The Misdreavus Menace

Chapter Eight — Stay or Nay?

Meanwhile, light years away, Ash Ketchum stirred awake. He felt considerably better, if a little stiff from the cramped quarters. As he started to crawl out of his cubicle, the curtain in front of him opened automatically.

He looked around. There were several other similar cubicles, but all the curtains were open and no-one was in sight. He stretched as best he could given that the ceiling was only a metre and a half high, and walked out of what must have been a dormitory.

"Clefairy!" he heard a voice call.

Ash turned to see a Clefairy to his left. Ash guessed that it must have been waiting for him. There was no way he would be left unguarded.

"Can I see my Pikachu now?"

"Clefairy," it beckoned.

Ash followed it through the building. The occasional Clefairy they passed eyed him warily. Eventually they entered an unfurnished room in which several Clefairy, a Clefable and a Kadabra were seated on the floor in a circle. A couple of windows revealed what could have passed for a bright, sunny morning. They all turned to look at him.

Ah, you're awake at last. We have been discussing you.

"First, can I see my Pikachu?"

You may see him soon. For now, please pay due respect to this town's leader.

Kadabra pointed the gnarled index finger of his spoonless hand towards the Clefable.

Uncertain of the prevailing local customs, Ash smiled, waved his right hand slightly and said, "Hello."

"Clefable," it responded.

I sense that your name is Ash. May I think of you as Ash?

"Sure."

Ash, I'll get to the point. The Pikachu that was brought here, albeit against his wishes, has agreed to stay and help the Clefairy. He is very gracious in character, and informs us that he owes that to you. He would also like you to stay and help us.

"Stay? For how long? And what...?"

One question at a time, please. He can only stay for several days at a time as he has a female back home. As to the nature of the help... the Clefairy and Clefable you see around you are in the midst of a conflict.

"Clefairy," one or two of them added, with a pleading tone in their voice.

"What kind...?"

The Clefairy are in conflict with horrible phantom creatures. They crash landed on this planet many years ago, in fact, several generations ago, before anyone alive today was born.

"Phantom creatures?"

I will project an image into your mind.

A picture slowly formed in Ash's mind. At first all he could sense was darkness, but then the darkness took form, a misshapen form, full of strands of ghost-like substance quivering about. An oversized head seemed to have beady eyes with a blank stare.

"What are they? Some bizzare kind...?"

We do not have name for their species. They were once known as aliens. Now they are... the menace.

"But what's the conflict...?"

The oldest Clefable recall a time when they lived at peace. But gradually animosity increased, and recently they have begun to attack.

"Why?"

They want more land, and they want the Clefairy's transporter technology.

"Well, why can't...?"

Because...

Ash interrupted. "Can't you wait until I finish speaking before you answer?"

My apologies, Ash. You think faster than you speak.

"Heh, heh. Misty usually says I speak more than I think," Ash said while scratching the back of his neck (that gesture had remained with him since childhood).

The Clefairy have generously given them as much land as they can spare. After all the trouble they have caused, the Jigglypuff don't want them...

"Jigglypuff!?" Ash's head started to swim. There was so much to take in all at once.

The Jigglypuff have one continent on this planet, the Clefairy this one, and there is one more, a large continent that links the two. Unfortunately only the Nidoran can live there. The environment is poisonous and most species will only survive there a short time.

"So there's nowhere for them to go."

They have the land the Clefairy gave them. But now they want more. When attempts to solve the problem failed, the menace attacked.

"So why do you need help from Pikachu?"

The Clefairy are weak against them. They have sought the help of Pokémon from our world.

Ash looked around at the group. He noticed a weary worry in the faces of the Clefairy and their Clefable leader.

"Can't you compromise? Surely on an entire planet there must be room."

Unfortunately, the two habitable continents are fully occupied. And the Clefairy fear that if they give in now, then they will continue asking for even more land in the future.

"You can't ask Earth to take sides in a conflict like this!"

Why not? The Clefairy have lived here in peace for countless thousands of years. Why should these newcomers, unpleasant creatures as they are, take that away from them?

"Clefairy!" "Clefairy!" "Clefable!" came a firm affirmation from the group.

Ash looked at them. While he wanted to keep out of someone else's business, he couldn't help but feel sympathy for them.

