Pokémon Type: Dark

Shipping: CastielShipping

One-Shot 7: Misha Mash

A month passed since Misha broke her arm and Purrloin ran out on her. She now entered the hospital to have the cast removed. Ash, Iris, Pikachu, Axew and Purrloin waited for Misha to emerge, cast free. As they waited patiently, someone wasn't around. "I wonder where Cilan is?" asked Ash. Iris also seemed bewildered to the Pokémon Connoisseur's departure.

"I've never seen Cilan look pale since he joined us," she pointed out. While they ponder Cilan's vanishing act, the doctor removed the cast on her arm. No more sling, Misha began to move her arm for the first time in the while, gingerly trying to gather movement.

"Now, don't push yourself to move all at once," the doctor advised. "Your arm was badly mangled. It may take some time for full control." Misha snagged a stress ball in the same shape as a Net Ball before lifting it. The pain from having no control for sometime hindered her maneuverability. Her limit reached, she dropped the stress ball. A bounce brought the stress ball to the doctor who caught it.

"Man!" she winced. "You're not kidding..." She tried again to flex her arm without the stress ball. There, her arm lifted considerably but she still ached at every few inches of her bend. "Doc, I know you said not to move my broken arm much but having not use it, my arm's stiff as a board." The doctor knew the ailment she suffered.

"There are recuperating options." Misha could wonder what options were available.

"Can I think it over?" The doctor nodded before excusing her. She reported back to the waiting room which her Purrloin jumped to her good arm. "You behaved for them, Purrloin?" The Devious Pokémon mewed happily.

"Purrloin did fine," Iris summarized. "Wish I could say the same about Cilan." Seeing no cast, Iris assumed Misha completely recovered. "So the broken bone is back together?"

"Yeah, but my elbow's incredibly stiff. I can't move it much." Ash had a quick solution to her ailment after injury.

"No problem," he shrugged. "I'm sure we can help out with anything you and Purrloin need." Iris irked to Ash's proposal.

"Ash, don't we need to go to the next Gym?" she reconsidered.

"We've got time. Besides, I wanted to understand Purrloin a little more." Iris sighed, feeling forced to work.

"Such a little kid." As Misha and Purrloin led Ash and Pikachu away, Iris turned to a fixed direction.

"Is Purrloin gone?" sounded Cilan.

"What's wrong that you're a scared Delcatty?" Cilan groaned to the name-calling.

"No fair…" The group arrived at Misha's home which was a mess.

"Can't do much with one arm, huh?" pointed Ash.

"Not really," Misha mulled. "Except for learning to write with the other arm." Ash cricked his knuckles, ready to help out.

"Alright, Cilan… Tell us what to do?" He listened but nothing came from Cilan. Ash and Misha turned to Cilan cowering by the door with Purrloin approaching. "Cilan, Purrloin won't hurt you." Cilan stepped back, not believing Ash.

"Yeah..." he stuttered. "Sure..." Iris palmed her face in humiliation.

"There are times that Cilan's more of a kid than Ash," she muttered. "I actually hate saying that about either one of them." Shrugging his shoulders, Ash knelt with Pikachu dismounting.

"Come here, Purrloin," he called. Purrloin heard Ash and ran up his shoulder. "Ready to help Misha out?" Purrloin mewed to aiding her… ahem, his trainer. Before, Purrloin ran from Misha after she broke her arm. He suddenly had two admirers in Team Rocket's Meowth and Ash's Oshawott. After being saved by Purrloin from a flock of Trainquil and gaining back Misha's trust that she revealed Purrloin was a boy, much to Oshawott's and Meowth's shock, none applied by Pikachu. "If it helps, Cilan, I'll have Purrloin with me and Misha." Cilan sighed, his hand over his heart.

"I have fears of Ice-Type Pokémon since I'm training as a Dragon-Type Master. You're worried about a little Purrloin?"

"It's something I'd rather not leave bad tastes in anyone's mouths," Cilan groaned. Ash and Misha began working on the dishes that had piled up and left in the sink.

"Looks like I got my work cut out for me," Misha gulped. Ash patted her in the back.

"We can do it," he reassured. Iris and Cilan worked on the living room, plucking clothes, garbage and pet dander. Without Purrloin around, Cilan seemed to act normal. As the two worked on the dishes, Misha cringed for each dish she cleaned and handed to Ash. The arm stiffened on each hand-off for Pallet Town's champion. She tried to reach, not getting any farther than the sink's divider. Ash saw the struggle. "It's still in bad shape?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry," she apologized. To Ash, a suggestion came to his head.

"Perhaps move slowly and repeat." Misha decided to try out Ash's suggestion. She moved her arm gingerly but the more she passed a dish, her arm started to become more straight. "There you go..."

"Yeah, it's working!" Each passed silverware, plate, glass… It helped gather freedom to move for her once injured arm. With the dishes complete, Misha gained confidence in freedom of movement. "That feels so much better… and I couldn't have done the dishes without your help, Ash." The trainer smiled and nodded.

"Let's help out with Iris and Cilan on the rest of the household." That's when Misha remembered the group had one more member.

"Can I ask where that Meowth is? You know, the one that speaks human?" Ash didn't want to be reminded of Team Rocket's Meowth who betrayed them in Nimbasa City.

"He's part of Team Rocket. They came from my home region of Kanto just for Pikachu." A shiver rippled through Misha's body.

