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Every time I remember Pikachu, I remember her the way she used to
be, before the evolution that went so wrong. Before the disaster that
left her in the state she's in now... not that she's even that well off
anymore. I have no way of knowing her condition anymore, as I haven't
seen her for days. And the worst of it is, everything that's happened is
my fault...
POKEMON: The Portal - Chapter 8
"Pikachu!" I shouted as the glow faded and my Pokemon was revealed
to me at last. But what I saw wasn't a Pikachu at all. It was a little
bit bigger than any Pikachu I've ever seen. (Except for that time we
visited the Island of Giant Pokemon, but that's another story...) Her
tail was the size and shape of a Raichu's, and her fur was blotched in
bright and dull yellow hues. Her ears bent over nearly backwards, their
weird shape weighing them down. Her facial features were all located on
her face; that was about the only thing about them that was
recognizable.
"Rai... Raikachu," moaned Pikachu softly in a horrific, broken
voice.
"What happened to you?" I asked aloud as I pulled out Dexter, my
trusty Pokedex. I aimed Dexter at Pikachu, hoping to hear good news.
"Raikachu, a half-evolution of Pikachu," chimed Dexter. "When a
Pokemon tries to resist a stone-induced evolution, it mutates, and no
further evolution is possible. The mutated Pokemon's power decreases,
and it loses the ability to control its own body."
"No!" cried Misty. "There has to be some way to change Pikachu
back!"
"I'm afraid not," said Brock.
"Raika rai!" shouted Pikachu, jumping up to her usual perch on my
shoulder. I nearly fell over, but Pikachu was thrown to the floor as I
lost my balance. She landed in an uncomfortable looking position, crying
tears that were probably half pain and half sorrow. "Rai! Chu?"
"I'm sorry, Pikachu," I said, choking back tears of my own. "You're
a bit too heavy for my shoulder now." I held out my arms. "I'll hold you
like this."
"Rai!" exclaimed Pikachu as she leaped into my arms. Electricity
pumped through my body, and Pikachu quickly hopped back to the ground.
Misty caught me as I collapsed from the pain.
"Ash! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I said. "But Pikachu..."
"Rai, rai..." whined Pikachu.
"Pikachu can't control her body," Brock reminded us. "She won't be
able to control her own electric attacks anymore."
"Chu..." cried Pikachu.
"It's okay, Pikachu. I forgive you." I hung my head in shame. "This
is all my fault."
"Don't blame yourself, Ash," said Misty, placing her hand on my
shoulder.
I pushed her hand away. "This should have been my fight. I sent
Pikachu into a fight that she couldn't win, and look at what happened."
"Ash..."
"Misty, don't say anything." I unfastened my Pokebelt, removed it
from my waist, and dropped it on the floor. "I don't deserve to be a
Pokemon trainer anymore."
"Ash, listen to yourself," Brock urged me. "You can't just abandon
your Pokemon and give up. Your Pokemon care deeply about you, and you
care about them. Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Pikachu all evolved to save
you, even though they didn't want to. Are you just going to throw those
sacrifices away?"
"Raika raikachu, raika rai!" agreed Pikachu.
I felt my fists clench involuntarily. "You're right. I can't just
abandon my Pokemon." I grabbed a Pokeball from the belt and threw it.
"Ivysaur, come out!"
"Saur? Ivysaur?" asked Ivysaur as it appeared.
"No, Ivysaur," I said. "There's not going to be a battle. There will
never be another battle." Ivysaur watched blankly as I called out
Pidgeot, Wartortle, Charizard, and Muk. "You're all free. You can work
together to get back to the Portal, and then live your lives in the
wild, the way you were meant to be."
"Saur!" Ivysaur vehemently shook its head.
"Ash, you can't do this!" said Misty.
"Go. Now." Muk slimed its way over to the featureless wall and
osmosed its way out. With only a brief glance in my direction, Charizard
followed.
"Ash, stop!" commanded Brock. "You're letting one tragedy get you
down. You've got to be strong!"
