Author's Note: This is my first attempt to write a fanfic. C&C and flames are welcome at edgeknght@earthlink.net. Think of the plot as a mix of Pokemon and Chrono Cross. Basically I just asked myself what would the pokemon world be like if Ash never set out on his journey. A dark entity five years into the future kidnaps Ash the night he was supposed to set out on his journey. Before Ash gets erased from existence, an extradimensional pokemon called Chronine pulls him out of his world and sends him into an alternate future to prevent his own kidnapping. In this world, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT, since Ash never appeared in the lives of Misty, Brock, Tracey, Team Rocket, etc.. So far I haven't seen it done as a fanfic, so if someone e-mails me saying it's already been done, screw you. It takes place after the Johto Journeys regardless of whether Ash wins or not( I think he's gonna lose, but I may be wrong). This long story will have a mix of action, adventure, romance(AAML, JAJL), and light drama. And to Team Rocket fans, I apologize in advance since they're not gonna appear until the next episode, but when they do, they're gonna make you tremble in your underwear with their lovely, charming power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THE MASTER OF AGES
by the Edgeknight
PROLOGUE
"Wow, this place seems perfect for a catch!" Misty said.
She propped up the kickstand on her bike and ran down to a riverside near Viridian. Asides from her pokemon, her bike was her only companion. Though she denied it to herself, inwardly she thirsted for some form of companionship. It's been almost 3 days since she had run away from home. Her sisters had pushed her to the limit during her last training session, and she had just broken up with her second boyfriend. Whatever boy she seemed to place her heart on, she just couldn't stand their wimpiness, and they couldn't stand her domineering abrasiveness. Her aggressive personality always seemed to overpower the sweeter, compassionate side of her being.
As she fixed the lure to her rod, she thought of how her life was going to be without the comfort and safety of home. What about food? She knows how to cook, not a lot, but enough to survive. What about money? She can use her personal Cerulean Gym ATM Card. Her sisters can't pull the plug on it no matter what, she thought to herself. What about protection? You never know if a psycho or a pedophile might be out there just waiting to prey on a lonely girl. No sweat! All her pokemon are fierce fighters, ready to defend both her life and her virtue at any cost.
With all her worries set aside, she flung her line into the water, propping the rod under one leg. She had just come from Viridian City, and didn't wish to return. Rumor had it Viridian was under control of the infamous Team Rocket, whom she had always hated. Hated because they had tried to muscle their influence in Cerulean, almost taking over the gym, and somehow...she always had the feeling they had something to do with the death of her parents.
Misty, wondering where to go next, pulled out a map of the area, "Hmm....next closest town is...Pallet Town. Aw man! It doesn't have a Pokemon Center!!! Well...I guess I can get something to eat there at least." she thought to herself. Putting the map the away, she resumed fishing, hopeful to catch her next dinner instead of having to buy it. Suddenly, she felt a tug from her fishing line. "Hey, I got a bite! Oh wow, I really think this could be a big one!" With all her strength, she secured her footing and pulled the rod with all her might, careful not to overdo it. She pulled something heavy out of the water.
"Awww, it's just a Magikarp..."
CHAPTER 1: SEED OF LIGHT
"Hang on, Pikachu!!!" Ash yells, eyeing his opponent's Rhydon.
After his journeys in the Johto League, he's grown much from the immature, clueless trainer he had started off as. He gained an uncanny sense for sizing up his opponents and exploiting their weaknesses. It had developed to the point of second nature. No...instinct. Misty and Brock looked on as Ash calmed himself down and devised his strategy.
"Rhydon, Earthquake!!!" his opponent yelled.
"Pikachu! Use your tail and bounce up!!!"
The ground rumbled and shook, making everyone lose their footing. Falling on his butt and losing his league cap, Ash still remained focused on Pikachu. He's still in the air. Misty and Brock, looking up to see if Ash is okay, are surprised to see him still focused on the match.
"Pikachu, bounce off Rhydon's head!!!"
With unprecedented speed, Pikachu catapulted off Rhydon's head, flipping into the air with the grace of a dancer.
"Pikachu, use that attack we were working on before! Stonecutter!!!"
"KAAAAAAAAACHUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!"
Brock looked on, awestruck by the terrifying attack. Pikachu put his hands on his electric sacs to shape his electricity. Instead of using the usual continuous flow of electricity, Pikachu concentrated all of his lightning into two large, concentrated, razor-like bolts. The two tore through the air, and suddenly...
Chip...BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!!!
Misty looked at the explosion, and then towards Ash, half-admiring, half-fearful at the same time. She admired the little boy, who looked even better now since the cap, which usually hid his features, fell off his head, but she feared his ability, something which she had made fun of earlier in their journeys together with good reason. She still joked about his skill as a Pokemon trainer now and again, but ever since his victory in the Orange League plus his experiences in Johto, and the cunning, ferocious style in which he battled with his pokemon, her jokes were starting to wear thin, and worst of all, she
knew it.
