Never Could Forget
By: Adrienne and Christine (Salt*N*Pepper)
Summery: Last time, Misty and Brock got into a serious fight, and have parted ways. Ash and Misty are now having trouble finding their way to Tangelo Island, while back in Pallet town, Brock has problems of his own as he makes a drastic decision. Meanwhile, Team Rocket make plans to capture Pikachu, and decide to travel with someone...
Not one word was spoken between Ash and Misty as they boarded the ferry. It sailed serenely on for hours, and still silence was between them. Misty quietly walked over to the edge and looked out onto the water. She closed her eyes and felt the sea breezes blow through her hair. Ever since she was a little girl, the ocean had always made her feel better, and because she loved it so much she had decided to dedicate her life to water pokemon. But nothing could get rid of the pain she felt inside today. "Uh, Misty?" Ash asked softly, looking at her. Misty glanced over at Ash, a small smile on her face.
"Yea?" she asked.
"We've been sailing for a while, and I think we're near the spot where I let Lapras go…" he said, smiling back at her.
"Well the closer we are to the Orange Islands, the warmer it gets and the weather defiantly has been getting warmer, so we probably are." Misty looked back at Ash, who suddenly covered his face with his hands..
"I just can't believe…" He started. "Me you and Tracey were riding on him, just two days ago! And now he's…" Ash lowered his hat over his eyes. Misty shifted her weight uncomfortably, unsure of what to do as Ash sobbed before her.
"Ash, sometimes you have to let friends go, as much as it hurts inside, you just have to…" Ash wiped his eyes.
"Well I still think it's unfair..." He sniffed. Misty sighed.
"Nothing's fair, Ash, haven't you learned that already?" Ash held Pikachu in his arms and softly stroked its yellow fur. "Think of it this way Ash…" she began. "At least you didn't loose two friends today."
Brock slowly opened his eyes. He didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but judging from the sun shining through Ash's window, it seemed to be late afternoon. He sat up, running his fingers through his thick spiky hair. Brock glanced above Ash's dresser, looking into a mirror. His eyes were swollen and red, and his skin seemed pale. He groaned at his appearance. Brock carefully began to get up, swaying unsteadily. He felt a sharp hunger pain in his stomach and desperately searched his backpack for something to eat. Brock let out a frustrated sigh, not a morsel of food could be found. He slowly made his way to Ash's door, and stumbled down the stairs. Delia was on the phone, while Mr. Mime was doing dishes.
"She doesn't know I'm here…" Brock thought to himself. "Mrs. Ketchem?" Delia dropped the phone, and spun around.
"Brock! What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes wide. "I thought you went with Ash and Misty!"
"I-I…couldn't go…" He said, feeling choked up. Delia softly touched his chin and moved his head to the side.
" What…happened?" she asked quietly, noticing the small red blotch on Brock's cheek. "Misty and I -we got into a fight, she, she…" Brock began to feel hot tears pouring from his eyes. Delia hung up the phone and led Brock to the living room couch.
"Let me look at that." She said. Brock flinched as she gently touched his sore face. "Mrs. Ketchem!" Brock suddenly said jerking away from her. "I'm fine, really…" Delia shook her head.
"Brock dear, you're obviously not…"
"I just-I just need to be alone." He said turning away from her. Delia opened her mouth to protest, but just sadly watched Brock trudge back up the stairs.
"Oh Mimey," she said, to her Mr. Mime. "I knew I heard something going on this morning…"
"New Barktown? James, are you sure this is the first town the twerps are going to?" Jesse asked, looking at the wooden sign.
"Well this is the first stop in the Johto league, and that's where they were going, remember we heard them last night?" James replied, looking up from the map. Jesse remembered the horrible reporter plan they did to try and capture Pikachu.
"Oh, that's right, our plan would of worked if it wasn't for that stupid kid Tracey and his Syther and Marril! They're always in the way!" Meowth yawned.
"Maybe day got lost Jess."
