From: Dryad <dryad48@aol.commoner> Subject: [PW!] The Elixer Date: Friday, November 12, 1999 12:27 AM "Okay, let's go!" The mysterious black helicopter had lifted itself and taken flight through the horizon, away from the creaky center near the middle of nowhere, and dissapeared slowly into the distant clouds. Inside it lay a fainted man and a tough, but gorgeous looking woman. Derrick pondered the turn of events afterwards. Who were they? He could have sworn he had heard the voice of the woman before, yet he had never seen her face before. He was almost certain he recognized the man held captive inside. He sensed that the man was not who he seemed, like he was in the wrong body, but everyone knows that is just impossible. Still, his memories weren't clearer than glass, thus he was confused greatly. He sat on the old bench outside the center, thinking for the past few days on what would happen. He was one who felt very betrayed by whoever or whatever controlled fate. Those who felt little pain, he envied. Those who felt too much pain, he pitied. He pitied no one. He felt he had the most pain wrapped around his entire body and tied into knots. Derrick sighed and looked into the clouds as he lay his back lazilly onto the numb, green grass. The clouds were forming and changing every day. Some days, they just got to heavy and plummeted to the earth. Derrick thought of how he was like the cloud. Forced to be pushed along with the wind. Changing too fast for a time to be serene. Crumbling down suddenly when it was too tired to move. He tilted his head to the side and slowly closed his eyes. "Rigel? You awake?" Neo stepped into the doorway and whispered. "Yes." She held her favorite treasure, the old music box, clutched tightly with her arms. "What do you want?" "Nothing..." Neo said as he looked at the music box. A voice from the fainted distance came onto them. "Neo! We're playing Hide and Seek!" *Eeee!* He sighed, then stepped up. "I'm coming." ". . . . . .mmmmmm." Rigel closed her eyes and placed her music box on the edge of the table so she could turn the handle once it's tune had halted without ever getting up. "Here's lunch!" Nurse Joy walked in with a tray of turkey sandwiches and a glass of warm milk. "Mmmmm, it's yummy turkey sandwiches with pickles!" She seemed extra perky this day. "Can I ask you something?" Rigel turned her eyes to Joy. "Sure!" "Don't you ever get lonely by yourself in this center?" Joy paused for a second, then proceeded. "Well, I have you and your friends to keep me company..." "But what about when we leave? When it's empty?" "I do my job here. Nothing more. Nothing less." "Now where did Six go?" Dernam scratched his head and ran about the fields. He was paying too much attention to the farther of the vacinity that he tripped. "Ow!" He stepped up to his feet to see that what his foot stumbled from was Derrick's body. "Oh sorry, have you seen Six?" Dernam wiped the dirt and stems from his pants. No reply. "Hellooo?" He never met anyone who could actually sleep through the contact of a hiking boot skimming one's face. "Huh?" Dernam repeatedly shook the lifeless body. "Um." He examined the face. "Uh. Derrick! Snap out of it!" No reply. "Wake up!" Dernam nearly strangled Derrick trying to wake him up. He check Derrick's pulse and felt no repetitions. "My Goddish!" He backed up slowly at first, then jumped to his feet only to slip on mud and stumble down again. He kicked himself backwards and started shouting. "Luke! Neo!" Rigel had finished her meal and placed her plate onto the dresser near the music box. She took the music box and twisted the small handle again and again and again. Placing the music box back down to hear the melodies, Rigel over heard shouting and excitement comming from the outside again. This time, she had remembered to ask Joy to keep the window open so there would be a fresh breeze of relief sifting through. She sat up and peered towards the window. She couldn't see very far. She pulled the sheets off and stood up to see bettter. The facades of two figures went by in the distant backround, stopped by the fields, and cruched down. The figures stayed there for a few minutes making much commotion. And then there was no sound. Rigel sighed and realized she was still standing. Her legs began to ache and she sat quickly on the bed. She pulled the covers over and they hit the side of the bed and below. With the sheets, came down the lunch tray. And then, the music box. "No!" she shouted silently as the box landed on the solid, cold tiles with a shattering sound. Rigel stumbled out of bed and held her treasure in her arms. She opened the box and peered inside. The Jigglypuff, Pikachu, and violin-playing Vileplume were still smiling. In pieces, they grinned. Rigel weeped, but tears didn't become of her when she noticed something under the lilypad the once proud