Chapter 12: Ash's Returning Wish

The curtain rose. Corina appeared, full white ballerina attire with a frilly tutu. Her friends were in the sold-out auditorium to watch her performance, including those from Cafe Mew. The music started. She began her performance, the grace of her balancing on her toes, leaping long bounds and her harmonic dance matching the music. It was a long and exhausting performance, but the crowd applauded her greatly. She took a bow, acknowledging the crowd and their approval. When she began to rise back up, Ash was there in the same outfit as their date. Corina was caught off-guard as Ash came closer with a bouquet of flowers. "For my special girl," he offered. Humbled, Corina took the bouquet and smelled the flowers.

"I love these!" she awed while Ash dug into his pocket.

"That's not all. I wanted to do this for a long time…" When Corina heard this detail, she looked to Ash who dropped to one knee. Corina's eyes blew up at the gesture and a small box in his hand.

"Is that… what I think it is?" When Ash opened the box, there was a gold ring inside. It was a proposal.

"Corina Bucksworth… will you be my wife?" Corina's hands covered her mouth in shock. Her eyes watered. She couldn't hold back.

"YES!" She extended her hand. Ash pulled the ring from the box which morphed from a gold ring to a diamond ring. Corina morphed from her ballerina outfit to a shoulder-less wedding gown. Ash slipped the ring on Corina's finger as he wore a white tuxedo. Those from Cafe Mew and Ash's Pokémon watched as Ash and Corina stood in front of a priest, staring lovingly in each other's eyes.

"Ash Ketchum and Corina Bucksworth," the priest spoke. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Congratulations, you two on achieving this goal on your own. Ash, you may kiss the bride." Ash and Corina leaned toward each other for the kiss…

…But all Corina's lips were smothering a pillow that she had wrapped her limbs on, not Ash's face. She moaned, a pleasure of her dream. Drool seeped from her mouth and soaked the pillow and bedsheets. The next day, Ash was in class.

"I can't believe you were on a date with the richest girl around here!" one boy gasped.

"What did you do, Ash!?" yelled another young man. "I gotta know! There's a secret you gotta tell me!"

"No, me!" another boy protested. It gave Ash an idea, something he remembered from the date.

"What is it about her you're after?" he questioned. This made the boys blink.

"What… do you mean?" the first asked. "It's a rich girl, right?" Ash snickered to the boy's guess.

"Are you telling me that you're not interested in her money?" the second boy guessed. Ash flashed a grin.

"Money is money," he simplified. "Besides, if that's what holds you back from love, you're poor in heart, not in pocket."

"You're saying it's… genuine?" the first boy realized. Mark and Zoey heard the argument and reached Ash's desk.

"This is why we like Ash!" spoke Mark. The boys turned to Mark and Zoey as they approached with Zoey behind them. "He's not as judgmental as a lot of you guys are." Aside from Ash, the boys groaned to the accusation.

"I have a friend who's a little worse," Ash admitted. "Anyway, what's with you guys stopping by?" Zoey giggled to Ash's question.

"I wanted to know where you were," she started before presenting a box of her own. "Wanna join us for lunch outside?" On cue, Ash's stomach growled.

"Probably a good thing Wesley prepared for this," he laughed. "I'll see ya in a little bit." After getting the crowd to clear, Ash joined Zoey, Bridget and Mark outside.

"I'm probably gonna sound jealous but the fact that you made Corina happy," Bridget started.

"Calm down, Bridget," Zoey eased. "You're making it sound like you should be with Ash, not Corina."

"But I can tell where her jealousy's starting to sprout," Mark remarked.

"Seriously, Mark!?" snapped Zoey. Ash sighed to their banter.

"You invited me to hear this?" he pointed out while taking a bite of a rolled egg.

"No," Mark denied. "Actually, we've been wondering about what your plans are." Ash nodded before he faced his friends.

"The big thing I need to do is move on," he replied. Mark and the girls gasped.

"Hold on…" halted Bridget. "Are you sure? Going back to Petalburg City?"

"I can't stay hiding for long," Ash told. "Besides, staying away for so long is really affecting my Pokémon Training." The girls became worried.

"But what about the mob that chased you and Pikachu out?" pointed Zoey. "The moment you come back, what do you think will happen? You'd be much better here with Corina." Ash shook his head.

"I should probably say that I don't like staying in one place for long," he reiterated. "There's so much back in my world that I want to see and be with. Once there's no reason for me to be here, I move on… otherwise, there's no way for me to be a Pokémon Master." Bridget placed a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Ash, we'll be right there with you," she promised. "It's like how you've been there for me." Ash smiled to the promise. At Cafe Mew, Ash and Corina helped each other. Megan and Mimi sighed, seeing the two together.

"It does bite that Ash had his date with Corina," Megan murmured. "Jeez, why the rich girl? Why not one of us?"

"I know, but there's a bright side to it," Mimi added. "At least none of the Three Beckies have him." Overhearing, Renee arrived at Megan and Mimi's table.

