Story Set: Stars, Hearts, and Water Pokemon
To Catch a Wooper
Today, Ash, Misty, and Brock have taken a rest on their travels to Johto outside of Magenta City. Brock had left earlier that morning to take care of some arrangements in the city. Ash had already known what Brock was up to since he helped plan a surprise for Misty. Meanwhile, Ash and Misty are relaxing at a nearby river, with Misty upstream fishing, and Ash resting under a tree pondering an important question.
"Misty's 16th birthday is tomorrow. And I still haven't figured out what to get for her yet. Any ideas Pikachu?" Ash turned to Pikachu, who was sleeping peacefully next to him.
"Piii ka…" Pikachu opened his eyes just enough to answer Ash.
"Oh sorry, buddy. I forgot you were taking a nap." Ash said as he patted Pikachu softly on the head.
"Maybe some flowers? Nah. I need something that she'll really like. But what do girls like?
"Piii ka…" Suddenly, Pikachu felt a tugging at his tail. In a quick defensive reaction, Pikachu immediately discharged a thunder shock, shocking Ash to send him up into the air and into a tree branch. Falling back to the ground, he landed face down in the grass; smoking coming off of him feeling numb from the sudden shock treatment he'd just received.
"Oww. Pikachu, what was that about?"
"Pika! Pika pi!!!" Pikachu responded pointing towards Ash's direction.
"Did you see something around here? Ash said as he began to lift his head. As he looked up, standing right in front of him with a big smile was something that looked very familiar to him."
******
"To Catch A Wooper"
******
"Huh? Hey, a Wooper! I wonder if it's a wild one?" Ash begins to pick himself up. The Wooper looked up at him and happily jumped up and down.
"Woopah!"
"Ha ha! I remember when we saw these at Alicia's place."
(Flashback to episode: No Big Woop!)
"Woopah!" All of them together.
Misty smiled. "Ha ha! They're all so cute!"
"Woopah! Woopah! Woopah! Waapah! Woopah"
"Aw, isn't that adorable?" Misty watched in amazement at the smiling faces.
"Yeah, it's almost like they're singing.
"And Alicia's Wooper is the cutest of them all."
"It sure is. It moves really cute, looks cute, everything about it is cute."
…
"How did it get all the way up there?
"Let's figure that out later."
They begin climbing up the cliff as the Wooper continues to hop upward.
"Woopah!"
"I don't think that Wooper's as cute as it used to be."
(End Flashback)
"That little guy was cute, but a handful. With enough training though, it turns into a Quagsire."
(Flashback to episode: Once in A Blue Moon)
Misty is observing Quagsire as Ash scans it with his Pokedex.
"Quagsire's gotta be one of the cutest water Pokemon ever…Hey, I'm gonna catch it (echoes)…"
(End Flashback)
"She never did catch a Quagsire. Hmmm. Wait a minute! Let's check Wooper's data again." Ash reaches for the Pokedex, flipping it open to scan Wooper. The Wooper still stood there smiling at Ash.
"Wooper. The water-fish Pokemon. Though they prefer to live in cold water, these appealing Pokemon forage for food on land. They are kept warm by a layer of insulating body fluid. Wooper is the pre-evolved form of Quagsire."
"All right Pikachu! That's it! Let's catch this little guy for Misty!"
Wooper begins jumping up and down again in a playful manner.
"Go Pokeball!!" Ash yells as he tosses a Pokeball towards Wooper, connecting and drawing it inside for a capture. The Pokeball lands on the ground, shaking. Ash and Pikachu wait patiently for the shaking to stop and the lock to activate. Unfortunately, the ball pops back open and the Wooper reappears, jumping up and down. Wooper immediately proceeds to climb up on Ash and begins licking his face.
"Hey, ahh! Cut that out! That tickles!!"
"Piii ka.." Pikachu sighs.
Ash looks down at Pikachu. "I guess we're gonna have to use a Lure ball for this one. But I already used mine for Totodile." The Wooper at that point just sat quietly on his shoulder.
"I have an idea Pikachu. I'm gonna need you to do something."
"Pika?" Pikachu looks up at Ash in a state of wonder. The Wooper jumps off Ash's shoulder and begins to run off.
"Uuuuaaah! Hey, wait!! Come back!"
"Woopah woopah woopaaaah!" It continues to run off.
"We can't lose it. Come on Ash, think…Wait!" Ash pulls out a Pokeball. "I choose you! Noctowl!" Throws it into the air. The ball pops open with Noctowl appearing in the air.
"Hooooot!"
"Noctowl, follow that Wooper and keep an eye on it until we get back!"
"Hooooot!" Noctowl flies in the direction that Wooper ran off to.
Further upstream, Misty is sitting along the riverbank as well, fishing rod in hand, with Togepi right next to her.
"Hmmm…I can't believe I'm turning 16 tomorrow. I wonder if the guys have a surprised planned. Maybe that's why Brock left so early this morning for the city. What do you think Togepi?"
"Togi breee!!"
Pikachu runs up to Misty.
"Pika! Pikachu! Pika!" Pikachu was waving his hands in a panic.
"What's the matter Pikachu? Is it Ash?"
"Pika!" Pikachu nods his head as he tugs at Misty's shirt, begging her to follow him. Immediately, she drops the fishing rod and grabs Togepi, leaving her backpack behind. As they run into the forest, a few seconds later, Ash slips out from behind a tree and makes his way over to Misty's backpack. Rummaging through her stuff, he searches for her Lure ball.
"Let see. Staryu, Goldeen, Poliwhirl, Psyduck…"
"Pop!" Out came Psyduck, appearing next to Ash. "Psyduck?"
"Uuuuuahhh! Psyduck! Get back in your Pokeball before Misty hears you!"
"Psy?" Ash recalls Psyduck back into his Pokeball. After fumbling around in her backpack, at the bottom, he finally finds her Lure ball.
"There it is! Now to catch that Wooper." Ash closes up her backpack, and takes a quick look around, making sure that no one sees him. He sneaks away and heads back to where he was at earlier. Soon enough, Noctowl flies down in front of Ash.
