I like all the attention I was getting, but I just wanted things to be the way they had been before Tac even showed up. The party had been in my honor, but I refused to take credit for Tac�s imprisonment. The others had helped as well. If it wasn�t for Joey, I might not have been able to rescue Michelle the first time. Joey and Michelle had also managed to weaken Tac before I was put up against him in battle. If Michelle hadn�t been caught by Tac, I would�ve never found the hidden strength/powers that caused me to defeat Tac in the first place.
The others didn�t care though. All they cared about was the fact that I beat Tac in battle when everybody else lost. No matter how much I tried, they refused to change their opinion about it. I couldn�t stand it, because everybody that was with me deserved some credit as well, even if they had all been captured.
Meanwhile, at the prison, Tac�s Master Ball began to bounce again. None of the guards took notice. A red beam of light shot out of the ball and through the roof of the prison and the ball jumped up about a foot, then landed back in it�s previous position. The guards heard the noise then looked in Tac�s cell, but they turned back when they saw that the ball was still there in one piece.
Tac was trying as hard as he could to escape. He had a new target now. He had forgotten about Joey completely now. His fury and revenge was now focused on the single person who had beaten him in battle; namely Luke. He focused his powers again and tried to break open the Master Ball with yet another Psybeam, concentrating on the rage that was building inside of him with each failed attempt. He was getting closer and closer to escaping from the ball, and he knew it.
At the cabin, the party went on through the night and didn�t get over until 9:00 the next morning. Nobody seemed to be tired in the least, even though we hadn�t slept for over a day now. We spent the entire day cleaning up the mess from the party.
After the mess was cleaned up, we all went straight to bed, because it was 11:00 P.M. after we had finished. The next day we began to go about things as usual. We played Go Fish quite a bit, and also ran around outside looking for new Pok�mon.
At the end of the day I was lying in bed dozing off when I felt an evil presence. It couldn�t be Tac, because he was in prison. Suddenly a voice came to my head clearly, as if somebody was speaking to me.
�I�m coming for you, Luke.�
I sat bolt upright in bed and looked around. Nobody was there. Was I just hearing things? Suddenly the voice came to me again, repeating the same words. It happened four more times before I finally climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom to throw some cool water on my face. Michelle looked around in confusion. She wasn�t sure what I was acting that way.
I looked in the mirror at myself. I looked like a wreck. Suddenly the reflection in the mirror rippled as if it was on the surface of a pond. The ripples stopped, and I stepped backwards into the wall. Tac�s face appeared in the mirror and was looking right at me, grinning evilly.
The face then said, �I�m coming for you, Luke. There�s nowhere for you to run. Nowhere for you to hide. No matter where you go, I�ll find you and kill you once and for all.�
Immediately I let out a scream that echoed through the cabin. The reflection then rippled again and returned to normal as everybody came running into the bathroom. They found me sitting in the corner of the bathroom, staring at the mirror with an expression of horror on my face, shaking.
�What happened? What�s wrong?� Joey asked.
�Tac,� I replied in a shaky voice, �He�s, he�s coming for me.�
�That�s impossible,� Joey said. �Tac�s locked away with the highest security possible guarding him. There�s no way he could escape.�
�You don�t understand,� I said. �I screamed because I heard a voice when I was sitting in bed that said, �I�m coming for you, Luke.� It said it six times, so I came in here to throw some cool water on my face. I was looking in the mirror, and suddenly Tac�s face appeared in the mirror and told me that he was coming for me the same way as the voice. After that he said he was going to kill me.�
Joey and Michelle looked at each other in concern. They knew that Tac would probably be seeking revenge on me, but they didn�t seem to believe what I had just told them.
�Luke, don�t be torturing yourself like this,� Michelle said. �You and I both knew that Tac won�t be going anywhere soon. It�s impossible for him to come after you.�
I sighed then stood up slowly. �Maybe your right. Maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me because I haven�t gotten enough sleep.�
I knew that I was lying. I was sure that I had heard Tac�s voice and seen his face in the mirror.
