Chapter 5: First Contact
By the time Ash and his friends returned to the hotel, they all had something to talk
about. Misty, Brock, and Ayako told about the ice skater who tried to kill them by throwing
his ice skates like shurikens, Onix's sacrifice and Ayako's rebuttal.
Ash and Kojiyoshi told about a hilarious sight. They were walking by a chiropractor's
office when they noticed a panda outside sweeping the step. What was even more hilarious was
when the panda held up a sign that said "hi." They didn't know that the panda was actually
Genma Saotome, father to Ranma Saotome, in his cursed form.
"These residents of Nerima are really strange," Prof. Oak commented as they all stepped
off the elevator. Boy, was that the understatement of the year. First there was the ice
skater that tried to steal Yoshi's Charmander. Then the guy that blurted out poetry in front
of everyone. Then the other ice skater, and the sign-language panda.
That night, there was a knock at the door. Brock went up to answer it. There was a boy,
a little older than Brock himself in a yellow T-shirt, black pants, a headband, and a huge
bookbag with an umbrella standing there. Little did Brock know that he was talking to Ryouga
Hibiki, the Lost Boy.
"Excuse me, but do you know where the Tendo home is?"
"Nope," Brock replied. "We're new to this town."
"Oh. Okay." And then Ryouga left. Thinking no more of it, Brock closed the door.
Outside, Mousse was spying on the hotel because he saw Ranma there (actually, he really
saw Ash but Mousse, being the blind-glasses-wearing fool that he is, thought it was Ranma).
{Now I have him!} Mousse leaped from his rooftop perch and crashed through the window.
Inside the room Ash, Brock, Kojiyoshi, Pikachu, and Prof. Oak were staying in, Ash and
Misty (who was over there because she secretly wanted to see Ash) were arguing over what to
watch on television (that was solved by Brock taking the remote and turning it off) when they
saw Mousse make his daring entrance.
"What the devil?" Prof. Oak cried.
"Die, Ranma Saotome! You shall rule the day you cross Mousse of the Amazons!"
"Did he just call himself Mouse?" Prof. Oak asked as he and Brock ducked from flying
glass.
"I think so," Brock replied. Unfortunately, none of the Pokemon crew knew that Mousse
was actually Chinese trying to speak Japanese.
Meanwhile, Mousse picked up Ash and began to choke him.
"Let him go!" Misty cried as she pounded on Mousse. Mousse turned toward her and
thought he saw Akane Tendo.
"Stay out of this, Tendo girl," Mousse said as he shoved her away rather violently.
"Your fiancée is going to become history for trying to take the beloved Shampoo away from me.
{Tendo girl? Fiancée? What's he talking about?} Misty asked. But before she could get
an answer, Mousse shoved her with strength that could only be described as unearthly.
Unfortunately for Misty, she got an up close and personal view as the shove make her crash into
the TV. And the TV landed on her.
"MISTY!" Ash shouted. But it was too late. Misty was out of the fight.
That got Ash mad. "Pikachu, thunder bolt!" Pikachu was also furious about Mousse
hurting Misty, let loose with a killer thunder bolt.
"PIIIKKKAAAA-CHU!" Thunder bolt! NOW! Unfortunately, it also shocked Ash but Ash was
used to Pikachu's electric attacks.
The stray lightning hit an electrical wire and made the room burst into flames causing
everybody to fall from the top floor hotel. As his feet left the floor, Brock managed to grab
onto Misty's pokebelt. He released Starmie and Staryou.
"I know I'm not Misty," Brock quickly said. "But we need you to slow our fall!" The
water Pokemon did as Brock wanted. Staryou was strong despite its size and he caught Brock and
Prof. Oak.
"Pidgeotto," Ash summoned releasing the flying Pokemon. "Catch Togepi and Pikachu."
"Pidgeot." Hang on! Pidgeotto successfully caught Pikachu on its back and Togepi in
its claws. Ditto transformed itself into a Feerow and flew to the ground with Prof. Oak in tow.
Ash didn't know what to do. He had only one flying Pokemon left. Charizard. But would
Charizard listen to Ash. He was still having some difficulty training it. But it was either
that or an all-expense paid trip to the emergency room.
