My Coney Island Baby

My Coney Island Baby

Part 4

by Spruceton Spook

"I can't believe you guys were spying on me at my own home!" Ash screamed, his eyes narrowing angrily at the two teens who were walking in front of him. Misty, Brock, and Mrs. Ketchum walked beside Ash, keeping silent and listening attentively and a little embarrassingly at the scene Ash was making.

They were making their way swiftly down Kensington Avenue, where to the right the glistening windows of Steeplechase shined, and to the left the winding tracks of the Thunderbolt roamed.

Jessie turned around. "What do you expect by now?" she asked, shrugging at his dumb-witted ignorance.

"That's true," Ash replied, folding his arms angrily in front of him. "Still, leave it to you guys to ruin this day for us."

"Ash . . ," Misty started in a warning voice. She was tensing, noticing the look of annoyance in Brock and Mrs. Ketchum's faces. Ash had not stopped badgering and insulting Team Rocket since they had gotten off the Thunderbolt.

"Listen twerp, we didn't ruin anything," Jessie responded. "We don't need your help to get home, anyway. We're perfectly capable of doing that ourselves."

Ash grumbled. "Then why don't you go off on your own?!" Rage was flaring up in his veins. "Maybe we'll get lucky and you'll never find a way back, and we'll never have to see you again!"

"Ashton!" Mrs. Ketchum shouted. "Don't you dare say such a thing!"

Ash flinched at his mom's sudden reprimand, but he quickly regained himself. "Mom, you have no idea what these three put us through!"

Misty and Brock did agree with Ash, but they didn't say a word. Although it would have been great to get rid of the nuisance Team Rocket, leaving them behind in a different time would be highly inhumane. They probably would have realized that another psychic Pokémon would do the trick, but they would have been undoubtedly scared and panicked at first, causing them to lose sense of what was happening. That would have been mean, if anything.

"I know what they've done to you, Ash," Mrs. Ketchum replied. "But this is not the time nor the place to discuss this. We're all in the same situation, and it would be the logical thing to put your differences aside and help each other out."

Ash was silenced at that, and looked down at the ground. Misty and Brock did as well, and barely a sound was uttered from then till the time they finally reached the Steeplechase Pavilion. Men, women, and children of all ages roamed around the building's entrance, making it impossibly active.

Ash felt like crying. He was having such a great time at Coney Island, but the presence of Team Rocket had suddenly drained all the fun out of it. Deep down, he knew that it was best to be nice to them for now, even though he had every right in the world not to be. Thinking that the atmosphere between him and the others was going to be bustling with happiness when they finally reached Steeplechase, it upset him greatly that they entered the building in a complete and awkward silence.

That didn't last for long, however. As soon as the group entered Steeplechase, all their faces lit up in smiles and they gasped loudly in absolute astonishment. They stood in the entranceway gaping at the excitement around them. Steeplechase was crammed with fun rides, scattered all over the place. Ash, Misty, and Brock beamed with joy. Mrs. Ketchum suddenly wrapped her arms around Ash, embracing him in a hug which Ash gladly returned. She couldn't believe that she was in a building that had been torn down three years before she was born.

"This is amazing," Mrs. Ketchum whispered into her son's ear. "I'm so glad you got to see this."

"I know," Ash whispered back.

Jessie, James, and Meowth looked around at the amusements of Steeplechase, their jaws dropped in awe. Not only was Steeplechase one of the only indoor amusement parks they had ever seen, but the rides in it were utterly unique. It looked almost like a full arcade, minus the video games. The noise level matched one exactly, however.

All of a sudden, Ash nearly leapt out his skin. He grabbed Misty and Brock's hands and dragged them a few feet. "C'mon, you guys!"

Misty and Brock laughed and followed, Mrs. Ketchum right behind them. Team Rocket looked at them, but stood still. As if Ash felt their melancholy stare, he stopped and glanced back at them unemotionally. Team Rocket stared back, barely blinking. Suddenly, a smile spread across Ash's face.

"What are ya waiting for, you guys?!" he called to them, and they drew back in shock. "Let's check this place out!"

Jessie, James, and Meowth beamed delightedly, and quickly caught up to them. Misty nudged Ash's arm, and upon looking at her, she gave him a "good for you" look that made Ash relax and feel good about himself.

The group almost forgot completely about the ride, Steeplechase, itself. They were too occupied with the thrills the park had to offer, but most of all, the slides. As if by instinct, Mrs. Ketchum led them over to the beautiful wooden slide park, even though she had no idea of how the place was laid out. They had been trying to decide what to go on first, which was hard due to the overwhelming urge to do everything at the same time. But as soon as they saw some of the people coming off the winding, fast slides, they knew that they had to do that before anything.

Even Jessie giggled happily as they made their way up the stairs to the top of the slides. Each of them had purchased a ticket for twenty cents that guaranteed them a once-around for every ride in Steeplechase. Ash always seemed to be one step ahead of them, eager to do everything spontaneously.