Pikachu landed safely on the ground, turning a gaze over his little shoulder, seeing the Rhydon on the ground, moaning. It was hurt. Bad. Real bad.
"Ash, you're supposed to make it faint, not die!!! There's something called "overkill" ya know!!!" Misty yelled.
Brock jumped in quickly, "Don't worry about it, guys. Rock pokemon's vital organs are deep in their bodies. This one's only cut on the surface."
"That's what I intended, Misty!" Ash retorts.
"Yeah, right...!" Misty re-retorts.
"Rhydon, return!" Ash's opponent yelled. His opponent, an 18-year old super nerd, gets upset at seeing his Rhydon get rocked by a Pikachu, who was obviously at a serious disadvantage. Wanting to distract Ash, he says,"I see you have exceptional control over your Pokemon, but none over your little girlfriend over there!"
Simultaneously, Ash and Misty blush and say,
"I'm not his girlfriend!!!"
"She's not my girlfriend!!!"
Brock looked on, thinking to himself, "Geez, those two have changed a lot since I've last seen them."
Ash's opponent, successful at riling up and distracting Ash, pulls out a pokeball, "Go, Alakazam!!! Psychic Attack!!!" Ash and Pikachu are startled. Before Alakazam could pull off its Psychic Attack, he quickly reacted.
"Pikachu, cover your eyes quick!!!"
A wave of massive psychic energy swept across the field, passing over Pikachu, fazing him slightly, but having little effect. Pikachu stood up, ready for action.
"How...?" his opponent asks, standing in shock.
Misty, impressed by Ash's move, explains, "Hah! Ash figured you'd use a psychic attack with a psychic pokemon. All psychic attacks come in through the eyes. If you close'em hard enough, a lot of the attack is blunted off. How about that?"
"Misty, we don't need the science lesson!!! Can't you see I'm in the middle of a battle?!" Ash says.
"Yah, we don't need you cheerleading your little boyfriend, now do we?" his opponent says.
"Okay...THAT'S IT!!! I'M NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND!!!"
She puts her hand in her red bookbag, pulling out a handle. Brock, knowing exactly what she is about to pull out and what she's going to do with it, quickly restrains her.
"GGGGRRRRRRRR!!! I NEVER LIKED HIM!!! NEVER HAVE, NEVER WILL!!!," she continues, her eyes glaring red.
Brock, barely able to keep Misty back, yells, "Ash, the match!!!"
"Oh, right. Pikachu, Thunder Attack!!!"
"PIIIKAAAAA....!!!"
His opponent commands,"Alakazam, counter with Psywave!!!"
"ALAAAKAAAA...!!!"
Both attacks are unleashed simultaneously.
"CHHHHHHUUUUUUU!!!!!!!"
"ZAAAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!!!"
The combined energies explode, the thrust of the explosion sending Pikachu flying towards Ash. Ash quickly catches Pikachu, but also notices something bizarre. The explosion hadn't dissipated, but instead was gaining size and coming towards Ash.
"WAAAAHHHH!!!" he yelped.
He attempted to escape, but to no avail. The explosion had engulfed Ash. After the explosion cleared up, and everyone had come to their senses, Ash was nowhere to be found. Nothing could've survived that blast. He was gone.
CHAPTER 2: AT THE CROSSROADS
"Whoa...what...what happened? Pikachu, are you okay? Misty? Brock? Hello??!!!"
Ash and Pikachu awoke, finding themselves in a dark atmosphere. They stood on their feet, looking at the surroundings,
and saw nothing save for a strange stairway leading upwards.
"No it can't be. Is this heaven? Am I dead?" he said to himself.
"No, you're not dead, dummy" a voice in the distance said.
"Hey, who was that?"
"Walk up the staircase quickly. We must talk."
Pikachu chimed in his two cents,"Pika-pi. Pikachu-pi-ka-kachu (Ash, we don't have much choice)"
"You're right. Let's go."
Ash walked up the stairway. The climb seemed eternal, yet he noticed something weird about the steps. Each step was made of crystal, and at one point Ash stopped to look at one in particular. All the steps had moving images, almost as if each were showing a movie, images of the life of an individual. The woman in this particular step seemed familiar.
"Mom?"
He sees her telling him to go to bed early to start his pokemon journey tomorrow. Another image came up. It was a younger version of his mother, strikingly beautiful, and dating a very slick looking guy.
"Delia, I'm thinking of starting up a business. I've talked to some friends and we're all very interested in advanced aerospace and rocketry."
"Who's that scummy looking guy? Ewww, they're kissing!!!" Ash facefaults.
