[Net Ghost Productions, LTD 2004 Presents…]

	It was a gloriously sunny day in the hills of Scotland.  The long green 
grass waved gently in the wind, kissed by an invisible force that kept the land 
cool in the bright sunlight.  Out among the rolling expanse, there was but a 
single, simple dirt path to mar the otherwise pristine ocean of emerald foliage.  
Small clusters of trees lined the path at no particular interval, providing the 
occasional shade for a weary traveler, and a home for the Pidgey that flew 
overhead.  Their song played on a pair of familiar travelers down the lane, 
whistling and trilling in time with their steps.

[A Short by Cyberwraith T. Nine…]

	Ash’s legs led the way along the path, practically dancing to the merry 
tune nature sang just for him.  Down by his feet, his longtime partner and 
traveling companion skipped to the beat as well, wearing a tiny smile on his 
small, rounded muzzle.  “C’mon, Pikachu!” Ash’s legs cried merrily, picking up 
the pace, “We’re almost there!”

	“Pika!”  Pikachu scampered as Ash’s legs broke into a run.  

       Though little, the mouse had no trouble at all keeping up with his 
trainer.  The two of them ran down the path together, panting and laughing as 
the Pidgey swooped down, joining in their race with a happy tweet and a salute 
of wings.  Off in the distance, a large sign began to appear over the crest of 
the next hill, growing closer with every joyous step.  Beyond the sign, a large 
expanse of trees and greenery stood like an oasis in the grass, towering above 
everything else on the plains, offering a respite to weary trainers and their 
Pokémon.
       
       “Let’s get everyone else out here for this!”  Ash’s hands snapped quickly 
to his belt, tossing the Pokéballs attached as fast as he could trigger their 
release catches.  One by one, Ash’s team flared back into existence with 
dazzling flashes of light: Charizard, Ivysaur, Wartortle, and Pidgeot all 
reverted back into matter, immediately running or flying alongside their trainer 
excitedly.
       
       “Pika!” Pikachu laughed happily, cheering his companions on as they ran 
towards the trees.  As they drew closer, the enormous crescent sign hanging 
above the entrance to the park became legible:
       
       Pokémon Rest Station: A Pokémon Getaway
       
       “It isn’t far now, guys!” Ash’s legs insisted, pumping against the coarse 
dirt path.  “Just a little further, and we can finally take the whole day off!”
       
       “Pi!”

 =============================PIKACHU’S UNLUKCY DAY============================= 
[Obnoxious Pop Theme Song]

	Inside of the great gates, the rest station was even more beautiful than 
it had appeared from afar.  Tall, imported oaks stood in thick groves, 
surrounded by babbling brooks and streams.  Large, sandy patches were the 
perfect spot for a sunny nap, and a collection of climbing rigs hanging from the 
trees offered you a closer look at the shade, if you wanted it.

	And everywhere you looked, there were Pokémon!

	Water types splashed and swam in the pools and streams, while Rock and 
Ground types rolled about in the sand and mud.  Those with wings roosted high 
above in the treetops.  And as for everyone else, well, they did as they 
pleased.  Some were playing on a set of tire swings and jungle gyms set off to 
one side, while others simply lay in the grass, napping and enjoying the lazy 
afternoon.

	Ash’s legs watched with satisfaction as his best team walked forward.  
They had just exited the lodge, having paid the fee for a day’s rest at the 
Station, and he just wanted to make sure his team was getting settled in.  Each 
of them was gazing about in wonder at the fabulous expanse offered to them.  

	“You guys have worked really hard lately,” Ash’s legs told them, “You’ve 
earned this.  Go on and have some fun, I’ll be in the lodge if you need me.”  
With that, his arm gave them one last wave before his feet pivoted, carrying him 
back towards the building offered to trainers.  It was his day off, too, after 
all.

	Pikachu watched his trainer disappear into the lodge, then turned back to 
their enormous playground.  His friends were already walking out into the first 
pasture, exploring with a slow, easygoing plod.  “Guys!” he cried, “Wait up!”

	“Will you look at this?” Charizard rumbled appreciatively, pivoting his 
angular head high on his long neck.  “It’s about time we got some nice digs.”