Misty stayed behind with Brock, whom she had found herself "stuck to" at Coney Island. It wasn't a bad thing, though. She didn't know why, but she found herself oddly attracted to him here, but she figured that it was just because Ash was too active to suit her. Brock was a bit more calm and collected, and enjoyed the rides at a more slower, relaxed pace. . .like her. She had enjoyed his company on the rides -- heck, she could talk to him without Brock suddenly breaking away to get on another line.

"These look so cool," she said to Brock, glancing down at the folks already on the ride. The slides were made of shiny, attractive hard wood, and almost no friction seemed to exist on them. They looped around and changed directions so many times.

"Yeah," he replied.

Misty grinned at him and clutched the Marill doll tightly in her hands. "Thanks for buying my ticket for me," she told him.

Brock shook his head. "Think nothing of it," he smiled gently back at her.

"No, I owe you after this . . . ," she replied, laughing, ". . . a whole dollar!"

Brock started to laugh just as they began to edge closer to the front of the line. Ash looked back at them, smiling but confused at their sudden laughter. Ever since the Whip, Brock had been buying all of Misty's tickets, which was kind of explainable since she hadn't brought any money with her, and that his mom didn't have to treat them to every ride. But why was Misty acting -- and looking-- so gushy towards him suddenly? There was a definite ring of it in her voice and even a sparkle of it in her eyes since he had given her his prize.

Ash shrugged. It didn't matter. Misty was probably just showing her gratitude towards him, not to mention the feeling of giddiness of being in a whole new exciting place.

When the last people before them took off down the slides, Ash, Misty, and Brock sat three across the slide. Ash looked at Misty and offered for her to go first. Misty smiled and thanked him, and put her hands behind her as if to push off. Then, with a happy and sudden squeal, she grabbed Ash and pushed him down the slide. Totally surprised, Ash screamed and went sailing down the slide. Misty laughed hysterically as he turned back up to her and shook his fist playfully. Soon after, he disappeared behind the first curve of the slide.

Misty looked at Brock, who was also laughing. Mrs. Ketchum suddenly shouted for them to go, and without a second thought, Misty pushed herself off for real. She sat a little upright, and slowly picked up speed as the slide grew steeper. She laughed as she flew through the curve, which almost made her flip over.

"Gangway!!!!" All of sudden, Brock's voice rang out loudly above the screams of the other people. Misty attempted to turn around to see where he was, when all of sudden she was bumped forcibly from behind. She uttered a cry of shock when the impact occurred, but then she realized that it was Brock who was behind her, laughing.

As they slid down the slide, Misty could feel Brock's shoes pressing up against her back.

"Brock!" she cried, looking behind her as they went through the second curve. She was still engulfed in laughter. "Get off my tail!"

He laughed. "You're going to slow! Here, try this!"

Misty tensed suddenly as Brock put both his legs around her on either side and placed his arms around her waist.

"What are you doing, Brock?"

"Lean back!" At that, Brock pulled Misty down until she was practically lying on top of him. Brock held her down, and almost instantly they picked up an enormous amount of speed. Misty couldn't help but scream in thrill as they glided down the slide.

"What the heck is that?!" Misty suddenly shouted, looking down at the base of the slide. Brock lifted his head as much as he could, but he could not make out the bottom through Misty's thick ponytail.

"What is it?!" he asked, his arms still clasped around her waist.

Misty realized just then that the bottom of the slide was not what she had seen in the beginning. In a split second, she could see that every person who came off the slide was spun around instantly by turning discs on the floor.

"I don't know!" she answered. "But you'd better let go!"

"Why?" It was too late to find out, though. Still holding tightly onto her, Brock and Misty flew off the slide. In one quick jerk, they spun around on one of the discs, just being sent off onto another. And another. Brock and Misty screamed in delight as they spun around on the twirling discs until finally they had been spun off to the side of the ride.

Laughing, they got up to see Ash already waiting for them there. The smile on his face matched theirs, and immediately they began to comment on the ride. They stood in the shadows of the ride to watch Mrs. Ketchum, followed by Jessie then James, get subjected to the discs. Jessie screeched loudly as she was flung off instantly. Ash, Misty, and Brock wondered if she didn't like the ride like the others, but she got up, with the assistance of James, smiling.

"Now that's a ride!" she said as they all met together at the exit. Meowth joined them there.

"I still think you coulda hid me unda your shirt," Meowth said to James, a little annoyed at being rejected from every attraction.

"I'm not gonna get thrown out because of you!" James replied, making Meowth huff in disagreement.

Ash looked up at his mom, and asked the simple question he knew she'd say yes to. "Can we please ride the Steeplechase now?"

There was no doubt about that, and the group quickly scanned the area for the entrance to the ride. As they made their way like lightning bolts to it, Ash nudged Brock's arm, grinning.

"What's with the hugging stuff?" he asked in a whisper, winking his eye at Brock.