"Chaaa!!! (What the?...)" Pikachu concurs.
Another image came up. The younger version of his mom was yelling.
"It's over between us! I knew you had dreams of starting your corporation, but I...I can't be with someone who would resort to organized crime!!!"
"But Delia..."
"Listen, Giovanni. You have a choice. Me...or Team Rocket."
Ash looks in wonder, "Giovanni? Team Rocket?"
The distant voice called Ash again.
"You've seen enough. Step on the next step. It is the step of your life."
"Okay."
Ash stepped on the next step. As soon as his foot landed, he noticed his step was frigid, and all the images were frozen.
"It's freezing!!!"
All of a sudden, his step disappeared in a flash of light, and transfomed into a floor that expanded into a long hallway. At the very end of hall was a tall throne. A voice from the throne called Ash.
"Step forward, boy"
He walked down, looking at the seeming infinite number of staircases that lined the hallway, until he had finally reached the throne.
"Well, what now?"
"Pika pika chu pika chu chu (Enough of this Simon Says crap..)"
A dark figure jumped from the throne, quickly materializing from the black of the air. It had the face of a doberman, fierce and dark, with a bulked up body, a narrow waist, and legs that were bulky yet elegant at the same time. It carried an hourglass, with one side carrying the icon of the sun, and the other end carrying the icon of the moon. The creature frightened both Ash and Pikachu, so much that they both fell back in fear.
As soon as he fell on the ground, a copious cluster of strange dog-like creatures with clocks on their bellies materialized around him.
They chanted,"Watchdawg...Watchdawg....Dawg?"
"WAAAAHHHHH?!"yells Ash.
"PIKAAAAAAAA?!"yells Pikachu.
"SHUSH!!!!!!" the dark monster said.
Ash looks on at the monster.
"Huh?"
The monster stood in front of Ash, and look down towards the little boy and his Pikachu.
"You are puny. It is hard to believe you will become the one who will be known as the Master of Ages."
Ash, stunned by his mere presence, responds, "Master...of Ages?!"
Ash pulled out Dexter and had him scan both the smaller monsters, and then the larger monster.
"Pokemon unknown. No available data."Dexter responds.
The larger monster let out his fearsome claw, touching the pokedex. Dexter reacted mysteriously.
"Chronine, the space-time pokemon, the evolved form of Watchdawg. This pokemon controls the flow of time and space with its mystical hourglass. Its psychic and dark energies are infinite and otherworldly, thus making this pokemon impossible to capture.
Ash, surprised by Chronine's awesome powers, flashes Dexter's lens at the flying dogs.
"Watchdawg, the life guardian pokemon. This pokemon maintains the time created by individual humans. The length of its tail is related to the length of the life of the human it protects.
"Chronine, where am I? Why am I here? What happened to my friends Misty and Brock?" Ash said, holding back unsuccessfully, his tears.
"Do not fear me, child. Fear not me, but the trials yet to come."
"Huh?"
"Pika?"
Chronine waves his paw, and all the Watchdawgs recede into the background as our heroes are magically transported to another plane. A panorama of images swirled around them. Some of the images seemed familiar.
"Hey look, Pikachu! That's when I was at the Indigo League! Wow! And look, that's when we fought our first battle against Jesse and James. Huh? Maiden's Peak...Misty...that night..."
"Pikapi..."
Chronine growled, "Silence!!! Listen to me, Ash, Pikachu!"
They both stood silent and listened. Chronine continued.
"These are images of a life you once had, but that has been taken from you. These are now just figments of your imagination"
"Whaddya mean? That's my life your talking about!!!"
"Not anymore. You never did any of the things you see here. All of your history is gone. Listen to me, young boy and listen well. Someone tore into the fabric of space-time, and kidnapped you in your sleep the night before you set out on your pokemon journey. As a result, none of what you remember in your mind ever came to pass."
"You mean?"
"Yes Ash...look at these."
Chronine summoned another swirling set of images, some too disturbing to watch. Ash started looking from the top. A figure in the shadows was talking to Ash's archenemies approvingly.
"Jesse. James. Meowth. The three of you have captured and stolen pokemon for our organization with efficiency and exemplary cunning. As a result, you are all to be promoted to Team Rocket's global ops division."
Ash was unable to speak, completely shocked by what he saw. He set a gaze towards an image of his mom, sitting at the table, looking towards her garden, which was perfectly barren. She held a flower in her hand.
"She's...she's holding my favorite flower, Pikachu..."
Another image showed Brock, still at the Pewter Gym.
"Geez, another month like this and this gym might get foreclosed. Maybe I should sell it. Mr. Giovanni said he'd be interested..."
A larger image showed a sad Tracey, at the world famous Pokemon Symposium, with a fat pokologist.
