Hello again, everyone. I managed to squeeze in some update time, but this is quite inconvenient since I'm smack-dab in the middle of examinations. But screw inconvenience! Everything in my life has been inconvenient since the day I was born.
Leaf: Oh, really?
Ugh. *rolls eyes* except you, Leaf.
Leaf: Dinah here does not own Pokemon in any way.
Happy reading!
-Leaf's Conquest-
The next morning: Ash
Ah! What could possibly be better with the world? Oh, nothing other than the fact that your best friend may possibly get together with your sister, who, by the way, you found out is a psychic, and that you just got yourself a girlfriend that you've been head over heels for the past four years…
Yeah.
"Morning, Mister." Misty, in all her beauty, was coming over to me, her lips making a beeline for mine…
Until I woke up.
"Morning, Mister," a sweet sugary voice was saying, as I groggily opened my eyes. I saw Misty coming over to me.
Ah, what a pleasure to hear Misty's voice first thing in the morning.
"Morning to you too, Missy." I grabbed her waist and pulled her in for a kiss.
Hold on. Misty's waist was not this thick.
"EW! EW! Get off me you creep!" I was hit in the face with… a shoe?
Huh?
"Wha..?"
"Open your eyes, doofus! Wake up!"
I rubbed my eyes groggily to see…
"Gary?"
"Uh, yeah. I just came over to wake you up, but then you…" he shook his head, a horrified expression on his face, "…you try to… to kiss me. When you know full well who I want to kiss…"
I gave him a sympathetic look.
"Hey guys!" A green blur shot across the room. On closer inspection…
Was that Leaf? Already dressed, too.
"Leaf?" Gary asked in disbelief. "How are you doing that?"
Leaf gave him an are-you-stupid look. "Psychic, remember?" She flicked her wrist, and Gary floated into the air, enveloped in a light green light.
I rolled my eyes.
"Hey!" Gary struggled. "Put me down NOW!"
"Your fault for getting me super strict ninnies as teachers."
"Leaf, they're barely older than you. Sabrina's 22, and Karen's 19."
"How do you even know them anyways?"
Gary exchanged a look with me.
"Uh… old friends?"
"Hm." Gary fell on the floor.
"Better get ready, lovebirds." I smiled and tried to edge out of the room.
"GET BACK HERE, ASH!"
Leaf ensnared me in her vice psychic hold. As I floated toward her, my foot hit the 'on' button on the remote.
"I swear, Ash, by this time tomorrow—"
"BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS! Team Rocket has been revived by an anonymous individual who simply goes by the initial, 'G'. There have been reports of kidnappings, mutations of Pokemon and forced abduction of Pokemon. Witnesses say that an official Team Rocket HQ has been built in Saffron, breaking down the Silph building for their own purposes, the same being done in Goldenrod City, Johto. An unconfirmed creation of a third DNA Pokemon, allegedly named 'Trinome', the successor of Mewtwo, is said to be going under creation. The master plan of Team Rocket and the purpose of all this is unknown. As for now, residents of the Kanto region are advised to remain calm and not to panic, but the Kanto government has passed a few policies around the region."
Leaf was frozen, but her grip around me was slowly tightening.
"Uh, Leaf…"
"One: All Cantonese indigenes are to retire back to their homes before the Sun goes down. Two: All travelling trainers are to stop travelling, as Gym Leaders will now accept challengers only from their towns and routes nearby. Three: All schooling will stop for now. These rules will remain in place until…"
A messenger quickly whispered something to the news reporter.
"Another breaking story. Team Rocket has declared that they will do whatever it takes to hunt down the three missing Pallet teenagers, Ash, Leaf and Gary, and hold them hostage until their parents give the desired amount of Poke Yen and as much Pokemon as they desire. The parents of these children should remain calm. All cities will remain on the lookout for them. Their whereabouts are unknown. And if those three are watching this, hear me now."
The woman's brown eyes bore into all of us. Leaf's hold on me slackened. Gary looked frustrated, and I was just standing and not knowing how to react to all this.
"You need to leave your location immediately. Team Rocket is spreading their troops all over the Kanto region! Do not go home! DO NOT GO HOME! Don't even stay in Kanto! Take refuge in Johto and move on to other regions from there. Whatever you do, don't stay in Kanto. This is coming from Cerulean Radio Station. Leave—"
BOOM!
When we looked again, the reporter's head was on the floor. There was smoke everywhere on the screen.
"AAGH… Oh my God!" Leaf screamed.
What the hell was going on?!
The next thing we knew, a stern looking Team Rocket member stood at the screen, a grenade in his hand. He was tossing it up and down lightly.
