Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. All characters are the property of
Nintendo, et al. The story is the only thing that I have the right to, so
do not try to sue me.
This is my first attempt at writing Fan Fiction. I am doing this as an experiment so please be kind and don't flame me.
Chapter 1: The Preparations
June 11. It was 5:30 in the morning and as the morning sun began to rise high on the horizon over Pallet Town, most people were still sleeping. But at the Ketchum residence this morning, there was hustle and bustle mixed in with a whole bunch of chaos.
"Misty! Hey, hurry up Mist! We're gonna be late! Brock is waiting on us and Tracey's gonna be here very soon." Ash called through the bedroom door where Misty was getting dressed.
"I know, Ash! I'm just about ready. Be patient." Misty replied, getting slightly exasperated because she was being rushed.
"Calm down, honey. You should know by now that it takes women a lot longer to get dressed than men. So many tough decisions." Delia Ketchum said to her son in an attempt to calm him and keep him from climbing the walls.
"I know, Mom. I just don't want to be late. This is only an extremely big day. I mean, we are all going to be exploring a new frontier and who knows what new aspects I can get in my Pokemon training. I wonder if people will have their Pokemon where we're going. What do you think, Pikachu?"
"Pi pika pikachu, Pikapi. Pik pi pichu Pikachupi chu Pikapichu pika pika chu pika. (I don't know, Ash. But I do know that you are going to drive Misty and Brock crazy if you don't calm down.) Pikachu replied to his trainer's question.
Delia just smiled at her son as she noticed that Misty had emerged from the bedroom. She decided to get Mr. Mime to help her with breakfast and let Misty try to talk to Ash.
"Pikachu does have a point you know, Ash. You really should try to calm down. It really won't be all that bad. I know you're nervous but according to what you told me before, Professor Oak has an idea to help eliminate your dilemma."
"Yeah, I know, Mist. But it still makes me nervous because I know that deep down, even though you are afraid to tell me, it makes you nervous. This trip is going to be the chance of a lifetime and I am thrilled that you and I are going and that Tracey and Brock will be there as well since we have all shared so many adventures together already. The only thing that bothers me is that I probably won't remember most of the travel getting there. That's supposed to be the best part of the whole thing." Ash replied, looking away for a moment.
Misty put her hand on Ash's shoulder and turned him around to face her. She wanted to make sure that she had his full attention when she said this. "Ash, I am nervous about what you told me. For the past several days it has had me very distracted. I don't know if you will remember anything because this wasn't my plan. But I do have an idea. As soon as Trace gets here we can go over to Professor Oak's and ask him about it before we pick up Brock. Come on, let's get our stuff loaded into the car so that we'll have enough time."
"Thanks, Misty. I can always count on you." Ash smiled.
"What are girlfriends for. Let's go."
Ash and Misty finished loading their luggage into Ash's car and went to sit down on the couch. They were talking about their trip that they were taking aboard the new, improved, safer S.S. Anne on a tour of several beautiful islands just east of the mainland.
"I don't understand what could be keeping Tracey. I really want to ask Professor Oak about his solution to my travel dilemma so that I can be sure what to expect. I wish he would hurry. It isn't like him to be late." Ash let Pikachu perch back on his head and then he went to look out the window.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang just as Ash was getting up off of the couch. He hurriedly rushed to answer the door. When he opened it, he was relieved and delighted to see Tracey standing there smiling, luggage in hand.
"Hey, Ash! What's up?" Tracey said happily.
"Not a lot, Trace. I see you're ready. What took you so long? We were starting to get a little worried about you."
"Yeah, I've been ready. Sorry about being late. I didn't mean to worry you but Professor Oak asked me if I would feed the Pokemon at the lab before I left to come over here. One of the Tauros gave me a little trouble by refusing to eat so it took me a little longer than expected. Oh hi Misty, Pikachu."
"Hi, Tracey." Misty grinned, walking over with Pikachu to join them in the entrance hall.
"Pi pichu pika, Pipichupipika." (Good morning, Tracey.) Pikachu greeted him as he jumped on top of Ash's head.
"Say, Tracey. Speaking of Professor Oak, we were wondering if we could swing by the lab for a minute before we go to pick up Brock and head for the airport because Ash needs to ask him a question." Misty asked as she wrapped an arm around Ash's waist.
"Sure, why not. I need to check on that Tauros anyway. When do you guys want to leave?" Tracey already knew what Misty was getting at all to well and answered the question skittishly.
"As soon as we can get your stuff loaded. With the exception of Misty's laptop here, all of our stuff is already ready." Ash replied as the trio hurriedly loaded Tracey's luggage into the trunk. Then they went back inside to say goodbye to Delia.