�Come to bed,� Michelle said. �You should get some sleep.�
Michelle took my hand and looked at me hopefully. I smiled weakly, then went back into the bedroom. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn�t get the encounter with Tac out of my head. It took me an hour to finally get to sleep. As I drifted off to sleep, a dream came to me that would haunt me forever.
<*fade to dream all TV like*>
I walked around the cabin, looking for something to do. Everybody else had left to go on some errands, but I decided to stay behind. I wanted to play a game or something, but I couldn�t since I was alone. I decided to read a book, since that was one of my few options.
I began heading to my bedroom when I thought I heard a noise behind me. I turned around to where the noise had come from and immediately was thrown back against the wall as somebody punched me square in the jaw.
I stood up and looked to my attacker and was terrified. Tac was standing there, rage in his eyes. Tac flew at me with amazing speed and punched me again, sending me back to the ground. As he came at me a third time, a dodged out of the way. He saw this coming, but missed me barely.
I ran for the nearest door, but to my horror I realized that there were none. The room was sealed off, and there were no exits to the room at all. I turned back to face Tac, and he laughed like any other evil person would. My lip was split badly and was bleeding a bunch, as well as my nose. The top of my shirt was getting soaked in blood, but that was the least of my concerns right then.
Tac pulled out a handgun and aimed it at me. I dodged just in time and the bullet came whizzing past me, missing my shoulder by mere inches. Tac fired again and I ducked out of they way, but I wasn�t so lucky this time. The bullet drove through my leg, causing me to fall to the ground in agony. I stood back up and supported myself on my good leg, putting as little pressure on my wounded leg as possible.
Tac fired a third time and I dove out of the way, and a flash of pain shot through my leg. Tac had missed again, but my leg was killing me. Literally, because it was bleeding everywhere. Tac was about to fire a fourth time, but suddenly a door appeared on one wall in the room and Joey came walking through it. Tac pointed the gun at Joey, but she had no time to react.
Tac pulled the trigger of the gun and Joey fell to the floor dead. Tac shot her again to make sure she was completely dead, then laughed wildly. I screamed in pain, but mostly screamed at the sight of Joey being killed.
Tac stepped over her body and looked out the door to see if anybody else was there. Sure enough, the others weren�t too far off. Tac pulled out some sort of automatic weapon and took aim, then began spraying the area with bullets.
I covered my ears as screams came to my ears. I was sitting in the corner of the room, crying bitterly. Tac stepped back in the room and looked at me. He stepped to the other side of the room and looked around, then aimed the gun. The firing pin clicked a few times, then Tac swore. He threw down the automatic and pulled his pistol back out, then aimed again. I knew that all of my friends were dead, and soon I would join them.
Little did I know that Michelle was trying to wake me up, because I had been talking in my sleep. She kept saying my name and trying to wake me, but it wasn�t working.
Tac smiled, then was about to pull the trigger of the gun when Michelle stepped into the room. She looked at me, then everything seemed to slow down to a crawl. Tac spotted her in the doorway and turned to face her, then took aim. Michelle looked at Tac, and then he pulled the trigger, firing three shots at her. He then turned to me and said, �Farewell, Luke.� He pulled the trigger, and suddenly everything went black.
I shot up in bed, screaming loudly. Michelle jumped back in alarm. I sat there for a few minutes, breathing rapidly. My heart was racing and it was pounding. I took a deep breath and ran my hands through my hair, trying to calm myself. I then looked at Michelle, who still had an expression of alarm and surprise on her face.
I pulled her closer to me and looked her in the eyes. I was still in shock from the realism of the dream. I hugged Michelle, and didn�t let go of her for at least five minutes. She whispered a few relaxing comments in my ear during that time.
