When I came to my senses, the sun greeted me first. Sunlight poked through my eyelids, forcing me to open them. Then, I felt the air around me: hot, humid, untainted by civilization. I clenched my fists around soft sand and forced myself up.
"An...island?"
Licking the salt from my lips, I took a shaky breath, looking around to see where I washed ashore. Palm trees circled around me, steadily leading into a thick jungle. Rocks dotted the sand, and waves rolled up the shore, nearly touching my toes several times.
"Tropical, great. Completely deserted, not so great." I coughed when my dry voice escaped my lips, warning me to drink water. "Man, exactly how long have we been out?"
It took me a second to realize that I received no response to my question.
My head turned left and right, scanning the beach around me. No sign of human life anywhere. "Where'd everyone go?"
With the harsh sun beating on my face, I carefully rose to my feet. I nearly fell over a few times from the pain in my knee, looking down to find a large bruise. "That's just great." Still, I forced myself to move forward.
Trudging across the sand, I brought my hands to my lips. "Ash? Misty? Brock?"
Still, no response, and no sign of them.
I stopped and looked around. "I hope they at least landed on the same island. If not, this is going to be a pain. Luxio, could you come out and help with your excellent hear—" When I reached for my belt, I found only a single Poké Ball attached to it. "Eh...?"
Last time I remembered seeing my belt, three Poké Balls sat there instead of one; the rest of the team I stowed in my bag after catching Gyarados. "So there should be three, but there's only one...?"
Hurrying back to the spot where I woke up, I shuffled around in the sand, hoping to uncover the other two Poké Balls. "Why would I be that lucky?" I sat back and let out a disappointed sigh, drooping my head.
The single remaining Poké Ball glared at me, the red coloring slowly becoming painful to the eye. "It's definitely not Luxio. Actually, I can't even remember whether it's Pikachu or Wartortle."
Without hesitation, I chucked the ball. My blue turtle popped out, rubbing his head like he just got off the Gravitron. "Wartortle!" I rushed over to his side, squeezing him tight. "Are you alright, Wartortle? You didn't get injured, right?"
Other than an obvious headache, he made a weak smile.
"Yeah. We have seen better days."
He then asked about my condition.
"My leg's a little bruised, but otherwise, I'm fine. I thankfully landed on the sand, on my ba—Ah! Crap, I landed on my back, huh?!"
Remembering the bag glued to my back, I ripped it off and frantically shuffled through its contents. "Please don't be broken! Please don't... Oh... Phew, thank goodness!" My fossil still sat at the bottom of the bag, tightly bundled and in one piece.
Wartortle stepped over for a closer look, wondering what I freaked out about.
"Oh, right. This rock is a Pokémon Fossil. It's said to contain the DNA of a Pokémon that's been extinct for millions of years. Long story short, a scientist gave it to me. I'm supposed to bring it to a lab where supposedly they can bring the Pokémon back to life." He gasped in surprise. "I know. Cool, right? I'll better explain the details later. Right now, let's focus on finding the others and getting off this island." He nodded his head.
Taking a moment, I quickly rearranged my bag, first stuffing my jacket at the bottom of the bag to better cushion the fossil. "Not like I'll need it on a tropical island anyways."
Wartortle helped me collect the five occupied Poké Balls. I summoned everyone to do a quick headcount. Butterfree, Charmander, Zubat, and Pidgeotto all stood in a line. "Plus Wartortle, that's five Pokémon. Six with this guy." I timidly stared at the sixth Poké Ball. "I hope I don't regret doing this." I tossed the Poké Ball.
The minute Gyarados emerged, he fired off a massive beam of energy from his mouth. I narrowly avoided being obliterated, unlike the trees to my immediate left. I faced my Pokémon and raised my hands. "Gyarados, it's alright! I'm sorry we attacked you before! You can stop attacking!"
Ignoring me, Gyarados fired off another attack. The sheer power knocked me off my feet. "Dex, please tell me you know what that move was!"
"Hyper Beam, an extremely powerful move. It contains so much power that the Pokémon who uses it must rest for a while afterwards."
I froze. "That powerful...?" When Gyarados roared again, I quickly called him back into the Poké Ball. A bit shaky, I then collapsed on the sand. "Okay, let's try some other time..."
