Puddle of Fears... By Koko Chapter One: Sunrise City The air smelled like rain, and a cool breeze was blowing, ruffling the young girl's brown curls. A wide smile spread across her small face as she wiggled her toes in the damp grass. Everything was perfect at that very moment...so serene. She liked it that way too. " Jay!" A voice called out. The child, identified as Jay, twirled around to see an exact replica of herself running out of the forest, a basket filled with deep red strawberries, swinging in her hand. " Coral!" Jay laughed lightly, " Don't scare me like that!" " Sorry," Coral apologized, walking up to her twin sister, " But it's getting awfully close to dinnertime, so we better head home. Mama and Papa told us to hurry back before it gets dark." She looked up at the menacing, puffy clouds that threatened to drench them with water. " Ok," Jay agreed, tucking a curl behind her ear. She picked up her own basket that was also filled with strawberries, and began to walk down the grassy hill, trying not lose her balance. Her sister followed close behind, humming a sweet melody. A gurgling sound suddenly attacked the quiet field around the twins, making Coral jump. " W-what was that?" She whimpered, almost dropping her basket. The girl's heart started beating like a drum as fear enveloped her. What if it was a wild Pokemon? A big, giant, wild Pokemon that was hungry? Coral latched onto Jay's arm, her gray/bue eyes darting every-which-way. " Um...sis?" Jay stated, sounding very calm, " Could you please let go of me? There's nothing to be afraid of." " Of course there is!" Coral exclaimed, her voice cracking, " There are a million things to be afraid of!" " Does that category involve my tummy?" Jay questioned, trying to keep a straight face, but failing miserably as she dropped to the ground, caught up in a giggling fit, " Y-you a-are...such a-a chicken!" She wheezed, unable to breathe. Coral blushed brighter than the strawberries in her basket and whined, " I am not a chicken! I thought it was a wild Charzard or something! I mean, gimme a break! Your tummy roars louder than a broken locomotive." The disgruntled girl looked down at Jay, who was still rolling around on the grass, and promptly jumped on her, starting to tickle her sides. " N-no!" Jay sputtered, her face turned purple, while tears streamed down her ckeeks, " S-stop!" " Never! You should've thought of that before you called me a chicken!" Coral yelled, starting to crack up herself. ~~~ " Mama! Papa! We're home!" Jay shouted, setting her basket on a nearby table. A tall, pretty woman with brown curls and eyes to match bustled into the small living room, " Girls! You got home just in time. I was afraid you wouldn't make it before the storm came!" " Aw, you worry too much, Mama. We're fine, and we brought the strawberries too!" Coral said, holding up her full basket and then pointing to Jay's, " See?" " Nice going girls," Their mother enthused, kissing the twins on the cheek, then running back into the kitchen with both baskets, " All we have to do is add these and the cake'll be ready." Jay's stomach rumbled again at the news. " Are you that hungry, sweetie or did a train just crash nearby?" A sing-song voice asked from the kitchen. Coral grinned at her sister and stuck out her tongue in a triumphant manner, " See, I told ya!" She teased, racing into the kitchen to help her mom with the cake. Jay muttered something about ' stuffing strawberries down her twin's throat' and dragged herself into the room where she knew she would find a scrumptious cake. ~~~ " Where's dad?" Coral wondered, sitting down at the dinner table, " Everything's ready." There was no response from Jay, who was drooling over the strawberry-banana cake, so her mother offered an explanation, " He's down in the lab. He'll be up so-" Before anyone could say anything more, a muffled explosion sounded, followed by footsteps. The wooden door leading to the Lab/basement opened, revealing a charred man. " Clark Campbell! What happened?" His wife wanted to know. " Raye, it was only an explosion," He retorted. The young Pokemon scientist stumbled into the kitchen, trailing dirt and ash behind him and said, " Mmmm, that smells wonderful, honey." Mrs. Raye Campbell smiled, feigning suspicion, " Don't ' honey' me. What've you been doing down there?" Clark grinned, and responed, " Working on the formula..." He winked at his wife, who only frowned. " I told you I wanted to run some tests on the formula too. Why didn't you wait for me, dear?" She inquired. " Because I think I've figured it out! It's a