RE: Matt's Pokemon Story (mega chapter chapter 7 is up)
At
over 16,000 words, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Fair warning!
I'm very pleased with how this chapter turned out. I don't believe this is indicative of future chapter lengths - a lot of stuff happens in this chapter. I didn't want to split it up and cause more delays, so you get this, the mega-chapter. Enjoy it.
If reading 16,000+ words is sounding real lame right now, here's something to look forward to - Ash sleeps with a girl at the end :O zomg scandalous
Chapter Seven: One Last Night
His mind a whirlwind of questions and emotions, Ash barged into Cerulean City General Hospital. As he approached the front desk, he was stopped by the same EMT he had spoken to earlier.
"What are you doing? Let go of me!" Ash demanded.
"Get ahold of yourself, would you?" he said, tightening the grip he had on the boy. "Look at you, you're soaking wet. Go home and get cleaned up. It's obvious you're worried about Misty, but you can't see her right now anyway. She's being stabilized at the moment. I'll have them call you at home once she's stable and able to speak, okay?"
Ash wrestled himself from the man's grip. "Fine," he said, turning to leave. "But I want to know the very second she's awake. All right?"
The man nodded. "That's fine."
Leaving the hospital, Ash turned to his Dragonite. "Sorry I got your back all wet, buddy," he said with a small laugh, trying to cheer himself up. Dragonite smiled and shook its head as if to tell his master that all was well. As he climbed on, Ash gave the order. "Let's go home. I'm freezing cold, I can't see Misty, and so hungry I could eat a Tauros." Briefly entertaining the idea of cooking one of the several Tauros he owned, the pair were in the sky and gone.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
There was nothing but darkness. It was the purest of darkness. She could not see a thing - even her own body. She strained to make out any shapes or figures, but in this dark she could not hope to see a thing. She called out in desperation.
"Hello? Is anyone there?"
There was no answer. Calmly, she moved, stepping carefully as if the slightest noise would wake some ferocious beast that would most surely devour her in the blink of an eye. She called out again, and again there was no reply. Far off the in the distance, she saw light. What looked to be a door had opened. A figure she could not make out stood in the doorway. "Hey!" the girl screamed, making a mad dash for the door. "Hey wait, help me!"
The figure moved from the door, but the light remained. The girl ran as fast as her body would let her. As she neared the door, it began to close. "No!" she screamed, desperately trying to run faster. As soon as she reached the door, however, it closed on her, once again enveloping her in blackness. "Please..." she cried. "Help me... I..."
Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled by the feet. She fell to the ground and with incredible speed was being dragged along the ground. Looking back, she found that she was no longer surrounded by shadow. What she saw was a seemingly endless canyon. The sky was a dark shade of black, reds and purples, and the air stank of death. Whatever was pulling her was trying to pull her into said canyon.
"Someone help me!" she cried, desperately clawing at the soft earth below her, trying to get a hold on something, anything that would stop her from going over the edge. As she neared the cliff edge, the force pulling her slowed down. It slowly began to bring her over. Bruised and bloodied, Misty cried softly.
"This isn't how it was supposed to be..." She looked down below, she saw what appeared to be a seemingly endless pile of dead bodies. Her eyes widened as a more careful look revealed that Ash Ketchum was among their ranks. His left hand was missing, and his body was burned. She turned away at that foul image, hanging from this cliff. She heard moans and other noises coming from below, and looked down to find that the whole lot of corpses had sprung to life and were now attempting to scale the cliff. At this, she screamed, and cried openly into the cliff face.
"Do you want to die?" a voice from above her asked.
Misty looked up to find a young woman staring back at her. She had a fair complexion, and teal eyes that matched the color of her dress. One of her eyes was covered by her long, golden hair. The dress she wore was a plain one, with nothing to adorn it. In one hand, she held a simple gray wand, with a yellow star at its end.
"Who are you?" Misty asked.
"I am the agent of death," the woman explained, her voice calm, soft, soothing. If she was what she claimed to be, she certainly didn't look the part. "I know what it is you seek, young one. You seek to be reunited with your loved one, do you not?"
"Yes," Misty sniffled.
"Then all you must do is let go. Let the army of the dead take you, and you will be reunited."
"Let go?! Are you crazy?!" she screamed. "Who knows what they'll do to me?!"
"You will become one of the army of the dead. That is what you desire, is it not?"
"No! I don't want to join any army! I just want Vaporeon back! If you're the agent of death, then show me where she is!"
The woman stepped to the side, and from behind her dress emerged a very timid-looking Vaporeon.
"Vaporeon!" Misty exclaimed, filled with happiness. With energy that she could not muster before, she brought herself up from the edge, and immediately embraced her once-fallen Pokemon, who now seemed to be alive and well. She turned to the woman. "Thank you," she cried, this time crying tears of happiness. Her happiness was short lived, however, as Vaporeon suddenly bit into Misty's right arm. It tore through her flesh, taking out a large mouthful. Misty screamed in agony as Vaporeon continued to eat her, trying to eat through Misty's bones. She begged and pleaded the woman for help, but the woman simply watched as Vaporeon bit harder into the bone, and with an audible crunch, Misty's arm was detached. It fell to the ground with a thud. The rabid Pokemon picked the arm up by the hand and leaped over the edge to the sea of death below. Bleeding profusely, Misty clutched her wound and cried more than she had ever done in her entire life. The woman very calmly took her wand and touched it to where Misty's arm had once been. Her shoulder was enveloped in a soft teal light, and immediately, Misty's pain was gone. When the light had subsided, her wound was closed and cleaned, as if an arm had never been there at all.
Misty fell to her knees, completely distraught and depressed. The one thing she had given her life for had not only abandoned her, but severely injured her as well. Was she now going to spend eternity alone? She sobbed quietly.
The woman kneeled to Misty's level. "Do you want to die?" she asked again.
Misty looked up, her face stained red with blood and tears. This lady was off her rocker, Misty thought, playing through the last moments of her life in her mind. But then, Misty suddenly realized the significance of the words the teal-clad woman had used. "I'm... not dead? But I-"
"You still live," she explained. "The boy saved you. You are having what your kind calls a near-death experience."
"Boy? What boy?" Then it hit her.
"It must have been Ash... it had to have been Ash." "Then what's all this? Why am I here?"
"I am the agent of death. It is my job to bring those who have died or wish to die to join the ranks of the dead. You are here because you want to die."
"I never said that!"
"Your actions spoke for you, child. I am giving you the chance to be with the one you attempted to take your own life for. And yet you resist. Why?"
"I don't want to be a part of
that! she said, pointing over the cliff edge, which, Misty silently noted, was eerily quiet.
"Those are all the souls who have taken their own lives over the many years your planet has seen. Many of them, like you, gave up their lives for someone they loved. They are doomed to remain here in this place, as mindless drones. They have no feelings, no desires. They are bloodthirsty and savage, and I do feel sorry for anyone who suffers that fate."
"I saw my friend down there! He's not dead! He saved me, he has to be alive!"
