Author's notes: Yes, I'm NOT dead. Sometimes I felt like I wanted to die (being sick isn't exactly fun), but no, not dead. Now I'm tempted to keep on chattering on and on about this or that, but I won't. If you spot errors, feel free to mention them, I did type this up late at night, so errors are entirely possible.

Like last chapter, Trevor is not my character. Nor are Ash, Misty, Brock, or Pikachu. I'm just borrowing them from various sources. Nor do I claim pokemon as my own, Nintendo and whatever holds the rights to it. /disclaimer


Planning:

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Chris appeared in the middle of a clearing, beside a lake that was surrounded by forest. Kani and the others pokemon, as well as Sanja, were in the middle of setting up camp. Teskara had become handy with her vines, so she was a great help in setting up camp.

The gifted one smiled bitterly, and then joined the others in setting up. The entire camp was silent, even though usually they joked or at least talked during setup time. Even Mathrara, their common source of bad jokes and irritation (at times) was silent, and just used his psychic abilities to help set up camp.

Eventually, Sanja broke the silence, saying, "Well, now what do we do? We forming a bigger group, or…"

Chris looked over at Kani, and the two shook their heads in synchrony. "No, we're not." (Not going to happen.) Dasban sent the two a quizzical look, so Chris explained tiredly, "I don't trust him. Period. Ash is a nice guy, and so are his friends, but to be honest… well, I just don't trust that kid. He's just too self-assured, cocky."

Someone muttered quietly (Same could be said for us…)

Chris chuckled, while Sanja, upon hearing the translation, glared around. Eventually, Sanja said coolly, "Maybe. Mew knows I'm screwed up, and Chris isn't much better, sometimes…" Chris shrugged, remaining quiet as she continued, "But… well, we're risking our lives. If we can't trust someone, we don't have them with us… well, maybe that Houndoom, I think he's got his own moral code that wouldn't harm us…"

Chris shrugged again, as Kani commented, (He's gone, though. Knowing our luck, we'll run into him again. But Ash, Misty, and Brock aren't going to be able to find us. And who knows which way that Trevor kid will go; he's got what he wants now.)

Mathrara and Gra exchanged a look, the two 'prankster pokemon' seemingly communicating in a language that only they knew. Eventually, Mathrara added softly, (Gra told me he's shielding us with his abilities. Psionic wavelengths here can only go a certain distance before they fade, so no psychic pokemon can track us. I could go get Ash…)

The pokemon and their trainers looked thoughtful, before Sanja slowly shook her head, as did Krited, moving its entire body from side to side. The two looked at each other, before Sanja said quietly, "I get the feeling that… well, Ash, Misty, and Brock are old friends. Sorta feels like we'd be intruding."

Chris laughed, earning him a glare from her. He said with a weak smile, "Sorry Sanja, but I've never seen this side of you before."

Sanja rolled her restored red eyes, and muttered quietly under her breath. Krited chuckled 'loudly' through psionic wavelength, but no one cared to ask what she'd said.


Chris snapped awake in the middle of the night, and crawled out of his tent. It wasn't raining outside, but it was misting fairly bad, so if they'd slept under the sky, they would be soaked by morning… though right now, his attention was caught by Teskara, who was standing out in the moonlight, just looking skyward.

His footsteps must have been loud enough for the Bayleef to hear him, but she didn't react, other then turning to look at him from the corner of her eye, then looking back at the moon, which was shining through the cloud cover somehow. The two stood there silently, Chris softly massaging her neck, until she broke the silence, saying softly, (I just don't understand humans, and sometimes… what are you?) Chris looked at her curiously, and she shook her head, before adding quietly, (You're unique, I guess, in that you empathize with us so much. But most humans seem to be… so cruel to us, making others battle, even when they don't want to. So… why are there so many bad humans?)

Chris sighed, and looked skyward. Somehow, he was wishing that Rayquaza or another wise legendary was here (Kani had told him that Mew had shadowed them for a bit, but he hadn't seen a sign of her since he'd last spotted her), but none were. "I really don't know, Teskara. We're… very weird, in our behavior, sometimes." He laughed weakly, and then said bitterly, "Take a look at the main church that most follow. It kills people 'in the name of the one true god', but they claim their god is love. They use fear regularly to make people terrified of psychics and gifted ones, but preach love. I can't understand how people can follow such a hypocritical group, but they do."