"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash threw the pokeball into the air. When it reached its
peak, it burst open and the giant flying lizard-type Pokemon was formed.
"Charizard, help!" Ash cried. Charizard assessed the situation. Should he help the
human? Instinct told Charizard to just ignore them and that's what it did while it looked
around for a place to sleep. But then, Charizard thought back to when it was a Charmander and
Ash saved it from its abusive master. And he hadn't treated it cruelly at all. Even after
Charmander's evolution into Charmeleon and eventually into Charizard and the fire Pokemon
treated Ash so poorly.
Somewhere, deep within the soul of the beast was the happy, go-lucky spirit of a
Charmander. Charizard made its decision. It shall rescue Ash.
Diving down, Charizard stuck its claws out and caught Ash just as it saved him from the
Aerodoctile a few months back.
Staryou and Starmie was able to drop Brock and Prof. Oak off on an old mattress.
Pidgeotto and Charizard landed perfectly.
"Thank you, Charizard," Ash said as he embraced Charizard. A small flame squirted out of
Charizard's nose but it didn't set Ash on fire like it usually did. Then suddenly, he
remembered Misty.
Ash started to run back into the hotel but Brock and Prof. Oak caught him on each arm.
"Ash, there's nothing you can do." Prof. Oak argued.
"Let me go! I have to save her!"
"Ash, release Squirtle. Along with Starmie and Staryou, they can put the fire out."
Brock suggested. Ash shook Brock and Prof. Oak off and nodded.
"Squirtle," Ash called. "Water-gun now!" Climbing onto Staryou, the three water Pokemon
floated up to the top floor and fired their water guns at the same time. The combined water
blasts were working but barely.
Meanwhile, Ryouga who saw the fire, brought Ranma, Akane, Stephen, and Dr. Tofu to the
rooftop next door.
"Looks like you were right, Ryouga," Ranma said as he spotted Misty's limped form under
the television. "There is someone trapped. Stephen, Get me over there!"
"Ki-bridge," Stephen announced. A bridge made of blue energy stretched from the rooftop
they were on to the hotel room. Ranma, Ryouga and Stephen ran across. Akane was about to
follow suite but Dr. Tofu held her back.
"We don't know what sort of trouble is there," he explained. "Let the boys handle this."
Squirtle saw the bridge being formed and the three humans who walked across it.
"Squirtle-squirtle-squirtle?" Squirtle said to itself. What are they doing?
Meanwhile, Ayako, Kojiyoshi, Sabrina, and Duplica who were across the hall, burst through
the door and came face-to-face with Ranma, Ryouga, and Stephen.
"What have you done to my friends?" Yoshi demanded to know as he brought out a pokeball.
"We're just trying to save your friend who's trapped under the TV." Ranma pointed to
Misty. Ayako screamed. Yoshi paled. Even Sabrina looked like she was about to throw up.
Ryouga started to lift the TV up but found that he wasn't strong enough. Ranma and
Stephen tried to help but they too were no match. They needed at least ten more people to lift
it.
Or one Pokemon.
"Machop," Yoshi called. "Help them lift the television."
"Ma-chop-chop," Machop replied. Right away, Yoshi. Together, the four beings manage
to lift the television. Yoshi grabbed Misty's body and everyone (including Machop) hurried
across the bridge. Before leaving, Ayako released her Starmie which joined Staryou, Squirtle,
and the Nerima Fire Department in putting the fire out before it spread to the remaining rooms.
When Mousse came to, he found trouble. Standing in front of him were Ash, Brock,
Pikachu, Prof. Oak, Kojiyoshi, Ayako, Sabrina, Duplica, Pikachu, Togepi (actually Togepi was in
Brock's arms), Machop, Squirtle, Starmie, Staryou, Charizard, Pidgeotto, Ditto, and what had to
be half of the entire Nerima PD scowling at him. Mousse turned around but Ranma, Ryouga, Akane,
Stephen, Dr. Tofu and the other half of Nerima PD were behind him. Mousse could tell he was in
trouble. He knew that not even he could defeat all of them.