The rest of my Pokémon gazed at me, hoping I didn't try that ever again. "Sorry! Well, why don't you guys get some rest for now?" I recalled everyone except Wartortle, who insisted on staying outside. "Fine. Just stay close. I don't want to lose anyone else today."
Wartortle looked around the beach.
I tapped a hand to my chin. "Let's see. Luxio and Pikachu are the only ones gone from the team. Ash and his crew are missing too, of course, but to be perfectly honest, I'd love to find my Pokémon before anything. So, where to start?"
It was silent for a while, trying to come up with a plan. Unfortunately, many questions circled my head, one more concerning than the rest. "Man, I don't even know if we all landed on the same island or not! Did they?!"
Suddenly, Wartortle tugged on my skirt. "Hmm? Did you find something?" He pointed off towards the water. A medium-sized pink Pokémon sat on a rock nearby, dipping its tail into the water. "Good eye, Wartortle! Maybe it can help us out. You think you can ask?" Wartortle jogged over to the Pokémon. "What is it though?"
From in my bag, Dex answered the call. "Slowpoke the Dopey Pokémon. Incredibly slow and sluggish, this Pokémon remains in a daze even when fishing with its tail, rather pleasant to chew on but not very nutritious. If something bites its tail, it won't even notice for a whole day."
I frowned. "What a Pokémon..."
Wartortle approached Slowpoke and greeted it with a friendly smile.
However, Slowpoke didn't respond.
Taking a second chance, Wartortle said hello again.
Slowpoke still didn't respond. It didn't move, speak, even turn its head to acknowledge his presence. It just sat there and remained in a daze, exactly like the Pokédex explained.
Getting desperate, I called, "Excuse me, Slowpoke!" When it didn't respond, I went over and crouched down, waving a hand in its face. "Hello? Can you even hear us?" Even though it had very large ears, Slowpoke still didn't reply. "I guess we chose the wrong Pokémon to ask for directions..."
I stepped away and turned to the rest of the island. "Let's just keep walking. Hopefully we'll find someone."
As we strolled along the beach, a gentle breeze flowed past us. Wartortle liked the feeling of his fluffy ears and tail being caught in the wind. He stepped over to the shoreline and danced in the water, a big smile appearing on his face. I smiled back, removing my shoes to dip my own toes into the water. "It is nice here, I a—COLD!!"
Wartortle laughed at me before continuing.
"Ha ha, very funny. I can't adjust to it as quickly as you can, you know—"
He suddenly made a loud yelp.
"What's wrong?!"
Dismissing my worry, Wartortle pointed towards some nearby trees. A body lay face-down in the sand.
I recognized his spiky, black hair pretty easily. "Ah! No way! It's Ash!" We rushed over to Ash's side, where I anxiously shook his shoulder. "Hey, are you all right, Ash?! Come on! Wake up!"
It started as breathing being his only movement. Slowly, though, he stirred, twitching his fingers. "What... what is it?"
Hearing his voice let me relax. "Oh good. You're fine."
He struggled to sit up, and I gave him some space. "Ro... Rosa? Where... are we?"
"Not sure yet. A deserted island from the looks of it, but don't ask me how we got here. I still wonder how we survived that cyclone."
"We must've been lucky, but I don't see Misty or Brock anywhere..."
"Nope. Luxio and Pikachu are missing too..."
"Luxio and... Pikachu?!" He shot up onto all fours, looking around. "Pikachu! Where's Pikachu?! Not just yours! My Pikachu's gone too—Ow!" He slapped a hand to his forehead.
I gently put my hand on his shoulder. "Hey, take it easy! You might've hit your head when you landed!"
"Yeah, I think I did... Oh no!" Glancing down, he also lacked Poké Balls on his belt. "Not just Pikachu! I only have two Poké Balls!"
"Oh no! Who's all missing?"
"Er... Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander it looks like."
I frowned, exchanging looks with Wartortle. "This day just keeps getting worse and worse. Okay, we'll add them to the list. Let's just get going, Ash. We have to find everyone as quickly as we can."
"Right." Ash checked over his bag and put on his hat.
I looked at my Pokémon. "Why don't you go inside now?" He immediately voiced his opinion on that one. "I know you want to help search, and I really appreciate it. I just want you to get a little rest first. That's all. Plus, who knows who or what we'll run into here?" Wartortle made a frown before letting himself into his Poké Ball. I rubbed my cheek against it. "Thank you, Wartortle."
