"This is far from over, I won't say goodnight. My heart's grown colder, waiting for the sun to rise again. Crawling closer, so save your kiss goodbye, it's far from over, I won't fear anymore" Rev Theory "Far From Over"

23 Stampede

Morning came. Misty and I left without eating, and went straight to the carvings in the rock. With the soft morning light, we were able to see clearly what the engravings said.

I, with my power walk and determination to know the message, beat Misty there. She caught up to me, panting. "What's it say?" she gasped. She clutched her stomach painfully. The flood yesterday had exhausted her, and running wasn't doing her and favors.

"'Devon was here'," I read.

Despite her tiredness, Misty found the energy to sock me in the arm. "Haha, now what does it really say?"

I moved so she could clearly see it. The words had been cut into the stone long ago, but at least within the last century because I could still read what it said.

"'Fire is the ultimate key'?" Misty said, confused. "That's as helpful as talking to a rock."

"Well, if you think about it, we kinda are talking to a rock," I pointed out.

She glared at me. "Are you done being a smartass?"

I hung my head. "Yes," I said, dejected.

Misty exhaled in frustration and plopped down on the ground. "Great. We've lost May and now we're trying to get help from a rock. How much worse can it get?"

"You could be wearing a chicken suit and doing the Macarena," I offered, determined not to be sad.

"I thought you said you were done being a—."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry."

We sat in silence for a while, Misty seething at my jokes and me laughing inwardly at them. She glared at the clouds that hid the ground from us, occasionally blowing her hair out of her face.

Suddenly I was hit with inspiration. I whipped my bag around and started digging through it. Misty watched me with an arched eyebrow, but she said nothing. "Ah ha!" I cried, holding out my hand.

"What?" she asked, bored.

"The medallion Madame what's-her-face gave me!" I said. "Maybe this has something to do with it."

"Why would you think the medallion has anything to do with something cut into stone?" she said. Misty was tired and clearly didn't want to hear my crazy ideas.

I ignored her best I could. The medallion was in my hand, glistening in the morning light. The symbols were still ridiculously impossible, but… I was starting to see things on it I hadn't noticed before.

There were tiny pictures scratched around the circumference. I felt my jaw drop at my own stupidity. The symbols were pictures. Small, almost impossible to see pictures, but that's what they were. Not some dead language, but crude images. And I could suddenly read the medallion.

That was the dream I'd had. Madame so-and-so hadn't translated it for me; she'd allowed the pictures to change into words. And now I knew exactly what I was supposed to do.

"Ash?" Misty said, sounding nervous. "You've got a really weird look on your face."

I grabbed her hand and yanked her to her feet. "You," I said, "are a genius." Now, I still can't figure out why I did this next part, but I gave her the quickest kiss ever and ran off, whooping.

"Guys!" I shouted, almost tripping over myself. "I've got it! I know what to do!"

I stopped short, because the scene before me was anything but happy.

Drew and Paul seemed to be squaring off, standing a few feet apart. Max was behind Drew, tears still sliding down his cheeks but his face twisted up in rage. Paul's expression was cool and collected. Dawn was on his side of the boxing ring, arms folded in a superior way.

Brock appeared to be Switzerland in the fight. He remained sitting in the middle, making it clear he wanted to stay out of it.

"There was nothing I could do," Paul said in an icy tone. "All I found was the bandana. I almost died trying to get just that for you, Hayden, so why don't you get over it and be glad I did that much?"

"Because you could have saved her!" Drew snapped. "I bet she was dangling over the edge, just waiting for one of us to rescue her, and then she couldn't hold on any longer!"

"I would have seen her," replied Paul. "And she wasn't there."

Max stepped up. "My sister may not have liked you, but you didn't have to let her die!"

Paul looked taken aback, but Dawn was on his defense. "Paul's not the reason May's gone, and neither is anyone else here! So let's just drop the subject, okay?"

Drew snarled. "Your solution is for everyone to hold hands and sing 'Kumbaya'," he said.

Dawn scowled, but she didn't retort.

"What's going on?" Misty demanded. She appeared from behind me, her cheeks pink. Either I embarrassed her or she ran all the way here.

