Poor Karlie. Poor, poor Karlie. Well, the chapter was kind of hard to write except for the beginning and what I call "the awesome power of flashbacks."

Guys, the time that I dreaded and feared at the same time has come. This fic is borderline to going into hiatus. I hate it, but I've been having a lot of trouble finding time to work on it, and I don't seem to like what I'm writing. We'll see. I'm doing my best.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I really owned Pokemon, I probably would have come up with some new concepts long before 2006. Either that or horribly messed it up. Whichever comes first.

Littlewood

"Come on, Karlie, wake up!" a small voice pleaded. Karlie grumbled and turned away from the voice, trying to fall back to sleep.

The voice spoke again. "Come on, Karlie. Pleeeaaasee?"

"I don't wane get up," Karlie whined faintly.

The voice said nothing for several moments. Karlie let out an internal sigh of relief. Now for some sleep…

Splat.

Karlie jumped up, reaching frantically for her face. Instead, she found some sticky, stringy substance. String Shot, she realized. But the other part of her quickly concluded that the situation was very serious. The String shot had cut off any method for her to get air, and try as she might, she couldn't get the stuff off. Instead, she just proceeded to get her feet stuck as well.

Finally, she slumped over, exhausted, resigning herself to death by suffocation because some idiot thought it would be a good way to get her up. However, just as she thought this, something gripped a bit of String shot covering her face and peeled it off enough for her to breathe.

Karlie lay there for a minute, stars dancing in her eyes, as a tiny little something dragged off, with obvious difficulty, the bits of sticky silk it had fired. As her vision cleared, Karlie glanced around to see her attacker and savior: Caterpie.

"What-" she gasped, "was that about?"

Caterpie looked at her guiltily.

"Sorry," the bug Pokemon said apologetically, "It's just that you wouldn't get up, even though I said please. And I didn't think it would be this hard to get off."

"And why, in the name of all that is sane and decent, would you want to get me up?"

"I have a surprise for you!" Caterpie replied happily.

Karlie blinked. "Huh?"

"Come on, Karlie," Caterpie pleaded, "It's great!"

"I don't know, Caterpie," Karlie started.

"Please, Karlie? Pretty please with a Pecha berry on top?" Caterpie begged.

Karlie stared into those pleading eyes. Eyes that would make an Onix melt, she thought. With a sigh, she asked, "Where is it?"

"Whiscash's pond, I'll take you there," Caterpie said, looking positively delighted that Karlie had given in.

Slowly, Karlie nodded and began to follow Caterpie outside. However, a sudden thought made her freeze and glare at the tiny Bug Pokemon suspiciously.

It took a moment for Caterpie to realize her charge was not following her. "What's wrong, Karlie?" she asked, confused.

"Did Alakazam put you up to this?" Karlie asked.

"Huh?"

"Did Alakazam ask you to keep me around Pokemon Square?"

"No!" Caterpie interjected, but she didn't quite meet Karlie's eyes. After a silence she added, "Well, yes he did. But he doesn't know about the surprise!"

Somehow, that didn't reassure Karlie too much, although she resigned herself to finding out whatever the Bug Pokemon had in store for her. It was obvious that Caterpie wouldn't leave her alone until she did.

"What is it then?" she sighed without really thinking about it, walking after Caterpie once more.

The little Bug Pokemon laughed back at her. "But then it wouldn't be a surprise!" she called in a singsong voice.

Karlie couldn't help but roll her eyes good-naturedly. Caterpie had been the first Pokemon that she and Ari had saved. The Bug Pokemon was always one of Team Westwood's biggest supporters, and was one of the few who had believed Ari was innocent when she was accused of involvement in the Ninetales legend. But she was still just a child, and it showed.

Caterpie led her through Pokemon Square, chattering endlessly. Karlie felt like a Bug Pokemon pinned on a card after the embarrassment of the day before. Eyes, some imagined, some real, follow them as they turned and headed northward to Whiscash's Pond.

She let out a sort of sigh of relief as the town was soon screened by the undergrowth and Whiscash's Pond. However, any relief she felt soon turned to dismay when she saw a small group of Pokemon near the water's edge. She didn't feel like talking to sympathetic groups beguiling her with pointless pity, claiming they understood when they didn't.

"Hey!" Caterpie called, predictably leading Karlie right over to the group. They turned. Karlie found herself facing what seemed to be the earliest and most supportive Pokemon she and Ari had rescued. Suddenly, a memory flashed to the forefront of her mind…

The Chikorita turned. "Did you get anything, Ari?" she asked.

The Totodile shook her head. "I couldn't, not without waking anyone up. Sorry Karlie." She let out a sigh, "Well, if that's all, I guess we'd better get going."