	“Plenty of grass, easy access to water, lots of shade and sun…” Ivysaur 
looked about, nodding in agreement.  “I hate to say it, but barbecue-breath is 
right.  This place ‘is’ pretty sweet.”

	Wartortle was about to speak his own agreement when something at one of 
the pools caught his attention.  “Speaking of sweet…” he murmured, catching 
sight of a pretty young Wartortle slipping in and out of the crystal blue water.  
Reaching in to his shell, he pulled out his sunglasses and popped them over his 
face as he gave his comrades a grin.  “Catch you guys later!” he called before 
rushing off…well, rushing as fast as a turtle can, at any rate.

	Pidgeot was already airborne, heading for the sky.  “No more battles!  Wa-
hoo!”  His powerful wings carried him high into the trees.  He was out of sight 
in the blink of an eye, already picking out his perch for an afternoon nap.

	Pikachu looked about frantically as his friends all picked separate 
directions.  The little mouse jumped up and down, crying out pitifully.  “Guys, 
where are you going?!  It’s our day off!”  His ears flattened in depression as 
even Charizard and Ivysaur began walking off, ignoring his protests.  “Let’s 
play…”

	“Play?” Charizard turned back, going down on all fours with a puff of 
sulfur and smoke from his nostrils.  “We’ve been all over Europe collecting 
those dumb plastic pins.”

	“’Zard’s got a point, buddy.” Ivysaur nodded.  “We’ve been battling so 
hard, even my ‘leaves’ are starting to get blisters.  I’m bushed.”

	“Bushed?” the perpetually-energetic generator squawked, waving his little 
paws frantically.  “Look at this place!  Let’s go explore, or find someone to 
play with!  I’m not gonna lay around all day!”

	“Okay, fine.  Shut up.” Charizard growled, rubbing his snout in 
irritation.  “Let’s go play ‘Under the Bus’.”

	“Cool!”  Pikachu jumped up and down.  Then he stopped, scratching his head 
in confusion.  “Wait…how do you play that game?”

	“You go find a bus, and lie under it.” Charizard chuckled gruffly, turning 
back around and stalking off on all four claws.  “I’m gonna go take a nap.”

	“Hey!”

	“Sorry ‘Chu.”  Ivysaur said with a wide yawn.  He plodded off, waving a 
vine behind him as he left his friend in the dust.  “See ya later.”

	“Well…well fine!” Pikachu pouted, folding his claws dejectedly as the last 
of his friends wandered off.  “I’ll go find someone else to play with!  You lazy 
bums!”  His ears flattened at the sight of Ivysaur’s retreating hindquarters.  
Why would anyone want to waste such a gorgeous day laying around, anyway?  It 
didn’t matter; he would find new friends to play with.  Better friends!  There 
had to be some kind of excitement to be found here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Pikachu padded into an open, empty glen with a weary sigh.  He had 
searched all morning through the various sectors of the Rest Station, looking 
for new friends to play with and new adventures to share.  His travels had 
brought him to the salty beaches of the mini-ocean in the center of the Station, 
and across the rocky hills of the Mountain Zone (though the low, rumbling growls 
echoing from the Onix caves had chased him off), and now he was wandering 
through one of the many clearings.

	And he had found nothing.  No one.  Nada.  Zero.  Zip. Bupkiss.  Nobody 
wanted to play with poor Pikachu.  He had been laughed at, teased, shunned, and 
even shooed away with streams of water and fire and other, more painful elements 
that still stung his pride as much as his behind.  “What a stinky, boring place.  
This sucks.” he huffed, parking his rear down on a large tree root.  His pointy 
ears and jagged tail were drooping with disappointment.  “Is it too much to ask 
for a friend?”

	A soft, snuffling sound stared up from the tall grass at the edge of the 
glen, answering his rhetorical question.  Pikachu’s ears perked up as he turned 
to the rustling foliage at the edge of the small pasture.  He hopped off of his 
perch and scampered over to the grass.  Pushing aside the long, ill-kempt 
blades, he peered in.

