Dark Shades of Gray
"Here you are, Mr. Ketchum. Your Pokemon are fighting fit!" Nurse Joy handed the young trainer his Poke Balls. On vacation back in Kanto, Ash had just fought a rematch against Erika, Leader of the Celadon City Gym. The flower arranger proved to be a tough match, even for the veteran trainer from Pallet Town. Though he had a strong Monferno which should have all but guaranteed victory for him, the plethora of status ailments Erika's Pokemon were capable of inflicting proved to be too much for Ash to handle.
"Thanks, Nurse Joy," Ash said, accepting his Pokemon with a smile. He couldn't believe how much Erika had improved in the years he'd been gone. He also had a hard time believing how many status ailments his Pokemon had on them at any given time - he'd lost count after the first five. "Good thing Team Rocket interfered during my official battle and I got the badge anyway," the young man mused. "Who knows what would have happened if they hadn't?"
The Pokemon Center attendant smiled back at him. "We hope to see you again!"
Placing his Pokemon back on his belt, he turned back to his waiting companions, eager to resume the easy life now that his battle was over.
"Everything good now?" Brock asked, looking up from his magazine. Having family in Pewter City, the breeder had no problems agreeing to head back to Kanto with Ash for a chance at getting away from it all for one whole week.
Ash gave a thumbs up to the elder trainer and former Gym Leader. "Yep! Everyone's back in tip-top shape!" Pikachu leaped from the floor to his master's shoulder, happy to see him in good spirits after his loss.
A slender hand slipped into Ash's open palm, its fingers intertwining themselves with Ash's. "Are you really feeling okay?"
"Of course I am, Misty," Ash said, squeezing the young girl's hand. "Actually, I'm kind of psyched! Erika was a really tough opponent. I can't wait to challenge her again and actually beat her fair and square! Besides, it's not like I've never lost a battle before. I'm just gonna have to train harder so we can stand a chance next time!"
The young redhead smiled. "He sure hasn't changed much in the past few years..." When Ash stopped at the Cerulean Gym and asked Misty to be his guest for the next seven days, she couldn't say yes fast enough. It had been far too long since they had been together, and she wanted to stay by Ash's side as much as possible.
The three friends left the Pokemon Center, eager to take advantage of the daylight hours by doing some shopping at the world-famous Celadon City Department Store.
"Ah, you guys, I totally forgot!" Brock exclaimed suddenly. "I have to check in. I promised my parents I'd call in every so often. They're really excited to have me back in Kanto, you see. It's been a long time since I last saw them."
"Yeah, that's true," Ash concurred. "It's no big deal, man. We'll wait here for you."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Go on without me - I'll catch up. You two haven't seen each other in ages, either. I'm sure you guys have a lot of catching up of your own to do, eh?" Brock teased.
Sarcastic laughter from the boy with the girl on his arm. "Real funny. All right, just don't be too long or we'll end up heading back to Cerulean City without you!" Ash joked.
Brock raised his hand as if swearing an oath. "I won't be but a few minutes, I promise."
As he disappeared back into the Pokemon Center, Misty decided she did not want to squander what precious few minutes she had alone with Ash. She began to lead him away from the Pokemon Center, down the streets of Celadon City.
"So, what have you been up to?" Misty asked him.
"Ah, too much," Ash replied, not knowing just where to start. "Sorry I never tried to get ahold of you. How was Johto?"
"It's a beautiful place," she reminisced as they continued towards the department store. "I met a lot of people and learned a lot of new training techniques from the Gym Leaders there. Still... I was by myself for most of my time there. I... kinda missed you."
Ash blushed a bit at that. "R-Really? Well... I mean, I know I missed you, Misty... it just hasn't been the same since you left. Brock's been traveling with me nearly the entire time from the time you left. He's still part of my little entourage in Sinnoh." He squeezed her hand. "I thought about you, you know. Nights when we'd be out camping or something, I would always wonder to myself what you were up to... how you're doing... if you'd, you know... found anyone..."
Now it was Misty's turn to blush. She considered telling him about her brief fling with Falkner, and how she nearly didn't come back home after he asked her to marry him, but decided against it. "N-no... there isn't anyone like that."
"Oh. Well, I'm glad you're back," Ash grinned.
"Hey, guys, wait for me!" Brock yelled as he caught up to the two friends. "Sorry. My mom, she's a talker..." He stopped to catch his breath. "I didn't think you guys would get so far away."
Pikachu and the human trio resumed their walk towards the department store, discussing their Pokemon, their pasts, and plans for what they'd do once the vacation was over.
