DISCLAIMERS and Author's Notes are in first chapter :)

"Buried feelings" Part 3
written by: The Lilty Warrior

Brock groaned. He had a pounding headache and his arms and legs felt like they weighed a ton. He finally opened his eyes a crack. "Uhhhh, what the heck just happened?" he croaked groggily. He opened his eyes fully, and looked around. He was lying on his back with his green vest under his head. His backpack was next to him and the map was were he had dropped it.

"Ash? Misty?" he called. No answer. He sat up rubbing his neck. He noticed a small dart on the ground next to him and he picked it up. "Wha?-", he muttered, not clueing in. "Where did this come from?"

Brock got to his feet and what he saw on the other side of the boulder shocked him, his face paled. The mine-shaft was gone and in its place was a huge mound of boulders. Brock's jaw dropped, in silent horror. The whole area was destroyed. He suddenly realized that he would've been history if he hadn't been behind that boulder. Brock saw a flash of yellow and he ran over to it. It was Pikachu,half buried. It looked banged up; its fur matted and tangled.

"Pikachu!" Brock exclaimed in dismay. He quickly cleared away the rubble and gently picked up the injured pokemon. He went over to his backpack and got out a small bottle of Pokemon Super Potion. He sprayed the solution on Pikachu and rubbed it into its fur. When Brock was almost done, Pikachu began to stir.

"Pi...PI!"it jerked awake.

"Hang on there Pikachu, you're safe now," Brock said comfortingly. He stroked its back, smoothing its fur attempting to calm it. Pikachu calmed down and relaxed once it realized it was safe with Brock.

"Pi Pi Chu, Pikachu Pika Pika!" it said gratefully. Then Pikachu gazed at the destroyed mine, worry and sadness on its cute features.

"Pikachu, what happened?" Brock asked. "Where's Ash and Misty?"

At this, Pikachu burst into a rapid string of syllables flailing its little hands frantically. It was clearly very distressed.

"Whoa, slow down! I don't understand!" Brock said softly, raising his hands in a calming gesture. It took a few minutes, but Brock was able to get an idea what went on through Pikachu's hand signals and movements. "Team Rocket?" He exclaimed. He looked at the wrecked mine entrance. "So Ash and Misty are trapped in there?" he asked in a whisper, his heart leaping in his throat. Pikachu, exhausted, nodded sadly. It looked like its heart was breaking. It walked a couple of steps, and collapsed in despair.

"PIIIIIIIKAAAAAAAAPIIIIIIIII!" Pikachu wailed pitifully, its face wet with its tears. Its wail echoed shrilly as it suddenly crackled with electricity. The highly charged lightning leaped and bounded on the boulders and debris but did nothing. Its electricity gone, Pikachu curled up in a ball and cried, its cries sounding like a small child. Brock held the sobbing pokemon until it fell asleep.

Elsewhere...

Meowth was dumbfounded, along with Ekans and Koffing. Ekans and Koffing were silent, guilty, and ashamed. Their masters were trapped. It was their fault.

Meowth broke the silence. "We can't get'em out by ourselves." he said, getting up from were he had fallen. "We gotta find the rock trainer for help." He didn't want to team up with the former Pokemon gym leader but he felt there was no choice in the matter.

"Koff koff koffing," (It should be easy to find him) Koffing spoke up hopefully.

"Ek ek ekans ekans," (That tranquilizer knocked him out good) hissed Ekans.

"Yeah, but that tranquilizer was meant for a small sized Pokemon, not a human. The tranquilizer should only work for about 10 minutes at most," Meowth said, brushing himself off. "Lets move it, he could be gone by now." The three Pokemon hurried off into the bushes.

In the Mines...

Misty painfully came back to the world of consciousness. She tried to move but it was too painful. Something was on top of her but she was to groggy to realize what it was. It was pitch black and she could hear water not far from her. Misty felt a pang of fear. Is the place flooding? She thought, thinking that she had to find her lantern.