break-through!" Raye gaped at her husband, her brown eyes wide, " You're kidding me, Clark." The black haired man with gray/blue eyes shook his head, " I'm serious. I really think it works now! After dinner you and I will test it on the Haunter I've got out back." His lips grazed Raye's, leaving a little smudge of ash, and he picked her up and swung her around. " We did it!" He cried, happily. Jay and Coral exchanged confused looks, and rolled their eyes in unison. " That's it, our parents have officially gone crazy," Jay whispered. Coral nodded and thought, Maybe it's that experiment they've been working on for years now. Maybe they finally figured it out. I guess, that would be cool. If that formula does what it's supposed to do, then Mama and Papa will get better funding for other experiments. They're really smart Pokemon Scientists, after all. They deserve it. " Phew, I'm starved!" Clark said, " What's for dinner?" " Chicken, rice, dumplings, and...strawberry-banana cake!" Jay announced. " My favorite! Let's eat!" " Oh no you don't," Raye reprimanded, blocking her husband's view of the dinner table, " You have to wash those dirty paws first." Clark smirked and raised both of his eyebrows, " You didn't say anything about these dirty paws when-" " CLARK!" Raye shouted, blushing, " The kids are here!" Laughing, the black haired scientist went over to the sink to wash his hands, while Jay and Coral made barfing noises behind the table. ~~~ Thunder ripped through the night sky as lightening illuminated it. No person or Pokemon in their right mind would be out in this storm. The fierce wind howled, shaking trees and bushes violently, ripping the weak ones apart. It was pitch black, and if one was to look outside, only two head lights could be seen. The wealthy seventeen year old boy sat comfortably in his sleek, black limosine. The luxurious car glided on the slipperly road with immense ease, not once faltering in the horrible weather. A malicious grin crept across the boy's pale face as his deep, black eyes glinted evilly. Tonight he was going to get that Pokemon formula, and no one could stop him. The limo drove up to a small, blue house, with a white picket fence around it, and stopped. The boy let his smirk fade as the limo door was opened for him by a gargatuan man, holding an umbrella. " We have reached the Campbell residence, sir," The huge man said. " Good. Get the others, Yukemura. It's time," The blonde boy said coolly, in a rich, baritone voice. He got out of the car and took the umbrella from his personal flunkie and began walking toward the house, slowly. After I kill both of those imbeciles and take the formula, maybe I'll spare their daughters. I like the spunky one... ~~~ " This cake is delicious, honey!" Clark complimented, stuffing his face with the strawberry-banana desert. " I know!" Jay agreed with her dad. She too, was stuffing her face with the sugary treat. Raye exchanged a look with Coral and thanked Clark and Jay for the compliment, even though they ignored her and went for seconds. She was just about to tell the duo to slow down before they both choked, when the doorbell rang. Even though the storm was raging outside, Raye still managed to hear the buzzing sound. She excused herself from the table and went to answer it wondering, Who would come and visit us on a night like this? It's a shame that Raye Campbell didn't ponder on that question further. If she had, maybe it would have stopped the catastrophe that was sure to ensue that very night. Or maybe it wouldn't have. Coral continued to watch her father and sister in fascination. How could two human beings consume so much food without exploding? " Why're you looking at me like that, pumpkin?" Clark questioned, his mouth filled with cake. Coral opened her mouth to reply, but never got a chance to speak. Raye raced into the dinning room, a look of utter horror plastered on her pale face, " Takahashi is here!" She all but screamed. Clark spit out his cake, almost choking on it, and hopped out of his seat. " What?!" He shouted, his voice shaking with fear. " Takahashi is here!" Raye repeated, " He's come for the formula!" At that moment a loud explosion was heard, a barrage of footsteps following it. " Oh no!" Raye cried, " Clark, what are we going to do?!" " You will do nothing. Just hand over the formula," A cold voice commanded. Jay and Coral froze, they had been confused for a while, but now they were starting to catch on. The twins turned toward the kitchen door to find a lanky seventeen year old boy standing by it. He had light blonde hair that was