"If you did see him, then he has already joined the dead."
"That's not true! It can't be! I want to see him!"
"Do you want to die? You can be with him if you do," the woman asked again.
"Be with him? I was going to 'be' with Vaporeon just fine, and look what happened! Why did she attack me?"
The woman went over to the edge and peered down to the countless bodies, who had once again become lifeless. "When your Pokemon was killed, she came to this very spot you now stand. She saw your fury and hatred for the one that took her life, and was filled with that same hate and rage. It overpowered her soul, and she now lives amongst the ranks of the dead."
"But she didn't kill herself! Why did she end up here?!"
She turned to Misty. "Because your heart is still filled with anger. You silently wished for that young man to die when he killed your Pokemon, and in your heart you truly meant it. The feelings in a Trainer's heart when a Pokemon passes away determines what will happen to the Pokemon's soul in the afterlife. Since your heart was overflowing with negative energy and feelings of hatred, it sent Vaporeon to this awful place."
Misty looked down towards the dead mass. There were many Pokemon scattered throughout the dead bodies, including some Misty had never seen before. "Is there nothing I can do to put her at peace?"
"Forgive him."
"What?!"
"If you truly want to put your Pokemon's soul at peace, you must forgive the young man who slayed her. You know, deep down in your heart, that the act was not intentional. He regrets it tremendously and wishes for you two to remain friends. You have seen with your eyes and felt, shall we say, firsthand, that at this time you cannot be with your Pokemon the way you want."
"What? Why not?"
"It simply cannot be. The way things are now, Vaporeon is corrupted by the dead. If you choose to live, forgive this young man, and end your own life, you will end up in this very spot again. Next time, however, you will not have a choice in the matter; you will join those many souls you see before you. You will turn into one of them, with no feelings or cares. You will literally be unable to care about Vaporeon, or anything else. You can speak to me now because that other boy saved your life."
"You mean... I can go back?"
"Yes," the woman said with a nod. "Forgive the killer, and live your life in peace. If at the time of your death you have truly forgiven him and your heart void of hate, Vaporeon's soul will, too, be purged of the foul energy that has tainted her so, and only then may you two share the afterlife you seek. But be warned: You may not make arrangements with another to end your life. You also must not lie to yourself, for your sake as well as Vaporeon's. If you forgive him, you must truly forgive him. Do not say so simply for the sake of saying so. I will know..."
"I understand. I don't want Vaporeon to suffer any more than she has to."
"Strictly speaking, she is not suffering. She can feel no pain... no remorse. She does not, or rather, can not, regret what she did to you, nor can she remember having done so." The two of them stood silently for a moment, gazing over the cliff edge into nothing in particular. "I will ask you again," the unnamed woman begain. "Do you want to die?"
"No..." Misty said, feeling confident for the first time in a long time. "I want to live. Take me back."
The older woman raised her wand. The star at its end glowed softly. "As you wish. Remember all I have said. Take it to heart; you will not get a second chance." She raised her wand to Misty's head and began to mumble something in a language Misty didn't understand. Misty felt her body become very light, and she felt herself wrapped in a feeling of comfort and warmness. She closed her eyes, and first was surrounded by a white light.
And then, there was nothing but darkness.
A voice was heard. "I think she's waking up."
"Misty?" Another unfamiliar voice chimed in. "Can you open your eyes, Misty?"
Misty did as she was asked, and found herself in a room hooked up to some weird-looking equipment. Alarmed, she looked at her shoulder and found that her right arm was intact. She examined it carefully, and moved her fingers around, relieved everything was in working order. She looked down and saw she was wearing a hospital gown. Across the room, folded neatly on a chair, were the clothes she had worn earlier. Looking around, she was amazed and moved by what she saw, and almost broke down and cried on the spot.
"Can you speak?" the second voice asked.
Misty fought back her tears and nodded. "Hi, Jenny."
The woman in blue let out a sigh of relief. "Great. This is Dr. Feelgood. He's been monitoring your condition since you arrived." She turned to the man. Misty looked at him, too. He was older than Jenny and Misty combined, Misty wagered, but still very handsome, she thought. "Could you leave us alone now?"
"Certainly. Glad to see you're awake, Misty." He stood up, and Misty realized just how tall this man was - he easily towered over the two girls. Lying in the bed, Misty would have felt extremely intimidated by him and his lean, broad shoulders if she didn't know exactly who he was. Misty looked the man over, and could tell he was very much in shape. As he turned to leave, Misty considered stopping him for a moment, but decided against it.
"I'll catch him again when Jenny leaves."
Officer Jenny took a notepad and pen from her pocket. "Can you tell me what happened?"
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Ash arrived home mere minutes after leaving Cerulean City. He opened his front door and found Tracey, Brock, Mrs. Ketchum, and Pikachu playing a game of poker. He stood in the doorway for a moment, breathing heavily, and he dripped a little onto the floor.
"My goodness, what happened to you?" Ash's mother questioned, removing herself from her chair and rushing to her son. "It looks like you fell into a pond!"
"Someone tried to kill Misty this morning," Ash said quietly, fists clenched.
"What?!" from the humans.
"Pikaaaa?!" from the Pokemon.
"Last time I went to see her, she had been swimming in the pool, so when I came back today and found the pool in the same state, I went upstairs to see if she was there - she was there last time - and she wasn't there, so I came back and... she was unconscious in the pool. I sent Dragonite for help... I jumped in, got her out of there, and gave her CPR. When the ambulance arrived, they took her to the hospital. I followed them there and got turned away because for one, I look like this, and two, Misty's in no condition to see anyone."
"But she's alive?" Brock asked.
"Yeah. Thankfully..."
"Oh, I'm so proud of you!" Delia said, giving her kid a warm embrace. "My little boy saved a life today!"
"Yeah, yeah," Ash said, pushing his mother away, his face turning red with embarrassment. "I have to go get cleaned up. One of the emergency workers told me that he'd have the doctors call me when Misty wakes up, so make sure you tell me."
The three humans nodded, and Ash went upstairs and was gone. Downstairs, all was quiet as each one let Ash's message sink in. Who could possibly want to harm Misty? Mrs. Ketchum returned to her seat as Tracey was the first to speak up.
"Who could do such a thing? Team Rocket?"
"I don't think so," Brock added. "They may steal Pokemon, but they're still pretty small time. Do you think they'd resort to murder to get their point across? And why Misty? I mean, you'd think that after all these years, it'd be Ash they were after..."
"Don't say such a thing!" Delia scolded.
"It's true," Brock countered. "For the most part, Ash has Team Rocket whipped. Haven't you guys thought it a little odd that we don't hear a lot about them anymore? I mean, it used to be a weekly thing, sometimes 2 or 3 times a week, but in the past couple years it's been more along the lines of once or twice every six months."
The others pondered this while Brock went on. "Maybe they went after Misty to send a message to Ash - 'We're Team Rocket and we don't take losing too lightly. This is what happens when you mess with us for too long.'"
"What are we going to do about it? Misty's our friend. We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Tracey exclaimed.
