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Chapter Five: In Times of Need 



         I raced up the staircase to the boy’s dorm, with a guilty feeling in my 
stomach, knowing that I wasn’t supposed to be up there. I kept going though, 
because I knew somehow, that Matthew was up there.
         I found him in the boy’s living room, staring at the fire in the 
fireplace. Breathing hard, I walked up to him. 
         “What are you doing up here? Only boys are allowed in here!” He 
exclaimed.
         “I….I…..I…” My voice gave out at that point. I swallowed hard. I had to 
do this. The whole school was depending on me.
         “M-Matthew, I n-need your help.Th-these two teenagers are p-planning to 
steal Pokémon from all of the students and teachers. I need you to help me stop 
them. Neither one of us can do this alone. Please Matthew, listen to me.” My 
voice grew louder and I stuttered less as I went along.
         “Why should I? You wouldn’t be any help to me. I can do this myself.” 
He shot back.
         “Matthew, you have to understand. People can’t do things alone. No 
matter how strong or weak they may be, they need the help of others. I know that 
we haven’t exactly gotten along this year,but I need your help.”
         “How do I know that you won’t just try to fight the whole battle 
yourself, or send your Pokémon to attack me instead?”he questioned me. His 
expression had softened a little since we had started talking. 
         I thought for a moment, “In times of need, friends and enemies band 
together to do what’s right. I need you, our friends need you, and the school 
needs you!” I said, desperate to persuade him,“So, will you come with me and do 
what’s right, or will you run off and cower out of selfishness?”
         Matthew stared at me for a moment. He closed his eyes and clenched one 
of his fists. He took a deep breath and said,“I’ll do it. I could never let so 
many people down. You’re right, we can’t do this alone. Even together we’re 
going to need help.” He opened his eyes and stared into mine, “Get all of your 
Pokémon. Where should we meet? It needs to be somewhere that we won’t be 
discovered.”
         “Go down the hallway outside of this room to where the girls dorm is. 
Go down the stairs and you will find yourself behind the statue of Pidgeot. Wait 
there.” I said. 
          
         I ran back to my room. As I did so, I realized that I had spoken to 
Matthew more assertively than I had to any other person. I pushed the thought to 
the back of my mind. I had more important things to think about now. 
          I grabbed all of my pokéballs off the stand. I let my Pokémon 
out,calling them by name to follow me. My Rattata, Flash, was at my heels. 
Sunbeam flew above me, and my Eevee, Dartanion sat on my shoulders. 
         I jumped half of the steps on my way down. I found Matthew waiting 
behind the statue with his three Pokémon,Sandshrew, Geodude and Bulbasaur. 
         I put a finger to my mouth, signaling that we should be quiet. I led 
him behind the statues until we reached an empty hallway. We ran through it and 
entered a room used for battling. 
         Matthew and I stood with our mouths open for a moment. The teenagers 
were piling pokéballs into bags by the hundreds. 
         Matthew regained his composure faster than I did, “Who are you? And 
what are you doing with those Pokémon?” 
         “We’re stealing them! What does it look like?” the boy replied.
         “Allow us to introduce our selves,”the girl said. 
         The lights in the room dimmed and spotlights shown on the teenagers. 
         “To protect the world from devastation,” the girl said.
         “To unite all peoples within our nation,” the boy added.
         “To denounce the evils of truth and love,” 
         “To extend our reach to…”
         “Enough already! Give back those pokéballs! They belong to the students 
and teachers, not to you!” I shouted at them.
         “Or what?” the girl said, laughing.
         “We’ll fight you.” Matthew and I said together.
         “Jessie, I think their serious,” the boy whispered. 
         “Hush James!” Jessie shot back and then raised her voice so that we 
could hear, “Alright we’ll fight you wimps.”
         “Winner takes possession of the pokéballs,” I told her.
         “But if we win, we get your Pokémon as well,” Jessie replied.
         “Fine by me,” Matthew said. 
         I nodded and crouched so that Dartanion could leap off my shoulder. 
Matthew’s Sandshrew ran off behind Dartanion. 
         Jessie threw out an Arbok and James let out his Wheezing. 
         The battle for the pokéballs had begun, and it was up to us to get them 
back!