Author's Note: Rewritten this chapter 6-29-04. This is my first shot at writing the actual characters of Pokemon (my other fic had made-up characters from my own imagination). This fan-fic has two main categories, Action & Adventure/ Drama, but it also contains Romance. It has AAML (though I will add a bit of some other pairing evil snicker), but if you expect them to hook up without any big problems in the present or future, you have another thing coming on. Oh, and another thing...I purposefully made one of the characters completely OOC (no, not Ash, Misty or Brock. I changed her name to her Japanese counterpart on purpose. With time, you'll see why) so she could fit well in the story. And yet another note... (I know you guys hate me by now ;)). Hope you guys don't mind mild Togepi bashing, or do you? Enjoy, and please tell me your opinions!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or anything, an obvious statement to say the least...
Two of a Kind
Ash, Misty and Brock were walking down a desolate path on their way to Blackthorn City. They had already passed the Ice Cave in which they got lost in for the past two days. Since the cave's walls were made of ice and the ground was always covered in frost and snow, they spent those two horrible days almost freezing to death and hadn't been able to have some peaceful sleep. Now, two days later, the trio was back on the road.
They stayed quiet during their whole trip, due to their grumpy moods, which wasn't much of a surprise since they got absolutely no sleep. Ash was now half asleep, trying to keep his eyes open and occasionally leaning his head to one of his friends, but only receiving a rude awakening by an elbow in the gut or a mallet on the head. Pikachu was already asleep on top of his hat and snoring in a very cute way. Misty and Brock were also sleepy but not as much as Ash. But Misty was certainly in a worse mood than the other two because, to her, she didn't get much "beauty sleep". Togepi let out a yawn and decided to have an afternoon snooze.
Brock opened his map slowly to see if they were going in the right direction, which to his dismay, was the wrong one.
"Uh guys...I don't know how to tell you this but...welllll you see...We're lost," he replied afraid of their reactions, especially Misty's. Please no mallet. Please no mallet. Please no mallet, he thought over and over in his head.
"What?! You mean the path that you said was the right one actually took us to nowhere?" she spat in rage, obviously not in the best of moods. She grabbed the map out of Brock's hands and scanned it.
"Brock..." she said slowly. "Did you know that...you were reading the map...UPSIDE DOWN?" With that Misty decided to grab her mallet and bash it hard onto Brock's head. The breeder laid on the ground dizzy with a bump three times larger than his head.
"Look at all the Pidgeys...!"
Misty put her mallet back to its rightful place, which in other words was thin air. She let out another cry of frustration. "Now what are we gonna do?" she shrieked.
Ash, who had been asleep on a nearby tree, woke up thanks to all the commotion, and let out a sleepy yawn. He opened his eyes a bit and could make out Brock's silhouette on the ground and Misty stomping the ground with her foot and screaming, but the drowsy (and dense) part of his brain ignored this.
"Could you guys keep it down? I'm trying to sleep..." That was Ash's last sentence before he felt a tremendous force upon his head and he landed next to Brock on the ground.
"Birdies are nice," both of the guys said and they both passed out on the spot.
Pikachu chuckled a bit. He knew they'd be ok...eventually. Togepi who woke up from its slumber, happily chirped next to Pikachu, who was happy from other people's sufferings. Misty sat calmly under the tree that Ash was under and examined the map. "Hmm...from the looks of this map...we're not too far away from Blackthorn City...or we used to...Thanks to Brocko over here... she thought. "Now if we just follow this trail...or maybe that other line...or was it-wait...we're lost..." she said gloomily.
Togepi who saw his mother so sad, tried to cheer her up by begging her for food. Misty who saw the eager little egg's face took out what was left of yesterday's poke chow. Togepi eagerly ate his food, while Pikachu ate what was left of this meager lunch. Misty sat silently admiring the scenery...which just happened to be a rocky and dusty path with a bunch of trees. Ok so it wasn't very scenic, but at least it gave her some time to be alone by herself. After half an hour, she was getting a bit bored.
"Ok guys time to go!" she said. Misty put Togepi in her backpack and Pikachu got a ride on her shoulder. She picked up all her stuff (including the map) and dragged off the boys, who were still knocked out, with amazing strength. She walked down the same path they were in for another half an hour to rest.
"Gee, since when did Brock and Ash gain weight?" she said putting down the guys and relaxing her stiff arms. Togepi laughed again and went running to some random direction followed by Pikachu, who was always worried for 'PiPiPi's' protection. Misty didn't even notice this since she was too tired. Pikachu finally got a hold on Togepi, but the maniac egg got away again. The egg chase lasted for quite awhile until they noticed a boy coming their direction. They stopped in their tracks in curiosity. Misty looked up also. Hey, maybe he knows where Blackthorn City is! she thought happily.
Once the boy got nearer she could see him clearly. The boy was almost the same height as Ash, but he was a bit chubbier. He had very curly brown hair and deep black eyes; he wore a long sleeved green shirt, with a pair of overused jeans, and worn out sandals. He had a nice tan and he would've seemed quite cute if it hadn't been for the angry expression on his face. But his most interesting characteristic was a long scar on his left cheek.
"Excuse me but do you know where Blackthorn City is? We've been lost for quite a while," she said politely.
The boy glanced at her for the first time and he smiled. "I sure do miss!" he said. Misty was cheering silently in her head when the boy's expression changed. "But I'll only tell you if you can beat me in a Pokemon battle!" he said, grinning.
