Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters.
Sorry that it took so long to get this out. (And yes, I know that I haven't updated any of my other stories either.) Anyways, I hope you enjoy and if you like the story thus far, feel free to leave me a review.
Ch 9: Come for the Show
The noontime sun hung high above as a large bird flies through the cloudy sky. It extends its tired wings to catch a thermal in an effort to conserve its strength for the long flight it has ahead.
"Are we there yet?" Ash asked from atop Pidgeot.
"Pikachu?" (Yeah, are we?)
"If I hadn't waited for you, I would have been there by now!" Misty yelled from behind him. Ash flinched.
"I didn't sleep that late," he muttered.
"Yeah, sleeping until 10:30 isn't very late, but did you have to scarf down everything you found in the fridge?"
"I had to find something to do while you were getting dressed. How is that you can take such a long time picking out your outfit when it's the only one that wasn't blown up with my house?" Ash pointed out. The field of vision turned milky white as they found themselves inside of a cloud. The sound of worlds colliding and a yelp of pain led a bewildered Pikachu to ponder the origins of the newly formed lump on the back of Ash's head once they exited the fluffy white molecules of mystery.
"For peat's sake, Ash. Who knows how long it's been since Professor Oak stocked the fridge? It's no wonder why your stomach keeps giving you problems," Misty reasoned. Ash's stomach rumbled in agreement.
"Speaking of which...I think it's time for another pit stop." Misty sighed as Ash guided Pidgeot down into the trees for the fourth time since they started.
'I sure hope Ritchie and the other are faring better than we are,' she thought, fingertips massaging her temple while she tried to block out the sound of Ash's insides at war with the rest of him...
"Zippo, return!" Called a voice from the back alleys of an abandoned office building. A bright red glow surrounded Ritchie's Charizard before he returned to his pokéball.
"Thanks for the ride, Ritchie." Said Melody graciously as she smoothed out her mini-skirt.
"Yeah, thanks, Ritchie," Duplica smirked as she recalled her Ditto. "I could have ridden on a majestic Articuno; instead, I flew into town on a Fearow." Ritchie put his arms up in defense.
"Hey, the idea is to keep a low profile. We don't want to attract unnecessary attention." Duplica stared at him skeptically and pointed up. Ritchie diverted his gaze upwards just in time to see Casey and Beedrill performing their third somersault. Ritchie fell down with a look of pure disbelief.
"Casey! We're supposed to be keeping a low profile!" He yelled. Casey sighed, clearly disappointed, before making her descent and recalling her Beedrill.
"Gee, Ritchie. What did you have to go and ruin my fun for?" A pained look crossed Ritchie's face before quickly disappearing to escape her notice.
"I'm not trying to ruin anybody's fun. I just think we should get to the Cerulean Gym as quickly as possible without being noticed. You're forgetting that without Ash and Misty, we're severely lacking in attack power. What happens if we run into Team Devastation?" Casey gulped at the troubling thought.
"Maybe we should get going now," she agreed. Everyone exited the alley as stealthily as possible.
"Does anybody know which way the Gym is?" Duplica wondered. Casey raised her megaphone into the air.
"Follow me, everyone! I toured about half of this city when I was desperate enough to find someone to scam out of, er...I mean, legitimately buy tickets from, to the Electabuzz game," she assured. Everyone nodded, not having a clue how to get there themselves, heading to where they hoped to find the Cerulean Gym...
"Think they're already there?" Ash wondered as he, Misty and Pikachu passed by a large line.
"They must be by now. All they had to do was follow this humongous line." Misty remarked.
"Pikaaaaaa." (Sure are a lot of people.)
"Hey, Mist? Are you sure that all of these people are here to see your sisters' water ballet?" Misty nodded.
"Ever since we had Luverin and Caserin appear in our shows, the people coming have tripled." Ash looked over his shoulder, aware of the existence of the end of the line, but unable to see it.
"It's not too late to get tickets, is it?" Misty sighed.
'The one time I'm not in the show since I came to be the Gym Leader, and now he wants to see one,' Misty thought dejectedly as they made their way to the origins of the line, known to many eager people as the Cerulean Gym...
A half hour later, and we find Ritchie, Melody and Duplica following behind an increasingly less dependable tour guide that goes by the name of Casey.
"So, Casey. Which way do we go now?" Melody asked disdainfully. Casey looked left and right, but could not distinguish between the seemingly same roads.
"Um...I'm not sure," she admitted.