Brock rubbed his chin. "True. No doubt the police will interrogate her when she wakes up, and hopefully Misty will be able to provide enough details so they can get an idea on who would commit such a heinous crime."
The phone rang just then. The three people all jumped for the phone. Delia got there first. "Hello, Ketchum residence... He's not available right now. Could I take a message?... That's wonderful... Really? Did she say why?... Okay, I'll be sure to let him know right away. No, thank
you. Bye now."
"Well??" Tracey asked impatiently.
"Misty's awake," the mother explained. "But the doctor said Misty told him that she only wants to see Ash."
"She still hates me..." "What? How come?"
"She didn't say. He told me that he was instructed to make sure that only Ash came."
"Well, if Ash saved her life, maybe Misty wants to thank him personally," Brock reasoned.
"That could be it..." Delia finished. Just then, Ash came charging down the stairs at light speed.
"I heard the phone was it them???" he blazed, breathing heavily.
"Calm down, Ash," his mom said. "Yes, that was them. Misty's up now. You can see her at any time."
"GREAT," he said, fetching his trusted Dragonite once again. "May and Max will be arriving here today, so be nice to them if they get here before we get back!"
As he released his Dragonite outside and prepared for takeoff, Brock stopped him. "Wait a second, what do you mean 'we'?"
"Me and Misty," Ash said, lifting into the air. "I'm bringing her back with me!" and he took off.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"All right, that should do it," Officer Jenny said, putting her pen and pad back into her jacket. "Thanks, Misty. This will help our investigation tremendously. I'll have the security increased around the Gym. I'll stop by if I need anything else, so stay in Cerulean City for the time being, okay?"
"Okay. Glad I could help. Oh, on your way out, could you ask the doctor to come back? I'd like to speak with him."
"Sure, Misty, will do. Take care of yourself." After Misty was alone, she leaned back in her bed and sighed.
"I'm alive..." She looked over her arm again.
"That was some nightmare. Glad that's over. It felt so real, though..." She looked around for something to write with. She found a piece of scrap paper next to her bed to write on, but no writing tool.
There was a knock at the door, followed by Dr. Feelgood. "Misty? You said you wanted to see me?"
"Yeah. Do you have a pen?"
"Yeah, I do. Here you are," he said, presenting one from his coat.
Misty scribbled something onto the piece of paper she had picked up next to her. "Could you call Ash Ketchum for me? This is his number."
"Sure I can, young lady," the older man said, taking the piece from her. He put on some glasses and stared the number down intently. "And what is the message?"
"I need to see him right away. Could you tell him to come visit me? Just him. No one else. Please make that clear."
"Will do. You can keep the pen," he said.
"Thank you." Dr. Feelgood left once again, and Misty waited.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Ash soared over Pewter City in about six seconds.
"Hey, relax, Dragonite, we don't need to rush anymore," Ash said, petting his Pokemon. Dragonite laughed a bit on the inside. If only this kid knew the speeds at which this Pokemon could fly. Their current speed paled in comparison. But, to please his master, Dragonite slowed himself down, allowing Ash to take in the sights. This was one of the reasons Ash chose to use his Pokemon to get around; sailing through the skies, seeing people go about their lives, breathing in the crisp air... it was fantastic. Plus, his Pokemon got lots of exercise and stayed in shape - everyone wins.
As the two drifted lazily over Mt. Moon, Ash spotted two Clefable playing with their young in a secluded field. He found himself thinking about Misty, and quietly promised her - as well as himself - that he'd find whoever did the deed and make them pay dearly for it.
Soon enough, the boy and his Pokemon had arrived in Cerulean City. There was a growing crowd outside the Gym, which had been closed due to the attack. Dragonite saw the crowd and flew in another direction. This was not new to him; in the weeks after defending his title of Pokemon League Champion for the fourth straight year, Ash couldn't leave his house without being swarmed by fans wanting his autograph or aspiring Trainers asking for advice. And it's not like he didn't mind - he indulged them more often than not. But even celebrities gotta have
some privacy, right?
"Thanks, pal," Ash said, feeling a bit uneasy at the sheer size of the group of people. Ash landed in a nearby alley, out of sight, and recalled his Pokemon. And with the most casual air about him he could muster, he walked into Cerulean City General Hospital once again, not even being noticed by the three women who nearly ran into him on their way out.
Immediately upon entering, a familiar arm grabbed him. "Ash, hi. Calm down."
"Mind telling me what you're grabbing my arm for? Why are you still here, anyway?" Ash said calmly, not forcing himself loose.
The emergency worker who had spoken to him before looked at him with uncertainty. "Huh. I expected you to still be in a craze." He released his grip from the boy. "I got permission to stay here and make sure you didn't barge in here, guns blazing, demanding this and that. Did you get the call? She's been up for a while now. Have the woman behind the counter direct you. I gotta go," he said, looking at his watch. "Take it easy," he said with a wave as he left the building.
Wasting no time, Ash did as he was instructed. The lady behind the counter also wasted no time. "Room 12. Follow that hallway to the end. It's the last door on your left." A pause. Ash gave the girl an odd look.
"Is this woman some sort of psychic? How did she know I was --"
"...You
are looking for Misty's room, right?"
"She is a psychic! Wow! Okay, I gotta ask." "Yeah, I am," Ash said with a big grin, totally psyched. A real life psychic. Who'd have thought she'd be a receptionist in the hospital? "How did you know?"
"I overheard your conversation with Damien."
Completely embarrassed, Ash had to cover his face before speaking to the lady again. "Damien? You mean that EMT guy that was just here?"
"Ugh. Yeah, he's always in here flirting with me and the female nurses. It's annoying... anyway, I'm sorry to have kept you, if you need anything, just come back and ask, okay?" the woman said, all smiles.
"Thank you," Ash said, face still covered, hurrying away from the woman's curious eyes.
The door to Room 12 was cracked open. Seeing it sent a chill down Ash's spine. He quickly dismissed those pictures from his mind and knocked.
"Come in," a voice invited.
Ash pushed the door open and was taken aback by what he saw. The room was covered in all manner of flowers, more noticeably dozens of water lilies and blue carnations. A table at the far side of the room held at least two dozen cards... get well cards, Ash assumed. Blue balloons were strewn all around. Ash's eyes turned to Misty, and she smiled. Even the gown she wore was blue. The vibrant orange of her hair was a sharp contrast to the many shades of blue that surrounded her. Ash closed the door behind him. He said nothing as he went to the girl's side and wrapped his arms around her carefully, as if she were a fragile porcelain doll. She returned the gesture, and the two remained like that for some time. He withdrew himself from her, and the two looked at each other, each wanting to tell the other all sorts of things, but neither spoke.
Misty spoke up first. "I'm sorry."
"What? What for?"
"For worrying you like this."
"Don't apologize. I'm just glad I was there."
"...Me too."
"Do you have any idea who did this to you?"
"I did, because I'm a coward who tried to take the easy way out." "...No."