Misty fell over in a silly pose. Not another trainer... But Ash got up immediately, hearing the words 'battle' and 'Pokemon'.
"I'll be the one to battle you!" he replied and Pikachu jumped onto his head while the duo made their 'ready-to-battle' pose.
"You got it kid!" the boy said, taking out one of his five pokeballs. Brock, who always was the referee, got up.
'This we'll be a two on two battle. No time limit. Let the battle begin!" he stated. Misty sat on the grass patiently, waiting for Ash's first choice.
"Ok then, Pikachu go!" he shouted. Pikachu jumped off from his hat and started getting ready to battle his opponent.
"Well then I choose you, Wooper!" The boy yelled. Wooper came out in a flash and went to a nearby puddle to splash around.
"Woooopa!" he happily cried and splashed his small feet in the water, unaware of his adversary.
"Come on Ash you can beat him!" Misty encouraged. Ash got a bit red on the face but gave her a thumbs up. Misty never complimented him much.
"Pikachu use Thunder Shock!" he commanded. Pikachu let out a surge of pure white electricity towards the water. Wooper quickly jumped out of it quickly and gave Pikachu an unmistakable smug look.
"Bad move kid. Wooper use tackle!" the boy commanded. With great speed, Wooper headed toward Pikachu's direction, and tried to ram him with his head. Pikachu squealed in surprise, and .
"Ash, be careful! That Wooper is very well trained!" Brock warned from the sidelines.
"Don't worry, Brocko! We can handle it!" Ash said and grinned at Pikachu, who smiled back, but soon his attention was once again on Wooper.
"Wooper give him a Water Gun attack!" the boy ordered loudly.
Wooper shot a strong, sparkling stream of water at Pikachu. He ducked once again, but Wooper continued to shoot Water Gun attacks at him. Pikachu dodged all of Wooper's attacks with his remarkable speed, but he was getting tired very fast.
"Ok Pikachu, Scratch attack!" Ash yelled.
"Pikaaaaachu!" he cried and started scratching Wooper's face with his pointy claws. Wooper could barely evade his attacks, but he saw an opening just under Pikachu's chin and Head Butted him. Pikachu was hurt from the attack, and clutched his stomach with one of his paws, while trying to repress a squeak of pain.
"Pikachu, are you ok?" Ash said worriedly.
"Pika pikachu," he nodded, feigning to be perfectly fine.
"Great, now give him your best Thunderbolt!" Ash said, believing Pikachu.
Pikachu concentrated on using most of his electrical power in this attack. His cheeks started to glow yellow with pure energy and with a mighty cry, he let loose a powerful Thunderbolt that lit up the whole forest.
The Thunderbolt reached its target, but Wooper smiled confidently when the electricity covered his body. The boy smirked when the attack didn't affect Wooper at all.
"It appears that your Pikachu's electric attack didn't work," he replied snidely.
"Ash, you idiot! Wooper is a water and a ground type Pokemon! Ground Pokemon are not affected by electricity!" Misty shouted, clearly annoyed. Dumb Ash... she thought.
Ash got annoyed at her comment, but decided to let it pass. What does she know... But Ash's lack of concentration on the battle was just the thing Wooper needed. He started slapping Pikachu with his tail.
"Pikachu! Try biting his tail!" Ash said, furious at himself for his lack of attention.
Pikachu tried to get a hold of Wooper's tail with his mouth, but it was way too slippery and Wooper escaped from his grasp.
"Ok, now is your chance Wooper. Use Earthquake!" the boy demanded.
Pikachu didn't have time to react when the earth's surface rose up and cracked under his feet. He lost his balance, just when many sharp rocks hit him. Pikachu couldn't fight anymore and slumped on the ground, defeated.
"Pikachu can no longer battle! This round goes to...ummm...what's your name?" Brock asked, embarrassed. Everyone fell down at this, but Ash got up quickly.
"Pikachu!" Ash rushed over to his injured friend. He scooped him up into his arms. "Are you ok...buddy?" he said, his voice full of concern. Pikachu nodded. "You need a rest," he said. He placed Pikachu onto Misty's lap and she gave him a confused look in return. "Please take care of Pikachu, Misty." He gave her a small smile.
"You'll be ok Pikachu. Misty will take good care of you." He walked back to were his opponent was.
Ash really does care for his Pokemon... Misty thought admiringly, not for the first time. Fighting back a blush, she quickly turned her attention to the battle.
"I guess your little Pikachu couldn't handle my Wooper, now could he?" the boy asked Ash, a mocking smile on his lips.
"Let's see if you can handle this!" Ash growled and he chose Bayleef as his next Pokemon.
"Bayyyy!" she said happily, tackling Ash over, and nuzzling his cheek with her leaf.
"Uh...Bayleef this isn't the time to cuddle..." Ash said embarrassed, aware of the stares in their direction. Bayleef saw her opponent and stared at Wooper defiantly.
"Ok Wooper, Mud slap attack!" the boy said warily.
Wooper kicked the muddy ground at Bayleef's eyes. Bayleef reeled back, trying to avoid the mud but it was useless.
The boy smirked at Ash while he mumbled furiously under his breath. "Bayleef, concentrate hard! Use Vine whip on Wooper!"
Bayleef blindly covered Wooper's body and slammed him hard to the ground. Wooper landed on his head, and blacked out as soon as he crashed on the ground. Brock took a good look at Wooper and held his hand up.
"Wooper is unable to battle! This round goes to Ash!"