-
Just outside the city limits, another trio was making their own plans. The three of them hid in some foliage, plotting their next move.
"You know, I'm getting awfully tired of this," one of the trio, a female, said. "We've been at this for far too long... we never should have told the boss about Pikachu."
"That's not like you, Jessie," the woman's male partner said. "You're usually the one who's telling us to look on the bright side."
The third in the group, a talking Meowth, added his piece. "I dunno, James, the less Jessie's cookin' up schemes to get us hoyt, the betta." He fiddled with a device in his hand. "Looks like dey're inside the department store. Now, listen up! I've got an idea that'll blow yer minds..."
The two humans waited in anticipation for what Meowth had planned. They'd nearly exhausted every possibility; the well of innovation was all but dried up. They looked at each other, very much doubting that Meowth's latest plan would be as mind-blowing as he bragged.
Meowth brought the two humans in close. Barely over a whisper, he unveiled his latest plan. "Forget the flashy intro. Forget the high-maintenance disguises. Forget the motto. Let's just sneak in dere, pick Pikachu up, and run away." Jessie and James looked as if they might burst into laughter at that very second, but Meowth stopped them before they could so much as giggle. "Think about it. Even back in the day, we relied on machines to try to steal Pikachu. Seein' as we're still doin' it some three, four years later, it's safe to say that all dem have failed. So I got to thinkin' maybe we're goin' at it the wrong way? What if a simple snatch and run is all we need?"
Jessie emerged from the bushes and dusted herself off, more focused on getting done. "I suppose we never have tried to just pick it up and run, have we? Maybe a good old-fashioned pair of rubber gloves is all we need? We sure would save money on machines."
James handed her a pair of arm-length gloves from a box of materials, one of many pairs found along with different kinds of medicine. "Tell me about it. Plus, we wouldn't have to use half of this stuff after the landing. I'm surprised we aren't dead yet..." He stepped out from behind the bushes. "They still there, Meowth?"
"Yep," the Pokemon replied, without moving his eyes from the screen. "Let's move out, people!"
-
Meanwhile, Misty was showing off a dress to her male companions - a simple blue dress with a daisy pattern. "What do you guys think about this one?"
"Looks nice," Brock commented. "I like it."
"Yeah, Misty, blue really suits you," Ash added.
"Thanks. I think so too," Misty said, retreating into the dressing room to try on another outfit.
"Hey, Ash, check this out," Brock showed him a nice-looking pair of black slacks with a matching shirt/vest combination. "I bet you'd look pretty slick in these. Why don't you try them on?"
Ash sized up the outfit. Would Misty agree with Brock's judgment? Only one way to find out. "Yeah? All right, give 'em here. Pikachu, you stay with Brock. I'll be right out, okay?"
Pikachu nodded, leaping down from his perch on Ash's shoulder.
-
Unseen to the three teens and their Pokemon, Jessie, James, and Meowth had made their way to the young trainers' current location.
"There they are. It really works!" James was astonished at the accuracy of their device.
Jessie slipped on her electric-resistant gloves, making sure her arms were sufficiently protected. "Yeah, that worked, but do you think this will work? That Pikachu is pretty strong..."
"Well," Meowth began, scratching his chin, "You oughta be all right if he don't zap any uncovered part of ya body. Dose gloves are extra-strength resistant - the best money can buy! If dese don't work, nuttin' will. Hold him at arm's length and you should be fine."
"All right. You guys be ready with the cage once I get outside," Jessie instructed to the two men. I'm willing to bet he's not going to come quietly..."
As James and Meowth went to the planned meeting spot, Jessie did her best to appear normal on her search for Ash and his Pikachu. "Look at me. I stick out like a sore thumb. Really shouldn't have worn the uniform..." She continued her conversation with herself. "And these gloves... geez, could it be any more obvious? How did I end up on snatch duty, anyway? If this doesn't go exactly as planned, so help me, they'll be sleeping with one eye open for a month!"
Fortunately for Jessie, she spotted her charge about 50 meters north of her current position, inside a clothing store. "All right, there it is, as planned. I'll just run up, and...!"
Quick as she could, she ran over to Pikachu, scooped him up into her hands, and fled the store before Ash had finished changing.
Unfortunately for Jessie, Misty had chosen that exact moment to step out of her changing room. "Stop, thief!" Misty cried, giving chase after Jessie. "Ash, Jessie just snatched Pikachu!"