"I'm gonna find him, Misty. You can bet on it. As soon as I come back, I'm going to spend all my free time hunting this sick freak down, and when I find out who it is, he's gonna be eating his own entrails after I'm through with him."
"I'm sorry I can't tell you the truth right now..." "...There's a reason I wanted to see only you right now."
"What's wrong?"
"After... it happened, I had a horrible...
horrible nightmare. In it, I was being dragged down into a giant pile of dead bodies. Yours was in it."
"Oh, gross," Ash said, clutching his stomach. "Come on, you know I'm not into that gory stuff, why are you telling me this?"
"You were missing a hand... and your body was burned. I met a strange woman who said she was the agent of death... we talked about what had happened, and how you were the one who saved me, and I have to forgive Tracey if I want Vaporeon's soul to be at peace."
"Stop, no more, I'm nauseous already," Ash interrupted. "What's with this all of a sudden?"
"It was so real... believe me, I felt how real it was. I have a bad feeling about the whole thing, Ash. Don't go. Please." She took his hands into her own. He could see the tears welling up in her eyes. "
Please."
"Misty... I can't stay." Misty buried her face into her hands and cried. "I'm sorry. May and her brother are coming all the way from Hoenn to go. Giovanni's guy could be at my house right now for all I know."
"I don't want you to die. Please, don't leave me alone..."
"I'm not going to die. Not only can I handle myself, but I have Brock, Tracey, and even Max to bust up anyone who tries to mess with me. And besides, I'm more worried about you. What if whoever did this to you comes back and I'm not around? I don't want to take that chance. Let me protect you."
"Ash... why do you have to make things so difficult?"
"I won't ask you anymore. I know you're tired of hearing it from me. But I'm sorry. I've spent the last week thinking about what I can do or say to make you change your mind. I don't want to be away from you, either. You can ask Tracey yourself; I've been poring over this day and night for the past week." He tried the on-the-knees approach. "Please join me."
"I can't," Misty began, drying her tears. "Officer Jenny wants me to stay in Cerulean City for the time being. And... I don't think I'm ready to face Tracey yet. I want to forgive him, I really do... I'm sorry, Ash. Can you forgive me?"
The boy rose to his feet. "Yeah. Don't worry about it. I'm sure the police can protect you better than I can," he said, his voice making very obvious his feelings of regret. He sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "I gotta go. I still haven't packed anything, and I don't know when we're supposed to be leaving."
"I understand," Misty said softly, not looking at the boy. "You can go."
Not looking at the girl either, Ash walked out of the hospital without another word. He let out his Dragonite with a sigh. "Let's go home."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Ash walked through his front door, his heart filled with dread. Everyone had been waiting in the living room for his return with Misty - Delia even prepared extra food for her for lunch. But one look at Ash's melancholy gaze told everyone that he didn't do what he set out to do.
"What's the matter, honey?" Delia asked. I stand corrected - almost everyone.
Ash hesitated. He did not want to say what Brock and Tracey had already deduced, as if saying the words finalized them, made them official and permanent. He let out a sigh. "Misty's not coming. I'll be upstairs."
"Oh, I'm sorry, honey." Delia stood to console him, but Ash stopped her before she moved two feet.
"It's all right. Let me know when May and Max get here, all right?" Without acknowledging the two other men or Pokemon present, Ash wordlessly retired to his room.
"Would you talk to him, Tracey? Maybe he'll let his feelings out to you," Ash's mom pleaded.
"Of course, Mrs. Ketchum," Tracey obeyed.
He trotted up the stairs and found Ash lying on his bed looking at the picture by his bedside. "She sent you, didn't she?" Ash half-asked, still looking at from the picture.
"Yeah, she did," Tracey said, pulling a chair nearby. For a moment he just sat there staring at the random photos and posters that adorned Ash's walls, not saying a word. After a minute or two, Tracey spoke up again. "So, what's on your mind?" he asked, immediately slapping himself mentally for asking such an obvious question.
"Do you really have to ask?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, totally obvious. So what happened? How is Misty doing?"
Ash put the photo back on the stand next to his bed, and sat up. "Well, she's alive, but she doesn't know who attacked her... the cops are looking after the Gym, and Misty is to stay in Cerulean City while the investigation is going on. So that's why she's not coming. She did say that she wants to forgive you, but she's not ready to face you just yet, so that's another reason."
"Glad to hear she's at least considering forgiving me. Now I can sleep a little better at night."
"Yeah, well, I'm not going to bother asking anyone else to go with me."
"What? How come?"
"No time. I'm surprised May and Max aren't here yet. We could be leaving at any time." The phone rang then as if on cue, but Ash ignored it. "And besides, I don't have many real friends like you guys. We all traveled together. You, Brock, and Misty are all like my best friends. I don't have anyone else like that."
A voice was heard from downstairs. "Ash, telephone!"
"Maybe it's Misty," Tracey said, trying to cheer his friend up, but Ash was skeptical.
"Yeah, maybe," Ash replied, humoring his friend and appreciating his attempt. He picked up the receiver of the telephone in his room and called downstairs. "I got it!... hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Ketchum? I'm calling on behalf of Giovanni of Team Rocket."
"That so? What's up, mystery caller?" Tracey looked on with an odd gaze.
"I'm the courier that was sent to take you and your friends to the island in Orre. I have a limousine prepared for you all, but en route to your house I had some engine trouble. I'm in Saffron City right now, but I'm afraid I won't be able to reach you until sometime tomorrow afternoon."
"Really... well that sucks," Ash noted as he heard a knock at his front door.
"I've already discussed the matter with Giovanni, and he is prepared to provide a monetary compensation for your trouble upon your safe return, in the hopes that you will still meet with him to discuss the future of Team Rocket."
"Sounds good. Hey, you got a name, mystery caller?"
"Call me Jackson. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodbye."
"Yeah, peace."
"What was that about?" Tracey asked.
"That was Giovanni's courier telling me he was stranded in Saffron City, so he won't be here until tomorrow, but at least I'm getting paid extra for my trouble after I get back." Ash heard feet thunder up the stairs leading towards his room. "Bet I know who that is..."
A girl's head peered into the doorway. "Ash!" she exclaimed, diving into Ash in a hug. "It's so good to see you again! It's been forever!"
"Hi, May," Ash said, returning the gesture. May had grown noticeably in the time since traveling with Ash - she was very tall for her age, standing at about Tracey's height, and still very slender. Abandoning both the red bandanna and hairstyle she had worn so often, May chose not to style her dirty brown hair, but rather leave it simply brushed at shoulder length. She wore a light blue shirt, and blue jeans, both of which hugged her developing figure quite nicely. "How was the flight?"
"I slept right through it. I was so excited about coming that I was up half the night... who's this?" she asked, viewing the tall, lean figure next to her.
"This is Tracey. We traveled together too, way back in the day. He's old school. Ain't that right, Tracey?"
Tracey laughed. "If you say, so, Ash." He extended a hand. "Pleased to meet you."