"Yeah!" Ash screamed with childish glee and started to dance with an equally happy Bayleef.
"Bay, BAAAAAYYY!" she said delightedly, and with that, she started cuddling against Ash's chest. Ash tenderly patted the leaf on her head.
"I'm happy too Bay, but you still gotta battle." Ash said awkwardly. Bayleef gave him a smile and waited for his next opponent.
The kid, who wasn't happy at all, recalled his fainted Wooper. "He won't like this..." he sneered and threw out his next Pokemon.
And out came a Typhlosion.
Ash became a bit worried when he saw it, but had total faith in Bayleef. She always came through in the end, and she would also win this time.
Bayleef was a bit afraid of fire Pokemon, but if it made Ash proud of her, she would battle.
I hope Ash wins or we'll still be stuck in this stinking road... Misty thought, and sighed gloomily. Maybe Bayleef's affection towards Ash will help her win.
"Bayleef! Use your take-down on Typhlosion!" Ash yelled. Bayleef was running at full speed towards Typhlosion with a very determined look in her eyes.
The boy just laughed at this. "Typhlosion, Flamethrower!" Typhlosion shot a massive Flamethrower attack directly at Bayleef. Bayleef managed to dodge most of it, but the left side of her body was slightly burned. Bayleef glared at Typhlosion and awaited her master's next command.
"Umm...try a Razor Leaf Attack?" he said sheepishly and before Bayleef had the time to beat the living daylights out of Ash for telling her such a stupid attack, Typhlosion came running toward Bayleef at full speed, and tackling her with the force of a speeding train. Bayleef landed very hard on the ground, but being the stubborn Pokemon she was, she refused to give up.
"Bayleef, are you ok?" Ash said preoccupied.
Bayleef tried to say 'With no thanks from you' but remembered she couldn't speak Human. Bayleef managed to stand up and glared at a very bored Typhlosion, who was scratching his ears at the moment. Hoping with all her heart that her platonic love made an intelligent choice, she waited.
"Ok Bayleef, use Vine Whip on Typhlosion!"
Thanking the Pokemon Gods that her trainer didn't yell out another stupid command (though it wasn't the best of her attacks), she started running towards Typhlosion and taking out her vines from each side of her body. Typhlosion was also prepared for this, and before the Vine Whip could hit any part of his body, he got a strong hold of Bayleef's Vine Whip and pulled with all his strength, bringing her towards him. Bayleef, surprised at this for a second, pulled back just as strongly. The fierce Tug-O-War game was making a great strain in Bayleef's vines and she started to grunt in pain.
The boy noticed Bayleef's increasing weakness, and started to smile nastily.
"Typhlosion! Use Slash, Now!!"
Typhlosion let go of one of Bayleef's Vines and with his outstretched claws he slashed with all his might on the other vine of Bayleef.
Bayleef, shrieked in pain, and tried to nurse her injuries. But since she was in the middle of a battle Typhlosion tackled her once more and Bayleef landed to the floor with a loud thud.
"Bayleef! Can you stand up?" Ash said anxiously and started checking her head to see if she was unconscious.
Brock also came running to see her. He took one good look at her and shook his head sadly towards Ash.
"Typhlosion is the win-"
He was interrupted by Bayleef's whimpers. She opened her eyes slowly, and when they focused on Typhlosion, they narrowed in anger. Struggling to get back up, and ignoring Ash's pleas, Bayleef glared at all of them, as if asking anyone to defy her. She managed to stand, but she was a bit wobbly at the knees.
"Are you sure you can fight, Bay?" Ash asked with worry.
Bayleef nodded firmly. She was going to defeat Typhlosion even if it killed her.
"Well, well, well...I'm impressed! That Bayleef of yours is made of tougher stuff that I thought!" The boy said with evident amazement in his voice.
"Of course she is! I trained my Bayleef very hard!" Ash said with pride.
It appeared to Misty that Bayleef had hearts fluttering in front of her eyes, but quickly returned to their normal red color.
Bayleef was formulating a revenge plan to get back at Typhlosion. Oh, it was going to work perfectly all right. Ash's voice was getting faraway and distant, fading with the forest. The only thing on her mind was Typhlosion and how he was preparing to launch her a Flamethrower attack. She moved out of the way easily. She feinted a Vine Whip Attack to the right. He dodged to the left.
Perfect.
That's when her vines quickly turned left and slapped him to the floor. Typhlosion was caught off-balance and landed brusquely on the ground.
He was trying to get up but Bayleef was ready. She used another Vine Whip again and wrapped them around Typhlosion's ankles. She faintly registered that flames were burning her body and almost covering her completely. She ignored the fire like it was some sort of pesky bug. Pain was not important now.
With impressive strength, she lifted Typhlosion's humongous body off the ground and tossed him carelessly a few feet away. He landed roughly on the ground, flattening some shrubbery with his heavy weight. Typhlosion was obviously unconscious and just when Brock was rushing over to proclaim Ash's victory, Bayleef started to absorb light. Her leaf started to glow a brilliant yellow. She could feel others demanding her to stop and bringing out other Pokemon to restrain her. She didn't give them the slightest attention, and focused at the task at hand. The Solar Beam was ready, and with a blinding flash of power, that was so intense that everybody had to cover their eyes, the Solar Beam reached its target.
