Welcome to Camp Pikachu

by Alex Polan

  “What are you going to do with that?” asked Maddy.

  Logan smiled mysteriously. “You’ll see.”

  Maddy sighed impatiently. But she was carrying her own weapon: a box of freshly baked Poké Puffs.

  The smell of the cupcakes drifted through the taped seams of the box, which made Marco drool. Don’t think about them, he told himself. There’s no time for snacking. We have a job to do.

  “C’mon!” Sam said again from the doorway. “I’ll show you which cabin is Stella’s.”

  As Maddy turned to follow him, she adjusted the water bottle strapped to her back.

  “Why do you need water?” asked Logan.

  “You’ll see,” Maddy said in a sly voice.

  Marco chuckled. Logan wouldn’t tell Maddy his secret, and now she wasn’t going to tell him hers, either. But Logan didn’t think it was so funny. He punched Marco in the arm.

  “Ouch!” said Marco, still laughing.

  Then it was time to go. As all five kids tiptoed into the dark, Logan flicked on his Head Light.

  “Not yet!” Marco whispered, gesturing toward the counselors’ cabin.

  Logan fumbled with his hat, trying to turn off the flashlight. It fell to the ground, casting a tunnel of light toward the stars above.

  Marco froze, listening for sounds in the cabin. Was Professor Birch in there watching them from a dark window? He counted to ten before finally letting out his breath and tiptoeing forward.

  When they reached the Dining Hall, Team Treecko separated.

  Maddy set her Poké Puffs on a bench just outside the Dining Hall. Then she sat down beside them and waved good-bye to her teammates.

  Logan turned on his Head Light and ran toward the clearing in front of the woods, pulling his flute out of his vest.

  Marco and Nisha followed Sam toward Stella’s cabin. But while Sam knocked on the door, they hid around the corner and listened.

  Stella didn’t answer on the first knock.

  Uh-oh, thought Marco. Was Logan right? Did Sam set us up?

  Stella finally opened the door, and Marco heard Sam say, “Hey, do you have any money? Someone is selling fresh Poké Puffs over at the Dining Hall. Let’s go check them out. You, too, Claire.”

  Stella said something snarky—Marco couldn’t quite make out the words. But she must have had a sweet tooth like her brother, because she stepped out of the cabin, her purse jingling with change. Marco heard the sound of flip-f lops. Was that Claire, the other girl on Team Fennekin?

  The door clicked shut. Marco hoped Sam had been the one to close it—and that he had remembered to leave it unlocked.

  “Let’s go!” Nisha urged, nudging his shoulder.

  Marco glanced around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. A soft light burned from the window of the counselors’ cabin nearby. Is Officer Jenny in there? he wondered. She had eagle eyes. He’d better be quick about this.

  Marco took a deep breath and sprinted toward Stella’s cabin. The door opened easily. Phew!

  As he and Nisha stepped through the doorway, a flash of yellow fur streaked past them into the cabin. “Yikes!” said Nisha, jumping backward. “What was that?”

  A low yeowl near the dresser gave Marco his answer. “Looks like Meowth is going to help us search,” he said.

  The cat was on his hind legs scratching at the top drawer of the dresser, which was open just a hair.

  “Is he trying to tell us something?” asked Nisha thoughtfully.

  Marco cocked his head. “Maybe. Logan says Meowth speaks human. But right now I think he’s speaking mouse.” He hurried toward the drawer. Sure enough, as he pulled it open, Dedenne’s shoebox slid into view. When Marco lifted the lid, the mouse looked up, his whiskers trembling.

  “Wow, that was easy!” said Nisha. “Is he okay?”

  Marco nodded. “I think so, but we can’t let Meowth get his claws into him.” He replaced the lid again firmly just in time. Meowth leaped onto the dresser and sniffed at the box. Maddy had poked air holes into the lid, but they were too small for cat paws to get through.

  “Get away from there!” said Marco, trying to shoo the cat off the dresser. He didn’t dare touch him. Meowth had sharp claws, a chewed-up ear, and a crooked tail. He had been in his share of fights, and Marco didn’t want to be his next victim.

  Then he remembered something that his cats at home liked to do. He turned on his Head Light, which sent a ball of light bouncing along the cabin wall.