Teskara shifted her neck so that he was scratching at a point right behind one of her leaves, and moaned softly. She didn't comment for a short while, then asked, (Could you… erm… get either Kani or Anekiro? They've been helping me try to understand the way things are… I had a sheltered life, until I was kidnapped.)

Chris smiled faintly, and mentally reached out. Both pokemon were exhausted, and didn't seem willing to wake up. Slowly, he shook his head. "Sorry, they're both too tired to wake up. I'll help, if I can, though."

Teskara looked up at Chris, then asked softly, (Could you… well, could you get Revae?)

Slowly, he shrugged, and walked back to Sanja's tent. He slipped his hand inside; using his telepathic sense to search for where the Lapras's pokeball was, and grabbed it (it was too far in, so he had to slip most of his body inside). He carefully sent a message to Sanja that her awakening mind would make sense of, if she woke up before he returned the pokeball. He also said softly to Gra, who was giving him a curious look, "Teskara needs to talk to her."

The ghost nodded solemnly, ruining the image of a perpetual prankster. His perpetual grin was there, but the serious expression in the ghost's eyes betrayed that he noticed. He waved his ghostly hand, and Chris pulled his torso out of the tent.

He walked back to the Bayleef, who had not moved from her spot, and was still looking at the moon, before releasing the large Lapras in a patch of soft soil. She (Revae) looked around, and then spotted both Chris and Teskara. With a faint smile, she said softly, (Teskara dear, is something wrong?)

The Bayleef nodded slowly, looking at the motherly Lapras. Chris, getting the feeling he was intruding, started to leave, but Revae sent him a look, before saying (stay, it'll help.) He nodded slowly, and rejoined the two.

Teskara looked warily at Chris, before hanging her head. (I… well, when we were at that… place… I…)

Revae said simply (Did you remember something? You told me earlier you can't remember some periods of your life… would you like me or Chris to help you? His power could help your mind heal, if I understand things correctly.)

The Bayleef looked unnerved by the offer, and swiftly shook her head, the leaf on her forehead swaying a great deal. (No!) She blinked a few times, then said, (I… I just remember emotions. Fear… I was so terrified… I…)

Revae gained a thoughtful look, gentle appearance softening even more. After a few moments, she asked with a careful note in her voice, (Do you remember anything else? Were you… younger, or was this more recent?)

Teskara seemed a bit surprised by Revae going at such a tangent, before closing her eyes, apparently trying to remember. Several shudders wracked her form, before she opened her eyes, looking pained. (Recent. I evolved only two weeks before I met everyone… but I was as tall then as I am now. The strange thing is, I can't remember most of those days… I just know that it seemed like years, for some reason.)

Revae's eyes widened, and she looked at Chris, her eyes becoming vaguely purple-colored. Chris took a few moments to realize her hint, and formed a telepathic link with the motherly Lapras, asking in a 'whisper' that Teskara couldn't hear, and (What do you think happened?) Physically, he reached over, and rubbed several points on Teskara's body, pressure points for the Bayleef. After some time, she started to relax, her muscles going from their hyper-tense state to a more relaxed one.

Revae 'said' back over the temporary link, (I believe that this poor girl has had a lot of pain in her past. This Jake sounds deserving of death.) The fierce look that flashed across her face would have put a Gyarados to shame. In her normal voice, she said consolingly, (Don't worry so much about it, dear. If you are meant to remember, you will. I'll make sure that I stay with you until you decide if you want to remember, if it helps.)

The Bayleef looked at the two, her eyes wide. (Why wouldn't I want to remember?)

Chris shot Revae a look, and the Lapras shut her mouth, instead letting him speak. He said in a very soft tone, "Teskara, if I could, I'd probably like to forget some things myself, including some of the things that happened in that gym." The Bayleef shuddered, but nodded weakly, and seemed a bit surprised when Revae nodded slightly as well. Chris continued quietly, "There are things that it might help us, as people or pokemon, to forget. I honestly would like to forget about several things that happened in my life." A guilty look flashed across his face, one that was obvious enough for both pokemon to spot it, and recognize it. They remained silent, but Revae said as well, (The same applies for us all, I suspect. We all have done things we want to forget, or things happen that we wish we could. Sometimes, my dreams are racked by nightmares of what happened to my first daughter.)

Teskara looked down, a guilty expression on her face. (Maybe it's best if I don't remember.)