	“Oh woe…” A tiny pair of mushrooms rose and fell in time with the sobbing 
of a meek, morose Paras hidden within the greenery.  His mandibles clacked, 
dampened with tears from his large, bluish eyes.  “Oh pity…  Oh cruel fate, 
twisting me in the wind like a tube sock caught in a tree branch!”

	“Uh…Hi!” Pikachu said, pushing into the Paras’ tiny hiding place.  

	He clearly startled the other Pokémon, for his discovery nearly leapt out 
of his exoskeleton at the thundermouse’s friendly overture.  The Paras covered 
his head with his large, pointy claws, screaming, “Don’t hurt me, I’ll go away!  
I promise!”

	“Huh?”  Pikachu’s head tilted at the sight of the panicked Paras.  “Did 
you eat some bad plants, or something?”

	Slowly, the Paras lowered his fore-claws, peering at Pikachu with a 
single, narrowed eye.  “You…You aren’t gonna hurt me?” his voice trembled.

	“No way!” Pikachu waddled forward, pulling the Paras’ claws fully away 
from his face.  He shook the appendages gladly, grinning as broadly as he could.  
“I’ve been looking everywhere for a friend to play with.  You wanna play with 
me?”

	“You…You actually ‘want’ me to be your friend?” the Paras asked in 
amazement.  

	“You bet!” Pikachu jumped up and down.  This Paras was a sickly example of 
the species, even for Paras.  Still, Pikachu didn’t want to waste any more of 
the day, and besides that, this Pokémon sure looked like he could use a friend.  
“I’m Pikachu!  What’s your name?”

	“I’m…Pierre.” the Paras said cautiously, waiting for the other shoe to 
drop.  “And I don’t know if you wanna be my friend, Pikachu.”

	“Why not?”

	“Because…”  He began fidgeting uncomfortably, rubbing the ends of his 
claws together as he looked away.  “Whenever people are around me, well…bad 
things happen.”

	“P’shaw!” Pikachu proudly proclaimed, puffing out his pathetic chest.

	Pierre shook his head.  “No, really,” he insisted.  “My last group of 
friends buried me so I couldn’t follow them.  M-My trainer left me here and 
rolled on out as fast as his new wheelchair could carry him!”

	The sad (and slightly ominous) story struck a chord with Pikachu.  He 
patted Pierre’s back between his two tiny mushrooms.  “I would never do that, 
Pierre.  Why, I bet once I introduce you to ‘my’ trainer, he’d be thrilled to 
have you on-board!”

	The thought brightened Pierre’s features like a halogen lamp.  “Really?”

	Nodding excitedly, Pikachu assured him, “You bet!  He’s a real maniac when 
it comes to us Pokémon.  He’d train his own mother if he could!”  Pikachu began 
tugging on Pierre’s claw, trying to get him out of the grass.  “But there’ll be 
plenty of time for that later.  Let’s go play!”

	“Well…okay!” Pierre agreed at last with a tiny, buggy smile.  His spindly 
legs lifted him from the ground and carried him out of the grass.  Pikachu 
bounded after him, hot on the insect’s heels…feelers…whatever.  At last, someone 
to play with!  Things were really going Pikachu’s way!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Jessie clapped her hands together, staring down at the heavily modified 
forest floor in front of her.  “Things are finally going our way, boys!” she 
squealed.

	“Goody…goody…” James grunted, heaving back on an incredibly taught rope.  
To his left, Meowth had a similar rope situated parallel to his, and was tugging 
with all his feline might.  Their lines were tethered to an insulated net, which 
was cleverly concealed with loose leaves and stalks of grass that Jessie had so 
generously gathered for them while they bent down a pair of thick saplings.  
Currently, the baby trees were being held down by a series of tent stakes and 
wiring.  They had spent the last eight minutes trying to get their ropes far 
enough from the path to actually loop onto the saplings.

	“Dis…ain’t…in my…contract!” Meowth huffed, feeling a disc in his spine 
threaten to rupture.  “I specifically…ask…for two sidekicks…so dat you two…could 
do…all da heavy liftin’!”  He at last succeeded in hooking his line on a small 
branch on the top of his bent tree.  The line quivered, but held.

	A few seconds later, James also managed to secure his rope.  “I don’t see 
what all this fuss is for, Jess…” He scratched his head, examining the elaborate 
trap.  “I mean, can’t we just dig a hole, or something?”

