Chapter 8
A Sacrifice
It's going to get a little more serious in this chapter, but it's about time for that, I think. I feel like the comedy is getting a little old, so even though I know most of you enjoy it, I'm going to take a break from it for a chapter or two.
The hot sun beat down on the four weary travelers. It was only eleven in the morning, yet already the temperature was in the high-eighties. They weren't walking so much as they were trudging, and the grassy plains offered few trees that could provide shade.
"It must be over a hundred degrees out here! How long have we been walking?" Ash complained.
"Well, we walking at nine, so I guess about two hours." Replied Brock tiredly.
"Only two hours! It seems like we've been going all day!"
Misty rolled her eyes at her friend. "Ash, would you stop whining? It's not helping anything and I'm sick of hearing it!"
Ash started to say something back, but Brock, always the mediator, cut him off.
"Not now guys." He said. "It's way too hot for that."
"Pika . . ." Pikachu agreed, its ears drooping from exhaustion.
Neither Ash nor Misty had the energy to retaliate, so they walked on in silence.
They were all ready to take a break, but they kept going because Viridian Forest was not far away, and then there would be plenty of shade and they could rest comfortably. But Ash was getting more and more impatient. The forest was right ahead of them, but the dirt path that they were following was curvy and long.
"Hey guys, why are we walking on this stupid path?" He said. "It would be a lot quicker to just cut through the grass."
"Yeah, but there are wild Pokemon in the grass." Stated Misty.
"So? Nothing I can't handle."
"That's nothing to brag about, Ash. Any of us could beat the Pokemon around here, but it's a pain."
"Well, so is this heat! And the sooner we get to Viridian Forest, the sooner we can find some shade. Come on!"
Misty wanted to protest, but Ash had already started into the grass, so all she could do was to follow.
The tall grass brushed her skin and made her legs itch, compounding her misery from the heat. Misty looked over at May, and it was apparent from her sour expression that she was having the same problem.
"Ash, can't we please turn back?" Misty pleaded. "This grass is so itchy!"
"Yeah, I can't stand it!" May agreed.
"It's not bothering me." Said Ash smugly.
"Of course not, you're wearing jeans. May and I are miserable!"
"Stop whining!"
"Ash Ketchum, don't make me– OW!"
Misty stopped short when she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. She looked to see what the cause of the pain was, but there was nothing but a rustle in the grass as something unseen crawled away.
"What's wrong, Misty?" Ash asked worriedly.
"Something bit me," she replied, "but I'm sure it was nothing."
"Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine. It's nothing."
But she was glad that Ash had been worried about her.
Misty then lifted her leg and grabbed her ankle in her hand so she could inspect the wound. Two small teeth marks, painful, but not serious. She wiped away a trace of blood, and the group resumed walking toward the forest.
But soon Misty began to feel funny. The first thing she noticed was that it was getting hot. Well, hotter than it had been before. She ignored it though, assuming it was just the weather.
It was harder to ignore the dizziness that she felt a moment later. Suddenly, the ground seemed to be moving, and Misty was finding it hard to keep her balance. She was starting to get short winded too, and then her heart began racing. Misty began to realize that something was wrong.
"Ash . . ." she said weakly, ". . . can we stop and rest?"
"What's the matter, tired already?" Ash smirked, but he turned to face Misty when she didn't come back with a smart comment.
He hadn't realized that she'd fallen so far behind. And she really did look tired. Her face was pale, her eyes were dull, and she was gasping for air. She looked as if she'd just run a marathon.
"Misty? You ok?"
Misty could hear Ash, but she couldn't get the meaning of his words. It was getting hard to see through the dark spots that had appeared before her eyes, and she could barely feel her body as she began to fall. She heard Ash call her name, and the last thing she remembered was the feeling of relief at falling into his arms instead of onto the hard ground.
Hearing Ash's cry, the others spun around to see him kneeling on the ground, cradling Misty's motionless form in his arms.
"What's wrong!" May shrieked. "Is she ok!"
"I don't know! She just collapsed! And she's burning up!"
"Everyone just calm down!" Said Brock, ever the voice of reason. "The first thing we need to do is get her out of the sun."
So Ash lifted Misty and he and the others looked for anything that could provide a little shade. The first thing they came to was a large oak tree, standing alone standing alone above the grass, and the group quickly made their way toward it.
