Disclaimer: Don’t own Pokemon! A/N: Here’s Chapter 6! By the way, in Pikachu language ‘Pika pi’ means Ash. Just thought I’d share that for future reference. Enjoy! Chapter 6 Sleep and relaxation was hard to come by for both Ash and Pikachu. Since midnight, Ash had been in a restless frenzy, unable to extinguish the conversation he had had only hours ago with Aki and Marissa. Tossing and turning, he heard voices in his head telling him that he was going to regret his decision for leaving Misty back home. Finally, giving up on sleep, Ash got up out of bed as the first rays of sunlight shone through his window. The valley before him lit up in a matter of seconds and, before he knew it, the darkness had been completely wiped out. Pikachu yawned, sensing its master was already up, and hopped atop his shoulder. Giving Ash a pat on the head, as if to wake him from his tireless stare, Pikachu grabbed the letter Ash had written the night before and stuffed it in his pocket. “Oh, thanks buddy. I’d hate to forget to mail this,” he said, pulling the letter out of his pocket. He examined it for a moment and then stuffed it back in his pocket once again. Skipping breakfast, Ash and Pikachu headed for the mailbox outside of the pokemon center. He directed his vision to the clear, calm sky. The weather had cleared up rather unexpectedly, but, regardless of how quickly it had dissipated, Ash was glad nonetheless. He sealed the envelope with a kiss, threw it in the mailbox, and then gave a quick nod to Pikachu. “Let’s get going Pikachu. We need to make good time, so we won’t have too many breaks, okay,” he said, taking his first steps out of the small city. The little mouse pokemon merely nodded and continued to walk side by side with its master without a word. Pikachu could sense the tension and worry in Ash’s voice and had decided to keep quiet, knowing its master probably wanted to be left alone with his thoughts. ‘Once we get home, we’ll figure this out,’ thought Ash, ‘I’ll get Misty back to Pallet, try to find a way to contact Hikara and the others, and then figure out where Aki and Marissa are residing.’ After a good two hours of Ash thinking and organizing his thoughts and ideas, they had finally arrived at the entrance to the rock tunnel. Pikachu awed at the sheer size of the entrance, while Ash gaped, open mouthed. He took in a deep breath and began his descent into the cave, but stopped as he heard a young boy’s voice. “Oh come on you stupid thing!” Ash and Pikachu simultaneously turned their heads in the direction of the voice and found a boy, about eight years younger than Ash, struggling with what seemed to be a flashlight. Ash, feeling sympathetic for the boy, walked up to him. Startled, the boy leapt back, flashlight in hand, ready to attack. “Stand back!” yelled the boy, “Don’t come any closer! I have pokemon you don’t want to mess with!” “Calm down,” reassured Ash, throwing his arms up, “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I just overheard that you were having a slight problem.” The boy, lowering his arms a bit, nodded in response. “Yeah, my flashlight started dying on me as soon as I was about to enter the cave,” he explained, lowering his defenses a bit, realizing that Ash meant no harm. “Yeah, well, misfortunes like that do tend to happen every once in while,” smiled Ash, thinking that the young boy reminded him of himself at that age, “What’s your name?” “Darren, what about you?” “My name’s Ash and this is Pikachu,” smiled Ash. “Pika!” exclaimed the pokemon. “Whoa, a real live Pikachu! I’ve never seen one this close before. Is it okay if I pet it?” asked Darren curiously. “Pikachu?” asked Ash. Pikachu nodded and stepped up to the young trainer, nuzzling its cheek against his. Darren pet Pikachu behind the ears, causing a very satisfied purr from a very content looking Pikachu. “You must have studied pokemon a lot if you knew that Pikachus tend to not like being touched by strangers,” mused Ash. Darren nodded knowingly. “Everyone knows you’re not supposed to touch a Pikachu unless they know you or get their permission,” smiled the trainer. At this comment, Ash laughed, along with Pikachu, remembering his first day as a trainer. Ash snapped himself out of his reverie and remembered his task at hand. He motioned for Pikachu who, in turn, hopped on its master’s shoulder. “Well, if you’re heading through the rock tunnel me and Pikachu would be glad to accompany you. It