"My job is finished," Mousse said firmly. "Ranma Saotome is done for. Shampoo is mine!"
"Done for? What am I? A Turkey?" Ranma asked. Mousse took off his glasses and stared
long and hard at Ranma. The real Ranma. Not Ash.
"Ranma? But then who...?" Mousse realized (too late) what he had done and dropped to
his knees. The police then arrested him.
Ash then noticed that Dr. Tofu was looking Misty over.
"Is she going to be all right?" He asked.
"She's fine. But she'll be unconscious for a while."
"How long?"
"I'm not sure." Ash looked over Misty's fallen form. She seemed so peaceful, so serene, like she
was sleeping. And she was in a way. But who knows what was going on in her body and in her mind.
"We're going to need a place to stay ," Prof. Oak pointed out. Rain clouds began to form.
Ranma looked at Akane. "Do you think your father would mind?"
"After what we tell him, I don't think he would," Akane replied.
Actually, Soun Tendo didn't mind. In fact, he was bursting with tears when he heard of
how Misty came to be in her present condition. Literally. Ryouga held up his umbrella so he
wouldn't be assaulted by the flash flood that was Soun Tendo crying.
"We wouldn't want to trouble you, sir," Ash said politely.
"Yeah," Brock added. "We're used to sleeping outside." A flash of lightning sounded
startling over half the group.
"On the other hand," Ash said grinning foolishly. "We wouldn't want to turn down such
hospitality." Ash and the group were set up in the dojo. Pikachu looked up at Ash. The boy
looked down-right depressed. And Pikachu couldn't blame him. It was concerned about Misty
too. The three of them (Ash, Misty, and Pikachu) have been together ever since Ash started his
Pokemon Journey.
"Chu-pika," Pikachu moaned. Poor Misty.
"I know how you feel," Ash said as he stroked Pikachu's head.
"You two worried about Misty?" Duplica was suddenly besides them, Ditto on her shoulder
disguised as a Pidgey.
"Yeah."
"Chu." Yeah.
"Pidgey," Ditto chimed. Us too.
"Now, calm down, everybody." Ash, Duplica, Ditto/Pidgey, and Pikachu turned to see Brock
trying to calm Misty's Pokemon.
"Hroooh?" Starmie asked.What happened?
"Hrah-yah," Staryou chimed it. Yeah, tell us.
"Goldeen-goldeen?" Where's Misty?
"Listen everyone," Brock said. "Misty is being cared for. She had a television fall on
her and now some doctor is treating her."
"Horsea-horsea-sea?" Is she going to die. Brock knew that Horsea was Misty's favorite
Pokemon. Just looking at that innocent face was like staring into the face of a child. And
like a child, Brock couldn't lie to it.
"I'm not sure," Brock replied. "The wounds are pretty bad."
"Psyduck-psy-yi-duck-psy." I want to go visit her.
"Jigglypuff," Misty's newest Pokemon, Jigglypuff commented. Me too.
"Look, there's nothing any of you can do to help her now," Brock argued. It was then
that Togepi, sitting on Goldeen's back just behind the horn, started to cry.
"Priiiiiiiiii! Togepi!" Togepi screamed. I want Mommy!
"Psy-yi-yi! Psyduck-duck-psy!" Oh no! I'm getting a headache.
"Yah-hrah!" I know what you mean. Staryou agreed. Brock wanted to pick up Togepi and
pet it, assure it that Misty was going to be all right. But the truth was, he wasn't sure.
The door opened and Ranma and Kasumi came in. Behind them was Mousse flanked by an angry
Shampoo and Cologne.
"Tell them," ordered Cologne to Mousse. Mousse closed his eyes and dropped to his knees
in front of Ash.
"Kind sir, I beg you to forgive me or what I did. My actions were unworthy of an Amazon.
I have dishonored myself, the Amazons, and the citizens of Nerima. I appologize." Ash looked
to Brock who shrugged. This guy just admitted that what he did was wrong.
But lucky for Ash, he was stubborn.
"Wh--what you did was unexcusable," Ash stuttered. "You didn't even look to see if you
had the right person. Now because of you, a friend of mine is probably close to death!"
