The sun was just sinking beneath the horizon, painting the sky with streaks of red and gold to hover above Viridian City, the ships next port of call. The fog horn sounded above the two people standing side by side as the city neared. The rest of the day had flown by since the presentation of the medals to Ash for his victory in the tournament, filled with congratulations and happy times.
Stirring from his deep, deep thoughts Ash turned from where he stood, arms resting on the outer railings of the ship, to face the young woman beside him. She smiled in return while removing her mind from thoughts and ponderings just as deep as his had been. "Shall we go for another walk?" he asked, offering her his arm. Giggling slightly she passed her arm through his and they began walking around the deserted main deck. Everyone was at supper but having eaten so much earlier in the day, neither were particularly hungry.
Fatigue began to wash over Misty, like the waves against the hull of the ship and she yawned widely before resting her head against Ash's shoulder. Glancing down at her head beside him, Ash smiled and placed his arm around her, hugging her close. She responded by placing her arm around his waist, enjoying the close contact between them and the heat radiating from his body. Ash blushed slightly and became extremely pleased that they had found the pokemon day-care centre. Last he had seen of Pikachu was bounding into a large pool of plastic balls, trying to catch Azurill whose tail was the exact shape and size as the balls and provided perfect camouflage.
"See James, I told you this would be a great idea!" cackled Jessie as they loaded the cages of stolen pokemon onto the platform below their Meowth shaped balloon.
"You're right Jessie," Beamed James, "setting up up this day-care centre was a stroke of genius!"
"Yeah, especially as the twerps left their Pikachu here!" cackled Meowth as he leered at Pikachu who was held captive in a special Pika-proof cage while the small electric mouse glared venomously back. Cackling together at the helpless Pikachu they began entering the hot air into the balloon. It began to swell and take shape and it was not long before the cages lifted from the deck and into the air after the cage of the balloon.
"And the best part is those stupid trainers won't even realise we've taken their precious little pokemon until tomorrow!" laughed Jessie as she thought of the "Closed until tomorrow" sign that was currently hanging on the Day-care Centre's door.
Just at that moment, Ash and Misty rounded the corner of the cabin on the deck to see the balloon as it hovered between the deck and the open water. Pikachu screamed for his trainer the moment he saw the two of them and tried to roll his cage about to fall and get free from Team Rocket.
"Jessie look! It's the twerps!" cried James as he fearfully grasped her shoulder.
"Come on, we can't let them stop us!" screeched Jessie, reaching around and pulling a pokeball from her belt and throwing it to release Seviper who hissed and began to fire up his Poison Tail.
"Misty watch out!" cried Ash when Seviper came at them and they had realised all their pokemon were either in the Pokemon Centre or above in the cages. He pushed Misty out of the way, taking the full brunt of the snake's attack. Wincing as the pain shot through his arm from the stinger and where he landed heavily on the deck, Ash glared up at the trio as Seviper was withdrawn to his pokeball. The cargo of caged pokemon was hanging fully over the water now, at least three metres away from the side of the ship. Thinking fast, Ash leapt to his feet and ran full pelt at the side of the ship, jumping up onto the rail and leaping across the water to grasp onto the bars of the cages. As the load swung away from the ship by Ash's impact and then back towards the ship, it was struck again by another body leaping from the ship.
"What? Did you think I'd let you do this alone?" said Misty from beside Ash at his look of astonishment. Shaking his head with frustration he began pulling himself up to climb onto the cages. A Bulbasaur and a Bellsprout saw the two people trying to free them and let out their vines to securely grasp them and lift them on top of the main cage where Pikachu was kept in his special prison.
"Get down from there!" screeched Jessie, sending Seviper down to knock Ash away from his Pikachu. However the snake's aim was poor and his purple glowing tail sliced through one of the four ropes holding the gigantic cage to the balloon's basket. Misty and Ash who was clutching Pikachu's cage tightly almost fell from the top of the cage in the process as it rocked from side to side.