The explosion was immense and everybody stumbled and tried to find a place to hide. The ground shook violently, Ash lost his balance and ducked behind a rock. Togepi was crying shrilly, only worried about his own protection. Pikachu ran over to protect him with his own body. For one wild moment (if not longer) everyone thought they were going to die. But the light dimmed and they were able to open their eyes again. But they were soon met by gray, as smoke was covering their vision.
"Bayleef/Typhlosion!" The two trainers said at the same time and ran towards them, almost falling into a hole. And it sure was a hole. It was a gigantic crater that was about thirty feet long in diameter, and twenty feet deep. Several trees were completely burnt. Some Caterpies and Weedles that were unlucky to be near the area were completely frightened, while others had been injured gravely. But to Ash's relief and complete joy, Bayleef was still standing, panting, with sweat trickling down her spine. Typhlosion was at her feet, while she stepped on him with one hoof as some kind of prize.
She gave him a winning smile and with a small, "Bay..." she fainted on top of Typhlosion's body.
"Ash! Is Bayleef all right?" said Misty, worry written all over her face. Brock came running soon after, and gasped at how badly burnt her body was. Her usual yellow skin was now a dark brown color and the leaves around her neck resembled black torn bits of paper. Her breathing was ragged and uneven.
"Will Bayleef be ok, Brock?" said Ash anxiously, patting Bayleef's burnt skin softly, in fear of making the injuries worse.
Brock didn't respond and took two potions out of his dusty backpack. "Luckily we bought all the necessary potions and medicines at Mahogany Town. This Hyper Potion will do the trick," he said with a reassuring smile.
Ash immediately felt relieved but as soon as Brock started spraying the potion on her body, Bayleef began whimpering in pain. Misty tried to soothe her with calm words. Brock took out some strange berries and squashed them into mush. He applied the gooey substance on her leaves, and they immediately began to take their healthy green color again. Slowly, Bayleef's body looked healthy again.
"She needs some rest until we can get her to a Pokemon Center," he said, but a blush and a goofy grin were appearing on his face. "Nurse Joy..."
"Not this again..." Misty said with an exasperated sigh.
Meanwhile, the strange kid called back Typhlosion to his PokeBall. He mumbled something under his breath and shook his head. He headed towards Ash.
"Nobody has ever beaten me in a Pokemon battle. Nobody," he stated firmly. He had an angry expression on his face, and for one moment Misty thought that Ash was in for a beating, but the kid broke into a big grin. "And for that, I'll tell you where Blackthorn City is."
Misty could've kissed the boy in gratitude, but restrained herself at seeing his dry, raspy lips. Also I'd prefer to kiss another certain trainer... she thought and stared pointedly at Ash, who was currently dancing some sort of chicken dance with Pikachu.
"We won! We won!" he said with glee and whispered words of thanks to Bayleef, even if she was unconscious.
The kid and Brock were discussing about directions, map in hand.
"See here? You have to make a right turn on a Dugtrio-shaped mountain until you reach some strange trees. You'll know when you see 'em. Keep going straight on that road and make a left swerve." His finger trailed along a brown squiggly line on the map.
"It's a bit of a rocky walk, oh and whatever you do, don't make a right turn, it's a bit of a short cut to Blackthorn, but mutated Pokemon were reported in that area. The land isn't safe anymore because of the chemicals that come from this abandoned laboratory. There are rumors about that lab...about strange illegal experiments...some folks say that they used humans as lab rats and did horrible things to them..." he said with a shudder. "Nobody knows the real reason as to why it was shut down. Or abandoned. People are scared to go there and they're scared that they'd find all of the answers..."
Misty, who came to check on Brock and heard most of their conversation, became very quiet. Misty felt as if she was drenched in cold water. It was really inhumane to experiment on innocent people. But there was something else that was bothering her but couldn't quite put a finger to it.
The kid's entire mysterious demeanor changed instantly. He was back to telling Brock some other minor directions and helpful advice.
Misty was only half-listening. Those poor people... She didn't know why it affected her so much. 'But...what exactly did they do to them?' In a way she didn't want to know, but a little part of her would feel a bit at rest if she knew, no matter how horrible it was. Could I possibly go take a quick look? No! She scolded herself. It was crazy, if the lab was dangerous and harmful, who on Earth would want to go there? It was an insane prospect. But as soon as I get to Blackthorn, I'll find someone who'll know what things wen-
"Hey, Mishty! Wach de madder?" Ash said with a full mouth, standing right behind her, while taking another big bite out of his apple. His cheeks were so round it resembled those of a Sentret.
Misty just shook her head at this and rolled her eyes at Ash who was currently in a contest with Pikachu as to who could eat more apples. Ash was winning, but Pikachu, being the great apple lover that he was, was closely behind. Soon they couldn't eat even one more bite, but Pikachu was grinning madly, his red pouches almost the size of his head. Pikachu gulped quickly all of his apples and patted his belly in satisfaction. Ash had a harder time to swallow, but when it was halfway through his throat, Ash jumped up and down, indicating that he was choking. Misty took out her extra water bottle and hastily handed it to Ash. He grabbed it and in one swallow gulped all of its contents.
"Thanks I needed that," Ash said, taking a big breath. Misty just gave him a smile, too distracted by her thoughts to speak. There was a long silence, but not exactly tense, since Ash soon took his attention off her. She sat on a nearby rock and started playing with Togepi, her mind elsewhere. Ash, meanwhile, was combing Pikachu's yellow fur, taking extra care to untangle the knots.
