Where The Red Fern Grows: A Pokemon Story

Cerulean Shadow's Note: I'm making this and the next chapter early since I truly want to finish my other updating fanfics.

To Soft Flame Matthias: I never forgot about you guys! I was so worried about you forgetting the story! And, I'm sorry about your story. But I hope to read it someday! And thanx to you, I finally made a flaw scene to appear in this chapter. And TODAY'S THE DAY YOU SEE THE NEMESIS!

To ShadowYing-Yang: Thanx so much for understanding. God Bless You.

"Well, guys. The play's almost over. Just two more short scenes and it's complete." Becky said.
"Wow. It's longer to us." Ash said.
"Yeah. You got the Persian ready, Professor Oak?"

"Yes. It's a good thing this Pokemon knows what it's doing in this scene." he said.
"I sure hope so. I don't want Pikachu, Meowth, or Ash hurt in this scene." Misty said.
"We'll be fine, Misty." Ash said.

But the board on top of the stage hold didn't seem to hold the roof well...

BEGINNING OF SCENE TEN

Jessie was outside on the porch knitting on a beautiful day. It seemed like it couldn't get any better. Until Ash approached from behind the house with his coon hat on.

"Ash. Where's your father?" she asked.
"Grandpa hurt his leg a bit. Pa's fixing him up. He'll be here soon." Ash responded.
"What happened?" she asked, rising up from her chair in concern.

"... He just had a little fall, Pa says he'll be all right." Ash said, unsure if little was the best way to describe it.

"What is it, Ash?" she asked seriously.

Ash finally had to fess up. He took the money out of his pockets and showed it to her in delight.

"We won."
"... You what?" she asked in surprise.

"We won. Little Pikachu and Meowth and me, we won first prize. Here." he said as he handed the money to Jessie. "This is for you, Ma. We won the best looking Pokemon prize, too. Or at least Little Pikachu did. So we can move to Tulsa. So you can have your dream, too."

"... What about you and your Pokemon, Ash?" Jessie asked, feeling that Ash was quite unsure about the decision.

"We'll be all right. They can chase cars and Igglybuff."

Slowly and surely, Jessie nodded, sure as ever that she and Ash agreed to this.

That night, when Ash was in his room reading his book, he heard Pikachu and Meowth outside responding excitedly to something. He looked out his window and witnessed Jessie feeding them a special treat. It must have been her appreciation to them. She pet both their heads and sat beside them, staring out at the horizon, hoping to see a new day tomorrow.

Ash smiled.

"Ash knew their days on the farm were numbered, so him and his Pokemon took to the woods whenever his schoolwork was done. It was like they were drinking the moonlight while they could... and they couldn't get enough of it."

Then, one night, a terrible thing happened. Ash and his Pokemon were going out to hunt for their last Zigzagoon, but until Pikachu and Meowth came across an unusual tree that Ash knew Zigzagoons couldn't climb. It was disfigured almost like it was bent. He shined his lantern at a shadow he saw from the tree. He saw the eyes staring at him with evil and terror.

It was the Persian. The Persian he faced before.

Ash gasped. The Persian made his way down the tree and on the ground. It made Meowth come closer to the Pokemon and try to rip it apart. The Persian came close and hissed at his pre-evolved form. Pikachu moved closer with fury, already yelling out threats in Pikachu language.

"Pikachu, get back. Get back!" Ash exclaimed.

That did it. The Persian lunged at Pikachu and attacked it, almost biting his ear off. Meowth came back in defense and tried to pry the Persian off.

"Meowth!" Ash yelled.

The Persian responded by quickly grabbing Meowth by the side and shaking him like a rag doll. Pikachu followed the Persian only to let the audience get a clear view of Meowth actually and literally dangling from the Persian's mouth by it's side. Everyone gasped, including Will. Pikachu tried to get him out of his jaws, but his movements caused the floorboards to create a vibration to the board, causing a screw to slip a tiny bit off.

Pikachu finally succeeds at breaking Meowth free, but causing him to hit the wall only when he was supposed to hit the ground. That vibration completely made the screw slip right off and cause the board to fall! The board landed right on Pikachu and Meowth!

"Pikachu! Meowth!" Ash screamed.

Ash ran and tried to lift the board off of the two Pokemon. The Persian was scared to death by the sound and ran backstage, just like he was supposed to. The board landed on Pikachu's legs, and he almost had a better chance of getting out. But the board landed straight on Meowth's back, causing a total injury to his back. Ash couldn't lift up the board since it was so strong, until he felt another lift on the side of the board.

It was Will!

"Will?" Ash asked.
"No question. Now help me with the board!" Will exclaimed.

While they were both raising it up, Ash couldn't believe that Will would help him despite his hatred for Pokemon. Ignoring the thought, his mind was based on Pikachu and Meowth, until they finally pushed the board off of them. Meowth's back was slightly purple, and badly and seriously bruised. Pikachu's legs were a little sprained as he claimed.

"Meowth... Pikachu..." Ash began.
"Go on wid da play... Keep on goin' wid da lines... This play can't be ruined..." Meowth said.
"But... what about-" Ash asked.
"Don't worry 'bout me. It's my scene anyway." Meowth winked.

Pikachu followed his lines and rested his head on Meowth. Meowth played dead himself, hoping that the audience would buy it. They did, apparently.

"It's all right, Little Pikachu... It's all right..."

