Disclaimer: No ownage of Pokémon
Summary: Ash, Pikachu and Togepi chase clues on a Valentine's Day Treasure Hunt.
Shipping: GligarShipper

Cupid Hunter

The sun was shining on the three heroes who were sleeping soundly in the open fields. Well, under a tree at least. The sun beamed down on Pikachu and Togepi, waking them up in a refreshed mood. Togepi chirped lively and Pikachu stretched it's tiny body and lightning bolt for a tail. The two turned to the humans: Ash, Misty and Brock...except Ash had something over his eyes. A pink envelope was taped to his forehead, blocking the sun from reaching his eyes. Interesting use of eye protection. ("What's that?") Togepi wondered as it climbed on top of Ash. Looking on the envelop, there were some hearts used for decoration and had "ASH" written in the middle.

("Looks like a letter, Togepi,") Pikachu assessed. ("I'd like to know who sent it, more why it's taped to Ash's forehead like he was wearing those eye masks?") Pikachu took the liberty of removing the envelope from his master but flipped it to cover his raven black hair. At least the sun was in his eyes. It prompted Ash to stir awake and see Togepi on him.

"To...Togepi?" he groaned.

("Morning, morning!") it shrilled excitedly. Ash wasn't worried about Togepi as much as Pikachu but wondered...

"What the heck are you doing on my chest, you little-" Before Ash could finish his question, the envelope flipped back down on his face.

("You've got mail, Ash,") Pikachu joked. Ash removed the envelope from his face and examined it.

"What's this?" It's a letter to you, silly. He opened the envelope where he read the letter. "P!" No, that's not it.

ASH-
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! ARE YOU READY FOR A LITTLE TREASURE HUNT? GO TO WHERE TEAM ROCKET SHOULD BE TO FIND YOUR NEXT CLUE. CAN YOU FIND ME?

A treasure hunt? A clue? Team Rocket? No way it could be Jessie. She's much too old for Ash. "Where Team Rocket should be?" he wondered more. "What kind of clue is that?" Togepi was as stumped as Ash. Pikachu had an idea.

("Think about it, Ash,") he squeaked. ("Team Rocket is a bunch of criminals. Where to criminals go when they're caught?") You'd have to feel pretty dumb if your Pokémon out-thinks you. Hearing and understanding Pikachu, it finally clicked in Ash's mind.

'Criminals would go to jail but first, they would go to the police station. That's it!' Ash glanced at the path ahead. "We can reach the town within an hour." That's when he looked down at Misty and Brock. Dare he leave them behind? "Let me leave the two a note and tell them what's going on." Ash managed to write a note and, just like his secret admirer, stuck it to Misty's forehead. Mankey see, Mankey do.

("Me come!") Togepi offered to join. Pikachu and Ash were a bit startled. Togepi wanted to help with the hunt.

("Togepi, you stay with Misty,") Pikachu denied, worried about the safety of the spike ball. Togepi desperately wanted to come along.

("Me come! Me come!") Togepi didn't want no for an answer. Ash picked Togepi up to try and calm it down.

"If you come with me, Misty will be worried about you," Ash tried to reason. This should be the moment where Togepi would contemplate on Misty's feelings. Key word: should.

("Me come! Me come!") Now Ash was surrendering to Togepi's constant desire to join along.

"Okay, you can come." Ash was about to learn how helpful Togepi would be. They raced off in search for the next clue. Next stop: police station. It had taken Ash, Pikachu and Togepi an hour to reach the city and another half-hour to find the police station. Entering, they began to search around the precinct.

"Excuse me," a male officer called out. Ash turned to see the uniformed man approaching. "Is there a problem?" A problem involving a game of hide-and-seek?

"I received a letter this morning and the clue told us to come here." Ash handed the officer the note for him to read. It didn't help as he was left scratching his head.

"Well, this is interesting. Why would a Valentine's Day letter guide you to here?" The group was about to get an answer from another letter.

"Because I found another letter in my gun locker," sounded Officer Jenny as she came in with another pink envelope. Awkward... "I suppose this letter belongs to you, Ash?" It was another clue that Ash was handed and opened. The second letter read:

ASH-
CONGRATS ON FINDING THE SECOND LETTER. PERHAPS THIS CLUE WILL BE A LITTLE EASIER ON YOU IF YOU TOOK ALL MORNING AND AFTERNOON. THE NEXT LETTER WILL BE WHERE YOU TAKE YOUR POKÉMON TO RECOVER. CAN YOU FIND ME?

Where you take your Pokémon to recover? "It seems the next clue points to the Pokémon Center," Ash theorized. Then the Pokémon Center they needed to go. "Good thing, too. I gotta make sure my Pokémon are okay to continue." There you go, heal your creatures and find the next letter.