She groped around and she suddenly realized it was Ash on top of her. Misty could tell by his breathing that he wasn't awake. She turned her head to the side.

"Ash, ASH.. wake up!" she whispered into his ear. No response. Misty awkwardly took off his backpack, and put it beside them. Then she put a hand behind Ash's head, and another around his waist. She rolled slowly until he was underneath her. He was very warm and he shivered beneath her.

Misty spread her arms and felt around for her backpack. She grabbed it and rummaged around in it for her lantern. She found it to her relief. It was a small battery operated one with a string to hang it with. Misty turned it on and squinted in the sudden brightness. Once she got used to the light, she got a look around at her surroundings.

They were in a small sized cavern. Misty had room to get off Ash so she crawled off of him. She was able to sit up but standing up was out of the question. About a meter and a half away from their feet, there was a natural underground spring. It flowed in and out of the cavern through underground tunnels. The cavern they were in had a natural bowl-like impression so the spring formed a pool at the end of the cavern.

Misty looked up at the blocked ceiling, dismayed. I hope Brock's OK, she thought. He's our only hope. A sound broke her from her thoughts. Ash was waking up. He moaned and his eyes opened a little. They were feverishly bright and his face was flushed.

"Misty...where are we?" he half whispered. Misty bent down over him.

"We're trapped," she said trying to keep her fear out of her voice. "Brock is our only hope. He will go to the village and get help."

Ash blinked groggily. "Pikachu?" he barely whispered. Misty shook her head sadly.

"I... I don't know," she finally answered. Ash looked away, a tear ran down his cheek. "I...I shouldn't have dropped it, i-it's all my fault!" His voice trembled.

Misty placed both her hands on either side of Ash's face and stared at him in the eyes intently.

"Ash Ketchum it is NOT your fault." She could feel his silent hot tears beneath her fingers. "I'm sure Pikachu's all right. I bet it escaped Team Rocket and is now with Brock getting help. Don't give up!"

Ash didn't say a word but he had calmed somewhat. His eyes drifted shut and he fell into a restless sleep. Misty took off his hat and jacket and took out her sleeping bag and wrapped him up in it. He was shivering and his fever was seeming to worsen.

Oh Brock, Misty thought worriedly, Please hurry...

Jessie woke to the sound of someone whimpering. It was pitch black and she didn't know what was going on. Then she remembered that she and James were trapped in the mine when the charges blew early. What the heck was Meowth doing! she thought to herself. She fumbled around in the dark. "James? Are you hurt?" The whimpering stopped but she could hear shaky breathing.

Jessie felt around and her fingers brushed a leg. She crawled over and examined James by touch to see if anything was broken. "James? What's wrong?" James jerked at the sound of his name.

"J...Jess..," was all he got out. He sounded terrified.

"James, what's the matter?" Jessie asked him. "You're not acting yourself." She groped for her flashlight, found it, and turned it on. James was on his back, white as a sheet, and in a cold sweat. His eyes were wide, pupils dilated. His hands were at his throat like he couldn't breathe.

"Snap out of it!" Jessie hollered. She drew back her hand to wack him one but something clicked in her mind. Her arm lowered and her expression softened. "You're claustrophobic, aren't you?" she asked quietly.

James looked at her for a moment and nodded. "G...good guess," he said shakily. Jessie remembered back when they were trapped on the St. Ann and now she realized why James was so frightened. James squeezed his eyes shut and clutched his hair in his fists. "I can't stand it! We're buried alive! We're gonna DIE!" he screamed.

Jessie blinked in amazement. It was very unnerving to see James in this state. She grabbed his hands and forced them down to his sides. She bent over him.

"We are NOT going to die. Meowth is not going to leave us here. He will get help," Jessie said slowly and sternly. James nodded slightly. Jessie thought of something. "James close your eyes." James looked up at her with an interesting expression that was a cross between curiosity, and fear. He did as he was told and closed his eyes.

