Just TPM. I've done it before so don't be surprised if I disappear again in a few more months *grins*

S'all right, Zelda. Can't blame you for trying to keep it alive.

All right, as promised, here it is! The next chapter! (Note: has a few words unsuitable for those who don't listen to what their parents really say)

Chapter 4

She stumbled through the forest, keeping a hand on the small rope she’d slipped around Scree’s neck. Another one of those earthquakes had occurred, separating them and having her being led by her Nidoran through the underbrush.
“Why me?” she asked herself, barely dodging a large branch. Scree pushed through a bush and managed to get tangled in the vines wrapped around it. Lisha kicked at the bush, shaking the vines from his purple body. He scrambled away but stopped short.
“What?” she asked, not feeling his body near hers. She took a step but froze.
A small crying was in the silent air. Listening hard, she slowly turned in a circle, trying to find where the sound was coming from.
To the left, she thought, carefully stepping through the underbrush. The sobs grew louder as she continued. Scree fell in place beside her, being Lisha’s eyes. She grabbed the rope again, letting him lead her. He stopped short, nearly tripping Lisha.
The cries were in front of her, she realized. Carefully, she knelt down, feeling the small bundle of energy in front of her.
Scree watched as the baby screamed loudly, crying for her mother. Arms flailed and the thick tail smacked the ground. Her stocky and short legs kicked out, nearly cracking his skull.
Lisha gently ran a finger down the baby’s face, trailing it down the length of her body. “Little Kangaskhan.” The whisper was soothing and calmed the child. “Barely a year and a half,” she whispered, stroking the child’s black cap. Carefully, she slid both hands under the Kangaskhan’s body and lifted her up with a great deal of effort. The baby wasn’t exactly a lightweight but shifting her to rest on her hip made it easier.
She had stopped crying and whimpered now. Shaking, the little Kangaskhan gripped Lisha’s neck. Her head buried in the soft material of her shirt and the rest of her body settled in.
Smiling, she rubbed the child’s back and dropped to the ground, lying down. “Ian will find us,” she said to Scree. “Let’s just wait.”
The Nidoran crawled on her stomach and curled up. He watched her for a moment, before turning to the baby Kangaskhan. She clung to Lisha, silent tears running down the gray-brown face. Sighing softly, he laid his head on her shirt and dozed for a minute.
Rumbles erupted from the ground. Lisha scrambled up, catching Scree as he fell from her sudden movement. The baby started screaming again, the grip tightening around her neck. Tremors knocked her off her feet, having her crashing back down.
Scree clawed free of her arm, desperate to find a way out. He nudged her to her knees, and pushed her to the middle of the area with his head. Struggling for breath, he shoved Lisha to the ground.
The rumbling grew worse as Scree held her down. The Kangaskhan was shrieking her head off, clutching with enough force to strangle Lisha. Gasping, the girl pried the little arms from around her neck and pinned the screaming child underneath her.
The shaking stopped, the air going completely silent except for the Kangaskhan’s screeching. The baby cried, fat tears running down her face and she flailed her arms.
“Hush, baby. Hush now,” Lisha whispered, holding the young PokĂ©mon close. “It’s okay.”
Scree leaned against his Trainer, trembling a bit. She wrapped an arm around the Poison, rocking to help them all. The baby Normal had slowed her wailing, clinging onto the girl.
Both looked up, ears pricked as a rustling came from behind them. “Lisha? Lisha? That you?” Ian popped out of the brush, getting caught on a vine on his way.
“Yeah, it’s me. We’re okay.” She stood up, stumbling under the heavyweight in her arms.
“Man Lisha, you’re a mess.” Ian walked up quickly, wiped some mud off her face.
“Kang!” The baby swung out, catching the other Trainer in the gut. He doubled over, wheezing.
“You okay, Ian?” She knelt down beside his gasping form. “I guess she doesn’t like being scared.”
“Yeah.” It came out as a short gasp. Ian rubbed his sore stomach, looking at the shaking child.
“Drow, drowzee!” Pen called out as he half carried, half dragged a struggling Magby in his paws.
His breath back, Ian looked at the two baby PokĂ©mon. “Something’s not right here. What are two half grown PokĂ©mon doing without parents anymore?”
“I don’t know but those earthquakes aren’t natural. There’s never been an earthquake here before and there’s no cracks.” She shifted the Kangaskhan so that the Normal type rested her head on Lisha’s shoulder. There was a change in the temperature, making the air around them cooler. “Night’s coming. We need to find a place for camp.”
Ian looked up through the branches of the trees and found she was right. “I hate when you do that.”

The house was too quiet for his comfort. With Lisha gone, nothing interesting would happen for a while. She wouldn’t be able to call home until she reached Rowan City, another two days journey.
Drake looked inside her bedroom, finding it neat. A small plant sat on the dresser, a little flower budding. He sighed heavily, knowing he’d miss her.
A piece of paper stuck out from under her pillow. He lifted the pillow up, pulled out the worn paper.
It was a picture, an old picture. In it was Lisha when she was four, himself, and Maya, his wife. A Raichu stood between them, holding Lisha on her shoulders. He had to sit down, stare at the photograph. She still has this, he thought. Drake had forgotten all about the picture, had one himself actually. “She kept it all this time,” he sighed, placing the photo back under her pillow.
Drake walked back to the kitchen, took out a drink, and sat at the table. It bothered him though. In the picture, his daughter had looked nothing like her mother. But now, she had nearly everything of her mother. Taking a sip from the can, he smiled to himself. “If she’s just like her mother,” he said to no one in particular, “then she’ll be one hell of a Trainer.”

