Disclaimer: I have no financial ties to Pokemon, blah blah blah...
-part 4-
So you've heard the expression "time flies when you're having fun," right? Well, that's what happened. Before I knew it, the song was over, so Joy and I went back to our seats. As we approached the table and I started to sit down, I suddenly became aware of something -- I was still holding Joy's hand! I hadn't really thought about doing it or planned it or anything, it just happened. I also realized that the nervousness of the night so far had left me a little dehydrated, so I decided to take the opportunity to practice some old-fashioned chivalry, something this Joy seemed to like. "Would you like something to drink?" I asked her.
"Sure, just some punch would be fine, thanks," she replied, nodding.
"Coming right up." I got up again and headed to the drink table, which was only a few steps away in the corner, still surprised at the degree of...normal-ness that I had been behaving with. I was more convinced now that Joy was having an effect on me, somehow making me comfortable around her and not prone to my usual behavior around girls. I glanced at the partially empty bottles near the punch bowl to try and guess what the punch contained. Fortunately, they were all various flavors of pop and juice, no alcohol. I poured two glasses of punch, returned to our table, gave one to Joy, and sat back down. Looking into Joy's eyes, I noticed that she was staring at something behind me and slowly starting to form a smile, so I turned around to see Ash and Misty walking toward us. At first I wondered why Joy was smiling simply at their approach. Then, when I looked more closely, I realized to my surprise that they were holding hands, just like Joy and I had been after the dance. When considering how positively the night had been going, I guess that shouldn't have surprised me much, but it did anyway.
"So...I noticed you guys managed to dance. That wasn't so hard, was it, Ash?" I asked with a grin. The pleased look on his face was the only response I needed.
Misty was the first of the two to speak. "Brock, I wanted to thank you for what you did. If it wasn't for you, this whole thing never would've happened." A lot of things had surprised me that night, and what Misty did next only added to the list. She let go of Ash's hand, bent over to where I was sitting, and gave me a gratitude-filled hug. Whispering in my ear, she said, "You really mean a lot to me, Brock. You're the closest I've ever had to a brother." I glanced at Nurse Joy, who was smiling as she watched the exchange. I wondered if she heard what Misty whispered to me, but put that thought aside as the beginnings of a tear formed in the corner of my eye. Misty let go, straightened up, and took Ash's hand again.
"Thanks, really," I said, and I meant it.
Then it was Ash's turn to speak. "We were talking out on the dance floor, and we figured that this might have actually been hard for you to do. Misty thought you might have been worried that if we got together, we'd want to be together all the time and you'd get left behind. I was gonna tell you that we'd never do that," he glanced at Nurse Joy, "but instead I want to congratulate you."
I wiped away a tear from my left eye, and hesitated at Ash's last words, confused. "Congratulate me for what?" I asked.
"For not acting like you usually do around girls," Misty spoke up. Ash glared at her, and she sweatdropped, but I knew she was right.
I smiled warmly at Nurse Joy. "It's different this time, guys."
Suddenly, the mood was broken by an all-too-familiar double laugh from behind Ash and Misty. They spun around, and Nurse Joy and I stood up for a better look. Across the room at the DJ table, the two DJs sprang out from behind the table and flipped off the baseball caps they'd been wearing pulled low over their eyes. We could now see that one of them had blue hair parted in the middle, and the other had long, waist-length red hair. "Oh, no, not now..." I groaned. They ripped off the sweatshirts and jeans they'd been wearing to show their Team Rocket uniforms, leaving no doubt that they were Jessie and James, and started their motto.
"You've had your dance, now prepare for trouble!" said Jessie.
"Now's our chance to make it double!" added James.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
Meowth popped out from behind them. "Meowth, dat's right."
"Why do you losers always show up at the worst possible times?" I snapped. The night had been going perfectly, and although I'd feared that they might be coming, their actual presence still ruined things.
"Yeah, and what are you after this time?" Ash demanded.
Jessie crossed her arms. "Hmph. Your Pokemon, what else? This is a big event with lots of Pokemon trainers in attendance, which means lots of Pokemon for us to steal!"
Without further ado, Meowth pulled a remote from behind his back and pushed a button. In response, one of the stereo's large speakers seemed to "grow" by several extra sliding panels. A couple seconds later, it had grown to several times its original size! It was now approximately 15 feet tall and about 6 feet wide. A vacuum hose extended from it, and it began powerfully sucking in anything in its path. I realized that Meowth's remote also controlled the hose itself, as it methodically went from person to person, looking for any Pokeballs they had. Fortunately most people, like Ash and Misty, seemed to have left whatever Pokemon they had at home or elsewhere, since the hose only sucked up Pokeballs from a few of the people. But it's hard to get moving air to be selective, so anything else in the hose's path was being sucked up as well.