"MOM! We're leaving!" Ash called into the kitchen. A few minutes later his mother emerged, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Okay. You guys have fun and I'll see you in two weeks, Ash. Oh, and before I forget to remind you, make sure you change your…."
"I KNOW! Anyway, bye Mom." Ash called over his shoulder as he ran out the door and leapt into his car, followed closely by Pikachu.
"Bye, Mrs. Ketchum." Misty and Tracey said and then turned to bolt after Ash.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It took less than five minutes for the excited trio to reach Professor Oak's lab. They walked in and found Professor Oak looking over some reports from that morning.
"Did you forget something, Tracey? Oh hi Ash, Misty. How are you today Pikachu. Excited?" Professor Oak said.
"PIKA!!!!" (You bet I am!!!!)
"The reason we came back over here was because I needed to ask you something about what you said you had for me to solve my travel dilemma. You told me a little bit but I need to know exactly what I am getting myself into." Ash said as he noticed Tracey look nervous and then turn to leave.
"Wait, Tracey. I think you need to hear this as well. What I am going to tell Ash will be of relevance to you as well." Ash and Misty looked at each other baffled for a moment and then dismissed the comment and turned their attention back to Professor Oak. "As I was saying Ash, my solution to your situation is a relatively simple one. Since you get nervous during the first part of a flight, my solution is that you don't know it is happening at all even though it is. Now before any of you three accuse me of being crazy, let me explain. (Obviously he was oblivious to Pikachu who was standing behind Ash and making faces at him) You all know that I specialize in studying and treating Pokemon of all types, but just in the last year I have been working with a doctor friend of mine so that I can also treat humans in extreme emergencies."
"That's all well and good, Professor, but what's it got to do with me and Tracey?" Ash nervously interrupted. Tracey shot him a glance and Ash could tell that Tracey probably was wondering the same thing.
"I was just coming to that when you interrupted, Ash. Now please let me finish. As I was saying, when you told me about your problem with flying and asked me to help you I called my friend and got his advice. We both came to the same conclusion which is…" Ash and Tracey both drew in a deep breath. "That the best way for you to miss the bad part of flying is for you to sleep through it."
"That would work but there's a problem."
"What's that, Ash?" Professor Oak hadn't counted on this.
"I'm too excited to be sleepy." When Ash made his comment, Professor Oak sighed and his three companions sweatdropped simultaneously.
"Actually, that isn't going to be a problem. My friend sent these to help with this problem." He held out a small tube for them to see.
"What are they, Professor?" Tracey spoke up this time, beginning to look extremely nervous about the answer to his question.
"A very good question, Tracey. But before I answer it I want to say that this will NOT put you in any danger, just make the travel to meet the ship smoother for you. These are simply some sedatives that will make you sleep during the takeoff part of the flight. As I told you before, you won't even know that you have taken to the air until you wake up. By then you will be well underway. Now, is there anything else you would like to ask me?" Professor Oak put the tube into Ash's outstretched hand.
"Yes. How much of the flight will I actually miss?" Ash asked as he felt Misty squeeze his hand. He squeezed back not as much to prevent her nervousness as to calm his own.
"Well, Ash. You should take one of these at each takeoff. Make sure you don't take one too far in advance because they take effect quickly and things can get very dicey quick if you do. Since you guys are going to have a three-day flight then I'd say you won't miss that much. Each time you take one of the sedatives, you'll be out for about two hours but after that you should recover yourself rather quickly."
* GULP *
"Do you have any other questions?"
"Yeah. I'm still wondering what all of this has to do with Trace."
"Well…" Professor Oak began, placing a similar tube into Tracey's hand.
"Wait, I'll answer this one, Professor Oak." Tracey interrupted. "See, Ash. I have the same problem you do. Ever since I watched you fall from a flying Pokemon in the Orange Islands I haven't been able to fly without getting nervous."
"Oh. Well at least I know I won't have to go through this alone." Ash laughed nervously.
Misty had moved to the back of the lab near the end of the discussion and now stood there looking pale and confused. "What else am I going to have to deal with. I can't believe what I am hearing. Hopefully I'll still have Brock to talk to." Misty thought. "What else can go wrong?" Misty whispered, putting her head in her hands.
"Pi?" (What?) Pikachu asked her.
"You say something, Mist?" Ash turned to look at her.
"Nothing. Anyway, we should get going. Brock's probably getting worried. Let's go." Misty replied as she turned away.
"Right." The boys said at once.
After saying their goodbyes to Professor Oak, the group left the lab and headed for Pewter City. As they drove off, Misty got on the cell phone and called Brock and told him they were coming.