Ash stood up beside me. "Hopefully, none of our Pokémon got split up like we did."
"I sure hope not." We headed off into the thick jungle.
★
It was long past sunset before I snapped out of a trance. We walked all through the night without a single sign of our friends, neither Pokémon nor people. Ash and I paused when my Pidgeotto finally returned from a scouting mission. Judging by the look on her face, "You didn't find them, did you?"
She looked upset and apologized. "It's alright, Pidgeotto. This isn't your fault, and you searched your hardest. Go ahead and take a rest in the ball now." I recalled my Pokémon.
"Man, where did our Pokémon end up?" Ash groaned.
I made a pouty face. "I'm so worried. And this island isn't helping. They could literally be anywhere!" My hands yanked on my long locks, and I felt my sanity fading fast.
"Maybe they all got eaten by wild Pokémon...?" Ash muttered.
I nearly smacked him. "Why would you even joke about something like that?!"
He grinned. "Sorry."
I looked at the ground. "But, what if the Pokémon think we abandoned them? I mean, we all got torn apart by accident. It's not like we wanted that to happen, but the Pokémon may or may not understand that."
Ash stepped in front of me. "Come on, Rosa. Don't start acting all gloom-and-doom about it now. The Pokémon know that's not even a possibility. I know I'd never ever abandon them, in a million years! Don't you feel the same?"
Taking a breath, I looked at him and smiled. "Sorry. You're right, Ash. I'm worrying for no reason. I'd never ever abandon my Pokémon either. Luxio of all Pokémon should know that, so if the others start doubting, he can talk some sense into them."
"You and Luxio are really close, aren't you? More than just a Trainer and first Pokémon."
"I've known Luxio practically my entire life. My brother gave him to me before I could even walk. We grew up together, and did everything possible together. You couldn't separate the two of us with a crowbar."
"You have a brother?"
I nodded. "His name is Volkner. He's a really powerful Pokémon Trainer who uses Electric-types. Actually, he's a Gym Leader in my hometown, and a really popular one."
"A Gym Leader?! That's incredible! Does that mean you're a Gym Leader too?"
"Well, not officially. I've never been old enough to be a Gym Leader, until now. I suppose whenever I return home though I could fight as a substitute Gym Leader, like if Volkner gets sick or something. It is the family Gym..."
He raised an eyebrow. "You don't seem very thrilled about that."
I nervously waved my hands. "Oh no, it's not that I wouldn't be excited. Being a Gym Leader sounds like a lot of fun. It's just, it's not my goal to become one."
"Well, what is your goal?"
Without hesitation, I replied, "I want to become Pokémon World Champion!"
"Pokémon World Champion?"
"It's something I made up myself. Basically the strongest trainer in the world, the PWC is someone who can beat all current Regional Champions in full six-on-six battles. I always thought a person like that deserved a title worthy of the deed."
"Well, you'd definitely need to be pretty powerful. All of the champions in a row?"
"No, not in a row. That'd be almost impossible. There are so many different Pokémon regions, and everyone has conflicting schedules. I just want to beat each one before someone new takes their place.
"This is how I figured it out. If you defeat a Regional Champion, your name is put onto a special regional plaque forever, right? Well, nobody in the history of Pokémon has ever gotten their name onto every regional plaque in the world. They've talked about it though, saying a person like that would need to be exceptionally strong."
"So you plan to be that person?"
I clenched my fists. "Exactly! I want to be the first, and quite literally the very best. That's been my dream for years now. You can imagine how excited I was when the day came to start my journey, and so..." I paused. Ash gazed at me with a big smile, making me nervous. "What's wrong? You're looking at me funny..."
After a moment, he replied, "You're pretty amazing, Rosa."
I didn't expect to hear that. My face burst into flames. "Thank... Thank you, Ash... I don't think anyone's ever said that before—"
All of a sudden, we felt a tremor in the ground. It nearly knocked me off my feet. Then, just over the treetops, a gigantic creature appeared. It had glowing red eyes and a big horn on its forehead, a grey body glimmering under the moonlight. "Is that a...Pokémon?"
"Dex, what you got on it?!" I yelped, slowly stepping back.
Dex replied with, "No Pokémon found. No data."