"Frankly, I don't know why you even bother with your profession. You're more suited to draw for the funny papers than to do research for any of the scientists of this respected group. Get out!!!"
Finally, he looked at an image at the very bottom. It was Misty at the riverside, the very river in which she caught Ash the first day of his journey.
"Hey, I got a bite! Oh wow, I really think this could be a big one!"
Ash looks at Misty, happy to see her, yet disturbed by what was to follow.
"Ahhh, it's just a Magikarp...may as well capture it."
Ash continued looking, feeling emptier and emptier each second as the image of Misty continued.
"Hmm...a storm's coming up. I should head to Pallet Town."
Misty passed Ash's house, running into Professor Oak and Ash's Mom.
"Ma'am, are you okay?" Misty asks.
"Little girl, this lady's son has been mysteriously kidnapped. We're currently searching for him. I suggest you return to your parents or whomever your guardians are immediately." Professor Oak says.
"Oh...I'm sorry...I hope you find your son real soon. Sorry to bother you," Misty speaks while running away.
"Misty...,"Ash muttered under his breath.
The last image he saw of her was her heading back to Cerulean City.
"Chronine, we have to do something!"Ash growled.
"Kachu! (Ready for action!)" Pikachu responded.
"Perfect, now you're ready for the mission at hand, and a daunting mission it is. Ash, Pikachu, this journey will be like none that you have ever encountered. Enemies will become friends, friends will become enemies, loyalties will be tested, and the dangers will be far greater than the mere criminal organization you know as Team Rocket. No, in the end you will find you are your own worst enemy. And the risk is high, for both your existences and of the friends you knew are at the ultimate stake."
Ash, as dense as he can be, had a rare illuminated moment and asked, "Both our existences...Chronine? If all this really happened, aren't I not supposed to be here? Shouldn't I just've been erased from existence if I never went on my pokemon journey?"
Chronine answered"When there's a change in time, the timeline takes a while to realign. I pulled you out of your timeline just before you were erased from existence. That explosion you experienced provided enough energy to pull you out of the continuum."
"Chronine, how am I gonna go about regaining my life again?"
"I was getting to that. The disruption in time will occur five years ahead of your time. You and Pikachu will be sent five years to the future to investigate and prevent your kidnapping. It is also advised that you destroy all related time-travel research as well so that it won't fall into the wrong hands as it has already."
"Pika-pika chu pika? (I have a question?...)
"Sorry, Pikachu, no more time for questions. You'll have to ask the escort I'm providing you."
Chronine snaps his pads and says, "Watchdawg #122349588477382993, step forward."
A small, weird-looking Watchdawg floated awkwardly towards its king, "Woooof...Satoshi reporting,"the Watchdawg barked. It floated next to Ash.
"This is the human you were assigned to. Prepare a wormhole for five years into the future."
"Woooof...,"Satoshi responded. With a wind of its clock, it created a wormhole.
Chronine halted our two heroes,"Ash, Pikachu, before you go, take these."
He handed them two biscuits and commanded, "Eat them while you're in the wormhole."
"WAAAHHH! You want us to eat dog biscuits?!"Ash snorted.
"They'll provide you with the power you need to complete your mission."
"Uh, okay. Here, Pikachu."
"Cha...(Oh well...)."
As the three jumped into the wormhole, Chronine thought to himself, "That little boy...Master of Ages. Hard to believe. It's better that he doesn't know this, but he holds the fate of everyone in his little hand."
CHAPTER 3: THE INVINCIBLE WATERFLOWER
At the foot of Mt. Moon, Ash, Pikachu, and his new friend, the Watchdawg called Satoshi, materialized.
"Well Pikachu, I guess we're here!"
Without warning, Pikachu shocked Ash and jumped off his head, and made a threatening pose toward him. Ash, bewildered by his behavior, snaps at Pikachu.
"Pikachu, what's wrong? What? My voice? What happened to my voice? I feel different..."
"Pika! Pika! (Who are you?)" Pikachu snarled.
"The both of you stop!!!" Satoshi woofed.
Ash and Pikachu simultaneously facefaulted, surprised to hear Satoshi say something other than "Wooof".
"Those biscuits you ate have aged all of you five years. Ash, you're 17, Pikachu, you're 7. There's no way you can complete the mission having the bodies you had before. It'll take some getting used to, but you have two weeks to complete this mission. If it's not completed by then, disastrous chronological repercussions might take place in your world."
Ash looked at the time on his watch. It was gonna get dark soon, and the closest city was Cerulean. The trio had concurred that staying at the Pokemon Center in Cerulean would be the next best step. Before he could even take a step, Ash notices something about his attire.
"My briefs are kinda tight."
He looks down and blushes.
"WAAAAAHHH!!! My clothes!!!"
Satoshi and Pikachu facefault.