"I thought you said you toured half of this place!" Melody demanded. Casey looked down, cheeks stained red with embarrassment.
"Guess it was the other half," she replied meekly, the tips of her index fingers touching. The fearsome look Melody sent her way caused Casey to shrink back in fear. She backed away from Melody's advancing form until walked into someone who wasn't there a second ago. After the initial shock of falling flat on her butt wore off, Casey glared at the boy in his late teens responsible for her lowered altitude. Her outrage increased when she noticed the smeared sticky mess from the stranger's chocolate ice-cream. Flames of loathing in his eyes, Ritchie fixed his gaze on the eerily familiar person before them.
The tips of his jet-black hair hung in front of his dark sunglasses. The spiky-knuckled gloves were a bit intimidating, but his short-sleeve black shirt and dark blue jeans didn't feel threatening at all.
"What'd you do that for?" Ritchie demanded, not bothering to conceal his spiteful tone. The older boy smiled.
"I was just passing through. Your girlfriend was the one who bumped into me." The young adult dropped his now empty cone, stuck his hands in his pockets and walked past them laughing, rudely bumping into Ritchie in the process. Ritchie sent daggers into the back of the stranger's skull before stooping down to help Casey up.
"What's this?" Duplica wondered. She bent over and picked a crumpled piece of paper off the ground.
"That cute jerk must have dropped it," Melody concluded. Duplica unfolded the piece paper and gasped in surprise.
"It's a flyer for one of the Waterflower Water Ballets that's being held today. And it's got a map with the Cerulean Gym highlighted!" Duplica exclaimed triumphantly.
"Well, what do you know? That cute jerk actually helped us out," Melody mused. Ritchie's nostrils flared as he snorted.
"We would have been just fine without his help."
"Chill out, Ritchie. That jerks gone and now we know where we're going. I'd say things have turned out for the better," Duplica reasoned. With the map as their guide, Duplica and Melody started walking down the right path.
"Yeah, Ritchie. You're acting like that guy just touched your most cherished treasure. I'm just glad this wasn't my autographed shirt," Casey remarked whimsically. She took a napkin from a nearby patron and wiped her shirt dry before following after Melody and Duplica. Ritchie paused to consider her words.
'There's absolutely nothing wrong with coming to your friend's defense,' Richie decided silently before running to catch up with them...
"Okay, I know that we're moving towards the beginning of the line, so why does it feel like we're not getting any closer?" Ash wondered. He and Misty had stumbled onto a 'trail' leading them straight towards the Cerulean Gym, where they hoped to run into the others soon, seeing as the enormous line was easier to follow than Team Rocket back to their conveniently labeled secret hideouts. Before Misty had a chance to answer Ash, a police car sped past them with sirens flashing like an all night rave.
"That can't be good!" Misty exclaimed before she broke into a full sprint, leaving Ash and Pikachu struggling to keep up with the abrupt change of pace. The speeding cop car turned the sharp corner and stopped at the front of the Cerulean Gym. Misty desperately charged after it, running past an alleyway when.
WHAM!
Ash and Pikachu rounded the corner and found Misty leaning against a parked car, and...
"Duplica!" Melody cried as she rushed to the dazed performer lying flat on her back. At the sound of her name, Duplica jumped to her feet, pumping her fist into the air.
"Tickets for the show go on sale tomorrow! Come see the Amazing Duplica and her Sensational Dittos giving a Breath-Taking view of Pokémon thought to have existed only in legends!"
"I think you knocked something loose," Casey noted dryly. Misty groaned.
"We really don't have time for this," she griped. Duplica remained oblivious to the time constraints, all the while continuing to advertise to her imaginary audience.
"Maybe you should have thought about that before you gave her a Kingler-sized concussion," Ritchie remarked. Misty took a deep breath and exhaled. She calmly walked over to Duplica and promptly slammed her fist down on the confused girl's head. A blissful smile overtook Duplica's face before she hit the ground unconscious.
"What'd you do that for?" Ash exclaimed.
"Hey, it's your fault!" Misty accused. Ash stared at her flabbergasted.
"How is any of this my fault?"
"After hanging around you for 3 years, I'm inclined to strike anybody acting stupid. It just so happens that Duplica has unfortunately proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that your skull is far thicker than the average mortal."
"Ha ha, very funny. How's Duplica, Ritchie?" Ash inquired. Ritchie stared at Duplica with his hand to his chin, a contemplative expression present on his face.
"Looks like she's unconscious to me," he responded, causing everyone else to face-fault.