"No data?! There's a Pokémon right there!" The Pokémon roared so loud my eardrums nearly burst. Then it started towards us. "And it's the size of Godzilla!"
"I feel like I've seen that Pokémon before," Ash noted. "Maybe it's—"
Not wanting to be turned into a pancake, I tugged his arm. "We're not going to stay and play 20 Questions with it! Come on!" We ran away.
Running away from the giant grey Pokémon, Ash skidded to a sudden halt, and I crashed into him. "What's wrong? Why did you sto—"
He put a hand over my mouth. "Look... Over there..."
To my horror, a giant yellow bird stood up in the distance. It cawed loudly before lifting into the sky. A single flap of its wings nearly blew us into a tree. Then, even worse, the Pokémon somehow sensed our presence and turned in our direction. Ash and I bolted through the trees.
Chasing after us, the giant bird lit up the night sky with a Thunder Bolt. Ash and I found a cluster of trees and dove underneath them for shelter. We shielded our heads as the bird flew right past us. It continued on into the night, never turning around.
"So there really are more...on the island," I panted, gasping for air.
"I've never seen a flying Pokémon like that before."
"Me neither. It's one of the most incredible Pokémon I've ever seen." I looked over at him. "Ash, this place is extremely dangerous, and now it's too dark to see. We should find a safe spot to crash for the night."
He nodded. "Yeah, sounds good."
We found a tiny cave hidden away in the side of a mountain. My Charmander helped start a fire. "Thank you, Charmander." I patted her head before sending out Zubat to go on a night scouting mission. "If you see any giant Pokémon, don't hesitate to come right back." She nodded and flew off.
Ash sat back by the fire, removing his jacket, bag, and hat. "Man, I'm starving." We both heard his stomach protest.
Rummaging through my bag, I found a bundle of snacks neatly stashed away. "Here."
His eyes lit up when he saw the small parcel. "You have food?!"
"It's not much." I showed him the package's contents.
A big smile appeared on his face. "Rice balls!!" There were four total, so I split them evenly, plus two apples. Ash seemed to really like the rice balls. "These are delicious! Did you make them yourself?"
Nodding, I looked away. "Sorry I hid them back when we got stranded. I just wanted to save these for a crucial do-or-die moment. We were only out on the water for a day, honestly."
Ash suddenly looked guilty. "Hold on. If you put that much effort into keeping these for an emergency situation, are you sure they're okay for me to just eat?"
I waved a hand at him. "Of course. Please do. They were about to go bad anyways, and there's no way I'm eating them by myself. It should be enough for two people stranded on an island like ourselves."
"Two people? Oh yeah! You said earlier that you traveled around with someone, just before you got on the St. Anne. Is that when you made these?"
"Yep..."
"Wow. Your friend must be someone special."
I nearly choked on the rice. "Well... not totally special... I mean, I've only known him for a couple weeks now. Plus, we don't really see each other all that much. He's always on the move, and I just can't seem to keep up with him."
"Well, you don't seem like the kind of person to make good food for just anyone."
"Really? I mean, we don't even get along very well. Now that I think about it, we fight a lot over the littlest things. Sometimes I think we wouldn't last five minutes in the same room." I gazed at the ground, thinking of all the exchanges I've had with Paul and feeling a little sad.
"You know, Misty and I fight a whole lot."
"Huh?" I glanced up at him.
"It's true. I don't think a day's gone by that we haven't argued, ever since Pikachu destroyed her bike on that first day we met. We bicker constantly, and she gets on my nerves all the time. Needless to say though, she's still a part of the group. Brock too. We all have our bad moments, sure, but nothing so bad that I can't stand to be around them anymore.
"To be completely honest, I've had plenty of fun days with them. I'll always remember the Gym battles with Brock and Misty both. They're excellent Trainers, and they both love Pokémon so much, just like me."
"So, even if you fight, you still somehow have a lot of fun with each other?"
He happily nodded. "Hey, like I said, if you're willing to make food for someone, how bad can they really be?"
I laughed. "Especially if they have Pokémon with them."
"See? That's the spiri—Ahhhh..." He suddenly let out a big yawn, stretching his arms wide. "Man, that rice really hit me hard."
"It's called a food coma," I then noted the black sky peeking into the cave, "though it is really late." I stood up and stretched too. "Well, why don't you get some rest now? We've got a busy day tomorrow after all." I headed over to the mouth of the cave.