Glaring, Drew thrust an accusing finger at Paul. "He let May die! It's all his fault!"

I exchanged a worried look with Misty. This entire situation could be summed up in two words: not good.

Wary, I glanced skyward, searching for the giant raindrops that had caused the brawl between Misty and Dawn. There were none, yet I had a feeling this one would be a lot bloodier.

Then Brock stood, stealing all the attention. I waited, trying to predict what side he would join. To my utter surprise, he walked right down the middle of the feud and came to rest in front of me. He leaned down. His murmuring breath was hot and unnerving in my ear. "Look at the ground, and tell me if the rocks are jumping."

I cringed back, and met his serious face with a questioning look. Brock just nodded, urging me on.

Misty's expression was beyond quizzical. Her lower lip stuck out and her brow furrowed, while her eyes remained large with curiosity (don't ask how she did it, cuz I can't tell you). I tore my eyes away from her questioning face and glanced down at the ground.

I jumped about a foot in the air.

The pebbles that I had grown so used to were bouncing on the ground, like Mexican jumping beans. I stared in amazement as they leaped around. I was tempted to believe they were alive.

The bracelet began to warm my wrist, and I sagged with exasperation. Here we go again, I thought.

**********************************************"The Last Airbender" is premiering where I live*************************************************

Tenebri jumped awake. She was nestled next to Absol, who was still sleeping soundly. Her enormous ears hurt with the amount of noise they were picking up, and she could practically feel the mountain shaking.

Suddenly, something leaped clear over her head. She shrunk down against Absol, terrified. "Absol," she hissed. "Absol, wake up!"

He sat up bolt right. "What's going on?" he said immediately.

"The Pokemon," Tenebri whispered. "They're all running toward the humans."

Absol was on his feet in a heartbeat. "Yacaeli," he growled, his eyes glittering with hate. "She's going to kill them with the Pokemon of the mountain!"

Tenebri was scared, but she wasn't about to deter Absol when it had taken so much to persuade him. "Yes! We must go protect them before they're killed!"

The white disaster Pokemon was already racing down the mountain to where the human camp was.

*******************************************************Still don't know why. But I'm going to see it*******************************************

We heard it, felt it, sensed it. And then we saw it.

There was dust; so much dust that at first I really couldn't see anything. I didn't know what was coming until it was right on top of us.

The stampede of Pokemon racing down the mountain was probably the most nerve racking thing I'd ever seen. There were hundreds—no, thousands—of creatures I never would've considered dangerous. I saw Rapidash and Heracross and Delcatty and Houndoom and Elekid and Altaria and things I couldn't even name. And they were all running downhill to where we stood, gaping like a bunch of useless Magikarp.

"What the hell are we doing?" Misty shrieked. "RUN!"

We scattered. The ground was shaking with the sheer number of feet running on it. I scooped Pikachu up and felt his claws hook onto my shirt. Then I started to dash.

There was so much chaos. I couldn't tell if they were chasing me or running away from something else. Either way, it was a good idea to get the heck out of there. I felt like Simba in The Lion King, bolting away from the wildebeest as they did the same from the hyena.

Needless to say, my wrist was on fire. I was certain my skin would blister and burn with the intensity of the heat. However, it wasn't my priority. I was more worried about getting trampled than anything, really.

Until the bracelet started sparking.

"Pika!" was the only warning I got. "Pika pi!"

"Huh?" I replied. I followed his little yellow finger and saw, all while running, the sparks emitting from my wrist. "AH!" I screamed. My feet tangled up in themselves in my panic, and I went down. Pikachu went flying, and I didn't see where he landed.

The Pokemon screeched in victory, seeing me on the ground. I scrambled to get up, but found that my ankle was determined to be useless. With wide eyes I tried to back away. They stopped just in front of me, whooping and crying their battle cries. My heart pounded in my chest. The thought of being stomped to death by hundreds of Pokemon was never a way I'd imagined I'd die.

Defensively, I raised my arm, sparks and all. I didn't think it would do much good.

Like we said, you're not going to die yet.

Those voices! They were back! Who are you and what are you doing in my head? I demanded.

Don't question us, child, soothed the girl. Your death is not now.

