Chapter 13: A Mission for Skitty

I stood there, not believing what I heard. Charcoal... poisoned? It just didn't seem possible. I had always thought fire types were immune to poison, or was that grass types? Then again it could have been ice types. Great! Now my mind was elsewhere again. What was happening? Oh right. Charcoal poisoned.

"What do you mean Charcoal's poisoned?" Laura asked, panic rising in her voice. "He's a fire type. Fire types can't get poisoned."

"Yeah well Charcoal did," my master said. "Look." I looked up to see my master show the mark left on Charcoal's body. The cut itself looked like it didn't go too deep, in fact, it looked more like just a scratch. But while cuts are normally marked red, Charcoal's cut was oozing purple. Either his blood was a different color, or he really was poisoned. O.K. So he is poisoned. Fine. Happy? I'm not. My friend just got hit with poison and now he's going to die!

"Dude," was all Ted could say as he stared at the cut.

"We need to get a move on, now!" my master said. "Those Beedrill will no doubt be back. The further we put ourselves from them, the sooner we can save Charcoal."

"But we're still at least a day from the city!" Laura said. "We'll never make it in time."

"Well we're going to have to try," my master said.

"Wait!" Laura said. "Where's Skitty?"

As if on cue, Skitty suddenly appeared like magic out of nowhere. "Who called?" she asked.

"Oh there you are," Laura said. "Let's get out of here!" We all then began running in the direction we've been running before stopping to have lunch. I wasn't exactly sure if we'd make it to the city, but hey, we'd have to try right? Course, I also wasn't exactly sure if Skitty knew the dire situation. Her attention was focused on her legs now as she ran. Yep. She hadn't a clue.

My ears picked up a low, grunting sound suddenly that sounded a lot like "Zack!" I looked around, searching for the sound, but saw nothing or no one. Or was that anything or anyone? Is there a difference between certain words?

"Zack!" I heard the voice say again.

"Charcoal?" my master said surprised slightly. "Don't worry. We're going to get you to a Pokemon Center soon as we can."

Need... speak... Zack!" he said, grunting in pain. And all this time we were running. I'm amazed he was able to speak due to all that poison spreading through him.

"Charcoal," I said, running closer to my master. "Don't try talking. Our master will do everything he can to get you better."

"Zack," Charcoal said through clenched teeth. "Little... time. Need...Pecha... heal." He tried breathing, but it was ragged.

"Pecha?" I asked, but he didn't say anymore. Or maybe nothing more. Still that question of difference. "What's a Pecha?"

"I think he means Pecha berry," Ted said. "Pecha berries are used to heal a poisoned pokemon. If we can find a Pecha berry, we might be able to save Charcoal."

"Where are Pecha berries usually located at?" I asked.

"They can be normally found in forests," Ted replied.

"So we're going ot have to find a forest to find a Pecha berry then," I said.

"Uh, Zack bro?" Ted said. "Where do you think we are?"

I looked all around and instantly remembered where we were. "Duh!" I said to myself. "But which one of us will go looking for them? And how do we even know they're even in this forest?"

"We have to try, bro," Ted said. "But if those Beedrill somehow catch up, you and I are the only ones who stand a chance." My stomach growled hungrily and I could feel my speed starting to diminish. "Or maybe I'm the only chance. Hmm. This is a problem."

My mind was racing fast, so I probably didn't hear much of what Ted was saying. Him and I were apparently the strong ones in our group, so neither of us could leave to search for this Pecha berry, which only left one other person, and she looked kinda cute with her ears bobbing up and down. No time to get distracted. Besides, I'm not much of a guy looking for a girl kind of pokemon.

"Skitty!" I said.

"Nya?" she questioned.

"I need you to do me something. Think you can listen?"

"Ears wide and open," she said.

"I need you to go and find a Pecha berry for Charcoal," I said.

"Who?" she asked.

"Charcoal," I said. "You know? The fire lizard?"

"What does fire boy need Pecha for?" she asked.

"He's been hurt real bad by a Beedrill," I told her.

"I shall save him!" Skitty cried out as she broke off from the group.

"Try meeting us up ahead!" I called after her.

"Wait! Skitty!" Laura cried. "Where're you going?"

"Keep moving," Ted said, placing a paw on her leg to keep her from running after Skitty. "She'll be all right."

"Don't worry about her," my master said. "We'll come back and get her once Charcoal's healed. I promise."

