Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Pokemon Trilogy part 1 - Buried Feelings ❯ Chapter 4

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

A/N: In this part I introduce Lucille, Caitlin and Tajiri. I made up these characters. All
others were created by the Pokemon people. ^^

"Buried Feelings" Part 4
A Pokemon Fanfic written by: Djehuti aka Flamedramon_girl


"C'mon, give us a break will ya?" Meowth complained.

"Ekans, Ekans!"

"Koffing, Koff!"

Brock slowed his pace to a stop. He turned impatiently and watched the three exhausted
Pokemon make their way towards him. It was around 5 pm. and they had been travelling at a brisk
pace for the last few hours. Brock had to admit they needed a break but he just had to keep
going. Pikachu was awake, but listless on his shoulder.

Brock looked at his map again. "It shouldn't be much farther", he said. Ekans, and
Koffing suddenly burst out loudly in complaining tones. Meowth translated that they were tired
and wanted to rest. They weren't used to being out of their Pokeballs for so long. Brock sighed
and reached for two spare pokeballs that he had in his pocket. "Here", he said. "These are
empty. You can rest in these."

The two Pokemon stared at the Pokeballs and at each other, uncertainly.

"I know these aren't your own Pokeballs, but they will have to do until we get your....
masters out of this mess." Brock said holding out the Pokeballs.

Koffing and Ekans nodded and with a flash of red light, disappeared into the Pokeballs.
Brocked shoved them back in his pocket and started moving. "Lets go", He said, "we wasted
enouph time". Meowth scrambled to catch up to him.

~~~

An hour and a half passed. Brock finally stopped for a break. He was ready to collapse,
and his face was burning hotly from Meowth's attack. He and Meowth shared the last of his food
rations, and quickly got moving again.

The weather was taking a bad turn for the worse, and it started to downpour. It was also
getting windy, cold and dark. Every once and a while lightning flashed and thunder boomed in
the distance. Brock was getting worried. "We should've reached the town by now", He said,
holding Pikachu close in his arms, in an attempt to keep the shivering Pokemon warm.

Meowth slumped down on all fours, exhausted. "I dont know how much more of this I can
take", he gasped. "Are you sure we aren't lost?"

Brock studied the map with a flashlight. "According to this, we should be near a main
road that leads right to the town." He looked around. "I don't see one." He cursed under his
breath. Meowth lowered his head onto his paws in hopelessnes.

"I can't stand this!" The cat Pokemon finally said. "I'm cold, and I'm wet and I hate
thunderstorms!" As if to accentuate his comment, the sky lit up and there was a loud crack of
thunder.

Pikachu leaped from Brock's arms and spoke to Meowth in a scolding tone. Meowth looked
at the ground guiltily. Brock didn't understand what Pikachu said, but he got a vague idea.
"Stop complaining." He said. "I don't like the weather either but we have to keep moving. The
main road could be just around the corner."

Brock started walking down the narrow path, Meowth and Pikachu following close behind.
Finally, Brock pushed aside some thick bushes and came to the end of an old rope bridge.

Pikachu brightened and pointed excitedly. "Pipichu, ka ka ka pikachupi!"

Brock looked at Meowth questioningly. "What did Pikachu say?" He asked.

Meowth looked at Pikachu for a moment. "Are you sure?"

"Pi!"

"Pikachu says that looks like the main road on the other side of the bridge", Meowth
said to Brock. "Maybe we aren't lost after all!"

Brock looked at the map again. After a moment he started walking across the bridge. It
groaned ominously. Brock paused and it held. He breathed a sigh of relief. "C'mon!" He called
back. Pikachu and Meowth followed slowly. The bridge groaned and swayed. It was worse with the
strong winds. Brock barely could keep his balance. When he was close to the other end of the
bridge, he looked back at Pikachu and Meowth, who were making their way across on all fours,
hanging on for dear life.

"Its all right! You can make it!" Brock called back encouragingly. Brock took another
step. "The bridge will hold, it's perfectly sa-AAAIIIIIIIIIEEE!!"

Brock cried out in mid-sentence as his foot fell through the bottom of the bridge. He
lost his balance and the map and flashlight flew out of his hands and were whisked away in the
wind. The rotting planks couldn't take the stress of his body slamming on them and he fell all
the way through.

Meowth and Pikachu scrambled to the hole in the bridge, horrified.

"PIPICHUUUUU!" Pikachu screamed.

"Brock! Say something!" Meowth called into the darkness. No answer. Just the pounding
rain, rumbling thunder and howling wind. Pikachu wailed in despair. The Pokemon was so
distressed that Meowth had trouble understanding it. All he caught was something like "No! Not
again!" Or "My friends are all gone!"

Meowth looked at Pikachu. "Don't worry, he should be fine. Jessie and James fall into
holes all the time and they're always fine!" He said.

Pikachu glared and made an annoyed hissing sound, then scampered to the other side of
the bridge. Meowth looked through the hole again. He could barely make out a shape near the
bottom of the ravine. What he could see wasn't moving. He made his way to the other side of the
bridge. With sinking hearts, Pikachu and Meowth made their way down to the unmoving Pokemon
trainer.