"Hey guys, let's get a move on! We don't want to camp out yet another night, do we?" Brock shouted, though he was referring the last sentence to Misty. She broke out of her silence reverie quickly, not wanting to spend another night with creepy bugs and sore backs.
They were set to go, Brock taking extra care to check their inventory. The kid walked off the opposite direction.
"Where are you heading to?" Ash exclaimed, but the boy didn't even give him a backward glance. Being the friendly guy that he was, Ash said goodbye to him. The kid lifted his hand, and waved it a bit as though he could see Ash, but never turned back once.
The trio walked in silence for a while, on a lookout for a Dugtrio-shaped mountain. Brock was engrossed in the map, not even watching if there was a Dugtrio mountain nearby. Ash yawned a bit, still a bit tired of his lack of sleep, while Pikachu snoozed on top of his cap. Misty was the one who was keeping a sharp lookout, unaware of her two companions' lack of help. Togepi was back inside his shell making loud snoring sounds - cute to gullible people. They passed a few trees, until she saw three perfect oval shaped mountains that resembled Dugtrios.
"Guys, look! There's the Dugtrio mountains!"
Ash gave the mountains a fleeting glance before stretching and yawning widely. Brock had a proud smile on his face, but didn't direct his gaze at Misty, causing her to glare at him. "Ok, now let's make a right turn!"
Everyone turned right, and went back to what they were doing. Now Misty was searching for some strange trees, but she just saw the same trees, they had different details but nothing that'd stood out of the crowd. Half an hour passed and still she didn't see and out-of-the-ordinary trees. Ash was completely asleep and drooling on Misty's shoulder, but she was too frustrated at not finding the trees that she didn't notice him. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she spotted it. It was three trees in a bizarre arch to each other, forming something like a door frame. There was a tree in the middle of those two, that was entangled in the middle of the two trees.
"I found the trees!" Misty turned to the other two, and to her surprise, and embarrassment, Ash lay snuggled in her arm. She turned crimson, but Ash's drool completely ruined the cute scene.
"Ash! You're drooling all over me!" she screamed and shoved Ash away, her cheeks a bit flushed.
Ash awoke instantly, glared at Misty and was about to retort when Brock stopped him. "You two can fight when we get to Blackthorn. I'm out of aspirins." Ash and Misty looked ready to kill, but Brock finally noticed the trees. "Ha! I knew it! See, there's another road here." Misty was about to get out her trusty mallet, but decided that he'd get a nasty bashing later. Too tired anyway she thought sleepily and she yawned.
They kept walking straight on this road. There wasn't any magnificent scenery or anything. Ash was still ticked off with Misty and tried to stay awake.
Togepi awoke, and rubbed his eyes with his fingerless paws. Something moved past in the bushes, which caught Togepi's attention. It was some kind of fur ball, covered completely in lavender hair and it had two enormous blue eyes. The creature squeaked, and ran away when Togepi saw it.
Togepi giggled madly and tore out of Misty's arms. He followed the strange creature, still giggling like a lunatic.
"Togepi!" Misty yelled, and ran after Togepi. The two others tried to keep up with a frantic Misty. Togepi hid behind some bushes out of site. She noticed that the darling egg was moving further out of their way. Turning right at the road. Brock was a bit preoccupied, not that Togepi had gone, but at the simple fact of turning right.
"Misty! We're-we're turning right!" panted Brock, but Misty paid him no heed. Ash also forgot about the strange kid's warning, running a bit faster.
They were now in a deep part of the forest, the trees were so close to each other that they scraped the trio's arms and backs.
"Togepiiiiiii! Where are you?" Misty kept on calling. After running, for who-knows-how-much time the trees weren't so close together. Bright sunlight suddenly filtered even more through the dense leaves. They suddenly arrived at a large clearing where Togepi was, who was still following the lavender creature.
There in the middle of the clearing, stood a white structure. Its white paint was peeling off and leaving a light brown color beneath the walls. A rusty wired fence surrounded the entire building. The grass was a sickening yellow, sticking out of the surface rather oddly, and dead mutant Rattatas laid scattered, their features too grotesque for words. There was a putrid smell in the air, stinging their eyes, their nose and mouth. They quickly covered their faces with handkerchiefs. Large barrels were overturned, which still contained some sort of pink disgusting liquid, while the earth absorbed it slowly. A large 'Private Property. Do not Enter' hung on the fence crookedly, since it was old with age.
Ash was the first to react, taking over Misty's motherly role, as Togepi went under an opening in the fence. Misty snapped out of her stunned trance and went after them. Being the skinniest out of the three, she went under the fence with almost no problem. Ash had a bit of a problem, but after much struggle, he came to the other side. Brock was too large to fit in the small hole so he climbed over the fence, and was covered in scratches when he landed.
The lavender fur ball screeched loudly and entered the building when it saw a mad Togepi who was laughing loudly and waving his glowing blue paws, but stopped when his target wasn't in sight. With a huff, Togepi entered inside. Ash came next, almost slipping on some puce liquid with black dots. Misty jumped over the strange puddle, and scrambled inside. Brock soon after.
It was dark inside, eerie green shadows were flickering on the walls, daring them to enter further. The floor was made of marble and so were the stairs. Broken glass littered on the floor and the putrid smell still lingered in the air but with less intensity. They took a cautious step forward, wondering if something would attack them. Misty didn't like this place one bit; she felt as if the place itself would never let them leave. She, somehow, could still hear and feel the pain of the victims of those who used to be here, screams once echoing off these walls. She was scared, but she put on a brave face for her friends. And to top it all off, Togepi wasn't anywhere in sight.
