Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Pokemon Trilogy part 1 - Buried Feelings ❯ Chapter 5

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

"BURIED FEELINGS" Part 5
written by: Djehuti aka Flamedramon_girl


The rain was pounding down so hard that it was hard to see through the windshield, even
when the wipers were going full speed. Tajiri drove down the road, following the Meowth's
directions. Water sprayed everywhich way as they hit puddles in the road.

About 5 minutes later, Meowth pointed. "Over there!" He cried.

Just visible in the headlights, a young trainer was lying facedown on the side of the
road with a Pikachu near his head. Tajiri braked to a stop, and then leaped out of the car with
Lucille right behind, raincoats billowing in the wind.

The trainer turned out to be a dark haired boy about 13-15 years of age. The Pikachu
was curled up on his head as if to shelter him from the rain. The both of them were drenched,
and covered in mud. The Pikachu perked up and blinked in the bright light of the headlights.

"Pikachu! I found some help! How's Brock doing?" Meowth called out. Pikachu uncurled
itself from around Brock's head and said something in a relieved tone.

Lucille bent down and wrapped a blanket around the shivering Pikachu. "Come now, I'll
dry you off", she said soothingly. She took it into the car and Meowth got in too, out of the
rain.

Tajiri took the trainer's bag off, and gently rolled him onto his back. The youth
groaned and his eyes opened a crack, squinting in the light of the headlights.

"Rest easy son", said Tajiri. "We'll get you all fixed up." He quickly examined the
young trainer, checking for broken bones. He had none, but had a badly sprained ankle and a
minor head injury. He also had parallel gashes on each cheek. That's the mark of a Meowth
attack! Thought Tajiri. That Meowth wasn't telling the whole truth. Figuring he would worry
about that later, Tajiri took a clean hankerchief from his pocket and wiped the mud and blood
from the boy's face. A realization hit him.

"You're Flint Slate's eldest son, Brock, aren't you?" Tajiri asked, peering at him
intently. "I thought you looked familiar. You two are spitting images of each other".

Brock gazed up at the strange man in a daze, wondering who he was and how he knew his
father.

Tajiri, noticed the confused look and placed a hand on Brock's forehead. "Don't worry
about it, just rest. Soon you'll be warm, dry and safe." Brock's eyes drifted shut and he fell
asleep instantly.

Finished with drying off Pikachu, Lucille came and crouched at Tajiri's side. "How's
the boy?" She asked. "Is it safe to move him?"

"Yes", Tajiri answered, nodding. "We should get him to the centre right away. If he
doesn't get better by tommorow morning, I'll take him to the hospital in Viridian City."

