Whispering Darkness Part 7 By Crysta Disclaimer: I can't be bothered. Check one of the past parts for it. Note: From now on the POV note stands permanently. Crysta and Tracey are included too. ********** Tracey came upon her first. His cry of horror brought the others running round. "Mew! Mew mew!" Mew wailed. Tracey's eyes watered and he began to cry. "We have to get her out." Ash said decisively. Crysta's eyes fluttered open. "Mew. found you. help." "She's passed out again." Misty started to dig some of the smaller rocks away. Ash and Tracey joined in. By mistake, Ash and Misty's legs collided as they turned to toss the rocks aside and readjusted their balance. They didn't have time to be embarrassed about it. ********** It was torture, to see my girlfriend so destroyed, trapped under the rubble. We found a damaged pokeball. Mew grabbed it, so we presumed it was Mew's. That meant it was Crysta's pokemon. Luckily the others seem to be OK. Ash and Misty were a great help. Together, we all managed to dig her out pretty fast. We walked almost all night to find a hospital. We're in one now. Crysta's on the other side of a window. She looks so weak, so pale against the stark whiteness of the room. Even her fur colour's paled. Bandages cover her body, and a drip is in one of her arms. I hope she'll be OK. I can't live without her. ********** I felt terrible when I saw Crysta, and saw Tracey crying. I've never seen Tracey cry, but I have seen Ash cry. I knew how upset Tracey mut have felt. He's not spoken to anyone since we brought Crysta in. I can only imagine how he feels. I know if it were Ash in there, I'd probably feel torn up inside. I bet that's how Tracey feels too. Ash won't sit down. He's pacing like a caged lion. Crysta's so pale, even in the white room. It looks like so many things are happening to her. I hope she gets better. If it were Ash, I'd feel terrible. I feel terrible now, but I can't live without Ash, and I know I'd feel ten times worse if it were him lying in intensive care. Tracey must be heartbroken. ********** It was horrible to see Crysta's mangled body under all those rocks. I know Tracey loves her, and she loves him. This must be tearing him up. I know I can't feel half as bad as he does. If Misty had been in Crysta's place, maybe I could feel what Tracey's going through, but for now we just have to take care of Tracey and Crysta's pokemon. Crysta's in intensive care, the doctors say that the next forty-eight hours are critical. That means she's in a bad way. She'll need round-the-clock nursing for two days, they say. I know I'm nowhere near as devastated as Tracey. I'm glad it wasn't Misty. I can't live without her. ********** Crysta was vaguely aware of what was going on, but she couldn't see clearly. Her eyes were half open. Her entire body was wracked with pain. She couldn't move without hurting. She was scared. She didn't know what had happened. All she remembered was a rockslide. She didn't know if she would survive. She had to see Tracey. She wanted him by her side, at least she had someone she knew and trusted with her then, if she were to slip away. *Doctor. Please. I need to see Tracey. please.* she pleaded psychically. She could only hope the message made it. She was too weak to attempt a second. Her eyes fluttered closed, but she listened. "I believe she's saying something. about wanting to see someone. Tracey?" "I think that's one of the kids that brought her in. Maybe they're related or something." "Maybe it's the key to her recovery. It can't hurt to try. Send him in." ********** "Is one of you called Tracey?" the nurse asked. "Me." "We believe Crysta would like to see you, although we don't think she's physically awake. Would you like to come through?" "Sure. Ash, Misty, I want you to go and get some rest." "Tracey, we'll be here if you need us. Here's my mobile number." Ash handed Tracey a piece of card with a number written on it. Tracey gave Misty four pokeballs. Some of Crysta's pokemon. "Misty, look after them for me. Crysta would want it." Misty nodded, and Tracey walked away, into the white room, to Crysta. Ash and Misty looked at each other. Misty put the pokeballs in her bag. Ash slid his arm around her. "Come on. We have to rest. We can come back later and see her. Until then, we just have to wait and hope." "I know." Misty smiled softly. But the one terrible image of Crysta's body trapped below the rocks was still bouncing around in her mind. ********** Tracey took her left hand in his. Crysta's eyes opened. They were a duller green that usual. She reached for Tracey weakly. He slid closer