The Beautifly Effect

Chapter Twenty-Two -- The Nightmare Begins

The following week, back in North-Western Johto...

Ash Ketchum stood, shadowed, in a dark, secluded alley. A cold wind blew fiercely, ruffling his already disheveled clothes and hair.

"I'm gonna get you, Richie!" he shouted over the sound of the wind.

"No," cried Richie, "stay away from me!"

Ash made a dash for Richie. Richie wanted to move, but his feet were stuck to the ground. He panicked.

"Stop, Ash! Stay away!" he yelled, holding his arms protectively in front of him.

But it was no use. Ash continued straight for him. The wind howled in anger. Ash leapt to tackle Richie. There was no way he could miss, but somehow he did, and he crashed painfully onto the concrete below.

Richie stooped down. He didn't want to touch Ash, but he felt his arm moving, reaching out to grasp Ash's shoulder. He knew this was going to be bad, but his movements were beyond his control.

Ash felt hot--he was burning up. Richie turned him over. Ash's face was covered in sores and sweat. Richie winced, but couldn't move away. Ash was in terrible pain, and was having trouble breathing.

"Get up, Ash!" Richie cried, tears streaming down his cheek. "Please don't die, Ash. Get up, get up!"

Richie felt the dream pull away from him. Someone was waking him up. Maybe that was a good thing.

"Get up, Richie! Get up!"

It was Abigail's voice.

"What... what's the matter...?"

"The Mareep. Something's wrong in the Mareep pen."

Richie got out of bed and hastily started getting dressed. He heard a gasp, and looked up only to see Abigail turn her back to him. He mumbled an apology and finished dressing. Evidently he was still half asleep. Outside, the Mareep were bleating--there was definitely something wrong.

The winter air was sharp enough to finish waking him. There was enough moonlight to make out one or two darker forms moving around among the light coloured Mareep in the pen. The Mareep seemed to be holding their own, but the darker shapes were persistent.

Abigail arrived after him with Doury.

"Can you see what's going on?" she asked.

A flash of electricity from one of the Mareep lit the pen.

"Houndour!" said Richie. "I think there's two of them."

"Probably what's left of a pack from the mountains. Betcha their food's died out and they've come looking down here."

"Reeeep! screeched a Mareep from the far end of the pen. There were flashes of electric attacks, only to be met in retaliation with bursts of flame.

Richie fingered his Poké balls. He chose Zippo.

"Fly to the other side of the pen and help the Mareep," he ordered. There was no response. Richie looked, only to see Zippo lying on the ground, his tail flame low, his breathing heavy.

By then Doury reached the pen and entered the fray. One of the Houndour held him off while the other climbed over the fence with a Mareep firmly gripped between its teeth. Doury and its opponent gazed each other down in a stalemate until the other Houndour got over the fence, and broke into a run with the body of the Mareep draped across its back. Its companion leapt over the fence to follow, forcing Doury back with a flamethrower attack.

Doury made to jump the fence, but Abigail called him to stay. There was still commotion in the pen. Doury sniffed around.

"Dour!" he yelped. Abigail and Richie arrived to find another Houndour lying alert but motionless on the ground.

"Paralysed," said Richie. "Sometimes happens with electric attacks."

"Richie, Doury, stand back," said Abigail. "Mareep, all of you, get ready to thundershock it."

"Abigail!" Richie gasped. "They'll kill it!"

"You can't expect me to let it go so it can kill someone else's Mareep?"

"But, but... it's a Pokémon!"

"It's legal. It attacked me and it's not a threatened species--at least not yet.

"Can't you... capture it, and... and give it away?"

"No Richie, You've heard the news. The Johto League's in tatters. Now go look after your Charizard. Get ready and I'll drive you to the Olivine Pokémon Centre."

Richie turned back to find Zippo. Behind him there was a flash of light and a horrible screech. It was followed by the smell of burning flesh. A moment later, he could hear sobs, but he chose not to look.