The Misdreavus Menace

Chapter Six — The Stowaway

Ash's mind was a swirl of darkness and confusion. Where was he? What was he doing? He struggled to remember. He was aware of a cold, hard surface beneath him. His body felt wretched and exhausted.

"Misty...," he mumbled. Her memory seemed to excite him, helped him gather his thoughts together. He had gone for a walk with Misty and really enjoyed it.

It dawned on him that he must have been unconscious and that he was slowly coming to. But why? His eyelids felt heavy, all his muscles worn out, as if he had run a marathon.

Then recollections began to coalesce. Yes, he had been running. He had hurled himself into what could have been a spaceship. He remembered rolling under a closing hatch, the bright interior lights, then motion, motion he was not used to, nauseating him. He had gotten dizzy and then must have passed out.

But why had he done it? He struggled to remember.

Suddenly, the memory came flooding back as if a dam had burst. He sat up, opened his eyes and shouted.

"Pikachu!"

It took him a few moments to gather in the scene around him. He was in a room with a very low ceiling—he was sure that his head would hit it once he stood up. He was resting on a metal surface, his feet dangling past the edge. The surface itself was merely a foot off the floor. There was a doorway directly in front, leading to a corridor. As he turned his head to the right, a movement caught his eye. He jerked around and saw a couple of round, pale coloured creatures.

Ash gasped in surprise, and the two creatures jumped back with a start.

"Clefairy," one of them said gently, it's eyes full of concern.

Ash pulled himself together. "Where...where am I?"

"Clefairy, fairy," said the second creature, approaching him cautiously and trying to sign to him with its paws. It touched him gently and tried to push him back onto his back.

"Oh, you want me to rest? I can't till I find out where I am and what's going on. Where's the Pikachu you kidnapped?"

Ash tried to get on his feet, but his head swam and he collapsed.

"Clefairy!" they both said, reaching out to help him.

"All right," Ash agreed, "I'll lie down."

They helped him back onto his back onto the hard, low bench.

"Can't anyone tell me what I need to know?"

"Clefairy?" came a perplexed response.

Ash sighed. How can he communicate when every sentence these creatures said sounded exactly the same? He decided that they were right. He had to recover his strength. There was no way he could figure things out in his condition. But why was he feeling so lousy? He knew that he had run his guts out, but he was fit. He must have recovered by now.

"Clefairy," one of the Clefairy said soothingly to him. Then it turned to the other and said what sounded the same except for the intonation. The other one stepped outside the room. At least they don't seem to mean me any harm, Ash thought.

His giddiness having eased, Ash decided to look around the room. It was reasonably well lit, but there was no light bulb. The whole ceiling itself seemed to emit a gentle glow. On the wall to his right there were some shelves with objects on them that he couldn't identify. Some had strange protrusions and knobs. Others could have been some sort of containers. The other wall, he now noticed, had a window. It was small and square, and it was dark outside. Wherever he was, it was night time.

Unless...a sickening feeling possessed him. Unless he was still on the ship floating somewhere in space. He looked out more intently. He was relieved when he made out some bushes, or at least, some type of plant life just outside. Wherever he was, he was either on earth, or on some terrestrial planet somewhere.

"Clefairy!"

Ash turned his head. The Clefairy had come back. He noticed it was carrying something, a round object between its paws. From the way it was carrying it, it could have been a cup.

"Clefairy," it said again sweetly as it handed it to him. Ash looked inside and saw a colourless liquid. It looked like water, but until Ash could ascertain where he was, he was reluctant to take risks with alien substances.

"Clefairy!" it urged.

Ash noticed for the first time that he was thirsty. After the long walk, the run to the ship, and goodness knows how long since, it wasn't surprising.

The Clefairy saw his reluctance. It took the cup off him, brought it to its lips, and took a sip. It handed it back.

"Clefairy," it uttered again, since, after all, that was all it could say.

Ash had to think. He didn't know how long it would be before he could get back home, even if he ever did. He would survive without food for a few days if he had to, but he would die without water. The Clefairy were Pokémon, and like many Pokémon, they could eat similar food to people. The vast majority of Pokémon needed water to survive. Chances are, it would be safe to eat and drink whatever they did. Regardless, he had little other choice.

Ash took the cup and took a small sip. It felt and tasted like water. He drank the rest. It felt so good, he asked for more.

"Clefairy," it said, seeming to understand, took the cup, and hopped quickly out of the door. The Clefairy seemed to be kind to him, but their one-word vocabulary was starting to grate.