"Although, I'm rather frightened that someone would break into my gun locker and put the note there," Jenny pondered. "I mean, ignore the fact that all my weapons are still there. I'm just going by reputation." A rather haunting experience. The question on Jenny's mind was how someone could sneak into the station and out without detection? The investigation brought the group to the back. There...tire tracks...and they appeared fresh. "I'd estimate the treads at about eight hours so sometime after I left for sleep did this intruder sneak in and dropped the present." All done during the night? Ash would help with the task at hand but this treasure hunt was more important. He could make that stop over at the Pokémon Center.

"If you find anything, let Nurse Joy know." Jenny nodded before Ash dashed off. 15 minutes elapsed when Ash and the Pokémon entered the Center. Joy, at the receptions desk, spotted the new customer.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center," she greeted. "Do you want your Pokémon examined?" Ash reached the desk, liking her service.

"Would you please, Nurse Joy?" he asked as he placed his Pokéballs and Pikachu on a tray. A smile told Ash that everything would be all right. "By the way, has anything suspicious happened here?" Joy glared at Ash with a befuddled stare.

"No...nothing out of place. Any reason?" Dare he tell Joy of the letters? Thinking it would be helpful, Ash showed Joy the letters. She studied the two, including the one pointing Ash to here. "Fascinating. Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything suspicious. I'm not sure what I can tell you." So that's it? Was it a red herring? Was it the dead end? Joy got to the back with Ash's Pokémon and leaving Ash with Togepi. He began to wonder if maybe he was led on a wild goose chase. Here's the real eerie thing: Ash was all alone. There wasn't another trainer in the building. It concerned Ash. He knew that soon enough, Misty would be barging in and roaring a storm at Ash for taking her baby. Speaking of, Togepi was over at the desk. There was a flap of the desk that caught the spike ball's attention. It saw something and ran back to Ash.

("I found it!") it shrilled in victory. ("I found it!") Ash heard the call and turned to Misty's prized Pokémon. It waddled back over to the desk, making Ash follow. Meeting, Togepi pointed to the side of the desk under the flap. Well, what do you know? It's another pink envelope. This was hidden so well, no wonder Joy didn't sense anything wrong.

"Togepi, if you weren't Misty's Pokémon, I'd love you to death," he laughed. Togepi wasn't worried about being loved to death by Ash. Misty, maybe. Brock, questionable. Removing the envelope from the desk and hoisting Togepi onto it, Ash opened the letter and read.

ASH-
CONGRATS ON FINDING THIS ENVELOPE! I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE IT TOO EASY FOR YOU OR LET NURSE JOY IN ON MY VALENTINE'S GAME. YOU'RE HALFWAY THERE. THE NEXT CLUE: BESIDES A CANDY STORE, WHAT MAKES KIDS GIDDY? CAN YOU FIND ME?

Well, that would be mission accomplished on the unsuspecting Nurse Joy. Now came the new quest to find the next clue. That's when Nurse Joy came back with Ash's Pokémon and saw the note. "Your Pokémon are back in perfect health," Joy informed. Breaking attention from the clue, Ash acknowledged the news.

"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy," he returned. That's when Joy saw the letter.

"Is that the new clue?" Ash nodded to the question. "Where was it?" Boy, wouldn't Joy be surprised.

"It was actually under the flap here and taped to the desk on the side." Joy gasped in stunning disbelief. She had no clue.

"That would be the last place I would've looked. Whoever your admirer is, she's a real ninja." More surprisingly that she's using these skills to lead Ash on a chase and not try to kill anyone in the process. Back to the letter.

"Anyway, if I wanted to be giddy, I'd be out looking for more Pokémon." Joy and Pikachu huffed a sigh. Of course, Ash would be giddy for Pokémon. He's also missing the point.

"Not everyone gets excited for Pokémon as easily as you do. As a matter of fact, before the concept of being a trainer, what do most kids have to go with?" It should be an easy question.

"Toys, right?" Finally, something triggered Ash's thoughts. "Of course, a toy store!" About time he used his good head. A toy store seemed to be the next location. Since it was happening in the same town, his secret admirer had to be a local. The trainer was ready to go to the toy store in town. Arriving there, he continued to wonder what Misty and Brock were doing. Of course, how would they know where he had been if not for keeping the letters? The troupe looked through the aisles hoping to find the next pink envelope. An hour passed since the start of the search but so far, nothing. "This is where were suppose to find the next clue." He checked with the store owners but they didn't find anything unusual. It had to be somewhere in this store. That's when he eyed a shelf filled with plush Gligar dolls. Maybe the envelope was hidden on these shelves. "Pikachu, check up on the shelf."

("On it,") Pikachu obeyed as it leaped onto the top shelf. He looked behind the dolls. Nothing! What gives? Pikachu plopped its tail on the iron shelf in defeat. That's when it felt some sort of paper on its tail. It turned around and spotted a long strip with writing. Could this be it? It yanked on the strip. This was a twist. The next clue was written on a long strip of paper instead of the casual pink envelope. He tossed the strip to Ash who called that location well. He read it.

