Chapter 6
Grookey, Oshawott, Pikachu, Snowy, Eevee, Bulbasaur, Psyduck, Pansage, Piplup and Quaxly fell off a little cliff. The Pokémon all screamed as they tumbled down. James ran too and slid all of the way down on the cliff, careful not to be seen. He then landed on the ground and waited for the Pokémon. He then noticed Grookey's stick which had fallen onto the ground. He then had an idea. Grookey will want its precious stick back. And that is when I'll grab it, Pikachu and all of the others! He laughed evilly in his mind. Jessie and Meowth will be so proud of me! He picked it up. He grinned evilly. Now, the waiting begins!
When Grookey regained consciousness, the grass monkey panicked when it saw that its stick wasn't with it. It looked all around. The other Pokémon got up. Pikachu went to the grass monkey.
"Grookey, what's wrong?" Pikachu asked.
"My stick!" Grookey answered. "My precious and beautiful stick is missing!" Pikachu gasped.
"I'll help you look." And with that, Pikachu helped Grookey look. "Help us look, guys!" Every Pokémon looked except for Bulbasaur, who was confused.
"Uh, why are we looking for a dumb stick?" It wanted to know. They all gasped as they looked at it. Grookey looked like it might cry.
"My stick's not dumb, is it?" The choked up monkey asked,
"No, no!" Pikachu assured it. "Not at all!" He then looked mad at Bulbasaur. "What is wrong with you, Bulbasaur?! Why would you say that?"
"Yeah!" Snowy barked. "Have you no shame?!"
"Did I say something wrong?" Bulbasaur wanted to know. "Because I feel that is what I did? Why are you guys so defensive all of a sudden over a dumb, ol' stick? I don't get it. Why am I suddenly the bad Pokémon here?"
"It may be just a dumb, ol' stick to you." Pansage began. "But to Grookey, it's special." Bulbasaur looked at Pansage.
"Why is it special?" Pansage shrugged.
"Who knows? Only Grookey knows. But if it helps to calm it down and make it relax, I say, that's good enough to keep around. It's Grookey's security blanket."
"I guess you have a point." Bulbasaur said. It looked at Grookey. "Sorry, Grookey. I didn't realize how much that stick means to you. I still don't, but I am willing to help you look for it for however long it takes." Grookey smiled at Bulbasaur.
"Thanks, Bulbasaur." It told the other grass starter. "That means a lot." It then was determined. "Now, let's find my stick!"
"Right; it must be somewhere nearby."
"I think I found it." Quaxly said. Grookey brightened.
"Really?" The excited Grookey ran towards what Quaxly was looking at. It was indeed a stick. "Oh, thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Grookey picked it up.
"Finally!" Bulbasaur groaned with a sigh. "Now we can find Ash and friends." Grookey then frowned. Pikachu was concerned.
"What is it, Grookey?" The electric rodent questioned.
"This isn't my stick." The grass monkey starter replied.
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" A frustrated Bulbasaur responded.
"How can you tell?" Psyduck wanted to know. "It looks like a stick to me."
"But, it's not the stick!" Eevee told it.
"Ohhhh….I don't get it." Pansage looked at Oshawott.
"It's like Oshawott and his scalchop." The water Pokémon was confused.
"My scalchop?" He asked, looking down at it.
"Yeah!" Pikachu piped up. "Remember, Oshawott? You didn't like it when you lost your scalchop. We tried helping you to find a new one, but nothing was good enough."
"You're right, Pikachu." Oshawott agreed. "I need my scalchop and nothing can ever replace it. I can't explain it, but it's special to me. When I lost it, that was a sad day. I never want to be seperated from my scalchop ever again. It's what Pansage says. It's my security blanket, whatever that means."
Grookey angrily threw the stick to the ground.
"I want my stick!" It said with a huff. It began to whine and throw a temper tantrum like a spoiled, naughty toddler, flaring its arms and legs around on its back. "I want my stick, I want my stick, I want my stick!" Bulbasaur sighed deeply.
"Oh boy!" It said to itself. "Here we go. Another Togepi."
"It's okay," Pikachu assured it in a calm voice. "We'll find it. No need to be mad and throw a fit. Goh won't like your behavior right now. Just calm down and breathe," James then approached them.
"You Pokémon looking for this?" He questioned. They all looked at the stick that James had and gasped. When Grookey saw the stick, it calmed down and jumped to its feet. Its eyes brightened and it beamed.
