When they finally reached 15th Street, about a quarter of a mile from the Wonder Wheel, they found themselves in front of the towering, 86-foot tall Thunderbolt roller coaster. The kids' eyes glimmered, as well as Mrs. Ketchum's, as they watched the smal

My Coney Island Baby

Part 3

by Spruceton Spook

When Ash, Misty, Brock, and Mrs. Ketchum finally reached 15th Street, about a quarter of a mile from the Wonder Wheel, they found themselves in front of the towering, 86-foot tall Thunderbolt roller coaster. The kids' eyes glimmered, as well as Mrs. Ketchum's, as they watched the small four-car trains roll around the swooping turns and down the huge dips that made the Thunderbolt famous.

They all looked at each other, then immediately took off in the direction of the roller coaster's entranceway. The Thunderbolt cost fifteen cents, and this time Mrs. Ketchum treated them all to it. Brock was still in a good mood from his semi-victory at the shooting booth, and remembered Misty's cheering. He smiled, the thought making him somewhat relaxed and content. While they were waiting patiently for the next ride, he nudged Misty's shoulder softly.

"You wanna go on with me?" he asked, grinning slightly.

Misty smiled and shrugged. "Sure," she replied. "You like roller coasters? Or are you a scardy-cat?" She grinned mischievously.

Brock smiled and narrowed his eyes at her. "Let me just put it for you this way. If you're looking for protection, you've come to the right place."

Misty giggled and punched his shoulder. Brock laughed, his eyes shooting up to the track above them as the cars raced by. They rattled the track violently and noisily, making Brock's heart jump in excitement.

"Ooh! Next ride's us!" Ash said excitedly, and in no time, they were on their way up the Thunderbolt's first gut-wrenching drop.

"NO! No roller coasters!" Jessie cried, cringing at the sight of it. "That wretched Wonder Wheel was bad enough!"

James sighed and looked sadly up at the Thunderbolt. It looked tempting to him, but he never liked going on rides alone. He decided that he'd rather find a ride that Jessie would like to go with him. Besides, he didn't like the thought of being separated from her in this strange place, where staring eyes and weird looks dominated.

Suddenly, Jessie forcefully grabbed James' shoulder. "Come on!" she ordered, dragging James confusedly behind her. "We can wait at the exit for those twerps to come off so that we can be hot of their trail again."

"But Jessie, shouldn't we let them know that we're here sometime?" James asked, his shoulder starting to ache in Jessie's torturous grip. Finally, Jessie released him.

"I guess you're right," she replied, looking at the ground. She didn't say anything else, but glanced off almost sadly into the distance. James gazed on at her attentively. He noticed her face suddenly attain an interested and preoccupied look.

"What's the matter?" James asked, looking off to where Jessie's eyes led.

Meowth hopped onto their shoulders to achieve a better look. What he saw made his eyes glisten with excitement. A little ways down from the roller coaster's entrance stood a few trailers, each crowded around by dozens of people. Every now and then, they would cheer happily, and a few "oh's" and "ah's" could be heard. The muffled sound of an attendant's voice rang out over the crowd.

"What's goin' on over dere?" Meowth asked. All of sudden, as if were as an omen, the clear words "freak Pokémon" deciphered themselves from the rest of the garbled callings.

"Freak . . . Pokémon?" Jessie and James said at the same time. They turned to each other, drool practically hanging from their mouths. Like a gunshot, Team Rocket sprinted towards the booths to see the action.

"I don't think I've ever heard two more beautiful words!" Jessie chimed, a look of undoubtable bliss spreading across her face. When they reached the booth, they began to push their way through the crowd. A couple people gave them dirty looks, but more were concerned with the show going on in front of them. Jessie and James, with Meowth climbing back onto their shoulders, gaped at the scene before them.

"Hurry hurry hurry!" the man standing on the stage proclaimed. "Come see the freak Pokémon! Freak Pokémon over here! Don't miss them! You've never seen anything like it before! Only three cents, and you can see the strangest Pokémon the world has to offer! Your eyes won't believe it!"