"I shall accept any punishment you have in store for me," Mousse said in the same
cue-card-reading-type voice that he used before.
Ash took out his Charizard pokeball. "I have a good mind to let Charizard incinerate you."
"Ash, that will kill him," Brock protested.
"That's the whole idea."
"But Misty isn't dead yet," Sabrina protested. "The only thing you can do for her now is
wait and prey that she is going to be all right.
"You two are right," Ash said lowering his head and reattaching his pokeball to his
pokebelt. But he was still mad.
"Pikachu, give him a thunder shock."
"Pika-pika-pikachu, pika-pi." Anything to get back at him, Ash.
"That mouse is going to punish me?" Mousse was on the verge of laughing. "What's he
going to do? Bite me."
"Uh-oh," Ash, Brock, Sabrina, Duplica, and Prof. Oak said at the same time. "Pikachu!" Eat
lightning! Pikachu, insulted by Mousse's comment, unleashed a thunder shock that burned Mousse
to a crisp.
"Mouse have big power for one so little, Great-grandmother," Shampoo commented.
"Yes, Great-Granddaughter," Cologne said nodding. "Pokemon have power that could rival
even Ranma's."
"Hey," Ranma protested.
"It is true, Son-In-Law," Cologne said.
"How do you know about Pokemon," Ash asked Cologne.
"Long ago," Cologne began. As she told her tale, her staff floated into the air and
showed images like a TV show.
Long ago, I desired to go sailing around the world. I was young, ambitious, not
all unlike Son-In-Law. I desired to be the best. So I sought out for adventure.
It was during one of my troubles where I've found myself on an island in the South
Pacific. Every fiber of my being told me to find the nearest transportation off the island but
like I said before, I was young, foolhardy.
I explored the island and came upon a strange tribe of animals.
One of them spoke to me through its mind. It called itself: Mew.
In the next few weeks, if such time passed then, Mew showed me all the wonders its kind
had to offer. Mews had a culture and history unimaginable by mortal man.
Then he came. He called himself Giovanni. He desired to capture the creatures, to use
to conquer the world. The Mews and I joined forces to battle him. But, he had a weapon that
nobody could defeat. It was called a Nikaron. Unknown in origin, Nikaron obeyed Giovanni's
every command. The Mews and I tried to stop it but we failed. In the end, all but one of the
Mews were destroyed. Whether any more exist now, I could not say. But it manage to trap both
itself and the Nikaron under water.
Before the last Mew sacrificed itself, it told me of a prophecy, handed down from one Mew
to another. It said that there will be others like it, other Pokemon, who will rise to
challenge the forces of evil.
"The Nikaron will be back," Mew warned me. "As will Giovanni. As long as evil exists,
he, Giovanni, will be immortal. You must prepare the humans for that time. I have already
prepared the Pokemon. Farewell."
"I returned to the Amazons and told them of what happened," Cologne finished. "They said
that they will be prepared."
"The Pokemon Prophecy!" Ayako gasped. The whole group looked at her.
"What's that?" Her cousin, Kojiyoshi asked.
"Don't you remember what Grandfather used to tell us when we were young?" Then she began
her own tale. Although it wasn't as long as Cologne's.
The legend of the Pokemon Prophecy is the legend of Pokemon itself. An ancient text says
one day, an ultimate evil will rise from the dark and take on the world. Only the Monsters of
Pockets can stop such an evil. Teamed with the humans of virtue, they will be praised as
heroes, as champions, but most importantly, as Pocket Monsters.
Ayako turned toward Ash. "Monsters of Pockets was the first name of Pokemon. As a
matter of fact, it's the origin of the word."
Shampoo turned toward Cologne. "Great-grandmother know when Pokemon Prophecy come true?"
"No, Great-Granddaughter, I do not."
"Well I love a good story as much as the next girl," Duplica said as she stretched her
arms. "But we have to get to sleep. We've gotta get ready for the next day of the
convention." Everybody nodded and set out their sleeping bags. Pikachu, Togepi, and Ditto
slept on a shelf that Akane cleared earlier for the three of them.
The last one to fall asleep was Ash. He hoped that Misty was going to be all right.
