Chapter 10 - "Usual Finale"
Heavy, loud laughs were heard from two people who stood in a balloon in the sky. Ash and his friends knew them very well.
"Prepare for a lovable trouble!" Jessie began reciting Team Rocket's well-known motto.
"Aren't we a huggable double?" James added as he hugged Jessie. As always, every verse featured a new pose by whoever told it.
"To protect the world from l-o-v-e!"
"Have you heard we got a new T.V.?"
"To denounce the evils of a deep, warm feeling!"
"To extend our reach to hearts that are joyfully beating!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket, stealing from couples at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or get ready to face our loving might!"
Jessie and James eagerly awaited for their cat-like Pokémon teammate to finish the motto. But it never said anything. And neither did Wobbuffet, who sometimes finished it instead of Meowth.
"Meowth! Where are you?" Jessie asked Meowth angrily. She turned around to look for it and found it watching the little built-in T.V. Wobbuffet seemed to be watching it too.
"Meowth! It's your turn!"
"Uh-uh… Meowth! That's right!" Meowth cried out, but soon sat back in front of the television set.
"You lazy, good-for-nothing-Pokémon…" Jessie mumbled under her breath.
"I knew this day was too good to be true! I should've expected you!" Ash shouted.
"What do you want now, you crooks!" Misty yelled at them.
"What do you think we want? We're here to permanently borrow all of your Pokémon!" Jessie smirked. "Go, Wobbuffet!" she yelled as she kicked her Pokémon off the balloon.
"Wobbuffet!" it screamed as it landed on the ground with a great impact. Wobbuffet got back up and placed one of its arms on its blue head. "Buffet!"
"You can go too, Arbok!"
SWANT!
Jessie threw the Pokéball that contained Arbok towards the ground. Unfortunately, Arbok was released before reaching the floor, making it hit it with a thud and feeling kind of dizzy. However, it soon stood up and hissed a threatnening "Sssarbok!" at the people.
"Go, Weezing!" James called out after Jessie. He tossed his Pokéball to the ground.
SWANT!
"Weezing wee!" Weezing cried.
"Come on, who wants to battle first?" Jessie asked the people down at the festival.
"What? Is that all you're gonna use?" Ash asked.
"What do you mean by 'all', twerp? Our Pokémon just happen to be top-notch and can beat any of yours any day! C'mon, now! Where's Pikachu so we can show you?"
"Pikachu's not here right now!"
"Oh, well that's too bad!" Jessie grinned. "C'mon, James! Let's finish this before it even begins!"
Once again, nothing was heard but silence.
"James?" she asked. She looked over her shoulder just to end up finding him watching T.V. too, just as intrigued as Meowth was.
"What do you two think you're doing?" Jessie questioned them with annoyance.
"Shuu!" James told her. He placed his index finger on his lips in a "be quiet" fashion. "Look! It's us! We're on T.V.!"
"Huh?" This definitely caught Jessie's attention. "We're on T.V.?" She excitedly repeated. She took a look at the television set and, sure enough, there was their balloon floating above the festival. "Wow! I look just as beautiful onscreen as I do off screen!"
James and Meowth sweatdropped at her vain comment.
"Hey!" yelled another voice from down below. "I thought I told you to stay out!" Officer Jenny shouted. She had just arrived with a few more policemen and was now standing beside Ash. "And each couple is allowed to bring only two Pokémon to the festival, yet you've got three down here and I'm pretty sure I can see a Meowth up there with you!"
"Officer Jenny!" Brock cried out from the middle of the crowd. "Argh! Two beautiful women are here before my very eyes!" He ran up to where Ash , Misty and Officer Jenny were. Brock was holding Nurse Joy by the hand, making her pant lightly while trying to keep up with him. Chansey and Crobat also joined them.
"Brock!" Misty scolded Brock. In return, he just gave her a faint smile and shrugged.
Up in the balloon, Jessie was fascinated to watch her team on television. She ran over to the edge of the balloon's basket and looked for the camera that filmed them. As soon as she spotted it, she began presenting herself.
"Viewers from around the world! I, the beautiful yet evil member of Team Rocket, would like to announce that we are interested in stealing the most valuable and rare Pokémon existing! So, if you happen to own one, I'm glad to tell you that you will very soon receive a wondrous visit from a member of the glorious Team Rocket! Although I cannot guarantee a magnificent person like myself will show up, I can tell you that a Team Rocket member will!"
As Jessie made her speech, everybody stared in awe at all the things she said.
