Chapter 4: Mer-Made for Fun

(Melody's Dream)

A castle in the depths of the ocean. Pikachu was in a bubble being carried by Melody in her camisole and her legs were replaced with pink fins. Joining her and several Water Pokémon was Ash. While he had no shirt on, Ash's legs were replaced with blue fins. "There it is, Ash!" pointed Melody. "My other home: Atlantica!" Mermen and mermaids swam out to see the arrival of Ash, Melody and the Pokémon.

"This place is… unbelievable!" he awed. "Not just this place but, you're the princess of two kingdoms?"

"I know, right? I know if Mom wanted to join us, Grandpa would." Sebastian, riding on Flounder, found Ash and Melody.

"I can't believe all these seafaring creatures you brought to Atlantica!" the yellow fish awed.

"It's like a paradise of new friends down here in da kingdom!" the crab agreed. "I'm even enjoying dis here giant crab! No way dat chef can cook something dat big without help!" As they entered, Triton came to see Ash and Melody.

"So, this is who my granddaughter has fallen for," he greeted. "Welcome to Atlantica!" Ash bowed to the king's presence as Triton saw Pikachu in the bubble. "And who's this? A mouse in a bubble?" Triton studied the ordeal. "Maybe I can help it out. Pop the bubble and I'll give it my gift." He brought out a golden trident.

"Are you sure?" gulped Ash. When Triton nodded, Ash took a deep breath. "Pikachu, take a deep breath." Pikachu gulped as he took a deep breath. Melody popped the bubble for Triton to shoot a beam, striking Pikachu. It didn't look like the beam did anything. Unable to hold his breath, Pikachu squeaked in protest… only to find out he could breathe underwater. He now squeaked in thanking Triton.

"Think nothing of it," he scoffed. Flounder took Pikachu on his back to ride around. Melody swam to her grandfather and whispered something to him. "I see. Because of your heroics, I am willing to have you as prince of Atlantica and be the young husband to Princess Melody." Triton extended a hand to Ash who accepted it without hesitation.

"King Triton, I won't fail," he promised. The handshake established, Melody gave Ash a kiss to signify the love between them.

"Let me show you around," she offered. With Ash's nod, Melody led Ash and the Pokémon around Atlantica.

Melody mumbled in her sleep. She didn't bother Misty or May. The sun rose on King Sea Island, and Misty and Azurill yawned with the lighting of their faces. She, along with Ash, their friends and Melody, arrived on the island yesterday for the AquaMon Festival. With Azurill in her arms, Misty exited her room and found her sister, Daisy, with Melody and two other young women: one was a blue-haired who wasn't as tall as Daisy but was taller than the other three, including a pink-haired young lady. "Morning, sis!" the blue-haired greeted.

"Brock's making breakfast right now," Daisy informed. Melody turned to Misty with a smile.

"I'm kinda jealous of you," she laughed. "You've got older siblings that are enjoyable to listen." Misty rose an eyebrow at the unknown princess.

"Certainly got a funny way of showing it," she grumbled. Melody gulped to her own words.

"Can I… clarify?" she wished. "I mean, you have three sisters who look out for you. I don't have a brother or sister." Misty gulped to the confession.

"Relax," the pink-haired in yellow assured. "Ash and Tracey are also only children." Melody sighed to the realization.

"So I shouldn't feel alone… That's good to know, Lily."

"Besides, we haven't felt the same since Misty returned from her reunion with Ash and Brock," Daisy recalled. She slid a photo of Misty holding a cute cream-colored creature with an eggshell as clothing. Its head looked like a spiked crown and it had stubby arms and paw-like feet. Melody awed the tiny creature.

"It's a cutie!" she awed.

"Togepi was before he evolved to Togetic," Misty summarized. "The only Pokémon I had that wasn't a Water Pokémon." This astonished Melody.

"Not a Water Pokémon?" she gasped.

"It's not a surprise, actually," the blue-haired explained. "In fact, there are 17 different types of Pokémon: Normal, Grass, Fire, Water, Bug, Flying, Electric, Ground, Rock, Fighting, Poison, Psychic, Ghost, Ice, Dragon, Steel and Dark." Melody gulped to the tally.

"Just be lucky we're all celebrating one type, though some are dual-types," Lily added before opening a ball. What appeared from light was a white seal with a horn on its head and a long flowing tail like Goldeen. "Take Dewgong for instance. Dewgong is a Water and Ice Pokémon." Dewgong barked to the girls as Melody met it.

"Well, I can't wait to see you swimming in the show," she giggled. Dewgong happily barked. Misty remembered something.

"Another would be my Corsola," she mentioned as she brought a coral reef-like creature out of another ball. It jumped from its stubby feet. "Corsola's a Water and Rock Pokémon." Melody giggled to Corsola's dual-type.

"That's an interesting Pokémon," she said.

"Speaking of rocks, I couldn't help but laugh at your reaction to when I joked about Ash and Melody being a couple," Daisy sneered. Misty jumped at the notice.

(Flashback)

"Oh… my… goodness!" shrieked Daisy. "Are you two a couple?!" Ash and Melody gawked to the idea.