Ash sat and laid Misty down, her head lying on his lap.
Then something suddenly occurred to Max.
"Hey, didn't she say she got bitten by something earlier?"
Ash didn't see the connection. "So?" He said.
"So she could have been poisoned or something! Where did she get bitten?"
"On her ankle I think."
Max crouched next to Misty and inspected the two teeth marks on her ankle. Then he pulled a book out of his backpack and began searching for an identical mark.
"Here it is!" He exclaimed. "I knew it! Misty must have been bitten by an Ekans! Let's see, 'Symptoms include: fever, rapid pulse, dizziness, and nausea."
"Well, what does it say we should do!" Yelled Ash frantically.
"Hm . . . it says that it can be treated with an antidote or any poison curing berries. Do we have any of that stuff?"
Everyone turned and looked at Brock for an answer as he was the unspoken manager of the group's medicine bag.
"I don't think we do, but I'll check just to make sure."
He proceeded to dump out all the contents of his backpack, desperately trying to find what he needed. But there was no antidote to be found.
And then Max looked very concerned. He looked back at his open book and read aloud "Treatment is imperative within the first fifteen minutes after the bite or . . ."
"Or?" Ash asked bluntly.
Max only starred at Ash, but his terrible message got across clear enough. Ash felt like he had just been hit by one of Pikachu's thunderbolts.
"No . . . we can't let that happen! There's got to be something we can do!"
"Wait," May broke in, "I think I have some Pecha berries left over from the last time I made Pokeblocks. Let me check!"
She went to unzip her fanny pack and withdraw three or four of the pink berries.
"This is all I have left, is it enough?"
Max shook his head solemnly. "No, but it'll buy us some time."
Ash took the berries from Misty and then shook Misty's shoulder ever so gently. To his relief, she stirred and opened her eyes a little.
"What . . . happened?" She asked.
Ash, though he himself was scared, did not want to worry Misty, so he replied "You passed out. Must have been the heat. How do you feel?"
"A little better, I guess."
"At least she's not suffering any." Ash thought.
And her symptoms did seem better. She was breathing normally again, and she wasn't so hot anymore. Ash guessed that the shade and rest had helped.
"Here Mist, eat these." He said, handing her the Pecha berries. "It should make you feel better."
Misty accepted and ate them, even though the sugary sweetness made her feel like puking. She closed her eyes tight, trying to ward off the sickness, but was soon fast asleep.
Ash gazed worriedly into her pale face.
"Now what do we do?"
"We really need to get her to a hospital or a Pokemon Center." Brock said.
"But we're in the middle of nowhere! The nearest Pokemon Center is in Pewter City, and that's at least two hours away! We don't have time!"
"Stay calm, Ash." Said Brock sternly. "You're not helping Misty by panicking. May and I will go back to the road and look for help. Maybe someone will have a phone in their Pokenav that we could use to call for help."
"What about me?" Max jumped in, wanting to help too.
"You stay here with Ash and take care of Misty. You have better medical knowledge than any of us, so you should be here in case anything happens."
Ash shivered, not wanting to think of the anything that could happen, and then Brock and May left.
" . . . Ash?"
Ash left his thoughts and looked down at Misty, who had awoken again.
"Yeah?" He spoke gently.
"I'm really thirsty, can I have some water?"
"Sure."
He took out his canteen and held her up, and placed it near her lips. She drank the water gratefully, and then Ash laid her back down.
"Don't worry," he said, "Brock and May went to find help."
Misty could tell he was worried, but she knew that he was trying not to worry her, so she nodded and pretended that she believed it.
Ash did the same. He felt so hopeless. How were Brock and May supposed to find someone way out there? And even if they did get help, he doubted that they could get back in time. And there was nothing he could do to help her. This was what frustrated Ash the most. All he could do was sit and wait while Misty slowly faded. And worst of all, it was his fault. The guilt was almost overwhelming. If he hadn't made her take that short cut, none of this would have ever happened. Ash couldn't even imagine what it would be like if she were . . . if he could never . . . the mere thought made a painful, empty feeling rise in his chest. Ash tried to keep his composure, but he couldn't stop the tears that formed in his eyes, couldn't stop them from rolling down his face and falling onto Misty's.
She smiled as she said "Ash, it's ok . . . I'm fine . . . ", but she couldn't hide the pain she was feeling.