"Hooot! Hoot hoot!"
"Noctowl, did you find him?"
"Hooooot!" He begins to fly off, turning his head to signal Ash to follow him. A few minutes later, Ash arrives back at their campsite, not too far from the riverbank where Ash was relaxing. The Wooper was rummaging through Brock's backpack, apparently looking for food.
"There it is! Thanks Noctowl, I'll take it from here!" Ash recalls Noctowl back into his Pokeball.
"Woopah?" The Wooper pulls it's head out of Brock's backpack, smiling at Ash, and begins jumping up and down again.
"Woopah!"
"Alright, now to capture you!" Ash readies the Lure ball and winds up for the throw. Ash's expression suddenly turned to surprise as Wooper leaped towards him, knocking him over. Wooper started licking Ash's face again.
"Hey, aaahh! Stop that! Ha ha ha!!"
Wooper then hopped over Ash's head and began to run off again, this time heading back towards the riverbank to Ash's spot. Ash managed to collect himself and followed the Wooper back to the riverbank. Wooper stopped and turned around, jumping happily as Ash readied himself again.
"Go, Lure ball!" Ash managed to throw the Pokeball this time. Oddly enough, Wooper leaped up into the air, connecting with the Lure ball to be drawn in for the capture. The Lure ball landed on the ground, with the lock immediately activating, with no resistance.
"That's strange. It's almost as though Wooper wanted me to catch him. Hmm…well, you'll be in the good hands of a water Pokemon trainer. I know she'll like you."
Ash sat back down at his spot under the tree and pulled out a piece of paper from his backpack. He began to write a note and slipped it into an extra envelope he had for sending letters to his mom.
"Misty…" he said as wrote her name on the envelope. He stood up holding both the Lure ball and envelope. He looks up into the sky thinking out loud, "I hope she likes him."
"Hey, Ash!!"
"Uuuahh!" Ash immediately scrambled to hide the Lure ball and ended up hiding it behind his back. A few seconds later, he sees Pikachu running towards him, with Misty not too far behind.
"Pika! Pikachu!!" Pikachu runs behind Ash's leg.
Misty threw her backpack aside still running towards Ash, as though she was about to kill him. She stopped for a moment to put Togepi down, and immediately got in his face.
"Ash! Give me back my Lure ball!"
"W-wait! Misty, let me explain!"
"I don't want to hear your excuses, Ash Ketchum! I know you have it!" Ash had started backing up, not realizing that he was about to fall in the river. Misty was angrily staring him down. Pikachu ran away from the two, noticing that Ash was about to fall into the river.
"Pika pi!"
"(Gulp) But Misty, I wasn't stealing it. I was just borrowing it for a little…Waaaa ah ah ah! (Splash!)" Ash had slipped off the riverbank, falling backwards landing in the shallow part of the river. The Lure ball had slipped out of his hands with the envelope attached into the air. It landed a few feet behind Misty.
"Pop!…Woopah!!" Misty turned around immediately.
"Huh?" She bent downwards, looking at Wooper's cute little face. "Hey, where did you come from you little cutie?" Wooper ran towards Misty, and paused to look up at her. He climbed up and began to lick Misty's face.
"Ha ha ha! Hey, that tickles!"
"Togi breeeee!"
Misty picks Wooper up off her shoulder and looks at him adoringly. "You're so cute. Ha ha ha! Huh?" She spots the envelope on the ground with her name on it. Putting Wooper down, she reached for the envelope and begins to read Ash's note.
"Dear Misty. Happy 16th Birthday. To a great friend and water Pokemon trainer. I hope you like him. Ash…Ash caught a Wooper for me?"
"Woopaaah!"
"Togi togi bree!"
"Oh Ash…"
"Owww…" Misty had forgotten about Ash falling into the river. Ash's hat had fallen off and he was completely soaked, since the water was up to his knees. He had managed to prop himself back up.
"Oh no! Ash!" Are you alright?…Waaaah!"
Misty had slipped off the same spot as Ash, instead falling face forward and knocking Ash over again as he started to get up, landing directly on top of him. After being submerged underwater again for a few seconds, Ash managed to resurface.
"(Cough, cough) If I would've known that giving you a present like this was gonna be this painful, I would've thought of something else." Ash moved his wet, matted hair away from his eyes. He opened his eyes to see Misty looking downwards, only inches away from his face."
"Well next time, ask me before you go through my stuff!" Her angry face then turned to one of concern. "Are you okay though?"
"Y-yeah. Owww…" he groaned.
"I'm so sorry about that Ash." She moved her soaked red hair covering her eyes.
"I take it you already saw your present."
"I love it. He's sooo cute. Thank you Ash…That's the sweetest thing that anyone's ever done for me."
Ash smiled back at her. Suddenly, they had just realized the position they were in. Neither of them could figure out why they were looking at each other like this. All they both could feel was this nervous feeling in their chests and throats that froze them in their gazes. A few seconds later, they felt something swimming towards them.
"Woo paaah!" The Wooper had swum up beside them, with a big happy smile. Ash and Misty looked at each other again and laughed.
"Come on! I'll help you up."
"Thanks Mist." Misty slowly climbed off Ash and took his hands to pull him up. They climbed back up to the bank with Wooper following right behind them.
"Pika! Pi-ka-chu!"
"Togi togi breeee!"
The Wooper ran towards Pikachu and Togepi. While Ash and Misty were drying off, they were watching Pikachu, Togepi, and Wooper all play together.
"How did you find a Wooper?"
"It scared Pikachu while he was taking a nap. I guess he wanted someone to play with."
"I still can't believe you caught one for me."
"Aww, it was nothing Mist. I know you had your heart set on Totodile before when we found him and…"
"No, Ash. You won that battle fair and square. You've done a great job training Totodile. I already have enough trouble trying to train Psyduck. Besides, Totodile's a little too energetic for me."
"You've got a point there." They both laugh.
