Episode 2, All Tied Up! (part 2)

The second part of a little story about the beginning of the journey of Ash and Angie, taking place directly after my previous fiction story, "Angie's Goodbye". Updated version with improved layout, with speech now clearly separated from narrative parts. Involves some MorpheusShipping (Ash and Angie liking each other) so if you don't like that idea, stop reading here. The rest, I hope you enjoy this fan-fiction.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu uttered as it tried to free itself from Angie's arms.

It brought Angie back from her worried thoughts about what could have happened to Ash. Pikachu grabbed part of her shirt, and tried to pull the girl in the direction of where it just came out of the bushes, some moments ago, all battered up.

"That's right" she thought, "we must go find Ash, he may be in even more trouble than Pikachu was."

Even though she was eager to rescue Ash, she did keep her cool a little, and grabbed Ash's Poké Balls before running towards the eerie forest. She was hoping Pikachu would show her the way, and followed it deeper into the forest.

"It sure is creepy here," she thought, "especially since it is getting dark a little. But I must go on, for Ash!"

Sometimes she heard some noises, hoping it was a sign from Ash, but most of the times it was the wind, or at least she thought it was. Her Shinx was getting tired and she put it back in it's Poké Ball. Then she heard a shrieking sound, not far from them.

"W..What was that?" she stuttered.

"I want to run away and never stop until I am out of this creepy forest!" she thought. But she pulled herself together again. "Look, Pikachu also keeps on going. I know he does it because he is loyal to his master, Ash. But didn't the same apply to her? Ash was not her master off course, but she choose to be with him, and now she shouldn't back out when things got a little scary." her confidence grew again "I have to find Ash!" she kept thinking. All of a sudden she noticed something on the ground, a few meters away from her. It was Ash's cap! "He must be close" Angie kept telling herself, "I will soon see him again." And she was right. Behind some more bushes she found Ash, all stuck in a large web. She started to laugh.

"So that's been keeping you away! You're all tied up! I know you like Bug Pokémon, but I never imagined you wanted to live with them." she said teasingly.

"Angie, this is no time for jokes!" Ash shouted, but Angie laughed even louder.

"Too bad I didn't bring my camera. It really is a sight you know!"

Ash got a little mad because Angie was laughing over him so much, but there was no time to be angry at her.

"Angie!" he yelled.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll untie you, don't be so impatient." Angie replied.

"Angie! Ash said again, "that's not it!" as he kept on making wild movements with his arms.

"What then?" she asked.

"Behind you!" Ash yelled even louder.

Angie finally noticed the fear in his voice, and quickly turned around. Before her stood the largest Ariados she had even seen! "Eewww" she thought "what a monster" but before she could do anything the Ariados used String Shot on her, and wrapped her in it's sticky webbing.

"That's what I was yelling at you about" Ash said. "I wanted to warn you."

The Ariados finished wrapping it's web around Angie, and carried her to the large web Ash already was stuck to, and planted Angie right beside him.

"Now I am close to Ash" she thought, "but this is not exactly what I had in mind. Nice job Angie, now we're both stuck in this web. If only I hadn't been so busy laughing at Ash's sticky situation. But then again, it did look so funny, him flapping his arms and legs about, while shouting at her."

But now, there was little reason to laugh. They were both stuck tightly to the web of this large Ariados, and Pikachu was nowhere to be seen. She started to cry.

"Ash" she said, "if we don't get out of this alive, I want you to know that the last few days were the best of my life. I'm sorry I haven't been more careful and instead of saving you, ended up trapped as well."

Then, with much difficulty because the web was so sticky, she leaned over towards Ash, and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, Ash Ketchum, until my last breath. I just wanted you to know that'" and then she started crying.

For a moment Ash was stunned. He did already tell Angie that he loved her as well, but they never kissed after that confession. First, they needed all the time to get packed, and even though he was now more aware of his feelings, he still felt uncomfortable expressing them with more than words and holding hands. But this kiss felt nice, and it gave him new hope and strength.

"Now listen to me Ange" - this was the first time Ash used the short form of her name, but somehow he felt the situation was right for using a pet name for her - "Don't talk like we're going to die or so. We'll get out of this situation. Look at me!"