"Just hang on." He told her.
Seconds passed. Minutes passed. And Misty wasn't getting any better. Her earlier symptoms were returning, and all Ash could do was to watch over her while she slipped in and out of consciousness. He looked to Max for help, but without medical supplies, there was nothing the book could do to help them. "Don't worry Ash, Brock and May will be back soon." Max encouraged, but it sounded like he was trying to comfort himself more than Ash.
Ash had all but given up hope, but he felt there was something he had to tell Misty. He wasn't quite sure what that something was though. It was a feeling, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the words to describe it. But he didn't have time to think about it, so in desperation, he blurted out the first words that came to mind.
"Misty, I . . . I–"
But Ash could finish, a large shadow appeared where he, Misty, and Max were sitting. When he looked up, his eyes were met by the familiar site of a Meowth-shaped balloon.
"Team Rocket!" He yelled. "What are you doing here!"
"That's what we should be asking you!" Jessie called back.
"Yeah, we waited for you for fifteen minutes and you never showed up!" James added.
"How are we supposed to steal Pikachu when Pikachu ain't there!" Meowth yelled.
Infuriated by their intrusion at such a moment, Ash started to yell "Leave us alone, this isn't a good time!"
But he only got half way through the sentence, because suddenly, he was struck with an idea. It had to work, it just had to! It was Misty's last chance.
"Hey, what's wrong with her?" Asked Jessie, just noticing Misty's condition.
Ash didn't answer her question, but instead yelled back "Team Rocket! We need a ride!"
"What are you talking about?" Jessie replied.
"Misty's really sick and she needs help, but we're in the middle of nowhere. Please, you have to take us to a Pokemon Center or something!"
A wry smile formed on Jessie's face. Unfortunately for Ash, he wasn't the only one who had an idea.
"We'll give you a ride," she said, "if you give us Pikachu."
"Ooh, what a brilliant plan, Jessie!" James squealed.
Ash, however, was not as impressed.
"What!" He yelled.
"That's right, twerp!" Meowth responded. "We don't give no free rides!"
Ash hung his head and gritted his teeth. This was one of the hardest decisions he had ever had to make. Normally, he would've just had Pikachu launch a thunderbolt at them, but that could damage the balloon. What if they were lying? No, there was no easy solution to this dilemma. He didn't want to give up Pikachu, of course, but if he didn't Misty would die. But Ash knew that he had to do it. He was taking a chance, trusting Team Rocket, but it was a chance he couldn't afford not to take.
"Are you nuts?" Ash heard Max scream. "Ash would never–"
"Ok."
"What! Ash, you can't!"
"I have to!"
"Yay!" Jessie cheered. "James, take us down!"
"Right!"
Jessie leapt out of the balloon the instant the basket touched the ground and bounded toward Pikachu.
"We're finally getting Pikachu!" She sang.
Pikachu stared at Ash forlornly, not sure of what to do while Jessie bent over with her arms outstretched.
"Pika . . ."
"I'm sorry, Pikachu, but I don't have any other choice!" Ash cried as he wiped away his tears.
So Pikachu reluctantly obeyed and let Jessie pick it up and carry it back to the balloon where James was waiting with an electricity-proof glass case. Ash followed, carrying Misty, while Max just stood still and watched in shock.
"What do I do!" He called to Ash.
"Stay here and wait for Brock and May!"
Ash got into the balloon with Team Rocket and sat down, cradling Misty in his arms, and then they were off.
"You'd better not be tricking us!" Ash said angrily.
"Chill out, kid." Retorted Jessie. "We may be thieves, but we keep our promises."
"Where is the nearest Pokemon Center, Meowth?" James asked.
"We're right in the middle of the road that connects Pewta and Viridian, but it'd be quicker to get to Viridian 'cause of the tail wind."
"Well, Viridian it is then."
Pikachu stared miserably from its glass prison, but Team Rocket seemed less concerned about it than the girl lying on the floor of the basket.
"What happened to her, anyway?" Jessie asked, trying to sound indifferent.
"She got bitten by a wild Ekans." Replied Ash solemnly.
It was quiet the rest of the way to Viridian. Ash was worried about Misty, and Team Rocket was having second thoughts about the method they had used to capture Pikachu.
"We would've gotten Pikachu sooner or later anyway, what difference does it make?" Jessie thought.