This is my first attempt at writing Fan Fiction. I am doing this as an experiment so please be kind and don't flame me.
Chapter 1: The Preparations
June 11. It was 5:30 in the morning and as the morning sun began to rise high on the horizon over Pallet Town, most people were still sleeping. But at the Ketchum residence this morning, there was hustle and bustle mixed in with a whole bunch of chaos.
"Misty! Hey, hurry up Mist! We're gonna be late! Brock is waiting on us and Tracey's gonna be here very soon." Ash called through the bedroom door where Misty was getting dressed.
"I know, Ash! I'm just about ready. Be patient." Misty replied, getting slightly exasperated because she was being rushed.
"Calm down, honey. You should know by now that it takes women a lot longer to get dressed than men. So many tough decisions." Delia Ketchum said to her son in an attempt to calm him and keep him from climbing the walls.
"I know, Mom. I just don't want to be late. This is only an extremely big day. I mean, we are all going to be exploring a new frontier and who knows what new aspects I can get in my Pokemon training. I wonder if people will have their Pokemon where we're going. What do you think, Pikachu?"
"Pi pika pikachu, Pikapi. Pik pi pichu Pikachupi chu Pikapichu pika pika chu pika. (I don't know, Ash. But I do know that you are going to drive Misty and Brock crazy if you don't calm down.) Pikachu replied to his trainer's question.
Delia just smiled at her son as she noticed that Misty had emerged from the bedroom. She decided to get Mr. Mime to help her with breakfast and let Misty try to talk to Ash.
"Pikachu does have a point you know, Ash. You really should try to calm down. It really won't be all that bad. I know you're nervous but according to what you told me before, Professor Oak has an idea to help eliminate your dilemma."
"Yeah, I know, Mist. But it still makes me nervous because I know that deep down, even though you are afraid to tell me, it makes you nervous. This trip is going to be the chance of a lifetime and I am thrilled that you and I are going and that Tracey and Brock will be there as well since we have all shared so many adventures together already. The only thing that bothers me is that I probably won't remember most of the travel getting there. That's supposed to be the best part of the whole thing." Ash replied, looking away for a moment.
Misty put her hand on Ash's shoulder and turned him around to face her. She wanted to make sure that she had his full attention when she said this. "Ash, I am nervous about what you told me. For the past several days it has had me very distracted. I don't know if you will remember anything because this wasn't my plan. But I do have an idea. As soon as Trace gets here we can go over to Professor Oak's and ask him about it before we pick up Brock. Come on, let's get our stuff loaded into the car so that we'll have enough time."
"Thanks, Misty. I can always count on you." Ash smiled.
"What are girlfriends for. Let's go."
Ash and Misty finished loading their luggage into Ash's car and went to sit down on the couch. They were talking about their trip that they were taking aboard the new, improved, safer S.S. Anne on a tour of several beautiful islands just east of the mainland.
"I don't understand what could be keeping Tracey. I really want to ask Professor Oak about his solution to my travel dilemma so that I can be sure what to expect. I wish he would hurry. It isn't like him to be late." Ash let Pikachu perch back on his head and then he went to look out the window.
As if on cue, the doorbell rang just as Ash was getting up off of the couch. He hurriedly rushed to answer the door. When he opened it, he was relieved and delighted to see Tracey standing there smiling, luggage in hand.
"Hey, Ash! What's up?" Tracey said happily.
"Not a lot, Trace. I see you're ready. What took you so long? We were starting to get a little worried about you."
"Yeah, I've been ready. Sorry about being late. I didn't mean to worry you but Professor Oak asked me if I would feed the Pokemon at the lab before I left to come over here. One of the Tauros gave me a little trouble by refusing to eat so it took me a little longer than expected. Oh hi Misty, Pikachu."
"Hi, Tracey." Misty grinned, walking over with Pikachu to join them in the entrance hall.
"Pi pichu pika, Pipichupipika." (Good morning, Tracey.) Pikachu greeted him as he jumped on top of Ash's head.
"Say, Tracey. Speaking of Professor Oak, we were wondering if we could swing by the lab for a minute before we go to pick up Brock and head for the airport because Ash needs to ask him a question." Misty asked as she wrapped an arm around Ash's waist.
"Sure, why not. I need to check on that Tauros anyway. When do you guys want to leave?" Tracey already knew what Misty was getting at all to well and answered the question skittishly.
"As soon as we can get your stuff loaded. With the exception of Misty's laptop here, all of our stuff is already ready." Ash replied as the trio hurriedly loaded Tracey's luggage into the trunk. Then they went back inside to say goodbye to Delia.