"We've gotta do something!" Ash said angrily, as the hose threatened to rip off his cherished Pokemon League hat.
I grabbed his arm and yelled to be heard over the din. "No, not yet! You and Misty don't have your Pokemon, remember! And if I try to battle this thing in this enclosed room, I'll be at the disadvantage and they might get away! Besides, someone could easily get hurt in here!"
Misty suddenly tugged at Ash's arm. "Ash, I have an idea! That speaker robot may be controlled by Team Rocket, but it's still hooked up to the rest of the sound system! If you can pull the plug, that might stop it!"
"You do that, Ash!" I agreed. "I'll try to lure them outside!" Ash struggled through the crowd towards the stereo, while I quickly checked the buttons on my vest to make sure they were all closed. I hoped I could lure the machine outside without letting any of my Pokemon get sucked up. I ran to the exit door and stood in front of it. "If you're looking for Pokemon, there are lots over here! You haven't got mine yet, now come and get them...if you can!" I taunted.
James apparently heard me, because he looked confused and said something to Jessie, only to be met with an angry reply. Meowth used his remote to turn the machine around on its wheels and make it charge straight for me. I backpedalled enough to get me just outside the door, then dove to the right at the last second. The speaker-mech crashed through the doorway, just where I had been standing a few seconds before. The machine was still going strong, which meant that either Ash couldn't get to the plug or it had another power source. In any case, this had to end now before someone got hurt or the Pokeballs that the machine had already sucked up were stolen.
My mind raced. I couldn't send out Forretress or Crobat, they'd probably only get sucked up by that hose, which was still madly inhaling random items, and the occasional Pokeball from someone. Making my choice, I unbuttoned my top left vest pocket and tightly gripped the Pokeball inside so the hose wouldn't rip it out of my hands. I drew it out and enlarged it. I couldn't risk tossing it, since the speaker machine's hose might suck it up before it could open, so I simply opened it in my hand, letting Onix out. Onix was too big to fit in that machine, so it was my best chance. I knew things may get a little rough for the Pokemon trapped inside the machine, but I figured they'd be ok in their Pokeballs.
"OK Onix, Tackle that thing!" I ordered. The rock snake Pokemon that had been with me ever since I started training obediently slammed its head into the side of the speaker-mech. A large spider-web splinter appeared in the wood. "One more time should do it, Onix!" Onix Tackled the machine again, and this time it completely broke apart, revealing the Pokeballs, food, silverware, and miscellaneous other items that were piled up inside. Now that the machine was destroyed, the hose finally stopped sucking air.
Jessie, James, and Meowth appeared at the door and looked shocked. "You've got some nerve destroying the machine we worked so hard to build!" Jessie exclaimed.
"You mean, da machine WE worked so hard ta build," said Meowth, referring to himself and James. "You just stood by and 'supervised' da whole time!"
All that did for Meowth was earn him an economy-sized slap from Jessie. "That doesn't matter now!" she exclaimed. "We still need to grab those Pokeballs and make our getaway!" The three of them ran for the broken mech, which lay about 20 feet from the doorway after Onix had knocked it for a loop.
"Onix, block their path!" I said immediately. Onix shifted its giant rocky body to position itself between Team Rocket and the Pokeballs that lay in the mech's wreckage.
Jessie stopped short and drew out a Pokeball. "OK then if that's the way you want it...go, Arbok!"
James followed suit and tossed a Pokeball of his own. "Victreebel, get in there too!" But of course, instead of attacking Onix, James suddenly found himself wearing an upside-down Victreebel. "Aw, c'mon, this is really getting old!" he complained, finally managing to throw off the Grass-type and get it to attack.
I knew Onix could handle Arbok, but Victreebel might pose a problem. Now that the hose was disabled though, I had the perfect counter, Crobat. I drew out a Pokeball, only to have someone grab my arm from behind before I could toss it. "Wait, Brock, let me help," said a familiar voice. Nurse Joy stepped forward to stand beside me.
"Are you up for this?" I asked, a little skeptically.
Joy smiled. "I think I'm about to surprise you." She produced a Pokeball from her jeans pocket and tossed it. Unsurprisingly, a Chansey materialized. I wondered just what Joy had in mind, but there was no time to ask now. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ash and Misty watching anxiously, not far away. Ash looked a little annoyed at not being able to help, but Misty said something to him that seemed to make him calm down.