But it did make a difference. A big difference. No matter she tried to deny it to herself, Jessie knew that it was wrong to take advantage of the twerps like that. She looked to James, who was obviously struggling with similar thoughts.
After what seemed like hours, the balloon touched down just in front of the Virginian Pokemon center. Ash picked Misty up once again and, glancing back at Pikachu one last time, dashed inside.
Team Rocket watched him go, but they made no move to leave after he disappeared. James bent over and lifted the glass case containing Pikachu. He gazed into it wistfully, trying to decide what to do next. He knew what he should do, but Jessie and Meowth would absolutely kill him if he did it. But it didn't matter what they thought. This was not right. So James released the case and let it fall to the ground where it shattered into a thousand pieces.
"Oops. How c-lumsy of me!" He squealed as Pikachu ran away.
"James, you idiot!" Jessie raged. She hit James hard over the head, but inside, she was glad he had done it. So was Meowth, but he did as Jessie had and feigned anger.
"You good for nothing human!"
When Meowth was finished, James had scratch marks covering his face.
"I'm sorry!" He cried.
Pikachu ran into the Pokemon center as fast as its legs would carry it. Normally, it would have stayed a few minutes and given Team Rocket a thorough shocking, but right now it was too worried about Ash and Misty to think about them. After entering the automatic doors to the center, Pikachu found Ash huddled in one of the blue overstuffed chairs in the white waiting room.
"Pika!" It yelled.
"Pikachu!" Ash replied as Pikachu jumped into his arms. "How did you get away from Team Rocket?"
"Chu pika pikachu, ka pi pika!"
Ash could not understand what Pikachu was saying, but the details didn't matter. He was just glad to have Pikachu back.
"I'm so sorry I had to do that, buddy. You know I would've rescued you, right?"
Pikachu understood. It knew that Team Rocket would not have really harmed it, but Misty had been in real danger.
"Pi pika!" It chirped.
Five minutes later, Ash sat holding Pikachu while he fought back the tears that threatened to spill. He was trying to be optimistic, but he was failing miserably. Nurse Joy had taken Misty what seemed like an hour ago, and still there was no news. What was taking so long! Ash didn't want to think about it. He stood up and began pacing back and forth on the red carpet, trying to ward off the horrible sinking feeling in his stomach. But it wasn't working. Just when Ash felt like he couldn't take it anymore, the red light above the door of the emergency room flickered off and Nurse Joy came out.
Instead of waiting for Nurse Joy to say something, Ash ran up to her, almost knocking her over, and almost yelled "IsMistygonnabeok!"
Nurse Joy just smiled and folded her hands.
"She'll be just fine now. All she needs is a little rest." She said sweetly.
Ash sighed and wiped away the tears of relief that were flowing down his cheeks.
"But you're lucky you got her here when you did." Nurse Joy continued. "I hate to think about what would have happened if you had been much later."
"Can I see her?" Ash asked.
"Of course. But you'll have to be quiet. She's sleeping, and she needs her rest."
Then Nurse Joy led Ash down a starch white hall and into Misty's equally white room. She smiled before leaving, and then Ash was alone with Misty.
He approached her bed quietly so as not to wake her. It was such a relief to see her safe and sound. But there was something that confused Ash. It was the words he had tried to say to Misty just before Team Rocket arrived. He had almost told her that he loved her.
"Where did that come from?" He thought.
He hadn't thought before he spoke, he just said it. Or, almost said it.
"Why would I say that? I don't love her, do I? Not like that."
But it got Ash thinking about it. Misty was his friend, but no one made him feel the way that she did. Sometimes when he was with Misty, Ash was a nervous wreck. Not all the time of course. Just . . . sometimes. Sometimes she made him feel excited and happy all over and he didn't know why. Like when she laughed a certain way, or like that time at Maiden's Peak, when she'd asked him to dance with her. She had looked so pretty that night, in her pink yukata, her hair down . . .
But Ash didn't have that feeling now. Now he felt a very serene happiness. It was so good to see Misty sleeping peacefully after all she had been through that day. He noticed that a few strands of her hair were out of place, and without even thinking, he reached down to brush them off her face. But then she stirred and opened her eyes. Ash jerked back his hand just in time, cursing himself for being so careless.
"Hi Ash." She said sleepily.
Ash was still blushing with embarrassment, but he managed to say "Hi" in return.
