I mess with the set plot here a little bit. I combined this episode with episode 8, which is Gymbilar, for those who are curious. Mostly because I'm trying to get us past the whole trip to Jubilife, and get us to the actual city already.

black angel's wing does not have anything to do with owning the pokémon franchise. All she does is play the games. And watch the show. And write this story. Cora's hers, and that is it.

Chapter Five

It was taking forever, but we were getting closer to Jubilife City. With only a few hours left to go, I was getting impatient. Ash and Dawn tended to walk incredibly slowly, battling every now and then to entertain themselves. Brock insisted on stopping periodically to ask me questions about various wild pokémon we encountered, as well as take note of every type of berry we came across. It was like the three were sight seeing!

Ralts was walking some distance ahead of me, and Pikachu was beside him. The two were carrying on a light conversation; I could hear their soft voices if I listened closely.

"Hey Cora!"

I turned at Ash's voice, my eyebrow raised.

"How about you and me have a battle?" He raised a fist in front of his face. "I wanna see how strong your pokémon are."

Oh, there were so many things I could say in response. I could deny, for one. But then again, Ralts would probably have my head. I could tell he was getting antsy waiting for the chance to show off the the Oreburgh Gym, and wanted to train. That's why he wanted to walk instead of taking a ride on my shoulder today. I also needed to start training Turtwig for the gym battle, and see if it was a good match for contests too. I guess having a little practice battle against Ash wouldn't hurt anyone.

"Is a two on two alright with you?" I asked with a sly grin.

Ash jumped up and punched the air. "Alright, we're gonna battle Cora!" he cheered.

I rolled my eyes. "Brock, will you referee our match?" I don't know why I bothered asking. Brock loved refereeing pokémon battles.

He opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off before he got the chance.

"PIKAA!"

The four of us whipped around to find Pikachu in a little metal cage, and being lifted off the ground by what looked like a Meowth hot air balloon. Ralts was laying on the ground, as if he had been knocked over, and was looking around dazedly.

"No, Pikachu!" Ash cried as he began to chase after the balloon. Dawn was right on his heels. I ran over to Ralts, who was sitting up, rubbing his head. Carefully, I scooped him up in my arms.

"You okay, hun?" I asked softly, rubbing his head. He nodded slightly, then looked around. Not finding who he was looking for, he glanced up at me with pleading eyes.

"Ralts, Ral!"

I glared at the hot air balloon that was getting further and further away and spoke through my teeth.

"I know, Ralts. We'll go get Pikachu back." It was then that I noticed that we would be traveling through the woods to the South East of where we were now. Away from Jubilife City. Not the direction we wanted to go. Perfect.

Seeing as Brock had taken off as well, I decided that I should probably get going too. Who knows how far the other three had gotten while I had been standing here.

I looked back down to Ralts. "You ready?"

He nodded sharply, moving to my shoulder and taking hold of the strap of my backpack. He cried out, pointing in the direction of the hot air balloon, and I started running in that direction.

It didn't actually take me long to catch up with the others. They had all stopped in a small clearing a few minutes run from the road. Ash's Starly was battling a Carnivine, whose commands were coming from a somewhat familiar blue haired man in the basket of the balloon. But where had I..?

"Pikachu's not yours!" Dawn was shouting. "You can't have it, Team Rocket!"

Team Rocket? As in the Team Rocket that had taken Ash's Pikachu the other day with the robot? I wondered what made them want his pokémon so badly.

Carnivine had dodged a Wing Attack from Starly, and the little bird didn't have enough time to stop before slamming into the Meowth shaped balloon. A hole was torn in it, and air rushed out, sending Starly spiraling to the ground. It righted itself just before it hit the ground and snapped its wings down hard to push itself back into the air. It made a single circle before landing on Ash's head with an annoyed squawk.

"Oh no, Pikachu!" Ash worried as the balloon went down. It was headed toward a small lake in the middle of the forest, Lake Osage.

We were off again, chasing the crashing Team Rocket. That thing was going down hard, and I knew that none of us wanted to think of what could go wrong if we didn't get there in time.

"Starly, you go on ahead and find Pikachu!" Ash ordered. The pokémon nodded, preparing it's wings.

"Take Ralts with you," I added, shaking my shoulder. Ralts jumped from it, landing gracefully on Starly's back before the two took off towards the landing site.

It felt strange not having Ralts within my sight, but I knew that he could take care of himself. I pushed myself to run faster. Just in case.

A few minutes of weaving in and out of the thick trees in the forest, we came to the banks of Lake Osage. I could see the wrecked remains of the hot air balloon, but Team Rocket was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd they go?" Brock sounded bewildered, an emotion that perfectly mirrored my own. Where could they have gone?