"This is pathetic!" Ash said to himself.
Jessie suddenly leaned over the edge and placed her hands beside her mouth, for she was now about to whisper something to the camera.
"However, if you happen to receive an awful member called Cassidy, please know that I am in no way associated with her or anything that concerns her being chosen to steal from you!" As Jessie returned to her normal position, she remembered to add something else. "Oh, and that goes for her teammate as well!"
"That's all very nice of you to warn us, but… Let's go, Bayleef!" Ash suddenly ordered. That made the grass Pokémon skip from his left side and stand before him.
Misty decided to join, as did Brock.
"Go, Tododile!"
"You too, Crobat!"
Both Pokémon now stood beside Bayleef.
"Now, Bayleef! Use your Vine Whip to send Wobbuffet back to the balloon!"
"Bay bay!" Bayleef chimed. Two green vines swooshed from both sides of its neck and loosely curled around Wobbuffet, who, with a clueless look, just stood there, motionlessly. As soon as the vines were involving the Pokémon several times, they tightened, and Bayleef tossed Wobbuffet back towards the balloon, hitting Jessie on her face. She fell down, dizzy.
THUNK
"And you, Tododile!" Misty commanded the Pokémon she was in charge of, "Water Gun attack on Weezing!"
"Todo!" Tododile happily cried. It jumped up in the air as if it were dancing, sucked some air in and let a jet of water hit Weezing. There was so much force in the water that Weezing ended up clonking James on the head. He toppled over, kind of dizzy as well.
Now it was Brock's turn.
"Crobat! Pop that balloon and send them flying!" he ordered as he pointed to Team Rocket's balloon.
Crobat hopped from Brock's shoulder and swooped up and down in the air until it reached the Meowth-like balloon. "Crr!" it cried as it flew in through one eye of the Meowth and out from the back of its head. That made the air quickly try to escape the balloon, therefore sending Team Rocket once again to the stratosphere.
"Ahh! Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Meowth worriedly yelled as it and its teammates disappeared into the horizon and turned into a little twinkling star.
PING!
However, all was not over. Arbok still stood in the festival grounds, hissing from behind a tree it had managed to subtly slid over to.
"Aah!" screamed the reporter who was joining the cameraman present in the festival. "Look! Over there!" he cried, pointing to Arbok. "That Arbok!"
"Sssarbok!" it hissed once again. Arbok now tried to slide closer to the man.
Ash and Misty looked at the scene and exchanged glances. They both nodded to each other.
"Bayleef!"
"Tododile!"
"Tackle attack!" they shouted in unison.
Arbok, knowing what a Tackle attack was, had wide eyes while staring at the two Pokémon who charged against it. Bayleef and Tododile suddenly hit it with all the strength of their bodies.
"Sssarr!" it screeched while disappearing into the horizon, just as its companions had before.
Back at the festival, everybody cheered. Ash, Misty and Brock danced around with the Pokémon they used to battle against Team Rocket, while Nurse Joy and Chansey clapped.
"That was great!" Officer Jenny told the three trainers with a smile as she approached them. "Thanks to you, we may now continue our festival in peace!"
More people cheered, and soon, everybody was enjoying the festival just as they were before. Officer Jenny returned to her duty and so did the other guards.
"Excuse me," called out a man. It was the reporter. He ran towards Ash, Misty and Brock. "I would just like to say that that was fantastic! I was wondering if maybe I could ask you a couple of questions! Individually would be preferred, since I would like to hear your personal opinions without the help of each other…" He looked over at Ash. "That is, if you wouldn't mind me borrowing your girlfriend for an interview…"
"My girlfriend?" Ash repeated with a clueless look. It soon hit him. "Waa? You m-mean Misty? She's not my girlfriend!" he nervously answered. Ash also blushed like crazy. "I-I think I'm gonna go for a walk!" he quickly said. Ash turned around and walked away.
"Uh… I don't really have anything to say," Misty replied. She pushed Brock so that he stood in between her and the reporter. "Why don't you interview Brock? He's got tons of things to tell 'ya!" She then left to go after Ash.
"Hey, Ash! Wait up!" Misty called out after her friend. She soon caught up with him, but he said nothing.
"What's the matter?" she asked, concerned.
Ash approached a nearby bench. It was quite rare to find one that wasn't occupied, so he decided to sit down on this one.
"Huh? Oh… nothing."
Misty sat next to him and both could see that Brock and the others were no longer in sight, for they were lost in the immense crowd.