By the time Ash and his friends returned to the hotel, they all had something to talk
about. Misty, Brock, and Ayako told about the ice skater who tried to kill them by throwing
his ice skates like shurikens, Onix's sacrifice and Ayako's rebuttal.
Ash and Kojiyoshi told about a hilarious sight. They were walking by a chiropractor's
office when they noticed a panda outside sweeping the step. What was even more hilarious was
when the panda held up a sign that said "hi." They didn't know that the panda was actually
Genma Saotome, father to Ranma Saotome, in his cursed form.
"These residents of Nerima are really strange," Prof. Oak commented as they all stepped
off the elevator. Boy, was that the understatement of the year. First there was the ice
skater that tried to steal Yoshi's Charmander. Then the guy that blurted out poetry in front
of everyone. Then the other ice skater, and the sign-language panda.
That night, there was a knock at the door. Brock went up to answer it. There was a boy,
a little older than Brock himself in a yellow T-shirt, black pants, a headband, and a huge
bookbag with an umbrella standing there. Little did Brock know that he was talking to Ryouga
Hibiki, the Lost Boy.
"Excuse me, but do you know where the Tendo home is?"
"Nope," Brock replied. "We're new to this town."
"Oh. Okay." And then Ryouga left. Thinking no more of it, Brock closed the door.
Outside, Mousse was spying on the hotel because he saw Ranma there (actually, he really
saw Ash but Mousse, being the blind-glasses-wearing fool that he is, thought it was Ranma).
{Now I have him!} Mousse leaped from his rooftop perch and crashed through the window.
Inside the room Ash, Brock, Kojiyoshi, Pikachu, and Prof. Oak were staying in, Ash and
Misty (who was over there because she secretly wanted to see Ash) were arguing over what to
watch on television (that was solved by Brock taking the remote and turning it off) when they
saw Mousse make his daring entrance.
"What the devil?" Prof. Oak cried.
"Die, Ranma Saotome! You shall rule the day you cross Mousse of the Amazons!"
"Did he just call himself Mouse?" Prof. Oak asked as he and Brock ducked from flying
glass.
"I think so," Brock replied. Unfortunately, none of the Pokemon crew knew that Mousse
was actually Chinese trying to speak Japanese.
Meanwhile, Mousse picked up Ash and began to choke him.
"Let him go!" Misty cried as she pounded on Mousse. Mousse turned toward her and
thought he saw Akane Tendo.
"Stay out of this, Tendo girl," Mousse said as he shoved her away rather violently.
"Your fiancée is going to become history for trying to take the beloved Shampoo away from me.
{Tendo girl? Fiancée? What's he talking about?} Misty asked. But before she could get
an answer, Mousse shoved her with strength that could only be described as unearthly.
Unfortunately for Misty, she got an up close and personal view as the shove make her crash into
the TV. And the TV landed on her.
"MISTY!" Ash shouted. But it was too late. Misty was out of the fight.
That got Ash mad. "Pikachu, thunder bolt!" Pikachu was also furious about Mousse
hurting Misty, let loose with a killer thunder bolt.
"PIIIKKKAAAA-CHU!" Thunder bolt! NOW! Unfortunately, it also shocked Ash but Ash was
used to Pikachu's electric attacks.
The stray lightning hit an electrical wire and made the room burst into flames causing
everybody to fall from the top floor hotel. As his feet left the floor, Brock managed to grab
onto Misty's pokebelt. He released Starmie and Staryou.
"I know I'm not Misty," Brock quickly said. "But we need you to slow our fall!" The
water Pokemon did as Brock wanted. Staryou was strong despite its size and he caught Brock and
Prof. Oak.
"Pidgeotto," Ash summoned releasing the flying Pokemon. "Catch Togepi and Pikachu."
"Pidgeot." Hang on! Pidgeotto successfully caught Pikachu on its back and Togepi in
its claws. Ditto transformed itself into a Feerow and flew to the ground with Prof. Oak in tow.
Ash didn't know what to do. He had only one flying Pokemon left. Charizard. But would
Charizard listen to Ash. He was still having some difficulty training it. But it was either
that or an all-expense paid trip to the emergency room.