Lucille got another blanket and Tajiri wrapped Brock up in it, picking him up in his
arms. After settling him in the backseat, they raced back to the Pokemon centre.

~~~

The day dawned bright and sunny. The vegetation was lush and green. Large puddles
spotted the roads of Greenwood like small lakes.

Caitlin was preoccupied with her chores, giving trainers back their healed Pokemon and
wishing them a safe journey. As she was going about her duties, her mind kept on drifting to
the night before.

Her mother and Tajiri had come in, drenched from the pouring rain. She had followed them
upstairs holding a cute Pikachu that was with the trainer they found. They laid the trainer
on the floor, and started to partially undress him and dry him off. Caitlin found out that the
trainer was found a few miles up the road from the old rope bridge. He had walked all that way
with a bad sprain, and a head injury!

She remembered that Tajiri had said that the guy had passed out from exhaustion and not
from his injuries. He also suspected that the Meowth wasn't being truthful. He had pointed out
the slashes on the guys face.

Caitlin shook her head to herself. It looked like he'd been through a lot. She had gone
in her room to read, while Tajiri and her mom had carried the trainer into the bathroom to
clean him up, and tend to his wounds.

Who is he? Caitlin thought. I wonder if he's nice? Caitlin shook her head again to get
back in the present. She had been staring at the computer screen for the past few minutes. A
young girl trainer around 10 with pigtailed hair was standing in front of the counter staring
at Caitlin curiously.

"Oh, sorry. My mind was wandering", Caitlin said with an embarrassed smile.

"S'ok", the girl said. "How's my Rattatta and Caterpie?"

Caitlin grinned. "They're doing just fine. Is this your first journey?" She asked,
handing the girl her Pokeballs.

"Yup!" The girl said proudly. "I just caught my caterpie a few days ago!"

"Well good luck on your journey", Caitlin said, waving as the girl skipped out the door.

Lucille arrived from getting some supplies at the town store. She smiled at her
daughter. "I'll take care of everything here. You can go check on our guest." She said.

Caitlin nodded and bounded up the steps. She never did get to have a good look at the
trainer. She had stayed in her room while Tajiri and her mom took care of him.

She went into the guestroom quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping trainer. The
Meowth was nowhere to be seen and the Pikachu was curled up at the foot of the bed. Caitlin
moved a chair to the side of the bed and sat, leaning forward, finally getting a good look at
him.

She could see his features much better now that he had been cleaned off. He was
distinctly Asian with short spiky black hair, and his skin was a natural shade of golden tan.
She noticed that he ws wearing an old bathrobe that looked like it was Tajiri's.

Suddenly, the guy sat bolt upright in bed, eyes wide. The sudden movement startled
Caitlin and she fell back into her chair. She saw him wince in pain.

"Wha-? Where?" He asked breathlessly to himself. He quickly scanned the room. Window,
dresser, table, Pikachu, nice wallpaper, girl, lamp, clos--GIRL!? The guy's head wipped around,
causing him to wince again as he stared at her. She had shoulder-length wavy aubourn hair,
and big fully lashed greenish gray eyes.

Caitlin stared back, blushing slightly under his scrutiny. She noticed that his eyes
were a nice rich brown color. They were narrow and almond shaped. She decided to break the
silence.

"Hi."

The trainer blinked out of his stupor and nodded. "Hi", he paused and gave a small
smile. "I'm Brock."

"I'm Caitlin", She said smiling back.

"Caitlin..." Brock echoed softly. "Nice name".

"You have an interesting name yourself", Caitlin said, reaching for his ID card sitting
on the bedside table. "What does the T stand for?"

"Oh, that's just my middle name...Takeshi", Brock said shrugging. He winced again.

Caitlin was just about to comment when her mother Lucille came into the room, followed
by Tajiri.

"Ah, you're awake! How are you feeling?" Lucilled asked Brock. She handed him a glass
of water.

Brock took the glass, thanking her. "Well, I have a headache, my whole body aches, and
my ankle's killing me", he said. Other than that I'm OK. It's not that bad." Then his eyes
widened at a sudden thought, and his expression turned serious. "I need your help! My friends
are in trouble!" He said in a rush.

"Take it easy, tell us what happened", Tajiri said gently.

Brock, with Pikachu's help, told all that they knew of the situation. It was difficult
considering that Pikachu's point of view was from in a rubber sack, and Brock was unconscious
throughout the whole ordeal. Brock did tell all what happened after he woke up though.

At the mention of Ash's name, something flickered in Tajiri's eyes, unnoticed by the
others. When Brock and Pikachu finished, he stood up abruptly.

"We have to gather as much trainers that have rock Pokemon as we can. We can't waste
another minute!" He rushed out of the room followed by Lucille. "I'm going to help him!" She
called back to him. "We won't be long!"

"Wait!" Brock cried out. "I have rock Pokemon too! I want to help!" He started to get
out of bed and was just about to stand when Caitlin stopped him by placing a hand on his chest.

"I don't think you'll be able to do anything with a sprained ankle like that", she
said, gently pushing Brock back into bed. Brock said nothing. He looked at her hand on his
chest and slowly moved his gaze up until he was looking into her eyes.

Caitlin realized that her hand was still on his chest and she quickly removed it,
hoping that she wasn't blushing. She sat back. "Umm- want something to eat?" She asked,
changing the subject.

"I'm too worried to eat", Brock said quietly. Pikachu who hadn't said anything, nodded.

The three sat in silence until just a short while later, Tajiri and Lucille came back.
"We gathered around 5 trainers to help. Most left this morning, but others arrived. I have rock
Pokemon that could help as well," Tajiri said. "We can use my car, and the nurse at the
imfirmary offered to help with her car." He paused, than clasped Brock's shoulder reassuringly.
"Don't worry, we'll get your friends out."

Brock nodded. "I can help, I also have rock Pokemon. I can't just sit here and do
nothing!" He said. Tajiri thought for a few moments than wearily agreed to let Brock come.

After about 10 minutes, everyone was ready to go. They piled into the two cars, (the
nurse's car turned out to be a van) and headed off down the road. No one noticed the Meowth
stowing away on the van.

~~~

James woke with a start. He noticed it was pitch black. Where is the lantern? He thought
frantically. "T--turn on the light!" He exclaimed in a panic.

"James! Quit freaking out, it's all right." Jessie said, who was sitting next to him.
James seemed to relax at the sound of her voice.

"I wanted to save the batteries, that thing has been on too long." Misty said from the
opposite side of the cavern. She had put her clothes on over her bathing suit and had Ash's
head resting in her lap. He was wrapped in Misty's sleeping bag and was comatose.

Misty could hear James scrabbling around and then she heard a *crunch* "Don't tell me
that was my lantern", she said witheringly.

"Oops!"

"James! You klutz!" Jessie hollered.

"Wait a minute, I have an idea", Misty said, groping around for Ash's Pokeball belt.
She picked a Pokeball, hoping it was the right one, and she tossed it into the center of the
cavern. There was a flash.

"Char! Charmander!" The little fire lizard Pokemon looked around with wide blue eyes.
The flame on the end of its tail was bright enough to illuminate the small cavern.