"Let's split up. We can find Togepi faster this way," Ash said slowly. It'd be better if we just left Togepi here, a mad egg could get used to a place like this... but didn't state his thought out loud in fear of broken limbs.
Misty nodded, even if she hated the idea. They all gave quick glances at each other and split up. Ash went upstairs. Brock turned to a landing to the left, and Misty went straight ahead. The hallway contained many, many doors, but she didn't know where to start. Misty was trembling lightly now, turning around quickly at the smallest sound. She went to the furthest door, deciding to start from there.
It was a door made of pure steel. A keypad was beside it for extra security. Misty noticed the door was a bit ajar so she opened it further.
The room was filled with scientific machinery, most of them covered in many layers of dust. Something that caught her attention was a strange machine that loomed high in the ceiling, metal sticking in different unorganized directions, at the tip of each metal arm stuck different orbs.
Large jars stored embryos of newborn Pokemon in a bright yellow liquid, all staring at Misty with unmoving and lifeless eyes. Bottles with different liquids were neatly ordered in a stack. Glass and liquids also resided on the floor and Misty took extra precaution on walking. There was a large oak table with needles, small bottles of chemicals she never seen, syringes and to her horror - knives...in many different sizes, most of them a bit rusty, their edges a dark red color.
Misty was shuddering violently by now, taking backward steps, away from the knives. Anything to get away from them. She felt mentally and physically sick. Misty took deep, calming breaths to calm her racing heart.
She stopped going backwards when she felt smooth glass against her back and hands. She turned around quickly and gasped at what she saw. It was an oval machine. The back of it was pure metal with a very sophisticated looking control panel, while the front was covered in a very resistant glass. A light green liquid was inside this machinery, and many gray cables were inside, connected to the upper part of the machinery, while the lower parts of the cables were floating around serenely. Two deadly looking devices, that resembled shock devices, were on each side of the haunting sort of suspension center. Torture devices I bet... Misty thought, feeling even sicker than before. And that's when it hit her. This is where the humans were kept. Like some sort of freak show aquarium for everyone to see.
Now Misty felt like puking, but resisted the urge. There was another machine similar to the one she saw but unlike that one, this one was shattered at the top. Torture devices laid ruined on the floor, along with twisted metal. Millions of glass pieces were scattered all over the slimy floor. The lower part still had green liquid and also some cables, but to her complete amazement about a dozen of journals were also inside. She didn't know what made her do it, but she dipped her hand to the bottom, and was relieved that the liquid wasn't harmful. Misty picked one of the journals, which was drenched completely and she carefully opened its pages. Black smudges of ink covered the journal's pages, completely unreadable. Misty took out an old cloth from her backpack and wrapped it around the wet journal. She shoved the journal back inside and headed for the door, confused by her own actions.
She was just about to close the door and head out when she saw something that made her blood run cold, and her eyes grew huge in horror. There, in a hidden corner away from everything, laid a rotting corpse. It had a white laboratory coat, covered in blood that was still fresh and no trace of the object that did this crime to him. His sunken green eyes stared at Misty unblinkingly, and his mouth was wide open in surprise. His blond hair hung limply against his head, covering half his face.
Misty let out a blood-curling scream that made all the windows rattle.
()()()
"TOGEPI! Where are you?" Ash shouted loudly, hoping that Togepi would come out from wherever he was. Pikachu was using Flash to light the dark room they were in - he had opened the thick door hoping Togepi was inside, but then remembered later that Togepi wasn't tall enough to reach the handle. He was about to open the door again and continue his search elsewhere, but some pictures in the wall caught his attention.
They were lined in perfect lines. Twenty pictures in each row, a hundred in total and one picture standing alone and on top of the rest of them. The picture frame was much bigger than the other ones. As Ash inched closer he could make out that each photo contained one employee; including his name and status. With each passing name that he read -Lagalant, Mane, William, Forest, Toob, Chang...- he became even more uneasy and apprehensive. What happened to all of them? Did they just quit or did something horrible happen to them? But Ash remembered what he heard from the kid he battled earlier, and anger replaced his anxiety. Whatever happened to the employees - they deserved it.
A long piercing scream, made his heart stop and with a sense of dread he recognized the scream as-
"MISTY!" he screamed. Ash was out the door running as fast as he could, almost crashing into Pikachu, jumping the stairs three at a time, and hoping that Misty was fine.
()()()
Brock was running down the hallway calling Togepi. He was out of luck, and this place was making him a bit jittery. He was about to open another door when something made him stop completely in his track. A high-pitched scream was vibrating everywhere, it's source not far off.
Misty! He panicked and was just about to head towards her when he almost tripped on a small object. There at his feet, a completely happy, Togepi was standing in all his gleeful glory. It seemed his mother's scream just made him even happier.
Brock inspected Togepi a bit, and carried him in his arms, running at full speed, past the door.
()()()
Both boys reached Misty as fast as they could. They were out of breath, and were panting slightly. Misty was in front of them, ghostly pale with her eyes wide open, staring at some far unknown place. She didn't notice that Brock and Ash were in front of her.
"Misty are you ok? Are you hurt? What attacked you? What did you see? Why did you scream?"
they said, barraging her with even more questions. She still didn't fully notice their presence.
"C-c-orpse," she said in a strangled sort of voice that didn't sound like her at all. Both boys' faces drained of the little color that was left in them. Misty was shaking violently now and forming her hands into fists. Ash placed a hand on top of her fist in an attempt to calm her; her trembling barely subsided but she was still pale.