"Pikachu," I heard the boy from Pallet Town say softly. He impatiently scanned the surrounding tree line and the water's edge, searching for his partner.

His fidgeting was contagious, and I found myself worrying about my own pokémon as well. What if something had happened, and he and Pikachu were both in the hands of Team Rocket?

Ash's Starly flew out of the forest then, frantically calling out as it drew nearer, effectively ending my train of thought. It circled its trainer twice before it flew back the way it had come. A small dirt path was visible through the trees

"I think it wants us to follow it," suggested Dawn. We all agreed, and started to make our way to the path.

I suddenly heard a soft trill of laughter from behind me, and turned quickly back to the lake. Something small and blue was perched on a smooth rock. Before I could get a closer look, it dove into the water with a small splash and disappeared from my vision.

"Cora, come on!" Ash nearly pleaded from the forest path.

I faltered for some reason, searching the water. Was I imagining things? "R-right."

I shook my head to clear it as I followed my companions. Ralts hadn't been on the shore by the wreckage, and I could only hope that Starly was leading us in his direction. Yeah, he could take care of himself, but that didn't mean that I wasn't worried about my best friend.

It seems like we had only been going for a moment or two when an older woman stepped out onto the path in front of us. Brock, who had been leading us, screeched to a halt to abound crashing into the lady. Ash was following a bit too closely, and got his friend's back in his face, knocking both of them to the ground.

"Mercy me," she breathed, peering at the two boys tangled up at her feet. Concerned confusion was in her eyes as she met my gaze. Dawn had moved to help Brock and Ash up, and the woman moved gracefully around them. She approached me then, glancing back once at my three friends.

"Now where were you children running off to in such a hurry?" she questioned.

I hesitated, taking a last look down the road that we had been following. Starly had landed on Ash's head again, and was now watching me with its head cocked to the side.

"Well it's a bit of a story actually," I sighed as I turned back to face the woman in front of me. I decided to go with a quick summary of the events that had taken place this morning. "My friends and I," I gestured to the others who waved sheepishly, "were headed towards Jubilife City when one of Ash's pokémon was taken. We chased them here, but there's no sign of them."

"Starly was just leading us somewhere," Ash chimed in.

"We assumed it was taking us to their pokémon," Brock added, crossing his arms. "Have you seen them by chance, ma'am?"

"Oh, deary," the woman chided, "call me Clara." She was quiet for a few seconds after that, moving a hand to cup her chin as she hummed softly to herself.

"A Ralts and a Pikachu, perhaps?" she wondered after some time.

"Yeah, that's them!" Dawn's surprise was written clearly on her face as she responded.

"Have you seen them?" I repeated with a bit more force, capturing the older women's attention once again. If she knew where Ralts could be, I would rather know sooner than later. Especially with Team Rocket still out there.

She nodded, a large smile on her lips. "As a matter of I have. A little Turtwig was leading the two dears somewhere."

"A Turtwig?" Brock echoed, eyes narrowing a bit more that usual.

"Oh, yes, it is the leader of the forest pokémon here. Such a sweet thing, and a great litter helper as well. I'm sure it wont harm harm your pokémon," she reassured us.

"That's great," Ash sighed. "Do you have any idea where they could be now?"

Clara tapped her chin again. She suddenly snapped her fingers, her eyes lighting up. "Well there is a small clearing not too far up this path that I know Turtwig adores. You may want to try there."

"Thank you, Clara," I said with a small bow. Rising to my full height, I started bouncing on the balls of my feet. I was anxious; I just wanted to feel the familiar weight of Ralts on my shoulder again. It was a bit bizarre without him around.

"Oh, posh," she said, waving her hand. "I hope you find your pokémon soon. My house is only a little ways away back that way, come by if you have any troubles." She had gestured back to the lakefront.

Brock and Ash expressed their own thanks, and we all bid Clara a fond farewell as she began her walk back home.

"What a nice lady," Dawn mused softly.

I nodded. "Yeah, she was."

"Come on Cora, let's go get our pokémon back!" Ash exclaimed. He grabbed my elbow and started dragging me down the path in the direction that Clara had pointed out.

"H-hey!" I tried desperately to get my feet back under me. "Ash, hang on! Slow down!"

Ash had eventually released his grip on me, so I was walking on my own two feet when we came across the aforementioned clearing. It was a beautiful little haven, with tiny, colorful flowers dotting the swaying green grass. Sunlight streamed through the leaves of the great trees that enclosed the area, and a gentle breeze brushed my bangs back for me, kissing the back of my neck.

