Chapter three: Meeting a Family Friend
When the rays of the sun hit the faces of Ashley and Mist they awoke from their sleep. "We're alive?" Mist asked.
"I don't want to have another night like that again! Let's go home Mist." Ashley whined.
"You know we can't do that! No mater how bad things are out here we can't get everyone sick!"
"Um, Mist."Ashley tried to say.
"So even if we have to spend the rest of our lives out here in a barren, dying world…" Mist Continued.
"Mist!" Ashley shouted.
"What? What is it?" Mist asked annoyed.
"Look around us." She said. The world outside of their valley was not what they had expected. The trees were full of green leaves and soft grass was at there feet. This was no wasteland.
"We couldn't have gone back to the outer part of town last night. We never doubled back." Mist said.
"Well they did say the plague happened twelve years ago so maybe so of the plants grew back." Ashley suggested. Just then their stomach growled.
"Well if there are plants then there must by fruit or something like that out here. I mean without humans what would the Pokemon eat?" Mist said.
"Each other maybe."
"I don't think all of them would, Dad wouldn't have a friend that would try to eat him."
"Daddy, Mommy." Ashley sobbed.
"We're out here so they won't get into trouble because of us. I miss them too, but we just have each other now so we both need to be strong."
"Okay." Ashley wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Now let's find some breakfast. If we see a Pokemon eat something and it doesn't get sick it should be safe to eat."
"Just remember not to touch them. If we do will get sick and skin will turn grey, we'll get a fever and soon we would start to rot." Ashley said sacred.
At around the same time Brock and his family were starting their morning routine. "I better make sure Mist and Ashley are up. They can go back home after school and we can all begin to put yesterday behind us." Brock said.
"I'll take them to school with Freda and Mark." Lucy said.
But when Brock got to the living room he saw that the children of his best friends were not in the sleeping bags and the clothes they brought were gone. "This isn't good; I know Ash and Misty would have taught them to never go out without permission." Brock thought. Brock went to the phone as his family came in.
"Is something wrong Dad?" Freda asked. She had long black hair like her mother and eyes like her father and wore a green dress.
"Mist and Ashley are gone. Lucy, I want to take the children to school; I'll call the Mayor and begin a search." Brock said.
"Yes dear, come along children." Lucy said opening the door.
"Dad will they be okay?" Mark asked. He had brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a blue shirt and blue jeans.
"Don't worry son we'll find them." Brock told his son as they went out the door. "Hello? Mayor Needle, This is Brock Shale; the Ketchum children are missing.
Back at the Forest Mist was climbing a tree to get some berries. "That was a big bug huh Ashley? It was eating some of these pink berries so they must be good." He said trying to reach some Peacha berries talking about the Butterfree they saw.
"Be careful, you might fall!" Ashley said.
"Don't worry I almost… got them!" But at that moment the branch broke and Mist fell out of the tree along with something else. "Ow!" He said as he looked up. No one back in Sweet Valley ever taught him not to look a Primeape in the eye.
"He looks mad, run!"Ashley shouted as they ran from the trashing Pokemon.
"He won't stop!" Mist said. The two continued to run and scream until they were cornered against a rock face. "Even if we survive the beating we'll get infected!"
It seemed bleak until. "Pikachu!" A bolt of electricity hit the pig monkey making run off.
"Mist that's a Pikachu! A real Pikachu!" Ashley said.
"Ashley stay back you could get sick!" Misty warned as the Pikachu sniffed at them and jumped at them.
Ashley was screaming as the Pikachu rubbed against the girls legs. "Huh? Why isn't he attacking us?" she asked.
"Does it matter? Sis you touched a real Pokemon so you're going to die! I don't want to die all alone out here!" Mist said panicked.
"But brother shouldn't my skin be turning grey now? Mr. Fundsworth taught in history class that first symptom of the disease happens in minutes but I seem fine." Ashley said looking at her arms.
"Well… maybe…you know you're right maybe he isn't toxic." Mist said.
"So maybe we can still go back home?" Ashley asked.
"No! We still just get our parents in trouble! Everyone in town would point at us and say there are the kids of Ash and Misty Ketchum the law breakers!" Mist said.
"Pikapi? Pikachupi? Pika Pika Pikachu!" the Pikachu said pulling at Ashley skirt.
"What is he trying to say?" Ashley asked.
"He seemed to get excited when I said their names… Ashley! This is not just any Pikachu. This is Daddy's Pikachu; his old friend! He wants us to take him to see Mommy and Daddy!" Mist exclaimed.
"Daddy's Pikachu." She looked at the yellow Pokemon and gave it a big hug. "I so glad you found us! We heard so many stories! I feel like I already know you."
"Things are not at all like the grown ups told us they would be outside of Sweet Valley. But they came there before we were born so maybe the plague that killed everyone outside is gone now!" Mist said.
"Pika?" Pikachu seemed to ask.
"What's wrong?" Mist asked. Pikachu just shook his head. "Well the problem is we're lost and we can't find our way back home so we can't take you to them." Pikachu then looked around and saw a Zigzagoon and began to it to talk to it. Then the raccoon Pokemon sniffed the children using odor sleuth and both started to make there way Pikachu wave the children to come. "Cool that other Pokemon got our scent and we just have to back track I bet we'll be back home in no time."
"You know what's best about this? Mommy and Daddy's anniversary is soon seeing there old friend again will be the best surprise gift we can give them!" Ashley said.
Back at town a full search was under way for Ashley and Mist but with no one going as far as the town border. Ash and Misty were told what was happening. "This is my fault Misty; I broke the law and they ran away because their ashamed of their father." Ash said.