Hooking his arm through one of the three remaining ropes, Ash began unlocking the cage to release his pokemon. Occupied with his task, he never saw Seviper moving closer to him, his tail glowing a venomous purple and held high, ready to strike and knock him into the water. A sudden gust of wind caught the balloon and lifted it higher into the air and back towards the main deck of the ship where a crowd had gathered to watch the struggle in the sky.
Fear flooded Misty's heart when she saw Seviper poised over Ash, ready to strike just as the yellow rodent was released from his prison. Without any further thought she launched herself across the slippery surface of the cage to crash into Seviper, knocking them both off the platform and into the boiling waters beneath them.
"Misty!" screamed Ash as he saw her body plummeting into the water, Seviper crashing down upon her, his tail hitting her hard in the back, knocking her unconscious. Pikachu was now free and he ordered him to Iron Tail the ropes the moment the cage was above the deck of the ship before leaping from the cage and into the water after Misty's motionless body.
"Pikapi!" cried the little pokemon, holding onto the rope with one paw while reaching out for the spot where he trainer had vanished with the other. Turning, he glared up at Team Rocket, sparks cackling from his cheeks while Jessie screamed at James to do something and release his Cacnea. Complying with his bossy pink haired partner, he released his green cactus which immediately hugged him, cooing its name. On command from his trainer, Cacnea flew down to the top of the cage, its right arm aglow and held back for a Needle Arm attack. Pikachu leapt into the air to hit the grass-dark type with a powerful Thunderbolt attack that knocked it out and flying back up into the basket.
Landing on the slippery surface of the cage again, Pikachu looked down to see that they were now hovering over the ship and now was the time to sever the ropes. He rose into the air, his tail a brilliant white and sliced through the ropes. However, a very strong gust of wind hit the cage just as the last rope was severed and the cage began to fall down, not for the deck but for the water. Every pokemon screamed in their own tongue as the black water came closer towards them. Suddenly, a Victreebel let loose one of its vines to grasp a tower on the ship, altering the course towards the deck. Other grass types caught on to the idea and soon, a mass of green vines appeared from the cage to attach onto the ship and swing them round for the cage to smash open on the main deck, releasing the pokemon to their trainer's joy.
"We're blasting off agaiaiaiaiain!!" could be heard as Team Rocket and their balloon blasted away from the ship and into the night sky.
Pikachu slowly got to his feet, staring around for his trainer and his red haired companion while Azurill stood close by, terror in her innocent eyes over the outcome of her mother's fate.
The black water swirled about him as Ash swum deeper and deeper to finally clasp his hand around Misty's wrist. Turning to face the surface again, he kicked powerfully up. The added weight and drag of Misty's body tried to pull him down again but he continued to push his screaming muscles further and further to reach the surface.
He breathed in a large and deep breath when his head finally pierced the surface of the water, dragging Misty up beside him and taking a firm grasp around her waist to help keep her head above the water. "Help!" he cried, staring up at the ship beside them, "Help! Please, someone help us!" But no one came to the rails to hear his cries. Everyone was occupied with their pokemon's welfare to hear him call and the ship continued moving past the pair.
"Pikapi?" said Pikachu, sitting up higher, his ears twitching.
"Help…" that voice came again. Ignoring the people trying to check him over, Pikachu bounded to the rails at the side of the ship, hoping to see his trainer and Misty. His ears drooped when there was nothing other than the frothing water below. "…help us…" There was the voice again! Pikachu sat up straight once more and bounded to the other side of the ship, but again there was nothing. Trying on last time, he bounded to the stern of the ship and up onto the railings.
"What's up with that Pikachu?" asked a boy to another as they watched the pokemon's antics.
"Beats me, looks like he's lost something but is probably just distressed after being caught." Responded the second boy to the first as he moved closer to the Pikachu that perched on the rails at the stern of the ship, staring frantically at the water. "Come on little buddy, let's take you to Nurse Joy, she'll know what to do with you and if you trainer is looking for you, he'll be bound to find you there," he cooed, slipping his hands around the yellow rodent.