~~~

Ash's condition was worsening. His fever was so bad he radiated with heat. He wasn't
even shivering anymore. Misty knew that if she didn't cool down Ash soon, he would be a gonner.

While Ash slept, Misty quickly changed into her bathing suit and she stripped Ash down
to his boxers. She moved Ash to the pool of the underground spring, and she cradled him in her
arms and slowly lowered herself into the cool spring.

Ash gasped as his body made contact with the cold water. He shivered and moaned softly.
"Shhhh. It will be all right," Misty whispered. She cupped some water in her hand and ran it
down his face and hair.

Ash opened his eyes a little. "M...Misty?" His voice was barely a whisper. "I'm so
scared".

Misty held him close. "Brock should be at the town by now, and will be soon here with
some help." She said hopefully.

Ash looked at Misty, his fevered eyes focusing on her. "If...I don't make it, please
take good care of my Pokemon....and Pikachu." His voice trembled.

Misty fought tears. "Ash, don't talk like that. You're going to get better!"

Ash's eyes drifted shut. "S...sorry about...your bike", he murmured.

Misty wept quietly. I must not lose hope! She thought. Ash is going to make it!

Suddenly, Goldeen returned with a small splash. She told Misty about Team Rocket
trapped in a nearby cavern. She also regretfully told her that there was no safe way out
through the underground river system. Misty called Goldeen back into her pokeball after
thanking her, and sank into despair.

~~~

The banks of the ravine were slippery and muddy. Pikachu and Meowth were covered in mud
by the time they reached Brock.

The young trainer was semi-concious and was moaning in pain. He was sprawled near the
bottom of the ravine, covered in mud. The small stream at the bottom of the ravine would no
doubt become a torrentous river soon because of the rain. Meowth knew that Brock would have to
get out of there or he'll drown.

Pikachu scampered and slid over to Brock and nuzzled his face. "Pipichuuu", it said
softly.

Brock lifted his head slightly and plopped back into the mud with a groan. He looked
like he had had a bad tumble and he had hit some of the large rocks on the way down the side of
the ravine. Meowth saw as he got closer, that the trainer's face was covered in blood. He looked
pretty banged up.

Brock rolled onto his side, his face in a grimace of pain. "Have...to...keep...going!"
He gasped. He could taste blood in his mouth and he spat. He must've bit his lip on impact. He
struggled to stand and cried out as he fell to his knees. "My ankle.....I think it's sprained."
He said finally after examining it. He got up again and stayed on hs feet, wincing and holding
his side.

"We gotta get out of here Brock. This place is gonna flood!" Meowth said, starting up
the slippery incline. Brock nodded and proceeded to crawl up the side of the ravine. It seemed
to take forever and the mud was very slippery. Brock's body was throbbing with pain, but despite
all this, he made it to the top at the side of the main road.

Brock lay on the side of the road for a few minutes, gathering strength. Than he
staggered to his feet. He found a sturdy stick to lean on, and started to hobble down the road.
Pikachu and Meowth walked on either side of him. Once in a while, Pikachu would offer words of
encouragement.

Brock's face set into an expression of determination. I have to get to that town! I have
to! He also remembered that he had lost his flashlight and map. He sighed. I hope we're going
the right way....

~~~

Misty had totally lost track of time. Ash was lying limp in her arms and it felt like
years had gone by. She was lonely, cold and scared. The situation seemed hopeless. A while ago,
she had released her Pokemon for company and let them swim around in the water. Then one by one,
they went back into their Pokeballs.

Misty rummaged around in her bag with one hand while she held Ash. She found an apple
and a little pocket knife. She carefully lay Ash along the side of the pool so that his head was
above water.

Misty then cut up the apple into small pieces and cuddled next to Ash, holding his head
above water. "Ash?" She shook him a little. Ash stirred, and murmured softly.

"Ash, you have to eat or drink something," Misty said urgently. She held a little piece
of apple to his lips. Ash's eyelids fluttered and his head moved to the side. "Well, you'll just
have to drink then", Misty said softly.

She cupped water in her hand and trickled it over his lips, trying to coax him to drink.
The water flowed down his chin, but he didn't drink.