"Onix, hit Arbok with Rock Throw!" I said loudly. Onix scooped its tail into the ground and flung several rocks of various sizes at the cobra Pokemon. Arbok managed to dodge some, but it got hit squarely by a medium-sized one.
"Victreebel, Razor Leaf attack!" commanded James.
"Chansey, counter with Flamethrower!" Joy suddenly said. Wow, there seemed to be more to this girl than met the eye. Chansey opened its mouth and released a powerful Flamethrower, easily burning up the leaves and doing major damage to Victreebel.
"Arbok, try a Bite attack!" said Jessie.
I thought quickly. "Onix, counter with Headbutt!" Arbok and Onix both dove towards each other. In this case, weight prevailed, as Onix knocked Arbok right back into Jessie.
"Chansey, finish them off with Thunderbolt!" Joy cried. Chansey brought its little arms in close to its body and strained, much like Pikachu usually does with its own Thunderbolt. A split second later, Chansey launched a blast of electricity towards Team Rocket and their Pokemon. It wasn't quite as powerful as Pikachu's regular Thunderbolts, but it was still more than enough to give the crooks a bad shock, cause an explosion, and send them "blasting off again".
I turned to Joy. "Wow," I said, "When did you teach those moves to Chansey? It seems like quite the battler."
Joy grinned. "Told you I'd surprise ya. Sometimes trainers come around the Pokemon Center looking for some extra battle experience before challenging their next Gym Leader, so Chansey and I often oblige them. It helps them by giving them experience, and it helps me because they often give me battle tips in return, or show me how to teach Chansey certain new moves."
Just then, Ash and Misty approached. Misty knelt down next to Chansey and congratulated it, while Ash said, "Joy, you and Chansey were both awesome."
"Thanks, Ash," said Nurse Joy. Behind us, the rest of the partygoers were picking through the mech's wreckage, claiming their belongings.
Joy's battle skills had really impressed me as well. As I recalled Onix and thanked it, I wondered what would happen now. Ash and Misty are like a brother and sister to me, but now that they have each other, where did that leave me? And what would Joy want to do about our relationship? I knew that was something the four of us would have to talk about.
-part 4-
So you've heard the expression "time flies when you're having fun," right? Well, that's what happened. Before I knew it, the song was over, so Joy and I went back to our seats. As we approached the table and I started to sit down, I suddenly became aware of something -- I was still holding Joy's hand! I hadn't really thought about doing it or planned it or anything, it just happened. I also realized that the nervousness of the night so far had left me a little dehydrated, so I decided to take the opportunity to practice some old-fashioned chivalry, something this Joy seemed to like. "Would you like something to drink?" I asked her.
"Sure, just some punch would be fine, thanks," she replied, nodding.
"Coming right up." I got up again and headed to the drink table, which was only a few steps away in the corner, still surprised at the degree of...normal-ness that I had been behaving with. I was more convinced now that Joy was having an effect on me, somehow making me comfortable around her and not prone to my usual behavior around girls. I glanced at the partially empty bottles near the punch bowl to try and guess what the punch contained. Fortunately, they were all various flavors of pop and juice, no alcohol. I poured two glasses of punch, returned to our table, gave one to Joy, and sat back down. Looking into Joy's eyes, I noticed that she was staring at something behind me and slowly starting to form a smile, so I turned around to see Ash and Misty walking toward us. At first I wondered why Joy was smiling simply at their approach. Then, when I looked more closely, I realized to my surprise that they were holding hands, just like Joy and I had been after the dance. When considering how positively the night had been going, I guess that shouldn't have surprised me much, but it did anyway.
"So...I noticed you guys managed to dance. That wasn't so hard, was it, Ash?" I asked with a grin. The pleased look on his face was the only response I needed.
Misty was the first of the two to speak. "Brock, I wanted to thank you for what you did. If it wasn't for you, this whole thing never would've happened." A lot of things had surprised me that night, and what Misty did next only added to the list. She let go of Ash's hand, bent over to where I was sitting, and gave me a gratitude-filled hug. Whispering in my ear, she said, "You really mean a lot to me, Brock. You're the closest I've ever had to a brother." I glanced at Nurse Joy, who was smiling as she watched the exchange. I wondered if she heard what Misty whispered to me, but put that thought aside as the beginnings of a tear formed in the corner of my eye. Misty let go, straightened up, and took Ash's hand again.