almost as pale as his skin, and the creepiest black eyes known to mankind. Jay shivered when he flashed her a toothy grin. What's going on?! Her mind shouted in panic. " Hand over the formula?" Clark echoed, stubbornly, " Over my dead body!" The boy, known as Takahashi, smirked and whispered, " Oh, that can be arranged." He snapped his fingers and stepped aside, allowing huge men with guns to pour into the small room. Raye gasped and ran over to Coral and Jay, shielding them from the armed men. Her maternal instincts kicked in full blast. She would protect her kids no matter what happened to her. " Raye..." Clark said with caution, " I want you to take the kids and get out of here..." His gray/blue eyes narrowed considerably, flashing with determination. " B-but Clark!" Raye stammered. The last thing she wanted to do was leave her husband's side. " Raye," The black haired man said, his voice strong, " Get out of here NOW!" The woman nodded, ushering Jay and Coral through the Lab door, bolting it shut behind them so no one could follow. " Mama! Why isn't Dad coming? He should be here with us!" Coral yelled, tears falling from her wide eyes. Sobs began racking her small frame, " Where is he Mama?!" Raye blinked her own tears back and said softly, " He's coming, darling." She knew she was lying, but what could she say? Raye lead a distraught Coral and silent Jay down two flights of steps until they reached the cluttered Laboratory. The small room was packed with scientific equipment, computers, scanners, and tons of funny looking liquids. Pictures of psychic Pokemon lined the walls, words and equations scrawled over many of them. " What's all of this stuff?" Jay whispered, quietly. " Oh, nothing. Just some meaningless experiments," Raye spoke quickly, running over to a locked drawer. She fished a key out of her pocket and used it to open the drawer, before removing two necklaces from it. " M-mama!" Coral cried, in between sobs, " Where's Dad?!!!" She screeched. " I said Daddy's coming," Raye said again, walking toward the twins. " You're lying," Jay said coldly, " You're lying and you know it, Mama..." Raye hung her head, ignoring the harsh, but true, accusation and announced, " I want you to take these..." She held out two beautiful crystal necklaces, with strange liquids floating inside both of them. One crystal was a glowing red color, the other a glowing blue. " What are they?" Jay questioned, her heart breaking with every word she dared to speak. " These necklaces are filled with the formula your father and I have been working on for the past five years," Raye answered, fastening the blue necklace around Coral's neck, and the red one around Jay's neck, " This formula is extremely dangerous, do you understand me?" Jay nodded grimly, not wanting to meet her mother's eyes, " I understand." " Now listen very carefully, girls. I want you to go to your Cousin Gene's house in Sunrise City and give him these necklaces. He'll know what to do with them, ok? And after you give them to him, I want you to stay there. Never ever come back here again!" Raye demanded, tears sliding down her cheeks, " Never..." " No!" Coral screamed, latching onto her mother's ankles, " Why do we have to go there?!" " Because it's too dangerous here. When I go back upstairs I want you and your sister to take these poke balls and leave through the back door," Raye sobbed, handing Coral a platinum silver poke ball and Jay a platinum gold one. " Don't go back upstairs Mom! Stay here with us!" Jay yelled, clutching the poke ball. " I can't, sweetheart..." Raye murmured, " I have to go and help out your Dad. But I want you to know, I love both of you and I always will. Your Dad loves you too...with all his heart. But now, I have to say goodbye..." The brown haired woman stood up, and began walking up the staircase. " Mama!" Coral cried, trying to run after Raye, " Mama! Come back! Please don't go!" Jay held her sister back firmly as their mother dissapeared through the door. Coral dropped to her knees, hysterical. She kicked, screamed, and cried, almost hitting her twin in the process. " Get up, Coral," Jay sniffed, " We've got to get to Cousin Gene's house..." Coral kept on screeching, but stopped when she heard two pained screams, two gunshots, and two bodies hitting the floor. " Oh my God," Jay breathed, shakily, " I can't believe they shot-" The basement door promptly burst open and in walked a grinning Takahashi, " I knew they'd see it my way," He gloated, descending the stairs. Hundreds of footsteps followed. " Let's get out of here," Coral whimpered, heading