"May. Pleased to meet you," the girl replied, taking Tracey's hand, her eyes widening as Tracey took her hand and kissed it, making a rather extravagant bow as he did so. Her face reddened at the sight of it, and she quickly turned away, hoping neither guy would see it, although she knew there was no hiding it. The three were wordless in the moments that followed, until Ash spoke up.
"So where's Max?"
"He's downstairs with Brock, talking about who knows what."
"Tell him to come on up, would you? Go, don't just yell, I kinda got a headache."
"Oh, I'm sorry... I'll get him for you," May said, being unnecessarily careful in going down the stairs.
When she was out of earshot, Ash turned to his friend. "What was that for?"
"What was what for?"
"The whole hand kissing thing! What happened to 'never mind, she's too young for me?'"
"The phone doesn't do her justice. She's gorgeous. Why didn't you tell me you had such hot friends?"
"She's my friend! Why are you trying to get with her?"
"Well, maybe if you had uglier friends, I wouldn't."
"...I can't believe you. I'm going downstairs."
"Hey, man, I'm just kidding. I'm not
really interested in her..."
"Interested in who?" a young male voice spoke up. The body it belonged to was a bit shorter than Ash's, with equally short dark black hair that was parted down the middle. He was wearing a black T-shirt and matching jean shorts.
"Max, buddy, what's up? Long time no see. We're just talking about this girl that my pal Tracey here met not too long ago. This is Tracey, by the way," Ash said, pointing to his other companion. "Tracey, this is Max, May's kid brother."
"Pleased to meet you, Max," Tracey said, extending a hand. As Max gave his and the two shook hands, Ash wondered for a moment if Tracey might kiss Max's hand, too. When no such thing occurred, Ash spoke again.
"So, how was the flight?"
"Well... less than enjoyable," Max said with a laugh, removing his glasses to clean them. The child still wore glasses, yes, but the glasses he had worn on his journey with Ash had been replaced with a smaller, more sleek-looking design, with small oval lenses. "May slept throughout the entire flight. She was asleep not 10 minutes after taking off. But... she snores, Ash, and she snores loudly. I didn't think she had it in her. I wasn't the only one complaining... truly an embarrassment."
"Hm. She didn't mention that when she was in here," Ash noted.
"I'm not surprised," Max continued, replacing his spectacles. "She is still denying it up and down. I even managed to record some of it with my phone, and she is still claiming it wasn't her. I tell ya, there's no convincing that girl... so when are we leaving?"
"Tomorrow. Yeah, I know I said today, but there's been a change of plan that Brock and May don't know about yet, so what do you say we all go downstairs and I'll get them up to speed?"
"Sounds good," Max said, leaving the two other guys alone.
"Very smooth," Tracey said as he followed Max out the door.
Ash hurried him along. "Yeah, all right, pal, keep it moving."
The three guys went into the living room, where May, Delia, and Brock were all talking.
"Hi, honey, are you feeling better?" Delia stood to console her son again, but Ash stopped her again with wave of his hand.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Ash said. "Now that everybody's here, I'd like to tell you guys a little about exactly what's going on. To be perfectly honest... I'm not so sure myself. This is what I do know. Brock, Tracey, I guess this is review for you guys, but pay attention
to me" - he shot a glare at Tracey, who, Ash noticed, had taken a seat next to May - "when I'm talking.
"You all know Team Rocket. We've all had to deal with their... stupidity. The leader of Team Rocket is an ugly dude by the name of Giovanni. And about a week ago, I received a letter from him inviting me to his private mansion in a land called Orre. Anyone ever heard of it?"
Ash looked around for a response. The whole group was shaking their heads. "Yeah, me neither. That's one thing that makes me suspicious. Anyway, the letter states that this is a vacation, so we're going there to have some fun. It's for one week - after that, we get picked up and come back. Pretty straightforward, right? Right. After we get back, I have to give Giovanni a call and help him make the world a better place. That's another thing that's got me suspicious. What could he possibly want from me?
"Brock, and I all think something weird is going on. Even Misty, who regrettably could not join us due to circumstances beyond her control, thinks it's a bad idea. This is all too sudden. For Giovanni to be sending me a letter to my home inviting me to his island retreat - which I might add is an
island, you know, those things that are surrounded on all sides by
the ocean -
out of the blue - is fishy.
Surely you guys have to agree with me on that."
"It's like we said before, Ash," Tracey spoke. "We have proof that Giovanni sent you a letter inviting you to his island. Granted, we don't know where it's at, but we know it's in Orre. If we're not back in seven days, something is obviously up, and then we can get help sent."
"But we don't even know where we're going," Brock added. "If something does happen, we won't have any way of letting our rescuers locate us. I don't think our phones would work from there, but it doesn't hurt to try that if need be."
"All right, who's got a phone?" Ash questioned, looking around. May, Max, and Tracey all raised their hands. "Great. I don't, but that's okay. So we're covered in that department. Another thing that ranks pretty high on my suspicio-meter - no Pokemon. Tracey suggested it was because Giovanni didn't want his house wrecked, and to Giovanni's credit, he did state that in his letter. To me, it sounds like we're not allowed to bring Pokemon along because they can actually do something about it if we get in a bind. I can name 5 Pokemon off the top of my head that I'd bring with me if I could. I'd like to get everyone else's thoughts about this." Max dutifully raised his hand. Ash looked at him oddly. "Max, your thoughts?"
"I'm gonna have to agree with Giovanni on this one, Ash. There was one time when May and I were battling, and my Aron shot a Mud-Slap at her Blaziken, and it dodged the attack and ended up getting all over the house. Cleaning that up was not fun at all," Max said, shaking his head. "And Ash, you have so many powerful Pokemon, and I've seen how intense your battles can be. I wouldn't be surprised if you took out a room or something."
"As much as I hate to say it, that is a valid point," Ash grumbled. "But you guys have to least agree with me that it sounds fishy to say the least."
"If you're that worried, why don't you just sneak some of your Poke Balls on board?" May asked, curious.
"His letter stated that the guy who picks us up is going to check for Pokemon before we leave, which brings me to my next topic: when we're leaving. I'm sure you guys are ready to have some fun, but I got a call from the guy that's supposed to pick us up. Says his name's Jackson. He got a limo for us, but he had some engine trouble, and he'll be in Saffron City for the night. So it looks like you guys are spending the night here tonight. We don't have any more bedrooms, but you guys can pretty much just crash anywhere, my house is big enough. Any questions, from anyone?" He looked around to more shaking heads. Suddenly, Max perked up and raised his hand. "Yes, Max?"
"I have a question, but it's not related to the current subject at all."
"Sure, I think that we can adjourn this little meeting, since nobody has any other questions...?" He looked around to confirm. "All right, Max, shoot."
Max looked over at May briefly. "Would you battle against me and May? Our mom let us bring our Pokemon here because I told her I really,
really wanted to battle you. I had to practically beg for it. Please?"
"A battle? You know I'm always up for a battle! Who's fighting first?"
"We both are," Max explained. "I meant in a 2-on-2 battle. May and I have been practicing, and we think we've got a pretty good strategy. So? What do you say?"