"No! I don't want you anymore! Get out of here!" I screamed, angry
tears stinging my cheeks. Pidgeot flapped backwards to escape my
flailing arms, then turned and flew out of the Tower. Wartortle turned
its hydro cannons on me, hoping to shake me out of my tantrum, but
Ivysaur wrapped its vines around the turtle and dragged it out.
"I hope you're happy, Ash," said Misty. "You've just turned five
helpless Pokemon out into a dangerous world."
"You go too," I said, choking on the final word: "Raikachu."
"Rai! Rairai!" shouted Raikachu, shaking her head.
"I'm not a worthy trainer if I'd order my Pokemon to give up their
lives for me. Now get out."
"Rai!" shouted Raikachu, still refusing to leave.
"She's not going to leave, Ash," said Brock. "She loves you too
much."
I picked up Raikachu and threw her at the nearest wall. She passed
right through. "She's gone now. Let's go." I started up the winding
staircase, and had climbed twice my height before I realized that Misty
and Brock weren't following me. "What's wrong?"
"What do you think, Ash?" asked Misty. "Pikachu let herself be
forced to evolve to help you, and you thanked her by throwing her away.
What's going to happen if something happens to me or Brock? Will you
throw us away too?"
"You're right," I said. "You'd better get out of here too. If
anything happened to either of you, I'd never forgive myself."
"You're just being selfish now," said Misty. "You only care about
your own feelings. You can't handle bad things happening to your
friends, so you send them away. Well, you can't just throw me away like
that, Ash. I'm coming along to make sure nothing happens to you.
Especially now that you don't have any Pokemon anymore."
I just nodded. "Good point. We'd better stick together then." They
nodded sullenly and followed me up the staircase. With one last glance
at my discarded Pokebelt, I led the way to the top of the Tower, where I
knew that Triesha was waiting for me.
We climbed for hours, without making any progress. The top of the
staircase was just as distant as it had been when we'd started, or so it
seemed. I told myself that it was simply the perspective that made the
Tower look taller than it really was, even from the inside. "You know,"
grumbled Misty, "Pidgeot could have carried us up to the top in a matter
of minutes."
"You're never going to let me forget that, are you? I'm not proud of
what I did, but it had to be done. I can't rely on my Pokemon any more."
"You still didn't have to get rid of them," said Misty.
"As long as they're with me, I know they'll do everything in their
power to protect me, even sacrificing themselves the way Pikachu did.
They should be free."
"Just leave him alone, Misty," advised Brock. "I'm sure he feels bad
enough already." Misty started to say something, but Brock shushed her,
and we continued our climb in silence.
After several more hours, I was ready to collapse where I stood.
"Won't these stairs ever end?"
"They have to," said Misty. "They can't just go on forever."
"Why not?" asked Brock. "The outside does."
"He's right," I realized aloud. "It's probably just another
illusion."
"Then how can we possibly get to Triesha?" asked Misty.
"Close your eyes and keep climbing. If we can't see the illusion, it
can't affect us."
"That has to be the stupidest plan I've ever heard," said Misty. "If
we close our eyes, how can we see where we're going?"
"On our hands and knees," answered Brock. "We'll feel where we're
going."
"This is so embarrassing," complained Misty as we all followed
Brock's suggestion. "It's a good thing my sisters can't see me now.
They'd be laughing their heads off."
Within a few steps, the staircase fell away under my hands, and I
stopped. Misty bumped into me. "Hey, what's the big deal, Ash?"
"We're at the top of the staircase," I announced.
"Already?" asked Misty. "That's impossible!"
"It's magic," said Brock.
"Okay, keep your eyes closed until we're all on level ground. No
sense letting the illusion take over now that we've beaten it." I waited
until both of them had finished their climb.
"We're all here," said Brock at last.
"All right. Let's see where 'here' is." We opened our eyes and
immediately were awestruck yet again by the magnificence of our
surroundings. Huge crystals were suspended in the middle of the chamber,
each larger than the three of us put together. A single beam of light
shone down from the ceiling into the crystal in the center of the room,
which refracted the light into all the other crystals, which in turn
shone upon the walls in a beautiful array of interference patterns. A
tapestry of light surrounded us, and in the center was a matrix of
crystalline beauty.