"Look who's here Misty, Togepi! He's all right!" Brock tried to make his voice sound cheerful.
Misty twisted her mouth into a strange forced smile. She picked him up at an arms' length and didn't seem to be excited to see him at all. On the contrary, she looked ready to chuck the egg out of the nearest window. Togepi was full of energy, he was kicking his small legs in the air and struggling to escape again.
"Let's go," she managed to say. They nodded somberly and left the place quietly.
A hairy lavender creature laughed cruelly, when it made sure they were out of sight, and jumped up and down on the bloody corpse. He opened his mouth, which revealed small razor sharp teeth that lined his gums. He went under the man's laboratory coat and vest, where a large bloody gaping hole in his stomach . It took another big bite out of the corpse's body, making disgusting squishing sounds as he munched on his supper of organs and flesh, messily covering his face in blood. Finally satisfied, he licked his blood stained teeth clean, before heading back upstairs to finish some unknown business.
()()()
They reached Blackthorn City by nightfall. Blackthorn City was more of a small cozy village than a city, judging by the smoke that was drifting lazily from the cottages' chimneys. They didn't talk much after they left the laboratory. Misty was back again to her normal self, but her two companions knew her too well. They both knew Misty was still in shock at what she saw and it'd take her some time to be back to normal.
The Pokemon Center was something like a relief to all of them. It was much smaller than other Pokemon Centers, but the trio was never happier to enter one. Once they entered past the doors, they were met by the usual bustling scene of Chanseys helping injured Pokemon, and a pleasant Nurse Joy who booked rooms to younger and older trainers alike typing them to her computer. It was quieter now, it must've been almost to closing time.
"Hello, how may I help you?" said Nurse Joy politely, but judging by the bags under her eyes, she was beyond tired.
"Oh Nurse Joy! Your dazzling beauty brightened my da-" Brock was hauled away by an annoyed Misty.
"Save it for another day Romeo, like maybe never?" Misty growled and dropped Brock to the floor.
Nurse Joy sweatdropped before shaking her head a bit and giving them a small smile. "Will you stay for the night then?" Misty nodded.
Ash was asleep on a nearby chair, his head propped up by his hand, but a loud ringing sound awakened Ash's dreamy stupor.
"Ring-Ring. Ring-Ring. Phone Call! Phone Call!" repeated the video phone in a very annoying robotic voice. Nurse Joy picked it up, and nodded to the screen. "Are any of you Ash Ketchum?" she questioned.
"That's me." Puzzled at who would call him, he picked up the receiver. His mother's face appeared on the screen, still as young as ever with a big smile on her face.
"Honey, I'm so glad to see you! Guess who's here at home..." she finished in a tone to invite Ash for a guessing game. He didn't have a single clue as to who could be mom's surprise guests.
"Er...dunno mom..." he shrugged, but his eyes were holding great curiosity.
"Grandma and Grandpa are at home! They can't wait to see you again!" she said, her whole face glowing with happiness.
Ash didn't expect this answer at all. He hadn't seen his grandparents since he was eight, and guiltily forgot about them since then. He eagerly wanted to see them also but... what about the gym badge? He needed only one to compete in the Johto League. Also, how was he going to get to Pallet? Walking would take many months and going by train would also consist of lots of walking, to get to Goldenrod City.
"Mom, but how am I going to get to Pallet Town?" he asked.
"Oh don't worry dear! I got it all worked out. You'll take the 12:30 flight to Pallet." Ash was surprised. He didn't know there was an airport in such a small town. "Here's your ticket!" A small piece of paper appeared in a tiny slot below the screen. Ash frowned. "Mom there's only one ticket here."
Delia put her hands to her cheeks. "Oh I'm so sorry honey! I forgot to buy your friends tickets. But don't worry! You'll only stay here for only one day. I know how much Pokemon Training means to you." she said soothingly. Ash checked his watch. To his alarm, it was twelve o' clock.
"Bye Mom! Gotta run!" he said hurriedly and cut the connection. He was going to tell Misty and Brock about the change of plans, but they were right behind him with understanding eyes.
"Don't worry Ash! We'll stay at the Pokemon Center 'till you get back." Brock said and patted his back.
"Yeah Ash! You just have a great time!" Misty continued.
Ash looked at his two friend in silent thanks, But Ash broke eye contact immediately. He scooped Pikachu roughly, almost shocking Ash in the process.
"Bye guys! See you soon!" Ash said, and he was gone in a flash.
Misty sighed. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.
She was preparing to go to their rooms when Brock stopped her. "What is it Brock?" Misty said in an irritated voice. No one was going to stop her from a good night's sleep.
"Well Misty...I need to go to the market to buy tomorrow's breakfast...I kinda forgot to buy more food at Mahogany Town..." Brock said cringing.
"Well go and get it then! You don't need me as a flashlight do you?" she snapped at him. Soft bed. Comfy bed, Wonderful bed, I'm coming... she thought in a semi-dreamy stupor.
"Eh...you see...I don't know what kind of milk Togepi drinks..." Brock said, cringing even more.
Misty looked as if she was ready to shoot fire at Brock. She took out her mallet, and Brock covered his head with his arms. "Fine! But if we don't get here by closing time you're going to get it good!" she proceeded to wave her mallet menacingly. Brock nodded and they were out once again in the cold outdoors.