pokemon sat upon. There was a tiny knob, which she pulled open. It was a hidden compartment. Rigel placed her hand steadly inside and pulled out something round with a note attached to it. "Like a curious dog, it will stay near, burning the sadness and melting the fear," it read. Rigel stared at the note, then looked to the pokeball in her hands. Derrick opened his eyes to find himself in a bright room with Nurse Joy gawking at him. "What happened?" everyone asked at the same time. He turned his head to see Neo, Luke, and Dernam sitting in a few chairs at the corner, then jumping to their feet. Derrick quickly jumped out of bed and looked around. His eyes hurt. "What day is it?" he asked. "It's been a week since you passed out, if that's what you mean," Neo answered. "Now, I know the same thing had happened back at Pewter, so could you kindly tell be what is going on?" ". . . . ." Derrick remained silent, as did Joy, who still was gawking at the quick recovery. He stepped out of the room and stalked to the outside. Derrick observed the sun climbing high over the edge of the mountains and turned to see Neo. "Derrick.... I know you're hiding something from me. Something very important, would you care to tell me?" ". . . . .No. It's not important, nothing serious." "Not serious? Derrick, you died for seven days. If that isn't serious, I don't know what is." He glared at Derrick. "Well, it's too complicated to explain all at once." "That's what you said last time, and the time before that." "Well, I just don't feel like." "Stop making excuses. If the death thing happens again, I don't know what will happen and I don't want to think about it." Derrick remained silent. "I can't travel with someone who won't tell me what is wrong. I can't go with someone who doesn't have full trust in me..." "What's going on?" Rigel walked up to Neo and Derrick holding a sleeping Vulpix in her arms. "We're going, we're going back to Pewter," Neo answered roughly. Rigel smiled, she wanted to get back to civilization. "Derrick isn't coming." "What?" She turned to Derrick who looked to the hills pretending not to care, pretending to not care about being alone. He said nothing. "You have your things packed?" Rigel looked back to the center. "No, we need to go back." "Then hurry!" Rigel and Neo walked back to the center as Derrick plopped onto a nearby tree. "What's going on?" "I'll explain later..." "Well, bye." "Huh?" Derrick looked up from his seat to see Dernam and Luke all packed up. "You're leaving as well?" "Yeah, we're going to Pewter, if we hurry, we may be able to catch up with Neo and Rigel and make it there before dark. Want to come along?" "No thanks." "Suit yourself. I'm going to the recruit office, by the way." And so, Neo and Rigel abandoned Derrick. Soon, Dernam and Luke as well had to continue their journey. Derrick was left alone in the pokemon center. Derrick walked outside of the center. It was almost midnight now, and he sat under the dim lighted porch. He took out his pokeballs and looked at them. "Only you understand...." He released them all. *Paras?* "Hi, how are you?" Derrick looked at his other pokemon as the wandered about for a while, then sat under the light. They had petty conversations on how the game of tag went along with Six, but still, not much else was there. The pokemon sat amongst themselves and chattered. "Damn this curse within my veins!" Derrick held his arms. "It's within my blood and is taking over my life..." Beedrill looked to him, and turned back. *What's eating him?* *Well,* Butterfree explained, *It's just that things have dropped down so much since the encounter with the Queen Beedrill back at Viridian Forest.* Exeggcute interrupted. *The ruler of the colony's blood is the only cure, and her soul and body has gone, leaving nothing else pure.* *So, her blood was all we needed to end the misery?* They nodded. Beedrill grew angry. *No one told me this before!* _Flashback_ *This is for the good of your own kind! You are a drone. This is what you were meant for!* The Queen had Beedrill backed up to the corner and she crouched over him. *But I don't want to!* *I'm afraid you have no choice,* she said as she stroked him. *NO! NO! NO!* The guards restrained Beedrill in front of the Queen and she began her mating ritual. _Reality_ *. . . . . .My Goddish!* Beedrill shouted out. *What is it?* They turned to him. *I think I've discovered the elixer to Derrick's pain!* *WHAT? You're playing, aren't you?* Paras asked. Beedrill shook his head. *The cure was among us all along!* *Where?* They jumped up and down. *It is . . within my blood.* To Be Continued _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ~Dryad48: Weekly Quote: "Great opportunities to help seldom come, but small ones surround us every day." -Sally Koch "Hide people from bad things, and you've made them weaker." -Me