"Pikachu…"
"Togi breee!"
"Woopaah!"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a net flies out, snaring Pikachu, Togepi, and Wooper.
"Pi-kaaaaa!!"
"Hey, what's going on?" Ash and Misty turned around immediately to see their Pokemon ensnared in the net and out in the deeper part of the river, two sets of movements in the water coming towards them. Two figures in diving gear suddenly spring out of the water landing on the bank in front of the net.
(In muffled voices)"Prepare for trouble…"
"And make it double…"
"To protect the world from devastation…"
"To unite all peoples within our nation…"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"
"To extend our reach to the stars above…"
Each takes off their diving mask, "Jesse"
"James…"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light…"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight…"
Meowth umps out of a nearby tree and does a somersault flip landing right in front of them. "Meowth, that's right!"
Ash's eyes roll up into his head. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Give us back our Pokemon, now!" Misty screams at them.
Jesse ponders for a moment. "Mmmm, no."
"We've got Pikachu, Togepi, and a Wooper to bring back to the boss. Ha ha ha ha!" Meowth cackles.
"That's what you think!" Ash and Misty answer back.
"Pikachu! Thundershock atta…"
"Wait Ash! No! You'll hurt Togepi and Wooper!"
"Go Arbok! Wobbuffet!" Jesse tosses her Pokeballs towards their direction.
"Pop! Charbokaa!…Wobbuffet!"
"Let's teach them a lesson, Victreebell!"
"Pop! Aaaaaaaaaaaah! (Chomp!)" Victreebell ends up biting James on the head once again.
"I said teach! Not eat! Eeeeeeh!"
"Go! Staryu!" Misty calls out.
"Go! Cyndaquil!" Ash calls out.
"Pop! Pop!…Hya!…Cyndaquil!"
"Arbok! Poison sting!"
"Chaaa!!!" Poison needles fly out of Arbok's mouth
"Cyndaquil! Flamethrower!!" Ash calls out.
"Quiiilll!" Cyndaquil fires a flamethrower, burning Arbok's poison sting and burning Arbok. Arbok falls over, knocked out.
"Staryu! Double edge attack now!" Staryu spins towards Victreebell, knocking him back towards James. "Tackle attack now!" Staryu boomerangs back towards Wobbuffet's direction.
"Wobbuffet! Counterattack!"
Staryu connects, but is repelled back towards a tree and slams into it.
"Staryu! Are you okay?…Staryu return!!" Misty recalls Staryu.
"Cyndaquil! Use swift attack now!!" Cyndaquil fires a star attack at Wobbuffet.
"Wobbuffet!! Counteratttack!" Cyndquil's stars repel and fire back at him.
"Quilll!" Cyndaquil is toppled over, but gets up right away.
"Poliwhirl! Go!"
"Pop! Poliwhirl!"
"Ha ha ha! Weezing, smokescreen please!"
"Pop! Weezing! Ruuuuuuahh!" A thick black fog is emitted.
"(Cough, cough, cough)." As the smoke clears, Team Rocket is already in their hot air balloon.
"Ha ha ha! We finally got your Pokemon twerps!!" Jesse points at them, laughing.
"We finally won!!" Meowth adds.
"Wobbuffet!"
Suddenly, the balloon stops moving. As they look down, Onix had a grip on the balloon.
"Ash!! Misty!!"
"Brock!!"
"Miss me, guys?"
"Thank goodness you made it back!" Misty was relieved to see Brock.
"Thanks Brock!"
"Ash! Hurry! Get the Pokemon out of there!"
"Right! Noctowl! Fly up there and grab that net!" Ash yells as he tosses Noctowl's Pokeball.
"Pop! Hooooot!"
Noctowl flies in and grabs the net with Pikachu, Togepi, and Wooper and flies back down to them.
"Aaaaaah! They're getting away!" James yelled.
Noctowl flies down to Ash, Misty, and Brock and drops the net to the ground. Ash and Misty rush over to get their Pokemon out.
"Alright Onix! Let 'em go."
"Ruuuuah!" Onix lets go of the balloon.
"Oh yeah! You're not getting off that easily twerps!" Jesse responds.
"Weezing! Sludge attack!" James calls out. Weezing flies out, preparing to attack.
"Oh no you don't! Poliwhirl! Watergun now!" Poliwhirl nails Weezing before having a chance to attack, sending Weezing crashing into Team Rocket.
"Let's send them flying, Pikachu! Use your thunderbolt, now!"
Pikachu leaps into the air. "Pikaaaa chuuuuuuu!!!!" An electricity bolt connects with the balloon gas tank, causing the balloon to explode.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!…Wobbuffet!"
"Yeah! We did it!" Ash cheered.
"Nice job guys." Brock said to Ash and Misty.
"We owe you Brock. If you hadn't come back here, Team Rocket would've gotten away."
"No problem Misty."
"Woopah!!" Wooper was snuggling against Brock's leg.
"Hey, a Wooper!" Brock picks him up. "Where'd he come from?"
"He he. Ash caught him for me. As a birthday present."
"Although I didn't think giving Misty a birthday present would be so painful."
"Huh?" Brock looks at Ash confused.
"Oh Ash, I didn't hurt you that badly."
"So Misty, you've got a new Pokemon now."
"I'm very happy."
"I'm sure you'll train this little guy really well." Wooper looks at Brock and starts liking his face too.
"Hey, ha ha ha! Stop that!" All of them laugh.
"Come on! Let's get to Magenta City!" Ash says.
After a half hour walk on the road, Ash, Misty, and Brock arrive in Magenta City. After stopping off at the Pokemon center, later that evening they head to a restaurant where there was a special surprise waiting for Misty. Brock and Ash had planned a special birthday party for her. Misty's sisters had shown up for their little sister's special day.
"Like, happy sweet 16th sis from all of us." Violet said.
"Yeah, totally. Our baby sis is growing up." Lily added.
After catching up with Violet, Daisy, and Lily for a while, Brock and Ash walked in with a cake, lit with 16 candles.