Suddenly, the bracelet exploded into flames. Fire leaped out of the metal, blinding me and causing the Pokemon to backpedal in fear. The inferno licked at them, singeing their fur and even burning a few.

Water Types pushed to the front of the line. A synchronized Water Gun attack started to put out the fire. Or tried to. For some reason their attacks landed uselessly in the flares.

I jumped to one foot, unable to stand on one ankle, and thrust my arm forward. A tornado of flames came roaring out of the bracelet, encircling my hand. The heat was so intense, but I endured. My face was sweating and my hand was so hot it felt icy. And then it felt numb. I was probably barbecuing my dominant hand, but there wasn't much I could do about it.

The fire got bigger, and bigger, so that there was a wall of inferno separating me from the wild Pokemon. A brave few tried to charge through the flames, but (as much as it killed me to see it) they were incinerated before they even saw the other side.

Even Rapidash and other fire species that I knew for a fact had Flash Fire were burned up in the conflagration. Usually fire could not touch them. This fire was different.

The fire's thunder was deafening. I was panting and coughing from the pale white smoke my flames produced. No wood to burn, nothing but animals. If enough Pokemon were burned, the smoke would probably turn black. But not yet, and hopefully not ever.

With my pursuers distracted by the barrier, I searched for Pikachu. I could hardly hear myself think, let alone hear one desperate Pokemon speak. I scoured my surroundings for his tiny yellow body, but I found nothing. What happened to him?

A single thought shook me. What if Pikachu's random anger had come on? Was it possible that he was on the other side of the flames, crying for my death? Or perhaps he had already been devoured in the fire…

I couldn't let myself think like that. I had to keep looking.

Bird Pokemon started soaring over the raging heat. I was in a panic until they started to dive bomb me. The fire seemed to reach out hungry claws at the vicious birds. The instant a flame licked their body, they practically exploded into a fiery mass of flying embers.

For some strange reason, the fire was protecting me. Nothing on the other side could touch me. I let out a laugh. It was ridiculous, how something like this could keep me safe.

*********************************************************I'm a huge Avatar fanatic*******************************************************

Meowth peered over the edge of the cliff. "Dere's a fire burnin' down dere," he remarked.

"Can it reach us?" Jessie mumbled. She was exhausted, hurting, and half asleep.

"I don't dink so," the cat replied. "We must be really high up, cuz I can't see da bottom of da mountain."

"We can't be that far up, our balloon doesn't reach that high," she argued halfheartedly.

Meowth turned away from the edge and trudged back over to her. "I don't know, Jessie. We've been in weirder situations. Maybe da wind carried us up to da top."

Jessie sighed, despite the pain in her ribs. She wasn't going to bother arguing with a cat. Instead she turned to James's unmoving form. "We need to wake him up," she said.

Meowth was hesitant. He knew that moving anything that was injured could cause more injury. And the only way he could wake James up was if he rolled him over. But Jessie was right; they needed to make sure he would live.

With a grimace the cat Pokemon jumped over Jessie and flipped James over. The blue-haired man groaned in response and started coughing. His leg was bent out at an awkward angle. Jessie didn't like the way that looked.

Abruptly, Meowth blinked. "Ya know," he began, "I dink I know why dere's a fire down dere."

"Oh?" Jessie said, bored.

"Yeah," said Meowth. "All dose Pokemon dat came down da mountain oilier, I felt sometin' callin' me to run down too. Maybe they wanted us to set a fire."

"Why didn't you go?" she wondered. "Then I could get some peace and quiet."

"It felt evil," he replied in a scared voice. "I didn't wanta listen."

*AN: I'm going to see "The Last Airbender" three days before the rest of the world! So excited! Actually, I might not, cuz I need tickets...I want to, though. It's one of my favorite TV shows so I'm super psyched!

Yeah, so... you guys are going to hate me pretty soon. I hate myself for writing it. It made me really sad to write it. Frankly because I did some terrible things to my favorite characters. But it needed to happen. Yeah... sad. Hopefully I find a way to make it better. Anyways, I realized this chapter's rather short, eh? Oh well. Sorry. Gonna go eat chocolate. I need a bit of happiness after writing that. Which Aang and the gang have brought! Ohhh you guys are going to hate me!*