to her. "I'm here." "They heard me then. I wasn't sure." "You're going to be OK Crysta." "Don't try to fool me Tracey. I want you to do me a very big favour." "What? Anything." Tracey said. "In my backpack, there's a gold and silver pokeball. Take it. care for it. Train it for me whilst I'm in here. I still plan on competing in the League." "Crysta, maybe you should rest." "Tracey, just do it. Do it!" she ordered, a certain no-nonsense element still within her voice. "OK. I'll do my best." "And Tracey?" "Yeah?" "Don't worry about me. It may not seem so, but my wounds are regenerating themselves as we speak. I should be just fine." "Sure thing." "Go now, take the pokeball and tell Ash and Misty to train Sparkle and her friends for me. Tell them. tell them what I told you." Her eyes close again, and she slipped into unconsciousness. Tracey remembered the promise he made. Leaving the hospital, he began to search for the aforementioned pokeball. ********** Misty snuggled closer to Ash. He rocked her gently back and forth. "Shh. She'll be all right, I know it." "Ash, what if she isn't? I know she's strong but this. her." Misty stopped and tears streamed down her face. Ash pulled her closer. "Trust me. I know she'll pull through. She'll make it." The knock on the door sent them both flying in surprise. Ash jumped up and pushed the door open. "Tracey!" Tracey was rummaging in Crysta's backpack. "How is she?" Misty asked. "She was doing well when I last saw her. She told me to find a special pokeball in her bag, but I can't find it." "Why don't you just turn the bag upside down?" Ash asked. "Ash, you can be so stupid sometimes!" Misty said. "It's a magic backpack, it could keep spewing things out indefinitely. I'll just have to keep going." Tracey said. "Are you sure it's in there?" Misty asked. Tracey nodded. "She told me it was. I think I'm losing my arm in here." "Let us help." Ash started rummaging too. Misty delved in too. ********** "We've been searching for quarter of an hour and we still can't find this thing!" Ash said in frustration. "It's in here, I know it." Tracey muttered. "Hey, I think I have something!" Misty said. "Sure feels like a pokeball." She pulled her arm out of the bag. In her hand was a gold and silver pokeball. "That looks like the GS Ball that Professor Ivy gave us to take to Professor Oak." Ash observed. "GS balls are used to catch the pokemon only recently discovered. These include new evolutions of certain pokemon." Tracey remembered. "I wonder if it has a pokemon in it." Misty wondered. "Only one way to find out." Tracey released the contents of the pokeball. A small, flower-like pokemon popped out. "It's so cute!" Misty said. Ash pointed Dexter at the pokemon. "Kireihana, a newly discovered plant pokemon. Also known as the dancing flower, it is the evolved form of Gloom." "Kireihana?" Ash scratched his head. "I've never seen that before." "It was only recently discovered, Dexter said." Misty picked up the pokemon. It snuggled into her arm. "Aww!" "Real cute." Tracey frowned. "Crysta told me to tell you guys something." "What?" Ash said. "She's still planning on competing in the pokemon league no matter what. She told me to train her pokemon for her whilst she was in hospital. Including this one." "I think that's pushing things a little too far." "That's what I said, but she wouldn't listen. Anyway, I intend to train her pokemon. I'll get started." "OK." Misty watched Tracey walk out, with Kireihana in tow. "Why did you think Crysta was pushing things?" "She's been crushed to death almost, and now she's gonna compete in the league? You get my point." "Ash, I think you're just scared she might be better than you and beat you at your own game." "I am not! I'm the Master, have been for three consecutive years." "So you had a run of luck." "Misty, I don't see you out there challenging me! So just shut up." Misty laughed. "Because I wanted to spare you the embarrassment of being beaten by a girl!" "Misty, just shut up." "Why?" "I said SHUT UP!" Ash threw the pillow at her. Misty was stunned. "Ok. Fine. I'll shut up." She walked out of the door. "Now you've done it!" Pikachu said. "I don't need your wise cracks!" Pikachu was hurt. A tear trickled down his face. "Pikachu, wait, I didn't." Pikachu ignored him and walked away. Ash watched him push the door open then leave. His eyes closed, and he began to cry softly. He loved them both. He had pushed both away. With one friend critically ill, and two more angry at him, could he pull through to be the champ for four years running? No. Not without Pikachu. To Be Continued.