"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash threw the pokeball into the air. When it reached its
peak, it burst open and the giant flying lizard-type Pokemon was formed.
"Charizard, help!" Ash cried. Charizard assessed the situation. Should he help the
human? Instinct told Charizard to just ignore them and that's what it did while it looked
around for a place to sleep. But then, Charizard thought back to when it was a Charmander and
Ash saved it from its abusive master. And he hadn't treated it cruelly at all. Even after
Charmander's evolution into Charmeleon and eventually into Charizard and the fire Pokemon
treated Ash so poorly.
Somewhere, deep within the soul of the beast was the happy, go-lucky spirit of a
Charmander. Charizard made its decision. It shall rescue Ash.
Diving down, Charizard stuck its claws out and caught Ash just as it saved him from the
Aerodoctile a few months back.
Staryou and Starmie was able to drop Brock and Prof. Oak off on an old mattress.
Pidgeotto and Charizard landed perfectly.
"Thank you, Charizard," Ash said as he embraced Charizard. A small flame squirted out of
Charizard's nose but it didn't set Ash on fire like it usually did. Then suddenly, he
remembered Misty.
Ash started to run back into the hotel but Brock and Prof. Oak caught him on each arm.
"Ash, there's nothing you can do." Prof. Oak argued.
"Let me go! I have to save her!"
"Ash, release Squirtle. Along with Starmie and Staryou, they can put the fire out."
Brock suggested. Ash shook Brock and Prof. Oak off and nodded.
"Squirtle," Ash called. "Water-gun now!" Climbing onto Staryou, the three water Pokemon
floated up to the top floor and fired their water guns at the same time. The combined water
blasts were working but barely.
Meanwhile, Ryouga who saw the fire, brought Ranma, Akane, Stephen, and Dr. Tofu to the
rooftop next door.
"Looks like you were right, Ryouga," Ranma said as he spotted Misty's limped form under
the television. "There is someone trapped. Stephen, Get me over there!"
"Ki-bridge," Stephen announced. A bridge made of blue energy stretched from the rooftop
they were on to the hotel room. Ranma, Ryouga and Stephen ran across. Akane was about to
follow suite but Dr. Tofu held her back.
"We don't know what sort of trouble is there," he explained. "Let the boys handle this."
Squirtle saw the bridge being formed and the three humans who walked across it.
"Squirtle-squirtle-squirtle?" Squirtle said to itself. What are they doing?
Meanwhile, Ayako, Kojiyoshi, Sabrina, and Duplica who were across the hall, burst through
the door and came face-to-face with Ranma, Ryouga, and Stephen.
"What have you done to my friends?" Yoshi demanded to know as he brought out a pokeball.
"We're just trying to save your friend who's trapped under the TV." Ranma pointed to
Misty. Ayako screamed. Yoshi paled. Even Sabrina looked like she was about to throw up.
Ryouga started to lift the TV up but found that he wasn't strong enough. Ranma and
Stephen tried to help but they too were no match. They needed at least ten more people to lift
it.
Or one Pokemon.
"Machop," Yoshi called. "Help them lift the television."
"Ma-chop-chop," Machop replied. Right away, Yoshi. Together, the four beings manage
to lift the television. Yoshi grabbed Misty's body and everyone (including Machop) hurried
across the bridge. Before leaving, Ayako released her Starmie which joined Staryou, Squirtle,
and the Nerima Fire Department in putting the fire out before it spread to the remaining rooms.
When Mousse came to, he found trouble. Standing in front of him were Ash, Brock,
Pikachu, Prof. Oak, Kojiyoshi, Ayako, Sabrina, Duplica, Pikachu, Togepi (actually Togepi was in
Brock's arms), Machop, Squirtle, Starmie, Staryou, Charizard, Pidgeotto, Ditto, and what had to
be half of the entire Nerima PD scowling at him. Mousse turned around but Ranma, Ryouga, Akane,
Stephen, Dr. Tofu and the other half of Nerima PD were behind him. Mousse could tell he was in
trouble. He knew that not even he could defeat all of them.