"What am I gonna do? I can't walk around town like this!!!"
Satoshi floated towards Ash while Pikachu rolled on the ground laughing,"No problem, Ash. I can make you some clothes." It waved its paw, and an envelopment of light surrounded Ash, quickly materializing into pretty hip gear.
"Wha..!?" Ash reacted as he saw that he was no longer in torn up kids clothes, but in good attire. He sported beige khakis, a white T-shirt with a league symbol, and a short leather jacket with a pokeball embroidered on each shoulder, "Hey, these aren't half bad, and these boxers make me feel so free...but my league cap is still missing."
"You dropped it in the explosion, and I used up all my energy making you those clothes. You'll have to do without it for now. I tied your hair into a small tail, if you don't mind."
"Mmmm...okay..."
And so our heroes travel to Cerulean City, wondering what would happen next on their journey.
Somewhere, at one of the Team Rocket sub-base research labs.
"May, is the stasis cell okay?"
"Yes, brother. Ash and his Pikachu are still sound asleep!"
"Good. Giovanni is coming tomorrow to see our captives in person. Afterwards, we will proceed with Phase 3 of Operation Shockvolution"
"Right. Now, proceed with the IV. We can't have our little Ashy and his cute little friend starve on us, now can we?"
"Yes, brother. By the way, grandfather called and asked for his golf clubs."
"Grrrrrr...."
It was around 6:30 PM, when Ash and friends arrived in Cerulean.
"You know, Satoshi, perhaps it'd be best if you went into a pokeball. You're technically an undiscovered pokemon, and if other trainers saw you with me, we'd be swarmed by people aching for a battle."Ash suggested.
"Good idea."
"Satoshi, return!" Ash said as he pointed one of his empty pokeballs at Satoshi.
As he was resisting the urge to say "Yes, I've caught Watchdawg!!!", Pikachu started jumping up and down, pointing at some kind of flier on the ground.
"Huh?! What's the matter, Pikachu?"
Ash picked up the flyer, which read:
COME ONE!!! COME ALL!!!
The Sensational Cerulean City Swimming Sisters Present the Underwater Play
Siren's Song, debuting the world famous Pokemon Master
in her glorious return from the Indigo League
MISTY "THE INVINCIBLE" WATERFLOWER!!!
"WAAAHHH!!!?"
Ash was stunned, not so much by the fact Misty was performing the old water show, but by how she was described in the flyer. She was a Pokemon Master, fresh off a victory in the Indigo League, apparently. She somehow gained the moniker, the Invincible. Though he had just planned to stay the night at the Pokemon Center, Ash just couldn't resist the tempting opportunity to see how Misty turned out in this alternate world. All her sisters seemed to be on the flyer, all looking slightly older, with a silhouette of a curvacious figure in the center.
"Geez, well I guess we're in for a surprise tonight, eh Pikachu?"
"Pika-pi, pika cha chu ka-pi (Ash, I have a bad feeling...)
"Another night of this and I'm gonna blow chunks. Violet writes the most awful scripts."
The brunette hung out next to the poolside, dangling her finger into the water, playing with the reflection of herself in the water. She pulled out one of her pokeballs, calling out Starmie into the water.
"Hi, Starmie. Rough night, huh?"
Starmie responded, using its own peculiar sounds.
"It's been a while since I've been back here, yet every time I come here, the place feels colder each time. I should be getting ready for that blind date Daisy set up for me, but I'm not the least bit interested. I feel more like a battle. I just want a little freedom, you know..I"
The doors to the pool swung open.
"HELLLOOO???!!!!" a strange voice called in the distance. It was Ash.
"WHO'S THERE???!!! Man, must be my blind date...," the brunette muttered under her breath.
She looked at the entrance, but couldn't make out who was there, until a few seconds later she saw something small and yellow heading towards her.
"Is that a...Pikachu?" she asked herself.
"Cha!!! (Misty!!!)"Pikachu cheered.
"Eeeeeek!!!" the brunette screeched. Pikachu jumps into her arms delighted, but only for a short while.
"Pika? (What?")"
"AAAAAHHHH!!!!! Get away from me!!!" the girl continued yelling.
"Pikachu, come back!!!" Ash growled. He jumps away from the brunette, running behind Ash's leg.
"Chu-pika...(Something's wrong)"Pikachu spoke.
"WHAT KIND OF BLIND DATE ARE YOU IF YOU'RE GONNA SCARE ME WITH A PIKACHU?"
"You're afraid...of Pikachus?"Ash questioned on.
The girl answered,"Yes!!! And just for that little stunt, I'm breaking off our date!!!"the brunette snarled.
"Date?"
"Don't act stupid! You're my blind date, aren't you?"
"Uh, actually no. I came to find a girl named Misty."
