Chapter Fifteen: Almost

*Author Note - Orange had awesome inspiration! She wrote this Chapter, so you better enjoy it! I only added a few things here and there... Enjoy the fluffiness at the end of the chapter! I dislike proofreading, but I keep doing it. I hope I caught all the mistakes, but I might have missed something.

Disclaimer: We don't own Pokémon, of course we don't! We aren't Japanese, and aren't good at drawing, so... It's not ours.*

And here is the New Chapter! It is Chapter Fifteen: Almost

Pikachirate's Point of View

I had a strange feeling something was wrong. So the moment Violet left, I started running - it was weird, small lights were flying all around me, they were everywhere. I had never seen them before, never taken the time to take a close look around the Island - and only wanted to find Pichu.

Damn this jungle. Why did she have to see the Island? Now I have to find her. Why can't she just stay in one place? It's too hot to search for someone on this island.

Luckily Esmeralda isn't hard to find, so Pichu wouldn't be hard to find either. I was walking the path I knew they took this morning. They were nowhere to be found.

"BOOO!" Esmeralda jumped out of the grass. I hadn't noticed her being there. Maybe she and Pichu were playing hide and seek? Pichu must be somewhere around if that was the case.

"Where is Pichu?" I asked her. Esmeralda stopped with running in circles around me - she had a lot of Berries with her - and began to grin.

"She is following the Shuca Berries of course!" She struck a super-hero pose pointing toward the West. She almost tumbled over when she lost her balance.

I hoped she didn't mean that. It better be some sort of game. She can't be serious. Or is she? You never know with Esmeralda. I decided to play along.

"And why is she following the Shuca Berries?" I really didn't know what to make out of the story. I had to know where Pichu was. My tracking skills were taking a day off, just like my slacking Crew. It wasn't the best day for not having my tracking skills.

Esmeralda wasn't paying attention to me; she was taking a sniff from every flower she saw. "To find Lake Vaporeon, of course!" She said it like it was well-known by everyone.

A lake? "What does she want to do in Lake Vaporeon?" It didn't make sense, she can't swim, so why does she want to see the lake? What's the point? She could have stayed with Esmeralda and enjoyed the flowers. That would be more fun than sitting near a lake.

"To find the apple trees," she said in a slightly hurt voice. "She didn't like the Berries, so she is going to search for the apples." What? She went alone! Didn't she know it's dangerous out there?

I sighed.

Now I really needed to find her. I looked at the West and thought about what Esmeralda had said. I don't think I have to follow the 'Shuca Berries'. I better go to the North.

I waved Esmeralda goodbye, but she didn't see it, as she was busy with her Berries. I started running through the forest. It was hard, since there was no path, but I am sure this is the right way. I think my tracking-senses had returned.

The forest became thinner after a while, and the path became more like a path. That probably meant I'm on the right track. Only moments later it became very hot and the trees slowly disappeared. Rocks came in their place.

I wasn't so sure now. What if Esmeralda was right? Maybe I should have followed the Shuca Berries. Whatever that would mean. After thinking about it, I felt more confident this was the right path.

I just kept on running. And bolting. And - after an hour - I finally saw what I was looking for. The apple trees! I was glad to see I reached my goal. I knew I took the right path!

There were some Leafeon laying in the sunshine here and a few Flareon enjoying the heat, but Pichu was nowhere to be found. Maybe the Leafeon and Flareon had seen her? It couldn't hurt to ask, could it?

I ran toward one of the apple trees. The Leafeon made no effort to show they noticed me - neither did the Flareon - although I knew they did. "Have you seen a Pichu?" I asked the one closest to me.

The Leafeon looked confused, and the head went to the side. All Leafeon looked at me, with a puzzled look. The Flareon stared at me, I wasn't able to read them.

He frowned when he answered. "What is a Pichu?"

I forgot the Pokémon on the island didn't know about the outside. The only Pokémon they knew about were Crew members, and of course Eevee and its Eeveelutions. I would have to describe her to them. I didn't really know how to describe her to someone who hadn't seen a Pichu before.

It didn't hurt to try, right? "Well ehh... She is yellow, and she has... spiky ears..." I thought hard. What more was there to describe? Yes, her eyes. Yup, I could tell them she has beautiful, stunning green eyes...

The Leafeon looked like he knew what I was talking about. "Oh, you mean like a Jolteon," he claimed. No! She wasn't like a Jolteon! I had to work on my describing skills...