I pulled back and then realized that everybody else was in the room as well. I hadn�t heard any of them come in.
�Uh, could you give us a few minutes alone?� Michelle said.
The others nodded, then left. Joey paused and looked at me in concern, then closed the door behind her. I then looked back to Michelle and took a deep breath, which was irregular due to the fact that I was so shaken up by the dream. After taking a few more deep breaths to clear my head, Michelle kissed me on the cheek.
�Don�t worry, it was just a dream,� she said soothingly.
�Yes, but it seemed so real. It was like it was really happening,� I replied quietly.
�Just tell me everything,� Michelle said softly, �you�ll feel better after you do.�
I looked at her, then took another deep breath before describing the dream in great detail. She listened carefully as I spoke, making sure not to miss a word. I paused quite a few times as I got to the worst part of the dream. Michelle saw why I had reacted the way I did. She the hugged me again, and told me to get some sleep. She kissed me again, then laid back down and pulled up the blanket.
I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the clock, and it was only 3:30 A.M.
�Luke, get some sleep,� Michelle said. �What are the chances that you�ll have another dream like that?�
�You�re probably right,� I replied. �I just hope the dream wasn�t a window to the future.�
Michelle the put her hand on my arm and pulled me back. I looked at her and smiled, then pulled my feet back onto the bed. I pulled the blanket over myself, then moved closer to Michelle. She put her arms around me, then fell asleep. I put one of my arms under her and rested my hand on her shoulder, then looked around. I turned off the lamp, and could�ve sworn I saw a pair of eyes glowing in the window before falling asleep.
After a little while I had the exact same dream. I sat up in bed wide awake again for the second time, but I wasn�t as shocked as the first time. I looked at the clock, and it was now 6:00 A.M. I didn�t have any urge to sleep at the point. I was too afraid that I would have the same dream a third time. I got out of bed and splashed some cold water on my face, then dried it off with a towel.
I grabbed some shoes and a coat and decided to go for a walk to clear my head. It was the middle of summer, so it wasn�t that cold outside. The sun hadn�t come up yet, but it was after daybreak, so it was light enough to see outside.
I walked to the lake that was near the cabin and sat next to the water�s edge. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, tying to relax. I heard a stick crack behind me and turned around in alarm, jumping to my feet. I looked to see what had made the sound, but saw nothing.
Back at the cabin Michelle stirred a bit, then reached over to where I slept. She woke up and realized I wasn�t there.
�Luke?� she said quietly. She noticed that my coat was gone, then got out of bed. She knew that I had probably gone for a walk, but she wasn�t sure why. Michelle began to get concerned. Not only did aggressive Pok�mon come out during the night, but what if Tac really had escaped?
I looked to where the sound had come from, but still saw nothing. I started to get nervous and decided to head back to the cabin. I was about to leave when a small Pikachu came running out of the bushes, chased closely by an Ekans.
I wasn�t the type of person that interfered with nature, but I felt that I should help the Pikachu. I reached for my Pok�balls and realized that they were on my belt, but I was wearing my pajamas. I had no Pok�mon to attack the Ekans with.
<Hey moron, YOU�RE part Pok�mon!>
I then turned red in embarrassment, because I realized that the author was right. I took a few steps forward and charged myself up, then released a mild Thunder attack at the Ekans. The attack hit him, and even with the weakness of the attack, he still fainted. The Pikachu stopped and faced me when it realized that the Ekans was no longer chasing it. It immediately began to run toward me.
I wasn�t sure what to expect when the small Pikachu ran to me. It ran up to me and stopped at my feet, looking up at me. Normally I wouldn�t be able to understand a Pikachu, but since I was part Pok�mon, I had the ability to talk with it.
<This next part is translated.>
�Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!� the Pikachu said loudly.
�Calm down, it was nothing,� I replied.
