The Misdreavus Menace
Chapter Six — The Stowaway
Ash's mind was a swirl of darkness and confusion. Where was he? What was he
doing? He struggled to remember. He was aware of a cold, hard surface beneath
him. His body felt wretched and exhausted.
"Misty...," he mumbled. Her memory seemed to excite him, helped him gather his
thoughts together. He had gone for a walk with Misty and really enjoyed it.
It dawned on him that he must have been unconscious and that he was slowly
coming to. But why? His eyelids felt heavy, all his muscles worn out, as if he
had run a marathon.
Then recollections began to coalesce. Yes, he had been running. He had hurled
himself into what could have been a spaceship. He remembered rolling under a
closing hatch, the bright interior lights, then motion, motion he was not used
to, nauseating him. He had gotten dizzy and then must have passed out.
But why had he done it? He struggled to remember.
Suddenly, the memory came flooding back as if a dam had burst. He sat up, opened
his eyes and shouted.
"Pikachu!"
It took him a few moments to gather in the scene around him. He was in a room
with a very low ceiling—he was sure that his head would hit it once he stood
up. He was resting on a metal surface, his feet dangling past the edge. The
surface itself was merely a foot off the floor. There was a doorway directly in
front, leading to a corridor. As he turned his head to the right, a movement
caught his eye. He jerked around and saw a couple of round, pale coloured
creatures.
Ash gasped in surprise, and the two creatures jumped back with a start.
"Clefairy," one of them said gently, it's eyes full of concern.
Ash pulled himself together. "Where...where am I?"
"Clefairy, fairy," said the second creature, approaching him cautiously and
trying to sign to him with its paws. It touched him gently and tried to push
him back onto his back.
"Oh, you want me to rest? I can't till I find out where I am and what's going
on. Where's the Pikachu you kidnapped?"
Ash tried to get on his feet, but his head swam and he collapsed.
"Clefairy!" they both said, reaching out to help him.
"All right," Ash agreed, "I'll lie down."
They helped him back onto his back onto the hard, low bench.
"Can't anyone tell me what I need to know?"
"Clefairy?" came a perplexed response.
Ash sighed. How can he communicate when every sentence these creatures said
sounded exactly the same? He decided that they were right. He had to recover his
strength. There was no way he could figure things out in his condition. But why
was he feeling so lousy? He knew that he had run his guts out, but he was fit.
He must have recovered by now.
"Clefairy," one of the Clefairy said soothingly to him. Then it turned to the
other and said what sounded the same except for the intonation. The other one
stepped outside the room. At least they don't seem to mean me any harm, Ash
thought.
His giddiness having eased, Ash decided to look around the room. It was
reasonably well lit, but there was no light bulb. The whole ceiling itself
seemed to emit a gentle glow. On the wall to his right there were some shelves
with objects on them that he couldn't identify. Some had strange protrusions and
knobs. Others could have been some sort of containers. The other wall, he now
noticed, had a window. It was small and square, and it was dark outside.
Wherever he was, it was night time.
Unless...a sickening feeling possessed him. Unless he was still on the ship
floating somewhere in space. He looked out more intently. He was relieved when
he made out some bushes, or at least, some type of plant life just outside.
Wherever he was, he was either on earth, or on some terrestrial planet
somewhere.
"Clefairy!"
Ash turned his head. The Clefairy had come back. He noticed it was carrying
something, a round object between its paws. From the way it was carrying it, it
could have been a cup.
"Clefairy," it said again sweetly as it handed it to him. Ash looked inside and
saw a colourless liquid. It looked like water, but until Ash could ascertain
where he was, he was reluctant to take risks with alien substances.
"Clefairy!" it urged.
Ash noticed for the first time that he was thirsty. After the long walk, the run
to the ship, and goodness knows how long since, it wasn't surprising.
The Clefairy saw his reluctance. It took the cup off him, brought it to its
lips, and took a sip. It handed it back.
"Clefairy," it uttered again, since, after all, that was all it could say.
Ash had to think. He didn't know how long it would be before he could get back
home, even if he ever did. He would survive without food for a few days if he
had to, but he would die without water. The Clefairy were Pokémon, and
like many Pokémon, they could eat similar food to people. The vast
majority of Pokémon needed water to survive. Chances are, it would be
safe to eat and drink whatever they did. Regardless, he had little other choice.
Ash took the cup and took a small sip. It felt and tasted like water. He drank
the rest. It felt so good, he asked for more.
"Clefairy," it said, seeming to understand, took the cup, and hopped quickly out
of the door. The Clefairy seemed to be kind to him, but their one-word
vocabulary was starting to grate.
