Chapter 4:Elves 'R' Us
The rising sun revealed the start of a new day...and two men ready to duke it out. Ash and Junpei faced each other for a spar at the crack of Dawn. Seriously, you might want to put your panties on before you get out of the hut, kid. On one side, two of Junpei's fingers and thumb on each hand formed talons of hawks. On the other side, Ash clenched his fists and began bouncing foot-to-foot, side-to-side. "I see now," Junpei recognized. "You've done boxing. Not meaning to brag but my first opponent was a boxer who didn't fight like one." So Junpei's start to his martial arts glory was a dirty boxer?
"He used his feet most of the time?" Ash guessed. "Sounds like he did kickboxing." Junpei shook his head. Not kickboxing?
"If he was, he would've had his ankles taped, not wear the boots for it." Dirty boxer. Ash agreed to the fact that the boxer was not one who belonged in a ring. Both were set. Martial artist versus boxer, one waiting for the other to make the first move. Ash became impatient. He raced in, bobbing his arms side-to-side, trying to fake Junpei out to one side while he struck with the other. Junpei didn't bite so Ash started a left jab. Junpei pushed the jab to the side and tried a palm to the sternum. Ash arched his back, evading the palm and countering with a right hook to the chest. POW! Ash's punch connected. Junpei shook the blow off and tried 1-2 punch combination. Left jab...Ash bobbed to the left. Right cross...Ash bent backwards. Junpei isn't connecting anything so far as Melissa came out to watch. Ash came back swinging but Junpei was ready. Right hook...blocked with the forearm. Left hook...blocked with the other forearm. Right uppercut...caught with the open hand. Melissa was not impressed with the spar so far. Junpei was fascinated. "Hey, you're pretty good with the Philly Defense but you're a little sloppy with your swings." Ash grinned to the grading Junpei was giving him.
"Well, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve I wanted to use." Junpei smiled, expecting to have a few dirty shots coming his way. Once reset, Junpei fired a hay-maker but Ash used both of his arms to catch the arm for a running block. He pushed and twirled for a roundhouse hook. Junpei noticed and ducked in time. The spinning hook failed...greatly. Ash fell face first into the dirt, almost knocking himself out. Melissa got a little worried that Ash was hurt and ran over to him. Ash shook off the miss and got to his feet, prompting Melissa to stop.
"Damn, you almost had me there." Ash dusted off the dirt from that fall.
"Well, you didn't win six championships without something up your sleeve, right?" Finally, Melissa arrived. In a motherly state, she yanked Ash toward her as protection. Ash was a bit startled with Melissa's step.
"Stop what you're doing right now, Junpei!" she protested. "You will no longer hurt this child!" Overreacting seemed to be Junpei's thought process. As he steamed in frustration, Ash opted to settle her down.
"It's just a spar. Nothing to get dramatic over." Melissa appeared to jump to conclusions. She began to distance herself from the men, alerting Junpei.
"Is something up, Mel?" he asked. She stuttered a bit but recovered at seeing the position of the shadows.
"I do apologize," she sighed. "I woke up and was ready to head to the temple for morning prayer when I saw your...spar." Morning services, a time to pray for good will. "I was also hoping that the girls would come and join in the services as well. However, I'm not sure I could accept Ritsuko with her cache of weapons or Celcia since...well..." Since she's an elf...got it.
"Don't...remind me..." Ash groaned. Junpei and Melissa got to wondering what that was about, not reminding Ash about...it might have been last night. Ash opted to waive Melissa off. "Look, head on over to the temple. We'll see you later." Just like that, she's...staying?
"Actually, is it all right if you come?" An invite for both to join in the morning prayers? Both gazed at each other, wondering if morning services might help. They weren't the only ones. Pikachu and Piplup came out, wondering what was going on outside. Melissa looked at the two, thinking that they would want to join as well. "You two are welcome to join us." A thoughtful gesture. Sure, the creatures would love to come along.
"Okay, gimme a sec to leave Dawn a note." He entered the house and exited. With Pikachu and Piplup, the group made their way to Ohfun. Inside a white church, the hums of "Mylee" echoed through the halls. Melissa read a sermons from a book that was chosen for today's service as Ash, Junpei and the Pokémon watched. Pikachu and Piplup were fascinated with her sermon's reading. Ash? Junpei? Bored out of their minds. So bored, they fell asleep midway. Okay, they stopped paying attention.
"So, what happened last night?" Junpei opened. "I noticed your bag was empty." Ash could wonder about where Junpei was going with this. Wait...what business was this where for him to discuss on.