What's she gonna do, kiss me? He chuckled mentally at the thought.

"Now think of an open field."

"Wha-?" James stammered.

"I know it sounds stupid, just DO it!"

After a few minutes, James seemed to relax slightly, and his breathing slowed. Jessie sat up with a hand on his arm. "Just keep your eyes closed and think of that image," she said calmly. James didn't respond. He had fallen asleep. Jessie sighed. She aimed her flashlight around and took in their surroundings.

They were completely sealed in a large room sized cavern. There was an underground river flowing from on end to the other through underground tunnels. There was enough room to stand so Jessie started to explore the area, looking for a way out.

Meanwhile...

Brock wiped the sweat off his brow. He had been trying unsuccessfully to clear away rubble, attempting to find his friends. His rock pokemon, Geodude and Onix, weren't having any luck either. Pikachu was off to the side, sleeping in Brock's vest. Brock finally called his pokemon back, and was putting away his pokeballs when he heard a rustling sound behind him.

Meowth came into the clearing followed by Ekans and Koffing. Brock stormed up to Meowth, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, and picked him up to face level. He was furious.

"You trapped my friends in there!" he roared. "And you are going to help get them out or ELSE!"

Meowth was stunned for a fraction of a second. Out of instinct, he unsheathed his claws and raked them across the rock trainer's face, hard. Brock yelled and dropped Meowth roughly, and clutched his face.

"I know you don't believe me, but I'm not here to fight, I need you to listen!" Meowth yelled at the tall angry rock trainer who was now glowering at him. He had very deep claw marks on each cheek; trickles of blood making their way down one cheek, down his jawline and neck. The other cheek didn't look good either. Meowth had'nt realized how deep he had cut. He hadn't meant to. He didn't know that the usually soft spoken trainer could get so angry! He was very intimidating when he was ticked off!

Brock broke his thoughts. "Well? What do you want? You only got a few seconds before I smash your face in," he snapped, balling his hands into fists. Ekans and Koffing who had been silent, made low menacing sounds. Meowth signaled them to stay put with a wave of his paw.

"My team mates are stuck in there as well and I was going to ask you to help me get them out," Meowth said glancing at Brock slyly out of the corner of his eyes. "Since your friends are trapped too, I figured we can come up with a temporary agreement."

Brock crossed his arms, and thought for a moment. He didn't want to help Meowth, but in a way he had no choice. He needed all the help he could get. The more time he wasted, the more danger Ash and Misty could be in. He had to get to the town as soon as possible.

Brock got down on one knee to talk to Meowth. "I'll agree to your idea, but-" He paused eyes narrowing."-if you pull anything..."

"Jeez! I get the idea! Now shake on it," Meowth said sticking his paw out. Brock grabbed it a little too firmly, shaking it, making the temporary truce official. He stood up. "We have to get to the town and get help, we can't dig them out by ourselves," Brock said, gathering his things. He held the sleeping Pikachu in his arms. He quickly showed Meowth the way on the map and than set off towards the town at a fast pace. Meowth, Koffing and Ekans rushed to catch up.

In the Mines...

Misty jerked awake. How much time had passed? It was pitch black. She had turned off her lantern so she wouldn't waste any batteries, and curled up with Ash in her sleeping bag to keep warm. She must have fallen asleep.

Ash was shivering against her and he was damp with perspiration. Misty silently willed the fever to break. C'mon Ash! Fight it!

He started murmuring something, and he moved slightly, moaning softly. Misty reached for her lantern, and turned it on. Ash's eyes were opened slightly, but they were unfocused. His face glistened with sweat, and his hair was plastered to his forehead, sticking out in some places. He was delirious.

Oh God, Misty thought. What should I do? Ash spoke louder, voice slurred slightly. He kept on repeating the same words over and over. Misty realized that he was calling for his Mother. His voice was small and was getting more and more distressed.