After the second cup of water and the extra rest, Ash tried to get onto his feet
again. He found himself steady this time. He turned to his two hosts.
"Please, isn't there any way you can understand me? I need to know where I am.
I want my Pikachu back, and I need you to take us back home."
"Clefairy?" said one, its head tilted.
"Clefairy!" then announced the other, and motioned Ash to follow it.
Ash followed awkwardly through corridors obviously designed for Clefairy
dimensions. They passed a couple of other Clefairy who eyed him curiously.
Eventually they reached the outside.
It was hard to see in the dark, but Ash could make out darkened objects that
could pass for bushes and trees. Here and there in the distance there was the
occassional lit window, but by and large, the night was dark.
Ash had an idea. He was never much into astronomy, but he thought it would be
worth a try. He looked at the sky. Fortunately it was clear and the stars were
bright. He tried to remember what the sky was supposed to look like. Where were
those familiar constellations: Krabby, Tauros, the huge Arbok? Even in the
southern hemisphere, he knew of the famous Mantine, but he couldn't find that
either.
The Clefairy urged him to move on. Soon they came to another building, but this
one was dark. One Clefairy knocked on the door. There was no answer, so it
knocked harder and called out. Eventually, the door slid open and a Kadabra
appeared, looking sluggish and bleary eyed.
"Clefairy, Clefairy, fairy!" said one of the Clefairy urgently.
Kadabra looked around, seemed to notice Ash for the first time, then jumped out
of his skin.
"Kadabra!" it uttered in surprise.
Great, thought Ash, another one-word vocabulary to endure.
"Clefairy, Clefairy," the Clefairy continued.
Come inside.
"Huh!?" Ash couldn't work out how he had heard someone speak his language. But
then, did he really hear it?
Before he could figure it out, the dark, outdoor scene vanished before his eyes.
He felt a slight tingle through his body, and the scene switched to somewhere
even darker. A split second later, a dim, diffuse illumination appeared from
above, and Ash found himself with the other three Pokémon inside a room.
There were some strange furnishings, and some objects that could pass for bean
bags, but no-one sat down, so he remained where he was. He didn't look up, but
he was sure that his head was less than an inch from the ceiling.
So you stowed aboard the Clefairy's transport vehicle?
Ash finally figured it out. The Kadabra was sending thoughts to him
telepathically. He wondered whether to answer a question like that. Were they
trying to accuse him?
We are not going to harm you. I am simply stating a fact.
Ash looked stunned.
Yes, there are no secrets when we read each other's mind.
"So where am I?" Ash asked aloud.
We're in my house, which is on the Clefairy's continent of a planet that is
not our own.
"Our own?"
I was born on your planet too, but my home is here now. I do not know how far
this planet is from yours, but it is too far for me to teleport. The only way
back is by using the transport vehicles.
"I can get back then?"
When can you take him back?
"What?"
"Clefairy, Clefairy," said one of the Clefairy. So that last telepathic thought
was addressed to them, Ash figured.
They leave again in a day and a half, although a day here is a little longer
than a day on our world of origin.
Then Ash remembered why he was there. He was about to ask, when Kadabra replied.
Your Pikachu will be free to return too, but it may choose not to, at least
for a while. It is the same with all the Pokémon the Clefairy bring
here.
"Can I see it?"
He wants to see the Pikachu you brought.
"Clefairy!"
It is sleeping, as indeed I should be, and so should you. I expect that your
first transportation would have caused you some discomfort. You need to
rest.
"But why are the Clefairy doing this? What do they want with our
Pokémon?"
I will see you again in the morning and I will explain everything then. For
now, I must go back to sleep. I am not as young as I used to be. Good-bye.
Ash did not even have time to respond before the Kadabra's three visitors were
teleported back outside.
At least he knew that Pikachu was OK and that they could go back home. Or was
Kadabra lying? No, it said there were no secrets when communicating
telepathically, and could read his mind to prove it.
Soon the Clefairy brought him back to the building in which he had woken up, and
took him to a very small room with a padded floor. They motioned him to enter.
At first he was uncertain as to how he would fit. He would have to lie down and
pull his legs up. As soon as he did so, a dim glimmer appeared, the temperature
rose slightly and a curtain automatically moved across the opening. It was
suprisingly cosy and comfortable even if somewhat cramped.
Ash took the hint, closed his eyes and relaxed his body as best he could. He
knew the enormity of what had happened to him would take a little while to sink
in. He mused for a while, until tiredness overcame him and he fell asleep.
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