"If I stay and help you, I'll need to send a message back home."

He wants to send a message back home.

"Clefairy!?" said one of the Clefairy.

Ash, the Clefairy cannot communicate with your species.

"I meant a written message."

Kadabra paused.

I don't understand.

Ash sighed. Obviously, in spite of their technology, the civilization had no concept of a written language. He thought for a moment.

"Is there some sort of way of making marks or scratches on an object that you can take back to my friends?"

Ah, a diagram! Yes, I'm sure they'll let you make a diagram.

"Clefable," agreed the leader with a nod.

But what can you do with a diagram?

"You'll see. The other thing is that if I stay here, I'll need food."

There is no problem with food. After I take you to your Pokémon, I'll show you one of the gardens.

"My... Pokémon?" It suddenly dawned on Ash that his Poké balls were missing, both Bellsprout and Wartortle, as well as Charizard's empty ball. Kadabra explained.

The Clefairy did not want an incident, so they elected to disarm you while you were unconscious.

"Oh."

"Pikachu!" called Ash, finally relieved to see his Pokémon friend.

"Pika pika!" came the excited reply.

The two friends ran towards each other and embraced.

"I thought I was gonna lose you, buddy."

"Chuu."

A Clefairy approached holding Ash's Poké balls. "Clefairy," it announced.

Ash took them gratefully and attached them to his belt.

Come, Ash. The garden is this way.

Ash beckoned Pikachu and they both followed Kadabra.

In the daylight Ash was able to see the landscape more clearly. Numerous squat buildings were interspersed with unusual flora. There were pathways, mostly cobbled, between buildings in a way that he found haphazard and confusing, yet which the passing Clefairy appeared to have no difficulty navigating. From where he was there was not much of a long-distance view, although some mountain peaks could be seen in the distance in one direction. Now that it was daytime, there were more Clefairy about, with the occasional Clefable, and a couple of small Cleffa were playing together in front of one building they passed along the way.

Eventually the group arrived at an area that was planted with various plants neatly arranged in rows. He could identify some as types that his mother grew in her vegetable garden. Others looked earthly but unfamiliar. Many did not look like what would grow on earth.

Kadabra explained.

The Clefairy have imported many edible plants from our world, so there is an abundant supply of food that you will have no trouble eating.

Ash looked delighted. "Hey look," he said, "there's carrots and potatoes... and all sorts of stuff. I can try cooking some of my mother's recipes."

What does that mean?

"Huh?"

What do you plan to do with the vegetables?

"Why cook them, of course. What do the Clefairy do with them?"

I don't understand. The Clefairy pick them, wash the soil off, and eat them.

"Oh-oh," Ash uttered, realizing that there was going to be a lot to get used to. "But if all I eat is raw vegetables day after day, I'll end up running to the toilet."

Where will you run to?

"Oh-oh," said Ash again. Ash tried to think of a way of explaining toilets to a Pokémon. He realized, in fact, that it must have been over twelve hours since he had last used one.

All right, Ash. Come, I'll show you how it's done on this world.

There was still an important matter to attend to if Ash was to stay here more than a very short time. He had to send a message home. One of the Clefairy led him into a room in one of the buildings. There in front of him was a table with a mechanism that comprised levers, sliding bars and various attachments. It seemed complicated, yet the Clefairy was pointing to it as if it expected him to use it.

When Ash looked blankly, the Clefairy went to a nearby shelf and pulled off a square plate and showed it to him. Ash examined it carefully. It was a light grey colour, with etchings on them revealing a darker layer beneath. The etchings were mainly geometric patterns with lines connecting them. The Clefairy then picked up a blank plate from the shelf and inserted it into the machine. It pulled a few levers, slid one of the horizontal bars, and presto, a line appeared on the plate.

With some trial and error, Ash figured out how to use the mechanism, and produced a message with roughly drawn, squarish characters as follows:

WE'RE OK BACK SOON       ASH

He handed the plate to the Clefairy, and with Pikachu to interpret, asked for it to be taken to Professor Oak. The Clefairy agreed and walked off with it.

"Now that the urgent stuff's done," said Ash to Pikachu, "let's see if we can do something about breakfast."

"Piikaa," it replied, its stomach grumbling.