"My job is finished," Mousse said firmly. "Ranma Saotome is done for. Shampoo is mine!"
"Done for? What am I? A Turkey?" Ranma asked. Mousse took off his glasses and stared
long and hard at Ranma. The real Ranma. Not Ash.
"Ranma? But then who...?" Mousse realized (too late) what he had done and dropped to
his knees. The police then arrested him.
Ash then noticed that Dr. Tofu was looking Misty over.
"Is she going to be all right?" He asked.
"She's fine. But she'll be unconscious for a while."
"How long?"
"I'm not sure." Ash looked over Misty's fallen form. She seemed so peaceful, so serene, like she
was sleeping. And she was in a way. But who knows what was going on in her body and in her mind.
"We're going to need a place to stay ," Prof. Oak pointed out. Rain clouds began to form.
Ranma looked at Akane. "Do you think your father would mind?"
"After what we tell him, I don't think he would," Akane replied.
Actually, Soun Tendo didn't mind. In fact, he was bursting with tears when he heard of
how Misty came to be in her present condition. Literally. Ryouga held up his umbrella so he
wouldn't be assaulted by the flash flood that was Soun Tendo crying.
"We wouldn't want to trouble you, sir," Ash said politely.
"Yeah," Brock added. "We're used to sleeping outside." A flash of lightning sounded
startling over half the group.
"On the other hand," Ash said grinning foolishly. "We wouldn't want to turn down such
hospitality." Ash and the group were set up in the dojo. Pikachu looked up at Ash. The boy
looked down-right depressed. And Pikachu couldn't blame him. It was concerned about Misty
too. The three of them (Ash, Misty, and Pikachu) have been together ever since Ash started his
Pokemon Journey.
"Chu-pika," Pikachu moaned. Poor Misty.
"I know how you feel," Ash said as he stroked Pikachu's head.
"You two worried about Misty?" Duplica was suddenly besides them, Ditto on her shoulder
disguised as a Pidgey.
"Yeah."
"Chu." Yeah.
"Pidgey," Ditto chimed. Us too.
"Now, calm down, everybody." Ash, Duplica, Ditto/Pidgey, and Pikachu turned to see Brock
trying to calm Misty's Pokemon.
"Hroooh?" Starmie asked.What happened?
"Hrah-yah," Staryou chimed it. Yeah, tell us.
"Goldeen-goldeen?" Where's Misty?
"Listen everyone," Brock said. "Misty is being cared for. She had a television fall on
her and now some doctor is treating her."
"Horsea-horsea-sea?" Is she going to die. Brock knew that Horsea was Misty's favorite
Pokemon. Just looking at that innocent face was like staring into the face of a child. And
like a child, Brock couldn't lie to it.
"I'm not sure," Brock replied. "The wounds are pretty bad."
"Psyduck-psy-yi-duck-psy." I want to go visit her.
"Jigglypuff," Misty's newest Pokemon, Jigglypuff commented. Me too.
"Look, there's nothing any of you can do to help her now," Brock argued. It was then
that Togepi, sitting on Goldeen's back just behind the horn, started to cry.
"Priiiiiiiiii! Togepi!" Togepi screamed. I want Mommy!
"Psy-yi-yi! Psyduck-duck-psy!" Oh no! I'm getting a headache.
"Yah-hrah!" I know what you mean. Staryou agreed. Brock wanted to pick up Togepi and
pet it, assure it that Misty was going to be all right. But the truth was, he wasn't sure.
The door opened and Ranma and Kasumi came in. Behind them was Mousse flanked by an angry
Shampoo and Cologne.
"Tell them," ordered Cologne to Mousse. Mousse closed his eyes and dropped to his knees
in front of Ash.
"Kind sir, I beg you to forgive me or what I did. My actions were unworthy of an Amazon.
I have dishonored myself, the Amazons, and the citizens of Nerima. I appologize." Ash looked
to Brock who shrugged. This guy just admitted that what he did was wrong.
But lucky for Ash, he was stubborn.
"Wh--what you did was unexcusable," Ash stuttered. "You didn't even look to see if you
had the right person. Now because of you, a friend of mine is probably close to death!"