"My stick!" Pikachu and the others ran up to him, all of them mad. Pikachu had sparks in his cheeks.
"Hold it! I'll give Grookey its precious stick back…if it and you all become our Pokémon."
"No way!" Pikachu barked. James only heard his Pokémon language.
"Deal!" Grookey just said. His friends were surprised.
"Uh, Grookey, if you're Team Rocket's Pokémon, you can't be Goh's." Pikachu told it. "You didn't like being theirs. Remember? You smashed your original Pokéball."
"Oh, yeah." Grookey remembered, looking back at him. He looked at James again, mad. "I will never ever be your Pokémon again…but, please, give me my stick back."
"Then the stick's still mine it seems." James said. Grookey was about to just pounce on him when all of a sudden a Rookadee flew in and took the stick in its beak, flying off. James was shocked. The other Pokémon were too. Grookey ran after the bird Pokémon. Pikachu and the others ran after them.
"Hey!" Grookey called up to the Rookadee. "Excuse me, Rookadee?" But the Rookadee flew on, avoiding Grookey and the others. "Rookadee? Rookadee!" Rookadee flew faster, which made Grookey run faster.
"Is Rookadee purposely avoiding Grookey?" Snowy wanted to know. "Why is it doing that? That's rude!"
"I'll get Rookadee's attention!" Pikachu said. He then did a thunderbolt. The lightning didn't hit the bird, nor did Pikachu intend it to. Instead the bolt stuck just in front of it to get Rookadee's attention. The bird stopped. It grew frustrated and flew towards Grookey and the others. It spat out the stick. It fell to the ground.
"Stop following me!" Rookadee barked. Grookey and the others stopped. Grookey's face brightened when it saw its stick and ran towards it.
"My stick!" It cried. Rookadee flew to the ground, and put a talon on it. Grookey stopped. "Excuse me! Can I have my stick back?" The bird Pokémon looked at the monkey.
"Sorry." It told Grookey. "But this is my stick now."
"No, it's my stick."
"My stick!" Grookey grew mad.
"My stick!"
"My stick!"
"My stick!
"My stick!"
"My stick!"
"I'm not Psyduck." Piplup observed. "But this is giving me a headache."
"I don't have a headache." Psyduck stated. "And I always have a headache!"
"I got this." Bulbasaur volunteered. It ran between the two. "Whoa you two, stop fighting!"
"But, it has my stick." Grookey said to Bulbasaur.
"I know." Bulbasaur said. It turned to Rookadee. "Give Grookey its stick back." But Rookadee was stubborn.
"No!"
"Aw, come on!" Grookey cried. "It's my stick, it's my stick, it's my stick!"
"Calm down, Grookey." Bulbasaur told it. It looked at Rookadee. "The stick belongs to Grookey."
"And what makes you say that? It doesn't have its name on it."
"I didn't know it had to have my name on it." Grookey said. "I can't write."
"You don't have your name on it either." Bulbasaur stated.
"I don't have to. It's a stick." Rookadee said. "It belongs to nature, ergo, it's up to grabs for anyone."
"But I love it." Grookey put in. "It calms me down and brings me joy."
"Again, it's a stick. You have to let it go. Obsessing over it is unhealthy."
"Well, what are you going to do with it?" Pikachu wanted to know. Rookadee looked at it.
"It's none of your business." It looked back at Grookey and the others. "It's none of anyone's business." Grookey now had tears in its eyes.
"But it's my stick."
This is my chance! James, who was hiding in the bushes, thought to himself. Time to get the stick back. I feel like it's now or never!
"No, it isn't. Give it up." Rookadee was about to take the stick. when all of a sudden, James ran up and took the stick. All the Pokémon looked at him. He taunted them with it, waving the stick around.
"I got the stick, I got the stick!" He jeered in a sing-songy manner. Both Rookadee and Grookey were mad. Grookey pounced on him, pulling his hair. Rookadee pecked him on his head. James screamed. Rookadee saw the stick, flew to it and grabbed it in its beak. It flew off. The Pokémon chased after it again, so did James.
"I'll try Vine Whip!" Bulbasaur volunteered. The grass Pokémon unleashed his Vine Whip straight at Rookadee. It hit the bird and it went down, dropping the stick from its beak. This excited Grookey.
"My stick!" Said an excited Grookey. The grass monkey lept towards the stick.