"I've never seen anything so beautiful," said Misty.
"It's hard to believe that someone so evil could create something so
beautiful," said Brock.
"Evil?" asked Triesha's voice from the center of the display. "You
have no idea of my true nature. If only you had the ability to
comprehend the complex power struggle, you would realize that I am the
victim, not the perpetrator." Triesha stepped out from behind a crystal
and stood in the center of the room.
"Shut up!" I shouted angrily. "You enslaved Dominic, killed
Solstice, forced Pikachu to evolve, and almost killed Misty!"
"The sorceress isn't dead," announced Triesha. "She was teleported
out of my forest. As for the other misdeeds, I was forced into them by
fate. I need you, Ash. This world needs you."
"You need me?" I asked skeptically.
"You are the object of an ancient prophecy. Legends speak of a man
who travels freely between dimensions, as I have witnessed you do. It is
said that this man holds the key to defeating Karam, the Dark Mage,
enslaver of this dimension and master of the Dark Ones."
"Why are you trying to kill me, if you need me so badly?" I asked
defiantly.
"Remember, this is a dimension of magic. I mistook you for a
powerful magic user when I first saw you. In this world, magic users
only respect those with great magical powers. I therefore was compelled
to demonstrate my power in the hopes that you would assist my cause. By
the time I realized that you had no power of your own, it was too late
to stop. I was set on the course that would lead you to seek me. So I
set the challenge in the hopes that you would come. And you have, at
last."
"Watch it, Ash," warned Brock. "I don't trust her."
"Relax, Brock," I told him. "I have everything under control." I
turned back to Triesha. "Triesha, give me one good reason to believe
your story."
"I cannot," said Triesha. "I have told you the truth about why I
attacked you. If you choose not to believe me, I can do nothing further
to convince you. You may leave the Tower unmolested. No traps or
illusions will bar your safe passage out of my forest. If you wish, I
will even teleport you myself."
"She's a smooth talker," noted Brock. "She seems to think she's in
complete control."
"I don't think it will hurt to hear what she has to say, if we can
leave any time."
"Are you sure she's telling the truth?" asked Misty. "She could be
lying about everything."
"Why would she lie?" I asked. "She could have killed us all as soon
as we walked in the room if she wanted."
"Maybe she wants us alive, like she wanted Dominic," said Brock.
I turned back to Triesha, who was waiting patiently while we
discussed our next move. "We'll listen to what you have to say."
Triesha nodded in simple agreement. "Many have tried to defeat
Karam, but no power known to any sorcerer has been able to touch him.
You, however, possess a power far greater than any found in this
dimension - the power of Pokemon. With your Pokemon, I believe that we
can finally bring Karam's reign of terror to an end!"
"That's all well and good," said Brock, "but I really can't approve
of your recruitment methods."
"As I told you, I did not realize that my method was inappropriate
until it was far too late. I have done what I can to gain your
acceptance. Whether or not you choose to help me save this world is up
to you." Triesha bowed her head, awaiting our judgement.
"We can't help her, Ash," said Misty. "Let's just rescue Dominic and
get out of here."
"That is your prerogative," agreed Triesha. "Dominic, come to me!"
Dominic flickered into being beside Triesha. "You called, master?"
"I am no longer your master. You are released from your servitude.
When Ash and his friends leave the Tower, you will accompany them."
Dominic's eyes flashed momentarily, and he stepped slowly away from
Triesha. "Ash, what happened to me?" he asked.
"Triesha had you under a mind control spell," I explained. "But she
released you from it to convince us to help her save the world."
"You'd better think long and hard about that decision, Ash," warned
Dominic. "It's a big commitment, and a dangerous task."
"Is what she says true?" I asked. "Does she really just want to save
the world?"
"Of course," replied Dominic. "She meant well all along. She just
made one critical mistake which disrupted her plans a great deal."
"At least we got everything straightened out now," I said, relieved.
"Then tell me," said Triesha softly, "will you help me?" A tear fell
from her eye, reflecting the light from the crystals and sending the
patterns on the walls into discord.