	“Oh please,” she snorted, waving her partner’s whining off.  “That is 
‘soooo’ original series.”

	“Huh?”

	“In any case, this is perfect!” she continued.  Gesturing to their hidden 
net, she held up a thin piece of fishing line, which was cleverly connected to 
the tent stakes.  With a single tug, the Rocket beauty could send their saplings 
flying, springing the trap and coiling the net together in a tangling mess of 
electric-proof containment.  “Pikachu’s all by himself, which means this is the 
perfect opportunity to catch him!”

	“I dunno,” Meowth scratched his jaw with his trio of claws.  “We’ve tried 
hundreds of plans before, an’ a lot of ‘em were way cleverer dan dis.”

	“But that’s the true genius of this plan, Meowth!” Jessie insisted with a 
smirk.  “It’s so simple, it’s brilliant!”

	“I don’t care if it wins us the Nobel Prize,” James moaned, sagging his 
simpering shoulders.  “I just wanna get back in the boss’ good graces, so maybe 
he’ll let us come home.  All this foreign food is upsetting my stomach.”

	“Yeah,” Meowth agreed, “I’d give anything for a rice ball right about 
now.”

	“Oh, pack your useless gullets later, morons!” Jessie grabbed them each by 
the ear, yanking them off of the shaded path and over to some thick underbrush.  
They followed, yelping in pain until they were properly masked behind the array 
of leaves and branches.  Jessie grasped the line tightly, smirking at their 
invisible trap.  “Now we just wait for Pikachu to toddle on over, and it’s 
‘Hello, Winner’s Circle’ for us!”

	“Yeah!” her companions cheered.

	They sat together in silence for a moment, listening to the gentle sounds 
of the forest.  Not a soul was around to disturb their blissful peace.  
Diligently, the trio never took their eyes off the poorly-maintained path.

	“Jess?” James said at last.

	“Yes, James?”

	He looked over with a puzzled expression, wincing in pain as a thought 
suddenly began rattling around his empty skull.  “What makes you so sure 
Pikachu’s going to walk past ‘here’, anyway?”

	She blinked.  “Huh?”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Maybe hide-and-seek wasn’t the best game to play…” Pierre moaned, pulling 
a bramble out of his backside.

	Pikachu shot his new friend a glare as if to say ‘no kidding’ as he did 
the same.  The game had started off innocently enough; Pikachu had scampered as 
the Paras counted, searching for the perfect hiding spot.  The tree above the 
bramble patch seemed like a good idea.  Pikachu had just hopped from branch to 
branch, reaching the desired tree without incident.  It had taken Pierre the 
better part of twenty minutes to find him hidden in the high-altitude foliage.

	Unfortunately for the pair, the branch Pikachu had chosen must have been 
rotting, or perhaps just wasn’t strong enough to hold the both of them.  As soon 
as Pierre had stepped onto the outcropping of wood, it snapped like…well, like a 
twig, and BOOM!  Down they went, right into a thicket of brambles.

	“Sorry about that,” Pierre moaned, working the last of the thorns out of 
his mushrooms.  “I guess you’ll want to get as far away from me as possible.  I 
can help; just tell me which direction you want to go in, and I’ll start walking 
in the-“

	“Now hold on!” Pikachu snapped, a little irritated by Pierre’s defeatist 
attitude.  “What happened wasn’t your fault!  It could’ve happened to anyone.  
Let’s just find a different game to play, okay?”

	“Really?  You mean it?”  Pierre seemed overjoyed.  “Well, okay!”  Then he 
paused, scratching his carapace with a foreclaw.  “So…what do we do now?”

	Pikachu thought a moment, then decided on something rather safe; the path 
wound ahead of them, clear of any sharp bushes or trees.  “Why don’t we have a 
race?” suggested the mouse.

	“Um…” Pierre examined his spindly legs.  “I guess I could do that.”

	The two Pokémon hunkered down, with Pikachu waggling his hindquarters in 
the air excitedly.  “On your mark…” he muttered, setting his tiny face in 
determination.  “Get set…and GO!”