The brunette surprised Ash by saying,"Well, I'm Misty, and if you're not my blind date, but came to see me anyway, you must be a challenger!!!"
"Misty?"
Ash facefaulted and lightly blushed. He looked at her from head to toe, taking in every curve slowly and nervously. Drops of water glistened from her shoulders and cleavage, catching light from the huge overhead bulbs that adorned the roof of the gym. She was still in the mermaid outfit, the mermaid fin and clamshell bra fitted to her figure. Yet something was amiss. Her crowning glory, the old red hair in a pigtail wasn't there. Instead, he saw chocolate brown hair cascading into faint curls.
"Geez, he's cute, but what a loser. Can't keep his eyes off me..." she thought to herself.
"Well, I guess I know how Brock feels..."Ash thought to himself, almost snickering.
"What are you waiting for then, wimp? Let's get this show on the road!!! I challenge you to a battle!!!"
Ash, never backing down from a challenge, goes along, but not before he and Pikachu both unleashed the hugest sweatdrops they could make.
"Now I know time is screwed up if Misty's challenging me to a battle...," he thought to himself.
CHAPTER 4: MERMAID'S HEART
A calm breeze blew throughout the gym. Misty had changed from her mermaid outfit to what she called her ceremonial combat gear. She wore a tight fitting short-sleeve T-shirt, accentuating her curvy body, a moderately sized Goldeen skirt, with Goldeen body decor at the ends, a sash which belonged to her father, which she personally tailored to match her shirt, and a Gyarados belt.
"Since I'm the pokemon master here, I'll make the rules. This will be a 3 on 3 match with no time limit. Just before we start I'd like you to know I finished first place in the Indigo League. I defeated three of the Elite Four, and tied with Lance the Dragon Trainer. When I turn 21, I get to join their Elite. Do you still want to go through with our match?"
Ash quivered, but quickly regained his courage,"Elite or no elite, you're gonna lose!"
"Hah! Well then, why not make the match interesting then?"
"Whaddya mean?"
"If you win, not only do you get my coveted Ocean Badge, but a date with me, and I'll pay!"
"Huh?!" Ash thought to himself. Since he's ever know Misty, he had always had reservations about her, stemming more from immature fears than how he actually felt about her. He liked her, he really did, but a date with Misty was something he thought he couldn't handle, even if he had evolved to a 17 year old. He had no choice now. By some strange twist of fate, he was facing an alternate Misty who was in essence a stranger, five years older than the Misty that traveled with him in his reality. All he could do was fight, and possibly gain a powerful ally in the process, and perhaps his old friend back.
"Alright then!!! Bet's on!"Ash barked.
"Misty calls Fullfrog!!!"
"Hmm...Fullfrog?!" Ash mumbles as he pulls out Dexter.
"Fullfrog, the fat frog pokemon, the evolved form of Tadwart, a cousin of Poliwag. Unlike its relatives in the Poliwrath family, the Fullfrog species evolves into fully developed frogs, gaining both Water and Dark properties.
Ash starts pleading to Pikachu, "Pikachu, I know you don't like fighting Misty, but this isn't the same Misty we knew. If we're gonna try and win her confidence, we have to beat her at her game."
"Pika-kachu cha pika PIKA!!!(I don't like this, but you're right. HERE GOES!!!)"
Before Ash could call out Pikachu, Satoshi jumped out of his pokeball.
"Woooof.."
"Satoshi...You wanna battle?" Ash asked him.
"Woooof.."
"I guess that means yes. Satoshi, I choose you!!!"
Misty looked at the ridiculous looking Watchdawg and, holding back some laughter, pulled out her Aquadyne. It functioned like a pokedex, but was shaped like a drop of water, responded by voice command, and had a sexy voice to boot.
"Aquadyne, identify pokemon!" Misty ordered.
"Pokemon unknown. No data accessible." Aquadyne replied.
"Well whatever it is, it doesn't stand a chance against Fullfrog! Fullfrog, Black Mist attack now!!!"
It unleashed a black-bluish smog from its mouth that seemed to sparkle as it floated across the water field.
"Satoshi, what attacks can you do?" Ash asked the levitating dog.
"Ash, I'll communicate my attacks to you telepathically, and you repeat my words to execute, okay"
The two linked minds and Ash said"Right! Nowww...uhh...Satoshi, Howl Attack!!!"
Satoshi let loose a weird howl that unleashed strange sonic waves into the the air. In the blink of an eye, the sonic waves tore through the Black Mist attack and into Fullfrog. The sheer force of the blast thrust Fullfrog back through the air, flying over Misty's head, crashing into the wall adorned with the painting of Lapras.
"Im...Impossible..."Misty spoke angrily as she recalled the fainted Fullfrog,"Grrrrr...you know kid, you should at least have the courtesy of introducing yourself before you faint my pokemon!!!"