He had dark, slicked back hair and gleaming silver eyes.
"Listen to me. That reporter was useless. Don't try to run from me, Ash Ketchum and Gary Oak. You know full well who I am." That voice.
GOOD LORD,,,
Giovanni!
"UGH! BASTARD!" I flew at the television screen.
"We know where you are right now. Somewhere in Vermilion. We're tracking you. It's time we took some revenge for how you humiliated us years ago; your doom is here."
He walked closer to the screen.
Son of a…
"We will find you. We will hunt you." He sent one last glare at me. "We will end you."
The screen went black.
Leaf
Ash stood there, fuming silently. Misty came up behind him and put her arms around his waist.
Hold on… were they together?
EEEEE! This snake is NOT going to take my brother as well.
"Ash… it's okay."
"No, it's not," he replied immediately. "We need to find those # !&*%$# !#&$."
Okay…
"We just watched them murder someone on screen, Ash." Gary tried to talk sense into him. "And look at Leaf."
He came up to me and wrapped his arms around me.
"There is no way she is going near anything of the sort."
"Fine." Ash's tone was clipped. "She won't."
We all looked at him in confusion.
"You, Misty and I will track them down and shut down the operation AGAIN."
"But what about Leaf?" Misty asked.
When did SHE become my supporter?
"Leaf will take the first ship back to Johto tomorrow morning."
Oh, no he didn't!
"What the hell, Ash? Hell to the freaking NO! There is no way I'm missing out on this."
Ash looked at me like there was a worm growing out of my head. "Leaf, have you gone insane?! This is not a fun adventure. You can continue your journey in Johto."
"NO, Ash. I'm staying with you. I haven't come this far for nothing. I haven't left Mom for nothing. And hell, I haven't stayed with you for nothing, Ash! And I'm not about to leave Gary either!"
"So I'll come with her."
"No." Ash rubbed his forehead. "We need Gary with us."
"Then you need me too!"
"Leaf, you are going to Johto, and that's FINAL. You're not nearly as strong as any of us."
"Then what's it gonna be, SIR?" I yelled. "I'm sure as hell not leaving Gary here, or you, or even MISTY, to face that… that… THING!"
I pointed at the screen. A stray tear rolled down my cheek.
"Did you see that? He killed that woman on the spot. No hesitation! No sympathy! So freely, like he was taking a walk with his Pokemon! It makes me wonder what he's gonna do to you!"
I was crying by now.
"That's what you wanna go up against? I'm doing it with you."
I sniffed.
"You are INSANE. You are CRAZY if you think for a second that I'm going to actually leave you here to face that MONSTER!" I screamed. "Well, I might as well prove how dependable I can be, if you don't even think I can, I don't know, not be a baby."
I stomped towards the door.
"Leaf, don't do anything reckless." Gary said.
"I'm not, Gary! I'm just going to challenge the Gym Leader again to show you all, especially that thing," I pointed at Ash, "that calls himself my brother, that I'm not the coward you all think I am."
I slammed the door behind me, flinging the S.S Anne Tickets on the floor.
-The Pokemon Trials-
I banged on the door.
"OPEN UP!" I yelled. "I need to battle right now."
I was wearing my disguise: a green sunhat, colorful shades and a long pink wig.
"Leaf, what are you doing?"
I turned to see…
"Misty?"
"Hey." She twisted her foot.
"What do you want? And why are you here instead of Gary, and what your boyfriend said?"
"They started arguing about you, so I used the moment to slip out. Look, Leaf, I know I haven't really been treating you well, and I'm sorry."
"I don't have a problem with it. It's just… why? Why did you?"
"To be honest, I thought you and Ash were a bit too close for siblings, that you'd been lying to me, and that you weren't really siblings at all. I thought you liked Ash, and then I got jealous and hostile, and I'm really sorry for that."
"It's okay, Misty. Ash helped you confirm that, right?"
"Yep."
I thought for a moment. "Why don't we start over?"
"Yeah!"
"Cool. Let's start by you watching me take out this Gym with a flying type Pokemon."
"I'd like to see that. And Leaf, I'll talk to Ash, try to change his mind if Gary doesn't."
"Thanks, Misty."
We entered the Gym. It looked the same, albeit quieter.
"Hello? Lt. Surge?" I called out. "I'm here to challenge you!"
Still silence. Where was he?
After a few minutes, a sweaty lieutenant jogged out from the back of the Gym.
"Oh, a match? Now?" He stretched. "Y'know, I was in the middle of a workout, but my Pokemon could do with a workout as well."
He peered at me.