"Thanks, really," I said, and I meant it.
Then it was Ash's turn to speak. "We were talking out on the dance floor, and we figured that this might have actually been hard for you to do. Misty thought you might have been worried that if we got together, we'd want to be together all the time and you'd get left behind. I was gonna tell you that we'd never do that," he glanced at Nurse Joy, "but instead I want to congratulate you."
I wiped away a tear from my left eye, and hesitated at Ash's last words, confused. "Congratulate me for what?" I asked.
"For not acting like you usually do around girls," Misty spoke up. Ash glared at her, and she sweatdropped, but I knew she was right.
I smiled warmly at Nurse Joy. "It's different this time, guys."
Suddenly, the mood was broken by an all-too-familiar double laugh from behind Ash and Misty. They spun around, and Nurse Joy and I stood up for a better look. Across the room at the DJ table, the two DJs sprang out from behind the table and flipped off the baseball caps they'd been wearing pulled low over their eyes. We could now see that one of them had blue hair parted in the middle, and the other had long, waist-length red hair. "Oh, no, not now..." I groaned. They ripped off the sweatshirts and jeans they'd been wearing to show their Team Rocket uniforms, leaving no doubt that they were Jessie and James, and started their motto.
"You've had your dance, now prepare for trouble!" said Jessie.
"Now's our chance to make it double!" added James.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
Meowth popped out from behind them. "Meowth, dat's right."
"Why do you losers always show up at the worst possible times?" I snapped. The night had been going perfectly, and although I'd feared that they might be coming, their actual presence still ruined things.
"Yeah, and what are you after this time?" Ash demanded.
Jessie crossed her arms. "Hmph. Your Pokemon, what else? This is a big event with lots of Pokemon trainers in attendance, which means lots of Pokemon for us to steal!"
Without further ado, Meowth pulled a remote from behind his back and pushed a button. In response, one of the stereo's large speakers seemed to "grow" by several extra sliding panels. A couple seconds later, it had grown to several times its original size! It was now approximately 15 feet tall and about 6 feet wide. A vacuum hose extended from it, and it began powerfully sucking in anything in its path. I realized that Meowth's remote also controlled the hose itself, as it methodically went from person to person, looking for any Pokeballs they had. Fortunately most people, like Ash and Misty, seemed to have left whatever Pokemon they had at home or elsewhere, since the hose only sucked up Pokeballs from a few of the people. But it's hard to get moving air to be selective, so anything else in the hose's path was being sucked up as well.
"We've gotta do something!" Ash said angrily, as the hose threatened to rip off his cherished Pokemon League hat.
I grabbed his arm and yelled to be heard over the din. "No, not yet! You and Misty don't have your Pokemon, remember! And if I try to battle this thing in this enclosed room, I'll be at the disadvantage and they might get away! Besides, someone could easily get hurt in here!"
Misty suddenly tugged at Ash's arm. "Ash, I have an idea! That speaker robot may be controlled by Team Rocket, but it's still hooked up to the rest of the sound system! If you can pull the plug, that might stop it!"
"You do that, Ash!" I agreed. "I'll try to lure them outside!" Ash struggled through the crowd towards the stereo, while I quickly checked the buttons on my vest to make sure they were all closed. I hoped I could lure the machine outside without letting any of my Pokemon get sucked up. I ran to the exit door and stood in front of it. "If you're looking for Pokemon, there are lots over here! You haven't got mine yet, now come and get them...if you can!" I taunted.
James apparently heard me, because he looked confused and said something to Jessie, only to be met with an angry reply. Meowth used his remote to turn the machine around on its wheels and make it charge straight for me. I backpedalled enough to get me just outside the door, then dove to the right at the last second. The speaker-mech crashed through the doorway, just where I had been standing a few seconds before. The machine was still going strong, which meant that either Ash couldn't get to the plug or it had another power source. In any case, this had to end now before someone got hurt or the Pokeballs that the machine had already sucked up were stolen.
My mind raced. I couldn't send out Forretress or Crobat, they'd probably only get sucked up by that hose, which was still madly inhaling random items, and the occasional Pokeball from someone. Making my choice, I unbuttoned my top left vest pocket and tightly gripped the Pokeball inside so the hose wouldn't rip it out of my hands. I drew it out and enlarged it. I couldn't risk tossing it, since the speaker machine's hose might suck it up before it could open, so I simply opened it in my hand, letting Onix out. Onix was too big to fit in that machine, so it was my best chance. I knew things may get a little rough for the Pokemon trapped inside the machine, but I figured they'd be ok in their Pokeballs.