	The two took off in a sprint.  Pikachu pulled slightly ahead, though he 
was holding back his natural speed and agility so he didn’t leave the Paras 
totally behind.  Pierre huffed and puffed behind him, scooting along as fast as 
his crablike legs could carry him.  “I’ll…get you!” he panted.

	“In your dreams, shitake-butt!” laughed Pikachu.  He rounded the bend-

	-and tripped over a carefully-laid set of rigging hovering just over the 
ground.  Stumbling, the agile mouse tumbled end over end and landed in the 
middle of a blanket of leaves and branches and skidded to a halt.  He lay there 
for a moment, staring up at the forest canopy as a plethora of aches and pains 
worked their way into his little mousy skeleton.

	“Pikachu!” Pierre called, scuttling around the corner.  “Are you-“

	“Now, James!” a familiar voice cried.  Without warning, a sharp crack 
echoed in quadruplicate all around Pikachu.  In slow motion, he saw the riggings 
around him begin to rise off of the ground as a quartet of young saplings sprang 
up from the forest floor.

	Startled by the sudden movement, Pierre tripped over his own legs (there 
were an abundance to manage, after all) and fell forward.  His scissor-like 
claws caught and sliced two of the ropes to one side of the path.  Free of the 
lines, the saplings rose unhindered, quivering once again in their rightful 
place…

	…and leaving the other two to drag the snagged Pikachu in the air.  
Without the other saplings to counterbalance the rig, the net became a crude 
catapult that happily tossed Pikachu far into the woods.

	Wind and leaves rushed past the screaming mouse as he hurtled 
uncontrollably through the air.  His tiny lungs burned and his lips were pulled 
back with g-force, until mercifully, he slammed headfirst into a large oak tree.  
His skull sunk into the comparatively soft bark, sticking for a second as the 
rest of his body caught up with a bone-jarring thud.  Then he slid down the tree 
trunk, landing a few feet later on a fat branch.

	Groaning, Pikachu spat out a pair of acorns, which he had apparently 
picked up at some point during his flight.  He clutched at his head, checking to 
make sure his ears hadn’t been torn off by a stray branch.  “Ooohhh…” he moaned, 
relieved that nothing was missing, yet hardly able to think for all the pain.  
“I don’t think this day could get any worse…”

	“Bzzzzzzz…”

	Pikachu froze at the noise.  Slowly, ever so slowly, the mouse looked to 
his left.  Not six inches from his person was a large yellow shape clinging to 
the tree, curled up and snoozing peacefully…at least, it had been before 
Pikachu’s crash.  The saffron shape stirred softly, as if its sleep had become 
fitful suddenly.  Looking past the shape, Pikachu spotted at least ten others, 
and looking to his right, many, many more.

	“B-B-Beedrill,” Pikachu stammered softly, then covered his own mouth as he 
watched the sleeping Pokémon stir further.  Gently, gently, he backed away from 
the Beedrill and began climbing carefully (carefully!) down the trunk.

	He had reached the halfway point when a familiar and oh-so-unwelcome voice 
began calling through the forest.  “Pikachu!  Pikachu!  Pikachu, where are you?”

	A foul curse hissed past Pikachu’s fangs as he closed his eyes and prayed 
that the Beedrill didn’t wake up.  “Pierre,” he muttered.

	“Pika-chu!”  Pierre finally wandered near the tree, cupping his foreclaws 
to his face as he called out as loudly as he could.  At last, the Pokémon 
spotted his friend’s form clinging to the trunk of the large oak tree.  He 
toddled over to the tree, waving at his friend.  “Hey!  Are you all right?”

	“Shhhh!” Pikachu shushed the obnoxious Paras with one claw, clinging 
desperately to the bark with his other.  “Quiet…”

	“Didn’t catch that!” Pierre called back.  “A diet?  I’m not that big…”

	“Stop talking…” Pikachu whispered as loudly as he dared.  The Beedrill 
around him still hadn’t settled down; in point of fact, their restlessness was 
worsening.  

	“How’m I supposed to help you if I stop walking?” Pierre shouted in 
confusion.