"WHAT!" they shrieked. Giddy, Daisy embraced the two in a hug.

"I can see it! I knew you weren't a match for my sister! I want to see you two to be an item!" Misty's face read anger.

"If you ask me, you deeply wanted Ash as your own, right?" teased Daisy. Misty gulped to the teasing.

"Wha-" she gawked.

"Oh, but aren't you right now after Tracey?" the blue-haired recalled.

"Violet!" snapped Misty. Melody now seemed curious to this mentioned bond.

"Wait, are you a siren disguised as a trainer?" she guessed. Misty shifted her eyes to Melody, unsure how to respond. Luckily, Daisy helped with clarification.

"Not quite," she spoke up. "See, Misty traveled with Ash after she didn't know how to watch her bike or know what to do when a Pokémon was in trouble, and her bike got destroyed. She stuck with him until the Silver Conference in Johto where she got her bike back and returned home." While Melody looked confused about the word "bike" by her raising eyebrow, she did understand Misty's ordeal.

"Okay…" she figured. "So, May and Max are traveling with Ash right now but are taking a break to come here."

"Pretty much," Lily shrugged. Misty mulled to the secrets being revealed to the girl.

"Did she really have to be that blunt about it?" she groaned. Pikachu exited from another room and raced to Melody who happily greeted him.

"Good morning, Pikachu," she cooed. Pikachu squeaked happily to the welcome.

"I know you'll come to the show today at the pool stadium," Daisy suggested. "After all, you seem to dig Water Pokémon a lot." Melody giggled to the offer.

"I would want to swim with them rather than watch 'em," she admitted. All four sisters giggled, believing her. May and the boys woke for breakfast before stepping out to see the crowds. The festival was in full swing as plenty of goers enjoyed crafts of paper boats, rides with different Water Pokémon designs including Milotic and a blue sea serpent with a gaping yellow mouth. At one spot, Melody and Max found Misty and Ash signing up for an event.

"I knew you wouldn't resist this," Ash grinned.

"I knew you'd want to try your skills in this as well," Misty countered. Melody came up to see the ordeal.

"So, what are you two writing down?" she asked. A carmine-haired man wearing a red shirt with an eye on his left side came to the princess.

"Hey, hey!" he halted. "Don't crowd." Misty tried to settle the man down.

"It's okay," she eased. "She's curious." The carmine-haired took a deep breath.

"Sorry," he apologized. That's when he presented Melody with a paper.

"The AquaMon Water Pokémon Tournament?" she read the title.

"Indeed," he confirmed. "By 5:00 tonight, those signing up will be in the Festival's finale. In order to enter, a trainer must have at least three Water Pokémon. We'll have numerous Nurse Joys to make sure each competitor's Pokémon is ready for the next match." Ash had more to explain.

"Unfortunately, May and Brock only have one Water Pokémon each," Ash clarified. "Even if one were to handover another, neither one would compete." Misty blinked to Ash's briefing.

"We saw May get Squirtle from Professor Oak," she remembered. "But Brock having a Water Pokémon of his own?"

"Well, he had two, but Ludicolo's back in Pewter City," Ash thought back. "Now all he has is Marshtomp." Misty sighed at Brock's unfortunate occurrence.

"So you two are entering then," Melody concluded. "Who are you bringing in?" Rather than tell Melody, Misty had an idea.

"I know!" she snapped. "We'll show them at the show later!" Ash realized what Misty wanted and handed her four of the balls.

"I'm gonna keep Swellow for an emergency," Ash explained. "I do need an eye in the sky." Misty knew she had to see the Water Pokémon.

"Thanks," she praised. "Now if you'll excuse me, I got a show to prepare for." Misty left, allowing time for Ash and Melody to have fun together. They reached the pier where Peeko flew onto Ash's head.

"Hey, Peeko!" he greeted. That's when Ash remembered something about Peeko. "Right, Wingull and Pelipper could also be in this as well." Melody itched her head.

"You're saying Peeko can fight?" she irked.

"Well, Wingull in particular. Wingull and Pelipper may be Flying Pokémon but they also have Water traits as well."

"Interesting…" The Lapras pod wailed to Ash and Melody as they approached the two by swimming.

"Morning, Lapras!" Hearing Ash, the Lapras happily wailed. Briney appeared on another Lapras.

"Hello, children!" he greeted. Ash and Melody reached Briney while Peeko returned to his owner.

"Mister Briney!" she greeted. Briney leaped down from the Lapras to confront the pair.

"I had a chance to ride these Pokémon as you may have figured out," he pointed out. "Luckily, Pokémon don't need altars or churches to declare marriage." Melody laughed to the ridiculous claim.

"I was told my parents were married on my dad's ship," she claimed.

"Is that so…" Ash saw his Lapras with the Shiny female.

"We got time for one ride," he suggested. Melody nodded before the two boarded the Transport Pokémon. The Lapras swam out to sea with speed. Ash and Melody held on as they dove underwater. They observed more seafaring Pokémon like giant blue whales and tadpoles with swirls on their abdomen. That's when a manta swam up to Melody and the Shiny Lapras. Melody swam to the manta as the Lapras surfaced. With one stroke, the manta splashed out of the water and glided in the air.