As the two continued to run and began arguing over going after Skitty, Ted happened to turn slightly back at me as my ears picked up the faintest sound of buzzing coming from the left of us. "They're coming," I said.

"I understand you're concerned about Charcoal," Ted said. "I am just as well, but sending Skitty out like that was a bad idea."

"Why's that?" I asked.

"Because most likely everything you told her went right over her head," Ted replied. My face went blank then. I think I just messed everything up.

"Oh!" was all I could say as the buzzing drew nearer.

Why was I running? Where was I going? Something, something, pecha, something, something. What was this pecha? Was I looking for it? What did pecha stand for? Hmm. Maybe if I went back and asked that blue-ringed raccoon thing he would- oh look! Butterfly! I snapped my head upward to see a butterfly flying over me, it's wings flapping. I jumped in the air, trying to catch it, but it just went on flying.

"I shall catch you, winged cretin!" I said as I chased it, giggling silently to myself. Can't say how long I chased the butterfly, jumping up at it every so often. I eventually gave up chasing as it flew up higher above the trees and disappeared. I stopped and looked into the sky, seeing the pretty blue sky with all the oddly shaped white- Tree!

My attention was turned to a tree. It was a nice tree! I must climb said tree! My feet began to move towards the tree. My claws unsheathed. I cackled insanely as I climbed up the tree. The first branch I came to I walked all the way until I was almost at the end. Then I plopped down and stood quite still, staring, staring, staring.

My mind began slowly to put together something. But of what, I wasn't sure. As my mind slowly was thinking of what it was that it was trying to think about, it paused as my attention turned to a green, crawly thing on the ground below, crawling right by the tree I was in. I shrugged it off and returned to what mu mind was working on. Wait for it, wait for it!

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" someone suddenly screamed. I calmly looked left. Nothing. I calmly looked right. There were a bunch of yellow and black stripes in one spot. I counted. Five. And they were surrounding the crawly green thing.

Like lightning I jumped off the branch, aiming down upon the unexpecting yellow-black stripes, adding a "RAWR!" to my assault. The thing barely had time to turn around as I landed on his head, said head going into ground. I leapt off and managed to knock another one's head into the ground before they even knew what happened. Then, without even looking up, I leapt up into the air just as a white needle jabbed underneath me. I landed on an arm and immediately dashed forward, spinning around and whacking the third yellow-black stripe with a glowing, silver tail.

Wow! I must be stronger than I thought! I managed to down three pokemon in one hit each! Why's my heart pumping so fast? And why's my blood rushing? I was suddenly brought back to attention as I was suddenly hit hard, flying into the air. I gritted my teeth as pain seeped through me.

"Lucky shot!" I yelled as I flipped in the air and made contact with the tree, my feet gripping perfectly. I then leapt off it as the yellow-black stripe jabbed it's needle forward again, getting it embedded within the tree. I was on full concentration as I leapt at the other yellow-black stripe pokemon who was still conscious.

"You're dead!" he buzzed angrily as his needle turned purple. He fired while I was in mid-air. I was doomed I tell you! Doomed! But then, I began spinning for absolutely no reason. And somehow, by me spinning, I barely managed to miss the attack meant for me. I never saw the attack under me, for I was up looking at the sky when it did.

A loud scream echoed as I landed. My world went spinny! "Aha!" I said. "I just a-gotten you a-good! And now Imma gonna... do something."

"You'r going to pay for attacking my friends!" the yellow-black stripe said angrily. At least I think that's what his mood was. I couldn't be sure. I wasn't sure what happened next. All I do remember was ablur of grabbing something and whamming it on the ground several times before letting go. My senses returned and I looked all around at the yellow-black stripes as they all lied about the ground. One was hanging from a tree.

"Whoa!" someone said. My heart beat returned to normal and my brain was functioning properly again. I turned my attention over to the crawly green thing as he stared at me with big, round eyes. "That was so cool!" he said. Yup! Confirmation of his voice was male. "You're like... some sort of super cool fighter who protects the weak from bullies like them."

"That's nice," I said with a smile.

"You think you can take me back to my clearing?" the crawly green thing asked. "I kind of got separated from my mom and was heading back when those Beedrill bullies started picking on me. So would you?"

"Meh," I said. "Sure. Not like I have anything important to do."

"Oh thank you!" the crawly green thing said. Kind of creepy, but I followed the crawly green thing to wherever he was leading me.