The Storm, the Traitors, and the Idol
Chapter 7: The Traitor' Lair
Ash and the rest of my friends were looking all over for me and Storm. They met back at the base of Thunder Hill. They all shook their heads. They had found nothing. Suddenly, a panic stricken 'Chu ran amongst them. It was Taran's mother. She had already had her next litter, and her tail and ears were twitching as she jumped up and down yelling, "Taran! Taran! Oh where are you sweetie! Where are you?"
Ash realized that this was the mother of the Pichu I had saved.
Max ran up to her and asked, "What's wrong?"
The mother gave my friends a panicked look and said, "My child is missing! Oh this is like Thundering Falls all over again! I'll be worn gray furred before long! Have you seen-?" Suddenly, she saw me, Storm, and Taran approaching. She dashed over to Taran and threw her arms around him. "Oh Taran! You're safe! Don't you ever scare me like this again!" Taran nodded and hugged his mother back, "I know, I'm sorry. I won't do this again, I promise. But wait to you hear what hap-!"
I tapped Taran with my tail to silence him. His mom would have a heart attack if she knew what had happened. "I found Taran in the forest after me and Storm had a little confrontation with one of the traitors." Everyone gasped. The word spread quickly through the herd that one of the traitors had been identified. Storm and I soon found ourselves on the top of Thunder Hill again.
When silence finally arrived, I began to speak. "If you all had not treated Storm so badly and outcasted her, you would have known the identity of the two traitors much sooner. She knew, but she was too afraid to tell for fear that you would not believe her, and perhaps even harm her for her accusations. However, I am her witness. I know she speaks the truth. Storm, tell them who the traitors are!"
Storm stepped up, cleared her throat, and said, "One is dead, yet the other still lives, and must be in hiding by now. The traitor who perished over Thundering Falls was Ka-Ka-Pi Chu-Pi! And if Lightning's Bolt was one traitor, can you guess who the other one is?" The entire herd gasped. There was muttering throughout the herd. Some simply could not believe their leader would betray the Great Electric One.
"They speak the truth!" a voice called out. Everyone turned to see who had spoken. The shadowy figure who had spied on us from in the bushes had been revealed. It was Shocker. He nervously scratched his ear as he said, "I watched the entire battle between Pikachu and Lightning's Bolt. Bolt admitted to being a traitor, and he gave Lightning away too. I've always wondered where Lightning would sometimes vanish off to. It would always be around this area. I think that within this hill there is a secret cave. That is where we will find Lightning and this 'idol that is false in more ways than one.' If you don't believe me, answer this question: how come Lightning has suddenly vanished?"
I soon found myself watching as Shocker smashed through a part of the side of Thunder Hill. It turned out to be a mat of grass rolled over an opening. Shocker's sensitive ears detected the hollowness of it. I turned to Storm and said, "You must stay out here, please." Storm nodded, she understood. I then turned to my friends and said, "I suppose I could tell you to stay back because I don't want you to get hurt, but you'd probably all come anyway. Is that right?"
Ash nodded, "Yes, well, kinda. Max and May should probably stay out here to help Storm manage the herd, but I'm afraid you're stuck with me and Brock though!"
I had to laugh. We then started our descent into the caves.