toward the back door. Jay ran after her sister, but screamed when she felt someone yank her back by her hair. " You're not going anywhere!" A deep voice growled. Jay looked up to see a giant man with a scary looking gun in his hand. He had a fist-full of her hair and was smiling evilly, " You're coming with us." " No!" Jay whimpered. " Let her go, Yukemura," Takahashi ordered, calmly. He walked up to the frightened girl and smiled at her, " Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." " You're lying..." Jay whispered, backing up against a nearby wall, " You killed my Mother and Father!" Takahashi advanced on the little girl slowly, feigning hurt, " I only killed them because I didn't fancy them much," He knelt down in front of Jay and stroked her tear stained cheek, " But you on the other hand, are something else. I fancy you, just fine..." Jay wrinkled her nose in disgust, but kept quiet as she formulated a plan in her mind. Where the heck was Coral? " How old are you anyway, my dear?" Takahashi questioned, fingering a bouncy, brown curl. " I'm ten," Jay replied. " Hmmm, you're younger than I thought. But no matter, I'm sure you'll grow into a beautiful woman..." Takahashi drawled. Ew! This guy's a certified freak! What the heck is he talking about? I don't care if he 'fancies' me or not, it's time to get going! Jay thought, grinning sweetly at the blonde boy. She allowed her smile to get bigger before...kicking him in the stomach and making a mad dash for the back door. " After her you buffoons!" Takahashi wheezed, clutching his stomach. His foolish minions stomped through the back door, intent on catching Jay and her sister. Jay was completely drenched and there was still no sign of her sister! Where the heck did Coral run off to? Did she leave already? No! She'd never abandon me! Especially with Mama and Papa...dead... The girl choked back a huge sob, while blinking back tears that threatened to fall and mingle with the rain. Was she all alone now? Jay let out a little yell as she tripped on a mangled tree root. It was all too much. That was it. She couldn't take it anymore! Jay lay in the mud and began to cry. All was lost. " Jay!" The brown haired girl's head snapped up to see Coral...atop a giant Pokemon. The creature was simply magnificent! Ocean blue skin covered the flying horse, making it seem regal and majestic; while its flowing mane, wings, and tail casted off a white, angelic glow. A knife-like horn graced the Pokemon's forehead, also shining with a lovely white light. " Where did you-?" Jay began, but was interrupted by Coral, who jumped off the horse, and threw her arms around her. " Oh, Jay!" She sobbed, " I'm so sorry! I thought you were right behind me, and it was so dark outside I didn't notice you were missing until-" The rest of Coral's words were muffled and drowned out by the rain. " It's ok, Coral! It's ok. I'm fine..." Jay said, attempting to calm her sister down. " Really?" Coral asked, tears streaming down her face. " Of course," Jay replied, smiling. Both girls stood up, dusting themselves off. " We've got to get out of here. Takahashi's men are searching for us as we speak!" " No problem," Coral insisted, pointing to the floating, blue horse. " Oh yeah, about that. Who in the world gave it to you?" Jay asked. " Mama..." " Mama? When?" Coral raised a brow and uttered, " Before she...before she...went back...upstairs," The girl gulped and continued, " She gave you a Pokemon too." Jay reached into her pocket and pulled out the platinum gold poke ball her Mother had given her and gaped at it. She had no idea that a Pokemon was actually inside of it already! " Come on! I think I hear voices over here!" A harsh tone directed. " Get on, Jay! We'll use Tidus to get to Sunrise City!" Coral said, climbing onto the huge horse. Jay nodded, and scampered onto the Pokemon, until she was firmly seated on its back. " Go Tidus!" Coral yelled. The horse let out a fierce ' neigh' before shooting into the dark clouds faster than the speed of light. Sunrise City, here we come... ~~~ Takahashi watched from the opened back door, smirking as the blue Pokemon disappeared into the night sky. Until we meet again, girls. Next time I will get that formula. And next time, Jay Campbell, you will be mine... *** I hope you enjoyed part one of ' Puddle of Fears.' This is my first ever Pokemon fanfic, so please give me a break if there are any errors. I'd like to recieve some feedback, so if you've got anything to say please email me at Bellissimo90@aol.com. Thanks! Takahashi's a bit scary, ne? Lol. ^_^;;! Later!