I became a bit irritated. "No, not like a Jolteon." If I meant a Jolteon, I would have said so. "She is much smaller and she wears a dress. A white dress" This didn't work out the way it should.

The Leafeon looked over his shoulder, probably to find confirmation in the others' eyes. "Well, there was this... yellow, fluff thing in a tree down hill," the Leafeon said in an unsure voice. The yellow fluff thing could be Pichu. Actually, it could only be Pichu.

I felt relieved. "Down hill, you said?" The Leafeon wasn't paying attention anymore; he was focused on an apple that fell on the ground, inches from his face.

I didn't wait for his answer and ran - my tracking skills finally woke up, so I took the shortest way - and found her. I saw her because of the 'flying lights'. It gave her a glow that was indescribable.

The few Flareon and Leafeon that were present fled. I had never been in this part of the island, so I was a stranger for them. I wondered why they didn't attack Pichu - another stranger - yet I was happy they didn't. They were peaceful and happy inhabitants. There was no reason for attacking, as fleeing was more than enough.

I hadn't quite reached her yet, but she still turned around. She knew I was here. My heart started beating faster when our eyes met. I was mad at her for walking away seconds ago without even telling me - or letting me know in some way - but now I was... speechless.

"I..." Damn! Say something, you! You are the famous Pikachirate! Just say something!

Pichu was high in a tree, hesitant at first - she knew just like I did she ran away, again - but she broke the silence I created.

"Do you want an apple?" she asked. I couldn't make out the emotion behind it. "They taste really good, and they are better than the everlasting Berries." Her tone was filled with acid. So she wasn't one for Berries, was she?

I didn't know what to do, but an apple sounded great - tasty and a solution for the silence. I climbed into the tree and seated myself next to her. I looked at her. She looked beautiful. I thought she was blushing, but I couldn't tell for sure. I should tell her I love her, then we could be happy and stuff, but I didn't want to ruin the moment.

I couldn't meet her eyes this close, which meant I couldn't read her. "Is the Island not lovely?" It sounded like she wanted to make small talk. She was fidgeting with her fingers.

It wouldn't help the situation to say I disagreed. But, to my surprise, I started to see the Island's beauty. We would return to this Island more often.

"Yes, it is." I moved a little. Maybe if I say some of those romantic things that fairytales people say, my previous silence would be forgotten. "Although it isn't the only lovely thing here."

I dared looking her in the eye when I said that. I saw her eyes widen and her head moved a bit up; she didn't expect what I said. "What do you mean?" Oh no, what do I say next? Maybe I should mention the apples...

No. The apples wouldn't surprise her. It had to come from deep within. "Well, you have these stunning green eyes. Nothing can beat those." Aarg, why did I say that? I hoped she wouldn't freak out.

What if she didn't like the fairy tale stuff? Or, if she did, didn't saw me as a worthy Pokémon? Then she would think I'm a softie. A softie Pirate Captain.

She moved a bit, too, and we looked at each other, trapped in the other's gaze. It was like time stopped for a while. The 'flying lights' became less, but a few remained.

I leaned in and so did she. Our lips almost met... we already forgot about the apples, when suddenly the ground started shaking. The moment gone, we looked at the mountain. We also saw it actually was a volcano and it was erupting.

Multiple apples fell from the trees. Pichu grasped a Berry - she had hidden it at her side opposite from me- which she had with her.

She was looking worried. Of course, a volcano was erupting, but I was here to protect her. She didn't have to be worried.

She said: "Here, eat it! It is a Shuca Berry. It will lower the damage from the Earthquake for you." I ate the Berry quickly. I ignored the spiciness. Pichu was right, it did help for the Earthquake. I felt almost unscathed. I saw that she had eaten one herself.

I looked back to the volcano. Smoke was visible, but it was thin. The ashes wouldn't reach us. "I don't think we are in danger here."

I knew how true my words were. I was happy I went to search for her. "We should wait until the volcano calms down. It doesn't look that bad, so it should only take a few minutes, half an hour at the most." She nodded, but her gaze was focused on the volcano.

"Yes, I think you are right."

Then there was a loud roar, and a Pokémon emerged from the volcano. It was really small at first, but the closer it got, the bigger it became.

I could not believe my eyes. It looked like the legend Entei. He was getting closer by the second. It was really frightening - seeing something approaching you without a way out.

