Once again, Aubrey's on her continuous quest to become a Pokémon champion. With her new friends, Ash, Brock and Misty, Aubrey's next adventure is on the horizon. The foursome soon finds themselves at a cliff with the ocean ahead and deathly rocks below.
"The map says that this ridge leads right to Saffron City," Brock told them, looking at a wide and rocky ridge.
"And to our next challenge at the Saffron Gym!" Ash felt the need to remind. "Huh? What are those?"
In the distance was a large collective of Butterfree! It just so happens Aubrey, Ash, Brock and Misty stumbled upon the one cliff side where Butterfree gather during the season of love so they can find their and lay their eggs across the sea. It didn't take long for Ash to decide that he was going to let his Butterfree find his mate and so the group rented their own hot air balloon to keep an eye on him and take a look at some of the other Butterfree fluttering around and falling in love. A lot of other trainers had the same idea too as dozens of other balloons joined them in the air, calling out their Butterfree into the open air!
The group watched as Ash's Butterfree flew from one Butterfree to another but didn't seem to take interest in any so far. Brock tried to get him to mate with a pretty girl's Butterfree but Misty wouldn't allow it. It wasn't long before Butterfree found a pink Butterfree, performing a courtship dance, a way of saying 'I want to be your Butterfree' but instead of the pink Butterfree doing its own courtship dance, she flew away from him! When Ash's Butterfree tried to follow, she slapped him with her wing, leaving a red mark on his face, and flew away. Butterfree, upset at being rejected, flew away into a forest. Aubrey slapped her hand to the side of her face as she sighed in dismay; this was going to be a long day…
The group followed in their hot air balloon. Aubrey wasn't sure how this heartbroken feeling felt but she was pretty sure it wouldn't feel very nice at all. She didn't really have experience in this particular area of her own life let alone of a Pokémon's. Soon enough, they found Butterfree sitting at the bottom of a tree looking devastated.
"How come you look so sad buddy?" Ash asked his Pokémon. Now, Aubrey didn't have experience, but at least she knew why Butterfree was upset.
"It was rejected by someone it loved. That's a terrible shock, believe me, it's a terrible feeling." Brock told Ash in a wise and all-knowing voice.
"You would know." Aubrey quipped, making Misty chuckle as Brock sent the girls a glare.
"I could write a book about the secrets of love and heartache!" Brock continued strongly, picking himself up heartily.
"I guess that book would be your autobiography." Misty remarked, giving Aubrey a light chortle and making Brock sigh in immediate defeat.
"Why must you women torment me…?"
Pikachu tried talking with Butterfree too and as he did, Ash brought out his Pokédex, wondering if maybe it could help. Aubrey immediately shot down his idea, reminding him that the Pokédex can't feel love. It wasn't long before Ash and Misty were telling Butterfree he needed to be assertive, he needed to show how powerful his Tackle was, or how he can use Stun Spore! Before they could give it another try, Brock insisted on giving Butterfree a little yellow ribbon around his neck and Butterfree looked at felt great!
Aubrey thought to herself silently, is this how one deals with a heartbroken Pokémon? Aubrey decided to pull out a little diary and pen, jotting things down in dot points – who knows when she'll need to remember this. This little diary was where Aubrey stored lots of information centered on Pokémon, battles, recipes, training, strategies and simple advice she may need in the future. Often, Aubrey would find her eyes focused on this diary after a battle or watching one. Quite a handy item to have stored in one's bag.
And so, Butterfree had tried courting again but the pink Butterfree had shot him down once more. All their efforts were in vain as they could see Butterfree's wound opening in front of their very eyes. All of a sudden, a helicopter came and the people in it began to recite an all too familiar – and starting to get old – motto! Team Rocket was back! With a large net, Team Rocket had started to steal all the Butterfree! The group yelled and shouted as much as they could, trying to chase after them but let's face it, helicopters are much faster than balloons…
Ash's Butterfree managed to escape capture, however, his one and only love, the pink Butterfree was not as fortunate! Ash's Butterfree used Tackle on the helicopter with all his might, tried Stun Spore but neither worked! Ash was about to call Pidgeotto but Aubrey stopped him, saying Butterfree was trying his hardest and that would make him feel bad, Misty nodding in agreement. As Team Rocket flew off, Butterfree chasing after as fast as possible, the heroes tried to follow. They reached a canyon of sorts and began to call Butterfree, the flying bug type meeting them with a sad expression. Butterfree lead them to a warehouse hidden within the canyon and Team Rocket's chopper sat out front of it. They knew where the Butterfree were now.
With their gracious plan, Aubrey, Ash, Brock and Misty smashed through the window and for the first time, ripped off Team Rocket's motto!
"Prepare for trouble!" Ash appeared, eyes hidden beneath his hat.