"Say, you look familiar. Exactly like a girl that challenged me yesterday, and failed. It's just your hair. And your eyes…"
I removed the sunglasses stylishly, tentatively.
"Exactly the same too! How can I be sure you're not her?"
I smiled sweetly. "Well, that can be explained, sir. I'm her twin sister."
He leaned back, stretching once more. "Oh, that makes sense. You're just as puny as her too." He looked at Misty. "Misty? You know this girl?"
"Nice of you to acknowledge my existence, Surge," Misty remarked, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I know her. She's Ash's sister too."
"Really!" He looked me up and down. "I can see it. You have the same nose, lips, eye shape, facial structure…"
"Can we just start this already?" I walked to my side of the battleground.
"Alright then." Surge walked to his side, and Misty went to the audience stands. "Two on two sound good?"
"Yeah." I knew the Pokemon I was going to use.
A screen appeared with Lt. Surge's Pokemon and mine, and the levels.
"Magnemite, let's give her a shocking performance!" A grey Pokemon came out with two magnets on its sides.
"Mite!"
I whispered something to my Pokemon before sending it out.
"Pidgeotto, go!"
"Otto!"
"Hm. Same Pokemon too." Surge nodded. "Do you really have no idea what kind of Gym Leader I am? Magnemite, shock wave!"
I smirked.
"You are so going down." I muttered. I sent a telepathic message to Pidgeotto.
Ready, Pidgeotto? Attack on my mark.
The wave went at blinding speed, hitting Pidgeotto on the spot. It would have fainted right there and then.
But it didn't. That was an illusion.
A powerful gust of wind came up behind the Magnemite and slammed it into the wall, and its health went down by half.
"SON OF A…" Surge looked at me. "How did you do that? You didn't even say anything!"
"I know. My Pokemon are well trained." Pidgeotto landed in front of me. "I learn from the best."
"Magnemite, thundershock!"
What?
Pidgeotto received the full force of the attack, his health going down by a quarter.
Oh no he didn't!
"Pidgeotto, you good?"
"Pidge!"
"Great. Now here's what I need you to do." I communicated my plan.
"Wait… are you sending messages to its head?" Surge asked. I didn't answer.
"Okay, then. Sky Attack!" Pidgeotto came barreling towards Magnamite.
"OH, no. Magnemite, this one's gonna take you out. Explosion!"
IT did so, Pidgeotto flickering out of existence. When the smoke faded, Pidgeotto stood in front of me, quite unharmed.
"Okay, cut the crap, princess. What are you doing and how?"
"I don't reveal my secrets." I calmly stated, sneering. "Send out your next Pokemon."
His face was red! Man, this was hilarious!
"Voltorb, you're up next!" He released a Pokemon that looked like a PokéBall, and was crackling with electricity.
"No time to waste, Voltorb! Charge!" It seemed to absorb energy from thin air.
"Pidgeotto, let's go easy on him! Wing Attack!"
It went at Voltorb with its wings spread wide. Voltorb's health went down a little.
"Charge up, Voltorb! Big Time!" it took in a huge amount of electricity.
Wow. If this was all it was gonna do, this battle was mine.
"This is gold! Pidgeotto—"
"DISCHARGE!"
Pidgeotto, before it could land a move, was scorched thin by the massive blast of energy from the Voltorb.
When the smoke cleared, Pidgeotto lay on the floor, burnt black.
"Otto…"
"IT's okay," I said, walking over to it and petting it gently. "You did your best, and that's all that matters. You're a flying type and you actually managed to faint an electric type and injure another one? You're amazing. We'll win this battle for you. Rest up." I returned it, and grabbed another one.
"Let's win this." I released it.
"Interesting, lass. No type advantage or disadvantage. A battle of pure strength alone."
"Yes. Immense strength. Do your worst, Lt. Surge, we'll win."
"In that case, I'm switching out my Pokemon."
"Hey! It's two on two!"
"Calm down, lass. I won't use Voltorb again. Instead I'll use…"
He released a pokemon that looked like the previous one, but larger and with the colors reversed.
"Its evolution?!"
"Yes. I want to see how strong you really are, puny lass."
"Oh, you'll regret ever calling me puny." I looked at my pokemon, who stared back at me with glowing pink eyes. I could feel the psychic energy rolling off it in waves. "Let's beat this guy, Abby. Psychic on yourself!"
Abby floated in the air.
"Electrode! Use Volt Tackle!"
"Shield, Abby!" A pink shield formed around her, and the electric blast dissolved into thin air.
Use Extrasensory, followed up by psychic on the ground!