"Sounds great, but I don't have a partner... Tracey, what do you say? Wanna thrash these kids with me?"
"N-no, thanks, Ash..." Tracey stammered, his face suddenly becoming red.
Ash realized what Tracey meant. "Oh! Right, sure thing, man, sorry. Brock, how about you, you'll help me teach these rookies a lesson, won't you?"
"I thought you'd never ask. I've been itching for a fight. No one's been to the Gym since you came... my Pokemon are bored. You got yourself a partner," Brock said with a grin. "What are the rules?"
"Each person will use 3 Pokemon, one at a time, and you're not allowed to give your partner's Pokemon orders," May added. "Max and I only brought the three Pokemon we'd use - that was our mom's single condition. So we're all set. Once you guys have the Pokemon you're going to use, meet us... in the back? Your backyard looks big enough for a battlefield."
"It frequently is. All right, we'll be there in no time! You guys better have a solid strategy, because otherwise Brock and I will grind you into the dirt!"
May laughed. "All right, Mr. Confident, see you on the battlefield..." May said as she sauntered out of the room, waving behind her, Max close behind her.
"Tracey, we need a ref. Up for it?"
"I've never acted as referee in a match before..." Tracey mumbled.
"So what? I never did it before your fight with Misty. It isn't hard," Ash said, patting his buddy on the back.
Brock chimed in. "You fought Misty? For a Badge? Really, that's great! How'd you do?"
Tracey looked like he was going to cry. "I... I won." Fishing for a reason to laugh, he added, "You know, Ash, I never did get my Badge from Misty for beating her."
"Yeah, that's true," Ash said with a chuckle. "So, Brock, what do you say we go over into my Pokemon room and discuss our strategy? May and Max are waiting."
"Oh, sure, let's go," Brock said, being led away. Tracey held his head in his hands and sighed deeply.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Some time later, the four friends had taken their places on the battlefield. As usual, people began to gather behind the fence that surrounded Ash's battle yard. Word always spread quickly whenever Ash fought. The sun had begun to set, and large lights lit the scene from above. Ash waved to the crowd, his body brimming with excitement; Brock also waved, his face the very definition of calm and collected. On the other side of the field, May and Max were both looking less than confident.
"What's with all these people... I thought it was gonna be just the four of us," the older one whispered.
"I know, so did I... I forgot to factor in Ash's fame... I should have known we'd have an audience."
"What are we going to do?? I'm so nervous! Is my hair okay? Be honest."
"Who cares about your hair? These people came to see your Pokemon, not you!"
"Oh, I beg to differ," May said, speaking normally, waving to a group of young men who had grouped themselves nearby. They all smiled and waved back, each fighting for the girl's attention. "Call me crazy, but I don't think that they could care less what Pokemon I have."
Max fixed his glasses and cleared this throat. "Whatever. That crowd's only going to get bigger, so we might as well get started." He walked to the middle of the field, where Tracey and Ash had been standing.
"...so be sure you yell nice and loud, all right? And relax. Hardly anyone will pay attention to you, and no one but me knows what happened, so just be cool about the whole thing. Have some fun!" Ash said, slapping his friend on the arm. He looked to the boy and extended his hand. "Max, our first battle. You'd better make it a good one!"
The young Trainer took the veteran's hand into his own. "Good? It'll be great. You can count on it!" As the two went back to the opposite sides of the field, Max coached his sister. "Ash doesn't have much experience fighting Double Battles. As a result, I think he and Brock will employ a simple strategy. We've gone over a few of the basics, so watch for it and play accordingly. If we do that, we should have no problems winning."
"You think so? Ash can pull some pretty interesting surprises out of nowhere, you know that."
As Tracey introduced himself and the battlers, as well as the rules of the match, Max spoke again. "True, but Ash - and Brock too I bet - is in uncharted territory. In doubles, everything changes. A whole slew of new strategies and combinations are possible. You can use Pokemon in ways never thought possible. That's why I love playing this way. We also have the element of surprise on our side. Ash doesn't know about our vacation with Dad, so we need to make sure we confuse them as much as possible by using as many of those attacks as we can. Ash's Pokemon come from either Kanto, Johto, or Hoenn, so we shouldn't have any problems exploiting those other moves. And if worse comes to worst, we've always our secret weapons."
May clasped her hands together in delight and squealed. "My precious Queen Frostine!"
"Yep. I will bet you anything you want that Ash has never seen one in his life. He's gonna freak."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Look at 'em over there, plotting," Ash said with a smirk. "Max is probably thinking I've never done a Double Battle in my life. Too bad he doesn't know that I spent six months in Johto with Gary, who taught me everything he knows about doubles. I could probably write the book on doubles."
"Yeah? I wonder if Max has any idea that I'm a Gym Leader and therefore do Double Battles all the time. I'm no rookie either," Brock said with a laugh. "Those two are so toast. Thanks for loaning me one of your Pokemon, by the way. I didn't think you bred any of your Pokemon."
"I don't. I got him from this guy I met a while back at a tournament. Lucky for us he works for our strategy... Oh, shh, Tracey's starting the match."
Tracey's voice was heard over the two men talking. "No problem, man. Let's get this done."
Tracey held a hand to each side. "Begin!"
Ash and his partner went first. "Arcanine, go!"
"Dusclops, come on out!" Brock released his loaned Pokemon.
Max looked on, studying carefully. "All right, May, ready?"
"Sure am. Snorlax, take the stage!" she yelled, revealing her mammoth of a Pokemon.
"Aron, you're first!" The clear runt of the group, the others' Pokemon towered over the small creature. But Aron was not swayed by the difference in size. One of the first things Max had taught the tiny Pokemon was to be confident in its strength, and let the opponents have their laugh, since more often than not, they'd be crying after Aron finished them off.
Brock made the first move. "Dusclops, use Imprison!"
A shadowy aura surrounded the field, and more noticeably, around Snorlax. Half expecting May to cringe or complain or, well, react at all, Brock was a bit disappointed when May didn't even bat an eyelash.
"Imprison, huh? Well, there goes Protect...probably Pursuit, too," she said, arms crossed. Good thing Dusclops can't lock moves it doesn't know, right?"
As Max opened his mouth for a response, Brock put his first plan into motion. "Dusclops, use Will-O-Wisp, on Arcanine!"
Dusclops put its hands together and shot out a bluish-white flame from its palms. It enveloped Arcanine, and with a howl, Arcanine absorbed the attack.
"Flash Fire... I should have known," Max said to himself. "Aron, ready?! Time to put on a good show! Dragon Rush, now! Hit Dusclops with everything you got!"
Not to be left out, May also went to work. "Snorlax, use Amnesia! Get ready!"
Snorlax seemed unmoving as Aron madly rushed from Snorlax's side, its entire body surrounded in a red and orange aura. Brock and Ash looked at each other. What did that kid say? Dragon what?