"Are you kidding me?" Melody shook her head in disbelief. "Even I could have told you that, and I failed life science! Twice!"
"That's not something I would go broadcasting," Ritchie advised.
"Hurry up and pick her up, Ritchie! We have to get going!" Casey shouted.
"Huh? Why should I have to? Misty's the one who knocked her senseless," Ritchie reminded.
"Yeah, but Misty and Ash are both gone, and Melody..." Casey pointed to where Melody was making her way inside the door on the side of the Gym.
"Don't people take responsibility for their actions anymore?" Ritchie grumbled as Casey helped position Duplica onto his back...
(Inside the Gym)
"...The man had green hair and brown eyes. The woman had blond hair and purple eyes." Daisy finished describing the intruders to the law enforcement officer.
"Daisy!" The golden-haired performer whipped her head away from the butt of the receding officer to face her youngest sister and her unofficial boyfriend bursting into the room.
"Well, like, hi sis. Shouldn't you be getting ready for the carnival dance tonight?" Misty groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Never mind that now, Daisy. What were the police here for?" Daisy smiled and waved it off.
"Nothing to worry about. It was just Cassidy and Bob again. I thought that they'd been put in jail, but I guess they're up to no good again."
"Did they take anything? Where are Violet and Lily?" Misty asked frantically.
"Relax little sister. Dewgong and your Gyarados took care of those losers. Lily and Violet are rehearsing their lines in the other room."
"I'm gonna check on the Pokémon," Misty declared before she ran towards the pool.
"Hold on, Misty! I'll come with you!" Ash called after her, but before he could follow, Daisy put him in a full nelson.
"Just one minute, Ash."
"Something I can help you with, Daisy?" Ash inquired once struggling proved futile.
"Why aren't you guys getting ready for the dance that was supposed to be happening tonight?"
"Even though I didn't want to go in the first place, it's not possible right now," he replied. Daisy loosened her grip a little.
"Why not?"
"Because the carnival literally went out with a bang. Now will you let go of me? I'm starting to lose feeling in my arms."
"Oh, my bad," Daisy sheepishly apologized before letting go.
"The show should be starting soon. Aren't you going to let those people in?" Daisy and Ash looked behind them to see Melody pointing to the door where many people could be seen, anxiously waiting to get their money's worth.
"Oh no! I like, totally forgot. Ash, I need you to stall them while I go and make sure everything is ready." She ran off before Ash could protest.
"But how am I supposed to..." Ash fell silent once his eyes settled on Melody. The young islander waved her hand in front of blank look on Ash's face.
"Um, Ash? The attention is flattering and all, but your starting to give me the creeps." Ash broke out of his daze.
"Heh, sorry Melody. I was just thinking... do you remember the choreography that went along with the song in your performance?"
"Stop right there, Ash! There is no way I'm going out there to prance around in front of all those people. The song may have been important, but that doesn't mean that I want to play, dance, and recite that same prophecy I do every year, when I don't have to, not even for you."
"All I'm asking is that you dance and play your Ocarina. I'll borrow one of the scripts and read the prologue or something when you finish." Ash clasped his hands together. "Pretty please with sugar on top? My last few attempts at stalling have ended in disaster."
"But I don't even have the ceremonial dress I wear when I perform," Melody protested, noticeably weaker than before.
"That's okay. You can borrow something of Misty's. She's been in plenty of the shows over here." Ash assured. The pleading look on Ash's face eventually felled the last of Melody's resistance.
"Oh, fine. But you're going to owe me big for this," she relented. Ash simply smiled and led her to the walk-in closet to get changed...
"Could you get the door, Casey? My hands are kind of full." Ritchie was of course referring to the still unconscious Duplica now drooling on his shoulder.
"I thought that it was the gentleman who opened the door for the lady," Casey teased as she opened the door.
"Well, make sure you let me know when you see a lady around." He retorted as he walked inside. A powerful strike to his rear made him teeter forward, forcing him to take a few steps forward to compensate for the extra weight shifting.
"What was that for?" Ritchie demanded.
"Just be happy that you're carrying Duplica. Otherwise I would have gone straight for my bat," Casey growled before stomping past him.
'It was just a joke. What is she getting so worked up for?' Ritchie wondered.
'The nerve of him! I'm just as much a lady as Melody and all the Waterflower sisters. I know I'm no less than Duplica at least. I thought I'd left that debate back home.' Casey was so absorbed in her thoughts, she failed to notice the fluffy apparition in front of her before she walked face-first into a pink cloud of fabric.