"I shall accept any punishment you have in store for me," Mousse said in the same
cue-card-reading-type voice that he used before.
Ash took out his Charizard pokeball. "I have a good mind to let Charizard incinerate you."
"Ash, that will kill him," Brock protested.
"That's the whole idea."
"But Misty isn't dead yet," Sabrina protested. "The only thing you can do for her now is
wait and prey that she is going to be all right.
"You two are right," Ash said lowering his head and reattaching his pokeball to his
pokebelt. But he was still mad.
"Pikachu, give him a thunder shock."
"Pika-pika-pikachu, pika-pi." Anything to get back at him, Ash.
"That mouse is going to punish me?" Mousse was on the verge of laughing. "What's he
going to do? Bite me."
"Uh-oh," Ash, Brock, Sabrina, Duplica, and Prof. Oak said at the same time. "Pikachu!" Eat
lightning! Pikachu, insulted by Mousse's comment, unleashed a thunder shock that burned Mousse
to a crisp.
"Mouse have big power for one so little, Great-grandmother," Shampoo commented.
"Yes, Great-Granddaughter," Cologne said nodding. "Pokemon have power that could rival
even Ranma's."
"Hey," Ranma protested.
"It is true, Son-In-Law," Cologne said.
"How do you know about Pokemon," Ash asked Cologne.
"Long ago," Cologne began. As she told her tale, her staff floated into the air and
showed images like a TV show.
Long ago, I desired to go sailing around the world. I was young, ambitious, not
all unlike Son-In-Law. I desired to be the best. So I sought out for adventure.
It was during one of my troubles where I've found myself on an island in the South
Pacific. Every fiber of my being told me to find the nearest transportation off the island but
like I said before, I was young, foolhardy.
I explored the island and came upon a strange tribe of animals.
One of them spoke to me through its mind. It called itself: Mew.
In the next few weeks, if such time passed then, Mew showed me all the wonders its kind
had to offer. Mews had a culture and history unimaginable by mortal man.
Then he came. He called himself Giovanni. He desired to capture the creatures, to use
to conquer the world. The Mews and I joined forces to battle him. But, he had a weapon that
nobody could defeat. It was called a Nikaron. Unknown in origin, Nikaron obeyed Giovanni's
every command. The Mews and I tried to stop it but we failed. In the end, all but one of the
Mews were destroyed. Whether any more exist now, I could not say. But it manage to trap both
itself and the Nikaron under water.
Before the last Mew sacrificed itself, it told me of a prophecy, handed down from one Mew
to another. It said that there will be others like it, other Pokemon, who will rise to
challenge the forces of evil.
"The Nikaron will be back," Mew warned me. "As will Giovanni. As long as evil exists,
he, Giovanni, will be immortal. You must prepare the humans for that time. I have already
prepared the Pokemon. Farewell."
"I returned to the Amazons and told them of what happened," Cologne finished. "They said
that they will be prepared."
"The Pokemon Prophecy!" Ayako gasped. The whole group looked at her.
"What's that?" Her cousin, Kojiyoshi asked.
"Don't you remember what Grandfather used to tell us when we were young?" Then she began
her own tale. Although it wasn't as long as Cologne's.
The legend of the Pokemon Prophecy is the legend of Pokemon itself. An ancient text says
one day, an ultimate evil will rise from the dark and take on the world. Only the Monsters of
Pockets can stop such an evil. Teamed with the humans of virtue, they will be praised as
heroes, as champions, but most importantly, as Pocket Monsters.
Ayako turned toward Ash. "Monsters of Pockets was the first name of Pokemon. As a
matter of fact, it's the origin of the word."
Shampoo turned toward Cologne. "Great-grandmother know when Pokemon Prophecy come true?"
"No, Great-Granddaughter, I do not."
"Well I love a good story as much as the next girl," Duplica said as she stretched her
arms. "But we have to get to sleep. We've gotta get ready for the next day of the
convention." Everybody nodded and set out their sleeping bags. Pikachu, Togepi, and Ditto
slept on a shelf that Akane cleared earlier for the three of them.
The last one to fall asleep was Ash. He hoped that Misty was going to be all right.