"Name's Ash. Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town."
"Pallet?...Sounds familiar...well wherever you came from, you're gonna wish you stayed home!!! Go Dragonite!!!
Ash stood still, remembering the last Dragonite he battled,"Dragonite!!! Aw man, the last Dragonite I encountered took 4 pokemon to beat..."he muttered.
Satoshi floated around until it finally ran back into its pokeball, "Ash, I can't continue. I don't have much experience in combat, and Watchdawgs easily tire down. Rely on your skill. You can beat her!!!"
"Pika-pi-chu(Ash, come on!)"
"Well, what're you waiting for, loser? Call out your pokemon!" Misty yelled.
"I guess I should try my luck with...Snorlax!, Go!!"
The hefty, refrigerator-raiding, culinary terrorist, Snorlax, comes out, materializing on one of the floating platforms, still asleep.
"Oh yeah, kid. That's clever, sending out a sleeping pokemon. Dragonite, Blizzard!!! Misty ordered.
Dragonite unleashed Blizzard, but before it could reach Snorlax, both Snorlax and the platform sunk beneath the water, while the Blizzard attack froze the surface of the pool.
"MMM....SNOOOOORRRR...lax!"
"Great! The water woke him up just as I planned!"Ash thought to himself, "Snorlax, Pinpoint and Hyper Beam!"
Ash loved the sheer power of Snorlax, so much that he trained it to strike at sensitive body parts with his created TM, Pinpoint, increasing the likelihood of a critical hit. Dragonite looked for Snorlax, unable to see it through the mix of ice, water platforms, and stage props leftover from the water show. Snorlax's body color also didn't help Dragonite, as it camouflaged it against the blue water.
Out of nowhere, a horrid beam cut through the platform, passing through the Dragonite's legs, and ultimately striking full force into its jaw. It sent Dragonite up, then down splashing underneath the water.
Misty stood in shock, seeing her world-famous Dragonite, feared even among the Elite Four, getting rocked by a no-name kid.
"Dragonite!!! You still have some HP left!!! Slam attack it underwater!!!"
Little did Misty know Ash's Snorlax was not only extremely agile for a pokemon its size, but it was an adept swimmer. It was too quick for Dragonite.
"Snorlax!!! Headbutt, full strength!!!" Ash roars with confidence.
"LAXXX!!!"
An impact was heard, but neither Ash or Misty was able to tell which attack landed. Dragonite surfaced belly up, with Snorlax jumping out of the water, landing on the huge block of ice and waving its blubber in victory.
"Alright Snorlax!!! You're getting a big meal on me after the match!!! Return!!!"Ash yelled, jumping for joy and making a peace sign.
"This...this can't be happening...Dragonite return!!!"Misty says, impressed by Ash's tactics," Kid, I have to hand it to you. The only person to go toe to toe with me like this was Lance himself. But even he was barely able to handle this pokemon. Go, Grumpback!!!"
"GRUMP!!!"
"WAAAHHH!!! It's bigger than Dragonite!!!," Ash exclaimed as he pulled out Dexter.
"Grumpback, the whale pokemon, the evolved form of Broluga. Its size and strength are feared throughout the oceans of the world. Though it is mainly a water type, it's outer skin produces electricity, making it an electric type as well"
"Aww man...Snorlax needs to rest up after battling Dragonite, and Satoshi is probably still pooped out. Squirtle, Bulbasaur...no, they aren't gonna be able to handle a pokemon that size. Charizard'll lose easy."
"PIKA!!! (I'LL DO IT!!!)"Pikachu jumped in, eager to test itself against another electric type.
"Do you really think you can win, Pikachu?" Ash inquired.
"Pika! Chu-pi-cha-pika(Of course! We can pull it off!)" Pikachu said, charging his electric sacs.
Before Ash could call out Pikachu, Satoshi jumped out of the pokeball and psychically linked to Pikachu.
"Pikachu, I will teach you a new TM even more powerful than Thunder. It is less accurate, so you need to do it up close."
Satoshi touched Pikachu's forehead and instantly its knowledge was transferred to Pikachu.
"Ash, I taught your Pikachu the attack, Electrolysis. You have to get him up close somehow. You can do it!,"
"Right!!! Go Pikachu!!!"yelled Ash as Pikachu flew forward and Satoshi went back into its pokeball.
Misty, with all the overconfidence in the world says,"Hah, this match'll be mine! Grumpback, Tsunami attack!!!" A massive tidal wave formed from Grumpback's fins, barreling towards Pikachu.
"Pikachu, time to hang 10! Grab onto a platform!!!"
Pikachu chooses a platform, digging his claws into the surface.
"Pikachu!!! Surf!!!" Ash commands.