All together: "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Misty, happy birthday to you."
"Like, make a wish Misty." Daisy said.
"I don't know what to wish for."
"Come on Mist, there must be something special that you want." At that moment, Misty looked through the glow of the candles at Ash, blushed and smiled. As she prepared to blow out her candles, they were suddenly interrupted by a crash sound of plates and glass at the other side of the restaurant.
Ash and Brock turned around. "What was that?"
"Ha ha ha ha! Prepare for trouble, we're here to steal food."
"Make it double, we're here for your Pokemon too."
"To protect the world from devastation…"
"To unite all peoples within our nation…"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"
"To extend our reach to the stars above…"
"Jesse…"
"James…"
"Team Rocket's swiping food at the speed of light…"
"Surrender now or prepare for a food fight…"
"Meowth! That's right!"
"Why can't they just go away?" Ash sighed.
"Well, isn't this a nice occasion? The little red-head twerp is having a birthday." Jesse sarcastically says towards Misty.
"That's right, now leave us alone!" Misty angrily answered.
"You haven't made you wish yet, have you? Well, how but you wish that you give us Pikachu."
"Yeah, right! No way!" Misty responded.
"Tell you what, birthday girl, we'll even grant it for you." Meowth jumps forwards and nabs Pikachu, stuffing him into a bag.
"Pi ka!!!"
"Pikachu!" Ash yells.
"Looks like we've got a birthday present for ourselves." James says.
"Let's scram!" Meowth adds.
"Come back here!" Ash and Brock chase after them. "Misty! We'll be right back!"
"Oh no you don't! I'm coming with you Ash!" Misty followed close behind with her sisters.
All of them manage to catch up with Team Rocket outside. Luckily, Daisy had brought Starmie with her.
"Starmie! Thundershock!" Daisy called out.
"Like, totally" Lily said.
Starmie spun towards Team Rocket and zapped them, stopping them in their tracks. Meowth dropped Pikachu. Pikachu quickly rushed back to Ash.
"That's it! This calls for another battle. Arbok! Wobbuffett! Go!" Jesse tosses her Pokeballs towards their direction.
"Pop! Charbokaa!…Wobbuffet!"
"Go Weezing!"
"Pop! Weezing!"
"Like, what is that? It looks like totally weird." Lily said, looking at Wobbuffet.
"Hey, watch it girl!" Jesse glared at Lily.
"Wobbuffet…"
"(Sighs) Uuuh…"
"Daisy, watch out! That Wobbuffet's tricky." Misty said.
"Alright then. Starmie! Thundershock!" Daisy called out.
"Wobbuffet! Counter!"
The thunder shock repelled back at Starmie, stunning it.
"What was that!?" Daisy looked in shock.
"It's a counterattack move. You have to be extremely cautious with it." Brock said.
"Don't worry girls, we've got it." Ash and Misty nod to each other and ready their Pokeballs.
"Go Bayleef!" Ash called out.
"Poliwhirl!" Misty called out.
"Pop!…Bayleef! Poliwhirl!"
"Arbok! Poison sting!"
"Chaaa!!!" Poison needles fly out of Arbok's mouth
"Bayleef! Razor leaf, now!"
Bayleef tosses a few leaves, knocking out the poison needles.
"Weezing! Tackle attack!"
"Weezing!"
"Poliwhirl! Double slap attack!"
"Poli!"
Weezing begins to take a massive beating from Misty's Poliwhirl.
"Bayleef! Use your sweet smell!"
"Bayleef!" Bayleef emits an aroma, causing Arbok and Weezing to fall asleep.
Ash and Misty: "Double tackle attack!"
Bayleef and Poliwhirl rush towards Arbok and Weezing, slamming them both into Wobbuffet and Team Rocket.
"Now let's finish this!" Ash yelled.
"Yeah! Poliwhirl! Watergun attack!" Poliwhirl's watergun soaked Team Rocket and sent them sliding across the ground.
"Pikachu! Thunder attack!"
"PIKA CHUUUUUU!" A massive lightning wave connected with Team Rocket. Causing an explosion, sending all of them flying.
"This wasn't my idea of getting a present!!" James yelled.
"It looks like the only present we ever get is flying lessons!" Meowth replied.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!..Wobba! Wobba!"
"Gooood bye!" Ash and Misty said as they laughed.
"Well, this has certainly been an interesting birthday for Misty." Brock said.
"It sure has…Uh hey! What time is it?" Misty asked.
"12:05."
"It's officially your birthday, Misty." Brock said.
"Like, you haven't blown out your candles yet, Misty." Lily said.
"Come on! Let's get back to the restaurant so she can do it." Ash said.
Five minutes later:
"Okay, sis, make a wish." Daisy said as she looked over Misty's shoulder.
"Hmmm…" Misty smiles and takes a deep breath, blowing out all 16 candles on her cake.
"Yay!"
"So, Mist, what did you wish for?"
"I can't tell you Ash. Otherwise, it won't come true." Misty smiles at him.
And so, Ash, Misty, and Brock had lived one very exciting day together in their Pokemon journeys. Misty has a new Pokemon, celebrated her special day with friends and family, and who knows? Maybe we'll find out just what that wish was, as our friends' adventures never end, on the road to Johto.
To Be Continued…
Writer's Notes:
Pokemon © 1997-2001 Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak, TV Tokyo, ShoPro, JR Kikaku. Pokemon, Pikachu, and all other Pokemon character names are trademarks of Nintendo. Used without permission.
This was my first attempt to write a Pokemon fanfic. So far, I've managed to write fanfics for Oh My Goddess and Pokemon. I tried to make this like a TV episode. I hope you guys like it. I hope I got most of the attack names right. Most of them I just pulled off the TV show and from what I could remember. Disappointed about there being little AAML in this chapter. Not to worry. It will be more prominent in later chapters. Up next: The Doubles Duel. Ash and Misty find out about a doubles Pokemon battle tournament for coed teams in Magenta City, with a chance for both of them to win a special badge.