"And you can make it quadruple!" Misty popped alongside him with her hair covering her eyes.
"To protect the world from devastation!" Brock slid creepily front and center holding a flashlight spookily.
"To unite all peoples within our nation," Aubrey jumped in front of Brock, head down and eyes wide open, shining an eerie red compared to her normal deep brown.
They pretty much abandoned the rest of the motto, though Aubrey could finally understand why Team Rocket liked reciting this motto so much, it was quite fun! Ash attacked with Butterfree, Misty attacked with Starmie and Aubrey attacked with Ponyta. Butterfree began to smash through the cage keeping the other Butterfree trapped inside and Brock opened the warehouse doors to let them fly away! Ash's Butterfree was exhausted but the pink Butterfree stayed to see if he was ok. James then nearly captured pinky but Ash's Butterfree wouldn't allow it, using a powerful Tackle to push James away!
Team Rocket soon managed to escape in their chopper and attempted to recapture the Butterfree! Pikachu then jumped on Butterfree's back, and Butterfree flew Pikachu to the chopper, shocking the chopper and sending Team Rocket blasting off again!
At that moment, the pink Butterfree did the courtship dance for Ash's Butterfree, signaling her new love for him and they accepted one another as mates.
It was a saddening goodbye but Ash found the happy side of it and kept looking at it, Butterfree had a mate and was going to start a family.
"Goodbye Butterfree," Ash spoke.
"Bye-bye Butterfree!" Misty waved.
"Good luck to both of you," Brock smiled sadly.
"Best wishes," Aubrey saluted with a somber expression.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted at the backs of the Butterfree, tears forming in his eyes. Ash couldn't help but remember the happy moments with Butterfree, how he had captured him as a Caterpie, when he evolved into Metapod, when he evolved into Butterfree, when they battled together in Gym Battles!
"Hey Ash, Butterfree's almost out of sight." Misty told him, bringing Ash's attention to the Butterfree flying towards the horizon. He stepped closer and began waving frantically at the first Pokémon he had ever caught.
"Take care Butterfree, good luck buddy! Goodbye Butterfree, I'll always remember you, thank you for everything, goodbye Butterfree! Have a good trip Butterfree, take care of yourself, goodbye Butterfree!" Ash sighed with a smile. "Be happy old friend."
"You know Ash, you raised Butterfree to have a lot of courage," Brock told him with his hand on his shoulder. "And I think you just proved you have a lot of courage too."
"Thank you Brock," Ash smiled and Pikachu jumped onto his other shoulder. They, along with Aubrey and Misty, gazed into the sunset on the water, the Butterfree leaving a trail of sparkles making them shine like stars.
Good friendships last forever even if though friends don't always stay together. Helping Butterfree to grow, Ash just might've grown a little himself! Aubrey made sure to write this down too. Who knows? Maybe this will come in handy in the future.
The group continued their way to Saffron City for Ash and Aubrey's Gym Battles with a little weight on their hearts. Butterfree would always be their friend though, and they awaited the day they'd meet again.
"Aubrey I noticed you didn't have much to say today," Misty mentioned. "Not that you do any day but I thought you'd have at least some input."
Ash and Brock bit their lips, wondering if Aubrey's and Misty's newfound friendship was already about to break.
"Honestly, I don't have any experience in the area, with my Pokémon or my own personal feelings." Aubrey admitted, leaving the other three stunned. Brock and Misty thought she'd always be dealing with boys while Ash thought she knew a lot about Pokémon. "Naturally I didn't say much because I simply didn't know what to say so I sat back and observed everything. I'll make sure to understand more about Pokémon relationships in the future though."
"I guess that means I finally knew something about Pokémon you didn't." Misty shrugged.
"There are probably a lot of things you know about Pokémon I don't, particularly Water Pokémon." Misty glowered in the praise. One doesn't get this much of a compliment from Aubrey so Misty would savor it as much as possible. As Aubrey walked alongside Misty, behind Ash and Brock, Aubrey stared at the back of Ash's head. Though Aubrey didn't say it, she wasn't sure if she would be able to let one of her Pokémon go like Ash was able to do today. It takes a lot of strength and willpower to leave such a friend, to choose their happiness over your own. If Aubrey had to, would she ever release on of her Pokémon? Could she? This was truly the day where Aubrey looked at Ash with admiration and respect as a trainer. A memorable day this was.
It was very dark but still, Aubrey, Ash, Brock and Misty walked through the forest, looking for Saffron City. They're lost. Like usual, Ash and Misty began to argue while Brock tried to break them up but ended up arguing with them too. It was Pikachu and Aubrey who managed to get them to stop but only because a little girl was up ahead bouncing her ball and giggling.