�But you saved my life!�
�Yeah, but really, it was nothing. I have my own problems to be worried about.�
�Obviously they�re not more important than saving me!�
�Yeah, but you be careful. Next time I might not be there to come to your rescue.�
The Pikachu nodded and hugged me (my ankle, actually), then ran back off into the trees. I smiled, then looked around. The Ekans woke back up after a few minutes, then slithered back off into the forest to find something to eat.
I sat back down on the ground, then began to relax a bit more. I had scarcely done so when I heard another crack behind me. I rolled my eyes and continued to relax, but then I heard the bushes rustling. I was a bit irritated by that time, so I stood up and turned around to see what was making the noise that time.
When I saw what was standing there, I almost stepped backwards into the lake. Tac stood there, holding a handgun, and this time I knew that it wasn�t just my imagination. He began to walk toward me, and I didn�t move. I would�ve moved, but his gun was pointing right at my head.
�So, we meet again,� Tac said. �I was never able to thank you for what you did to me.� He then pointed his gun down and shot the ground inches from my foot. �See, I�ve had lots of time to use my powers and make myself stronger. It took me a while to escape from that accursed Master Ball, but I managed to build up enough energy to finally break free.�
�To what you want. You�ll never take me alive.�
�You know what? You�re absolutely correct.�
Tac then lifted the gun a bit and shot me in the leg. I feel to the ground in agony as the wound immediately began to bleed largely. I took of the coat I was wearing, because it was warming up outside and getting lighter, and wrapped it around the wound. Tac laughed as I stood up weakly.
�I may not have to kill you after all. You may not join me willingly, but I have my ways.�
I then gave Tac a questioning look. He answered the question in that look by pulling a Master Ball off his belt. I pulled back in fear and barely kept myself from falling in the water.
�This is how I make you join me,� Tac said.
�I�ll never join you. You can capture me with that cruel device, but you�ll never change my heart. I�ll always stay loyal to Team Rocket47 come Hell or high water.�
Tac snarled, then raised the handgun again. I could hear someone calling my name nearby, and so could Tac.
�Ah, so your friends are looking for you. So be it. If you won�t join me, you will die.�
I shook my head one final time, and Tac let out a scream of rage before pulling the trigger. I was thrown back by the force of the bullet and landed in the shallow water. Tac disappeared into the trees after making sure I had been shot dead.
<Since the main character is now unconscious, the point of view will be given by the narrator, not another character.>
Michelle and the others heard the gunshot and ran full speed into the forest toward the sound. Michelle had woken up the others after finding out that Luke was gone, so they were all with her. They ran and eventually got to the lake that Michelle and Luke knew so well.
Michelle and the others looked around and didn�t see anything at first. Michelle quickly spotted a large smear of blood on the ground, then saw Luke�s body in the water. They all ran over to him and pulled his body out of the lake. Ira checked Luke�s vital signs, and was proud to say that he was alive, but not by much. Ira was concerned because not only had Luke been shot in the leg, but his shirt was also soaked in blood.
Ira pulled out a knife and cut off Luke�s shirt carefully, then gasped as he pulled it back. There was a large gunshot wound in his chest, and it was bleeding like a stuck pig. He tied Luke�s shirt around the wound, then put another pad around it since he always carried a few with him just in case.
They were all very fortunate, because Luke always carried a cell phone with him everywhere he went. Michelle pulled the cell phone off his belt and dialed 911. She explained the situation to the operator there, and within five minutes a life flight chopper could be heard in the distance. The chopper landed in an open spot near the lake and some guys in medical clothing jumped out. They rushed over to where Luke was and began to check over him.
They opened a bag of supplies and began to do various things, such as check his pulse and start IVs. Joey and Jads passed out at the same time as the IV needle was inserted into Luke�s arm. The doctor looked at them and told his assistant to get some smelling salts for them. The doctor got that a lot, so he wasn�t too surprised. He then put a large bandage over both wounds, and one of his assistants brought over a stretcher while the other got the smelling salts for Jads and Joey.