The small fire had died down completely, leaving only small ashes glowing. Lisha stared blindly up at the sky, trying to imagine what it looked like. She remembered what stars looked like, vaguely. Sighing, she rolled over, disturbing Scree. He snorted, half asleep, and curled back up beside her. She reached down, stroking his muzzle. The baby was curled up in a blanket, snoozing.
Rustling made her head snap up. She stared around absently, listening. Nothing else caught her attention and she laid back down on her mat. Something sharp suddenly pierced into her arm, making her jerk then slip down. A haze drifted over mind as her body numbed. “Scree,” she whispered, finding her voice weak and barely audible. Hands grabbed her, pulling Lisha up and dragging her through the brush.

Pen snapped awake, scrambling to his small feet. Something was watching them, staring. He reached behind him, grabbing Ian’s shoulder. Desperately, the Drowzee shook hard. “Drowzee! Drowzee!”
“Pen, get off,” Ian mumbled sleepily, rolling to face him. “What’s wrong?”
Instead of replying, he slapped Ian and ran to where Lisha should’ve been sleeping. He found Scree, sleeping too deeply for comfort. “Drowzee!”
Magby had started wailing, one long screech after another.
“Pen, what the,” he began, and then saw that the blankets were flat. “Lisha? Lisha!” He jumped up, sprinting to the spot. Ian lifted up Scree, watching him barely twitch as he picked him up. A red spot had formed on his side. “Scree? Scree?” Ian checked his pulse, finding it just a bit slow.
“Drowzee,” Pen whispered, hands moving in a mystical way. Scree’s eyes fluttered open, focusing on Ian’s face.
“Ni! Ni!” he suddenly sprang up, twisting his body around. “Ni ran!” The Nidoran hit the ground, stumbled, but kept his footing. He looked around in fear, breath coming out in gasps.
“Scree, you’re okay. Where’s Lisha?” he asked, not really expecting a reply he could understand. “And where’s the Kangaskhan?”
The Nidoran calmed himself, pawed the ground, and sniffed. “Ni,” he growled, finding another scent with Lisha’s. He pointed, then bolted into the brush, Ian and Pen following.

So hazy. What’s going on? She pushed herself up, shaking her head to clear it. A throbbing had started in her arm, moving through the rest of her body. Cold metal pressed into her throat.
“Get back down, girl, or I’ll kill you.” The voice was cold, nearly as cold as the knife pressed to her neck.
“All right,” she whispered, sinking to her knees.
“Don’t talk, girl,” he said, pressing the knife harder to her throat, making a bit of blood dribbled out. “What’re you doing in the forest?”
Lisha stayed quiet, wondering if she should answer or stay quiet.
“Answer me!” he screamed.
“I’m a new Trainer. Please, just let me go,” she pleaded, swallowing.
“I don’t think so. You’ve seen too much.” He nearly slit her throat but noticed her eyes. Milky blue. “Or maybe not. You’re blind, aren’t you?”
Nodding hurt but she didn’t think she could talk. Fear was bubbling in her stomach but she stayed calm. She had to.
“Times have changed then. They wouldn’t even consider someone blind to go for a license. But then again, I don’t have one. I don’t need one. Team Rocket’s been kind to me.” He shoved her to the ground, watching as she stumbled back to her hands and knees. “But still, I shouldn’t let you live. You’ve heard too much now.” He nearly cut her, was an inch off, but a long screech rose in the air, startling him. The baby Kangaskhan waddled in, screaming at the top of her lungs. She toppled over and rolled down the slope, still screaming.
Free of the knife, Lisha kicked out with one foot. She felt the connection and smiled. A dull thud caught her attention. The knife, she thought, crawling. Wincing when something razor sharp pricked her palm, she grabbed the hilt and waited.
Nothing happened. Must’ve hit his head on a rock, she thought. The baby’s wailing continued, staying in one spot from what her ears could tell. Please be over, please be over, she prayed.

Ian crashed through the brush, carrying the shaking Magby. “Scree! Are you sure we’re going the right way?”
“Ni,” he called back, crawling under a log. He popped out with some bark clinging to his spines.
Pen puffed behind them, moving as fast as he could. Drowzees weren’t meant for long distances, just sprints.
There was light ahead, not the sun but lamplight. Something was crying over there, behind the trees.
“It’s the Kangaskhan! Good job, Scree!” Ian yelled, watching as the Poison disappeared beyond the brush. Running still, he picked up the pace and burst out over a slope. A startled cry left him as he landed wrong and tumbled down the hill. Pen slid down behind him, catching the Magby that had gone flying.
Scree was at the bottom already, checking the baby Normal type before running on to where Lisha was curled up. He nudged her with his nose, watched as she lifted her head up.
“Man, Lisha,” Ian said, kneeling down in front of her. A bruise had started forming on her face, right under her eye. A small bit of blood made little rivers down her neck, staining the neckline of her shirt. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Her voice shook when she said it. She dropped the knife to the ground and tried to calm down.
Pen, grumbling a bit, carried a screeching Kangaskhan with him. He set the little one beside Lisha and collapsed on his back, panting.
“No one will stand in Team Rocket’s way!”
The ground started to growl angrily. Both babies began to scream as loud as they could but the rumbling earth drowned them out.
“Oh, crap,” Ian muttered, staring out as the earth began to crack right in front of them.