	“SHUT UP!” Pikachu bellowed.  Then he clapped a claw over his craw, 
feeling his heart sink.  He and Pierre stared up into the tree as dozens upon 
dozens of soulless red eyes winked into existence among the foliage, zeroing in 
on the noisy pair.  “Oh, crap…”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“I think they came this way, Jess…” James pushed through the underbrush, 
following the odd tracks of the Paras that had been with Pikachu before they had 
inadvertently launched him into the forest.

	“Dey better be,” Meowth grumbled, getting slapped in his big round face by 
a branch James had pushed out of the way.  “I’m gettin’ sick of dis nature 
stuff.  I’m a city cat at heart.”

	“Do you even have a heart?” Jessie snorted, likewise bushwhacking her way 
behind her cohorts as they followed the tiny trail.

	“Dat’s the ting dey give you on Valentine’s Day, right?”

	James held up his hand, tilting his head.  The gentle breeze brushed at 
his blue hair as he listened intently to its silent advice.  “Do you guys hear 
that?”

	Meowth’s sharp ears picked it up as well.  “It sounds like screaming and 
running and a…blender?” he frowned in confusion at the last noise, a constant 
buzzing that confounded his senses.

	Without warning, a pair of Pokémon exploded from the underbrush, yowling 
in terror as the sprinted for all they were worth.  James and Meowth leapt out 
of the way, but Jessie’s quick reflexes activated her right arm (the snatching 
arm); the appendage shot out, grasping Pikachu by the tail and hauling the 
rodent off of his feet.

	“Well, well, well,” she sneered, holding the struggling mouse upside down 
like a caught fish.  “Look what I have.”

	“Pi!  Pika, pikachu pi pika pika piiii!” Pikachu howled, squirming as he 
tried to break the prima donna’s grip.

	James snickered, poking their catch.  “What d’you suppose he’s saying?”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“-stupid, idiotic genetic accidents!” Pikachu snarled, dangling uselessly 
from Jessie’s grip.  “I should fry your useless, goddess-damned brains right out 
of your empty fu-“
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“-ka pikachu!”

	“Probably calling for help,” Jessie snickered, ignoring Meowth’s quirked 
eyebrow.

	There was no more time to wonder what Pikachu’s filthy mouth was spewing, 
as the loud buzzing Meowth had detected earlier was now large enough to drown 
out even the furious mouse’s raving.  The four turned (or in Pikachu’s case, 
listed) back in the direction of the two Pokémon’s escape.  It was as if a fleet 
of electric pencil sharpeners was at work, attempting to whittle down the 
forest, or some other equally-nonsensical task.

	A darting yellow shape caught Jessie’s attention.  Even as her brain 
rapidly identified the item, another thirteen emerged from the forest canopy, 
streaking straight towards them.  “That’s no blender, Meowth…” she uttered in 
horror.

	James was just as quick in recognizing the impending danger.  “That’s…”

	“BEEDRILL!” Meowth shrieked, pointing a claw at the wave of insect Pokémon 
angrily charging their way.

	“PIKA!”

	Jessie dropped their quarry as the Rocket trio took flight in the 
direction of the cowardly Paras.  Pikachu was hot on their heels, just barely 
outrunning the front wave of Beedrill that nipped at their collective heels.  
Their feet pounded on the forest floor.

	With no time to lose, Pikachu powered up his Agility ability, focusing his 
internal electricity on heightening his body’s muscles for incredible speed and 
acrobatic prowess.  He wasn’t sure exactly how it worked, and truthfully, he 
didn’t care; the only thing that mattered was that it propelled him like a 
missile straight over Team Rocket’s heads and into the branches above.  The 
nimble mouse leapt from branch to branch, distancing himself from the deadly 
wave of living stingers.

	“Halp!”

	The pitiful cry caught Pikachu’s attention.  He looked down, spying a 
mottled red shape scuttling on the forest floor far below.  The Beedrill were 
already gaining ground on Pierre; it would only be a moment before they caught 
and, most likely, killed the pathetic Pokémon.

	“Why me?” Pikachu moaned as he leapt into the air, dropping down from the 
relative safety of the treetops to land and run next to Pierre.

	“Pikachu!” the Paras sang happily.  “Oh, I’m so glad!  I was afraid I 
would be ripped to shreds all by myself.”