James seemed to relax. Jessie said nothing and just scowled at the wall. Charmander saw
Ash and toddled over, its face full of concern. "Charman char ar?"

"Ash is sick." Misty said sadly. "We're trapped in here." She tried not to sound too
scared. Charmander sat next to Ash, and rested its head on his arm. "Derrr", it murmured.

There was the sound of tumbling rocks, and the small group jerked in startlement.

"Diglett dig!"

"Trio Trio Trio!"

It was a Diglett and a Dugtrio sticking there small brown heads through the dirt. They
peered at the group and spotted Charmander. They then proceeded to engage in an animated
conversation with the fire Pokemon in rapid pokespeak.

Jessie, James and Misty watched them for a few moments, than looked at each other
cluelessly. "I wish Meowth was here to translate", Jessie commented.

The Diglett and the Dugtrio left, and Charmander started talking to Misty, waving its
little arms in excitement. Misty shook her head. "I don't understand", she said shrugging
helplessly.

Charmander thought for a moment. It pointed to the holes where the rock pokemon were,
then it pointed to the ceiling and the freedom beyond. Misty's heart fluttered as her hopes
rose. "You mean, there's someone here to rescue us?" She asked, voice trembling in excitement.

"Char!" Charmander said, nodding happily.

The small group cheered. Soon this was all going to be over!

~~~

"Diglett!"

"Dugtrio!"

This got Pikachu all excited. It started cheering and Brock figured it meant good news.
"Tajiri, I think your Pokemon found them!" He said with a wide grin. He was sitting off to the
side while the others in the rescue party released their rock Pokemon and got shovels. Brock
released Geodude and Onix, telling them to listen to Tajiri. Tajiri nodded, getting down to
business.

"Lets get digging!"

~~~

Misty was wondering what was taking so long, when part of the ceiling started to
collapse.

"AAAAGH!" James yelped, terrified. He cowered against the cold stone wall. Jessie tried
to keep him still by holding him firmly against the wall.

Misty looked at Charmander. "Better get in your pokeball, where it's safe", she said,
holding it out. Charmander disappeared in a red flash, and Misty put the Pokeball back on Ash's
belt. In the darkness, she heard James struggle and cry out. Then she heard Jessie's voice.

"Will you --mmph--calm down?" She said, struggling to keep him still. James responded
by mumbling incoherently. Jessie decided to do something totally unexpected and leaned
forward......

All Misty could hear was James losing it, and Jessie trying to calm him down. Then she
had sighed in frustration while James babbled on.

"We're gonna die! We're not gonna make it! We're not gonna mmmmff!---mmmmm~*"

Then silence. Misty blinked. Okaaaay.... She tried not to think about what was going on.

The ceiling crumbled even more, and light spilled into the small cavern. Jessie moved
away from the unmoving James and looked towards the light. Misty looked up through the hole as
a familiar face looked in.

"Pikachu, Pichupi!"

"Pikachu!" Misty cried joyfully. "I'm so glad to see you!" She wiped tears of relief
from her face. Then she saw other rock Pokemon gather around the hole, and then two human faces
looked in.

"Is everyone all right?" Called the woman.

"Yes! Except for Ash!" Misty replied. She looked down at his pale bruised face in her
lap.

"We'll get him out first OK? Everything will be all right." The man said gently. Misty
looked up into his face. She did'nt know him, but he looked familiar somehow...

Misty unwrapped Ash from the towel and the man reached his arms down through the hole.
With Jessie's help, they lifted Ash and the man grabbed him from under the arms and hoisted him
up. The woman wrapped him in another blanket and moved out of sight.

Soon Misty, Jessie and James, were stumbling out into the bright sunshine. Jessie and
James moved off to the side with their stuff when suddenly Meowth bounded to them from out of
nowhere. They talked quietly among themselves.

This went on unnoticed while Misty was reunited with Brock. She ran up to where he was
sitting and they hugged enthusiastically. Misty pulled back and gaped at his face. "What
happened to you? You look like you've been through a lot!" She asked.

"Long story....tell you later", Brock said with a grin.

Misty figured that she looked like she'd been through a lot too. All she cared about
was getting Ash better. Brock glanced at Team Rocket and noticed Jessie sneeking looks at
James often, while James had this dopey grin on his face. "What's with those two?" He asked.

"Don't ask....." Misty replied. "You don't wanna know."

Brocks eyes widened and he laughed. "Hey, maybe they'll be too busy with each other to
bother us anymore!" He said.

"Brock!" Misty said, giving him a friendly wack on the arm.

"Lets get going everyone!" Called out the man who had introduced himself as Tajiri. The
rescue party, including Brock, gathered up their Pokemon and collected the shovels. Then the
whole group started to hike back through the woods. Brock was leaning on a stick he had found.
Misty walked with him, filling him in on what happened. The group made it to the road and piled
in the cars. Then they sped back to Greenwood.

~~~

TBC...