Sitting in a small triangle in the center of the clearing were Pikachu, Ralts, and the Turtwig Clara had told us about. I took a step forward, and Ralts's head shot up.

"Ralts!" he cried, setting aside the berry he had been munching on. He was immediately on his feet, and was sailing through the air toward me before I could say anything.

I caught him and held him tightly, swinging him in a circle before I let his little arms snake around my neck. He continued cooing softly, rubbing his cheek against mine.

"Easy, Ralts," I laughed, but didn't release my hold on him. He pulled back and grinned widely, gently hitting my nose with the flat red horn on the front of his head.

"No, Turtwig, you've got it all wrong!"

I turned at Ash's insistent voice. He, Dawn, and Brock were standing a few feet away from the Turtwig. Pikachu was next to the little grass type, it's arms crossed and a scowl on its face as it spoke in heated tones.

"See, Pikachu is my best friend. Team Rocket are the bad guys, we were just trying to help!" Ash was pleading.

As the boy was talking, Turtwig had inched forward to put itself in front of Pikachu. It was almost as if it was trying to protect the other pokémon from Ash...

Oh.

Maybe Turtwig had helped Pikachu and Ralts get away from Team Rocket. I glanced down at the pokémon in my arms. He was watching the interaction intently, but his body was relaxed. He wasn't overly worried about what was going on, so I decided that I didn't have to be either.

I paced across the clearing to stand next to Brock. His eyes wandered to Ralts, and I saw a grin grace his features.

Turtwig, meanwhile, had an apologetic look on it's own face. It hung it's head in what looked like shame, and Ash knelt down in front of it.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm really grateful to you for you taking care of Pikachu." He had placed his hand on the turtle's head, but removed it when Turtwig lifted it and looked up at the trainer with a look of understanding.

It opened its mouth to speak, but snapped its head to the side when a pokémon came tumbling through the undergrowth surrounding the clearing.

"Croaa..."

"A Croagunk," I whispered. It was unconscious, and I immediately went to its side. Ralts swung onto his place on my shoulder, freeing up my hands.

Brock had followed me, and lifted the pokémon gently into his arms. A ripped rope net was tangled around its neck and left arm, and it's blue and white body was covered in various cuts and bruises.

"Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. It lives in swamps and forests where there is very little light. It prefers moist places."

That was someone's pokédex. I didn't particularly care whose, I was fingering the net around the Croagunk's body. A small red 'R' was visible on the ropes, and this time I recognized the symbol.

"Team Rocket," I explained to the group. I shrugging Ralts off of my shoulder, I dug into my backpack.

"Cora, what are you doing?" Dawn asked, her tone a blend of concerned and curious.

"We need to cut these ropes off," I explained without distracting myself from my task. Now where were they..? "We don't know if they're restricting air flow, and frankly, I don't want to find out the hard way." Ah!

I pulled out a pair of sharp scissors from the small first aid kit I kept in my bag. Turning back to the pokémon, I set to work removing the tangled mass of ropes.

After I had finally gotten through all of the necessary cuts, I rocked back onto my heels. Brock stood up quickly, and we nodded sharply to each other. We had to take care of this Croagunk, but we didn't have the right supplies to do that here.

"Let's go to Clara's house," Brock suggested. "I'm sure she'll have what we need to help Croagunk."

Repacking my backpack, I stood up. I secured the straps around my shoulders and looked around, thinking. My wandering gaze finally fell of Tirtwig, who was eyeing the unconscious pokémon in Brock's arms. Perfect.

"Hey, Turtwig," I called. The little turtle snapped to attention. "Do you think you can lead us to Clara's house? It's really important that we get there as soon as possible."

It nodded a few times before taking off, the rest of us not far behind.

"These herbs are perfect, thank you Clara," Brock praised a little while later.

We had made it to Clara's house, and she was more than willing to lend us the use of her herb garden. After careful deliberation and preparation, Brock and I had created a salve for the Croagunk's wounds.

"Oh, it was a pleasure!" Clara was glowing, glad she was able to help us out. She brushed the remaining dirt off of her hands, and pulled out a small brown pouch. She handed it to me with a smile. "Cora, here are a few of my herbs that I think you will find useful on your journey."

"Oh, Clara, I couldn't," I protested weakly. She had already helped us so much.

She shook her head firmly and placed the bag in my hands. "Nonsense, I insist! There is a list of what's what and the uses of each one inside."

I was touched. Nodding dumbly, I stared at the sack in my hands. Ralts suddenly blew into my ear, startling me. I glared at him, rolling my eyes when he giggled. It was nice to have him back. Being separated from someone who you were so used to having by your side was unnerving, no matter how short of a time.