Team Rocket tore six cents out of their pockets so fast they didn't even realize they had done it. Around the booth, dozens of pictures of strange and demented looking Pokémon were hung. Although the pictures looked a little ludicrous (such as the two-headed Persian) Jessie, James, and Meowth shook with anticipation.

"Come one, come all! See the shrunken Snorlax!" As he said that, the crowd cheered loudly and fists were thrust into the air. Team Rocket were silent but smiling until a Snorlax, almost half the size of a normal one, strolled out onto the stage. In that instant, their jaws dropped to the ground.

Jessie's eyes poured out tears. "Must. . .have. . ," she moaned.

The Snorlax moved to the side and the audience applauded again. The attendant smiled and waved his hand, motioning another Pokémon to take the stage. The crowd uproared again when a bright, almost day-glow green Alakazam appeared.

"Hey, it's another Alakazam!" Meowth said. "Only I've never seen one like dat before."

Jessie and James clutched their fists.

"If only we could grab some of those for the Boss!" James uttered.

"We'd surely get a promotion then!" said Jessie, grabbing James with both hands as if to support herself. "Just think of the way he'll thank us when we hand that extremely rare green Alakazam over to him!"

"He'll practically fall to his knees thankin' us!" Meowth said, grinning energetically.

Team Rocket moved out of the crowd in a flash and ran over to the small corner behind the ride right beside the Thunderbolt, the Whip. Inside they could hear people screaming and laughing and the hum of the machine operating. That was the last thing on their minds. Suddenly, their Team Rocket mode kicked in, and they rubbed their hands deliciously.

"The folks of Coney Island will be sorry to ever hear of Team Rocket," James cooed, the look of innocent stimulation filling his face.

Jessie let off a deep-hearted laugh and she looked at her partner. "Soon, those Pokémon will be ours!"

Little did they know that out of the screams coming from the Whip, three of them were the familiar ones of their enemies. Ash, Misty, Brock were having the time of their lives in one of the twirling cars of the ride, while Mrs. Ketchum looked on. She decided to save some of her money for when they finally reached the Steeplechase. She couldn't help but hand Ash money when his eyes became wide at the sight on the rocket-fast Whip.

They had come off fresh from an exhilarating ride of the Thunderbolt, which Ash claimed was the "ultimate" roller coaster. He felt that he was destined to love it since he had spoken the word "thunderbolt" so much in his life that it had become part of his daily vocabulary. He knew his mom was getting edgy from wanting to head over to Steeplechase, and even Ash had gotten excited when he caught glimpses of the racing horses from the top peak of the Thunderbolt. But he couldn't resist the temptation of the Whip.

"So, how'd ya like it?" Mrs. Ketchum asked the kids as they came out of the exit laughing hysterical.

"Oh man, it was so much fun!" Brock said, catching his breath from laughing and screaming so much.

"Yeah, maybe it was for you!" Misty yelled, but nevertheless happy. She turned to Mrs. Ketchum as Ash playfully shoved Brock, who broke out into another wave of laughter.

Mrs. Ketchum smiled. "Why, what happened?" she asked, picking up the little bit of agitation in her otherwise thrilled voice.

"Oh my God, it was terrible!" Misty said, though she couldn't help but laugh. "We totally sat the wrong way on that ride."

"How was I supposed to know that the heaviest person sits of the outside?" Brock asked, shrugging and between his desperate puffs of air.

Misty closed her eyes annoyingly and waved him away. "It's amazing that me and Ash didn't get crushed to death! God Brock, I never knew how heavy you were!"

"I think my ribs are broken!" Ash groaned, gripping his side. He looked at Misty. "At least you weren't being pressed into a metal bar! I had the weight of both of you crashing into me!"

Mrs. Ketchum laughed. "I guess that's why you guys screamed louder than anyone else on the ride."

Ash looked back up at the Thunderbolt. He knew that it was getting late, and deep down he realized that after the Steeplechase, they'd be on their search for another psychic Pokémon. Who knew if he would ever get to ride that remarkable coaster again?

"Mom, can we ride the Thunderbolt one more time?" Ash asked with a begging look in his eyes.