"What?!" Ash exclaimed, bursting through the door of the changing room half-dressed. Spotting the female Rocket, he wasted no time in giving his order. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt! Strong as you can!"
Pikachu was already two steps ahead of Ash's order. He'd been zapping his heart out from the moment he realized he'd been swiped, but the normally life-threatening surges of electricity he loosed were reduced to a strong vibration to Jessie's protected hands and arms. Despite Meowth's claim that she would be completely guarded from Pikachu's electricity, the vibrations were so strong that she had a hard time holding onto him, and nearly clutched the rodent against her chest to keep him from squirming away before remembering Meowth's warning about keeping Pikachu at a safe distance.
Misty continued to chase Jessie on foot, shouting commands to Pikachu that he was already following - "break free," "Thundershock," and the like, as well as requesting Pokemon assistance from anyone who could help. The elder girl proved difficult to pursue; despite being burdened by a rodent fidgeting like he was being taken to be executed, Jessie did not seem to slow down in the slightest.
Before long, Misty found herself trailing farther and farther behind, and she chastised herself for not bringing her Pokemon with her before she ran off. As Jessie disappeared through the front doors, Misty cried for assistance one last time before falling to her knees, completely drained. "I failed..."
No sooner had she said that, a scream that clearly belonged to Jessie was heard just outside the building. The doors burst open with an enormous gust of wind, and Pikachu himself went sailing through the air back into the store before being caught in a flash by... something, Misty wasn't sure what it was. The figure that had caught Pikachu had landed, placing the small yellow rat on the ground. Misty then saw what Pikachu's assistant was: a Pidgeot. It stood at the entrance of the department store as its owner came in to gauge the situation.
"Excellent work, Pidgeot," the young man praised his Pokemon. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he pulled out a small cookie and fed it to the bird, which ate it happily.
Misty went to thank the Pidgeot and its trainer for their assistance, but froze when she saw her savior's identity.
The Pidgeot's owner was the first to speak up. "Misty! Oh, it's been ages!" He held the young lady in an embrace. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you here. Wait, does that mean that this is Ash's Pikachu? I haven't seen him in years! Is he with you? Wow, I can't believe it's really you, Misty..."
Misty somewhat reluctantly pulled herself away from the young man. "Hello, Falkner..."
Falkner looked a bit hurt. "What's the matter? You don't seem to happy to see me."
"Don't be like that, Falkner. What are you doing here?"
"Well, I was actually on my way out. You see, I heard that they sell excellent Pokemon food here. I came here on Pidgeot so I could check it out. I picked up a few supplies, left the store, and brought Pidgeot back out to take me home. Just as soon as I took off, who should come running out of the store but one of those Team Rocket scoundrels, carrying a crying Pikachu, no less! A couple powerful Gust attacks later, the lady's gone, Pikachu is safe, and who should I run into but you! Surely this is some sort of sign that -"
"I'm not having this conversation with you, Falkner," Misty said plainly. "You have my gratitude for saving Pikachu, but just because you happened to meet me here doesn't mean that we're meant to be together. I... don't love you. Okay? That's it. End of discussion."
Without another word, Misty scooped Pikachu into her arms, turned around, and returned to her friends, leaving the bird trainer and his Pidgeot behind.
-
A short time after being reunited with his partner, Ash invited his two human companions to dinner to unwind after a tedious day.
"You know I'd like that, Ash," Misty accepted gladly.
"Yeah, Ash, same here. You think we'd ever say no?" Brock added before glancing at his watch. "But... before we do, I should really give my mom another call. It's possible she heard about the commotion earlier today, and it'll let her rest easy knowing that I'm safe, you know?"
"I hear ya," Ash agreed, fully understanding the joys of parental worry. "We're going to the fountain. We'll meet you there, okay?"
"Got it. See you then."
Brock separated himself from the group, turning toward the city limits. Once he was out of sight, he took a small phone from his pocket. He dialed a number, the irritated look clear on his face.
"This is Brock. Is this your idea of a joke? It has to be. I didn't think anyone was that stupid, but Jessie and James have got to be the two biggest imbeciles on the planet." A pause. "Don't you pin this on me! I did what I was ordered! I picked up the tracking device at the location and stuck it in his backpack... how should I know if it's working or not?! He said he was going to the fountain. He hasn't left the city yet. He'll be eating at one of the restaurants here later." Another pause. "Look, if you want that, it'll cost you double. I can't risk being found out. ...Fine. Brock out."
In a tall building in Saffron City, Giovanni hung his head and sighed. "Double, he says. Sheesh."