"Hey! Watch where you're going short stuff!" Melody warned. Casey spat out the taste of fabric and burst into a fit of laughter.
"Melody, is that you? What are you wearing?" Casey was of course referring to the hot pink dress with frills Melody was wearing with a displeased look on her face.
"Hey, I didn't choose to wear this. The lousy fashion sense belongs to Mister 'Chosen One' over there!" Melody defended.
"Well, it seemed to go with the story intro I found on the desk in the lobby," Ash reasoned.
"Fine, whatever," Melody agreed and started heading for the door. "Just don't forget the flowers and chocolate on our date!" Ash's jaw dropped in surprise.
"Date? Hold on Melody! Who said anything about a date?" Ash called after her as they went out the door. Casey glanced to the side and saw Misty approaching.
'This could be trouble,' Casey realized. The sound of a second set of footsteps reached her ears and she glanced to the other side of the room to see Ritchie. Deciding that the inconsiderate trainer still deserved the silent treatment, Casey stomped past Misty, pausing long enough to glare at Ritchie before heading out the door.
"The tension is so thick in here, I don't think that even Tracey's Scyther could cut through it. What was that all about?" Misty inquired.
"She's still mad about what I said earlier." Ritchie replied.
"What, did you badmouth the Electabuzz or something?" Misty mused. Ritchie shook his head.
"No, nothing like that." He laid Duplica on a nearby bench as he explained the reason for Casey's hostility. After he finished the explanation, Misty walked over to him and knocked her knuckles on the side of his head.
"Oww… what was that for?" Ritchie asked as he rubbed his now sore head.
"Honestly, Ritchie. I'd expect that kind of insensitivity from Ash, … well… mostly Ash. Now Brock, he… no, that was Ash too…"
"Speaking of Ash, where is he?" Before Misty could respond, she heard the melodic rhythm of the Ballad of Lugia bringing forth memories of first confession.
"Wow, is this the song that Melody played at the celebration for the Chosen One?" Ritchie wondered. Misty nodded.
"Yeah…" She fell silent upon hearing Ash's voice.
"Darkening skies cloud a once proud Kingdom
A curse placed upon it to exact revenge
A rejected Enchantress
A handsome Prince
Two gems of legend that can banish the darkness
Lost at sea
Guarded by a ferocious serpent
A hopeful Prince
An adventure-seeking Mermaid
Her oceans plagued by the upper world
Join together to save their people."
Murmurs of excitement sounded throughout the crowd as anticipation built up within the eager bodies of the patient audience. A round of applause spread out among them, causing Ash to rub his nose and a light blush of content spread across Melody's face.
A little girl tugged on her mother's skirt. "Mommy, are they the prince and mermaid?" The mother looked down towards her daughter's questioning face with a smile.
"They sure do make a cute couple, don't they?" The little girl nodded vigorously, her golden locks bouncing in her face.
Having heard the comments directed at them, Ash and Melody took sidelong glances at each other, both blushing a deep red in response.
Misty frowned at their reaction. Despite Melody knowing of her feelings for Ash, could she be harboring some as well?
"Well, like, what do you know, it looks like Ash managed to keep 'em busy after all," Daisy observed. Ritchie and Misty jumped back to make room for Daisy's sudden appearance.
"Huh? You mean that you asked Ash and Melody to entertain everybody while you made sure everything was ready?" Misty wondered.
"I left the job up to Ash, but I guess that Melody wanted to, like, help out also,"Daisy shrugged. Misty nodded.
"That was nice of her."
Noticing the hint of sadness detectable in her voice, Ritchie opted to change the subject. "Is everything ready now, Daisy?" he asked.
Daisy nodded, also aware of the bitter feelings present in her baby sister.
"Uh-huh. Lily and Violet are totally ready to go on. How about collecting tickets, Misty?" Daisy's question fell on deaf ears because Misty was already on the other side of the door with a sullen look on her face. Daisy grimaced.
"Well, I like, guess that leaves you to collect the tickets for me, Ritchie."
Ritchie sighed and nodded. 'Roped in again,' he thought bitterly.
"What is it that you wanted me to do with people who don't have a ticket?"
"Tickets at the door are as follows: Adults for $10, teens for $5, and kids get in for the totally low, low price of completely free. Go ahead and get Ash and Melody to help you sell and collect tickets." Ritchie nodded his head as Daisy left to change into her costume.
"Ah hah! Returning to the scene of the crime!"