The Chikorita nodded, "I guess we should."

They turned to leave, the Chikorita looking behind them regretfully.

Noticing her friend's uncertainty, the Totodile stopped.

"You don't have to do this," she said, "You could stay Karlie. It's going to be rough out there and this is my problem. I wouldn't blame you…"

The Chikorita thought it over. She didn't want to go. No one knew what lay where they were heading. It would be so easy. Just turn around and go back to bed.

But.

This was Ari, her friend. She had made it possible for Karlie to be part of a rescue team. And they had done everything together. They had beaten a Legendary Pokemon, for goodness sake! And she wouldn't have been able to liver with herself knowing that she had stayed behind while Ari faced death, either from the dungeons or by the rescue teams trying so desperately to destroy her.

And most of all, despite what she had said, Ari would never forgive her.

The Chikorita shook her head. "No, I'm coming."

They had barely taken two steps when a voice called behind them, "Wait!" The Totodile flinched. Not surprising, as her life was on the line.

However, it was only Caterpie, followed by a Metapod, two Jumpluff, and two Magnemite.

"We wanted to say goodbye," Caterpie said tearfully.

One of the Jumpluff nodded. "We know you're innocent."

"Yep," came a muffled voice beneath their feet. Next moment, the Chikorita and the Totodile jumped back as a Diglett popped up practically beneath their feet. "You'll prove it to them, we know you will."

The Magnemite and Metapod also gave similar affirmation. Just as the two thought they couldn't withstand any more tearful goodbyes, the Pelipper, who had always delivered their mail, came by with a note of his own, telling them he awaited the day he could bring them mail again.

The Chikorita was in tears by then, and judging by the Totodile's expression, she wouldn't be far behind.

Finally, the latter turned and said in a voice that cracked, "Well, I guess we need to go, Karlie. Goodbye everyone," she gulped, "Thanks."

The Chikorita followed the Totodile down the path to the unknown, looking back more than once at the group cheering them on.

And suddenly the vision changed. She was at Whiscash's pond, not the team's base, and instead of Pelipper, Whiscash himself was there, in the water.

"So, what's going on?" she asked finally.

Caterpie said quietly, watching her, "We saw that you're sad."

"You and the rest of this world," Karlie mumbled angrily.

"WE WERE THINKING BZZZZZT…" one of the Magnemite continued.

"And I think they came up with a pretty good idea," Whiscash finished.

"What?" Karlie asked again.

"We want to make a rescue team with you!" Caterpie squealed with excitement. Karlie could tell that now that they had gotten to the point, the Bug Pokemon was excited.

We may not know that much right now, but we can learn," Metapod explained eagerly, "And we'll just do easy missions first."

Karlie glanced up at Whiscash. "Are you in on this?"

"Oh no," Whiscash laughed, "These youngsters just came to me for advice. I think it's a splendid idea."

The others were all looking at her with Igglybuff eyes.

"I can't guys," Karlie sighed regretfully, "I promised Alakazam I wouldn't go on anymore missions."

Caterpie let out an impatient noise and started to say something, but was interrupted by one of the Jumpluff, who was looking triumphant.

"No you didn't!" she volunteered, "I heard you. You promised you wouldn't go on any more dangerous missions! So if they're safe, you're okay!"

Pikachu's thunder, the eyes were back. But she couldn't say no, and she didn't really think she wanted to.

"Okay," She smiled, and it was much closer to a real smile than she had done in a long time.

The group cheered.

"What about your parents?" Karlie asked suddenly, turning to Diglett and Caterpie and Metapod, "Are they okay with this?"

Diglett finally spoke up after a long silence, "We didn't tell them. I don't think my papa would like it, though." Caterpie and Metapod nodded in agreement.

And Alakazam still wouldn't like it, I'm sure, even if it is safe, Karlie reflected.

"Then we're going to have to keep this a secret, okay guys?" They all nodded. "Okay, then it's all settled. Should we meet here tomorrow, then?"

"Wait, what about a name?" Caterpie interrupted, "we liked yours-"

Karlie shook her head firmly, "No. It brings up too many memories. We need a name of our own."

The all thought for a while, mentioning and discarding names. Nothing seemed to fit. They were either to silly, or they didn't feel right, or they reminded them too much of things they'd rather forget.

"Littlewood," Diglett piped up suddenly, startling them all, "Wood for Ari. Little because we're starting small."

Karlie nodded, it sounded right.

"Okay," she told them all, some of the old light starting to come back in her eyes, "From now on we are Team Littlewood."

I'll try and get the next chapter up soon, I promise.

Happy writing!

fallingautumnleaves