Slowly she lifted her head up to Ash, and looked into his eyes, like he asked her to do.

"I know that look" she thought "that is the same way Ash looked at me when he held my hand, when that spirit almost dragged me into it's world, to be trapped forever there. When Ash told me he would not let go!" Slowly she calmed down.

"But how are we going to get out of this then?" she asked him. "Do you have a plan?"

"No, but if I think hard enough, sooner or later something will come up, I'm sure," he answered.

"That sounded a lot less reassuring than what he said to her just a few moments ago. "Fine, you go work out our escape plan, while we hang around here and enjoy the vi...."

But she didn't finish her sentence. Did she really see it well? Was that Ash's cap moving towards them? "Strange, there is not even the lightest breeze" she thought, "how can his cap be..." Then suddenly she saw two yellow feet underneath the cap.

"It's Pikachu!" she yelled to Ash.

"You're right, it is!" Ash said in joy. "Well done little buddy!" and to Angie "He must have slipped away while that Ariados was webbing you, and then used my cap as cover to get to us unnoticed. Can you get us free, Pikachu?"

The little Mouse Pokémon tried to bite the strings holding his master and Angie, but the strings were too tough.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail on the web!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu jumped up in the air, and with all it's force, slammed the web with his tail, only to get launched ever higher in the air, because the web bounced back.

"Pikachu, are you okay?" Ash and Angie both yelled.

Pikachu seemed their only chance on getting out of this place, and Angie had quickly begun to like Ash's little Pokémon friend, soon after they met.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu muttered a little angry as he stumbled out of the bushes he fell into.

"So much for that solution," Ash sighed "If only we could..."

"Ash!, Angie said, "I grabbed your Poké Balls, before I left to go search for you. Maybe one of your other Pokemon can help us."

"Good job, Angie!" Ash said, while Angie started to blush at the compliment Ash gave her.

"Release Gliscor! He can cut these strings easily!" he said to her.

Angie tried to grab the Poké Balls, but her arms were tied so tightly along her body, she could not reach them.

"It's no use, Ash, I can't reach them!" she cried in desperation.

"Let Pikachu try it!" Ash answered.

Angie had to giggle as the little mouse Pokemon tried to get the Poké Balls from her pocket.

"That tickles!" she said, "oh please stop, I can't take it any longer... hihi..."

But then Pikachu got hold of a Poké Ball, and dropped it on the ground. The familiar "pop" sounded, and with a flash of light the ball opened.

"Gliscor, there you are!" Ash said.

Pikachu had gotten the right Poké Ball at the first try.

"Can you cut the strings with your scissors?" Ash asked.

"Glissscoorrrr gli.." Gliscor said and nodded towards his trainer. He braced himself and lashed out to the strings "Gliiii.....scoorrrrrr!"

The first attempt failed as Gliscor only managed to hit Ash's head, causing Angie to giggle again, but the next attempt was successful and the web that had held Angie and Ash, fell to the ground.

"Ah, that feels good" Ash sighed.

And although Angie hadn't been stuck there as long as he, she was also very relieved to be free again. She fell around Ash's neck, and almost squeezed the air out of him.

"You know I like you Angie, but when stuck in that web I had more room to breathe."

"Oh sorry..." Angie apologized. "I am just so glad I can hold you again."

"It's okay, Ange, I was also worried that I might never see you again."

She relaxed her grip a little, and Ash even started to feel a little comfortable holding her this way. "Hey, girls are nice", he thought "if you found the right girl." Then Angie's grip tightened again and she started shaking.

"What is wrong, Ange? You are squeezing me again."

But all she could say was "Sp... sp..."

Ash tried to understand what she was trying to say but before he managed to find that out, the riddle was solved, as Angie shouted "The Ariados! It's back!"

Ash turned around, and saw the large Pokémon that had captured them earlier. "Not again!" he thought, "we have to be quick!"

"Ash!" Angie cried in fear, as the Ariados was moving towards her.

"Gliscor! Do guillotine!"

"Are you sure that is the best move, Ash?", Angie asked, still with fear in her eyes. "That move has a very low chance on succeeding" she added.

"It is our only chance, Angie, and I am sure Gliscor can do it. Isn't that right buddy?"