"MOM! We're leaving!" Ash called into the kitchen. A few minutes later his mother emerged, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Okay. You guys have fun and I'll see you in two weeks, Ash. Oh, and before I forget to remind you, make sure you change your…."
"I KNOW! Anyway, bye Mom." Ash called over his shoulder as he ran out the door and leapt into his car, followed closely by Pikachu.
"Bye, Mrs. Ketchum." Misty and Tracey said and then turned to bolt after Ash.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It took less than five minutes for the excited trio to reach Professor Oak's lab. They walked in and found Professor Oak looking over some reports from that morning.
"Did you forget something, Tracey? Oh hi Ash, Misty. How are you today Pikachu. Excited?" Professor Oak said.
"PIKA!!!!" (You bet I am!!!!)
"The reason we came back over here was because I needed to ask you something about what you said you had for me to solve my travel dilemma. You told me a little bit but I need to know exactly what I am getting myself into." Ash said as he noticed Tracey look nervous and then turn to leave.
"Wait, Tracey. I think you need to hear this as well. What I am going to tell Ash will be of relevance to you as well." Ash and Misty looked at each other baffled for a moment and then dismissed the comment and turned their attention back to Professor Oak. "As I was saying Ash, my solution to your situation is a relatively simple one. Since you get nervous during the first part of a flight, my solution is that you don't know it is happening at all even though it is. Now before any of you three accuse me of being crazy, let me explain. (Obviously he was oblivious to Pikachu who was standing behind Ash and making faces at him) You all know that I specialize in studying and treating Pokemon of all types, but just in the last year I have been working with a doctor friend of mine so that I can also treat humans in extreme emergencies."
"That's all well and good, Professor, but what's it got to do with me and Tracey?" Ash nervously interrupted. Tracey shot him a glance and Ash could tell that Tracey probably was wondering the same thing.
"I was just coming to that when you interrupted, Ash. Now please let me finish. As I was saying, when you told me about your problem with flying and asked me to help you I called my friend and got his advice. We both came to the same conclusion which is…" Ash and Tracey both drew in a deep breath. "That the best way for you to miss the bad part of flying is for you to sleep through it."
"That would work but there's a problem."
"What's that, Ash?" Professor Oak hadn't counted on this.
"I'm too excited to be sleepy." When Ash made his comment, Professor Oak sighed and his three companions sweatdropped simultaneously.
"Actually, that isn't going to be a problem. My friend sent these to help with this problem." He held out a small tube for them to see.
"What are they, Professor?" Tracey spoke up this time, beginning to look extremely nervous about the answer to his question.
"A very good question, Tracey. But before I answer it I want to say that this will NOT put you in any danger, just make the travel to meet the ship smoother for you. These are simply some sedatives that will make you sleep during the takeoff part of the flight. As I told you before, you won't even know that you have taken to the air until you wake up. By then you will be well underway. Now, is there anything else you would like to ask me?" Professor Oak put the tube into Ash's outstretched hand.
"Yes. How much of the flight will I actually miss?" Ash asked as he felt Misty squeeze his hand. He squeezed back not as much to prevent her nervousness as to calm his own.
"Well, Ash. You should take one of these at each takeoff. Make sure you don't take one too far in advance because they take effect quickly and things can get very dicey quick if you do. Since you guys are going to have a three-day flight then I'd say you won't miss that much. Each time you take one of the sedatives, you'll be out for about two hours but after that you should recover yourself rather quickly."
* GULP *
"Do you have any other questions?"
"Yeah. I'm still wondering what all of this has to do with Trace."
"Well…" Professor Oak began, placing a similar tube into Tracey's hand.
"Wait, I'll answer this one, Professor Oak." Tracey interrupted. "See, Ash. I have the same problem you do. Ever since I watched you fall from a flying Pokemon in the Orange Islands I haven't been able to fly without getting nervous."
"Oh. Well at least I know I won't have to go through this alone." Ash laughed nervously.
Misty had moved to the back of the lab near the end of the discussion and now stood there looking pale and confused. "What else am I going to have to deal with. I can't believe what I am hearing. Hopefully I'll still have Brock to talk to." Misty thought. "What else can go wrong?" Misty whispered, putting her head in her hands.
"Pi?" (What?) Pikachu asked her.
"You say something, Mist?" Ash turned to look at her.
"Nothing. Anyway, we should get going. Brock's probably getting worried. Let's go." Misty replied as she turned away.
"Right." The boys said at once.
After saying their goodbyes to Professor Oak, the group left the lab and headed for Pewter City. As they drove off, Misty got on the cell phone and called Brock and told him they were coming.