Misty looked up to see Duplica leaning against the wall in front of her with a coy smile on her face. Misty returned the awkward smile.
"Sorry about earlier, Duplica. I should have been watching where I was going…and used common sense instead of resorting to my specialized methods specifically for Ash," she apologized. Duplica laughed heartily.
"I think the problem is that you've been hanging out with Ash for so long. You're so used to Ash being the source of chaos, you instinctively bash anything that gets out of control. The problem is that you forgot that unlike Ash, I'm a normal human. A normal human being couldn't possibly survive all that Ash has gone through." Misty smiled.
"Well, he wasn't alone you know. Brock and I were there to save his sorry butt when he got in over his head." Duplica giggled.
"You mean all the time, right?" Misty nodded, both girls breaking into a wild fit of laughter before Duplica started toppling backwards. Misty lunged forward and managed to catch her friend before she fell for the third time that day.
"Guess I'm still a bit woozy," Duplica admitted. Misty nodded as she led her to the kitchen. She helped Duplica sit at a small table before pulling an ice pack from the freezer and handing it to her. Duplica winced once the cold was applied to the lumps Misty gave her.
"Thanks, Misty. So, what have I missed?" Duplica wondered. Misty filled her in on all of the things that occurred following her spectacular collision with Misty's fist and forehead.
"It sounds to me like you're jealous of Melody.," Duplica replied plainly, causing Misty to blush momentarily.
"That's ridiculous! Why would I possibly be jealous of Melody?" Misty contested a bit stronger than she intended. Duplica shrugged.
"Maybe it's because you harbor some sort of feelings for Ash?" she reasoned. Misty face-faulted.
"That's even crazier." Duplica stared at Misty with a blank look. Misty started pacing around the room.
"Okay, let's say that, hypothetically, I was a little, and I'm talking a trace amount, unnerved by Melody's close proximity to Ash for the last couple of hours, and that, hypothetically, I have some kind of 'feelings' for Ash. What should I do about it?" She asked uncertainly. Duplica gave her a reassuring smile.
"Have you ever thought about confessing your feelings, hypothetically, I mean?"
Misty shook her head. "No. I've always been too afraid that it would ruin our friendship if he didn't feel the same way I do about him. Hypothetically speaking of course," she hastily added.
"Of course," Duplica assured with a wink. "But you really should consider telling Ash."
"Tell me what?" Before Duplica could even utter a cry of alarm, Misty's hands were covering her mouth in an instant.
"Tell you that, um…your shirt is un-tucked. Yeah, that's it. I meant to tell you that your shirt is un-tucked." Misty replied weakly.
"Uh, Misty? My shirt is kind of always un-tucked," Ash reminded.
"Oh, really? I hadn't noticed," Misty replied with an embarrassed laugh, causing all three trainers to sweat-drop.
"Anyways, I'm here to tell you that the tickets are being collected as we speak and that your sisters asked Casey to tell us that we're the new stage hands," Ash explained. Misty nodded.
"Of course! I'll get right on it!" She left in the room in a rush, leaving a thoroughly confused Ash with Duplica. Ash turned to Duplica and jerked his thumb back towards the door Misty exited through.
"What was that all about? I thought Misty had knocked you silly." Duplica could only shrug in response with a nervous smile on her face.
A half hour later and the audience members are now patiently waiting in the dark for the spotlight that would signal the start of the performance. All eyes were focused on the elevated swimming pool that would be serving as the stage.
"Everybody ready?" Daisy inquired over the wireless headsets.
"Ready," The new stage crew replied in unison.
"I don't see why my sisters couldn't have just hired people to do this?" Misty complained from her position. Ash, who was right next to her, shrugged in response
"Your sisters admitted that we were cheaper labor," he whispered.
At station #2, Ritchie was making his own inquiries.
"Hey, Casey, something's different about you, but I can't put my finger on it," Ritchie rubbed his chin as he tried to place what had changed.
"Oh, really?" Casey giggled. 'All right! It's working!' She thought triumphantly. She resisted the urge to touch the trace amounts of blush and eye shadow Violet had applied to her face in response to her desires to prove her femininity to Ritchie.
Ritchie snapped his fingers. "I know! It's because you turned your hat backwards!" Casey sighed with heavy disappointment.
"Now I can see that you've put make-up on," Ritchie continued, but the spotlight turning on and the start of the prelude to the show drowned out the sound of his voice. None of the six trainers noticed the menacingly familiar silhouette above them as the story intro played over the loud-speaker:
Since the beginning age of the world, magic has been present in even the smallest life form…
But as with every resource, there existed a pure source in the form of two gems… (At this point, Staryu swims to the center of the tank and uses Substitute to make a clone of himself.)
