hey, here's my second addition to multi. hope you guys like it. btw, i tried to bring out misao's true nature. ^-~

lily-dono ^-^

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disclaimers: pokemon don't belong to me or any other authors of multi. only their characters belong to them.

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Note: I hope this is close to what the characters are supposed to be like.

*crosses fingers*

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multi 11

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White. Everything was white with blurry spots of color. Mike blinked. Where was he? He felt the soft fabric of his covers beneath his fingertips. He was dressed in his usual pajamas. Mike blinked again. His vision cleared up a bit. He was in his room. 'This can't be. I was last with Skye, Cozmo, and the others when...when I got hit by the Charizard's rage. That's it! I'm home,' he thought.

He let the last words resonate through his mind. 'I'm home. I'm home! I'm out of that island and I'm back home, safe under my covers!' he realized in delight.

Then, guilt hit him. He had left his friends, old and new, by themselves on the island. He had deserted them. Wouldn't they like to know how to escape too?

Cozmo's earlier words came back to him. "Look, why do you always have to act like the hero?"

Mike clinched his left hand into a fist and released it.

'He's right.'

Mike crawled under his covers and hid. There was the quiet sound of a door opening. A feminine voice called out to him.

"Mike? Mike? Can you hear me? Please wake up, Mike. Please."

Mike pulled the fabric off his face. His eyes surveyed his surroundings. He was not in his room, he was back on the island. Skye's kind face was staring back down at him, smiling.

"Good, you're awake. When you pulled my jacket over your face, it took it that you were going to wake up soon," she said softly, "Thank you."

Cozmo walked over and knelt down by him.

"So you're up, baka?" he said.

"Why do you have to be so mean to him?" Skye demanded.

"Why do you have to be so nice to him?" Cozmo retorted.

"Because...because, he took it for me."

"What?"

"I was in the way of the Charizard's rage. It should have hit me, but Mike noticed it before me. He jumped in front of it so I wouldn't get hit. It should be me lying there, not Mike," she whispered.

Cozmo's face immediately grew solemnly. "I'm sorry. I didn't know...I didn't really mean it. Just blowing off steam," he nearly shouted in frustration, "But that doesn't excuse it. Hey man, I'm real sorry."

"It's alright, but Cozmo, do me a favor," Mike asked.

"What?"

"Please don't talk so loud, my head's killing me."

~*~*~The Trio that Got Seperated~*~*~

"Hey look!" Sarah shouted and pointed to faint foot..er, shoeprints in the ground.

There were signs of the group as well as a short trail which suggested that something, or someone had been dragged a short while.

"It's going towards that clearing in the forest," Billy exclaimed and ran towards it.

"Hey wait up!" Sarah yelled after him, dragging Jason behind her.

"Hey guys!" Billy yelled and waved.

Misao and Darren turned around and welcomed their friends back.

"Took you guys long enough!" Misao commented as she playfully slapped him on the back.

Sarah and Jason came after them.

"Hey Misao! Hey Darren!" she hollered, "Don't tell me you guys got seperated too!"

"Nah, the rest are watching Mike or setting camp. We're gonna stay here for a little while. Me and Darren are standing watch," Misao said in her usual cheerful voice, "Jason, Janice is setting up camp. She's pretty worried about you."

"Uh ok," he said bluntly, "I'll go see her now."

He hastily left.

"What's up with him?" Misao asked.

"I dunno. He's been like that since we were in the forest," Billy said.

"Ok," Misao said and promptly kicked him when his back was turned.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Sarah pointed at something on his back. A "Kick me" sign.

"That is the oldest trick in the book, Misao," he murmured.

Darren, Misao, and Sarah were supressing laughter and failing miserably.

"But still funny."

"Why you..." he yelled and lunged for Misao.

She easily dodged and dropped a handful of pebbles down the back of her shirt as she fell.

"Misao!"

She just giggled.

"You guys and take our places. I'm going to check up on Mike. I was able to heal him a bit, but I was tired and my concentration's better now. Ja ne!" she yelled back, Darren running after her.

"One of these days, I'm going to get her back," Billy mumbled.

Sarah just giggled.

"I'm sure she only picked on you 'coz you were the only one here. Don't take it personally," she reassured him.

"I know that, but I'm still going to get that mischievous weasel back!"

~*~*~By the Camp~*~*~

Janice just finished putting up her tent, the one she'd share with her brother.

'God, I hope he's alright,' she thought as a hand came on her shoulder.

She whirled around to see Jason smiling at her.

"You're back! And in one piece!" she exclaimed and promptly gave her brother a hug.

He just stood there, unemotional.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm tired. I think I'll go ahead and turn in for the day," he said and walked into the tent.

'There's something different about him. He may look like Jason, but his aura is much different than the Jason I know. Something must have happened in the forest,' Janice concluded.

~*~*~END MULTI 11~*~*~