"Pikachu!" he let out a strong Thunderbolt when he felt the constraining hands close around his body in fright, frying the boy and his friend. "Pikapi!" the light from his Thunderbolt had lit up the water and not too far from the ship he could see his trainer holding up the red haired girl who was still unconscious.
Leaping down to the deck again, Pikachu began frantically shaking the boys, alternating between the two and onto the rails again to point into the water. It took a while, but finally Pikachu was able to signal to one of the boys that there were people in the water.
"Man overboard!" screamed the boys while one kept his eyes trained on the people in the water, the other rushed to the nearest "Man Overboard Rescue Point". Ripping open the door, he grabbed three pokeballs resting there before sprinting back to his friend and the Pikachu. Throwing the pokeballs high into the air, the boy released a Pidgeot, Gyarados and Ivysaur who immediately went to work. Gyarados dove deep into the water and swum straight under Ash and Misty, lifting them onto his back and out of the water. The Pidegot landed beside the spluttering boy, offering his broad back for Misty to be placed on before rising high into the air to land on the main deck where sailors had already gathered to help her. The Ivysaur lowered its vines down to grasp Ash around the waist and lift him of the Gyarados' back onto the main deck next to Misty.
Blankets were hurriedly wrapped around him but he shook them off to be next to Misty as she rolled onto her side, spluttering and coughing out water. He wrapped her tightly in his arms and she gratefully responded, clinging on to him and burying her face in his chest.
He slowly got to his feet and held out a hand to help Misty up but she immediately fell down again from shear exhaustion and the amount of adrenaline rushing through her body. Bending down, Ash effortlessly lifted her thin frame into his arms while Pikachu trotted at his side, helping Azurill to their cabin.
The crowd stood back to let them past and mutterings of, "What a cute couple!" could be heard. Misty, her arms locked behind Ash's neck let her fatigue wash over her and she rested her head against his warm, firm chest as he walked along the main deck and below to their cabin.
Beneath the main deck, the rest of the ship was silent and Ash met no one as he walked down the stairs and along the corridors with Misty clinging to him. Pikachu was extremely helpful, opening doors and keeping Azurill walking in the right direction while also keeping her out of the way of Ash's feet. Coming to the door, Ash motioned for his pokemon to retrieve the key from his jeans and slide it into the slot to open the automatic door. Pushing the door to the dark cabin open, Pikachu bounded forward and tugged back the covers to Misty's bed for Ash to slide her in for the night. However the little Pikachu had a lightning bolt of an idea when he saw his trainer almost topple over onto his passenger when Azurill accidentally got in the way.
Bounding forwards and back onto the floor, giving the impression of removing Azurill from beneath Ash's feet, Pikachu did a quick little side-step into Ash's path. The young man tripped over his pokemon and fell onto the bed, Misty still clutching tightly around his neck. He froze for a moment as she stirred a little but all she did was lower her hands to around his chest as she lay partially on top of him. He could feel a light blush rising to his face when she tightened her hold around his chest, knotting her fingers into the folds of his jumper. As she breathed out she seemed to murmur his name but soon settled again into silence.
He attempted to slide out from beneath her but she only clung to him tighter, frowning in her sleep and whispering, "Don't...don't go...". He relaxed into the bed again, resigned to staying where he lay with her arms wrapped around him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Pikachu snickering evilly to himself while Azurill looked rather bemused. Ash glared with as much venom as he could at his first pokemon who just returned the glare, walked over to the open door to close it and pulling the blanket around Ash and Misty tighter. Pikachu then returned to the floor to help Azurill into Ash's bed where they soon fell asleep.
His bed now taken, Ash looked down at the sleeping young woman beside him and wrapped his arm around her to keep her close and warm, gently placing a soft kiss on her hair once sure Pikachu was asleep.