These two Staryu cores housed the complete essences of good magic, and bad magic keeping it balanced as they swam in harmony… (Staryu and his substitute dance around in a rhythmic sphere)
There were those who sought to use these pokémon for their own impure intentions and would stop at nothing to obtain them…
Seeing the plight of the two Staryu, the merpeople took pity on them; hiding them away in an underwater cavern guarded by a ferocious Gyarados…
(Both Staryu swim into an underwater cave.)
With the largest sources of magic sealed, the world started to erode…
Learning of the merpeople's actions, the upper world declared war on them; trust between them was shattered forever…
Centuries passed, and the newly crowned Prince must choose a bride before he can reign…
The first Princess he laid his eyes upon attracted him. However, once informed that her kingdom was among the lowest in power and prosperity, he quickly refused her.
Heartbroken and dejected, the forsaken Princess used a mysterious source of magic to place a terrible curse on the vain Prince's kingdom…
Determined to free his people from the results of his prejudice, the Prince sets off in search of the only source of magic strong enough to lift the curse, located within the depths of the sea…
The bottom of the tank began to glow a brilliant purple.
"Wow, that's so cool!" Ash exclaimed "How'd your sisters set that up, Mist?" Misty shook her head.
"They never told me anything about this."
A loud screeching over the P.A. system was soon followed by maniacal laughter. Two ropes dropped down from the rafters, illuminated by the redirected spotlights.
"Hey, who reprogrammed the angle of the spotlights?" Duplica exclaimed.
"I don't know. We were right here the whole time," Melody reminded. Two familiar silhouettes descended the ropes with the aid of their harnesses, into the spotlights.
"Prepare for trouble!"
"Better make it double!"
"To infect the world with Devastation!"
"To blight all people in every nation!"
"To pronounce the evils of truth and love!"
"T o extend or wrath to the stars above!"
"Cassidy!"
"Butch!"
"Team Devastation, circling earth all day and night!"
"Surrender to us now, or you will surely lose the fight!"
The familiar uniforms seemed unaltered save for the 'D' now adorning their tops.
"It's Cassidy!" Ritchie exclaimed.
"And Bob Marley!" Casey added.
"For the last time, my name is, Butch! You hear me? Butch! We've done this for years and you still can't get it right!"
"Didn't you creeps learn your lesson already?" Daisy called out from atop the diving board. Cassidy wagged her finger.
"Before, we were simply searching. Now that we found what we're looking for, we'll be sure to stick around until we retrieve it."
"What could you possibly want from the Cerulean Gym?" Misty demanded. Butch snickered.
"It's not just this Gym, little miss. Every Pokémon Gym has a little piece of what we want!" He held up a small device in his hand. "This little doo-hickey just confirms what we already know." He turned a dial on the small device, causing the bottom of the pool to glow purple once again.
"Well that explains the glowing earlier," Ritchie quipped.
"Enough with the talking! It's time we got what we came here for!" Cassidy held up a small silver box about the size of a box of Kleenex and threw it into the water. "Now it's time to let this show go out with a bang!" She cackled as she pulled out a small remote.
"IT'S A BOMB!" Someone from the audience screamed, causing pandemonium in the stands.
"Staryu! Destroy that remote with a Swift attack!" Misty yelled.
"Hiya!" (I'm on it!) Staryu burst out of the cave, spinning rapidly like a shuriken firing a multitude of small, yellow stars as it burst from the water. Cassidy smirked before throwing out a pokéball. Out popped her Sableye, which immediately used Knock Off to send Staryu flying back into the water.
"Sableye Sable." (You stay away from my master.) Misty turned to Ash.
"I can handle Cassidy and Butch. The rest of you have to get the audience out of here before Cassidy blows up the arena." Ash looked hesitant, but nodded and took off with the others. Misty threw out another pokéball and released her Corsola. "Ready to battle, Corsola?" Corsola nodded.
"Corsola!" (We can't let them win!)
"Okay, Spike Cannon!"…
A/N: And that pretty much ends this half. The real battle stuff starts next half, and I can assure you that it at least matches if not surpasses what you normally see on the show. And if anyone liked my little fairy-tale, go ahead and tell me. I might make it into a separate story. The next chapter should be up no later than next week-end. I've written about 70 of it and I still have to type it, but that shouldn't take too long.