"Oh, no you don't!" James said, jumping towards the stick as well. "The stick is mine and so are you!"
"Hey!" A mad Quaxly quacked. "Lay off my new friend!" With that, the duck Pokémon tackled James to the ground with all its might. The other Pokémon were shocked. James and the water bird fell to the ground as Grookey cajught its stick.
"I got my stick!" It announced proudly and started pounding it on the ground like a drum. "I got my stick!" Pikachu and the others were happy for it. Rookadee got up and tackled Grookey to the ground. Grookey fell to the ground as Rookadee flew up with the stick again. The other Pokémon gasped and ran towards the fallen Grookey.
"Grookey, you okay?" Eevee wanted to know. Pickachu and Pansage helped the other grass monkey back to its feet.
"I don't get it." Snowy spoke. "Why does that Rookadee want Grookey's stick so bad?"
"I don't know." Pikachu answered the Alolan Vulpix. "But it has to be something! If we continue to follow it, I bet we can find out."
"Or maybe it just wants the stick because it likes it and it likes sticks in general." Psyduck put in. "As far as sticks go, any Pokémon is lucky to have it, I guess."
"Come on, let's find out!" Pikachu, Grookey and the others ran off again. Psyduck sighed.
"Or not. Hey, wait for me, guys!" It ran too. James and Quaxly got to their feet and ran as well.
"I'll do my Razor Shell!" Oshawatt offered. He was about to use his Razor Shell when Pikachu spotted something up ahead.
"Wait, Oshawott!" He said. Oshawott looked at the yellow mouse, confused.
"What is it, Pikachu?" Oshawott wanted to know. "Why'd you stop me?"
"Because, look!" Oshawott looked and gasped as he saw an injured Koraidon. Rookadee spat out the stick next to it.
"You think this'll do?" Rookadee asked the Legendary. Koraidon looked at it.
"Well, it's not ideal, but it'll have to do." It replied. Rookadee smiled.
"Great; I'm glad. It was the only good stick I could find. Now all I have to do is find a Pokémon that can help attach it with String Shot."
"Wait, that's Grookey's stick!" Pikachu called as he and others came up to them. Rookadee saw them all and sighed. James hid behind the bushes and looked out. Koraidon looked at Rookadee.
"Is this true, Rookadee?" Koraidon asked. "Did you take this stick from this Grookey?"
"It did!" Grookey said to Koraidon. "It's mine. This Rookadee stole it, so it's a thief. It should be punished. Stealing is not nice. It should know that. My stick is my stick and no one else's" Rookadee didn't reply.
"Rookadee!" Koraidon cried.
"Fine!" Rookadee said. "I stole it." Koraidon sighed.
"Oh, Rookadee!" It looked at Pikachu and the others, "I'm truly sorry for the trouble that Rookadee caused. Rookadee's sorry too." It looked at Rookadee. "Right, Rookadee? Say you're sorry to the nice Pokémon." Rookadee looked at Koraidon.
"But I only did it for your leg!" The bird Pokémon stated. The other Pokémon looked and saw that Koraidon had a stub where one of its legs was supposed to be.
"Rookadee, it's nice that you wanted to find a fake leg for me, so I can run away from these bad guys. However, stealing from another Pokémon is not at all how you do it. I'm very disappointed in you."
"I know and I'm sorry."
"Don't say it to me. Apologize to Grookey." Rookadee looked at Grookey and bowed to it.
"I'm sorry, Grookey. I shouldn't have stolen from you. That was wrong and very bad of me. Please find it in your heart to forgive me." Grookey smiled.
"It's okay!" The grass monkey responded. "You are forgiven!" Rookadee was a bit shocked.
"Really?"
"Yeah! My stick wasn't hurt and I got it back; so you're good!" Rookadee sighed with relief.
"It was silly of me to think a stick would be a temporary leg for Koraidon. It looked at Koraidon. "Sorry, Karaidon. I don't know what I was thinking."
"You were just trying to help." Pansage said. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
"Thanks." It frowned and looked at Koraidon. "Koraidon? I don't know what to do now."
"Don't worry about it." Koraidon told the bird. "I'll be fine." Rookadee looked determined.
"I'll make sure you will and I'll figure out a way to help you!"
"Rookadee, that's very kind of you, but you don't have to. I'll be just fine, even without a leg." Rookadee was concerned about this.
