Chapter Summary: Starting the 2nd Half is Fighting and there is a fight on hand.
Shipping: StormShipper


Will VS. the Storm


A massive storm had poured onto the roof of the Pokémon Center in the outskirts. Ash and his friends watched the torrental downpour soak the roads. "I've checked the weather report," Nurse Joy, coming from her office, began to report. "That storm's gonna be looming over us for at least ten hours." A long time to be sheltered inside. That's got to be the only good news for Ash and his troupe.

"Well, at least we're out of the storm," Max sighed in relief. "But most of the credit should go to Pikachu for knowing that it was coming to begin with." Pikachu chimed a smiling cheer.

"Well, we should thank you for finding this Pokémon Center minutes before the rain came," Ash complimented. "Not only will we remain dry, our Pokémon will get a decent checkup from Nurse Joy." Nice way of killing two birds with one stone...or two problems with one stop. Brock, lunging over to Joy, didn't see it that way.

"Don't listen to my young friends, Nurse Joy," he tried to swoon the nurse. "It was my inner detection system that lured me to you~...OW!" Brock's ear was yanked, breaking his grip on Joy. But it wasn't Max. Ash probably had heard enough of Brock's attempts that he's grown rather irritant and in the mood of dragging him away.

"It's you who she needs to mute." Wow! Max and May were surprised to see Ash do the pulling instead of Max. May chose to replay the topic of the storm.

"Since the storm's gonna last into the late night, we should use this to get some sleep," she optioned. Max knew May wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. He was the smartest of the bunch in his opinion. However, this was one of those times which he found himself accepting her idea.

"Yeah, I agree," Max nodded. Ash was well ahead of them, finding a room where bunk beds were available. As he began to lay his stuff on a top bunk, his eyes caught something...or someone. A blue-haired girl in tight pink workout clothes were hustling a few baby Growlithe pups his way.

"Shauna?" Ash whispered. Knowing that there was some sort of problem, he raced out of the room just as Max opened the door. At least Ash didn't have a chance to smash his face. Max and May watched a little startled with curiosity. When the doors open, the girl was drenched to the bone. Her breathing was heavily labored. "Shauna!" Ash threw a handful of just out of the dryer warm towels at Shauna which...one too many towels. All the towels seemed to have covered Shauna from head to toe. Shauna snagged a towel and began to dry off the puppy Growlithe. Nurse Joy came by to help out.

"I'll take these Growlithe to the ER," she advised. Once she carried the pups to the back, Shauna threw off the towel coat and dashed back out just as lightning struck and thunder boomed.

"Shauna!" Ash couldn't believe Shauna would go right back outside into the storm. Ash had to go back out there.

"Ash!" Brock called. Ash turned to his best (human) partner despite that early ear-pulling. "Where are you going? It's dangerous in that storm!" It's not that Ash didn't know better...

"Tell that to Shauna! She just ran back out!" Brock was shocked to hear about Shauna nearby. The last he heard about Shauna was that she was with Brawly to be his top apprentice...and loving girlfriend. In a snap, Brock tossed an umbrella to Ash. He wasted no time storming out into the storm and flashed the umbrella opened. Pikachu was in the ER getting checked up with Ash's, May's and Brock's Pokémon so Ash was alone with no help. He might not need any. Ash found fresh footprints leading back to the same side where he first saw her. "This way!" He ran through the muddy terrain in hopes of catching up with the Battle Girl. The only trace with the trail of footprints that led into the woods as lightning flashed and thunder cracked. Never a good idea to stay out in.

"ACHOO!" sneezed Shauna. Ash heard the sneeze and raced in the direction. Finally, he reached Shauna...on her hands and knees facing a still Arcanine lying on its side.

"Shauna!" Shauna finally turned to Ash who was worried about her.

"A-Ash!" Ash tossed a coat for her to put on. He was ready to snap at her but seeing the Arcanine altered his thought process.

"You were helping the mother Arcanine and her puppies." He ran over to see if there's a way to help the Arcanine but throughout the pouring rain, he heard no breath and felt no inner movement.

"Don't bother, Ash! She's gone!" The Arcanine's dead? Ash cringed. All this time, the mother died in the storm and her pups became orphans. Suddenly, a breath...from the Arcanine? She's alive...but barely.