"What about you?"
"I want to wait for Zubat to get back. Don't worry. Just get some sleep."
Nodding his head, Ash sprawled back on the ground, using his backpack as a pillow. He fell asleep in a matter of seconds, snoring like a grandpa.
I sat out on the edge of the cave, dangling my feet. A patch of grass sat just a bit below me, close enough I could jump straight down without hurting myself. We actually scaled a short cliff to reach this cave.
"I wonder what the others are doing right now," I muttered.
Wartortle popped out of his Poké Ball.
"What are you doing out?"
He grumbled and rubbed his eyes.
"Worried about Luxio and Pikachu too, huh? I understand."
Wartortle cuddled up to me.
We gazed up at the stars together. "I hope they're watching this same sky. With the lack of buildings, you can really see everything, and it's gorgeous." Wartortle nodded his head in agreement.
Thinking about Ash's words, I gave a deep sigh. "Honestly, hearing Ash talk that way about his friends, I feel a little jealous." Wartortle turned his head. "I want to be friends like that with someone. Having fun each day, with Pokémon, even if some fighting is involved. It doesn't even have to be Paul, just someone. I'll be the first to admit it gets a little lonely not having someone who can talk back."
Wartortle made a small whine.
Realizing that I accidentally hurt his feelings, I panicked. "Oh, wait! I didn't mean it like that, Wartortle! It's just, however way you look at it, you can't speak my language, and I can't speak yours. It's just a bunch of interpretation." He nodded his head with a frown. I patted it. "I do love being with you and the other Pokémon, more than anything. I just need a human companion too. Does that make sense?"
He nodded. Then Wartortle popped onto his feet and yelled at me.
I staggered. "What? Where's this coming from?"
Ignoring me, Wartortle ordered me to ask about becoming traveling companions with...
"With Paul?! What kind of suggestion is that?"
He argued Paul as a really good candidate, and that's after knowing him for only a few days. Plus, he reminded me of what I said a few seconds ago, about wanting a human companion the way Ash has Brock and Misty.
"You're crazy, Wartortle! No way I can do that! I mean, that's true. And sure, Paul and I've already traveled together a little while, but I don't think we could go on for too long without killing each other. He's so... He's so..." I stopped, unable to put together the right words.
Wartortle gave me a look.
I blushed. "No! It's not like that! Paul just... doesn't seem like the guy who'd even listen to that sort of request. After all, we conflict on every level. I like to take my time, and go sightseeing. He doesn't. He treats his Pokémon a lot harsher than I do, and he seems to always be in more of a hurry. I'd probably just slow him down, honestly."
Wartortle jumped in my face, asking what other option I had.
"Ah... Well..." I couldn't respond. "I haven't exactly made too many friends so far. I don't have a pool to pick from."
My Pokémon folded his arms.
I turned away to process. Traveling with someone else would be a lot of fun, even if it ended up being Paul. Plus, he's right; Paul isn't the terrible guy I make him out to be. And after what Ash said, I know deep down that I like him enough to be friends with him.
After a moment, I turned back to my Pokémon. "You think it's worth a shot?"
He noted how well we got along despite having our differences.
"True. We did get along decently enough those few days. It could've been worse."
Wartortle explained how it'd just be like asking someone to be your friend.
"That's easier said than done..." My anxiety wanted to stubbornly refuse. Deep down though, I knew Wartortle argued a good point. And I'm sure he's just trying to help... Knowing I couldn't win, I sighed. "Fine. You win. Next time I see Paul, I'll talk to him about it. He may shoot me down in an instant, but I'll try. Is that enough for you?"
Wartortle happily nodded.
I stroked his ear. "So stubborn. Definitely my Pokémon."
We heard tiny wings flapping. Zubat flew down to us. "Did you find anything?"
She regretfully shook her head.
"That's alright. At least you didn't run into a giant Pokémon." I looked at them both. "Well, let's get some sleep then. Shall we?" Wartortle stepped over to the fire and put it out. Then he and Zubat went back inside their Poké Balls.
Heading back into the cave, I stopped and looked back towards the stars. I held a hand to my heart. Be careful, Luxio, and Pikachu. All of you! Stick together, and I'll find you first thing in the morning! I grabbed my jacket, bundled it up underneath my head, and fell asleep on the rocky ground.