"Are you feeling any better?" He asked quietly.
"Yeah, lots."
"Good. You had me really worried. I'm so sorry."
"For what?"
"For this! You told me in the very beginning that you didn't want to walk through the grass, but I made you go anyway. If it weren't for me, you would never have gotten bitten by that Ekans."
But Misty just laughed at his conclusion. He'd even forgotten that he hadn't told her the whole truth of what had happened.
"Ash, that's ridiculous! You couldn't have known."
"Yeah, but–"
"Hey, if I said it wasn't your fault, then it wasn't your fault, so quit talking about it!" Misty yelled, scaring Ash a little, but absolving him of his guilt.
"Whatever you say." He said as he backed away.
At that moment, the door opened and Nurse Joy entered.
"Ash, you have a phone call." She said.
So Ash left Misty for the time being and followed Nurse Joy back down the hall to the video phone. On the other end were Brock, May, and Max.
"Hey Ash." Said May. "Max told us what happened, and Nurse Joy just told us about Misty. We're all really glad she's ok."
"Where are you guys?" Ash questioned.
"We're back at the Pewter Pokemon Center. It would have taken us at least a day to get through Viridian Forest." Brock responded.
"That's ok."
"Thanks. We should be able to make it to Viridian by tomorrow night." Informed Max.
"Great. Hey, I did get Pikachu back!"
"Oh, I'm so glad!" May gushed. "I was worried."
"You don't have to worry about Pikachu. It can take care of itself!" Ash laughed.
"I know." Giggled May. "So we'll see you tomorrow night then?"
"Right. Be careful in Viridian Forest!"
"We will."
Then they all said good-bye, and Ash was left alone to wonder if it was possible that he really could be in love with Misty.
Itoshii Haruko: Hey, I can see that song going with that part! Cute! Anyway, glad you liked the romantic comedy. I'm always like that too!
Babie A: Thanks! It's good that you got my humor, like I've said, sometimes I worry that I'm the only one who gets it. Sorry for keeping you waiting on chapter 8 so long!
Chibi Ami-Yumi: Thank-you! I'm glad you thought it was funny. And I know it was predictable, but I didn't see any way around it. But whatever. Drastic? I have fans that would do something drastic? Cool!
Gigi: Wow, Brazil! Cool! Anyway, thanks for reading! Yes, I love it when Ash gets jealous too. It's so cute! Oh, and I'm talking about in general, not in my fic. Don't wanna sound conceited!
Vulpix4Life: You really think this was one of my best? Thanks! And hey, don't worry about the length of your chapters. It takes awhile to get good at length. I think. I still have trouble sometimes trying to make it long enough. Thanks again!
Catstar: Thanks, I'm glad you love it so much! It's good to hear people say that my fic is one of their favorites. That makes me so happy! Anyway, sorry for keeping you waiting for chapter 8 so long, hope you enjoyed it!
Funkyafroman: Thanks for your loyalty! It's good to know that people stick with my fic. Thanks!
Story Weaver1: Me either! Thanks for saying it was sweet. It's funny, I didn't think of the whole "my friend" thing until I was already writing it. Glad you liked it, and I'm glad you liked the siblingshipping too.
psheartslie: Oh, you're welcome! Thank-you for all the encouraging things you said, I really appreciate it. Yeah, too bad Ash is so dense, but that's what makes it fun! IMO anyway. It's so cute in the show! Anyway, hope you liked chapter 8!
lito-passion: Sorry it took me so long! Glad you think it's cute. Yeah, it'll still be a couple of chapters before that happens, but I'm building up to it! Thanks for reviewing.
JA93: Thank you so much! It was a little weird, but I'm glad you liked it anyway. Thanks for reviewing!
Aidail: Yes, Ash is very dense. But what I have found about these kinds of fics is dense funny.
Unless you're Misty, lol. Thanks!
Chaos-Paladin: Thanks! I'm probably only going to do two or three more chapters, but this is definately not my last fic. I'm going to try to throw May into the next chapter, and I'll try to get Brock in on it too!
Moogle Girl: Thanks! Once again, sorry it took me so long to get chapter 8 out.! Rainbow monkey doll . . . Anyway, your little sweat-drop character is so cute, but when you're writing a fic, you really need to write stuff like that out. But thanks for the idea anyway!