"Gli. Gliscor" the Pokémon answered.

Gliscor looked at Ash with his familiar emotional face, his eyes almost in tears because of the faith his trainer displayed in him, then his eyes became menacing again. Gliscor jumped up high in the air and took aim at the Ariados that was now rushing towards Angie. Ash grabbed her, holding her tight, with his back turned towards the charging Ariados, to protect her from the blow if Gliscor's attack would fail.

"GLIIII......SCORRRR!" was all that Ash and Angie heard, as dust was blown up around them.

Then it became silent again. Ash opened his eyes again, and so did Angie.

"Is it over...? " Angie asked.

Ash looked around, and there lay the large Ariados, knocked out by Gliscor's guillotine.

"Yes, Gliscor did it! Just like I thought he would," Ash yelled in joy, and they danced around in a circle to celebrate it. Then Angie and Ash both thanked Gliscor for his effort saving their lives.

"Now let's get out of here!" Ash said to Angie.

"Gladly!" she said, and grabbed his hand, as they ran back to their camping spot.

"Gliscor, can you keep watch tonight?" Ash asked.

Gliscor nodded, and sat down, looking towards the part of the forest they had just escaped from. Suddenly Angie heard a strange sound.

"Sorry, that's my stomach," Ash said, "I'm starving!"

Angie thought about the dinner she had made.

"I managed to cook you something," she said, "but it must be gone all bad now"

"Now let me be the judge of that" Ash said to her.

The fire under the meal had gone out, but it was still glowing, and surprisingly the meal was still quite warm. Angie put a little on Ash's plate, so he could try it. He took a spoonful, chewed on it, than swallowed it, but said nothing.

"I knew it, it must taste awful, I'm a lousy cook, I should never have come with you instead of Brock, I will get us both poisoned and then..." Angie ranted, but Ash put his finger on her mouth.

"It is the best food I've tasted in ages," Ash said, "can I have some more please?"

It took some time for her to recover from the surprise. "He really likes what I made! Wow!" Angie thought, as she filled Ash's plate with more of the meal. As she watched him eat it with great enthusiasm, she started to blush a little. Then they heard another strange sound. "Oops, that's my stomach," she realized. She had been so busy getting something for Ash, she had completely forgotten about herself. She put some spoonfuls on her own plate, and meanwhile Ash had finished his portion, and asked if he could have more.

"Well, off course, mister Bug Pokémon hunter, Brock told me you have a healthy appetite, so I made plenty," and she filled his plate again.

Then she fed the Pokemon, giving Pikachu and Gliscor some extra for their help today. While they were eating as well, Ash and Angie put up the tents they had brought to sleep in.

"Goodnight Ash. Sweet dreams," Angie said as the gave him a little kiss on the cheek.

She wanted to turn around to walk to her tent, but Ash took her hand, and made her turn around to face him again.

"Thanks for coming for me, and saving my life," he said with an unusually emotional tone in his voice.

"That's okay," she said, "you would have done the same for me, I know."

"I know," Ash said as he nodded, "but I still would like to give you this," and he kissed her briefly on the cheek.

"Sleep well, Ange" he said in a soft voice, and turned around to walk to his tent.

For a moment she thought she was already dreaming, lying in her sleeping bag in her tent. But the cool evening breeze made her realize it was real. "Ash kissed me! Wow!" she thought. It had already been a great step for him to confess to her that he liked her as well, perhaps even more difficult than it was for her to tell him she loved him. Keeping that in mind, it gave this kiss even more meaning. She almost floated back to her tent, and didn't think any more about the frightening moments they experienced this day. She put on her pyamas, and got in her sleeping bag. And with a big smile on her face, she quickly fell asleep.

My third fan-fiction story. I apologize for any typing errors, or grammatically not 100% correct sentences. Remember, I am not a native English speaker or writer. I tried to make this story as close to the Pokémon series as possible, so that the characters will react roughly the same in this fictional story as they do in the series. Comments are always welcome, you can use the review function on this FanFiction site for that.

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any trademarks of Pokémon. Any similarities to the works of others is purely accidental, and not meant as an infringement on anyone's achievements.

21-06-2009: Changed the Pokémon that held Ash captured to an Ariados, it seems more menacing than a Spinarak.