We Build Then We Break

Chapter 7

Us Against the World

It all happened so fast. Ash pulled out a Pokeball and threw it - Infernape materialised in front of us. He whispered to Pikachu to stay inside the backpack. I took a Poke ball from my belt and called out Starmie. The two soldiers called out a Tyranitar and a Nidoqueen, both were shrouded in that ominous purple aura that we had seen in the Pokemon back in Viridian City. Their eyes spewed venom, their teeth snapping together viciously. These Pokemon didn't just look like they wanted to fight, they looked like they wanted to kill. I swallowed hard, anxiety sweeping through me, I was concerned for our Pokemon - strong as they were, these enemy Pokemon's mere presence was frightening.

Before I even had a few seconds to think, they were upon us, attacks called out, they charged towards Infernape and Starmie. My voice called out an attack for me - I had no control over what I was doing, I felt like I was watching myself fight. Beside me, Ash guided Infernape's moves with tact and consideration. Ash was a brilliant trainer, I always knew it, and now, that fact alone was saving our lives. Together, we took down the two vicious creatures; while they were strong the soldiers didn't have the smarts to outwit our teamwork, and we were able to overpower them. Ash took a Poke ball from his backpack and loaded it in the snag machine, it flew out of the other end and towards the Tyranitar. I followed his lead and shot one towards the Nidoqueen. The Poke balls returned to us; we had won.

But I didn't have a chance to breathe a sigh of relief.

The soldiers were angry. They had been outwitted and they were not going to have it. I had the foresight to see it before Ash.

"Let's get out of here, now," I whispered to him as the men eyed us with malice spitting from their eyes, yelling out profanities and insults. Ash knew from the way I was looking at him what I was thinking. I saw the men take a step forward, their hands moving to the weapons fastened to their belts. My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat. Ash grabbed my arm and swung me around, my vision failed me for a few seconds as it caught up to my movements, and we were running, back through the forest.

The men were hot on our trail, I could hear their big boots crushing the forest floor below them and the grunts of their voices as they manouvered through the trees. We had no idea which direction we were running in, it was so dark we could barely see a foot in front of us. Trees and vines and bushes appeared before me, the forest swaying as I took each step, listening desperately for the sound of their footsteps to die away, praying that they would get tired of running, that somehow we could manage to escape. Any other possibility was too horrifying to even contemplate. A shot rang out and hit a tree to my right, I thought my heart had stopped for a few seconds but realised I was still running, I wasn't hit. I looked over to Ash desperately, our eyes met in a moment of panic.

"Keep going," he urged me on.

I felt somewhere between scared to death and an insane sense of adrenaline. My lungs ached as I heaved every breath in as though it may be my last. More shots rang out, each time I wondered if I was dead, and the next moment realised I wasn't, and this would continue in torturous circles each time I heard the gun go off.

Then the unthinkable happened. My foot caught on something on the floor, a vine, probably, and I fell, my knees skidding across the forest floor. I let out a small wail and Ash turned, realising what had happened, and rushed back to me.

But it was too late.

We only had a few seconds on them. They came crashing through the trees. I felt oddly calm. This was it, the end of freedom. Would they kill us, would they capture and torture us? My face drained of colour and my head was spinning as I grabbed Ash's hand and scrambled to my feet. We lunged away, but one of the men grabbed my leg and pulled me back. I shrieked, but no sound came out. In fact I could hear nothing. I saw Ash's stricken face as he realised what had happened. He lunged forward to grab me but the man pulled me back, his big hands squeezing my arms so hard I thought he might snap them in half. I gasped in pain, and adrenaline kicked in again, and I kicked my legs and flailed around to get out of his grip, but my resistance was futile. Then Ash went tearing forward at him, I had never seen him so angry as he was in that moment. His eyes were blazing with fury and desperation.

"Let her go," I heard him yell through the chaos. The other soldier went to grab him but Ash weaved under him - this caught the other one off guard and when Ash crashed into him, knocking both of us over, I was able to rip myself from his grasp. I begged my shaking legs not to fail me now as I sprung towards Ash. The men had already recovered and were standing, muttering profanities - they were so angry, and our chance of getting away was looking slim.

Ash did the only thing he could do to save us.

With one command, Pikachu leapt from his backpack and lit up the night, sending volts of electricity to the men, who writhed in pain as the currents surged through their bodies.

We ran, so fast. Every second counted. I don't think I realised we were out of harm's way until we were finally out of the forest. I fell to my knees, the adrenaline that was keeping me running finally failing me. My breaths were short and I could feel tears clinging to my eyes. Ash knelt beside me, to my right, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked. His voice sounded far away, but I nodded, my voice was caught in my throat, and I couldn't seem to speak.

"Come on," he stood, "we have to keep going."

I stood, wondering how Ash could be so calm when I was such a mess.

Ash pulled me up and didn't let go until I was steady on my feet. I had to admit, he had been my rock on this 'mission'. I knew I had to toughen up, be more like him. He was thinking like a soldier, I'd never seen this side of him.

"Ready?" he asked, his eyes studying me carefully.

"Yep," was all I could offer. He seemed satisfied enough.