  Meowth spotted it instantly and pounced, trying to capture the light.

  Nisha laughed. “Okay, enough already. There’s no time to play. Let’s get out of here!”

  “Wait,” said Marco. “We have to find one more thing.” He scanned the room in search of Pokémon trading cards.

  Nisha put her hand on her hip. “Are we really going to try to find Sam’s Pokémon card?” she asked. “It could be anywhere! And we’re running out of time.”

  Marco didn’t listen. Sam had helped them out, and now Marco wanted to help him, too. That was the fair thing to do.

  He searched the table beside the bed. He didn’t know for sure which bed was Stella’s, but he figured the one with the magenta blanket was a safe bet. The blanket had skulls and crossbones on it—another sign that it belonged to scary Stella.

  Nisha suddenly sucked in her breath. “They’re coming!” she said, pointing toward the cracked front door.

  Marco quickly turned off his Head Light and stood stock still, barely breathing.

  “Don’t you hear it?” Sam was saying loudly.

  “Hear what?” Stella snapped. She sounded annoyed.

  “That music!” said Sam. “It’s coming from the woods. We should check it out.”

  “It sounds like a flute,” said another girl—probably Claire. “I wonder who’s playing it?”

  Stella must have wondered, too, because their voices grew quiet again as they walked away.

  Marco let out his breath and smiled into the shadows, hoping Logan was well hidden in those woods. The camouflage vest would help.

  Nisha closed the door and sighed with relief. “That was way too close. We need to get out now.”

  “Just a second,” said Marco. Logan had bought them some time with the Poké Flute. Would it be enough time to find the Pokémon card?

  He turned his Head Light back on and searched the pile of books and papers on Stella’s nightstand. A sketch pad was open, which showed a colored-pencil drawing of a fierce Fennekin. It was a really good drawing. Stella was definitely the artist who drew Treecko on that tree.

  Then Marco saw the book tossed on Stella’s pillow. Something glittered up at him—something tucked between the pages.

  He picked up the book and flipped it open. “Magnezone-EX,” he said under his breath.

  “Full-art, ultra rare version?” asked Nisha.

  “With holofoil,” Marco added, grinning. He slid the card into his back pocket and dropped the book back onto the bed. “Okay, now we can get out of here. Let’s get Dedenne.”

  “Wait a minute,” said Nisha. “I just had an idea.”

  Marco was going to argue, but Nisha’s ideas were usually pretty good ones. He watched her as she inspected Dedenne’s shoebox. “Here, take him out of the there,” she said, holding the box toward Marco.

  “What?”

  “Pick up the mouse!” she urged. “Hurry up!”

  Before Marco knew it, he was holding the mouse in his hands, its paws and whiskers tickling his fingers. Pretend it’s a pet hamster, he told himself, trying to stay calm.

  Nisha fiddled with the box and then set it back in Stella’s dresser drawer. “Now we can go,” she said. But as she turned toward the window, she suddenly ducked. “They’re standing right outside. With Maddy!”

  Marco turned toward the window, too, and when he did, Maddy spotted him. Her eyes grew wide. Then he heard her say in her sweetest voice, “Do you want to try another Poké Puff, Stella? For free?”

  What Mad
dy didn’t see was Officer Jenny walking up right behind her. Marco sucked in his breath. He could barely watch.

  “What’s going on here?” asked the counselor, stepping into the circle of kids.

  “Oh! Um, fresh Poké Puffs,” Sam said quickly. “Would you like one?”

  Yes, give her one! thought Marco. It would sweeten Officer Jenny right up. But instead of offering her a cupcake, Maddy stood frozen.

  Officer Jenny glanced into the box and said, “No, better not. I’ve had too many Poké Puffs lately.” She patted her stomach and winked at Maddy. “Now let’s break things up here and get back to your cabins. Lights out soon.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” said Sam.

  As the counselor walked away, Marco slowly blew out his breath.

  Maddy seemed more relaxed, too, as she held her bakery box toward Stella. “Do you want this one?” she asked, pointing toward a cake. “It’s my newest flavor. No one has ever tried it before.”

  Marco watched as Stella eagerly reached for the Poké Puff. Maddy must have known that Stella would want to be the first to try it. She seemed like the kind of girl who wanted to win at everything.