★
After a good night's sleep, Ash and I got up the moment light touched our noses. "Let's go. We have to find everyone as quickly as we can," I said, packing up my things.
"Before they all get eaten," Ash muttered.
I angrily tossed his hat at his face. "Not helping!"
We hurried into the forest, searching high and low for all our friends. I repeatedly sent Pidgeotto, Butterfree, and Zubat on scouting missions, but they all kept turning up without any clues to the others' location.
"Luxio! Pikachu!" I called.
"Squirtle! Bulbasaur! Charmander!" Ash shouted.
"Misty!"
"Brock!"
No matter who we called, we never got a response.
I nervously fiddled with my hands. "Where the hell could they be?"
Suddenly, another giant Pokémon stomped into view. "What's that?!" we screamed. A giant dragon roared and shot a massive Flamethrower at us. We ducked behind a rock for cover.
"A Charizard?!" I gasped, peeking around the rock.
"The final form of Charmander?" Ash asked.
"Yeah, but I didn't think they got that big! Dex!"
My Pokédex beeped. "No Pokémon found. No data."
Ash gave me a look. "Still no data? Rosa, I think your Pokédex is having issues."
Frustrated, I grabbed my Pokédex and manually entered in the name. "Charizard the Flame Pokémon, and the evolved form of Charmeleon. The final evolved form of Charmander, its fiery breath reaches incredible temperatures. It can quickly melt glaciers weighing 10,000 tons, and it is known to cause forest fires unintentionally."
"There!" I cheered, happy to see my Pokédex still working.
Ignoring me, Ash grabbed my hand. "Enough research! We have to get away!" We narrowly got away from another Flamethrower.
We scaled a short mountain to get away from Charizard, running into a giant Venusaur along the way. "A Venusaur is the final evolved form of Bulbasaur, I think!" Ash called.
I looked it up. "Venusaur the Seed Pokémon, and the evolved form of Ivysaur. It is the final evolved form of Bulbasaur. Venusaur uses its large petals to capture sunlight and transform it into energy. As a result, it is more powerful in the summertime."
Racing across a stone bridge, which lacked handrails, we suddenly came face-to-face with another giant Pokémon. I gasped, nearly staggering right over the edge. "Is that a..."
"Pikachu?!" Ash screamed, falling down in shock.
The Pikachu stepped so close it's nose nearly touched the bridge.
Then we heard another scream. Misty and Brock came charging straight at us from the other side of the bridge. Behind them, a massive blue turtle steadily approached. "It's Brock and Misty!" Ash cheered.
"And company!" I shrieked. "What even is that?!"
Dex answered. "Blastoise the Shellfish Pokémon, and the evolved form of Wartortle. Blastoise is the final evolved form of Squirtle. Its strength lies in its power, rather than its speed. Its shell is like armor and attacks from the cannons on its back are virtually unstoppable."
"Ash! Rosa!" Misty and Brock called, racing over to us.
"Are you guys doing alright?" I shouted back.
They stopped to catch a quick breath. "As well as we can. Where's Pikachu, and Luxio's gone too?" Misty asked.
I frowned, looking at Ash. "We've been trying to find them, and that eventually brought us to that!" I gestured to the giant Pikachu staring us down.
"Pikachu?!" Misty and Brock screamed.
"What's that?" Ash muttered, looking past Pikachu.
Off on the horizon, a dust cloud hurtled towards us. Another giant Pokémon got dragged along a set of train tracks, which happened to run underneath the bridge. As it pulled closer, its massive body cause a series of earthquakes. The tremors destroyed the bridge right under our feet.
The four of us all fell down into a trolley cart, coming face-to-face with the duo of Jessie and James. We screamed out in horror and pointed, not at Team Rocket. We screamed after seeing the giant Pikachu get dragged alongside the other Pokémon; this was all thanks to a thick cable caught on the trolley cart.
"Now we've got you twerps right where we want you!" Jessie laughed.
"So hand over Pikachu!" James ordered. However, they both noted our gaze and looked back, staring right into the lifeless smile of the giant Pikachu following us. "But not that big one!"