"Ash, we were on it already," Mrs. Ketchum sighed. "Let's go on other rides."

"Please?" Ash pleaded, folding his hands. "Pretty pretty please?"

Mrs. Ketchum looked at Brock and Misty, who were smiling at Ash's pathetic beggar display. "You guys want to go on again?" she asked.

Misty shrugged. "Sure, but I mean if we can't, that's okay."

"No, no, it's fine," Mrs. Ketchum replied.

Ash jumped up and hugged his mom. "Thanks Ma! Yay, let's go you guys!"

"Last ride, though!" Mrs. Ketchum called out as they took off. "I mean it!"

As soon as they were on the line for the next ride, Misty looked over at Brock, who returned the look. She was about to ask if he wanted to ride again, but suddenly Ash grabbed her hand.

"Come on, Misty!" he cried. "Front car is ours!"

Misty smiled and gave Brock a "maybe next time" look. He nodded. He was kind of upset that he and Misty couldn't ride the coaster again, despite the loud-pitched shrieks she had administered into his ears every time they had gone down a huge dip. Oh well. She could deafen Ash now.

"I claim car two!" he cried out, and entered the gate beside Ash and Misty. The train came by, and the last ride's passengers exited to the right. The three poured into the seats immediately after, pulling the cushioned bars onto their laps. Ash and Misty glanced back at Brock, and Misty held out her hand to him.

"Come off this ride in one piece, ya hear?" she joked as Brock grabbed her hand.

"I'll try!" he replied, grinning. The train started up the hill, Ash and Misty giggling joyfully in the front. All of sudden, their laughing ceased and they looked strangely up at the peak.

"What's the matter?" Brock said, screaming over the heavy, loud clinking of the chains. He had noticed the abrupt halt in their laughing, but just as he had asked it, he realized just why.

Atop the peak of the Thunderbolt's first of two tremendously breakneck descends to earth stood two familiar figures, accompanied by the recognizable outline of a cat. Ash and Misty gasped in disbelief.

"It can't be!" Misty shouted.

"You'd better believe it!" Ash said angrily and annoyed, shaking his head.

Unknown that the twerps were on the exact ride, Jessie, James, and Meowth stood proudly, their hands clasped tightly to the sides of the railing.

Jessie raised her fist exuberantly into the air. "Prepare for trouble, Coney Island!" she shouted.

"And if you're riding the Thunderbolt, make that double!" James added, bringing his fist up to meet Jessie's. He looked almost evilly down at the station, expecting to see the faces of surprised and frightened on-lookers. Instead, his face drained off all color as he noticed the approaching train, and occupying it no other than Ash and Misty.

"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie continued, then waited for James' line. . .one that didn't come. She turned to her partner to see what happened, but froze when she saw the undoubtable look of fear and shock displayed in James' wide eyes. She followed them down to the track, where not two feet away, came the Thunderbolt's train.

That was when she saw Ash and Misty, and a little bit of Brock's spiky brown hair from behind. But that wasn't the only thing concerning her. She let out a blood-curdling scream, as did James, Meowth, and Ash and Misty, as the front car collided with unstoppable force into Team Rocket.

Jessie, James, and Meowth collapsed into the front car. Ash and Misty groaned as their heavy bodies fell into their laps. Some of Jessie's hair even flew into Ash's mouth, which he spit out furiously. He couldn't believe it, Team Rocket had been teleported, too!

The first drop was the worst of the awkward trip. Meowth had flown into Brock's face sometime during the ride, and viciously gripped on to Brock's face with his razor-sharp claws fearfully. Brock was only able to cry the cat off his face during the spontaneous mini double-dip, which meant that the ride was practically over. Jessie and James had settled into the tiny spaces between Ash and Misty. Screeching like a maniac the whole ride, Jessie made the ears of the others utterly bleed. She gripped tightly onto James' arms, cutting off his circulation. The only thing keeping them in the cars where the way Team Rocket was crammed impossibly between the shocked Ash and Misty.