Chris said simply, "Perhaps. Perhaps not. It seems like every living thing's nature to be curious though… so maybe your curiosity is necessary."

The Bayleef blinked slowly, then nodded. (Thank you. I… I'm going to go to sleep now.) She looked up at the Lapras, and said as she turned away, (I wish I had you for my mother, Revae.)

She walked back into the tent, leaving behind Chris and a very surprised Lapras. Chris looked at her, and she said in a tone of surprise, (I… that's a surprise…)

Chris smiled slightly. "You've been the mother of the group, Revae, Kani's told me about that."

The Lapras smiled weakly, then bowed her head, looking down. (It just took me back. I knew the girl needed a woman in her life that cared about her, and Kani isn't able to do that. She can become an older sister, but not a mother…) Chris smiled slightly, then nodded, staying quiet. The Lapras closed her eyes, thinking, before saying, (I'd best go back to my ball now. You need your sleep, and I need to think.)

Chris nodded, and returned her, slipping the ball back inside Sanja's tent. With a massive yawn, he walked back into his own, changed out of his now-damp clothing (which was rumpled from sleep anyway), and went to sleep.


Ash, Misty, and Brock followed the leading pokemon, Crobat, as it flew towards whatever it had seen. They'd gone back to town, but Chris and Sanja hadn't been seen there (and Misty had noted that the redhead, with her figure, would be remembered, before she had to clobber Brock for drooling). The end result was the three riding on two flying pokemon, looking around for them. They'd spotted Trevor walking away from Fuchsia and the (wrecked) mansion-turned-gym. Apparently, he'd trashed it before he left.

Ash had wanted to fly down, but Misty pointed out that the younger trainer had gotten what he wanted, and wasn't likely to want to come with (especially since he'd just barely managed to recover his stolen pokemon).

They'd searched since returning from Fuchsia, but hadn't spotted the two trainers, and had been forced to land when the sun set, since it was too dark to see. Brock had released his Crobat, and it had spotted something last night, so they were following it as soon as dawn broke (waking Ash had been a nightmare for Brock, until Misty took pity on him).

The bat pokemon stopped, and hovered over an area. Brock, riding Charizard (alone, since Ash and Misty seemed to want some personal time) was first look down, and see two tents, as well as an Espeon and Ninetales sitting, apparently just watching the sun finish rising.

Charizard started to descend, but Brock called softly to him, "Don't go down yet. Let's wait for Ash and Misty to catch up."

With a muttered growl, the dragon-like fire pokemon agreed. Ash and Misty caught up after a few minutes (Gyarados was not meant to be a flying pokemon, so it was slower in the air), and the three set down, to be greeted by surprised looks from the two pokemon.

A Haunter flew out of one of the tents, and seemed to be just as surprised as the other two pokemon were that the three were there. Brock chuckled at the utterly shocked expression the ghost had, while Misty and Ash yawned, still apparently sleepy. Normally, those two wouldn't wake up until the sun had been up for at least an hour, maybe three.

With a smile on his face, he looked at the camp, then set to gathering firewood for making breakfast. It seemed to be the most productive thing to do, since he didn't want to wake the redheaded Sanja (who would probably murder him in her sleep), or Chris if he had a choice (the trainer, while he was a nice guy, gave Brock the willies sometimes).

Ash and Misty had apparently fallen asleep while he gathered firewood, the two were sitting on the damp ground, supporting each other as they leaned against each other.

He was envious of the two, though he didn't envy Ash for Misty… the woman (she wasn't a girl anymore) had long since done enough damage to his skull and ears that he would rather be alone than with her romantically.


About an hour later, both the berserker-psychic and gifted one were awake, and looking curiously at the three trainers who had appeared while they slept. Well, until Kani filled them in on how they arrived.

Sanja asked the first question, saying, "I thought you had to be careful."

Ash shrugged, as did Misty. Brock took on a guarded look, before smirking slightly. Misty said, "We called our families. You met Crystal before… well, she's taken over for me, since my no-good sisters left. I told them to stay low, and keep it that way, unless they want to meet plenty of Rockets. Turns out they're aiming for Gym Leaders anyway, they told me they've gotten attacked twice already, so they're staying abroad."