The doctors carefully moved Luke onto the stretcher, then put the stretcher on a Gurney. They wheeled the Gurney over to the chopper and slid it in, then asked who was coming along. Michelle immediately said, �ME!� followed closely by Magick.
�Magick?� Michelle asked. �Why do you want to come so bad?�
�Because Luke was one of the few people that actually cared for me when I was back home.�
Michelle shrugged her shoulders, then they both climbed into the chopper, followed by the doctors. They sat down in seats behind the pilot and co-pilot, then fastened their seatbelts. The doctors began working on Luke immediately, hanging various IV bags on the little IV tree. Magick and Michelle almost passed out when the doctors attached a bag of blood to the IV line and turned the valve on.
A few minutes later they landed at a nearby hospital, where a team of doctors was waiting on the landing pad. They quickly pulled the Gurney Luke was on out of the chopper and rushed him to the main door of the ER. Michelle and Magick unbuckled their seatbelts as the pilot killed the engines and climbed out. The rotors quickly slowed and stopped, allowing them to speak normally.
A doctor approached them a few moments later. �If you�ll come with me I�ll take you to where they�re working on Luke, but you�ll have to stand outside the window while the doctors are working.�
Michelle and Magick followed to the doctor inside and down a long corridor. They were almost run over by another Gurney being rushed into the ER which held a guy that had been stabbed. They walked for a few more seconds and arrived at the room.
Magick and Michelle stood at the viewing window and watched in horror. Numerous doctors and nurses were rushing around the room grabbing various instruments. He was breathing on his own still, so they didn�t have to put a tube in his throat yet. They had hooked up another unit of blood to the IV line which was rapidly running into the IV.
After a few minutes they had stopped the bleeding to a certain extent and had tons of padding wrapped around Luke�s chest. His leg had stopped bleeding on its own, so that was good. Things seemed to be calming down now. Michelle looked at the monitor that Luke was hooked up to. Everything looked normal, and then suddenly the monitor flat-lined. The doctor immediately ordered a defibrillator (heart shocking thing) which was wheeled over immediately.
The machine was charged, then the doctor put the paddles on his chest. The other people stepped back, and the doctor shocked him. He didn�t even jump as the current ran through his body, but the monitor still flat-lined. The doctor charged it again at a higher strength, but again nothing happened. Then the doctor realized something. Luke was an Anthro Raichu. It would take a bolt of lightning to even phase him.
The doctor was about to lose hope when he spotted Michelle and Magick through the window. Magick was in her Mew form, and Michelle was in her Anthro Raichu form. The doctor ran out the door to the room and up to them two of them.
�Do both of you know the Thunder attack?�
Michelle and Magick both nodded, a bit confused.
�Thank god,� the doctor said. �Come with me.�
Magick and Michelle were still confused, but followed the doctor anyways. He instructed them to stand next to the Defibrillator, then taped wires to Michelle�s electric pouches. Magick used Transform and turned into an Anthro Raichu as well, and the doctor did the same for her.
�Okay, now I want you both to begin charging your most powerful Thunder attack possible, then release the attack when I tell you.�
Michelle and Magick both nodded and began to charge themselves up, gathering up as much of their electricity as possible. The doctor then hooked the wires that were taped to Michelle and Magick to the machine, and got ready. The machine beeped to indicate that it was charged, but that was without the boost.
�Now!� the doctor said suddenly.
Michelle and Magick both released the attacks at the same time, sending a massive current through the wires. The wires almost melted from the amount of energy passing through them, and the machine became instantly fried as the electricity was released into Luke�s chest.
The machines that were monitoring Luke�s heart instantly spiked off the chart from the sudden burst of energy, then returned to normal. After the machine began working again, it began beeping steadily. The doctor checked Luke�s pulse and then turned to Michelle and Magick.
