Day 6

Mild and cool
Current mood: content
Current location: En route to Violet City

Dear Diary:

The sunrise this morning was quite awe inspiring, but what makes today's sunrise (and sunset) unlike any other? I got to see it from high above the ground! That's right, we're camped on a mountain for tonight! Quite appropriately, all our campfire songs this evening had something to do with mountains and rivers...but right now, Ash is already asleep, so I'm using a flashlight to light my work area so I don't wake him.

When we first arrived on the mountain, the view was amazing...but Ash just HAD to yodel and cause an avalanche. Not that he was a good yodeler to begin with, but still...

After we had recovered enough to climb out of the rocks, Ash spotted a Donphan, and tried to catch it, but Brock said that HE wanted it for breeding purposes. Thankfully, Misty broke them up before the situation got too out of hand...she may have the short temper, but every so often she'll play the peacemaker--when she wants to, that is!

The Donphan must've been panicked by all the yelling and screaming, and ran away! Brock tried summoning Onix to catch it, but Onix was flattened by a Rollout attack! Ash decided to send Heracross to help--but before the duel could go any further, the Donphan's owner, a young lady named Rochelle, came to rescue it! She was not too happy with us for trying to catch her Donphan, but Ash quickly apologized--buying Brock time to go into "crazy romantic" mode. I on the other hand, was interested in the pretty orange stone in her necklace...which I later learned was amberite, a jewel worn by kings and nobility in medieval times. My daydreams of Ash being a king were soon shattered when Ash told me we were heading off to camp...oh well. Maybe I can get an amberite for myself in the morning...

Until tomorrow,
Pikachu

Day 7

Sunny, but cool
Current mood: cheerful
Current location: En route to Violet City; on the peaks of Mt. Amber

Dear Diary:

Rochelle brought us food this morning...but she wasn't her normal and happy self today. Her youngest Donphan--the one we tried to catch yesterday--had gone missing; and she was frantically searching for it. She had been trying to teach it to dig for amberites when it wandered off...and its captors looked like a guy, a girl, and a talking Meowth...now who does THAT sound like? If that description isn't painfully obvious, I don't know what is!

We found Team Rocket on another peak, unsuccessfully digging for amberites. Ash demanded that they give the Donphan back, but they chose to sic Arbok and Victreebel on us! Brock summoned Onix to Bind them, but he only managed to get Victreebel, who put Onix to sleep right then and there!

With Onix out of the picture, Misty and Ash joined the duel while Brock and I went to rescue the Donphan. Poliwag managed to knock out both Victreebel AND Arbok (which is amazing for such a little guy like him), and Heracross popped their Meowth balloon before Team Rocket could escape...so the only thing left to do was Thunderbolt them into the stratosphere...but knowing them, they'll be back and ready for more.

Rochelle was so happy, she showed us how she digs for amberite...the Donphan charge into the peak; which dislodges the nearby rocks and frees the amberite enough for her to pick it up. As a reward, she gave us each an amberite--mine is in the little pouch Ash's mom made for me before we left (I told her I'd collect souveniers from Johto).

It's a shame we have to climb down this mountain tomorrow...I could stay up here forever and admire the view...but there's plenty other places in Johto to see...

I can hear everyone singing ouside...sounds like Brock wrote a song about the mountain...so I'll close this with a verse and a little piece of the chorus:

I hear her voice...in the morning hours, she calls me,
The radio reminds me of my home far away...
And walking down the road, I get a feeling that I should've been home yesterday...yesterday....

Country roads...take me home...to the place...I belong...

Until tomorrow,
Pikachu

Day 8

Cold and humid
Current mood: frightened
Current location: En route to Violet City; in the Forest of Illusion

Dear Diary:

Oh boy...first we camp on a majestic mountain, and today we have to camp in a spooky old forest...and I'm scared that a Gastly might hypnotize me or confuse me...or worse, eat my dreams! It makes me shiver just thinking about it! Not only that, but the old house we're staying in is creaking a lot; and it's scaring me so much, I can't sleep!

I could ask Brock to get his guitar out and sing his mountain song again to get me to go back to sleep; but he appears to be sleeping peacefully, so I guess I'll just write until I feel tired again, so here goes...

How did we wind up in here, you ask? The scare-fest began early this morning, when we all started hearing weird noises and seeing scary faces on the trees...and while we were running away in panic, I caught a glance at what--or should I say, who--was scaring us: our old rival Gary and a Hoothoot!

After we got a chance to stop and rest, Gary came and taunted us about being scared...but he did drop a little hint for us before he went on his way: The only way to get out of the Forest of Illusion is to find a Hoothoot to guide you. With that thought in mind, we began our search for a Hoothoot.

It didn't take us very long before we found one...I suppose you could say that this Hoothoot found us. He came right up to Misty and nibbled her toes...but when Ash tried to talk to him, he was the not-so-proud recipient of a faceful of Hoothoot beak (Funny!) I wasn't the only one that thought this was funny; Brock got out a camera and took a picture! (and Ash is still mad at him for doing that!)

Ash took me to give the Hoothoot a Thunderbolt for pecking him, but before I could charge up, I received a Hoothoot beak in my face too! I nearly expected Brock to take a picture of me writhing in pain (therefore allowing me to share in Ash's humiliation), but before any of us could do anything else, we met the Hoothoot's owner: an odd old lady named Hagatha. Thankfully, Brock knew better than to go into "crazy romantic" mode this time.

We learned that Hagatha lends Hoothoot guides to help travelers through the Forest of Illusion; but she had just sent out her last Hoothoot this afternoon...so here we are in Hagatha's old, creaky house, waiting for a Hoothoot to return....maybe then we can get out of here and continue on our way to Violet City.

Well, my eyes are feeling heavy and I can barely hold my pencil...so I guess I'll try to get some sleep...

Until tomorrow,
Pikachu

Day 9

Cold, but sunny
Current mood: exhausted.
Current location: Just outside the Forest of Illusion, en route to Violet City

Dear Diary:

And I thought yesterday's adventure in the Forest of Illusion was weird...today topped yesterday in the weird department by a long shot!

It turned out that the Hoothoot we got was inexperienced at guiding, judging from how scared she was from all the illusions...but in my confusion trying to figure out which of all the fire and traps was real, I felt a rope around me...and it certainly felt like a real rope!

Ash realized that Team Rocket was pulling me up into their little tree house overlooking the forest...but the forest conjured up a Dragonite to knock them down! (allowing me to wriggle out of the ropes into Ash's arms) That Dragonite illusion should keep them busy for a while...at least until they figure out it's an illusion, anyway.

But the forest was not done toying with us yet...next, it started to duplicate Ash! While Misty and Brock were scratching their heads in confusion, I simply just shocked the duplicates, sending the real Ash to the ground...

Then, it conjured up a bunch of bugs to scare Misty! That gave the young Hoothoot the courage to fend off all the illusions--and exposed a few Haunters in a bush, enjoying our apparent confusion and fear. Thankfully, they're no match for a well placed Thunderbolt! With that, we made it out of the forest without incident, and set up camp by the road.

I only wish that our next adventure is not so scary or confusing...but we'll just wait and see.

Until tomorrow,
Pikachu