Misty nervously stroked his hair, and shyly kissed him on the forehead. "I'm here," she said gently, pretending to be his Mother to calm him.

Ash quieted at her touch. "When is Daddy coming home?" he asked tearfully. He sounded like a small child. Misty was at a loss for words. Ash never really talked about his family and she never met his Mother.

"Everything will be all right," she said softly, stroking his face. To Misty's surprise Ash suddenly wrapped his arms around her and hugged himself to her firmly. Misty slowly did likewise.

"I wish Daddy was here," Ash sniffled. Then he started to cry into her shoulder. Misty had never heard Ash cry before. She held the softly sobbing young trainer in her arms, rocking slightly. Ash wept, and every once in a while he would cry out for his Father. After what seemed like a long time, Ash's quiet sobs changed to small whimpering sounds, then silence. His grip on her was more relaxed, but his arms were still wrapped around her snugly.

Misty sighed. I wonder if Ash will remember this when he gets better? She thought. She looked at Ash who was now sleeping, his breathing slow and relaxed. She could tell he would sleep for a while. She gently unwrapped herself from him and sat up. She watched the water at the end of the cavern. Then, Misty got an idea.

She got her bag, and grabbed one of her Pokeballs. She tossed it towards the underground river. "C'mon out Goldeen!"she said quietly so she wouldn't wake Ash. With a flash of light, Goldeen appeared from the Pokeball into the water. Misty caught the Pokeball as it bounced back to her. Goldeen was a water Pokemon, that resembled a frilly fish with a horn on its head.

"Goldeen, try and find a possible way out," Misty instructed her Pokemon.

"Goldeen!"(no problem) it said, with a swish of its tail as it disappeared into the depths. Misty sat back. I hope this works, she thought. She glanced at Ash worriedly. Ash's time could be running out.

Elsewhere in another part of the Mine...

Jessie kicked a rock, frustrated. She had searched every nook and cranny of the cavern and still found no way out. She had no idea how much time had passed, but it must have been a few hours. She sat at the bank of the underground river and stared into the water unhappily.

Suddenly she felt a trembling hand rest on her shoulder. Jessie jumped slightly. James jumped too, reacting to her. "Oh James. You only startled me, that's all," Jessie said, absently running her fingers through the water. She had taken her gloves off. James sat watching her. He was pale and silent, and was trembling slightly. Jessie figured that his claustrophobia was driving him nuts.

"Sorry," he said quietly. Jessie waved her hand.

"It's no big deal." She looked at him. "How are you holding out?"

"I've been better," James whispered, shrugging his shoulders. Jessie looked into the water. For a moment, she thought she saw a flash of gold in the water. It moved and was gone. "What was that?" she wondered aloud. It looked like a fish, she thought.

"What is it?" James asked, looking around nervously.

"I'm not sure," replied Jessie. "I think it was some kind of fish", Her eyes widened and she pointed. "Look over there!" James followed her finger and saw a frilly finned fish looking at them from the water at the end of the cavern.

"It's a Goldeen!" he exclaimed, surprised.

Jessie blinked. "It is a Goldeen! I bet it belongs to that water trainer, Misty!"

"Why do you think that?" James inquired. "It could be wild."

"I don't think so . . . Goldeen don't live in caves," Jessie replied.

While they were talking, the Goldeen swam off and disappeared. Jessie saw it go and scowled. "Now we'll never know where it came from," she grumbled. James slumped against a pile of rocks that were located on one side of the cavern. He put his heads between his knees. Jessie thought for a moment. The underground river the Goldeen was in flows to the other side of these rocks! Maybe...

She went over to James and started moving rocks and dirt. "What are you doing?" James asked her gloomily. "We're solidly buried." His face had the look of defeat.

"Maybe not," Jessie said. "This could be our ticket out of here!" She had a little of the old Jessie coming back into her voice. "Now help me will you?" James knelt next to her and helped her move the rocks and dirt.

"I hope you know what you're doing!" he muttered under his breath.

TBC...