  She took a big bite, and that’s when things went crazy. She immediately gagged and spit the cupcake out of her mouth. Maddy shoved a water bottle into her face. And as Stella was gulping down the water, Maddy waved her arm wildly at Marco and Nisha, as if to say, “Run! This is your chance!”

  Nisha cracked the door, and Meowth burst out of the cabin. Marco and Nisha followed the cat, racing around the corner.

  “Be careful with the mouse!” Nisha whispered as they ran toward the boys’ cabins.

  “I will,” said Marco, cupping Dedenne carefully in his hands. But as he ran, one question kept popping into his head. What in the world did Maddy put in those cupcakes? Whatever it was, it had just saved them from getting caught.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “Did you rescue Dedenne?” Maddy rounded the corner of the boys’ cabin just seconds after Marco and Nisha.

  “Yes!” said Marco. “Here, take him.”

  Maddy was still carrying the box of Poké Puffs, which she promptly opened and dumped upside down. Two Poké Puffs plopped into the grass below.

  As Marco set Dedenne in the box, he heard voices. “Quick. Get inside!” he said to the girls as he pushed open the cabin door.

  “But, the rules—” Maddy started to say.

  “Forget them,” urged Nisha, pulling Maddy in behind her. “I’d rather face Officer Jenny than an angry Stella right now.”

  Marco couldn’t agree more.

  As soon as the door was shut, it popped open again. Logan’s face was sweaty, as if he’d been running. He didn’t seem to care that the girls were standing inside his cabin. “Did you get the mouse?”

  “Yes, they rescued him!” said Maddy, stroking Dedenne’s head with her finger.

  “Good,” said Logan. “Where’s Sam?”

  Marco shrugged. “We haven’t seen him yet. I hope Stella isn’t punishing him for making her eat that cupcake.”

  Nisha giggled. “What did you put in there?” she asked Maddy. “Stella looked like she was going to throw up!”

  Maddy’s eyes twinkled. “A little salt,” she said. “Actually, a lot of salt. It was a new flavor I tried just for Stella.”

  Marco chuckled. Maddy was sweet, sweet, sweet—until someone messed with her mouse. Then look out. “But, wait …” he said, remembering. “Officer Jenny almost tried a Poké Puff. What if she’d eaten one of those?”

  “I know!” shrieked Maddy. “I thought I was going to die right there on the spot.” She shook her head and added, “But I knew Dedenne needed me. I had to be brave and keep going.”

  “Wait till Stella sees that Dedenne is gone,” added Logan, plopping down on his bed. “Then she’ll be madder than mad.”

  “No she won’t,” said Nisha, smirking.

  “Huh?” said Logan. “Why not?”

  Nisha grinned. “Because we kind of messed with the crime scene.”

  She explained how Marco had taken Dedenne out of the box, and she had ripped a hole in the corner and left the box behind.

  “It’ll look like he chewed his way out?” asked Logan.

  “Yeah, and like he is crawling around the room somewhere.” Nisha, burst out laughing. “Maybe she’ll think he’s in her dresser drawers. Or, better yet, she might think he’s in the sheets of her bed. Stella won’t sleep a wink tonight.”

  Logan cracked up. “That’s genius! But … wait. Dedenne is in a box right now. Where did you get that one?”

  “It was the Poké Puff box,” said Maddy matter-of-factly.

  “You dumped another batch of Poké Puffs to put a mouse in there?” asked Logan, his face falling.

  Maddy shrugged. “Some of them were a little too salty,” she said with a smile.

  When someone knocked on the door, they all jumped. Was it Stella looking for revenge?

  “It’s Sam! Let me in!” came a hoarse whisper.

  Logan hopped up to open the door.

  “Hey,” said Sam, stepping inside. “Nice job with the flute.”

  Logan looked down at his feet. “Thanks. Nice job with the … um, you know. Getting Stella out of the cabin.”

  Sam nodded.

  He looked cheerful, Marco noticed, so Stella must not have been too mean to him. “Hey, Sam,” he called. “I’ve got something for you.” He slid the Pokémon trading card out of his back pocket.