To Catch a Wooper
Today, Ash, Misty, and Brock have taken a rest on their travels to Johto outside of Magenta City. Brock had left earlier that morning to take care of some arrangements in the city. Ash had already known what Brock was up to since he helped plan a surprise for Misty. Meanwhile, Ash and Misty are relaxing at a nearby river, with Misty upstream fishing, and Ash resting under a tree pondering an important question.
"Misty's 16th birthday is tomorrow. And I still haven't figured out what to get for her yet. Any ideas Pikachu?" Ash turned to Pikachu, who was sleeping peacefully next to him.
"Piii ka…" Pikachu opened his eyes just enough to answer Ash.
"Oh sorry, buddy. I forgot you were taking a nap." Ash said as he patted Pikachu softly on the head.
"Maybe some flowers? Nah. I need something that she'll really like. But what do girls like?
"Piii ka…" Suddenly, Pikachu felt a tugging at his tail. In a quick defensive reaction, Pikachu immediately discharged a thunder shock, shocking Ash to send him up into the air and into a tree branch. Falling back to the ground, he landed face down in the grass; smoking coming off of him feeling numb from the sudden shock treatment he'd just received.
"Oww. Pikachu, what was that about?"
"Pika! Pika pi!!!" Pikachu responded pointing towards Ash's direction.
"Did you see something around here? Ash said as he began to lift his head. As he looked up, standing right in front of him with a big smile was something that looked very familiar to him."
******
"To Catch A Wooper"
******
"Huh? Hey, a Wooper! I wonder if it's a wild one?" Ash begins to pick himself up. The Wooper looked up at him and happily jumped up and down.
"Woopah!"
"Ha ha! I remember when we saw these at Alicia's place."
(Flashback to episode: No Big Woop!)
"Woopah!" All of them together.
Misty smiled. "Ha ha! They're all so cute!"
"Woopah! Woopah! Woopah! Waapah! Woopah"
"Aw, isn't that adorable?" Misty watched in amazement at the smiling faces.
"Yeah, it's almost like they're singing.
"And Alicia's Wooper is the cutest of them all."
"It sure is. It moves really cute, looks cute, everything about it is cute."
…
"How did it get all the way up there?
"Let's figure that out later."
They begin climbing up the cliff as the Wooper continues to hop upward.
"Woopah!"
"I don't think that Wooper's as cute as it used to be."
(End Flashback)
"That little guy was cute, but a handful. With enough training though, it turns into a Quagsire."
(Flashback to episode: Once in A Blue Moon)
Misty is observing Quagsire as Ash scans it with his Pokedex.
"Quagsire's gotta be one of the cutest water Pokemon ever…Hey, I'm gonna catch it (echoes)…"
(End Flashback)
"She never did catch a Quagsire. Hmmm. Wait a minute! Let's check Wooper's data again." Ash reaches for the Pokedex, flipping it open to scan Wooper. The Wooper still stood there smiling at Ash.
"Wooper. The water-fish Pokemon. Though they prefer to live in cold water, these appealing Pokemon forage for food on land. They are kept warm by a layer of insulating body fluid. Wooper is the pre-evolved form of Quagsire."
"All right Pikachu! That's it! Let's catch this little guy for Misty!"
Wooper begins jumping up and down again in a playful manner.
"Go Pokeball!!" Ash yells as he tosses a Pokeball towards Wooper, connecting and drawing it inside for a capture. The Pokeball lands on the ground, shaking. Ash and Pikachu wait patiently for the shaking to stop and the lock to activate. Unfortunately, the ball pops back open and the Wooper reappears, jumping up and down. Wooper immediately proceeds to climb up on Ash and begins licking his face.
"Hey, ahh! Cut that out! That tickles!!"
"Piii ka.." Pikachu sighs.
Ash looks down at Pikachu. "I guess we're gonna have to use a Lure ball for this one. But I already used mine for Totodile." The Wooper at that point just sat quietly on his shoulder.
"I have an idea Pikachu. I'm gonna need you to do something."
"Pika?" Pikachu looks up at Ash in a state of wonder. The Wooper jumps off Ash's shoulder and begins to run off.
"Uuuuaaah! Hey, wait!! Come back!"
"Woopah woopah woopaaaah!" It continues to run off.
"We can't lose it. Come on Ash, think…Wait!" Ash pulls out a Pokeball. "I choose you! Noctowl!" Throws it into the air. The ball pops open with Noctowl appearing in the air.
"Hooooot!"
"Noctowl, follow that Wooper and keep an eye on it until we get back!"
"Hooooot!" Noctowl flies in the direction that Wooper ran off to.
Further upstream, Misty is sitting along the riverbank as well, fishing rod in hand, with Togepi right next to her.
"Hmmm…I can't believe I'm turning 16 tomorrow. I wonder if the guys have a surprised planned. Maybe that's why Brock left so early this morning for the city. What do you think Togepi?"
"Togi breee!!"
Pikachu runs up to Misty.
"Pika! Pikachu! Pika!" Pikachu was waving his hands in a panic.
"What's the matter Pikachu? Is it Ash?"
"Pika!" Pikachu nods his head as he tugs at Misty's shirt, begging her to follow him. Immediately, she drops the fishing rod and grabs Togepi, leaving her backpack behind. As they run into the forest, a few seconds later, Ash slips out from behind a tree and makes his way over to Misty's backpack. Rummaging through her stuff, he searches for her Lure ball.
"Let see. Staryu, Goldeen, Poliwhirl, Psyduck…"
"Pop!" Out came Psyduck, appearing next to Ash. "Psyduck?"
"Uuuuuahhh! Psyduck! Get back in your Pokeball before Misty hears you!"
"Psy?" Ash recalls Psyduck back into his Pokeball. After fumbling around in her backpack, at the bottom, he finally finds her Lure ball.
"There it is! Now to catch that Wooper." Ash closes up her backpack, and takes a quick look around, making sure that no one sees him. He sneaks away and heads back to where he was at earlier. Soon enough, Noctowl flies down in front of Ash.