Shaking my head, I packed the gift into my backpack. My hand brushed the familiar light blue folder, and I paused. The Manaphy article that Professor had given me. Had it really only been a few days ago? I hadn't had the time to read it yet, and I be dated pulling it out now.

I glanced around at my companions. Dawn had Piplup out of its pokéball, and was stroking its head softly. Ash was talking to Pikachu and Turtwig about our plans for the immediate future, and Brock was still tending to Coragunk.

No, I decided. It could wait for a while.

Instead, I reached into a side pouch and dug out a pokéball. Enlarging it, I called out my own Turtwig.

It appeared on the ground in front of me, and the other Turtwig stared at it with wide eyes. My pokémon looked around curiously before its gaze landed on the other tiny leaf pokémon. It blinked a few times before turning away shyly and hiding behind my legs.

I couldn't help but laugh. How cute was that! Clara had told us that the forest Turtwig was a male, so that made mine a female, didn't it. I peered down at her, then back at the other. She was a lighter green than he was, and had three thin black stripes on we she'll as opposed to his one thick one.

"Come on Turtwig," I offered. "I haven't gotten the chance to give you a nickname yet!"

She followed at my heels as I led her to the water's edge. I sat cross-legged on the soft earth, and Turtwig hopped into my lap with a smile.

"How about I call you..." I faltered. I hadn't thought this through at all. "Twiggy?"

She looked at me blankly.

"No? Okay, how about Phyllis? Like chlorophyll? Because you're a grass type?"

I heard Ralts smack his face with his hand and I sighed. The Turtwig in my lap wasn't too pleased either.

Exasperated, I raised my hands to the sky. "Why is this so difficult?"

Turtwig nuzzled my side, and the little tree on top of her head scratched my arm. Distracted, I played with the leaves, waiting for a bad to come to me.

"How about Willow?" I suggested. Waiting I be shot down again, I stared out at Lake Osage. The sun was about halfway through its descent in the sky, and it's rays reflected on the placid waters, shimmering beautifully in the warm air.

Turtwig jumped off of my lap and cheered. Ralts gave a shout as well, and hopped on her back, dancing.

I giggled at the two. "Well then, I guess your new naw is Willow! How does it feel?"

"Tur-twig!" she exclaimed happily.

"Now, let's see what moves you already know." I was speaking more to myself than to Ralts or Willow. Not that they were listening to me anyway.

Pulling out my pokédex, I opened it and scanned my grass pokémon.

"Razor Leaf, Synthesis, and Tackle, huh? Not bad Willow, but I promise you you'll learn so many more moves you won't know what to do!"

"Tur-twig, Tur-twig, Tur-twig!" Willow nodded happily. Already, I could see where she could take us in gym battles, epically against the Oreburgh Gym.

Speaking of that, I had to start training my pokémon for that. I knew that most of the gyms in Sinnoh had rules for three on three battles. And so far I only had two traveling with me. And then there was the Jubilife Contest too. The latter would be upon us before too long, and I had yet to really think about how I wanted to approach it.

Ash had started a battle against that forest Turtwig, and a part of me wondered why. However, my thoughts were elsewhere. I was vaguely aware of Willow watching the match carefully, and Ralts taking her place in my lap.

I don't remember the battle ending, nor do I remember the sun falling a bit more towards the horizon. The next thing I knew, Dawn's hand was on my shoulder, waking me from my stupor.

"Cora, are you ready to go? We're going to try to get to the Morlin Town Pokémon Center for tonight," she explained.

Morlin Town, that was farther East than we were right now. It wasn't the direction of Jubilife City, but as I realized how late it had gotten, I nodded. That was our best bet. We could get back on track tomorrow.

We said our goodbyes to Clara, and thanked her once again for everything she had done for us. She shooed us away good naturedly, but told us to come back should we ever need anything.

As we were leaving, Croagunk ran in front of Brock and sat on its haunches, refusing to move. Brock was silent for a long while, staring into the pokémon's dark eyes. Finally, he knelt down.

"Croagunk, would you like to come with me?"

It nodded slowly, and Brock pulled out an empty pokéball. He opened it, and a light surrounded Croagunk, pulling it in. It shut tight, and just like that, Brock had a new pokémon.

"Well it works for me!" Brock said cheerily as he placed the pokéball in his pack.

We all laughed as we started for Morlin Town, but I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being followed. I turned around quickly, and caught a flash of blue disappearing into the thick forest.

Maybe I was just paranoid. But maybe there was something more.

Criticism is welcome, I love hearing from you guys!

Lots of love! -black angel's wing