ASH-
SORRY FOR THE TWIST BUT THE END IS JEST. I PRESENT THE FINAL CLUE. THE FINISH LINE LIES BEHIND THE HANDS OF TIME. CAN YOU FINE ME?

The final clue...behind the hands of time? What kind of hint was that? Togepi read the note and ran off somewhere. "The finish line lies behind the hands of time?" he questioned. "What hands of time?" Togepi returned with a toy watch. Ash saw the watch and questioned what it needed. "I don't think this will fit on your wrist, Togepi." Togepi wasn't interested in the watch. That's when it acted like clock. Who knew that Togepi did imitations? It made Ash think. Hands of time? Watch? "I got it!" Picking up Togepi and Pikachu, Ash bolted out of the store and looked around. He knew that the note wasn't for a street clock. Suddenly, he remembered something. "The clock tower in the center of town!" He raced to find the clock tower...and in a strange coincidence, he passed Misty and Brock. Ash didn't bother to notice the other two, but...

"Was that Ash?" Brock wondered.

"I think so," Misty believed. "Let's follow. He has Togepi!" Now it was a dogs-cats-mouse chase. Misty and Brock were chasing Ash, Pikachu and Togepi who were chasing the secret admirer. The sun was setting and Ash and the Pokémon found the clock tower with the door open. An open invite.

"This is it," Ash huffed before running inside. Misty and Brock didn't want to waste time.

"Ash, wait up!" Brock yelled. No dice. The last two entered the tower and Misty was on her last nerve.

"Ash, bring me back Togepi!" she shouted. Ash ignored her and focused on the task at hand. Fortunately...

("Over here, Misty,") Pikachu squeaked. The two heard and turned to the Pokémon...and the letters left for Ash. Overjoyed, Misty hugged her Pokémon in relief. Brock was interested with all of the letters and sifted through them.

"Boy, someone's obsessed with Ash," Brock studied. Both wondered who would want Ash this bad?

"I'll go and make sure," Misty huffed. Togepi in her arms, Misty pursued Ash to find the truth. Through several flights of stairs, Ash wondered who it was and Misty wondered why Ash was being stubborn to turn to her. Finally, the two reached the top. The windows were behind the face of the clocks. The two sensed the presence of others behind them. There, two silhouettes, one twice as big as the other, stood on a table. Was this the secret admirer? That's when the smaller silhouette rose a leg and spread its arms out, exposing wings. That got Misty unhinged in the truth. "It-It can't be!" Ash looked on, amazed that Misty realized who it was. Suddenly, it dawned on Ash. That pose!

"Gligar?" he hiccuped. The smaller silhouette leaped and revealed itself...as a Gligar which perched itself on Ash's shoulder. All the pieces were coming together for Ash. There was one Gligar that knew him and this Gilgar answered the biggest question. "It's you, Gligirl?" The larger silhouette giggled, humored that she had been found out.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Ash," she replied. "Hello, Misty, Togepi." Togepi shrilled in excitement. Gligirl removed her helmet and leaned down to...SMOOCH! On the lips...and right in front of Misty. She became appalled and shocked that the super heroine had feelings for Ash. She pulled Brock away from similar situations but those he started. How about when the female starts it and snares one of her friends? Blushing wildly from the kiss, Ash began to fumble for words to return.

"H-Happy Valentine's Day, Latoya." That struck a chord with Misty.

"Okay, Latoya!" she snapped. "What gives you the right to take Ash on that wild hunt like that?" Man, chill out, Misty. Ash was pretty startled with Misty's outrage.

"Misty, it's all okay. Nothing bad happened and Togepi was a big help. If I didn't allow Togepi to join me, it would've taken me who knows how much longer before I found the letter in the Pokémon Center." Misty would be thrashing Ash if not for Latoya getting what Ash said.

"You're saying that Togepi volunteered to join you?" she guessed. Ash nodded, stoking Misty to question her baby.

"Is this true, Togepi?" she asked her little Pokémon. Togepi shrilled some more to confirm her suspicion. This was quite a handful of events that made Misty tired. Ash and Latoya laughed at this unfortunate setback on Misty.

"Well, we had a lot of fun today," Ash lightly stated. That's when he remembered that when Misty's around, Brock's usually close by. "Is Pikachu with Brock, right now?"

"Yeah, we saw Pikachu when we entered the tower. By the way, other than the Pokémon Center, where did you go?" Ash was ready to answer and Latoya was going to help out.

"I can help with some of the details," she offered. Misty accepted the offer as the group exited the top room...while Latoya and Ash held hands. Maybe there's more than a simple game that's wanting Latoya to bond with Ash.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!