Then, I noticed more giant Pokémon approaching in the distance. At their feet, several regular-sized Pokémon ran away as fast as possible. I recognized pointy, yellow ears and black fur amongst the rest. "Ash, look!" I yelled, pointing out the Pokémon.
"Pikachu!" Ash screamed.
The giant Pokémon chased the little ones, quickly catching up. "At that rate, they're all going to get run over!" Brock growled.
Ash looked at Jessie and James. "Stop the trolley right now!"
They grinned at us. "About that," Jessie muttered.
"We can't stop. The brake's broken!" James admitted, holding up a broken lever.
"Give me a break," I frowned.
"Look, guys!" Misty yelled, pointing up ahead.
A big loop-de-loop sat in the tracks. "What the hell?!" Brock asked.
"Prepare for big trouble!" James shouted.
"Make it double, and I can't stand roller coasters!" Jessie screamed.
"What do we do?!" Misty called.
"Hold on tight!" I barked, bracing myself inside the cart.
Jessie screamed her heart out as we entered the loop. "Stop the ride! I want to get off!"
When we finished the loop, which only took a few seconds, my stomach felt all jumbled up and terrible. Still, the loop bought our Pokémon time to catch up to the cart. They now ran alongside us. "Okay, everyone, jump!" I shouted.
All at once, the Pokémon took a great big leap, jumping into our outstretched arms.
I caught Pikachu and Luxio without any trouble, holding them against my chest and squeezing the life out of them. They aggressively brushed their fur against my face. "Pikachu! Luxio!" I cheered, nearly crying. "You're okay!"
Pikachu suddenly tugged on my shirt. She held out two Poké Balls. One had the usual red and white coloring, while the other sported the colors belonging to Luxio's Poké Ball. That's when I let the tears stream down my face. "Pikachu, you mean you took care of them all this time?!" She smiled and nodded, reminding me that Luxio didn't have opposable thumbs. "Oh, Pikachu, you're the best! Thank you!"
"Is everyone here?" Ash asked, holding his Pikachu with tears in his eyes.
Brock and Misty held his Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander.
Jessie and James had Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth too.
"Everyone's alright now," Brock said.
"Ah! They're all after us now!" Misty suddenly screamed.
Our attention got pulled back to the giant Pokémon. The giant Pikachu and its friend tripped the evolved starter Pokémon. Soon all five of them dragged along behind our cart. It was a simply horrifying scene.
"Maybe our luck will hold out..." Ash suggested.
"Well, based on our recent run of luck," James began, "I would say the cable should snap."
"That should happen about now," Jessie said. Instantly, the cable snapped, ending the chase.
"Next, we'll be hurled into the air." Approaching a small hill in the tracks, the trolley went so fast that it shot into the air.
"Then, we'll probably crash into something," said Meowth.
The trolley smashed right into the yellow bird Pokémon we saw last night. A waterfall of metal parts I would never be able to name fell around our heads. "Was that a fake Pokémon?" I asked.
"It would make sense why your Pokédex never worked then," Ash noted.
"And then finally, we hit the water!" Meowth yelled. The trolley lost momentum, and began to fall. "After a really, really long drop!" We plunged into the ocean.
The fun wasn't quite over yet. We ran into one final Pokémon robot: a Gyarados. The trolley cart smashed into the head, causing a massive explosion that sent everyone blasting off, not just Team Rocket.
★
I got blown to yet another beach, not sure on the same island or a different one. At least this time I ended up with my beloved Pokémon, no humans though.
Luxio, Pikachu, and I tried looking for Ash and the others. However, all my flying Pokémon searched the skies, and when they returned without any sign of them, we switched gears. I just wanted to focus on getting off the island.
The three of us trekked through the jungle, with Pikachu frequently running ahead. "I'd love to make sure Ash and the others are fine, but we should worry a little more about ourselves," I said to Luxio. "We still have to get off this island somehow. It's not like we haven't found any—"
Suddenly Pikachu cried from the top of a hill. "Do you see something up there?" She waved for us to hurry up.
Rushing to her side, Luxio and I came upon a stunning sight. "...cities?!"
An actual city sat before us, right on the water. It had white, sandy beaches right next to towering office buildings, and clear blue skies watched over from above. "There's an entire city on the island?!"
Pikachu tugged on my leg, pointing at the water. I smiled down at her. "Oh, we're definitely checking that out!"
We raced down the hill towards the beach.