"Kad!" The Electrode's body twisted in an awkward way, and its health went down by a quarter. Then Abby slammed on the ground, and several large rocks coated in steel rose out of the ground, each glowing pink. They flew at the Electric Pokemon at a blurring speed, crashing into it and reducing its health vastly. It had only a fraction of health here.
Abby, I won't direct you from here Do what you think is best.
Abby looked at me, our psychic bond strengthening, and nodded.
She flew high in the air again, and used her psi to knock the Electrode to the ground. Then, at a blinding speed, she dived down and struck the ground, a large crack appearing and beginning to shake.
An earthquake! Man, this pokemon was smart. The Electrode fainted immediately.
Lt. Surge looked speechless, as was Misty who looked awe struck.
He swallowed his pride and came over to me.
"I have to say, Lass, I was not expecting that. I didn't think you would actually win! And in such a spectacular way! And I have to tell you." He squatted to my height. "Only 1.2% of the people who come here can actually win Electrode, and that's why I don't use him so much. But when you took down my Magnemite with your flying type, I knew you were something special, kid. And I knew you could match up to my strongest pokemon, but not to actually beat it!" He laughed bitterly, pressing something into my hand. "Take this, kiddo. You've earned it, as well as my respect."
I looked in my palm. Badge number three.
I smiled up at him. "Thanks. And one more thing." He looked at me expectantly.
"The name's Leaf Green Ketchum."
The look on his face when I walked out with Misty was one I would never forget.
-Leaf's Conquest-
"What? His wing is broken?"
"Yes, miss. I'm sorry. If you want him to heal faster, he'll have to stay with us."
"No thanks. I'll just take him with me."
We left the counter.
"So, Leaf, how come you didn't tell me you could battle like that?" Misty asked. "And Ash was with me the whole night, so does that mean…"
"Yes, Misty. Gary trained me."
"AAAAAH!"
I smiled. "DO you want to go see what they're doing?"
We headed back to the room. As I entered, I saw Gary watching TV and Ash eating a burger. When they saw me, they rushed over and enveloped me in a hug.
I pushed them away. "What? Want to remind me how much of a baby I am?"
"That's the thing." They exchanged a look. "We've decided to let you stay with us."
"But only if you have either me, Gary or Misty with you."
Yay! I jumped on Ash's back. "Thank you thank you thank you!"
Ash, laughing, pried me off his back. "It's okay, Leaf."
"Why don't we go to the S.S Anne's party?" I picked up the tickets. "Bill gave these to me."
Gary's eyes narrowed. "Bill?"
Was he… jealous? I decided to test him. "Yeah! The young handsome guy who gave this to me. VERY handsome actually."
"Really…" he trailed off, striking a perfect thinking pose. Sexy…
"Anyway. Let's go to the S.S. Anne."
********20 minutes later, 8:43 a.m**************
"Tickets, please?" The man at the entrance said. We gave him four tickets.
"Your room's Cabin 2. Welcome to the S.S. Anne."
"Thanks."
We entered the boat. Wow! Just the hallway of the ship was exquisite. How much did Bill pay? Well, he was famous. I checked my savings. 83,700 Poke Yen. Not bad. Oh, and birthday money was coming tomorrow! Lucky me!
The hall had a cool, plush nude colored carpet, with top-class air conditioning, making the place chilly. Beautifully crafted lanterns and scented candles adorned the chocolate-brown walls, along with stunning classical paintings enframed in smooth wood. The hallway glowed a dim yellow, because there were no fluorescent lights anywhere, just the candles and lanterns providing light.
Man, we looked really out of place with our ragged travelling clothes. Mm. I would buy once we got to Celadon. We weren't going to lavender town for now, as we would have to pass Rock Tunnel, and I seem to have life-threatening experiences inside caves, so… no.
We reached our room, which had Cabin 2 painted in delicate calligraphy on the dark brown door in gold. As we entered, Misty gasped.
I didn't blame her. It was even prettier than the hallway.
As we entered, a long way in front of us was a ceiling to floor glass window with a balcony, offering a perfect view of the sea. The room was painted a soft caramel color, peppered with different ribbon designs in red. The four eds were red with gold duvets and crimson pillows stacked on top of each of them, about 7 on each bed. And… was that a sweet cinnamon smell? Amazing.
The bathroom was at the right of the room and looked to be about the same size, and I thought I spotted a Jacuzzi. Pots of flowers were at different sides of the room, and a huge golden chandelier hung from the ceiling. The light coming in was from the window.
"Well," Ash remarked. "Bill has really outdone himself this time."
Yes, Ash. Oh yes he has.
Tell me what you think, please! And if you have any cool ideas for this story to liven it up a little, I would love to know. PM or review if you want, and your idea might be in the next chapter.
Bye now!