"Hooot! Hoot hoot!"
"Noctowl, did you find him?"
"Hooooot!" He begins to fly off, turning his head to signal Ash to follow him. A few minutes later, Ash arrives back at their campsite, not too far from the riverbank where Ash was relaxing. The Wooper was rummaging through Brock's backpack, apparently looking for food.
"There it is! Thanks Noctowl, I'll take it from here!" Ash recalls Noctowl back into his Pokeball.
"Woopah?" The Wooper pulls it's head out of Brock's backpack, smiling at Ash, and begins jumping up and down again.
"Woopah!"
"Alright, now to capture you!" Ash readies the Lure ball and winds up for the throw. Ash's expression suddenly turned to surprise as Wooper leaped towards him, knocking him over. Wooper started licking Ash's face again.
"Hey, aaahh! Stop that! Ha ha ha!!"
Wooper then hopped over Ash's head and began to run off again, this time heading back towards the riverbank to Ash's spot. Ash managed to collect himself and followed the Wooper back to the riverbank. Wooper stopped and turned around, jumping happily as Ash readied himself again.
"Go, Lure ball!" Ash managed to throw the Pokeball this time. Oddly enough, Wooper leaped up into the air, connecting with the Lure ball to be drawn in for the capture. The Lure ball landed on the ground, with the lock immediately activating, with no resistance.
"That's strange. It's almost as though Wooper wanted me to catch him. Hmm…well, you'll be in the good hands of a water Pokemon trainer. I know she'll like you."
Ash sat back down at his spot under the tree and pulled out a piece of paper from his backpack. He began to write a note and slipped it into an extra envelope he had for sending letters to his mom.
"Misty…" he said as wrote her name on the envelope. He stood up holding both the Lure ball and envelope. He looks up into the sky thinking out loud, "I hope she likes him."
"Hey, Ash!!"
"Uuuahh!" Ash immediately scrambled to hide the Lure ball and ended up hiding it behind his back. A few seconds later, he sees Pikachu running towards him, with Misty not too far behind.
"Pika! Pikachu!!" Pikachu runs behind Ash's leg.
Misty threw her backpack aside still running towards Ash, as though she was about to kill him. She stopped for a moment to put Togepi down, and immediately got in his face.
"Ash! Give me back my Lure ball!"
"W-wait! Misty, let me explain!"
"I don't want to hear your excuses, Ash Ketchum! I know you have it!" Ash had started backing up, not realizing that he was about to fall in the river. Misty was angrily staring him down. Pikachu ran away from the two, noticing that Ash was about to fall into the river.
"Pika pi!"
"(Gulp) But Misty, I wasn't stealing it. I was just borrowing it for a little…Waaaa ah ah ah! (Splash!)" Ash had slipped off the riverbank, falling backwards landing in the shallow part of the river. The Lure ball had slipped out of his hands with the envelope attached into the air. It landed a few feet behind Misty.
"Pop!…Woopah!!" Misty turned around immediately.
"Huh?" She bent downwards, looking at Wooper's cute little face. "Hey, where did you come from you little cutie?" Wooper ran towards Misty, and paused to look up at her. He climbed up and began to lick Misty's face.
"Ha ha ha! Hey, that tickles!"
"Togi breeeee!"
Misty picks Wooper up off her shoulder and looks at him adoringly. "You're so cute. Ha ha ha! Huh?" She spots the envelope on the ground with her name on it. Putting Wooper down, she reached for the envelope and begins to read Ash's note.
"Dear Misty. Happy 16th Birthday. To a great friend and water Pokemon trainer. I hope you like him. Ash…Ash caught a Wooper for me?"
"Woopaaah!"
"Togi togi bree!"
"Oh Ash…"
"Owww…" Misty had forgotten about Ash falling into the river. Ash's hat had fallen off and he was completely soaked, since the water was up to his knees. He had managed to prop himself back up.
"Oh no! Ash!" Are you alright?…Waaaah!"
Misty had slipped off the same spot as Ash, instead falling face forward and knocking Ash over again as he started to get up, landing directly on top of him. After being submerged underwater again for a few seconds, Ash managed to resurface.
"(Cough, cough) If I would've known that giving you a present like this was gonna be this painful, I would've thought of something else." Ash moved his wet, matted hair away from his eyes. He opened his eyes to see Misty looking downwards, only inches away from his face."
"Well next time, ask me before you go through my stuff!" Her angry face then turned to one of concern. "Are you okay though?"
"Y-yeah. Owww…" he groaned.
"I'm so sorry about that Ash." She moved her soaked red hair covering her eyes.
"I take it you already saw your present."
"I love it. He's sooo cute. Thank you Ash…That's the sweetest thing that anyone's ever done for me."
Ash smiled back at her. Suddenly, they had just realized the position they were in. Neither of them could figure out why they were looking at each other like this. All they both could feel was this nervous feeling in their chests and throats that froze them in their gazes. A few seconds later, they felt something swimming towards them.
"Woo paaah!" The Wooper had swum up beside them, with a big happy smile. Ash and Misty looked at each other again and laughed.
"Come on! I'll help you up."
"Thanks Mist." Misty slowly climbed off Ash and took his hands to pull him up. They climbed back up to the bank with Wooper following right behind them.
"Pika! Pi-ka-chu!"
"Togi togi breeee!"
The Wooper ran towards Pikachu and Togepi. While Ash and Misty were drying off, they were watching Pikachu, Togepi, and Wooper all play together.
"How did you find a Wooper?"
"It scared Pikachu while he was taking a nap. I guess he wanted someone to play with."
"I still can't believe you caught one for me."
"Aww, it was nothing Mist. I know you had your heart set on Totodile before when we found him and…"
"No, Ash. You won that battle fair and square. You've done a great job training Totodile. I already have enough trouble trying to train Psyduck. Besides, Totodile's a little too energetic for me."
"You've got a point there." They both laugh.
"Pikachu…"
"Togi breee!"
"Woopaah!"