would be nice to have the company anyway,” smiled Ash. “You have a spare flashlight?” asked the boy. “I guess you could call it that,” shrugged Ash, unsnapping one of his pokeballs from his belt. He threw the ball up in the air and a bright white flash engulfed the area. As soon as the flash appeared, it vanished with nothing but a small mouse looking pokemon with a flame on its back. “Wow, a Cyndaquil!” squealed the boy “Cynda cyndaquil!” exclaimed the pokemon. “Well, shall we be off?” asked Ash. “Yeah, let’s get going!” They stepped into the cave, but not without Ash turning and looking over the horizon. Hoping he would make it out of the cave safe and sound, he approached the then took his first steps into the darkness. The first half hour or so went by pretty quickly. Cyndaquil had started to get tired and Ash, secretly praising himself for switching Kingler with Charizard at the last pokemon center, brought the large lizard pokemon out for a stretch. Darren gaped at Charizard’s size and was even allowed by Charizard itself to ride atop its shoulders. “So, where did you say you were headed Darren?” asked Ash. “I’m heading towards Pewter City to try and win a Boulder Badge and start my journey,” he explained. “Pewter City, huh?” smiled Ash, thinking about Brock, “The gym leader is a good friend of mine actually.” “Really?!” gaped Darren enthusiastically. “Yeah, we’ve known each other for years,” sighed Ash, recounting his memories with the rock trainer. “After I win his badge, I plan on going to Cerulean City for a go at the Cascade Badge,” stated Darren, “Don’t suppose you know the gym leader there do you?” he asked sarcastically. Pikachu laughed aloud as Ash gave off a warm smile. “Maybe I do,” he smiled. “Are you serious?” gasped Darren in disbelief. “Yup, she’s very beautiful and--” “Oh, I don’t care about that stuff. I just want her badge,” commented Darren. “You’ll care soon enough,” muttered Ash, remembering his first reaction to the mention of beautiful girls, “We’re actually quite close.” Ash pulled off his treasured bracelet that Misty had given him only days before, and showed it to Darren. “What’s this?” he asked curiously, taking the piece of jewelry. He carefully read the inscription and broke out into a laugh. “Oh, when you said you were close friends, you really meant it,” noted Darren snidely. Ash just laughed at the young boy, retrieved his bracelet, and stuffed it back in his jacket pocket. Another hour flew by as Ash and Darren continued on through the cave. Charizard’s stamina, Ash noticed, had improved, causing him to last much longer than Cyndaquil. All of a sudden, sensing something out of place, Charizard stopped in its tracks. “What’s up Charizard?” asked Ash, gazing at the trail ahead of them. It merely growled at the darkness and set Darren on the ground. “What’s going on?” asked a scared Darren. “I don’t know, I’m sure everything’s--” Cut off by a sudden rumbling sound, Ash looked in all directions. Suddenly, rocks started falling in every direction, causing Ash to jump back in surprise. “Damn it! Let’s get out of here!” yelled Ash as he, Pikachu, Charizard, and Darren headed in the direction they hoped was the exit. Ash felt himself dodging rock after rock, keeping himself a good distance away from the crumbling rock on the walls. He kept looking back every once in while to make sure Darren was still with him until he heard a piercing scream. Ash whipped his head back and saw Darren on the ground, crushed by a rock twice his size. “Darren!” Ash yelled as he attempted to remove the rock, “You’ll be okay, we’ll get you out of here!” Charizard and Pikachu ran to Ash’s aid in an attempt to remove the large rock from the boy. He had scratches on his face and a large gash on his forehead that was dripping with blood. He had tears in his eyes, scared of what would happen. “Ash…I-I’m scared…am I going to die…” he asked shakily. “No! You won’t die! You still need to get those gym badges, remember?” Ash weakly smiled, receiving a light giggle from Darren, “I’m going to get you out of here, just trust me,” he pressed, feeling the rock start to move under all the pressure. ‘I can’t let this kid die here, it’s not his time. He’s still much too young,’ Ash thought, mustering all his strength in one final attempt to remove the boulder, ‘This must have been a trap set by Aki! I should have known better than to leave Pallet!’ With one final heave, Ash, Pikachu, and Charizard pushed the rock to the side, panting heavily. Charizard, although tired in its efforts, continued to protect its master from any falling rocks that threatened to come near. Ash looked down at the young boy and saw nothing but a pool of sticky red blood. Ash took off his jacket and wrapped it around the young boy, stopping the blood from spilling further. “What’s going to happen to me?” asked the young boy. “I’m getting you out of here,” said Ash confidently as he whistled for Charizard. The massive lizard pokemon responded by flying over to where its master was and growled. “Charizard, I need you to get Darren out of here right away!” he screamed. Charizard simply stared at its master and shook its head defiantly. It had no intention of leaving Ash behind. “That’s an order Charizard!” he commanded, handing Charizard Darren’s mangled body, “Listen, he doesn’t have much time! Me and Pikachu will be fine, just go!” Reluctantly, Charizard lifted off of the ground and sped off in the direction they had originally come from. Now in total darkness, Ash brought out Cyndaquil, who completely realized the situation and headed them in the opposite direction in which Charizard had gone. “You have to keep going strong for me Cyndaquil!” commanded Ash desperately, noticing that the pokemon was beginning to tire out. The pokemon nodded and continued its pace in search of the exit when, all of a sudden…Ash had turned around…but it was too late… “Pika pi...” Back in Cerulean City Misty sat in her kitchen, eating lunch with her sisters, watching the water pokemon play in the nearby gym area. They splashed around contentedly, racing each other around the pool. Misty smiled at their antics, able to finally relax a bit knowing that Ash was on his way home. ‘Ash should be on his way back--’ Misty’s glass of water fell to the floor, shattering and spilling its contents. Her thoughts had been interrupted abruptly by a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. Unable to grasp what was really happening, Daisy bent over to wipe the mess up. “Mist, we aren’t five years old anymore. Be careful or we’re going to…Misty?” inquired Daisy, immediately stopping what she was doing and staring at the vacant look on her younger sister’s face, “Misty, what’s wrong?” By this time Violet and Lily had also noticed the blank expression on their sister’s face. Misty had instantly paled, her hands were shaking, and small drops of sweat had started to make its way down her delicate face. “Misty?” asked Lily cautiously. “Ash…” “What about Ash?” questioned Violet, looking at her sister. “I-I don’t know…but something’s not right,” she stuttered, standing from her seat. Misty’s sisters exchanged worried glances at one another, not really knowing what to say. “What do you mean?” asked Violet. Instead of answering her, Misty paced throughout the kitchen, unsure of what this sudden feeling of despair was. Then, she made her way into the living room, followed by her sisters, and noticed that the television had been left on and the news reporter’s voice was blaring. The reporter was standing in front of what seemed to be a greatly damaged cave entrance, as, Misty noticed, various rocks were scattered about. Police officers, ambulances, paramedics, firemen, other news reporters from other stations, and local onlookers vacated the scene that seemed to catch Misty’s attention. Daisy, Lily, and Violet turned their attention to the screen in which Misty turned up the volume. “If you’re just joining us, we’re here live at the rock tunnel located West of the Kanto region,” the reporter started, “It’s reported that approximately 1:30 today rocks had begun to loosen in the nearly ten year old tunnel. The tunnel had originally been made as an alternative route back to Pallet, Cerulean, and Pewter, but now, all chaos has broken loose.” Misty’s hands had started to get sweaty and she found she could no longer speak. Hadn’t that been the same tunnel Ash and Pikachu were planning on traveling through today? Wasn’t it that same route that would lead him back to Pallet? Misty stood on edge as she waited for the reporter to continue. “The rock slide is said to have claimed the lives of 14 trainers, while five remain in critical condition and have been transported to the nearest medical center. It is said that a couple of dozen of people still remain trapped inside. Various people are out here, hard at work, trying desperately to recover