Pichu clung onto me, just like she did when Raikou appeared. Finally Entei reached us, and he looked at us with his almighty glare, nothing more, and nothing less. Pichu didn't see it, as she had closed her eyes shut tight. His glare was as if he wanted to say something important. He just stood there.

Pichu had opened her eyes after a minute, and was the first to say something. "Do you want to say something?" Pichu asked in a small, shaky voice. I didn't know why she said that, but I'm sure she had her motives.

Scratch that, she is unpredictable. Maybe she doesn't have any motives for asking.

"Save the world." Entei's voice echoed a bit - thus giving it more authority - and then he ran away. That was even scarier than the glaring.

We didn't move. I knew Entei was gone, but his words kept running through my head. What did he mean by 'Save the world'? Suddenly, there was a flash of pink and I was lying on the ground. Had I fallen out of the tree? I had to be out of shape.

" Mew?...!" It was Mew... I think. Yes, it really is Mew. What is she doing here? What does she want?

"Mew, MEW!" I think she has something important to say. Why isn't Esmeralda here? She would know what Mew had to say.

"Is there something wrong with the ship?" I asked. Mew was shaking no. Well, at least my ship was safe.

"Is it about the volcano?" She shook no, but then she nodded yes. Yes, this conversation was really clear to both sides. Mew was terrible at communication.

"Does it have to do with... I don't know, something big?" She nodded yes furiously. Too bad I had no idea what she was talking about.

The Secret Training (Pichu's Point of View)

I took a look at the table of contents of my 'Train How To'. There was only one move I could try to learn in here, the move named Swift. I went to the page being slightly impatient. I had to take my mind to somewhere else, and I knew this would help.

I read the introduction of the attack. It said: "Star-shaped rays are shot at the foe. This attack never misses. Sometimes it's referred to as Speed Star. When used in a performance, it's most beautiful if done in the start as an opening."

That is a move that could be useful. If I would ever need it. Maybe I would need to protect myself from my... my fiancé. Protect would be a better move, unless I would want to hurt him-

Do not think about that. I started reading the manual, but there was not that much information in it as usual.

First, I had to concentrate - think about star-shaped objects. I saw 'Pichu' in the list of Pokémon who had to use the mouth, while some other Pokémon had to use their tail to make the stars appear.

After that I had to take a deep breath. I repeated the first two steps, before moving on to the next one.

I looked around the tree house, and found the spot. I would aim for the window. I learned it would be safer to make the attack go outside, rather than focusing on a spot inside the tree house.

The inside was a bit damaged, but not too much. I bet even a Snorlax could not get it down.

Step Three was already using the move. I had to visualize the star-shaped objects and let the air escape at the same time. This was the hardest part.

I tried it after half a minute, but, and I knew I would, I failed to make star-shaped objects materialize. I took a look at the picture - It was a Buizel performing the attack. The stars were a dark yellow, almost golden.

I tried again, but not even one star materialized.

I stared at the window. The view was exquisite. Green and red, leaves and apples. Better than my terrible room.

I closed my eyes while performing the steps. My eyes shot open after the third one. I could see three stars move to the window - they passed through it.

The feeling was difficult to describe, but amazement came close. The stars appeared in front of me, instead of inside me. I was happy it materialized in front of me.

I tried it with my eyes open, but this time no stars appeared. Seven stars appeared when I did it with my eyes closed.

Closed eyes were better for the concentrating part.

I made a few useless attempts with my eyes open, and after many tries some stars materialized. Six star-shaped objects.

I practiced until it almost went automatically. I could make stars appear in a second.

I looked around - probably for the last time - and walked around slowly. I let my hands slide across the walls, and moved to the corner where all the magazines were piled up.

I knew it would not be wise to let that one here, without me, so I took three with me.

I took a last look around me - the last of many - and still could not believe it. How could my life change so drastically within a day? I was trying to prolong my time here - I would not get any more time.

I had been outside too long, I knew that. So I stopped the training and decided to get an apple.

*Author Note -Cliff-hanger! Sorry guys, but I don't know another end for this chapter. I don't like the cliff-hanger either, it just doesn't feel right. I (Orange) really thought about the song 'Kiss the girl' from the movie 'The little mermaid' while I wrote the apple tree scene. Oh! And Pichu was right! There really was a monster! So take a lesson out of it: be careful what you wish for!

Oh, and I just noticed; chapter fifteen is actually pretty late for an almost kiss - how terrible of us!*