  “Magnezone!” Sam cried, hurrying over to take the card. He seemed as thrilled to see it as Maddy had been to see Dedenne. “Thanks for getting it back,” he said, smiling wide.

  “You earned it,” said Marco. “We never would have gotten Dedenne back if it wasn’t for you.”

  Sam’s cheeks turned pink. “Okay. So I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess.”

  There was a weird silence after that. Will we be enemies again tomorrow during capture the flag? wondered Marco. He had almost forgotten about the game.

  As Sam reached for the doorknob, Marco took a step forward. “Wait.”

  “Yeah?”

  “I have something else for you.” Marco reached into his front pocket and carefully pulled out the bluish-gray rock.

  Sam’s eyes darkened when he saw it. “Is that the rock …?”

  “Yeah,” Marco admitted. “It’s the rock I hit you with. I’m really sorry about that. But I was wondering if you … if maybe you wanted to have it.”

  For just a second, Sam looked like his old self. His cheeks got splotchy beneath his bruised forehead. Marco could almost imagine him saying something like, Why would I want to keep that dumb old rock?

  But Nisha spoke up to help Sam understand. “I think it might be a Samuelite,” she said. “It’s your Mega Stone, Sam.”

  “It’ll make you stronger,” added Maddy. “Like Pokémon who are metavolving.”

  “Mega Evolving,” Nisha corrected her.

  Sam reached for the stone and studied it. “A Samuelite?” he said, repeating Nisha’s words. “That’s kind of cool.” He didn’t say thanks, but he slid the rock into his pocket. It looked like he was maybe going to keep it for a while.

  Marco breathed a sigh of relief.

  When Sam was gone, Nisha chewed her fingernail and said, “Remember, guys. Mega Evolution is only temporary.”

  “You mean, like, Sam might be a bully again tomorrow?” asked Maddy.

  Nisha shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe.”

  “He’s still part of Team Fennekin,” Marco pointed out. “That means he kind of has to fight against us.”

  Logan kicked at the floor. “I was just starting to like him, too. Sort of.”

  Marco nodded. “Me, too. But at least he has his Mega Stone. He can use it again if he wants to.” And I think he will, thought Marco. I don’t think Sam is really a bully after all.

  “Here, mighty, mighty Mightyena,” called Marco, shading his eyes to search the field. “Where are they
all?”

  He turned to talk to Pikachu, but the Pokémon wasn’t there. Instead, Logan was walking through the grass beside him, wearing his camouflage Balloon Vest.

  “Let me at ’em!” said Logan, ready to fight. He took a Mud Ball out of his vest just in case a Mightyena showed up.

  Maddy was there, too, carrying a box of Poké Puffs. Marco wondered which ones she had packed today: the sweet ones or the salty ones.

  And was Nisha here? He turned around to check, and there she was: walking at the back of the pack. She had some new invention on her head. When she pushed a button, a propeller spun around and lifted her right off the ground. Marco could hear the beep, beep, beep of the machine as she flew past him.

  He laughed, chasing her. “Wait for me!” he called.

  “What’s so funny?” asked Logan, who was smacking the alarm clock with his hand. The beep, beep, beep finally stopped.

  Marco was still lying on his back, laughing. “I’ll tell you later,” he said. He wanted to wait until all of his friends were together because, for once, they had all been in his dream.

  After a quick breakfast, Team Treecko was trekking through the woods toward their secret base. That’s when Marco told his friends about the dream.

  “Usually, I’m attacked by Mightyena in my dreams,” he said. “And I can’t fight them off. I lose every time. But this time, I couldn’t even find a Mightyena to battle.”

  Nisha laughed when he told her about the propeller hat. “I’ll have to start working on that,” she said. Then her face grew serious, as if she were actually thinking about a way to make one.

  If anyone is smart enough to invent a propeller hat, it’s Nisha, thought Marco.

  “Hey, I know why you couldn’t fight off the Mightyena in your other dreams,” Maddy announced.

  “Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” asked Marco.

  “Because you were all by yourself,” she said. “We weren’t with you.”

  Marco nodded. “That’s probably true,” he said. “I didn’t have Logan there to beat them up with Mud Balls. And I didn’t have any of Nisha’s inventions—or your Poké Puffs, Maddy. I don’t have any special tricks of my own.”