Ash and Misty didn't have the ride they expected. In fact, Ash wished that it would've been over when it just in fact had started. Jessie's knee was crammed into his stomach, making him incredibly nauseous. Misty didn't have it too well, either. James' hands were gripped on tightly to the bars behind her head, causing both of his arms to get in her view of the surrounding environment. Misty didn't see any of the ride before her, she just felt every little jut, bump, twist, and turn with a cringed expression.

As if by the grace of God, the ride finally came to a sudden halt, sending Jessie and James flying forward. They landed in bush beside the ride, giving Ash and Misty the wonderful breaths of air they needed so badly. Meowth remained in the seat beside Brock, but he was feeling incredibly unpleasant and slightly frightened when he saw his partners flying off the ride. At least that had not happened during the ride, which he was more than relieved about.

The ride came to halt, and almost unbelievably, the ride operator had not noticed the uneventful trip that had occurred. Without a word spoken about it, Ash, Misty, and Brock got out of the cars, Meowth following closely behind them. The cat's eyes immediately began to dart around in a desperate search for his friends. He sighed in relief when he saw Jessie and James stumble out of the bush dazed, but otherwise okay.

"Jessie! James! Are you okay?" Meowth asked panically, running to them.

James rubbed his head. "Whoa, what a ride!" he exclaimed.

Jessie had a disoriented look on her face, and she was keeling over uncomfortably. Her eyes were winced shut painfully, and she was clutching her stomach. James looked with a concerned expression at her.

"Are you going to be sick, Jessie?" he asked gently, placing a hand on her back.

Jessie breathed heavily, but she looked up and James and smiled. "No, I'll be all right," she replied, and she finally stood up. "I'll never ride a roller coaster again in my life!"
James was happy that she was all right, but a sudden outburst rudely interrupted his thankful feeling.

"So, it's you again, huh?"

Jessie and James spun around to see Ash, Misty, and Brock standing before them, their hands on their hips and the look of annoyance in their faces. Team Rocket just stared back at them.

"God, what is wrong with you guys?!" Ash bellowed. "It's bad enough you follow us everywhere, but are you that unstoppable that you'd follow us here?!"

Team Rocket cringed at Ash's loud berating, but straightened up immediately afterwards.

"We didn't end up here on purpose!" Jessie said in an act of defense. She wasn't ready to be blamed for being caught up accidentally in Ash's battle with the Alakazam, even if she and her partners were trespassing on Ash's property.

"Oh please!" Misty shouted. "You'd do anything for Pikachu!"

"Yeah, and I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't have Pikachu here with me," Ash informed.

"Hey!" The voice of one of the Thunderbolt's operators suddenly interrupted their brawl. He waved his hand and pointed towards the exit. "Please exit the ride when you're done."

The two groups obediently exited, where Ash's mom was waiting patiently. Her face lit up in shock when she saw Team Rocket emerge with the kids.

"Where did you three come from?!" she asked so arduously that it made Jessie, James, and Meowth jump back a bit.

James scratched his head. "Uh, well, uh, we were kind of in your yard when your son was battling that Alakazam," he finally admitted.

Brock confused expression suddenly lifted from his face. "Then that means you were teleported, too!" he announced.

Team Rocket nodded.

"We've been following you ever since we got here," Jessie said. "I don't know why we didn't say anything at first, but we. . .we were worried."

Ash shrugged confusingly. "Why?"

Team Rocket didn't even know if they could answer, but it didn't matter, because Mrs. Ketchum suddenly spoke up.

"Look, no matter what happened," she said, "we're all here, so let's just stick together, okay? We both need to get home."

The two groups nodded begrudgingly, occasionally shooting death looks at each other. It was going to be hard, but somehow they would have to get through it together.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Wow, I'm sorry it was so long. I had to make a big deal about the Thunderbolt, because that it ultimately my favorite ride ever at Coney Island, or anywhere for that matter. Unfortunately, it was shut down in 1981, two years before I was born, so obviously I never rode it. ^_^ I became fascinated with it because of how it was so forgotten and dilapidated up to last year, when it was brutally knocked down by the City of New York. The Whip is also gone, and has been for years. I hope you're enjoying my story so far. Thanks for reading.