"I just sat by the pond and skipped rocks for awhile." That's all he could say? Strong case saying that he didn't want to discuss the elves who came by as well.
"Why the hell would you be skipping rocks all night?" Could Ash reveal the truth of Celcia and Celecia?
"Nervous, a bit." Guess not. Even Junpei wanted to scoff the concept of Ash being nervous.
"Talk about unprofessional."
"Can you blame me? You're five times stronger and more skilled in hand-to-hand combat than me." Another scoff billowed from Junpei.
"Just because I'm bigger than you doesn't necessarily mean I'm better. I mean, you came out with that Tornado Cross that I wasn't ready for. Then again, you'd be suitable for Muay Thai kickboxing, not just American-Style fisticuffs." Ash seemed intrigued with Junpei's suggestion of a martial art class for him to join the boxing he's got.
"Do you really see me in kickboxing?"
"Well, yeah! I could train you in that, as well as your creatures. I'm a 3rd degree black belt in Karate, 4th degree in Kenpo and 2nd degree in kickboxing." Karate, Kenpo and kickboxing in one. That's a true mixed martial artist. Ash thought about the offer of being a martial artist like Junpei. Then again, he would be willing to use that and transition it to his Pokémon. However, there was no timetable for them to return to the Pokémon World and he was with Cynthia, the Pokémon champion. Of course...even with that, Ash couldn't use it on anyone back home because of a zero-contact law which prohibits trainers from fighting without their creatures. What could he do? He saw a chance to workout the Pokémon but he didn't want to return a killing machine. He began to walk out.
"I'm gonna need a moment to think." With that, Ash exited the room and entered the hallway to think on this offer. Probably not the best place when three young women in white priestess outfits come walking by as well. The tallest blue-haired female with the same squinted eyes as Brock. The shortest was an orange-haired with blue eyes. The last was a redhead, practically the middle of the three. She had auburn brown eyes, not to forget the thickest eyebrows. All three saw Ash, pondering the thinking. However...
"Hey, didn't you come here with Miss Melissa?" the orange-haired girl recognized. That broke Ash out of his thinking. Seeing the three girls, Ash seemed straight. Guess he's use to seeing lovely young ladies.
"Yeah, she invited me to come, along with another man and a couple of Poke- I mean pets." The three became somewhat dumbfounded. Pets in a place of worship? They huddled.
"I don't think we accept pets in the temple," the blue-haired girl pointed out.
"Maybe Miss Melissa wanted to excuse them from any hunting, legal or otherwise," the redhead figured. "Still, don't you think in a few years, he could be worthy of being my champion?" Uh oh! Ash could be in trouble.
"Nah uh, he'll be my champion!" the orange-haired argued.
"In your dreams!" The blue-haired one wanted this squabble to stop. Ash was staring into the argument.
"Gannet, Anna, let's learn about him first," she suggested. The other two stopped and agreed, breaking from their grouping.
"Sorry about that. We kinda had a disagreement." Ash waived it off.
"Don't worry about it," he sighed with a smile. "What's with Melissa that you're interested about?" The orange-haired girl stood forth to explain.
"You see, we're her best followers," she started. "We get pretty worried about her going out with that dumb champion, Louie the Loser." Ouch! Three girls who turned Louie down, that had to hurt the emotions.
"Yeah, that so-called magician, we hear, uses his bare knuckles than his brain a lot," the redhead added. "We still can't believe Mylee would choose him for Melissa!" Ash sighed, feeling his mental bar dip. Was he regretting being helped by Louie from the ogres?
"Louie would be higher on the bar than another friend of mine," he grumbled. "Whenever he comes across a pretty girl like you three, look out!" You can bet he was referring to Brock. The three girls seemed a little scared about the new man that could haunt them. But the redhead stepped up, cupping Ash's chin. Oh boy...
"Well, I think we'd rather have you than Louie or that friend of yours." She was hitting on Ash? This could be trouble.
"Gannet!" the orange-haired girl snapped. "No fair!" That could mean she's Anna. Without warning...
"What's are all three of you doing to Ash?" sounded Melissa. Was the sermons over for the day? The ladies jumped at her tone.
"M-M-Miss Melissa!" Gannet shrieked. "Are you done with today's session?" Melissa nodded, saying that the day was finished.
"I am, but what are you doing pestering this young man who was deep in thought?" Hey, give them a break. They were curious.