Brock gave him a weird face and shrugged. "No hugging stuff, I was just helping her get more momentum on the ride. When you lean back, you go faster."

"I know that!" Ash replied. "Looks like you were having fun, though, if you know what I mean."

Brock smiled in shock as he shoved Ash. "Come on Ash!" he shouted, scanning to see if Misty was catching this. Hopefully she was not. The last thing he needed was any unnecessary suspicion from her. Besides, why was Ash teasing him about this? He knew that Misty had a crush on Ash, so why would he butt in on that? There was nothing wrong with being friendly, even if it included some mild touchy-feely stuff such as that.

The weird conversation ended though when they finally reached the Steeplechase, where, for the first time today, there was a long line. Nobody complained though. By the time they reached the top, it was fun to see the riders take off in the little metal horses. There were eight across, some holding one, two, and even three riders.

"This'll be great," Ash said, his eyes filled with excitement. "There's six of us, so we'll practically have the ride to ourselves."

Misty and Brock nodded, watching another set of riders go off. Before the ride operator pulled the lever that released the horses, he began to ramble on about a winner.

"What are they talking about?" Brock asked Mrs. Ketchum.

"There's a different winner to each race," Mrs. Ketchum explained. "The horses are controlled by the weights put on them, and how you sit on them." She smiled. "Maybe we'll be lucky and one of us will win."

Misty looked at Brock. "Hey, just like the slide!" she said, her eyes sparkling.

Brock smiled. "Yeah," he replied, his voice drifting off as he saw her smile at him. "Just like the slide."

"Do you win anything?" Ash asked.

Mrs. Ketchum smiled and ruffled his messy hair. "No, silly! It's just for fun!"

James turned to Jessie. "You gonna go on this one?"

Jessie gritted her teeth as she saw the horses go over the huge bump in the near distance. She looked at him, and a small pleading smile edged across her face. "Only if you go on with me," she answered, making James smile and nod.

"Of course," he said. "Just . . . if you need to throw up, don't do it on me, okay?"

Jessie giggled. "Sure thing, James."

When the front of the line came nearer, Ash, Misty, and Brock felt their hearts jump in excitement. They had even let a few people go ahead of them to insure that all six of them would end up on the same ride.

Ash was the before all of them on the line, smiling when the last people before them went off. He looked up at the ride operator, who returned a somewhat bewildered glance. He surveyed him up and down, and Ash watched confusingly as he reached behind his ticket booth to pull out a large stick.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked, as the man placed the stick upright along him. Ash could see that the tip of the stick rose slightly above his head. Misty and Brock noticed this as well, and for a split second a chill ran down their spines.

"Too short, young man," the operator said, shrugging. "Sorry."

"What?!" Ash explained. "You have to be kidding me!"

Mrs. Ketchum held her son's shoulders, and looked up at the operator with an upset look clouding her face. "He could ride with me, though, couldn't he?" she asked him politely. "I'll hold tightly onto him."

The operator looked at her, then at Ash, who smiled up innocently and sweetly at him. He looked back up at Mrs. Ketchum. "Well, usually the rider has too be as tall as this stick here to even ride with an adult, but . . ." He smiled at Ash. ". . . I'll let you go, kid."

Ash beamed happily. "Thank you so much! Thank you!"

Misty was relieved that that worked out well. She would have felt bad if Ash couldn't have gone on the ride, but now that he was going to be going on with Mrs. Ketchum, Misty looked up at Brock with a grin displayed.

"You want to go on this together, Brock?" she asked, praying slightly that he wouldn't want to have the thrill to himself.

Brock looked at her, not smiling at first. Misty's heart sank. She was actually looking forward to going on another ride with him. This wasn't going to be the one, though. Suddenly, Brock smiled, the left corner of his mouth curving slightly into a grin. Misty looked frightened at first, but the sight of his smile made her eyes sparkle.

"Of course I'll go on with you," Brock answered, putting his arm around her shoulders which, for a second, made Misty feel a bit high-strung. But she settled almost immediately. "This ride was made for two."

Misty giggled at the way Brock had said that in such a corny, little romantic tone. Brock laughed back, really not sure if whether or not he meant for it to be a joke. Anyhow, he was glad that Misty had come out and asked. He was going to, but based on how he had gone on many of the attractions with her and interrupted her otherwise calm slide ride, he didn't want to appear pushy and force her to ride with him.

"Are we gonna win?" Brock asked her.

She smiled up at him. "Hope so," she replied, just realizing now that Brock's arm was still around her shoulders.

TO BE CONTINUED . . .

Sorry to all you twerpshippers out there. It makes it especially hard to say this because I myself am a twerpshipper (pokeshipper). But I like gymshipping, as well, and since it was my sister who convinced me to write this Coney Island/Pokémon story, I gave her her wish and made it Brock and Misty. I hope those of you out there who like my story but are suddenly appalled by the situation between Brock and Misty continue reading. I guarantee you'll like the ending. Please review! Thanks!!!!