"OK Onix, Tackle that thing!" I ordered. The rock snake Pokemon that had been with me ever since I started training obediently slammed its head into the side of the speaker-mech. A large spider-web splinter appeared in the wood. "One more time should do it, Onix!" Onix Tackled the machine again, and this time it completely broke apart, revealing the Pokeballs, food, silverware, and miscellaneous other items that were piled up inside. Now that the machine was destroyed, the hose finally stopped sucking air.
Jessie, James, and Meowth appeared at the door and looked shocked. "You've got some nerve destroying the machine we worked so hard to build!" Jessie exclaimed.
"You mean, da machine WE worked so hard ta build," said Meowth, referring to himself and James. "You just stood by and 'supervised' da whole time!"
All that did for Meowth was earn him an economy-sized slap from Jessie. "That doesn't matter now!" she exclaimed. "We still need to grab those Pokeballs and make our getaway!" The three of them ran for the broken mech, which lay about 20 feet from the doorway after Onix had knocked it for a loop.
"Onix, block their path!" I said immediately. Onix shifted its giant rocky body to position itself between Team Rocket and the Pokeballs that lay in the mech's wreckage.
Jessie stopped short and drew out a Pokeball. "OK then if that's the way you want it...go, Arbok!"
James followed suit and tossed a Pokeball of his own. "Victreebel, get in there too!" But of course, instead of attacking Onix, James suddenly found himself wearing an upside-down Victreebel. "Aw, c'mon, this is really getting old!" he complained, finally managing to throw off the Grass-type and get it to attack.
I knew Onix could handle Arbok, but Victreebel might pose a problem. Now that the hose was disabled though, I had the perfect counter, Crobat. I drew out a Pokeball, only to have someone grab my arm from behind before I could toss it. "Wait, Brock, let me help," said a familiar voice. Nurse Joy stepped forward to stand beside me.
"Are you up for this?" I asked, a little skeptically.
Joy smiled. "I think I'm about to surprise you." She produced a Pokeball from her jeans pocket and tossed it. Unsurprisingly, a Chansey materialized. I wondered just what Joy had in mind, but there was no time to ask now. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ash and Misty watching anxiously, not far away. Ash looked a little annoyed at not being able to help, but Misty said something to him that seemed to make him calm down.
"Onix, hit Arbok with Rock Throw!" I said loudly. Onix scooped its tail into the ground and flung several rocks of various sizes at the cobra Pokemon. Arbok managed to dodge some, but it got hit squarely by a medium-sized one.
"Victreebel, Razor Leaf attack!" commanded James.
"Chansey, counter with Flamethrower!" Joy suddenly said. Wow, there seemed to be more to this girl than met the eye. Chansey opened its mouth and released a powerful Flamethrower, easily burning up the leaves and doing major damage to Victreebel.
"Arbok, try a Bite attack!" said Jessie.
I thought quickly. "Onix, counter with Headbutt!" Arbok and Onix both dove towards each other. In this case, weight prevailed, as Onix knocked Arbok right back into Jessie.
"Chansey, finish them off with Thunderbolt!" Joy cried. Chansey brought its little arms in close to its body and strained, much like Pikachu usually does with its own Thunderbolt. A split second later, Chansey launched a blast of electricity towards Team Rocket and their Pokemon. It wasn't quite as powerful as Pikachu's regular Thunderbolts, but it was still more than enough to give the crooks a bad shock, cause an explosion, and send them "blasting off again".
I turned to Joy. "Wow," I said, "When did you teach those moves to Chansey? It seems like quite the battler."
Joy grinned. "Told you I'd surprise ya. Sometimes trainers come around the Pokemon Center looking for some extra battle experience before challenging their next Gym Leader, so Chansey and I often oblige them. It helps them by giving them experience, and it helps me because they often give me battle tips in return, or show me how to teach Chansey certain new moves."
Just then, Ash and Misty approached. Misty knelt down next to Chansey and congratulated it, while Ash said, "Joy, you and Chansey were both awesome."
"Thanks, Ash," said Nurse Joy. Behind us, the rest of the partygoers were picking through the mech's wreckage, claiming their belongings.
Joy's battle skills had really impressed me as well. As I recalled Onix and thanked it, I wondered what would happen now. Ash and Misty are like a brother and sister to me, but now that they have each other, where did that leave me? And what would Joy want to do about our relationship? I knew that was something the four of us would have to talk about.