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a net flies out, snaring Pikachu, Togepi, and Wooper.
"Pi-kaaaaa!!"
"Hey, what's going on?" Ash and Misty turned around immediately to see their Pokemon ensnared in the net and out in the deeper part of the river, two sets of movements in the water coming towards them. Two figures in diving gear suddenly spring out of the water landing on the bank in front of the net.
(In muffled voices)"Prepare for trouble…"
"And make it double…"
"To protect the world from devastation…"
"To unite all peoples within our nation…"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"
"To extend our reach to the stars above…"
Each takes off their diving mask, "Jesse"
"James…"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light…"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight…"
Meowth umps out of a nearby tree and does a somersault flip landing right in front of them. "Meowth, that's right!"
Ash's eyes roll up into his head. "Why am I not surprised?"
"Give us back our Pokemon, now!" Misty screams at them.
Jesse ponders for a moment. "Mmmm, no."
"We've got Pikachu, Togepi, and a Wooper to bring back to the boss. Ha ha ha ha!" Meowth cackles.
"That's what you think!" Ash and Misty answer back.
"Pikachu! Thundershock atta…"
"Wait Ash! No! You'll hurt Togepi and Wooper!"
"Go Arbok! Wobbuffet!" Jesse tosses her Pokeballs towards their direction.
"Pop! Charbokaa!…Wobbuffet!"
"Let's teach them a lesson, Victreebell!"
"Pop! Aaaaaaaaaaaah! (Chomp!)" Victreebell ends up biting James on the head once again.
"I said teach! Not eat! Eeeeeeh!"
"Go! Staryu!" Misty calls out.
"Go! Cyndaquil!" Ash calls out.
"Pop! Pop!…Hya!…Cyndaquil!"
"Arbok! Poison sting!"
"Chaaa!!!" Poison needles fly out of Arbok's mouth
"Cyndaquil! Flamethrower!!" Ash calls out.
"Quiiilll!" Cyndaquil fires a flamethrower, burning Arbok's poison sting and burning Arbok. Arbok falls over, knocked out.
"Staryu! Double edge attack now!" Staryu spins towards Victreebell, knocking him back towards James. "Tackle attack now!" Staryu boomerangs back towards Wobbuffet's direction.
"Wobbuffet! Counterattack!"
Staryu connects, but is repelled back towards a tree and slams into it.
"Staryu! Are you okay?…Staryu return!!" Misty recalls Staryu.
"Cyndaquil! Use swift attack now!!" Cyndaquil fires a star attack at Wobbuffet.
"Wobbuffet!! Counteratttack!" Cyndquil's stars repel and fire back at him.
"Quilll!" Cyndaquil is toppled over, but gets up right away.
"Poliwhirl! Go!"
"Pop! Poliwhirl!"
"Ha ha ha! Weezing, smokescreen please!"
"Pop! Weezing! Ruuuuuuahh!" A thick black fog is emitted.
"(Cough, cough, cough)." As the smoke clears, Team Rocket is already in their hot air balloon.
"Ha ha ha! We finally got your Pokemon twerps!!" Jesse points at them, laughing.
"We finally won!!" Meowth adds.
"Wobbuffet!"
Suddenly, the balloon stops moving. As they look down, Onix had a grip on the balloon.
"Ash!! Misty!!"
"Brock!!"
"Miss me, guys?"
"Thank goodness you made it back!" Misty was relieved to see Brock.
"Thanks Brock!"
"Ash! Hurry! Get the Pokemon out of there!"
"Right! Noctowl! Fly up there and grab that net!" Ash yells as he tosses Noctowl's Pokeball.
"Pop! Hooooot!"
Noctowl flies in and grabs the net with Pikachu, Togepi, and Wooper and flies back down to them.
"Aaaaaah! They're getting away!" James yelled.
Noctowl flies down to Ash, Misty, and Brock and drops the net to the ground. Ash and Misty rush over to get their Pokemon out.
"Alright Onix! Let 'em go."
"Ruuuuah!" Onix lets go of the balloon.
"Oh yeah! You're not getting off that easily twerps!" Jesse responds.
"Weezing! Sludge attack!" James calls out. Weezing flies out, preparing to attack.
"Oh no you don't! Poliwhirl! Watergun now!" Poliwhirl nails Weezing before having a chance to attack, sending Weezing crashing into Team Rocket.
"Let's send them flying, Pikachu! Use your thunderbolt, now!"
Pikachu leaps into the air. "Pikaaaa chuuuuuuu!!!!" An electricity bolt connects with the balloon gas tank, causing the balloon to explode.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!…Wobbuffet!"
"Yeah! We did it!" Ash cheered.
"Nice job guys." Brock said to Ash and Misty.
"We owe you Brock. If you hadn't come back here, Team Rocket would've gotten away."
"No problem Misty."
"Woopah!!" Wooper was snuggling against Brock's leg.
"Hey, a Wooper!" Brock picks him up. "Where'd he come from?"
"He he. Ash caught him for me. As a birthday present."
"Although I didn't think giving Misty a birthday present would be so painful."
"Huh?" Brock looks at Ash confused.
"Oh Ash, I didn't hurt you that badly."
"So Misty, you've got a new Pokemon now."
"I'm very happy."
"I'm sure you'll train this little guy really well." Wooper looks at Brock and starts liking his face too.
"Hey, ha ha ha! Stop that!" All of them laugh.
"Come on! Let's get to Magenta City!" Ash says.
After a half hour walk on the road, Ash, Misty, and Brock arrive in Magenta City. After stopping off at the Pokemon center, later that evening they head to a restaurant where there was a special surprise waiting for Misty. Brock and Ash had planned a special birthday party for her. Misty's sisters had shown up for their little sister's special day.
"Like, happy sweet 16th sis from all of us." Violet said.
"Yeah, totally. Our baby sis is growing up." Lily added.
After catching up with Violet, Daisy, and Lily for a while, Brock and Ash walked in with a cake, lit with 16 candles.
All together: "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Misty, happy birthday to you."