Brock looked fierce for a moment, then said calmly, "I'd like to see the Rocket that can get into the gym these days. Pewter Gym is closed to the training public while I, the Gym Leader, am abroad training. I set up a security system that's worth its weight in gold, not even a ghost-pokemon can get through it without getting vaporized. My family is safe." Ash looked in surprise at Brock, who simply shrugged. "I take care of my family. It's as simple as that."

Chris and Sanja exchanged looks. Kani, who looked slightly put off, walked up to Ash's Pikachu, and asked, (Can they deal with this?) Chris, who was listening in (Kani had a hard time shutting him out of her conversations, even when they didn't involve him, they were tightly tied mentally, ever since she entered his mind), blinked curiously, then shot Pikachu a curious look.

Slowly, it nodded. (Ash is tough. He's come back to life a few times after being dead… I think we'll be fine. Besides, having a pokemon master helping would help, wouldn't it?)

Chris laughed quietly. Ash asked curiously, "What did he say?" Chris merely smiled, then said, "I think Al mentioned you, Ash, awhile ago in a phone conversation."

Ash blushed, and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh. So now you know. Hope this doesn't mean I get treated different, I'm sort of sick of the celebrity treatment."

Misty snorted quietly, while both Sanja and Chris shook their heads, nearly identical smirks on their faces. Sanja said for them, "No, we won't treat you like a celebrity. But I will knock you around if you're like your perverted friend."

Brock scowled, and Sanja merely smirked, slowly leaning down, and giving him a brief peak of her cleavage, which caused the 'tough gym leader' to drool. She then quickly rose, and crossed her arms over her chest. "See my point?"

Ash laughed, as Misty gained a dark look. "Don't worry about it. Misty would hit me so many times with her hammer, I'd probably have a broken skull, no matter how hard my skull supposedly is. Besides, I don't betray someone I love."

Misty laughed, and pecked him on the cheek. Chris and Sanja looked away, earning bemused glances from the pokemon that knew about their predicament. Eventually, Ash broke the silence that fell, and asked, "So where to?"

Chris looked over, and then looked thoughtful. "Cinnabar Island isn't occupied by Rockets, their base was burned down there, and they don't see a reason to have a base there, from what I understand. Neither do they have one at the island chain between here and Fuchsia, though there was supposedly a plan involving that place...

Ash shook his head. "Don't worry about that. Misty, Broke, and I were there, they were trying to capture Articuno, who doesn't live there anymore. We busted them up, they're in prison somewhere now." He brushed an errant strand of hair back under his cap, and muttered, "If only the two idiots who keep on following us were so easy to loose…"


Elsewhere, two Rockets sneezed. Meowth looked at the two, and widened one eye, mimicking an arched eyebrow, though he lacked an eyebrow to arch. "Sounds like da twerps are talking about you again."

Both sneezed again, and James said weakly, "Probably. Every time we get colds, we find out later that people know about us the next time we try to steal their pokemon."

Jesse blew her nose on a tissue conjured from somewhere, and muttered something mutely.


Chris chuckled quietly, and Ash raised an eyebrow. He said simply, "I heard that… anyway, I'd say we go… well, back home for me. Celadon." He looked northwest, a long look on his face. "If I read things right from that administrator's mind, one of Rocket commands is in the upper part of town, and they're recruiting a lot of people from the slums."

Ash looked thoughtful, as did Brock. Brock said with a grin on his face, "I'm good for it."

Misty looked at him, curiously, before grabbing his ear, and yanking it downward so that he hit the dirt with a cry. Furiously, she shouted at him, "You are not getting anywhere near the gym, do you hear me!"

Ash, Sanja, and Chris all had a bead of sweat coming from their heads, watching Misty badger Brock. Most of the pokemon did as well.


In the distance, the Houndoom watched the gathering with a long expression on his face. He missed his old trainer… and she had served as his foster mother, raising him since he was a pup. He envied that Bayleef, who had so many people to go to.

With a sad look on his face, he looked northwest as well. His hearing was sharp enough to hear what had been said, and he believed he might as well go in that direction anyway.

With skills born of his traveling with her, he followed the five trainers. He caught a whiff of the other trainer (the brat)'s smell, but it was weak, so he must be in the general area, but nowhere close.

Just as well. He still was torn between ripping his throat out, and letting him live. His moral code was having a tough time deciding, since burning him to death was not an option. That only happened to traitors, and being coerced negated becoming a traitor, though death could still be warranted.

He growled, and killed a Rattata that was passing by for his breakfast, venting his pent-up fury for the time being.