Chapter 7: Interlude
What in the world am I doing here? Thought Pikachu, gazing at the light that peered in through a crack in the wooden wall far from the open window of the shed in which he resided. That boy may know exactly what he is doing, and he may have the right idea, but I have no way of telling him that I cannot stay here. Captivity was not the ideal state for Pikachu. For one thing, he was starving, and had not had much to eat other than the bread that Trance had given him. Additionally, he had no wish to stay in Gallaway for any reason, for every second he remained in the territory was a second that he put his life at risk. The shed smelled horribly of gasoline and he was unaccustomed to breathing the contaminated air. Getting used to it at a moment's notice was similar to learning how to swim while drowning; something that Pikachu had no desire to experience.
Even after getting out of this place, there are very few options I have. I guess one thing I could do is attempt to find Ash, instead of waiting around here forever. What if I tried to contact some of his friends back at home and get their help? The only problem is getting out of the country safely, something I have no idea how to approach. This country is incredibly hostile towards outsiders, so people will probably be reluctant to help out. Thoughts raced through his mind. Finding an adequate solution to this problem would become extremely difficult as time went on. Pikachu continued to worry about Ash, and furthermore what would happen if he was captured. Although these were pressing matters, there was nothing he could do while trapped in the shed. The first order of business was to escape.
This is it; I'll have to make this escape abrupt and swift. Pikachu had no idea how he was going to get out, considering that Trance had locked the shed doors from to prevent any people who were suspicious from casually investigating the area. The problem was, the shed could only be locked from the outside, and that caused immediate complications. The only other obvious alternative was the window that Trance had opened to provide unidirectional ventilation. Altogether, Trance had done a second-rate job at providing a place for Pikachu to stay. Although, considering the circumstances at the moment, he couldn't have come up with anything much better at such a short notice. Plus, he had saved Pikachu from almost certain extermination back at the vet; therefore Pikachu was in his debt to say the least. Payback will have to wait for a while, thought Pikachu to himself as he surveyed his surroundings.
The window was easily two meters from the ground. It would usually be an easy jump for Pikachu, as his unique acrobatics far surpassed that of any normal rodent. Since Pikachu's leg was badly damaged, and full recovery would take at least another few days, he felt unconfident about making jumps of any kind. Pikachu doubted his capability to get very far in the wilds with his bad leg in the first place, but he was willing to take the risk, considering that the pros outweighed the cons. Climbing over various lawn equipment, he approached the window and looked around for something he could use as a grapple.
Various objects hung from the walls. There were saws, drills, levels, triangles, many tools used for engineering projects, and various other things, but unfortunately, rope was scarce. Maybe I can make a stack of things to climb on, thought Pikachu as he looked for stable objects that could be used to stack together. Of the things on the floor, he could probably only move a few of them, some of which included an empty gasoline container, a cardboard box, and a few metal rods.
Pikachu made his first escape attempt by stacking the gasoline can on top of the cardboard box. He climbed up on top of the stack and found that he was much closer to the window, and that a simple jump up to the sill would be feasible. Supporting his body on his one good leg, Pikachu made a small hop up to the window. Unfortunately, the cardboard box could not support the pressure of Pikachu's jump and collapsed, making the jump insignificant. He fell to the ground on his back and the old box was crushed under Pikachu's weight.
His second attempt was made by placing the reformed box into a position where it could hold weight better. Replacing the gasoline can on top, Pikachu climbed back on top. He attempted the same jump, but this time, the gasoline can slipped out from under him, causing him to again fall to the ground, but this time on top of his bad leg. This caused Pikachu considerable pain as he ended up bending his ankle the wrong way and opening up the wound under the bandage.
I must persevere, I will escape! Pikachu brainstormed for more ideas. The walls were made of wood that was not very dense, which meant that he could easily penetrate the surface with something sharp. Then it hit him. He could take advantage of something he rarely used in his life, his claws. Pikachu never found use for these arbitrary parts of his body, as he favored electricity over physical contact in combat any day. Every path he traveled was straightforward and he usually caught a ride on Ash's head when he found a path impassable because of his size.
Pikachu had claws that were retractable, much like a cat's, so withdrawing them for the first time in a long while felt remarkably strange. Sticking his claws into the nearest wall, he found it relatively easy to keep them stuck. Confident with his rediscovered abilities, Pikachu slowly scaled the wall towards the window.
As he reached the window sill, he realized that he could probably hoist himself up if he could only grab onto the metal sill that was above him. Upon grasping the metal surface, Pikachu realized that the surface was too smooth for his claws to grasp. He lost his grip after his paw abruptly slipped from the window sill. His loss of grip of the window sill put Pikachu off balance, and he suddenly lost the grip he had with his other paw and his good leg. It was a long fall back to the floor.
Pikachu tried several different ways to get around the fact that he could not grasp the window sill with his claws neither extended nor retracted. He tried climbing along the side of the window, even swinging himself out the window from above, but his injured leg kept him from moving himself properly, and every time he tried something, he failed. Every failure led to a fall which hurt him further. It was not long before Pikachu became so frustrated with his condition that he simply gave up. He was in absolute disbelief that he could not manage to take care of himself in this situation.
Because of the stress he was putting on his wound, it was not long before blood began sapping through the bandage. He had cut his paws in various places on the metal windowsill. Pikachu beat his fist into the wooden floor, with blood marking the places where he had struck. He eventually collapsed onto the floor.
This is absolutely ridiculous. I should be able to do this. I've suffered injuries far worse than this, and I have made good of those situations more often than not. Frustrated to the point of tears, Pikachu thought about what he could do as an alternative to escaping. There had to be another way to get out than through the window. Pikachu was aware that there was more gasoline in the shed than Trance had originally predicted. Apparently somebody had recently restocked the gasoline and oil supply. Knowing that emitting any kind of electrical charge would surely blow the shed to bits, Pikachu discarded any violent means of escape.
Finally admitting defeat, Pikachu curled up next to the battered cardboard box. Maybe it won't be so bad living with this Trance character for a while, assuming he comes back for me. I don't even know where I am, where he is, or when he should be coming back. It could be days! If this is the case, I'll be in here for as long as it takes me to naturally heal. Unable to nap because of the increased pain his failed escape attempts caused him, Pikachu had little choice but to endure the injuries for the time being. His worries brought no boost to his morale, so there was little he could do to make himself feel better. In attempt to distract himself from the pain, he thought of Ash, and he thought of what he always loved to do, bring pride to his name through the countless victories battle had brought him. Unfortunately, his reminiscence did not bring him any solace from the pain. He began to think of ways he would reunite himself with his closest friend.
There's got to be something I can do! He could be anywhere in this country. For all I know he has been arrested and taken into custody, or detained by the military and sent to a detainee prison. I don't know the first thing about getting to any of those places, and this is assuming he was captured! If he's still out there, he has no way to get here! What if he ran back home? What if I'll never be able to reach him again?
This sudden change in his lifestyle that originated from his venture into Gallawain territory hit him hard, and it seemed that all he could do was let life go by. Thoughts raced though his mind. The overwhelming pain did not seem to numb. Worried, alone, injured, tired, and hungry with no guarantee that he would get food and water any time soon, Pikachu lost all hope in being able to move on in life. Fatigue poisoned his mind. He could no longer think clearly. Depressed as he was, Pikachu managed to find sleep amongst his conscious thoughts.
Sleep was the only medicine for Pikachu now. To become physically and emotionally healed, he would have to wait for Trance's return.