An experienced surfer, Pikachu rode the wave that Grumpback unleashed, dodging the attack successfully, but ramming into some fake coral, dislodging him from his surfboard. He lands somewhere in the water.
"Grumpback, Pikachu's disoriented! Dive underwater and use Fin Strike!!!" Misty ordered.
Before Pikachu could regain his senses, Misty's Grumpback swam to him and unleashed a massive fin smackdown on Pikachu, swatting him across the pool, hitting the back wall of the pool underwater.
"Hang in there, Pikachu!!!"
Fortunately for Pikachu, the water cushioned the impact he received hitting the wall. But Grumpback was zeroing in on Pikachu, still against the wall.
"Grumpback, full Body Slam!!!"
"Pikachu, swim up and use Double Team!!!"
The little mouse barely escaped Grumpback's attack, and made several copies of itself with Double Team Attack. The behemoth whale was confused.
"Grumpback! Swipe that Double Team away with Fin Strike!!!"
Ash, seeing the futility of his strategy, quickly remembers Pikachu needs oxygen.
"Quick, Pikachu!!! Swim into that fake coral. Find an air pocket!"
Misty thinks to herself, "Air pocket? How did he know about those?", and suddenly yelled out,"Grumpback, destroy the fake coral with your Body Slam!!!"
She commanded too late. Pikachu reached the fake coral just in time to breathe just before Grumpback destroyed the fake coral. But Pikachu was nowhere to be seen. Grumpback emerged, looking everywhere to find Pikachu, but in vain. Ash was heartbroken as the seconds passed and still no sign of Pikachu.
"Hmm, where's your little Pikachu, Ash?"Misty jeered, "I guess I win this one by default since he hasn't surfaced. But we should look for him, just to make my victory official."
"Grrrr...He was my friend!!! You apologize for that!!!" Ash yelled, trying to hold back his tears.
"Huh?!" Misty gasped and muttered surprisedly to herself, "He must've really cared for it..."
A remorseful Misty ordered, "Grumpback, look for Pikachu!"
But as Grumpback surfaced and turned towards its master, Ash noticed a familiar yellow speck clinging to one of Grumpback's humps.
With vengeance, Ash quickly yelled,"Payback, time...PIKACHU!!! GET IN GRUMPBACK'S BLOWHOLE!!!"
"What the?!" Misty asked surprisedly.
Pikachu ran into Grumpback's blowhole, stuffing itself into the whale's only source of air. The whale was choking and helpless, and though its size was clearly its advantage, Ash quickly used it against itself.
"Pikachu, Electrolysis!!!"
"KACHUUUUUUUUU!!!!" Pikachu roared ferociously.
"GRUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!......!!!!!!!" the Grumpback roared in pain as the super-concentrated electric field Pikachu created tore into Grumpback on a molecular level, and though it had electric properties on the exterior, it's watery interior was well overpowered by the little mouse dynamo.
Misty stared into space, "I can't...I can't believe it. He..he beat me." She had snapped back into reality, just in time to see her Grumpback fainted and floating on the water, with thick smoke billowing out of its blowhole, and little Pikachu standing on its back victorious.
"Grumpback, return." she muttered softly.
"Pikachu, you did it!!! I thought I lost you there for a moment, but that was awesome!!!" Ash exclaimed as the little mouse swam lovingly toward its trainer.
A humbled Misty looked on at the two, and witnessed for once a connection she had never before seen between a master and its pokemon, "I...I've never met anyone like him. He really does love pokemon..."
Ash finishes rejoicing, and looked at the other side of the pool, at his opponent. He didn't know what to feel. During their match, she had spoken inconsiderately of Pikachu's possible demise. It was something he couldn't take lightly.
"Pikachu, lets go." Ash said, taking the option of just walking away. He didn't want any confrontation with Misty. He didn't feel like quarreling now, but more like mourning the loss of a friend.
"Wait...Ash!!! Where are you going?! You won a badge!"
"I'm not interested in it." he replied.
Normally, Misty would be extremely insulted if someone refused the badge, but not now. Something was wrong.
"Just hold on a minute!!! You can't refuse the badge. That and you won a date with me..."
"No way I'd be caught dead with someone who would joke around with the life of a pokemon,"Ash fumed.
He stormed out the back door of the Cerulean Gym. It was 11:00 PM. Misty wanted to warn Ash of the curfew enforced by the Cerulean Police, but he was too far away.
"I'm...sorry...," was all she could mutter as his silhouette disappeared into the night.
"Huh?" Misty felt a tap on her shoulder. A big, bulky sexy hunk of a man stood next to her, carrying flowers and a lusty, perverted grin, "You must be Misty. Sorry I'm late, but I needed to perfect my ravishing hair."
All Ash heard in the distance as he left was the sound of a mallet crashing down on someone's head.
TO BE CONTINUED...