The water Pokémon trainer wasn't content with Ash's answer, but she didn't feel like starting an argument about it, so she just came up with a new subject instead.
"It's definitely getting kind of cold tonight, isn't it?" she said as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. It was indeed quite cold. "Just like Nurse Joy said it would…" Misty peered at Ash's face from the corner of her eye to see if he felt better. Or, at least, less uncomfortable.
JIII GULYY PUFF! JIGULYY!"
"Oh, no…" Misty spoke with a sleepy tone in her voice. "Is that what I think it is…"
"Yeah…" Ash began while yawning, "Jigglypu…"
Too late. Both had now fallen asleep for listening to Jigglypuff's soothing lullaby, as had everyone else, for the song came from the speakerphones that filled the area.
Some time later on, people began waking up. Between Ash and Misty, Ash awoke first. He slowly opened his eyes and realized that many people and Pokémon laid on the floor, all with black ink on their faces. He thought he had some as well.
Ash suddenly looked over to his left and found a fiery red head resting on his shoulder. He blushed a little bit in the beginning, and that blush became more apparent as he decided to wrap one of his arms around her. He didn't really know why, but he just felt like doing so. Unfortunately for him, Misty began to wake up.
Since she was just regaining her senses, Misty didn't realize Ash's hand was on shoulder. Therefore, without thinking, she just sat upright. Ash, however, froze when he noticed his friend had awoken.
Uh-oh… Ash thought. What do I do now? I'm practically hugging her!
Misty suddenly realized somebody's hand was hanging over her shoulder.
"Uh… Ash?" she asked as she looked at him.
"Waa! I was just… Uhh… Keeping you warm, that's all! You said you were cold, r-right?" he quickly rambled on as he retrieved his arm and stood up, nervously sweatdropping before Misty.
She, in return, giggled.
"What?" Ash asked, confused.
Misty stood up too. She approached him and said, "looks like your face has just turned into another one of Jigglypuff's masterpieces!"
"Huh?" he asked. Ash decided to rub his cheek to check. Since he was left with some ink on his hand, he rubbed most of the ink off his face. He then took a look at Misty.
"Yeah, well, ditto to you!"
Now that he looked at her, he saw noticed some things that he hadn't before, like what she was wearing: it was the exact kimono the mannequin was wearing that day in the kimono store. The mannequin he toppled over. Ash felt glad and proud at the same time when he saw this. He knew one of his best friends so well that he even guessed correctly which clothes she'd pick to wear. And now that he took a good look at her, he wondered how it was possible to label her appearance in so many different ways: she looked endearing, beautiful and cheerful, all at the same time. The exact characteristics that mostly filled up Misty's personality.
Well, I guess that stubbornness and short-temper can't really be expressed by clothing, Ash thought. In that case, her appearance really suits her! He giggled.
Misty smiled sweetly. "Oh, yeah!" She also began rubbing her face.
Both were laughing at their painted faces when the crowd opened up and revealed Brock and Nurse Joy back over at the last place they had seen them. By the looks of it, Nurse Joy seemed to be planting a kiss on Brock's cheek, which seemed to make him almost ready to faint. This scene was only visible to Ash and Misty for a short moment, because people soon stood in the way again. However, that didn't stop them from staring in awe at the two and earning each a pair of two brightly colored cheeks. Both stared straight ahead and then at each other from the corner of their eyes.
"U-uh… You'd better not be expecting one, Ash Ketchum!" Misty suddenly burst out.
"Uh… Waa! Now way! O-of course I'm not!"
The two were now blushing even more than before. They decided to check out the rest of the festival and enjoy their last day in the small town, not knowing that soon a message from Misty's sisters would change the routine they were so used to follow everyday together.
-End Fanfic-
:D :D :D Okay, three smilies should express my happiness here! I finished my fanfic! It's my very first fanfic ever! And I finally finished! I'd like to thank you ALL! Especially the people who encouraged me to write a fanfic in the "Shipping Fanfics General Discussion" thread! (You know who you are! winks) Thank you, guys!
Let's see, before I go… Humm… Oh, yeah! Remember that in the first chapter of this fanfic, I said that Ash had just finished participating in the Johto League? Well, this chapter says it's before Misty received the awful news that she would have to stay back at Cerulean City, so… That means that this whole story happens in between "Johto Photo Finish" and "Gotta Catch 'Ya Later!".
Well, that's it, I guess…
Please review! ;)