"Ash, don't think that; they are going to find them." Misty said.
"All I ask is they come home safe and I will never break the law again. I will be the best example I can be for them." Ash said.
"I hope our babies are all right. I would give anything to hold them in my arms again." Misty said.
The twins were close to the town border. Then something happened, Pikachu and the Zigzagoon covered their ears. The brown Pokemon ran off. "Hey, please stop Mr. Pokemon!" Ashley said.
"Where are you going? What's wrong?" Mist asked. Pikachu point to the near by pulse post.
"Oh, of course they post were made to keep Pokemon out of town so no one would get sick so it has to be doing something to drive them away." Ashley said.
"But how do we shut it off? No one ever told us how to do that?" Mist said.
Pikachu despite the ringing in his ears walk a little closer to the post. "Pikachu!" He let out a thunderbolt and over loaded the post. The two posts on either side were still on but Pikachu felt a little better.
"Now we can go home, maybe they already let Mommy and Daddy out." Ashley said.
"Still we better keep Pikachu a secret for now. We don't want to spoil the surprise for Mommy and Daddy." Mist said as the trio stepped in to Sweet Valley.
In the Mayor office in town hall a message flashed on Mayor Needle's computer. "System error, system error." The computer said.
"Report." The Mayor said.
"Post 13 of grid 5G offline, Pokemon contamination probability 5%." The computer stated.
"That is five percent too much. I can not risk all I've worked for to be ruined." He picked up the phone. "This is the Mayor; we have a post down in the southeast corner of the valley. Finding those children is the top priority but we must get that post repaired immediately!"
The twins and Pikachu were close to town. "Maybe he should hide. Mom and Dad got in trouble for just a doll of a Pokemon if they found a real one before we can tell them that he's safe… I don't want to think about it." Ashley said.
"Well he better do it quick, because someone's coming this way." Mist said as Pikachu went into some nearby bushes.
"There you are!" It was Jessie, she wore a purple dress and was carrying her daughter Lizzie who had her father shade of purple hair and wore a white dress. "Where have you two been? The whole town has been searching for you!" Jessie scolded.
"We're sorry Mrs. Fundsworth." The twins said.
"I better get you to your parents. They are about to let them out; they have been so worried about you." Jessie said.
"Mama! Something's in the bushes." Lizzie said.
"I'm sure it's just to wind, princess." Jessie said as they walked away Pikachu following behind trying not to be seen.
Pikachu leapt from roof tops as they approached they town jail. From the entrance he saw his old friend that he had be looking for twelve years step out. "Mist! Ashley!" he said embracing his children, soon after Misty joined them.
"My babies! My sweet, sweet babies don't you ever; ever scare your father and me like that again! Why did leave Mr. Shale's house without telling anyone where you were?" Misty asked in tears.
"We…We just didn't wan to cause anymore problems for the community." Mist said crying.
"What?" Ash and Misty asked.
"You made that Pikachu doll for us. If we weren't around you never would have made it and wouldn't have got into trouble.
Ash looked his son and daughter in the eye. "No, we chose to make the doll and we had to take responsibility for it. Your mommy and I love you both so much and we want you to learn from our mistakes okay?"
"Yes Daddy." Ashley and Mist said.
"Okay then; now let's go home and have some dinner." Misty said.
"Just one moment please." It was Mayor Needle.
"Yes sir." Ash said.
"I would like to know where these children have been. A pulse post broke today and I just want to be sure that the children didn't come into contact with any Pokemon that might have slipped through. Well where were you two all day?" the mayor asked.
For the first time since they were very little the children lied. "We were at the mountain side at the north end of town." Mist said.
"Sure, the view was great!" Ashley said.
"Well we better get these kids home. Good to see you Mr. Mayor, and don't worry we've learned our lesson." Misty said.
Pikachu fallowed the family as they went home. "I'm so glad to find Ash and Misty after so long and I'm happy that they have great kids but why didn't they try to contact their families in so long? Mist said something about a disease. I better get to the bottom of this." Pikachu thought.
The family arrived at their house and Pikachu watched through a window. "We are very happy that you two are not hurt but that still doesn't mean you will not be punished." Ash said.
"Yes, Daddy." The children said. Ash and Misty sat down on the couch then Mist and Ashley put themselves over their parent's knees. Misty pulled up Ashley's skirt and pulled down her underwear, Ash pulled down Mist's shorts and underwear and both began to spank the twins.
"You scared everyone in town!" Misty shouted.
"You both could have been hurt!" Ash shouted.
"Never go out again without telling an adult where you are going and when you are going to be back!" both parents said.
"We're sorry! We'll never do it again, promise!" The children cried.
Ash and Misty stood their children up and put their clothes back to the way they were. "Now I want you two to stand in the corner and think about why what you did was wrong. Don't come out of those corners until we say you can." Misty said.
"Yes Mommy." Both children said.
"Daddy, Mommy?" Mist asked.
"Yes." Ash said.
"Did you have to think about why what did was wrong when you were in jail?"
"Yes. Yes we did." Ash said as he went into his and Misty's room. Pikachu went to the bedroom window unseen. "We haven't had to spank them in so long, I still hate it."
"Me too, we have to be better parents for them, we can't let them repeat our mistakes." Misty said.
"That is the hope of all parents I think." Ash said kissing Misty.
Later after the twins were told they could leave the corners the family had dinner and got ready for bed. Ashley and Mist were in Ashley's room. "Ok you two, time for bed." Misty said.
"Yes Mommy." The twins said then Mist left for his room.
Ashley heard a tapping at her window. She looked out to see Pikachu wave at her. "Goodnight Pikachu, see you tomorrow." She said.