	“No one’s ripping anything!“ Pikachu told him matter-of-factly.

	A trio of terrified shrieks erupted behind them as the sound of a dozen 
stingers tearing into flesh and cloth echoed through the forest.  Pikachu 
couldn’t help but cringe at the thought of the Rockets suffering the terrible 
stings of the Bug types, though, knowing their luck, they’d probably survive the 
encounter.  But the thundermouse had bigger fish to fry; though part of the pack 
had stopped to tear Team Rocket a new one, there was still an ominous wall of 
buzzing close by, chasing them and gaining quickly.

	“...okay,” Pikachu amended in mid-flight, “Nobody ‘else’ is getting ripped 
apart.”

	The pair spotted a clearing not to far from here.  Unfortunately, it was 
well-guarded by a circle of bramble bushes that appeared extra sharp.  “Can you 
jump over that?” Pikachu asked.

	Pierre glanced back at his own feeble legs, then over at his friend 
incredulously.  “You’re kidding, right?”

	It was a moot point, as the argument carried the two right into the bushes 
at top speed.  They shrieked and shouted, feeling the razor sharp bushes tear 
into them, but the buzzing was ever-closing in, so they pushed on.  By the time 
they came out the other side and into the clearing, Pikachu was a mess of 
prickles and cuts.  Pierre, on the other hand, had only a few scratches on his 
mushrooms; his exoskeleton had seen him through the worst of it just fine.

	Ignoring the stabbing pain all over his body, Pikachu quickly surveyed 
their surroundings.  The ground beneath them was sandy and littered with 
pebbles, and further ahead was a rock face that looked vaguely familiar.  
Scanning as fast as his little mousy eyes would allow, he at last spotted a 
large break in the stony wall.  

        “There!” he shouted, grabbing hold of Pierre’s mushroom and tugging him 
in the right direction.  Together, the duo dashed desperately.  Pikachu was sure 
he could feel the beating of the Beedrills’ translucent wings on his tail, so he 
ran that much harder, dragging Pierre along with him.  Without a second thought, 
he threw himself and his friend into the cave, tumbling against the hard, cold 
stone until they mercifully fell to rest in the pitch black of the cave.
        
        Pikachu cracked his already-aching head hard against a large rock, 
finally stopping.  He sat up dizzily, trying without success to pierce the 
blackness.  In the distance, he saw the tiny dot of light that was the cave 
mouth.  Dozens of dangerous yellow shapes buzzed by the entrance, but did not 
enter the dark domain.
        
        “We…we did it!” Pierre’s voice echoed from across the cave.  “We’re 
safe!”
        
        Pikachu’s pain-filled ears detected a deep, heavy panting that wasn’t 
his own.  “Yeah,” he heaved a sigh, resting against the rock that had nearly 
split his skull.  “You can take it easy, now.”
        
        “Huh?”
        
        Pikachu frowned, hearing the panting right through Pierre’s confused 
question.  “Isn’t that your breathing?”
        
        The Pokémon’s response chilled Pikachu’s marrow.  “No.  You dragged me 
most of the way across the clearing, I had a chance to catch my breath.”
        
        “Then…”  Without further question, Pikachu again focused his inner 
energies, this time bringing them to the surface of his skin.  With a crackle of 
energy, he activated his Hidden Machine talent, shedding some literal light on 
the subject.  A soft amber glow emanated from his body, illuminating the cave 
walls, Pierre’s wide eyes across the way, and the rock Pikachu was leaning on-
        
        -which turned out to be a large, surly Onix freshly awakened from his 
nap.
        
        Pikachu watched the Onix’s enormous pupils dilate as they focused in on 
its unlikely alarm clock.  Behind him, another trio of Onix was just waking up 
to see what was causing all the ruckus.  They quickly spied the two intruders, 
and adopted the same attitude as their brother.
        
        “We’re in the Onix Cave…” Pierre muttered as the burly foursome 
slithered and loomed over them.
        
        “Correction…” Pikachu muttered, pallid and quiet with fear as he stared 
up at the angry awakened Pokémon.  “We’re going to ‘die’ in the Onix Cave.”
        