"I had no clue Meowth was working with the bad guys." Iris heard the commotion and wanted to offer some clarity.

"I'd say they did make Ash a little kid like always," she nagged. "But he did make all of us fools by trusting him until the last day." Axew mulled, the trickery bothering him as well.

"If anything, he and this Team Rocket could try to hurt my Purrloin for not knowing his gender beforehand. In a way, you'd say Ash is a little kid, but Meowth and his friends, they're more the childish type." Ash, Iris and the Pokémon awed the comeback.

"I can't argue that," Ash agreed. Iris noticed Misha's arm moving more and more.

"Looks like your arm's getting better," she brought up. Misha lifted the arm and Purrloin cheered.

"Thanks, Iris," she praised. Cilan came to the kitchen entrance, only to hide around the wall.

"The living room's polished up," he announced. "How about I make something while you help out with the rest of the house?" Ash and the girls agreed. Turned out there wasn't much inside to be done so after watching Purrloin leave the kitchen did Cilan begin to work on a meal. Outside, Purrloin had a chance to play with Pikachu and Axew some more. Misha watched before turning to Ash as Iris eyed the Pokémon.

"You know, I've enjoyed having your Pokémon around when I was hurt." Ash felt humbled to help out someone in need.

"Thanks, Misha," he acknowledged. Before long, Purrloin sensed something coming and turned. Pikachu and Axew saw the stop before noticing which way Purrloin faced. A rumbling. The Pokémon dashed back to the house before a giant mechanical tank rolled in. This looked like Purrloin's evolved form, Liepard, crouched down. Even more, it had the red "R" on the forehead. To Ash and his friends, Team Rocket made their arrival.

"Speak of the Zekrom," Iris groaned. "Team Rocket..." The tank stopped in front of Ash and the girls.

"Hey, leave us alone!" Jessie, James and Meowth soon emerged from the top of the tank's head.

"Leaving you alone, such a twerpish thing indeed," mocked Jessie.

"We'll leave you alright after we get what we need," added James.

"Bringing the blinding white light of evil into the future."

"Thrusting the hammer of justice down onto the black darkness of the universe."

"And carving our names in da Rock of Eternity!" mewed Meowth.

"The fiery destroyer, Jessie!" she named herself.

"And with thunderous emotion, James!" he named himself.

"Wisest of the wise, Meowth!" it mewed. To Ash, that was enough.

"More like dumbest of the dimwitted!" he came back. Hearing the insult, Jessie steamed in anger.

"How dare you insult the legendary Team Rocket motto!" she shouted.

"Legendary?" scoffed Iris. "You wear out that motto so often, it's embarrassing." The snarl from Jessie seemed to show how livid she became to the insult.

"You want embarrassing?" the Alley Cat Pokémon snapped back. "I can't forgive dat Purrloin for tricking Meowth when I was with youse twerps!"

("It's not my fault you didn't bother to check who I am!") mewed Purrloin. Jessie heard enough of the argument.

"Now it's time I be embarrassing all of you!" she yelled as she pressed a button on a remote. The Liepard tank's mouth opened which fired a rocket. It made a beeline at Misha and Purrloin. Ash tackled both as the rocket sailed pass the group. Ash lifted himself to see Misha under his body.

"You okay?" he asked. Purrloin and Misha saw their savior and nodded. Before Ash could pick the girl and Pokémon back, another rocket zoomed on the group. Misha wrestled Ash with both arms to the ground before that rocket found its mark.

"You okay?" she repeated.

"Nice one..." Both returned to their feet while Iris and Axew started a counterattack.

"Axew, Dragon Rage!" she commanded. Axew unleashed a Dragon Rage attack. It nailed the tank flush, blasting a hole in the chassis. Team Rocket stumbled from the strike.

"Good shot, Axew! Let us finish it! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Purrloin, use Shadow Ball!" commanded Misha. Pikachu and Purrloin fired their attacks combined to create a Shadow Ball comet with Thunderbolt as its stream. A massive explosion ruptured after the comet-like combined attack entered the same hole. The power caused the tank to explode. Team Rocket had their jet-packs on and they used it to escape any injury from blasting. Watching the Rockets escape, Ash's ordeal ended.

"That was a team effort. Pikachu, Axew, Purrloin… you guys were great." The Pokémon cheered to Ash's compliment.

"No doubt we'll see them again soon," Iris murmured. Cilan came out, wondering the ordeal.

"Everyone okay?" he asked. The Pokémon replied to Cilan, their conditions good. Hearing Purrloin made the Pokémon Connoisseur jump. "T-That's g-great!"

"Team Rocket being Team Rocket… being little kids." Iris then turned to Ash and Misha as Purrloin and Pikachu returned to their owners. A blushing Misha wrapped her arms around Ash before pulling him in for a hug.

"I wish you could stay," she whispered. Ash wrapped his arms to hug the formerly injured girl back. Iris moaned to the sight.

"What are you two doing?"

"Easy, Iris. Just giving Ash a little love." Iris steamed a little as she tried to hide her feelings.

"Little kids don't need love!" Whether the sight upset her or she wanted to be first for Cilan's cooking, Iris left Ash and Misha to hug it out.

"That… escalated quickly," Cilan awed. Misha somewhat broke the hug before she and Ash kiss. Ash and Misha broke and all entered the household. As they came in for something to eat, the two lovebirds will break anything in sight before they bust another bone.

END of DARK

Next up: ICE

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