"YYAAAAAA-HHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" she cheered. The manta's flight last 30 seconds and landed on the water's surface with ease, skimming the surface. The Shiny Lapras reached the manta and Melody, allowing the latter to board. After half-an-hour on the water, Ash and Melody resurfaced as other kids wanted to ride members of the pod.

"That Mantine gave you one heck of a flight!" laughed Briney.

"It did," she gasped. "If that's what it means to go in the sky like that, I want to do it more." Ash laughed as well.

"Make sure you have an extra pair of underclothes on hand when you do," he teased. After drying up, the two and Pikachu reached an arena with a window over the people and Pokémon's heads. Ash and Melody found May, Max, Tracey holding Azurill and Brock who was rubbing his ear. "Don't tell me…" Max nodded to Ash's paining suspicion.

"So, we're here to see Ash's and Misty's Pokémon dancing in the water?" guessed Melody.

"Not only that," Tracey pointed. "But Misty in her role with them." Suddenly, a splash from above. Looking into the tank, they saw Misty's Psyduck flailing in the water. The crowd laughed hysterically to the odd sight.

"Psyduck is one big flake…" Max groaned. A small blue crocodile with red scales sticking out of its back swam in and hoisted Psyduck to dry land. On the surface, Lily scooped up the weird duck.

"Seriously, how are you even registered as a Water Pokémon when you can't swim?" she nagged. Psyduck sighed, disappointed. She got below the glass and found Misty's friends. "Why don't you watch over Psyduck?" Melody took Psyduck from Lily, willing to comfort it.

"Sure…" she shrugged. A giant bivalve was lowered into the water by the Pokémon inside. Once at the bottom of the pool, they scattered.

"LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND POKÉMON!" a voice from the speakers announced. "THE AQUAMON FESTIVAL IS PROUD TO PRESENT THE WATERY BALLET BEST SCENE IN CERULEAN CITY! LET THE SHOW… BEGIN!" The crowd watched as the Water Pokémon gathered around the bivalve. The crocodile reached the bivalve and began dancing the can-can, jumping around and kicking one leg out before the other.

"Totodile, now's not the time to hog the show," Ash sighed. Melody heard Ash, believe that it's his Totodile.

"And I thought I was the most energetic," Melody snickered. The bivalve began to open as Misty emerged from inside. Her hair now loose and not in a ponytail, she wore a seashell bra and green mermaid fins. The Water Pokémon greeted Misty as Melody gawked to her appearance.

'Misty looks a lot like… Mom!' she gasped. The Pokémon swam with grace around Misty. After a minute of swimming, Melody saw Misty running out of air. "She's struggling…"

"It's okay…" Max assured. "The pool's filled with plenty of air pockets like in the rocks. She'll take a deep breath before emerging again." Like Max said, Misty disappeared before reemerging and swimming refreshed.

"I see…" After some more swimming, Misty left the area as the Water Pokémon frolicking freely. She surfaced at the rest of the show played on. She saw how close Melody was to Ash and wasn't exactly happy about it. After the show, evening started to set in and Ash and his friends met up with Misty.

"Just like before without Team Rocket running interference," Brock recalled.

"Don't remind me," Misty sighed. The others gave their compliments, including Melody.

"I wish I was in the pool with fins of my own," she shrugged. "You had a lot of fun with your Staryu and Politoed and Ash's Totodile and Corphish." Misty smiled to the compliment but not too much as she still wasn't happy with the raven-haired.

"I would like to see that," she sneered. "I know you're a pretty good swimmer but I saw that face when that Sharpedo swam towards you."

"Well, excuse me if that Sharpedo that chased me is still fresh in my head," Melody growled. The festival started to close down for the night. On the water, Ash and Melody were back on his Lapras as he and the Shiny Lapras nuzzled together. "One more day on King Sea Island. Tomorrow's that tournament."

"I know, I'm excited for it," Ash urged. "And I heard the field's a pretty good size."

"So I can tell." She looked to the sky and at the moon and marveled at the beauty of it. "I can't help but admire how beautiful the moon is tonight." Ash looked up to the same floating planet above them.

"It looks so big, I wanna reach out and touch it sometimes. Of course, it's like a thousand miles above so…"

"Yeah, we can only dream." That's when Ash had a question for Melody.

"So after the festival, what are your plans? Are you going to Cerulean City with Misty and her sisters?" Melody blinked to the suggestion.

"Nah, I'd rather go home, see Max, mom, dad, and be back living my life. I do wish I could take a Pokémon with me like that Horsea or Luvdisc." Ash understood Melody's wish.

"Maybe I can arrange that for you." Melody gasped to the offer.

"You would?"

"Of course!" Melody smiled before she wrapped her arms around Ash's torso.

"Thanks!" She huffed a blissful sigh. "I wish I could take you, too." Ash smiled back as the Shiny Lapras wailed softly to the two. She nuzzled her face onto both Ash and Melody, causing both to laugh. The two will head back to King Sea Island for Ash's battles. The last day of the AquaMon Festival was upon everyone.

TO BE CONTINUED…