"But what about the bad guys?" Now Pikachu was concerned. He was also confused.
"Bad guys?" The electric mouse asked. "You mentioned them before. What bad guys?" Rookadee looked at him.
"There are these really bad people who are hunting down Koraidon for some reason."
"Is that how Koraidon lost its leg?" Snowy wanted to know. "Sorry if this question makes you uncomfortable."
"Not at all." Koraidon replied. "It's just a question and you are just curious. It's not uncomfortable at all. And to answer your question, yes. I won't go into the gory details, but it was so bad, that this nice human with a Chaney had to deattach it."
"Was it Nurse Joy?"
"If that's her name, then, yes."
"I found Koraidon when it was inside of her building." Rookadee said. "That same human helped me when my wing got broken. I have been with Koraidon ever since."
"So, if Nurse Joy had to deattach your leg," Piplup began. "Maybe she can find you a new one? I'm sure there might be a way with all of these new stuff that the humans are inventing. Maybe if we just ask her."
"How can we, Piplup?" Snowy wanted to know, "She's a human. She won't be able to understand us." Oshawott looked at the penguin-like Pokémon.
"Ash understands Pikachu." He stated.
"That's different." Pikachu answered. They looked at him.
"How?" Piplup wanted to know.
"Yeah, Pikachu." Oshawott put in. "How?"
"Because he and I have been together forever. It's a special bond we share." Pikachu looked at Piplup. "Piplup, when you refused to evolve, Dawn understood it. She may have not understood why at first, but she did eventually, just like Ash did with Bulbasaur and I. And she understood you were devastated when Ash and I had to leave for Unova."
"I guess that's true."
"And if Ash didn't leave," Oshawott put in. "I would never have become Ash's Pokémon and you would have never met me." Piplup smiled.
"Yeah, I guess that's true too."
"The world works in mysterious ways." Pansage added. "It keeps changing. You just need to give it a chance. You might be surprised at what it has to offer." Piplup smiled again.
"Yeah, you're right on that one."
"I can still go fast." Koraidon told Rookadee. "I just have to run with one less leg now."
"But you should run on all of your legs!" Rookadee complained. "This isn't fair!"
"Life isn't always fair, Rookadee." Koraidon told it. "You have to deal with it and let whatever life throws at you."
"I guess. But, I'll still hate it and feel bad for you."
"You can hate it all you want. I'm still me, just with one less leg."
"Well, I just hope those bad guys stay far, far away from us. That's all I have to say."
"It's too late for that!" A voice spoke out. All of the Pokémon and James looked. It was a Morgrem! Beside it was a Drednaw, a Coalossal, a Thievul, and a Sandaconda. Rookadee looked mad.
"Leave us alone, Morgrem! You and your cronies aren't getting Koraidon today or any day for that matter!"
"I'm assuming these are the bad guys?" Pikachu guessed.
"You're right on that one." Rookadee said. "They want Koraidon for some reason and they're not getting it."
"You're right! We'll help you! We'll make sure Koraidon stays safe!" This time, Pikachu and his friends were mad at Morgrem and the others.
"This doesn't concern you, yellow rat!" Morgrem said.
"We are going to make it our business!" Bulbasaur stated. "So there!"
"Yeah!" Oshawott put in. "How do you like those Applins?" Morgrem smirked.
"Then you all made a great mistake!" It informed them.
"Yeah!" Coalossal added. "A huge, colossal mistake!"
"We will all defeat you guys in battle, and then you have to give us Koraidon!"
"Fat chance!" Rookadee spat. "There's five of you guys and, well, more of us!"
"Do you think that scares us? Well, think again because it doesn't!" Rookadee looked at Koraidon.
"Get out here as fast as you can, Koraidon! We have this handled." Koraidon nodded.
"Alright." It agreed. "Good luck Rookadee, Pikachu and others! I really appreciate this." With that, Koraidon took off. It would have gone further, but it got shot with a dart. The good Pokémon gasped as it yelled in pain. It collapsed to the ground. Morgrem and its chums all smirked.
"Koraidon!" Rookadee yelled.
"Uh, what just happened?" Psyduck wanted to know.
"It just got hit in the back of the neck with a dart!" Piplup stated.
"Yeah, but by who?" Snowy questioned. Just then, all of the Pokémon all heard evil laughs, and gasped as the rest of the Team Nightmare members came out of their hiding places.