Misty thought for a moment. The only way I can think of to make him drink is...She
blushed. She knew she had to do this. She bent down and drew water into her mouth, and before
she could have second thoughts, she pressed her lips to his and released the water into his
mouth.

Ash responded immediately, drinking the water with a gentle sucking motion. Misty pulled
away, pulse racing. I can't believe I just did that! She thought. Ash's mouth moved slightly
like he wanted some more water, and Misty gave him a couple of more mouthfulls.

After he had had enouph to drink, Ash's head fell back with a contented sigh, and
settled into a deep sleep. Misty gazed at his face, a little afraid and confused at the strange
feelings flowing through her.

The sound of tumbling rocks made her whirl around in alarm. The wall of loosely piled
rocks was shifting and tumbling down into the cavern. Suddenly a black gloved fist punched
through and jerked back out of sight.

"Yeeowch! My knuckles!"

"Stop complaining James! We made it through!"

Misty could'nt believe her ears. Team Rocket?! She couldn't decide wether to be ecstatic
for finally having company, or angry at them for causing this mess in the first place.

Some more rocks fell as James' head poked through the hole he made. He looked around and
spotted Misty.

"What do you see?" Misty heard Jessie ask.

"Hey Misty! Uh...your name is Misty isn't it?" James asked.

Another hand poked through the hole and wacked him upside the head and pulled him back
by the shirt collar. "Let me do the talking!" Jessie said shoving her head through the hole
looking at Misty. James could be heard grumbling to himself behind her.

"Misty, is there a way out of here on this side?" Jessie asked hopefully.

Misty shook her head. "Nope", she sighed. "I suppose then that there's no way out on
your side either then right?"

Jessie's hopeful expression fell and she slumped, her face resting on the dirt. What
should she do? She hated the idea of hanging out with one of the brats but they were trapped
and had no choice. Jessie, with James' help, dug the rest of the way through and crawled into
Misty's small cavern.

Misty got out of the water and laid Ash on a blanket. She covered him in a towel. She
watched Team Rocket warily as they made themselves comfortable. Misty saw that they were scuffed
up, bruised, and covered in dirt.

The three of them sat, staring at each other uneasily. Jessie broke the silence.
"What's wrong with the twe--I mean kid?"

"His name is Ash." Misty said indignantly. "I don't know what's wrong with him. He has a
bad fever, and its not breaking. I've tried everything!" Her voice got quiet. "If he doesn't get
medical help soon he...could--". She broke off, unable to say more.

Jessie and James looked at each other silently. They suddenly felt sorry for the water
trainer and her friend but they couldn't do anything to help them.

James perked up. "Didn't the rock trainer stay out of the mine?" he asked.

Misty shot him a look. "_Brock_ had no choice, he was unconcious because of your tranq
dart!"

James looked at the ground looking sorry for himself. Jessie spoke up. "I'm sure that
he went for help. I know Meowth, Koffing and Ekans wouldn't leave us down here either. Someone
will come for us. I know it". She said.

No one said anything else for a while. Misty held Ash's hand, willing him to hang on.

~~~

Brock stumbled and collapsed onto the muddy road. He had been fighting excruciating
pain, trudging through the storm for the past hour. At least it felt like an hour. Brock had no
sense of time.

He had succeeded in half crawling up a really steep hill, following the main road, when
he finally couldn't go any further. He lay sprawled on the side of the road at the top of the
hill, chest heaving and lungs burning. Try as he might, his body didn't want to move.

Meowth watched as Pikachu nuzzled Brocks head. "Pipichu. Ka ka piikachu", It said
encouragingly. Meowth translated. "It said that you can do it, we're almost there."

Brock shook his head, unable to speak. His face was twisted in pain and shame. "I....
failed!" He gasped. "Can't....go....on!" His face rested in the mud. Pikachu saw a tear trickle
down his cheek.

"Chuuuu", Pikachu murmered softly. It leaned towards Brock's face and licked the tear
off of his cheek. It then curled up next to Brock's head and snuggled close, offering a little
warmth from its small body.

A corner of Brock's mouth went up in a tiny smile as he looked at Pikachu. It saddened
him that he didn't even have the energy to lift his arm up to give Pikachu an ear scratch.
Pikachu looked at Brock with its big brown eyes and nodded in understanding. It knew.

Meanwhile, Meowth had been peering into the darkness, trying to see anything
interesting. The hill was high. Perhaps the town would be visible from this height. There..was
that a light? Sure enouph, he spotted some lights in the distance.

"Pikachu, Brock, I think I spotted the town!" Meowth said excitedly. Pikachu perked up
but there was no response from Brock. Meowth went over and saw that Brock's eyes were closed and
he was'nt moving.

"Pipichu pika pikachuu" (Brock fell asleep) Pikachu said worridly. "Pika kaka Chu" (I
could'nt keep him awake)

Meowth thought for a moment. "We got to get to that town and get someone to come get
him. I bet the best place to look would be a Pokemon centre!" He said finally. "Let's go!" He
started to bound down the road. He turned to find Pikachu still with Brock.

"Are you coming or what?" Meowth asked.

"CHUU Pika pika" (I'm NOT leaving him!) Pikachu said adamantly.

Meowth deciding not to argue headed off down the road, "I won't be long!" He called
back. He was soon out of sight,