"Doesn't matter now... an attack's an attack!" Ash thought as he made his next move. "Arcanine, protect Dusclops!" In a flash, Arcanine leapt in front of its companion and the barrier was up. Aron slammed into it at full force, knocking itself far to the side. Ash wasted no time at all in issuing his next order. "Now, Arcanine, Flamethrower, torch Aron!"
"My turn," May said to herself. "Snorlax, Pursuit! Go for Aron!"
Not to be forgotten, Brock gave the command. "Dusclops, Will-o-Wisp now! Big target, go for Snorlax!"
Snorlax readied itself for the attack, but as it went to do so, it was wrapped in dark energy and couldn't move. Dusclops's blue flames easily nailed the fallen Pokemon as Arcanine went to do its job.
"Evasive maneuvers, Aron, use Dig! Hurry up and get out of there!" Max commanded.
Aron furiously burrowed its way underground, but not before being scorched by Arcanine's white-hot fire. Snorlax was released from the darkness and was once again on its feet.
"Yeah, as I thought, that stupid Imprison is blocking Pursuit," May thought to herself. "Snorlax, use Rest."
Snorlax immediately went to sleep. It fell to the ground with a mighty thud. As if on cue, Aron emerged from the ground directly beneath where Arcanine was. Arcanine was sent flying with dirt and grass going every which way.
"Nice play, Aron! You're doing great! It's almost time for the big surprise! Now, Captivate Arcanine!"
Ash was puzzled. What kind of wacko attacko was that? He wasn't sure how to react. He simply watched as Aron looked cutely at Arcanine. In an instant, Arcanine's menacing, no-nonsense glare of death was gone and replaced with a very goofy-looking grin. "What in the world... Arcanine, Flamethrower! Send that Aron packing!"
Brock, too, wasn't quite sure of himself after watching the incident. Was Max using code? Was he pulling these attack names out of the abyss? What exactly was going on? Either way, he decided, he didn't want any of his Pokemon to have big goofy grins. Well, maybe one. Aron would surely be KOed by Arcanine's attack, Brock reasoned, so he decided to go for the other threat. "Dusclops, use Focus Punch on Snorlax!"
Max's eyes widened and he grinned. "Just as I thought! Hold your ground, Aron, you've got this covered! Stand tall and endure!"
May smiled. Long before the siblings had arrived in Kanto, Max had suggested that May teach her Snorlax an attack that would help it even while it was helplessly asleep. Max had warned her to be especially wary of Focus Punch, as Snorlax would not only take tremendous damage from the powerful attack, but while asleep, Snorlax would be unable to counter. And here it was, unfolding in front of her, exactly as her genius brother described. "Snorlax, Sleep Talk!"
Arcanine, still wearing that big goofy grin, spewed out its fire, which, Ash was shocked to realize, was pathetically weak compared to the volley it had launched previously. Aron was hit by the blow, and while not debilitating, still did a significant amount of damage to the small thing. Aron knew what was coming. He'd done this before plenty of times against May's Blaziken. It was Aron's ace in the hole.
Dusclops raged forward and Snorlax snored on, May anxiously awaiting the attack that would be used. Suddenly, moments before Dusclops hit its mark, Snorlax stood up at an alarming speed. Eyes closed, it grabbed Dusclops and lifted it high into the air, and, with its mouth glowing a dark black, took a huge bite into Dusclops. Dusclops roared in agony as Snorlax again fell to the earth. Dusclops rolled around on the ground, unable to shake the tremendous pain Snorlax's Crunch attack had inflicted. May's eyes lit up with excitement. Everything was going great. But this was only the beginning, she kept reminding herself. She'd seen Ash come out of binds bigger than this.
As Arcanine's attack ended, Max kept the show going. "Now, Aron, you know what's coming now! Metal Burst!"
Ash stood in awe and confusion as Aron's body glowed white. Instantly, a flood of shrapnel exploded from Aron's body. Arcanine was hit point blank by the attack, and, bruised and bloodied, fell to the ground in a heap.
Tracey spoke up for the first time since the match began. "Arcanine can no longer battle! Um... he... no wait. Aron wins!"
The crowd grew a little louder with this first fall. Ash recalled his Pokemon and turned to Brock. "Do you have any idea what just happened?"
"Not a clue. I'm starting to think we shouldn't have assumed they'd be pushovers."
"Yeah, no doubt." He turned back to the siblings, Poke Ball ready. "Lapras, let's go!"
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
Night was beginning to fall over Cerulean City. Misty looked out her window and sighed, not having moved from her blue prison since she arrived. She heard a knock at the door. She lazily rolled her head back to face the door, not particularly in any kind of mood to see anyone. "Yeah?" Dr. Feelgood came into the room, holding a plate with some food on it. Misty ignored it and looked at her reflection in the window. "I'm not hungry."
"Please eat," the man said, setting the food on the table next to Misty's bed. The doctor took a seat nearby. He ran a hand through his jet black hair and sighed. "You haven't eaten anything since you arrived. Your condition is stable, but you won't be at your full strength unless you eat." Misty paid him no mind and continued looking out the window, pretending to enjoy the fantastic view the brick wall of the building next door gave. "Is something wrong?" the doctor questioned, concerned. "I have a minor in psychiatry, you know. If you have some problems, maybe I can help you out."
"I want to go home," she said, not looking at the man.
"I bet you do. As much as I and the rest of us would like to see you fit as a fiddle and on your way, well... we can't until you're good as new."
"I need a shower... and my Pokemon haven't eaten at all today. I'm sure they're worried about me," Misty blurted, fishing for excuses.
"We don't have shower facilities here. And I think you're a little too big to bathe in the sink," he said with a laugh, hoping Misty would at least smile. But she didn't - she just stared at the wall outside, completely expressionless. Dr. Feelgood became frustrated. "As for your Pokemon, the police are watching over the Gym. I'm sure I can call someone there and have them feed your Pokemon."
"They won't eat unless I feed them. I'm like a mother to them... and I wish any of you the best of luck in successfully feeding my Gyarados. Not only is he on strict diet he hates more than anything, but he lashes out violently at other people unless I am with him," Misty lied. She had to get out of here, she decided, no matter what. She prayed that the good doctor would believe this at face value. And then she thought of something. "If you want, you can escort me there yourself."
Dr. Feelgood sighed.
"What kind of fool does she take me for?" He laughed a bit to himself.
"I wonder what she really wants... I'll play along with her for now." "Tell you what, Misty, that sounds acceptable. We'll take my truck. Is that fine with you?"
Misty's face lit up. That was easy! "Sure! Can I... change clothes first? Wearing this feels like I'm wearing a big sheet of paper."
"Sure. I'll be at the front desk." He came over and removed the components of the nearby machine that had been monitoring Misty's vitals for the past few hours, and excused himself from the room, closing the door behind him.
After making sure the door was closed, Misty frantically dug through her clothes that had been sitting nearby, desperately looking for her cell phone.
"Not there...must be back at the Gym." She cursed under her breath as she quickly relieved herself of the unflattering hospital gown she had been provided with and changed back into her own clothes. Feeling refreshed and making sure to grab the pen that was provided to her, she quietly opened the door to her room and looked down the hall, where she saw Dr. Feelgood chatting with the receptionist. He waved at Misty, and she waved back. She walked down the hall, trying to figure out what she was going to do now that the first part of the plan she had concocted was impossible now.