"Don't, Ash," urged Brock. "We've got things to do in our own
world."
"But we can't just leave this dimension in the grip of an evil
sorcerer," I said. "If I'm the only one who can help, I have to do it!"
Triesha looked up at me with a smile on her face. "Thank you, Ash.
You don't know how much this means to me." She held out her hand. "Now,
hand me your Pokebelt. I'll magically enhance it so that your Pokemon
will be one hundred times stronger!"
I reached to my waist and was at first surprised when I felt nothing
there. Then I remembered. "I released my Pokemon."
"You what?!" demanded Triesha. "How could you?"
"I know it was a stupid decision, but at the time it seemed like -"
"Silence!" shouted Triesha. "I will not tolerate this insolence!
Dominic, seize them!"
"At once," said Dominic. He grabbed Brock in one hand and Misty in
the other.
"Let go of me!" shouted Misty. Dominic shoved her hard, knocking her
against one of the crystals. As soon as her back touched the crystal,
she was absorbed into it, frozen in a pose of total shock within. Her
silhouette echoed around the room in the eerie shadows that her body
cast by the light refracting through the array of crystals.
"Misty!" I shouted uselessly. I ran toward Dominic, but he sent me
flying into the wall with a wave of his hand and shoved Brock into
another one of the crystals. Brock fought to escape the pull of the
crystal, but it quickly drew him inside and his movements ceased.
"Let them go!" I yelled. "I'm the one you want!"
"Patience, Ash," said Triesha. "I'll deal with you in good time."
Dominic's strong arms grabbed me from behind and held me fast. I stomped
on his foot and elbowed him in the stomach, forcing him to release his
grip. As soon as I could move, I charged at Triesha and socked her in
the face with my fist. She fell backwards, holding her cheek in pain.
"You little..." She raised a hand and flung me away without touching me.
"You'll pay for that, you little wretch! I have no use for you anyway!"
She pointed at me, and a bolt of lightning leapt from her fingertip. I
closed my eyes, waiting for the end.
I opened my eyes again at the shout of "Raikarai!" Raikachu was in
front of me, her hair standing on end, growling at Triesha. "Raikachu,
rai raikachu!"
"Raikachu!" I shouted joyfully. "You came back!"
"Annoying pest," said Triesha dismissively. She waved her hand, and
Raikachu floated into the air and out the window, where she fell
screaming out of sight.
Without stopping to think I ran to the window and dove out after
Raikachu. Somehow, I managed to catch her, and I wrapped myself around
her, counting the seconds until we hit the ground. However, the surface
that finally broke our fall was soft - and mobile.
"Pidgeot!" cawed Pidgeot. Its caw was slightly muffled by the
Pokebelt clutched in its beak. I patted it on the head and buckled the
belt around my waist, quickly counting to verify that all of my Pokemon
had returned for me.
"Thank you," I said, knowing that the Pokemon still in their balls
could hear me. "I'll never throw you away again."
"Pidgeot," agreed Pidgeot.
"Rai raikachu," echoed Raikachu.
I sat up and gripped Pidgeot's feathers. "Come on, Pidgeot. We're
going back to the Portal."
"Raika! Raikarai raikachu chu!"
"I'm not leaving them behind, Raikachu," I assured her. "But this
time I'm going to use my brains before just rushing in. I know I can't
save them by myself, so I'm going to go get help."
"Rai chu? Kachu raikachu?"
"Solstice and Equinox too," I said. "But we'll need more Pokemon
power as well. And there's only one person who's got more Pokemon power
than me."
Raikachu's ears went flat. "Rai?"
"That's right." I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. "We're going
to see Gary Oak."
-----------------------------------------------------------
Welcome to "Whose Line is it Anyway?" where we make things up as we go
along, whether they make sense or badger.
JOHNNY BRAVO: *sigh* The only woman I ever really loved... and she's
gone. I wonder if I'll ever get over - Hey! Nuggets!
JACKIE CHAN: Oh, sorry. I broke your spy camera! (pause) SPY CAMERA?!
My webpage: http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~katinamp