"Do you live around here?" Ash called out to the girl, but she simply turned and ran, provoking Ash to chase after her. Aubrey, Brock and Misty followed after, panicking as they saw Ash fall off a cliff but finding relief when Bulbasaur suddenly appeared on the edge to use Vine Whip and bring him back up immediately. The little girl had disappeared, but they had finally found Saffron City in all its beauty!
"Sabrina's the Gym Leader of the Saffron City Gym," Brock informed. "You defeat her, you win a Marsh Badge!"
"Yes! Ok Sabrina, here I come!"
As the group walked through the entrance of Saffron, little fire crackers went off at their feet and two hula women popped out of nowhere, putting leis on Ash and kissing his cheek. Apparently, because the group were the millionth visitors to Saffron City. Aubrey's mental alarm bells rang with suspicion. It seemed awfully convenient, particularly at such a late hour. The hula women brought them to a building and showed the group ahead but what they hadn't anticipated was the women were planning to steal Pikachu! The lighter haired girl pushed the group down onto tile – a warp tile she called it – and the group suddenly found themselves stuck in a room without any door or windows to escape!
A TV appeared from the ceiling, showing the two women looking proud of their devious acts. But after a costume change, their real identities were revealed!
"It's Team Rocket!"
"You didn't figure that out before? How many times have you gone up against these guys?"
"EW GROSS! THEY BOTH KISSED ME! BLAH!" Ash ripped the leis off from his neck and furiously wiped his cheeks, making his friends snicker at his actions. Like usual, Team Rocket recited their motto and this time, the heroes simply ignored them and drank tea at a table.
"Their show is pretty boring," Misty commented.
"It'll get cancelled pretty soon." Ash responded.
"Can't soon come by faster?" Aubrey asked.
"We're boring?" James asked Jesse.
"Just you wait, we have something that'll grab their attention." Jesse assured him. Stepping back, Team Rocket revealed Meowth who had just finished his job in the plot, to bind and gag Pikachu! The TV signal cut out at that moment, and it wasn't Team Rocket's doing!
As the quartet stared at the TV screen, Ash yelling after Team Rocket for his Pikachu, Aubrey heard a little giggle behind them. Turning around, she saw the little girl from earlier holding Pikachu and made the others turned around. After receiving their thanks, the little girl began to glow, giggling all the while, and pointed towards the group, who soon found the ground disappearing from underneath their feet and falling ungracefully on the concrete road back outside! They were baffled on how the little girl had helped them get outside again but grateful nonetheless.
They then noticed they were standing in front of a wide and intricately designed building, which they found was Sabrina's Gym! Thanks to the man jogging behind them. Before jogging away, the man suggested they skip this gym…
Still, Aubrey and Ash didn't care, they wanted the Marsh Badge, regardless of who tried to stop them so Brock and Misty just followed them inside. As they stepped inside, they quickly realized the gym was unusually empty. Looking through the window on a nearby door, their eyes were met with people concentrating on metal spoons, guessing shapes on a card etc… They were caught peeping though, a man wearing a mask had questioned their presence. Aubrey answered truthfully, they wished to challenge the Gym Leader.
Misty decided to ask what the people in the room were doing and he decided to show her. He took out a metal spoon and began concentrating on it until he was red in the face, succeeding in bending the spoon backwards slightly. He explained that you can't control a Psychic-type Pokémon without Telekinesis but Ash disagreed and grabbed the spoon and bent it using his own strength, muscle.
"Muscle over mind!" Ash laughed but Misty, Aubrey, Brock and Pikachu hadn't quite felt the same way.
"Embarrassing," Misty covered her right eye and reddened cheek
"Moron…" Aubrey rubbed her temples with the tips of her fingers.
"Just pretend we never met him before." Brock crossed his arms and looked away.
"Pika pi…" Pikachu scratched his head, shamed his dim trainer.
"Now hurry up and take us to Sabrina so we can start the match!"
The man led them to a room with a battle field, where, presumably, the Gym matches were held. Sitting on the throne-like chair was the little girl! Ash requested his match from Sabrina, who agreed with a condition: if he lost, they had to be friends which Ash had agreed to quickly. Brock and Misty were very much afraid of the little girl but Ash and Aubrey felt no need to worry. That is until they saw the little girl was sitting on a young women's lap.
"Time for us to play." And the doors slammed shut behind them, sealing off any chances of them leaving.
"So you're really the Gym Leader Sabrina!"
"One on one, an all-out match, agreed?" Without touching her Poké Ball, she summoned her Pokémon, Abra, to the field.
"Abra? It hasn't evolved yet?" Aubrey thought aloud. "I thought it'd at least be a Kadabra or Alakazam!"
Ash ordered Pikachu to enter battle, but Abra was sleeping.
"I don't get it! No one sends a sleeping Pokémon into battle! Maybe she's making fun of me!"