Until finally the curtains closed. The play wasn't over yet, but they needed to take Meowth and Pikachu straight to the hospital.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm afraid that one of our actors has been injured and is taken straight to the hospital. So we will leave this moment as a short break. Thank you." Becky said to the audience.

INTERRUPTION OF SCENE TEN

In the Pokemon Center, Pikachu's legs were okay, but sprained just as well as he said. But Meowth suffered a serious back injury and a bruised arm. The gang was gathered around the hospital bed, hoping that the Pokemon hadn't taken too much injury.

"Oh, Meowth, we should have took you here sooner." Becky said.
"If you let da audience buy it, it's no problem." Meowth said.
"Meowth, you almost got yourself killed! That board weighed more than 400 pounds!" Misty exclaimed.
"I've soivived numerous blast offs, and I totally soivived this." Meowth said.
"But wont you be back in time to see the ending?" Ash asked.
"I dunno... But I t'ink ya betta get back befo' dey leave."

Slowly, one by one, they left the room, except for Pikachu.

"Pika Pika..." Pikachu said.
"I'll be fine." Meowth said. "You just wait."

Back at the play, the audience was startled by the incident and were more than worried to Meowth and Pikachu. That is, until Becky came back with a sad look on her face.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the sudden intermission and incident. Our Pikachu is all right, but the Meowth has taken a serious injury to the back and arm."

The audience gasped.

"Yet, he will be okay, since that he claims that the injury couldn't last long. Best off, we better get on with the play."

A lot of people in the audience clapped really quietly.

CONTINUATION OF SCENE TEN

By morning, James and Ash had just finished burying Meowth by the river. Pikachu was laying beside the grave as he weeped for his best friend. The emotion that Ash, James, Jessie, Misty, May and Pikachu were feeling right now was the sorrow that Meowth was terribly hurt. Ash couldn't get the image of the board landing on the two Pokemon and creating such pain. Pikachu wanted to go back to the hospital, but he couldn't leave the play. He continued to weep as a few girls in the audience weeped as well.

"In the days that followed, they all grieved for Old Meowth. It was hard to know whose heart was broke the most."

Months soon after they buried Meowth, Pikachu was acting awfully strange. He barely ate, and he didn't feel like doing any activities with Ash anymore.

"Pa, I'm gonna go check on Little Pikachu." Ash said to James.

He walked over to Pikachu's little bed outside near the house. His head was hanging out with constant sorrow and depression.

"What's wrong, little guy? You have to eat something." Ash said as he showed Pikachu's bowl of Pokemon food to him. "Please?"

Pikachu didn't budge from his bed to eat just a nibble.

"Sometimes you just know what's gonna happen, even if you wont listen to the voice that tells you so. And as sure as Ash knew that winter was coming and they were moving to Tulsa, he knew Little Pikachu's heart was broke, and he didn't want to live without Old Meowth. But he wasn't gonna admit it, and he wasn't gonna let him go without a fight."

"Little Pikachu!" Ash called.

For a number of hours, Pikachu was nowhere to be found around the farm. Ash knew Pikachu was depressed enough, but this was too serious.

"Little Pikachu! Pikachu? Little Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed. "Where is he?" Ash asked James.
"He ain't in the barn, son. Have you checked in the house?" James asked.
"I looked there already." he responded.

A sight of Old Meowth made him think... could he have something to do with Pikachu's disappearance? Pikachu has been acting strange for a while, and he knew that all he could think about was Meowth. It hit him. Pikachu must be over at Meowth's grave. Ash ran to the valley, while James set his Pokemon feed down and ran with him. Behind, Jessie ran with the boys with her nightgown and robe on. Ash soon spotted a yellow creature laying right beside Meowth's grave.

It was Pikachu! But something was wrong. Pikachu wasn't moving or sleeping. Ash fell to his knees and spotted his Pikachu leaning on the grave. James spotted Pikachu as well, until a terrible and scared expression shot on his face. Jessie slowed down and put her hand over her mouth. They all knew...

Little Pikachu was dead.

He surely didn't want to live without his Pokemon companion any longer, which literally caused him his life from depression. Ash started to cry, disappointed.

"I don't understand... I prayed for both of my Pokemon... and now they're both dead." Ash said.

James slowly kneeled down beside him to calm him of the shot over expression he has overcome.

"Your momma said some prayers, too, Ash, and 'cause of your Pokemon... those prayers were answered. I need to get started. Little Pikachu deserves a proper burial box." James said as he stood up and walked back to the barn.

It was Jessie's turn to catch the glimpse of the dead Pikachu. She took off her robe and covered it around Pikachu like a blanket.

"Momma?... Do you think God made a heaven for Pokemon?" Ash asked.
"I'm sure He did, Ash." Jessie said as she gave Ash a peck on the head.

"I'm sure He did..."

END OF SCENE TEN

Ash walked in the lounge alone, while Pikachu was in the other lounge, still thinking about Meowth. Misty came in the lounge and sat beside Ash on the couch.

"I hope he's okay..." Ash said.
"He is, Ash. Meowth is the most indestructible Pokemon in Team Rocket." Misty said.

"We gotta continue this play for him... It's almost over, but we're learning how much we care about our enemies. Including Meowth." Ash said.

Misty put her hand on Ash's hand.

"We'll do it for Meowth... We'll finish it... for Meowth." Misty said.

Ash smiled.

TO BE CONTINUED...