"You see, it was our day off today from priestess training so we decided to stop by and help you with the sermons," Anna tried to excuse their actions. "We saw you come to the temple today with some muscled jerk and...him." Were they afraid to ask Melissa if they could keep Ash?
"Uh, Miss Melissa," the blue-haired girl spoke. "We don't...allow pets in the temple, do we?" You can bet Melissa had an answer for that.
"They are actually guardians for young Ash," she replied. "They keep the man safe while under his control." Smooth, Melissa. The girls acted clarified about the ruling. "Now, if you are done with his business, you should get moving." The girls obeyed and walked off. Ash better be thanking...why was Melissa sneering? "So, they listen to Melissa the most." She can't be Melissa. She removed the hair...
"Airi?" Ash guessed. It was Airi as Melissa. She's good.
"I do apologize. Those girls aren't really cut out for you." That's a shame. "Come on." Both Ash and Airi exited the scene, the temple altogether. The noise prompted Junpei and the Pokémon to peer outside.
"Was that Miss Airi?" he wondered. And would you look at that...Melissa was still on the podium. Meanwhile, Ash and Airi were at the tavern with Louie, Jeanie, Ila and Merrill. A meeting of some sort.
"I know it's not really a mission of some sort but someone wants a party to deliver these rare herbs to the so-called Phantom Forest," Merrill informed. "And because there's little money, I'm bowing out of this errand." Someone in need of herbal delivery. The fact that there was little payment made Airi believe Merrill was money hungry.
"So, without a big score, there's no reason to go on these adventures," she pieced together.
"Damn right! This is more of get in, get out. No real purpose to do it." Not necessarily to Ash. To him, it was an opportunity to explore more lands.
"Excuse me if I may correct you, Merrill," he spoke up. "But ever think that there may be the thrill of new places to explore like the Phantom Forest?" It's not a bad argument but...
"You don't get that thrill if you've been there before," Louie pointed out. Better point. Ash figured that they've gone through the forest. "Of course, that's where we met Celecia." Now, it made sense. However, it also clicked in Louie's head of a plan. "Hey, I have an idea." An idea Merrill and Jeanie knew wasn't good.
"Oh boy," Merrill groaned. Let's hear his plan.
"Since you like to see new places, you can go and run the errand." Not a bad idea from him.
"Hey, I like the sound of that!" Ash cheered with glee. You know, not everyone agreed to this plan.
"Just a second, you two," Jeanie barked. "Don't you think it's reckless to send a child toward the Elven Village? I mean with the trolls, goblins and what-not strolling around..." Dangers...that's what had Jeanie worried. Of course, someone would have the audacity to measure Jeanie's toughness.
"If you're so worried about him getting hurt," Airi started. "Why not join him on this... 'errand?'" Was this a test for Jeanie to prove her...woman-hood?
"Don't assign me to babysitting duties." You were the one who suggested Ash not go alone. "It's enough of a problem with the magician. Perhaps he should go with him." Louie? That' who she glared at. Unfortunately, he wasn't in the mood.
"If I go out, I have to bring Melissa as well," he proclaimed. "That's in the contract I was forced into. And you know how much she hates going through those woods." What proof did he have that Melissa hated traveling through there? The monsters inside those woods?
"If it's any problem, I would go instead and keep Brave Boy company," Ila offered. That startled Louie a bit.
"Ila, you sure?"
"Yeah, keep in mind that I just received a shipment of magical items that I'd like to test in the open field." That's one who's prepared. That's when Ash had a suggestion of his own.
"Say, you think Celcia would like to come with?" he wondered. "I mean, she's an elf too." Airi realized where Ash was going with this offer.
"Indeed, she could fit in with the village without struggle," she added. Ash and Airi provided a good case.
"That's a great idea," Ila agreed. "We can head back to the household and collect her for the trip." Ila was happy but back at the house...
"As fascinating as it sounds, NO!" Celcia barked. She denied the offer of going with the rest. Ritsuko, Cynthia and Dawn watched.
"I would agree with Miss Celcia on this," Ritsuko opened. "We should be concentrating with trying to find our way back to our home worlds, not go on these trips to substitute the issues." A rather strong argument there. Ila was ready for the punches.
"You guys think you can find any clues by standing around and doing nothing?" she snapped. "From all we know, we could find something that can help us altogether." Don't forget about what the village had. Celcia would blend in perfectly.
"Besides, we're talking about a village of elves and without Junpei, you don't have to worry about him stripping the clothes off of elves." Yeah, let's leave Junpei behind like back at the temple.