The next few hours were hell. I guessed it must have been about 4 am when we reached Pallet Town. Having been out in the wild for so many years, you just got used to the way the air felt at certain times of the day, and being able to tell without a watch. Once in Pallet, Ash and I decided to keep moving right away, desperate to get back to the others, to a place where we knew we were safe. Despite being so exhausted I couldn't even feel myself moving, we made it up the mountain and then, just as the sun was peaking over to horizon, into the clearing.

I don't remember much about the next few hours. I recall seeing the others rush towards us. Gary, his face pale with worry, limped toward me. I practically collapsed, my knees buckling and giving way, when I saw him. I murmured something illegible to even myself, and then my world went black.

When I woke up, he was sitting beside me. I didn't know if I was in a dream or not, until he reached down to stroke my cheek. It all hit me, the fear I had felt, the man's hands grabbing me, the realisation that my life was about to be over. I was mentally exhausted, it was too much.

I felt tears sting my eyes - the burden of the past day was crushing me and the only way to relieve the pain was to cry. Gary said nothing, just pulled my trembling body to his and held me close.

"I thought it was all over." I cried into his chest, gripping his shirt like it were a lifeline.

"It's okay, you're here now, you're going to be okay," his voice was calm and comforting.

"Is Ash okay?"

"Yes," he replied, "he's fine."

"And everyone else?"

"Everyone's okay."

"Okay."

"Misty-"

"Yes?" I willed myself to pull away from him and looked up into his sapphire eyes, they were almost sparkling from the tears that had filled them. I'd never seen him cry.

"I'm so glad you're alright," he said, his eyes were so honest. I leant back into his welcoming embrace and his arms closed around me. I could feel his heart beating against his chest, each beat somehow assuring me that I was safe, that I was going to be okay.

There was one thing that was tugging on my thoughts, though, one thing that lingered - Ash had used Pikachu, and that meant that even if they hadn't recognised us before, those soldiers definitely knew who we were now. When they recovered they would report the fact that they had seen us, and the hunt would be on.

I didn't blame Ash for doing at it - Pikachu had saved our lives. Perhaps they wouldn't remember - perhaps Pikachu had fried their brain cells enough that our identities would remain a secret.

I was wrong.

Over the next few days, they came looking - big time. Planes, helicopters and Pokemon, flew over constantly. They were searching for someone, and I had no doubt that that someone was us. I felt fairly confident that we were well hidden, but we were all on edge. I couldn't sleep because every time I closed my eyes I felt myself being pulled away by the burly soldier, his arms showing no mercy as they jerked me away from my friends. Ash was no better, and we spent countless hours sitting up at night, talking, planning our next move, until we both could barely function. After three days, the searching appeared to have stopped, and I succumbed to sleep, but maintained that we have a lookout at all times. Another thing that had changed was my relationship with Ash. Ever since we had returned, he was awkward around me, and I knew why.

"Gary," I said one night as we were doing the lookout shift together. It was about two am, and the air was especially chilly. We sat under a blanket together, his arm around me. He turned his eyes from the sky to meet mine. I felt myself waver slightly under his exploring gaze, as I always seemed to. His eyes looked especially dazzling under that night's moonlight.

"Yes?"

"I...Ash has been acting weird around me. I know he knows something is going on between us. I just...don't know what to do. I don't know about anything anymore..."

"Well...how do you feel...about Ash?" Gary asked. His features tensed, he seemed nervous.

"I...I love Ash," I said truthfully. "Or...I thought I loved him. Now I don't know if I was confusing that for something else. Because you..." I felt my cheeks flush under Gary's tense stare, "you make me feel...something different entirely."

Gary's lips curled up in a smile. My heart rate quickened, Gary and I had not officially talked about our feelings for one-another; for the past few days, I wasn't mentally ready to address it. My thoughts were a tangled mess, thoughts of Ash and Gary and almost being captured swirled together in a jumble of uncertainty and fear. I was exhausted, and each questioning look Ash sent my way made it worse.

"In my head, I never had any doubt that Ash and I would end up together. But I don't feel for him the way I feel for you. I don't know if I ever will... And even if I did, he obviously has a thing for May and...this is such a mess."

Gary reached up and gingerly cupped my face in his hand. His gaze burned into mine.

"Gary...I never expected this...us, whatever we are."

"The unexpected is always scary, Misty, but sometimes, it's where the best things are made."

His lips met mine, and any doubt was immediately forced from my mind. As soon as he kissed me, I forgot all but him and me, as though nothing else existed. But when he pulled away, that all-too-familiar feeling of doubt washed over me.

It was true - I hadn't really known Gary Oak for that long, not properly anyway. But, I felt like I knew him better than anyone else. Perhaps it was our dire situation, but I truly felt something so strong for him that there was no way I could deny it, or question it. Ash had saved my life the other night, but Gary had made my life worthwhile. The whole time I was running, I was thinking of him, getting back to him. These feelings weren't simply out of desperation, they were real.

As I lay back down against Gary, feeling his arm tighten around me, I knew one thing for certain.

It was time to talk to Ash.

To be continued...

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