I just love this chapter! I put it as detailed as I could, and yet I'm still shocked about it. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

The Ticket to Freedom

Mudkip was all but a few feet away from freedom. He could just imagine himself playing in the fields of grass that swayed happily with the breeze, as the flowers bloomed from the warmth from the sun. The nearby lake sparkling when the sun shone down in it, making the water sparkle like diamonds. Seeds from the trees raining down to the ground hoping to grow into tall elegant trees when a sprout would appear from that seed. Mudkip couldn't hold back any longer. He wanted out.

He slowly tiptoed out of the old warehouse where all the Mudkip's and other pokemon were stored in. He was suddenly caught off guard by a Houndoom, who was blocking off the path that lead to freedom. That Houndoom growled at Mudkip. Mudkip backed up, but not in fear... he was ready for his attack. Mudkip threw back his head and then out of his mouth came out a very powerful water gun attack.

That strong attack hit the Houndoom causing it to faint. Mudkip was ready to run, in which he did. Out the door, running past other rocket members which only caught a glimpse of the running blue mud fish. Not caring that it has escaped, but they were so wrong that they let him get away...

Mudkip stopped running when he approached a field of grass, but something was wrong... it wasn't like the one he imagined. The field of grass... the grass didn't look healthy. The grass was a horrible yellow color. The grass seemed sick and brittle, and drooped as it decomposed into the earth.

Mudkip walked to the lake... not as he imagined neither. The sparkling lake was polluted. He put one of his forepaws in, as thick brown sludge covered it. Mudkip immediately took his paw out. He saw a pipe spilling out contents of sludge into the once beautiful lake. Mudkip was in an area that had no life in it. It was like a land of death.

Mudkip's dream turned out to be a nightmare. A painful nightmare.

'' Mud kip kip mud'', Mudkip said, very sadly. (Humans did this.)

He looked at the barren wasteland once more,'' Mud?'' (Why?)

His voice echoed throughout the land,'' Mud?'' (Why?)

As Mudkip expected... nobody answered. The place was oddly, yet eerily quiet. No calls or chatters of other pokemon. He was all by himself, with nobody to rely nor depend on. All alone.

Mudkip's stomach growled. He hasn't eaten in a while, since the rocket members only fed the Mudkip's once a week anyway. The food that they were fed, was no good neither, but it filled their tiny stomachs. As he looked around the wasteland, there was nothing edible to indulge his empty stomach. The ravenous Mudkip walked around a bit to look for food like a scavenger, but to no avail.

He heard a quiet noise but it was audible to the little Mudkip's eardrums,'' Mud mud?'' (Who's there?)

Nobody answered. He looked at his feet, as he saw a snapped twig that fell from the trees that resembled skeletons, since there were no leaves on any of them. Acid rain deteriorated the trees lack of health, as the withered and dead leaves were scattered all over the ground, yellow and brown.

He saw the sun set preparing to make the earth dark for nocturnal pokemon to pop out of their natural habitats and into the dark to search for food. It wasn't the perfect time for a Mudkip to be out at night. He wasn't safe.

He had to look around for a place to sleep. He stumbled around the place not knowing where he was or where he was headed. He saw the sun set behind the mountains, causing a beuitiful display of colors like an aurora borialias cascading in the sky with orange and greenish colors, catching the little Mudkip's attention.

This place isn't so bad after all. At least I'm not in that old rundown warehouse, Mudkip thought, as he sighed.

Mudkip wasn't sure where he should sleep. After a few hours of walking around he found some healthy brush and trees. The perfect place for him to sleep until the morning.

He gathered some sticks and leaves and put them together to create a little nest for him to sleep in. He hopped into his little makeshift bed and curled up into a little blue ball, so the cold wouldn't nip his tail. He couldn't sleep, as he thought about his friends back in the rocket warehouse.

They were like family to him, even though he was too proud to admit it. Fluids from his eyes trickled down his face, thinking about them, and the torture they've gone through. He wanted to do something to help them, but he was all alone. He needed help... but not from humans. He was lonely. He looked at the sky, as he would do every night. The stars twinkled brightly like rhinestones shining in the sun against the navy blue sky, but one shone brightly then the others.

Mudkip closed his eyes and sighed, attempting to make a wish.

'' Mud kip kip mud kip kip mud kip'', the small Mudkip whispered. (Please let me find someone to help me rescue my family... Please... anyone...)

Mudkip didn't know it, but he was crying... and then he cried himself to sleep, as the beutiful full moon shone down to the ground across the dead landscape. Little then the little Mudkip knew that his wishing would pay off...

(Meanwhile...)

Just nearby from the Mudkip, was a laboratory. Inside was Professor Birch with two pokemon.

One was green with scaly rough skin, and its stomach was red. It was a pokemon known as Treeko, the grass type pokemon, normally known for its speed.

Another pokemon was resembling a baby chick. Its fluffy down was a bright orange color with its tiny wings and the feathers in its head a lighter tint of orange. Known as the fire type pokemon Torchic. There was one pokemon missing...

Professor Birch was on the videophone with Old Man Swampy,'' Are you sure you can't send in that Mudkip, before tomorrow.''

'' I can't! There's no way to send it to you in this terrible weather! And the storm caused the teleportation device to malfunction, so I can't get it fixed until the storm dies down'', Swampy said nervously, as a clap of thunder followed by lightning suddenly came.

All the little Mudkips with Swampy were in his house hiding in different places, scared of the storm. Some took comfort under his bed while others took shelter in his closet and under the table. They all looked out the windows from where they hid and could see the grey sky as the wind whipped across the swamp, as debris flew around the place.

Another clap of thunder caused the videophone to disconnect, and a power outage to come into affect.

Professor birch was disconnected,'' Dumb storm! Now Mags isn't going to get a Mudkip... She isn't going to like this...''.

Treeko and Torchic looked at the professor with sympathetic looks on their faces.

'' Treeko.''

'' Torchic.''

'' It's okay guys. I'll face her wrath... tomorrow. Well back into your pokeballs you go. I'll let you out in the morning and you'll get to meet your new trainers.''

Professor Birch recalled Torchic and Treeko back into their pokeballs and placed them on his desk.

He heaved a sigh and looked out the window,'' Why today?''

Tomorrow was the next day he would have to face his wrath with Mags...

TBC...