"Check your Pokédex Ash." Aubrey told him with a sigh.
'Abra, a psychic power Pokémon. It sleeps 18 hours a day but employs Telekinesis even while sleeping.' The Pokédex told Ash.
Ash commanded Pikachu to use ThunderShock but Abra used Teleport to dodge and in doing so, evolved into Kadabra!
"Kadabra, a psychic Pokémon. The evolved form of Abra. Employs powerful, telekinetic attacks."
"Well this is better." Aubrey thought aloud again.
"How is this better? You have to battle it too." Brock asked her.
"Makes more sense to me." Aubrey shrugged, not feeling like going into detail.
"That isn't fair, I thought this was one on one!" Ash yelled.
"Evolving during a match isn't against any rules, be careful, Kadabra is really powerful!" Misty warned him. The battle ensued, with Kadabra clearly winning until Ash forfeited. The little girl looked up, reminding them of the promise made to be friends and play. Aubrey squinted her eyes in suspicion, what was she planning? Without warning, she felt the ground disappear from underneath her feet just like the last time but they were teleported to a strange place.
The houses were silent and the streets were empty, so they decided to look around. They walked into one of the houses and called for someone, but no answer. The table was set with tea and cake and Brock couldn't resist, but what he ate wasn't cake, it was fake! They had finally figured it out: they were in a dollhouse!
The roof above disappeared and was replaced by the creepy face of Sabrina and the little girl! Sabrina reached forwards in attempt to grab the group but missed as they ran outside before she could touch them, not stopping to think twice. Their attempt was feeble, they were her toys now, in her toy world. They reached a dead end, a picture frame blocked their path of the little girl and what looked like her parents. They were trapped now as the little girl walked down the road, bouncing her ball. Deciding she'd like to play catch, throwing the ball to them happily and creepily. Before they could get squashed, the old man from before had teleported in front of them and teleported them all out, saving them from impending doom.
For the third time that day, the ground left their feet and they crashed onto the road.
"Next time, I land on my feet…" Aubrey rubbed her pained backside.
"Thanks for the help," Ash told him.
"But why did you decide to rescue us?" Misty asked.
"Sabrina is a dangerous Pokémon trainer, I got the chance to help you this time but next time you won't be so lucky." He told them. "You'll all be trapped in her toy box for eternity. Give up your crazy idea of challenging Sabrina, leave Saffron City and never come back here."
"I can't do that! I have to win Sabrina's Marsh Badge so I'll be able to get into the Pokémon League!" Ash argued.
"You will never be able to defeat Sabrina and her Psychic Pokémon." The man said harshly.
"Yes I will! We just need to make a quick attack before she can kick in with her psychic powers!" The man's eyes glowed red as Ash's body glowed blue, his pants falling down and he started to do a little dance and Aubrey and Misty closed their eyes quickly and looked away. As soon as Ash could stop and pull his pants back up, the man revealed he could use telekinetic powers as well, though he was not quite as strong as Sabrina. Typically of Ash, he begged the man to help him use them too. The man refused but Ash kept persisting, despite how much he the man pushed him down. Seeing how determined Ash was, the man let him in on the only way to defeat Sabrina.
"Only one other Pokémon can battle the psychic type. If you catch a Ghost Pokémon from Lavender Town, you might have a chance."
"You could say, a ghost of a chance."
"Uh, what? Did Aubrey just make a joke?" Misty looked at Aubrey dumbfounded.
"I can make jokes if I like," Aubrey shrugged, feeling slightly uneasy Misty reacted so dramatically to Aubrey's real personality beginning to shine through her cold façade.
"A Ghost Pokémon, from Lavender Town, thank you." Ash said gratefully from the ground before the man teleported away. "Let's go on to Lavender Town!"
"You guys go, I'm going to stick around." Aubrey told them, heading back to the Pokémon center.
"You're going to challenge Sabrina?" Ash, Brock and Misty asked in unison.
"I didn't say that." 'But yeah, I am.'
"I guess we'll see when we get back then."
"Good luck Ash."
"Thanks." As Ash, Brock and Misty headed for Lavender Town, Aubrey headed for the Pokémon center to prep for her battle with Sabrina. She didn't lie, she never said she wasn'tgoing to, she simply didn't tell them she was planning to.
Aubrey sent her best wishes to Ash. He mightn't have a chance if he didn't catch a Ghost Pokémon. Aubrey wasn't worried herself, she was confident in her abilities and her Pokémon's abilities. Why, you may ask, would Aubrey have such bottomless confidence? Aubrey didn't have a Ghost Pokémon either and could easily be crushed under Sabrina's raging power if she used any of her other Pokémon. However, though she may not have a Ghost Pokémon, she did have a Pokémon who could use a Ghost-type move. Actually, to be specific, she had three.
To be continued.