"Not yet! She's breathing!" Shauna huddled over to Ash and Arcanine, a prayer being the only thing keeping the Legendary Pokémon on earth. Shauna began to dig inside her pockets, pulling out red chips.

"Here! Pieces of Tomato Berries! These should help a Fire Pokémon!" Ash received the shards of Tomato Berries and hand-fed them to the ailing Arcanine who nibbled to reserve strength. Being very spicy berries, it should be something for Fire type to enjoy. A new fire engulfing inside, Arcanine began to stand up. Still weak in the knees, she struggled to Ash's and Shauna's side.

"Easy, Arcanine. Your kids are safe." Arcanine would want to fight the kids who took her kids but she had no strength to even growl, less roar. Ash looked back at the spot where they found her, seeing what appeared to be a coat of mud on the mountain. There was a landslide and Ash seemed to peace the puzzle.

"Arcanine and her Growlithe were caught in a landslide and she protected her young." Mother Nature's throwing her weight around. With all the weight they could hoist, they carried Arcanine back to Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy saw the effort and had a large wheeling bed to escort the mother to the ER. She was in critical condition. The operation light was on. Ash and Shauna did al they could to rescue the legendary Pokémon. The rest would be left to fate. As they waited... "So did something happen between you and Brawly?" Shauna became...sad.

"Brawly's...got a girlfriend." He's already engaged? To whom? "Some girl with a Hitmontop from Johto was someone I never thought- ACHOO!" Bless you. "I never thought would be his type." Ash had a feeling of who Shauna was talking about. The Hitmontop? Johto?

"What would Chigusa be doing here?" It gave Ash a sense that maybe... "Unless she's asking Brawly on how to control her Pokémon Dojo and be a shihan." That made Shauna turn to him. He knew more about this Chigusa than she wanted to believe.

"Shihan? Don't you mean Sensei?"

"Shihan means the ruler of the dojo. Kenzo was the former shihan but because of his ailing health, he needed someone to become the next shihan and turned to me because of my Bulbasaur." Something said it wouldn't fit the bill.

"Funny. Bulbasaur is a Grass and Poison Pokémon, not Fighting."

"Tell that to Kenzo. Anyway, I showed Chigusa my techniques after she nearly lost the plaque, not to mention the reputation of the dojo. The next day, she used my techniques and won her rematch. Why she seeks Brawly is a real mystery." Interesting. Shauna awed how Ash was able to explain all that.

"Ash, listen. I totally saw you in the wrong light. You're...a heck of a better trainer than I saw. I...I wanna train with you." Ash was shocked with this request. Shauna sought a new teacher...and believed Ash would deliver the goods.

"You want to be my apprentice?"

"Yes, and your loving girlfriend too." This was a bind for Ash. This girl wanted to get lessons from him. Finally, he cracked...a smile.

"You bet." Excitedly, Shauna lunged and...SMOOCH! When she said "Loving Girlfriend," she didn't want to spare any expense. The next morning, Arcanine had fully recovered and was reunited with her offspring, leaving the Pokémon Center. Max, May and Brock woke to find that Ash hadn't come to bed at any time. They searched around, but found no one. The only place the haven't checked was the bathing room...but the doors were locked. Why would the doors be locked if no one was inside? Center Protocol?

"What's going on?" Joy, having Ash's Pikachu on her shoulder, wondered when she found the three.

"You haven't seen Ash anywhere, have you?" Max asked. Joy could recall him and Shauna escorting the injured Arcanine...but that was it.

"We've checked throughout the whole building except for here," May voiced her concern. Joy brought out her key and opened the washing room. Inside, they found Ash soaking in the tub, recovering from the stress and preventing himself from catching a cold from the storm. He woke and turned to those at the door.

"Morning, guys," he plainly greeted. "Ever heard of knocking?" May and Joy were...bewildered to see Ash in a tub. Max and Brock? Dumbfounded.

"I heard that rescuing the Arcanine was a dirty job," Brock mumbled. "I didn't think you'd take the next step in cleansing yourself." Shamed that they were disturbing his wash-up, though thankful he didn't expose...anything inappropriate, they shut the door for Ash to finish up. Ash looked down...at his bathing partner. WOW! Love, romance...it's a surprise there wasn't any water on the floor...yet. Sure, they may have been naked in the tub but because they kept quiet, no one was the wiser.


END of FIGHTING
(Grass and Steel are in a tight heat. Who can dominate for #8?)