the bodies that may still remain inside,” the reporter sighed deeply, “Tragedy certainly has struck as rescue workers are continuing to tend to the injured and the search for survivors continues in this live report. As you can see from the scene,” he pointed at the entrance of the cave where several Rhydon were being used as drill workers, “The rescue team is hard at work to recover anyone who may still be alive and we are all definitely keeping out fingers crossed. We have a list of names here whom we believe to be missing or have yet to be recovered. Parents, we strongly urge you to usher you’re children out of the room for the moment as it may seem devastating if a loved one is listed. This list of names is thanks to the Pokemon Center database.” Daisy put a hand on Misty’s shoulder as she prepared herself for the worst. The list of names had begun at the top of the screen and scrolled downward. ‘Adam Lee (15), Theresa Garcia (10), Aaron Gray (22), Jacob Keller (20), Tammy Parker (16), Eric Nishimura (18), Samantha Carver (18), Ashton Ketchum (18)…’ “No…” Misty cried, “No…” Her eyes had started to fill with tears, unable to believe what she was seeing. All the while, Misty’s sisters were in total shock, speechless and not being able to fully comprehend the situation. “Oh my goodness…” gasped Daisy. “Misty…” Violet started, unable to finish. “No! I-I refuse to believe it! Ash is alive! I know he is! H-He has to be…” sobbed Misty as Daisy gathered her weeping sister into her arms, “The reporter said that they were just missing people…there’s still some chance that…” Daisy cradled Misty in her arms, shaking her head sympathetically. Why did this have to happen to Ash? He was one of the nicest guys she had ever known and her younger sister was madly in love with him to top it off. It just wasn’t right. All of a sudden, Misty tore away from her sister’s grasp and ran up the stairs, wiping at her tears. “Misty wait!” called Lily. “Let her go,” said Daisy, “She needs some time to herself. This is kind of devastating to all of us right now, but most of all, Misty. Let’s give her some space.” Both Lily and Violet nodded simultaneously in response to their oldest sister. Merely staring at the staircase, they shook their heads in grief and sympathy for their youngest sister. Misty slammed the door to her room behind her and landed, face down, on her pillow. Her cries were muffled, but heard nonetheless as Togepi came out from hiding. “Choki priii!” “Ash…you promised me…you promised me you’d be okay, that you’d come back to me,” she whispered, continuing to cry into her pillow and grasping her treasured locket. “Promises do tend to be broken,” came a familiar voice. Misty’s head shot up, recognizing the voice instantly. “You…” Misty growled, unable to contain her rage and frustration. “Why did you not heed our warning?” laughed Marissa. Misty had then come to the sudden realization that this was all a set up, a trap set by Aki and Marissa…and Ash and had fallen right into it. “You…it was all you…” breathed Misty. “Can you really put all the blame on us and not yourself?” asked Aki. “I would never do anything to hurt Ash!” she screamed. “Encouraging him to compete in that tournament sent him to his untimely death…just think about it…” urged Marissa as their voices faded away. Misty gave out a sudden gasp. ‘Oh my god…she’s right. If I didn’t tell him to compete, he’d still be here with me. If I didn’t tell him that the tournament would improve his skills, he wouldn’t have gone. It’s all me… it’s all my fault…” she cried. Standing up, tears streaming down her cheeks, Misty got her backpack together, a water bottle, a couple of changes of clothes, some money for food, and her pokeballs before heading out of her window, leaving a confused Togepi behind. She kissed it before descending down the ladder in her back yard. ‘I’m sorry Togepi, but you’re too young to understand what’s going on and it wouldn’t be fair of me to take you along,’ Misty thought. Rain was pouring down in buckets as Misty zipped her raincoat up to her chin and threw her hood on. She had to know for sure. Was Ash really gone or was he just waiting in the midst of the cave to be rescued? Misty didn’t know and it was killing her inside. She continued to walk through the afternoon rain, however, her mind focusing on one thing and one thing only. A/N: A little more suspenseful right? Anyway, I hoped you liked it! Please review! Thanks!