Chapter 14

	Pikachu was perched impatiently on Professor Oak’s front windowsill. He was 
waving sheepishly as Ash disappeared down Pallet Road . . . alone. 
	Ash was no doubt headed for the southern docks. That was the same direction in 
which the beast was surly going.
	Once Ash’s faint silhouette vanished in the distance, Pikachu scurried off the 
window and back to the laboratory -- where all of Ash’s Pokemon were inside their 
Pokeballs.
	Pikachu picked up Bayleef’s Pokeball and gently shook it. “Pikachu.”
	Bayleef emerged from a glorious blaze of scarlet.
	“Bayyyyyy, bayyyyyyy!” she frantically began looking about the room for Ash.
	Pikachu drew her attention with a quick tap to her leg. “Pika, pika pi.”
	 It was imperative that Bayleef settle down and concentrate if anything was to be 
accomplished.
	Pikachu swiftly began releasing all the other Pokemon. Bulbasaur and Heracross 
came next. They joined Pikachu and Bayleef in releasing the others.
	Once all ten Pokemon were accounted for Pikachu initiated their orders.
	“Pika, pika,” he commanded to Bulbasaur and Bayleef.
	 The two grass Pokemon nodded on the double, rushing out the front door with 
their instructions.
	Pikachu turned to the rest, “Pikachu! Pika, pi!”
	Everyone bellowed in agreement. They all spilt up, running in drastically different 
directions throughout Professor Oak’s house and backyard Pokemon preserve.
	Pikachu’s sable eyes narrowed with determination. He leapt upward, landing on 
the controls to Professor Oak’s vidphone. Being the clever Pokemon he was, Pikachu 
used his little nose to press the redial button.
	Just as planed, Squirtle was waiting on the other end of the line. “Squirtle?”
	“Pika.”
	Squirtle climbed down from his side of the monitor -- he was too short for 
Pikachu to see where he was. Then one of Squirtle’s co-workers, a Wartortle, appeared 
and beamed optimistically.
	“Wartortle,” it lifted Squirtle’s Pokeball, helping him return inside. Then 
Wartortle placed the ball on the Pokeball transfer pad.
	Before Pikachu could utter a ‘pika’ of thanks, Squirtle’s Pokeball was back in 
Professor Oak’s lab. 
	Squirtle eagerly ejected from his ball. He waggled a paw of thanks to his 
Wartortle friend before ending the transmission. Officer Jenny was just going to have to 
understand: Ash was more important than anything.
	Pikachu and Squirtle traded decisive stares. The two little Pokemon then 
positioned themselves together at the vidphone controls.
	Squirtle frowned thoughtfully. “Squirt?” He wasn’t quite certain how to look up 
addresses and phone numbers.
	Pikachu chirped assuredly, he had watched Ash do this many times. 
	Pikachu raised a petite fluffy paw and began pressing specific buttons.
	Squirtle’s face puckered sourly, Pikachu’s typing looked random to him.
	“Pi!” Pikachu smiled from electric sack-to-sack. He had found what he was 
looking for.
	The vidphone began dialing. . .
	“Yes, hello there?” Liza of the Charicific Valley materialized on the screen. She 
seemed more than a little confused as to why two Pokemon had called her. 
	Pikachu and Squirtle began clamoring together -- both frantically trying to 
communicate with Liza.
	Liza’s brow furrowed in disarray, “I’m sorry, you two. . .  But I don’t understand. 
Especially with you both going on at the same time like this.”
	Pikachu and Squirtle blushed; they had forgotten for a moment that humans could 
not understand them.  Squirtle sighed and gestured for Pikachu to do the talking.
	“Pika pi!” Pikachu yipped quickly.
	“Okay, you are Ash Ketchum’s Pikachu. I remember you . . . and you are calling 
me on Professor Oak’s vidphone. Um . . . is there something wrong?” Liza smiled 
politely, but was obviously still oblivious to Pikachu’s speech. “I have been watching the 
news, so I know Ash hasn’t been kidnapped. . .”
	Pikachu nibbled his lower lip. He HAD to think of a way to communicate with 
Liza before she got too frustrated . . . he had to think if something. . .
	. . . “Pika!” he had an idea!
	Pikachu peeled his lips back, forming the meanest looking snarl he could muster. 
Then he flapped his arms, hoping he was mimicking a decent set of wings. For a final 
touch, Pikachu attempted a mighty roar . . . it sounded more like a pathetic sneeze 
though. 
	Liza smiled with genuine amusement. She finally understood. “You want to speak 
to Ash’s Charizard! Okay then, just a moment.” Liza walked away from the screen.
	Pikachu and Squirtle danced merrily in a Totodile fashion. They were incredibly 
proud of their success. 
	Charizard’s mighty orange facade at once appeared before them. The fearless fire 
dragon’s eyes were narrowed with interest.
	“Chaaaaaar?” he breathed impatiently.
	Pikachu began meticulously, “Pika, pika. . . pika! Pikachu! Pika, pi.”
	Charizard’s burning blue eyes snapped open. He roared defiantly, wings flapping 
recklessly. The gales of wind he created sent papers and books flying across Liza’s tidy 
office . . . it looked more like a junk yard now.
	“Pika. . .?”
	Charizard snorted, flames spurting from his nostrils. He turned to the vidscreen, 
nodding with conviction.
	Five minutes later Charizard’s Pokeball was in Pikachu’s paws.