Pokemon: The World Tree

Chapter 4: Anything but Peaceful

Clouds swirled above the island, and the air was tinted a foul green. The wind moaned as it pushed through the island in inconstant bursts, ripping leaves from trees and spreading the noxious air. A once beautiful island was reduced to a raging cesspool whose duty seemed to be to suck the life of everything in it.

Maya hid behind the Joan eyeing the Pikachu at a distance. The Leafeon and Pikachu were in a stalemate, each refusing to give up Maya.

"Leave." The Pikachu said.

But Joan wouldn't, the idea never even crossed her mind. She held her pain behind a mask of anger, and a pitiful attempt at a threatening glare was all she could manage. Her glare; the intensity it once held was gone, like the smoke left after a candle had blown out; still, there was determination behind her eyes.

Those eyes. The Pikachu had only seen those eyes on a handful of other Pokémon. All of them were survivors—those who have been to distortion and back. Those who had something to fight and die for, and the Pikachu had no choice but to respect that.

"Maya I told you to run!" Joan said.

"No, you don't understand-"

"No, you don't understand." Joan roared. "I don't know what in distortion he's doing here-"

"He's not the Reaper!" Maya's voice dropped, as if saying the name would make something bad happen. "You told me yourself, that's just a game to scare little Pokémon."

"Maya look around." Joan said, "The Reaper is a black Pokémon and burns everything."

"But Shiva-"

"Burned half the field!"

A silence suffocated the air.

"He kills everything." Joan continued, "People, Pokémon, whatever gets in his way." The more she thought about it, the more her face twisted into a snarl.

"But-"

"He's the cursed Pokémon that sold his soul to Darkrai."

The wind began to start back up, causing trees to run into each other and crack like bones.

"Maya," Joan said, "do you remember when I said 'I'll protect you with my life' and you just laughed and gave me a hug? I meant it. I told you that because you were so nice to me. And that you took me in and everything, and you made me smile when nobody else could. I'll never forget what you've done for me, even though you're still so little." A smile quickly faded from Joan's mouth. "If you run now, I know you'll be safe, and I can fight knowing you are."

Even Maya could see the consequences of a battle. As she stood, Joan's legs were shaking, and her bandages became more saturated in red.

"What do I do?" Maya thought, "If I run, then Joan will fight Shiva. But if I stay, and Shiva is – Him." Maya looked to the Pikachu for a sign. A hint that this was all a lie, or a misunderstanding, or a joke, or a dream, or a nightmare – anything but the truth. Nothing. The Pikachu remained so still, one might mistake him for a statue.

Maya remembered when she found Joan lying wounded on the ground, and Shiva looking over her—the electricity flying, and how it sounded like screaming. She remembered the look of contempt on his face, and how much she wanted to run away, and that if she didn't, she could have ended up like... Shiva's words echoed, "You'll definitely be electrocuted if you stay with me."

"Me and Her are going," the Pikachu said, "If you have a problem with it, try and stop us." The Pikachu's expression shifted, and blue electricity framed it.