        The screams of a pair of pint-sized Pokémon echoing from the cave 
quickly caught the attention of a swarm of angry, displaced Beedrill.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Charizard leaned back against the soft grass, lacing his muscular claws 
behind his neck as he sighed in contentment.  “This has to be the best idea Hat-
Boy ever had,” he commented.

	“I hear that.” Pidgeot agreed, nibbling and poking at the grass for any 
signs of underground nourishment.  “This has been the best day ever.”

	Wartortle and Ivysaur were quick to voice their concurrence, but stopped 
short as an unlikely pair emerged from the edge of their clearing.  “Holy…” 
Wartortle whistled, lowering his shades to take a better look.

	Pikachu led the way, covered in more bruises and cuts than he would have 
sported after a full tournament of battles.  Behind him, a Paras that none of 
the quartet recognized followed him, a little scuffed, but not nearly as beaten 
up as his companion.  Their friend staggered forward, all but collapsing as he 
finally reached them.

	“Whoa.” Ivysaur approached his pal, poking him carefully with his 
sharpened vine.  “You okay, ‘Chu?”

	“You look like hell warmed over,” Charizard snorted twin flames of 
amusement from his nostrils.  Then he looked past Pikachu, glaring at the 
unfamiliar Paras.  “Hey, who’s the walking pizza topping?”

	Pikachu glared at his comrades from the ground, slumping over in 
exhaustion.  “Guys, this is Pierre.  Pierre, these are the guys.”

	“Hi!” Pierre waved his foreclaw amiably at Pikachu’s partners.

	“So what happened?” Wartortle asked, replacing his sunglasses 
nonchalantly.  “Seems like you found the excitement you were looking for, li’l 
buddy.”

	The yellow mouse’s hateful glare intensified exponentially.  “Oh, I found 
it all right.  In fact, we had so much fun that I brought him back here to meet 
you guys.” spat Pikachu.

	Charizard rose onto his haunches, leaning against a tree as he examined 
the squirt scornfully.  “That so?  Name’s Charizard.  Cross me, and I’ll eat 
you.”

	Ivysaur laughed at Pierre’s horrified expression.  He shook his flattened, 
froggish head as he laughed.  “Ignore him.  He’s an ass.  Welcome to the club, 
Pierre.”

	“Wow, thanks…” Pierre said with wide, brimming eyes.  “I don’t know what 
to say.”  He turned downcast, looking abashedly at the grassy ground.  “Usually, 
people don’t like to be around me…”

	“Can’t imagine why,” Charizard laughed again.

	The tree supporting Charizard decided to break; it creaked and moaned as 
its massive roots snapped.  The mighty tree fell, leaving Charizard unbalanced 
and hanging in the air until gravity got the better of him and slammed him into 
the unforgiving ground.  He was in the midst of picking himself up, to the 
chorus of everyone else’s laughter, when an ominous buzzing sound emanated from 
the toppled tree.

	“What’s that?” Pidgeot’s head tilted at the odd noise.

	He didn’t have to wait long for an answer.  Dozens upon dozens of Beedrill 
shot from the tree, hovering in the air and scanning the area for their 
bothersome intruders.  Charizard and the rest were quickly spotted, and for a 
moment, the two foes simply stared at each other, one side hatefully, and the 
other side fearfully.

	“Uh-oh…” Wartortle’s glasses slipped from his face as the Beedrill began 
to approach.

	Pikachu’s four pals began a mad dash for the edge of the clearing, with 
Pierre close at hand and a wave of deadly Beedrill closing in.  Pikachu, still 
slumped on the grass, watched with exhausted delight as his friends were driven 
right into the middle of a brambly patch of bushes before slipping out of sight.

	Alone once more, Pikachu stretched luxuriously on the soft carpet of 
grass, letting his aches and pains settle down for a long rest before Ash’s legs 
came looking for them.  “I think it’s time for a rest,” he sighed.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
=Author’s Notes=
	This was one of the most difficult things I’ve ever tried to write, and it 
still sucks.  Well, fear not, for the first installment of the movie is coming 
soon.  Keep your eyes peeled, ‘cause the best is definitely yet to come!