I used to be a bit of an egomaniac. Well, okay, a lot of one. I guess it all went to my head, becoming a Pokémon Master and all. But I've changed. And no one seems to care, or even notice...
A few years ago, before I became a Pokémon Master, something happened that changed me forever. Ever heard of Humonga Dunga? A huge tidal wave; comes only once every twenty years. My rival, Ash Ketchum, who was Pokémon Master at the time, had also got a somewhat inflated ego. But winning the Pokémon League championships wasn't enough for him.
Ash wanted to be the best at everything. He set records across the world. He was quite a famous guy. All the while, resentful little me was working on my plan for revenge. Not that I ever got to carry it out or anything.
Apparently, Ash had once met this guy named Victor and his Pikachu, who had surfed the wave known as Humonga Dunga. Their flag was still embedded in the rock, although the two had long since passed away.
So, Ash had it set in his mind to surf the big wave, and do just what Victor had done. By coincidence, I was at the beach the very same day... ********************************************************************************
"Ash, hurry up!" shouted Misty. "I want to go swimming!" The redhead girl stamped her foot in impatience.
"Hold your horses, Misty, I'm coming!" Ash emerged from the building, wearing blue swim trunks and carrying a rented surfboard. "Yahoo!" he cried cheerfully. "Ash Ketchum the Great will conquer yet another obstacle!"
Misty, Pikachu and Brock watched him dance around the beach witheringly. "At least he's confident," said Misty, rolling her eyes.
"Pikapi chu," agreed Pikachu.
With shrugs, the trio followed Ash to the ocean and dove in, laughing and splashing one another.
Later, as Misty watched the clear azure sky while floating on her back, she suddenly heard a piercing whistle and a woman's voice.
"Everybody out of the water! Humonga Dunga's coming!"
Misty gasped and immediately turned over and paddled back to shore, not bothering to find Ash, Brock or Pikachu. 'It's just like before," she thought nervously.
Misty quickly ran along the shoreline and up a hill to higher ground where a crowd was standing anxiously. A pang of guilt invaded Misty's mind. She should have checked to see if her friends were okay.
The sky was brewing. Clouds were gathering overhead. The sky turned a dull grey at a rapid rate. A lone Spearow shrieked overhead. All that could be heard was the crashing of the ocean.
Misty glanced around, and, with much relief, saw Brock and Pikachu bounding towards her. "There you are!" she cried as they approached. "I was so worried that-" she paused. "You guys..." she said. Her blue eyes were wide with fear. "Where's Ash?"
*
Brock, Misty and Pikachu glanced out over the choppy waters with solemn dread. What if Ash was still out there? What if...? Misty shook her head violently. No. Ash was going to be fine. Why, he was probably searching for them at that very moment.
"There it is!"
Someone yelled out over the hushed mutterings of the crowd. A collective gasp sounded throughout the group as they all peered out. Sure enough, a wall of white foam was visible from a long way off, and it was getting steadily closer.
"Ash..." Misty murmured softly. She gazed up at the moody sky, away from the ocean. "Please. Let him be okay," she prayed, as a tear escaped from her eye.
"Oh, my God!" screamed a woman's voice. "Look! Look at him!"
Misty jerked her head back down and scanned the ocean. The wave was frighteningly close now, and... Ash?! Misty gasped with a mix of shock and delight. Ash was there! Riding the wave!
"Wow! Misty! Do you see him?" Brock's face had a relieved grin across it.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cried out, hopping onto Brock's shoulder excitedly. He was okay. But... would he make it?
Misty didn't take her eyes off of Ash. She couldn't. She wanted to look away, but her brain wouldn't cooperate with her eyes. "Come on, Ash," she whispered.
Then he went under.
"ASH!" screeched Misty. "NO! ASH!" She leaned forward over the rail, searching for any sign of him. "Preeeee!" squealed Togepi in protest, as it was being squashed between his trainer and the rail. Misty shoved Togepi into Brock's arms and took off running.
"Misty! Where are you going?" She heard Brock's frantic yell, but ignored it. Almost blinded by tears, she ran as fast as she could down to the shoreline. "ASH!" she cried in despair. "Where are you?" There was, of course, no response. Misty dropped to her knees and stared at the sand. "Where are you?" she repeated in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Hey!" cried a somewhat familiar voice. "Misty! Get back up there!" Misty looked up quickly, to see none other than Gary Oak, who'd apparently just come out of the ocean. And slug over his shoulder was Ash.
"Ash!" Misty cried. "Is he okay?"
"There's no time!" replied Gary urgently. "We have to get back up to higher ground!"
Misty quickly looked at the sea. The wave was so close.
"MISTY!" Gary shoved her forwards and began to run with Ash up to hill. Misty, stumbling a bit, followed him.
*
Ash was given CPR by someone in the group then taken quickly to the nearest hospital. Misty, Pikachu and Brock rode along with him. Not long after, he had regained consciousness.
"Ash!" cried Misty, hugging him. "I thought you were..."
Ash smiled weakly. "But I'm not, so let's just not think about that." Pikachu was all smiles, curled up next to its trainer happily. Brock, looking a bit sheepish, hugged Ash, too. "I'm glad it's all over."
******************************************************************************** I saved him. I did. And I never got one thank you. It was as if I hadn't done a thing. People still disliked me. They thought I didn't have a soul, or something stupid like that. None of them thanked me, not even Ash.
I suppose it should have been its own reward, whatever that means. But still. Ash and I were still rivals after that incident. He was never at all kind to me, even.
Humankind is weird. Cruel, even. Here I am, isolated with no friends except my cheerleaders and my Pokémon. Everyone acts nasty to me. But why? Because I used to be an arrogant little kid? I've grown up now. I know the difference between right and wrong, and I know that I deserve some respect. Everyone does.
But not even one thank you... ********************************************************************************