"Like, make a wish Misty." Daisy said.
"I don't know what to wish for."
"Come on Mist, there must be something special that you want." At that moment, Misty looked through the glow of the candles at Ash, blushed and smiled. As she prepared to blow out her candles, they were suddenly interrupted by a crash sound of plates and glass at the other side of the restaurant.
Ash and Brock turned around. "What was that?"
"Ha ha ha ha! Prepare for trouble, we're here to steal food."
"Make it double, we're here for your Pokemon too."
"To protect the world from devastation…"
"To unite all peoples within our nation…"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love…"
"To extend our reach to the stars above…"
"Jesse…"
"James…"
"Team Rocket's swiping food at the speed of light…"
"Surrender now or prepare for a food fight…"
"Meowth! That's right!"
"Why can't they just go away?" Ash sighed.
"Well, isn't this a nice occasion? The little red-head twerp is having a birthday." Jesse sarcastically says towards Misty.
"That's right, now leave us alone!" Misty angrily answered.
"You haven't made you wish yet, have you? Well, how but you wish that you give us Pikachu."
"Yeah, right! No way!" Misty responded.
"Tell you what, birthday girl, we'll even grant it for you." Meowth jumps forwards and nabs Pikachu, stuffing him into a bag.
"Pi ka!!!"
"Pikachu!" Ash yells.
"Looks like we've got a birthday present for ourselves." James says.
"Let's scram!" Meowth adds.
"Come back here!" Ash and Brock chase after them. "Misty! We'll be right back!"
"Oh no you don't! I'm coming with you Ash!" Misty followed close behind with her sisters.
All of them manage to catch up with Team Rocket outside. Luckily, Daisy had brought Starmie with her.
"Starmie! Thundershock!" Daisy called out.
"Like, totally" Lily said.
Starmie spun towards Team Rocket and zapped them, stopping them in their tracks. Meowth dropped Pikachu. Pikachu quickly rushed back to Ash.
"That's it! This calls for another battle. Arbok! Wobbuffett! Go!" Jesse tosses her Pokeballs towards their direction.
"Pop! Charbokaa!…Wobbuffet!"
"Go Weezing!"
"Pop! Weezing!"
"Like, what is that? It looks like totally weird." Lily said, looking at Wobbuffet.
"Hey, watch it girl!" Jesse glared at Lily.
"Wobbuffet…"
"(Sighs) Uuuh…"
"Daisy, watch out! That Wobbuffet's tricky." Misty said.
"Alright then. Starmie! Thundershock!" Daisy called out.
"Wobbuffet! Counter!"
The thunder shock repelled back at Starmie, stunning it.
"What was that!?" Daisy looked in shock.
"It's a counterattack move. You have to be extremely cautious with it." Brock said.
"Don't worry girls, we've got it." Ash and Misty nod to each other and ready their Pokeballs.
"Go Bayleef!" Ash called out.
"Poliwhirl!" Misty called out.
"Pop!…Bayleef! Poliwhirl!"
"Arbok! Poison sting!"
"Chaaa!!!" Poison needles fly out of Arbok's mouth
"Bayleef! Razor leaf, now!"
Bayleef tosses a few leaves, knocking out the poison needles.
"Weezing! Tackle attack!"
"Weezing!"
"Poliwhirl! Double slap attack!"
"Poli!"
Weezing begins to take a massive beating from Misty's Poliwhirl.
"Bayleef! Use your sweet smell!"
"Bayleef!" Bayleef emits an aroma, causing Arbok and Weezing to fall asleep.
Ash and Misty: "Double tackle attack!"
Bayleef and Poliwhirl rush towards Arbok and Weezing, slamming them both into Wobbuffet and Team Rocket.
"Now let's finish this!" Ash yelled.
"Yeah! Poliwhirl! Watergun attack!" Poliwhirl's watergun soaked Team Rocket and sent them sliding across the ground.
"Pikachu! Thunder attack!"
"PIKA CHUUUUUU!" A massive lightning wave connected with Team Rocket. Causing an explosion, sending all of them flying.
"This wasn't my idea of getting a present!!" James yelled.
"It looks like the only present we ever get is flying lessons!" Meowth replied.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!..Wobba! Wobba!"
"Gooood bye!" Ash and Misty said as they laughed.
"Well, this has certainly been an interesting birthday for Misty." Brock said.
"It sure has…Uh hey! What time is it?" Misty asked.
"12:05."
"It's officially your birthday, Misty." Brock said.
"Like, you haven't blown out your candles yet, Misty." Lily said.
"Come on! Let's get back to the restaurant so she can do it." Ash said.
Five minutes later:
"Okay, sis, make a wish." Daisy said as she looked over Misty's shoulder.
"Hmmm…" Misty smiles and takes a deep breath, blowing out all 16 candles on her cake.
"Yay!"
"So, Mist, what did you wish for?"
"I can't tell you Ash. Otherwise, it won't come true." Misty smiles at him.
And so, Ash, Misty, and Brock had lived one very exciting day together in their Pokemon journeys. Misty has a new Pokemon, celebrated her special day with friends and family, and who knows? Maybe we'll find out just what that wish was, as our friends' adventures never end, on the road to Johto.
To Be Continued…
Writer's Notes:
Pokemon © 1997-2001 Nintendo, Creatures, Game Freak, TV Tokyo, ShoPro, JR Kikaku. Pokemon, Pikachu, and all other Pokemon character names are trademarks of Nintendo. Used without permission.
This was my first attempt to write a Pokemon fanfic. So far, I've managed to write fanfics for Oh My Goddess and Pokemon. I tried to make this like a TV episode. I hope you guys like it. I hope I got most of the attack names right. Most of them I just pulled off the TV show and from what I could remember. Disappointed about there being little AAML in this chapter. Not to worry. It will be more prominent in later chapters. Up next: The Doubles Duel. Ash and Misty find out about a doubles Pokemon battle tournament for coed teams in Magenta City, with a chance for both of them to win a special badge.