"I don't know," Celcia pondered. "Meeting elves without Junpei would be a good day since he doesn't have to tear the clothes apart. Can I consider Brock as well? I've tried his cooking and it's something I doubt I can match." Using Brock as a carry-on chef. For Ash, it didn't sound like a bad idea.
"You bet." Celcia seemed happy. Cynthia was more optimistic.
"I doubt Ash will give you trouble on your journey to the Elven Village," she promised. Celcia knew that Ash wasn't going to be an issue. She had that talk last night. Dawn had gone inside to tell Brock that he was on cooking duties, much to Brock's delight. After a while to prepare, Ash, Brock, Celcia, Ila and Pikachu began their errand, carting a crate. That had to be the herbs the villagers requested. However, Ila's magical items were not needed. No encounters. No chance for Ash to show some of those skills he trained with Junpei. They reached the woodland village, home to a host of pointy-eared people. There were the male elves working hard to protect the forest and female elves cleaning the houses and all that was inside them. There were even little elves who were playing with a ball.
"So, this is the village where Louie and the rest were incarcerated," Ila awed. "Louie told me about how he used a boar he killed to smuggle my Demon Whistle and escape. I still can't get the pork stench out of that whistle." Yuck! One of the elf kids kicked the ball over everyone's head, but into Ash's hands who caught it effortlessly. The kids, three boys and two girls, came over to meet the human. They weren't scared, but excited to see Ash and Pikachu.
"Hey, thanks for catching our ball!" one brunette young elf boy cheered. Ash tossed the ball back to allow them to continue playing.
"No problem," he scoffed. A redhead elf girl stepped up, a question on her mind.
"Say, is it alright if you play with us?" she asked. "We were told that humans were wicked but you don't look like that." That's rather nice of her to say. Ash nodded and with Pikachu, they played with the elven kids.
"Guess humans are not normally welcomed around here," Brock studied. Apparently not.
"No, because of the history between man and woodland beings is a clash where one would start a fight and explode to a war of mob mentality," Ila expressed. Wait...were none of these young elven women not appealing to Brock? Even Celcia was wondering about this turn of events.
"Do none of these women get your desire, Brock?" she teased. Brock didn't flinch to her mocking...and there seemed to be a reason behind it.
"They're all married." Really? Not one elf for him? "Every female I see, they're wearing rings which appear to be designed out of leaves. It's proof that these women are either married or engaged to someone else. I've yet to see a ring-less hand." It's a strong case. As the girls looked around, three elderly elves stepped forward. They were donning white priest gowns.
"Ah, another elf has appeared in this desolate village," one in front gawked. "And I suppose you're a spy who captured these humans as prisoners?" Wrong case, sir.
"No, we came to deliver the herbs you requested," Celcia corrected. "These humans are escort in case we ran into problems." The elders got the message now.
"Very well. Follow us." The three obeyed and tailed the elders to a hut, leaving Ash and Pikachu to play with the kids. Inside the hut, Ila and Brock were told not to enter. It's a meeting amongst the elves. "Celcia Marie Claire, thank you and your escort for delivering the medicinal herbs to the village. The reason we've disallowed the human is because a day ago, our village was trespassed." A human entered the village?
"I can assure you that none of the humans, not even those two had seen this village until a little while ago." The debate had started.
"We doubt your claim," another elder shot it down. "Two of our soldiers were killed by someone with hair of the clear sky." Casualties. No wonder they were showing apprehension. The third reached for something and presented...a "G?" The yellow "G" appeared to be ripped from some sort of clothing. The "G" had an interesting font. "This was what one pulled off before expiring." Celcia studied the cloth, wondering who could kill elves that were protecting this village. She's never seen it before. Maybe one of the humans did.
"Let me show this to the escort." She rose and stepped out. Brock and Ila turned to Celcia. "Brock, I need your help." She presented the "G" to Brock who went cold with spite. He knew it off the bat.
"That's Team Galactic's insignia!" he answered. Team Galactic was here? "This isn't good." No kidding. A member of that group ready to tear this world apart after the trainers' described the events prior to arriving here?
"Witnesses say that it was a man with hair the color of clear skies." That had Brock on alert. He knew who had that description.
"Cyrus...what could he want, now?"
"I don't know," Ila shrugged. "But from your tone, nothing good." Nothing good indeed. Could Cyrus be the key in returning the elf hunters and trainers back to their home? To those teams, the quest to return has just begun.
TO BE CONTINUED...