~~~

The little town of Greenwood was nestled in a valley, about half a days travel from
Viridian City. It was a quiet little town, and everyone was indoors because of the intense
rainstorm.

The Pokemon centre wasn't very big. Not as big as the one in the city anyway. It was a
two story log cabin that was big enouph to accomodate up to 10 trainers on their journey's to
the big cities. There was a section where Pokemon could rest and heal from their battles.

The supervisor for the centre was a woman named Lucille Sparks. Her 14 year old daughter
Caitlin helped her around the centre and aided in keeping things running smoothly.

That night, the place was quiet. Caitlin glanced at the clock. It was 8 pm. She was
presently checking on all the Pokemon's energy levels from in their Pokeballs and typing the
results onto a computer.

Just a humdrum boring evening, she thought and sighed. Nothing exciting happens around
here.

At that moment, there was a frantic banging on the door. Thunder rumbled ominously, and
the wind and rain battered the windows. Caitlin glanced up, eyebrows raised. Careful what you
wish for.....

She started across the main area towards the door, as the banging continued. The only
other people in the room were a couple of trainers playing cards, and a tall black haired man
sitting by himself at a window.

Caitlin reached the door and opened it slowly. She peered out into the rain and saw no
one. She shrugged and was just about to close the door when she felt something tug on her pant
leg. She looked down to see an exhausted, soaked and muddy Meowth.

"Oh my!" Caitlin exclaimed. "You poor thing!" She bent down and picked up the Pokemon,
bringing it in out of the rain.

After she cleaned and dried him off, the Meowth was practically purring in contentment.
"Aaaah, that's much better....thanks!"

"Wha-!? Did you just talk!?" Caitlin burst out in shock. Before the Meowth could say
anything else, Lucille came into the room. "Did that Pokemon just speak?" She asked
in amazement. She had an armfull of clean linens and she placed them on the counter.

Meowth stood up. "Yeah, I can talk....I need your help!"

"What's wrong?" Lucille asked kindly. "Where's your trainer?"

Meowth thought to himself for a moment. He didn't want to spout off the whole story
because then it would expose Team Rocket. "An *ahem* aquaintance of mine fell off a rope bridge
over a ravine and he's injured." He finally said. "He collapsed and needs help right away!"

"Good Lord!" Lucille said. Her expression saddened. "I would love to help, but our
car broke down the other day. It's still in the shop. Perhaps we could get someone in the town
to help."

"I'll help." Said a deep male voice. Lucille and Caitlin looked up to see the tall dark
haired man. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I happened to hear your conversation. If you need the
use of a vehicle, I'll help. No one should be out in that storm injured or not."

"Oh thank you!" Lucille said gratefully, relief on her face. "We really appreciate
this Mr....uh-"

"Tajiri", said the man, smiling.

"OK, enough with the introductions, lets move it!" Meowth spoke up urgently. Tajiri
looked at the Meowth in surprise, but didn't say anything. After a moment he headed towards the
door. "We shouldn't delay, I'll get my car and drive it to the entrance." Then he was gone.

A few minutes later, Lucille had a bag full of blankets and a first-aid kit. She had her
rain poncho on. Before going out the door, she hugged and kissed her daughter. "Caitlin, keep
an eye on everything while I'm gone. I'm sure we won't be long."

"But I want to help too!" Caitlin said.

"You can help by getting the spare room ready upstairs." Lucille said. The two of them,
lived in an apartment upstairs. It was off limits to trainers stopping by overnight.

Caitlin sighed and nodded. "OK", she said. "Don't be long, I'll worry."

Her mother smiled. "Don't worry. Everything wil be fine. We'll be back soon!" She said.
Then she left, the Meowth following at her heels. Caitlin watched as she got in Tajiri's car
which was a jeep of some kind, and they drove off, disappearing into the dreary night. Then
after settling the curious trainers in the main room, she went upstairs to get the spare room
ready.

~~~

TBC...