truth, you should have taken better caution capturing her!!!"

"Boss!? You don't mean you'll…" Janett wailed.

"It's coming out of your paycheck! The only reason I don't fire you dolts is because when you do succeed, you do a fairly decent job. Now…GET OUT!!!" Boss yelled, turning red with rage and slamming his fists on the desk in an impressive display of anger. The duo fled, more than a bit bothered at Boss's anger.

"Gloria?" Michael called as he entered Room 134.

"M…Michael? Is that you?" Gloria called out.

"Oh! You're awake! I'm so glad you're all right…" Michael said, kneeling down by the bed. "My goodness…she's so beautiful…" He mumbled.

"Is there something you needed to talk to me about?" Gloria asked, propping herself up with one arm. "You have that look on your face…"

"Its now or never…" Michael thought. He then spoke, "Gloria…ever since you left me in Saffron City, nothing's been the same. I feel like there's a big, gaping hole in my life. I…I've missed you so much…"

Gloria blinked and smiled gently at him. She never knew he cared that much about her. "I…missed you too, Michael…" A long silence penetrated the room as the two friends met eyes.

"I…" Michael paused for a while just staring into her beautiful, auburn eyes. "I…I love you Gloria…you're the most gorgeous girl I ever met…if every tree in every forest could talk, they would not be able to tell you how much I love you…"

Her jaw dropped open. After a short hesitation she replied, "Michael, how can you love a freak like me…?"

"Nonsense! Your…oddities…only make you more beautiful…especially your tail…"

"Oh-oh. Hee, hee, hee! I guess the cat's out of the bag, huh? I've had this tail ever since the incident." Their eyes met each other yet again in the stillness.

"By the way," Michael said, abruptly breaking the quiet, " that Chikorita wants to join us…"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!! No, not that Chikorita!!!" she scuttled to the other side of the bed in terror, wide-eyed. "I'd never-"

"Please! She said she's sorry and she wants to run away from Team Rocket. I have a friend here who can hold your extra Pokémon if you want." He shrugged. "Or I can take it for you…"

Gloria thought for a moment then relaxed. "Thank you, Michael. Thank you. By the way, in my pack is a bag. In this bag are the Pokémon Team Rocket stole from Brock. If you will, please return the Pokémon to Brock for me."

"Sure thing." Said Michael as he searched the pack. Taking the sack with him, he waved at Gloria, a dreamy look on his face, as he left.