After the second cup of water and the extra rest, Ash tried to get onto his feet again. He found himself steady this time. He turned to his two hosts.

"Please, isn't there any way you can understand me? I need to know where I am. I want my Pikachu back, and I need you to take us back home."

"Clefairy?" said one, its head tilted.

"Clefairy!" then announced the other, and motioned Ash to follow it.

Ash followed awkwardly through corridors obviously designed for Clefairy dimensions. They passed a couple of other Clefairy who eyed him curiously. Eventually they reached the outside.

It was hard to see in the dark, but Ash could make out darkened objects that could pass for bushes and trees. Here and there in the distance there was the occassional lit window, but by and large, the night was dark.

Ash had an idea. He was never much into astronomy, but he thought it would be worth a try. He looked at the sky. Fortunately it was clear and the stars were bright. He tried to remember what the sky was supposed to look like. Where were those familiar constellations: Krabby, Tauros, the huge Arbok? Even in the southern hemisphere, he knew of the famous Mantine, but he couldn't find that either.

The Clefairy urged him to move on. Soon they came to another building, but this one was dark. One Clefairy knocked on the door. There was no answer, so it knocked harder and called out. Eventually, the door slid open and a Kadabra appeared, looking sluggish and bleary eyed.

"Clefairy, Clefairy, fairy!" said one of the Clefairy urgently.

Kadabra looked around, seemed to notice Ash for the first time, then jumped out of his skin.

"Kadabra!" it uttered in surprise.

Great, thought Ash, another one-word vocabulary to endure.

"Clefairy, Clefairy," the Clefairy continued.

Come inside.

"Huh!?" Ash couldn't work out how he had heard someone speak his language. But then, did he really hear it?

Before he could figure it out, the dark, outdoor scene vanished before his eyes. He felt a slight tingle through his body, and the scene switched to somewhere even darker. A split second later, a dim, diffuse illumination appeared from above, and Ash found himself with the other three Pokémon inside a room. There were some strange furnishings, and some objects that could pass for bean bags, but no-one sat down, so he remained where he was. He didn't look up, but he was sure that his head was less than an inch from the ceiling.

So you stowed aboard the Clefairy's transport vehicle?

Ash finally figured it out. The Kadabra was sending thoughts to him telepathically. He wondered whether to answer a question like that. Were they trying to accuse him?

We are not going to harm you. I am simply stating a fact.

Ash looked stunned.

Yes, there are no secrets when we read each other's mind.

"So where am I?" Ash asked aloud.

We're in my house, which is on the Clefairy's continent of a planet that is not our own.

"Our own?"

I was born on your planet too, but my home is here now. I do not know how far this planet is from yours, but it is too far for me to teleport. The only way back is by using the transport vehicles.

"I can get back then?"

When can you take him back?

"What?"

"Clefairy, Clefairy," said one of the Clefairy. So that last telepathic thought was addressed to them, Ash figured.

They leave again in a day and a half, although a day here is a little longer than a day on our world of origin.

Then Ash remembered why he was there. He was about to ask, when Kadabra replied.

Your Pikachu will be free to return too, but it may choose not to, at least for a while. It is the same with all the Pokémon the Clefairy bring here.

"Can I see it?"

He wants to see the Pikachu you brought.

"Clefairy!"

It is sleeping, as indeed I should be, and so should you. I expect that your first transportation would have caused you some discomfort. You need to rest.

"But why are the Clefairy doing this? What do they want with our Pokémon?"

I will see you again in the morning and I will explain everything then. For now, I must go back to sleep. I am not as young as I used to be. Good-bye.

Ash did not even have time to respond before the Kadabra's three visitors were teleported back outside.

At least he knew that Pikachu was OK and that they could go back home. Or was Kadabra lying? No, it said there were no secrets when communicating telepathically, and could read his mind to prove it.

Soon the Clefairy brought him back to the building in which he had woken up, and took him to a very small room with a padded floor. They motioned him to enter. At first he was uncertain as to how he would fit. He would have to lie down and pull his legs up. As soon as he did so, a dim glimmer appeared, the temperature rose slightly and a curtain automatically moved across the opening. It was suprisingly cosy and comfortable even if somewhat cramped.

Ash took the hint, closed his eyes and relaxed his body as best he could. He knew the enormity of what had happened to him would take a little while to sink in. He mused for a while, until tiredness overcame him and he fell asleep.