"Hi, Misty," the receptionist said with a smile. "Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, I am, now that I'm back in my own clothes... I'm ready now," she said to the taller man, still feeling a bit uneasy standing near him.
"Great. My truck is right out front," the man said, leading Misty along with one of his large, toned hands. He turned to the receptionist. "We'll be back shortly." She nodded, and went back to her work as the two very different individuals left the hospital. The sun had set, and the city was lit up by street lights, traffic lights, store signs, and more. Misty took in the view in awe. It was no Celadon or Saffron City, but Cerulean City was a sight to behold at night. Off in the distance, she made out a bright light coming from the direction of Pallet Town. It was present for a few seconds and then was gone. There was a cool breeze in the area, and it made the girl shiver. "Right over here," the doctor explained as he deactivated his car alarm. The truck was large, royal purple in color. "It's a bit chilly out, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," Misty noted, shivering again for emphasis. Dr. Feelgood opened the door to his vehicle and helped the girl inside. As he made his way to the driver's side, Misty silently noticed that it smelled like peaches in the man's truck.
The drive to the Gym was a short and uneventful one. Misty spent the short time admiring the sights in her town, immersed in thought. When they arrived, Misty was quick to exit the vehicle. She was greeted by the officers standing guard outside. She pointed a finger at the giant of a man that was emerging from the other side. "He's with me." The officers acknowledged the girl, and she ran inside, hoping she'd lose him. She blazed past the pool without looking at it, and hurried to the stairs, under the watchful eye of Dr. Feelgood. She looked back at him. "I'm going to get some clothes and then take a quick shower. I'll be fast, I promise," she said, bolting up the stairs before the doctor could object.
She dashed to her bedroom and tore through it, looking for her phone, as well as her Pokemon. Finding them, she picked up the Poke Ball that had a small crack in it. After hearing from Ash about what it would take to shatter a Poke Ball, she decided to try it on a random Poke Ball of hers. She dropped it from the very top of Pokemon Tower, and came back to find that it had barely been damaged, save for a small, almost unnoticeable crack in the top of it. Not wanting to use Vaporeon's for the experiment, she decided on a Pokemon that had given her considerable grief in the past - Golduck.
She released the duck Pokemon and immediately hushed it. She spoke quietly as she brought a small suitcase from underneath her bed. "Golduck, I have a favor to ask."
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
In Pallet Town, the battle between the four friends raged on, but folks in the crowd were predicting an end in sight. May and Max were currently using their Blaziken and Sceptile, respectively, and still had one Pokemon each in reserve, but Ash and Brock were down to one Pokemon each - Ash's Pikachu and Brock's Ludicolo.
"I have a feeling that there's something that these kids aren't telling us," Ash said to his partner after recalling his Lapras, who had just been knocked out by Sceptile's Leaf Storm - whatever that was.
"Undoubtedly. This is all new to me. I don't know what they're gonna do next," Brock said, troubled, bringing back his Crobat which had just been put out of commission by Blaziken's Fire Blast.
May taunted them from across the field. "Hey, guys! Hope you're not planning on giving up already!"
Ash screamed back at them. He never was one to take trash talk lightly. "Giving up? You wish! I saved the best for last! Come on, Pikachu, you're up! Time to put these kids in their place!"
Pikachu, desperate and thankful for a chance to fight, ran from Ash's side headlong into the fray.
"We're still in this fight! Come on, Ludicolo, let's dance!" He burst from his Poke Ball and went to work on his own rhythm, dancing to the delight of the crowd. Ludicolo cheered.
Max spoke quietly to his sister. "They'll probably try a rain combination. Ludicolo is dangerous in the rain. I'll do my best to protect you, but I won't know how much it'll help... Ash's Pikachu is ridiculously powerful as well."
"Got it," May said. "Let's just take Ludicolo out before it sets up then! Blaziken, Sky Uppercut, slam Ludicolo as hard as you can!"
The veterans on the other side of the field anticipated this move.
"Pikachu, protect Ludicolo!"
"Ludicolo, Rain Dance! It's go time!"
Unfortunately for them, Max was one step ahead of them. "Just as I thought," Max said quietly to himself as he gave his command. "Sceptile, Flash!" Sceptile roared and summoned a great burst of light that briefly blinded everyone at the scene, both human and Pokemon. Pikachu stumbled around, its eyes blurred from the flash. It could not make out its partner, and leaped into what he prayed was the correct position and set up the barrier. Ludicolo had nearly completed his attack when Blaziken's fist slammed into Ludicolo hard, sending him skyward. Pikachu had missed his target.
While the players were still recovering, Max gave another order. "Sceptile, Dig, quickly!" In an instant, he was deep underground, his location unknown to all.
When everyone had recovered, Brock spoke quietly to his Ludicolo. "Listen up. I want you to run up to Blaziken as fast as you can. When you get near him, stop and immediately use Rain Dance. Got it?" Ludicolo nodded and did what he was told.
Ash gave his next order loud and clear, aware of what Brock had just said. "Pikachu, use Quick Attack, on Blaziken!"
"Okay, all going to plan," May noted quietly. "Blaziken, Protect!"
Ash grinned. This was almost mean. As Ludicolo stopped in his tracks and prepared the attack, Ash gave another order. "Okay, Pikachu, jump! And then Rain Dance!"
Max went wide-eyed. He didn't think of Pikachu being able to use Rain Dance. Panicking, the boy could not give his order right away. May scolded him. "Hey, do something!"
"I'm thinking! What to do... get him back here. Sceptile, surface! Stop Ludicolo's attack!" Sceptile launched himself from the ground just as Pikachu finished the attack. Ludicolo was not fazed by Sceptile's weak attack, and stood strong in the rain that had now enveloped the battlefield. Pikachu, though soaked, felt refreshed by the water pouring down on him. "This is not good. But we're still in this, May, don't give up."
Ash and Brock were pleased with this turn of events. Brock called to his opponents. "This is the end, kids! Ludicolo is going to single-handedly take down the rest of your Pokemon. Check this out. Ludicolo! Hydro Pump, hit Blaziken hard!"
Ludicolo zoomed across the field in a flash, faster than Sceptile or Blaziken could track. Before May could open her mouth to order a counterattack, Ludicolo was in Blaziken's face and fired the extreme attack at point blank range. Blaziken crashed into a tree and fell to the ground in a mess. Brock looked to Sceptile. "Okay, Ice Beam, finish this up!" Ludicolo took a quick look in Sceptile's general direction and with the speed of greased lightning, shot off the attack. Sceptile tried to avoid the attack, but its reaction time was far too slow. Sceptile was sent skyward by the move, and landed near Blaziken in a heap. Ludicolo danced and relished in the healing properties the rain provided.
Yes, Brock's Ludicolo was one wicked beast.
(to be continued next post because it is cut off otherwise)