�I can�t thank you two enough. You both probably just saved his life.� He then walked out of the room, but paused before leaving. �Our work is finished for now. Feel free to stay as long as you want.�
The doctor then walked out, the door swinging shut behind him. Michelle pulled up a chair that was nearby and sat down next to the bed and Magick did the same. Michelle caressed Luke�s head, looking at his face.
�Luke, if you can hear me, I want you to know that I love you,� Michelle said. �No matter what happens, I will always love you.�
Michelle continued to caress Luke�s head when suddenly something happened. A voice came to her as if somebody was standing right next to her, speaking in her ear.
�I know that, Michelle,� the voice said. �Tac has escaped, but he�ll never be able to separate us.�
Michelle looked around in surprise. Magick looked at her questioningly, wondering what was going on.
�I hear a voice,� Michelle said to her. �It�s like someone is standing right here talking with me.� Michelle then paused. �I know what it is. Luke may be unconscious, but his psychic abilities are so strong that he�s able to communicate with us.�
Magick understood immediately. She had heard of people doing such things before. She placed her hand on top of Michelle�s, and immediately she began to hear the same voice. It was definitely Luke�s.
�Tac thinks he�s gotten revenge on me finally, but he�ll be surprised. However, I�m not going anywhere for a while since I was shot. Everybody else will have to get him back for me.�
Michelle and Magick looked up at each other and understood exactly what Luke wanted. Everybody in TR47 was going to destroy Tac for Luke�s sake. After a few more minutes of psychic conversation, Luke informed Magick and Michelle that he didn�t have much strength, and needed some time to let his powers regenerate. They both understood, because communicating psychically required quite a bit of energy.
Magick and Michelle left, then headed back to the cabin. They stepped into the waiting room, and the others were waiting there to see how he was doing. Magick told them, then said that Luke needed to rest a while to let his powers grow stronger again.
Everybody headed to the cabin reluctantly, but eventually they all went. They weren�t sure whether Luke would make it or not, but they knew he wasn�t going to give up. His will to live was extremely strong. The will to live wasn�t the problem, however. Luke had been mortally wounded, so his chances of survival weren�t all that great.
<Actually, I think he�ll make it.>
Er, Luke had been baldy wounded . . .
<I think he�s going to be all right!>
Um, Luke had been painfully hurt . . .
<He�s getting better!>
The Grim Reaper started to get impatient, so Luke was stricken with a foul disease and died. Moments after this was typed, the God of Story Censors came running in the room.
[Hold it! Time out!]
<What?>
[You can�t kill off the main character!]
<Why not? It�s my story.>
[But it isn�t right! If you kill off the main character, the entire story will completely lose its meaning.]
<You have a point, but why should I listen to you?>
[Because as the God of Story Censors, I�ll have no choice but to shut this story down for disobeying my direct orders.]
<I�m still not going to listen.>
[Fine then.]
The End
. . .
. . .
. . .<WAIT!!!>
[Decided to change your mind?]
<Not really, but I have a compromise. *whispers something to the God of Story Censors.>
[Interesting idea. I�m okay with that. You may continue on with the story.]
<Thank you. And just a note, I�m going back to Luke�s point of view.>
I found myself in a place that was indescribable. Everything was so bright it was amazing. I looked around and my first thought was, �Am I dead?�
Immediately I found myself at the base of a giant podium. Standing on the podium was a man dressed in white, and he was holding book with my name on the cover. I was about te be judged, and I wasn�t prepared for something like that. I took a deep breath, and got ready.
How�s that for a cliffhanger? I decided to end my story there to keep it short, as well as leave everybody hanging :P. And there�s nothing you can do about it! Bwahahahaha! Anyways, I�ll start Chapter VIII momentarily. I already know what it�s gonna be about since it was intended to be part of Chapter VII, but I don�t have the space. I�m also doing it for Joey since she�s the one that posts these things on her site. Anyways, on to Chapter VIII!
�February 13, 2001