Misty was in a bad mood but she hopefully wished the market wasn't too far away. The sooner in bed the better.
()()()
Haruka walked around aimlessly through town. This town brought her the worst memories of her life, but there was still a slim chance that they might be here, and she wasn't one of those people who waste opportunities. She searched throughout Kanto, but with no trace of them. Haruka made sure that she searched in every spot of Hoenn, also. Now she was continuing her quest in Johto, and if they weren't here...well...she'll solve that problem if they weren't here.
Torchic was getting sleepy, his little orange head was drooping next to her shoe. We better reach the Pokemon Center soon. Hope it's not too far off... she thought gloomily.
She sat on the cool grass and hugged herself in an attempt to warm herself. Her red suit wasn't exactly suited for cold weather, and to add to her troubles - she was very hungry. Haruka hadn't eaten anything since yesterday's breakfast, and she gave the only thing she considered food (a dried turnip) to her equally starving Torchic.
But what Haruka saw made her forget her drowsiness and hunger. There, in front of her very own eyes... it was her.
Kasumi.
She was in a mini yellow shirt, with red suspenders, wearing red sneakers without socks, with a very short, short. Her strange hairstyle was a ponytail at the right side of her face, sticking out in a very strange angle. Probably trying to impress that guy with her sluttish outfit, she thought and smirked seeing the no-eyed weirdo. I pity him. But she was ecstatic now. So many years trying to find her. So much calculative planning that she made. It was all going to pay off.
With a twisted sort of grin, she walked towards them.
()()()
Luckily, the market wasn't too far away and they finally got all the breakfast ingredients. Misty sighed disappointingly, she wasn't going to bash Brock on the head after all.
They were almost to the Pokemon Center when a girl came from a path to their left. She had brown hair, with a bandanna around her head, giving her a female pirate look. She had piercing aquamarine eyes, and pale skin. She wore white gloves and a red, skin-tight shirt, and a brown pouch hung around her hips. She had skin-tight blue shorts and an unusual pair of red shoes.
Brock went immediately to girl-mode. He clutched the girl's gloved hands and stared at her, blushing furiously, a pink bubble background behind them.
"May I ask the name of the girl who stole my heart?" he said in a low voice and handed her a rose from out of nowhere. The girl was startled for a bit, but carefully took the flower and gave Brock an alluring smile.
"The name you seek is Haruka. What's yours handsome?" she said lovingly.
Misty was beyond shocked. Another girl hitting on Brock? But Haruka was a bit different than Temaku, she was a bit untrue. Temaku's feelings for Brock were real, for the short time that was though; but Haruka gave Misty the impression of falsity.
"Er...Hi, I'm Misty," she introduced herself hesitantly. Haruka ignored Brock completely for the moment and focused her entire attention on Misty.
"Oh! Hi Misty! I've heard so much about you! Are you the fourth member of the sensational sisters? Right? I wanted to meet you for such a long time!" she grinned at Misty, but her smile just made Misty even more awkward and nervous around her. There was something completely wrong with Haruka, and she didn't know what.
"Well I know I just met you guys and all...but I was wondering...Could I join your group for a while? I'm also heading to the Johto League...and I just thought..." she trailed off. She seemed to be pretty normal in this statement.
Maybe my lack of sleep is making me think strange things, Misty thought, but she still didn't want her to join - after all, they didn't know anything about this girl, and she didn't seem too trustworthy. She was about to say this, but Brock interrupted her.
"Of course! You're welcome to stay with us as long as you like!" he said this in one breath and the bizarre bubbly background was behind him again.
"Thank you so much! I appreciate your kindness, sweetie!" Haruka kissed his cheek lightly causing Brock to flutter around with a love-struck smile on his face.
Haruka and Brock were flirting around, but Misty swore that she saw a glint of malice in Haruka's eyes that were directed to her, whenever she thought Misty wasn't watching. But when she did, she waved a little and went back to flirting with Brock. This just made Misty more uneasy.
They entered the Pokemon Center two minutes before closing time. Brock and Misty took out their room's key and opened their dormitory.
"Well...goodni-" but was interrupted again by Brock.
"Where are your manners Misty? Our charming guest also has the same privileges we do!" He took out a key with an engraved '34' on its brass surface. He unlocked the door, bowing low to Haruka as she entered the room.
"Oh you're so kind!" Haruka plopped her bag on the bottom bunk, not noticing that Misty already put her bag down one second before her. Misty scowled, and climbed up to the top bunk; she took out her shoes and tried to make them land on Haruka's head. Not one landed near her, much to her disappointment.
Haruka immediately went to the bathroom and changed. Gurgling and brushing noises were heard from inside and Misty wished she would stop. Even though I brush my teeth everyday...but she annoys me! Misty thought angrily. Haruka came out in a light blue nightdress which had a low cut on the front, and only came down to her hips, which made Brock drool, at how much leg he saw. Misty turned her head away - repulsed.
Haruka smiled at Brock as she entered her bed's warm covers, before covering her head completely.
"Good night Brock!" said Misty, purposely leaving Haruka out.
" 'Night Misty! Haruka..." Misty could almost feel Brock smiling at Haruka's name when he mentioned her.
"Good Night, Misty..." Haruka said in a fake sweet voice. When the lights were turned off and everyone went to sleep, Haruka stayed awake, smiling broadly beneath the covers. Enjoy your last night while you can...
()()()()()()()()()()()
Hope it's not too crappy for your tastes. ;) Please Review.