"Corina's the one who chose him, not the other way around," she corrected. "If you want to ask about it, I'm sure to bring her around." Megan and Mimi dismissed the idea. Pikachu peered from under the booth at Megan and Mimi as they paid and left Cafe Mew. As they left, the two had questions of their own.

"You know, I could ask Ash if there are any boys that come from his home," Mimi wondered.

"Really?" irked Megan. "Do you even know where he's from?" It made Mimi giggle while playfully knocking herself in the head. Then, there's a roar. Looking forward, there was a giant vomit green three-headed monster with drained and deformed heads of Jessie, James and Meowth. It let out a billowing roar with its six arms, the bottom two being Meowth's paws. The girls screamed in fear. Mini-Mew sounded the alarm. Zoey, Bridget, Corina, Kikki and Renee heard the alarm.

"Kikki's been wondering when those aliens strike!" sneered Kikki.

"Good timing, too," Corina sighed. "No customers around. Zoey, you know what to do."

"Right," Zoey agreed as she grabbed her pendant. "POWER PENDANT MEWTAMORPHASIS!" The girls transformed before springing to action. They reached the monster in question and gasped.

"Okay, what is that!?" gawked Bridget. Looking up, Zoey saw Megan and Mimi in the clutches of the behemoth.

"HELP!" cried Megan.

"GET US OUT!" whined Mimi. Zoey's friends were hanging in the balance.

"Megan!" she yelled. "Mimi! We'll get you out of there!"

"Or will you?" voiced a new man. Looking up, there was a raven-haired man in a sleeveless black suit with a purple midsection. One notable feature was the pair of long and pointy ears.

"Sardon!" realized Zoey.

"The Mew Mews. It may not matter in the struggle as you're seeing a new Predisite breed. A true combination of human and bizarre creature."

"PI… KA… CHU…" it garbled. "PI… KA… CHU…"

"Pikachu?" repeated Corina.

"It can't be!" gasped Renee. "Weren't they locked away before?"

"It means Sardon sprung them before infusing them," Bridget concluded.

"This is perfect for me to do my Tambourine Trench!" shouted Kikki as she slammed her tambourines to the ground, causing the quake. The monster kicked the shockwave with a glowing foot, sending it back to the Mew Mews who leaped out of the way. This worried Kikki. "My Tambourine Trench!"

"I got your back!" assured Corina as she readied her weapon. "Heart Arrow!" She shot the arrow but it bounced back when the monster began to glow. She ducked out of the way. Bridget sensed something and decided to strike.

"Allow me!" she voiced. "Deep Sea Surge Attack!" With her castanets, Bridget summoned waves but the monster was aglow again, the surge bounced back and smashed into the Mew Mews, if they didn't leap clear. Only Bridget was hit and she fell onto the street.

"I'll watch her!" offered Renee.

"But what can we do?" gulped Zoey. "Our attacks keep bouncing back at us!" Bridget started to stand while in pain.

"Not all just yet," Renee snarled before leaping at the monster with the whip in her hand. The monster slashed its arms down which created a flying purple blade, tearing through the whip's leather and then, Renee. Megan and Mimi were dropped but the enormously long tail coiled around them. Zoey raced to get Renee out but the monster fired a rainbow beam that blasted the two, propelling them into the rest. They soon were strewn across the pavement and Zoey and Renee reverted to their work uniforms. Megan and Mimi gawked to the two that transformed back.

"Wait… Zoey?" irked Megan. "She's a Mew Mew?"

"And Renee, too?" added Mimi in confusion. The two struggled, pain coursing through their bodies.

"What a time to know the truth," Bridget cringed. Back at Cafe Mew, Mini-Mew buzzed frantically.

"The Mews!" realized Mark. "They're in trouble!" Ash nodded, believing the problem hadn't been solved.

"That's it!" he snapped. "I'll go after them! It sounds serious!" The others gawked to the demand.

"Don't, it's too risky!" irked Elliot. "If you expose your Pokémon, do you-"

"It's a risk I have to take if it means the safety of the girls!" interrupted Ash. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

("Finally!") the Mouse Pokémon squeaked before jumping onto Ash's shoulder. They left and Wesley realized some information forgotten.

"You didn't tell him about Team Rocket escaping?" he believed.

"If I did, he would've been after me and he knows he doesn't want it," Elliot muttered. Mark had a hard time believing Elliot as well. He grabbed a pair of wooden swords and followed Ash and Pikachu.

"You're worried about Corina, is that it!?" he asked.

"You'd do the same for Zoey!" countered Ash.

"Can't argue that! Love of our lives!" They soon reached Sardon and the monster staring down the fallen girls. "Zoey! Renee!" Ash peered up and saw Megan and Mimi in the monster's coiled tail.

"There's Megan and Mimi! We gotta get them out of there!" Sardon lowered himself to meet up with Ash, Mark and Pikachu.

"So, you must be the friends of these girls," he started. "I must say that you're not going to succeed. I have the advantage and the infusing combination of Team Rocket will be your demise." Ash and Pikachu gasped, learning that Team Rocket escaped and became this mess. How can they stop a monster which has attacks bouncing back at them?

TO BE CONTINUED...