"Well I did happen to see them leave the house quite early…" James began. "But they couldn't be lost, because there's only one main road leading to Johto!" He began to laugh. "How stupid can that Twerp be, if he can't even follow one straight road east of his own house?!" A vein popped out of Jesse's forehead.
"You Idiot! The Johto League is in the WEST!" she screamed.
"Ya mean ta tell me we've been waiting out hea for dis long and dere not even comin?!" Meowth yelled.
"But Jesse!" James whimpered. " Why would they go in a different direction when we heard them say they were coming here!"
"Maybe YOU just didn't hear right!" Jesse shouted, grabbing on to James' shirt. Suddenly a shiny, sparkling blue animal flew out of the bushes besides them, and landed on a stone in the middle of a large pond. It raised its majestic head to look at them with its narrow glowing red eyes. Jesse released James shirt and threw her arms around him, as he grabbed onto her waist in fear.
"Hey youse guys…" Meowth said in a shaky voice. "What is dat thing!?" But before Jesse could answer him with an
"I don't know!!!!" The strange creature leaped up of the stone and disappeared into the trees leaving a trail of glittering sparkles to gently fall on top of the three villains. Jesse, James and Meowth looked at each other.
"I don't think we're ready for Johto just yet…" Jesse whispered still clinging tightly onto James.
"Me neither…" he frantically whispered back.
"Let's get outta hea!!!!!" Meowth screamed. And with that, Team Rocket ran away at full speed back to Pallet town.
"Misty, do you have the map?" Ash asked, as they walked through Hamilin Island.
"Ash! I gave it to you as soon as we got off the ferry! Don't tell me you lost it already!" Misty replied angrily. Ash searched his pockets frantically, until he finally found the crumpled up map.
"Sorry" He mumbled.
"Look.." Misty said pointing to the map. "We can pass through Pummelo, Kumquat, and possibly the Trovita Islands on land, but it's going to be impossible to cut across the ocean to those other islands we went to without Lapras." She said with a frown. "Those other islands were all deserted, so why would we have to go to them anyway?" Ash asked impatiently.
"I don't know!" Misty snapped back. "I'm just trying to retrace our steps! I don't know why we didn't take the stupid blimp like we did before in the first place! We probably would have been there by now!"
"Well I'm sorry there was ferry tickets instead of blimp tickets in Tracey's bag!" Ash replied angrily." We probably would have been there already if Brock was here to help us!" Suddenly he remembered what transpired this morning between her and Brock. Misty's eyes welled up with tears. "I'm sorry." He quickly muttered seeing how much he had upset her.
"No, no don't be Ash." She replied, quickly wiping her eyes. He looked down at his feet. "We can do this Misty, it's going to be hard, but we can do it." Ash said quietly. Misty's expression brightened as he smiled at her, and she returned to the map.
"Then if we can just find a boat, or something we can make it pass through the seven Grapefruit Islands and be on Tangelo Island before the funeral!"
"Do you really think we'll find one?!" Ash asked hopefully.
"I dunno, but we have to hurry!" She replied, quickly shoving the map into her red shoulder bag.
Delia stood outside Ash's room, listening to Brock's pacing back and forth. "Brock, hunny, I want to make my special honey roasted chicken tonight…" she said softly knocking on the door. "Would you mind helping me cook?" Brock was silent. "I'll even make some donuts for desert!" Delia added hopefully. There was still silence inside the room. "Brock please…" she begged. "You need to eat something, you haven't had a crumb all day! You must be starving!" Brock finally opened the door. Delia smiled.
"I'll help you Mrs. Ketchum." He said weakly smiling back at her. During the course of the delicious meal, Brock said nothing. Delia watched him, a look of concern on her face. He just seemed to stare sadly at his plate and push the food around with his fork. Suddenly he stood up, loudly making the chair scratch on the floor.
"What have I done!?" He shouted. "How could I have said those things to her?!" Delia eyes widened.
"Brock! " she said sternly.
"But Mrs. Ketchum, don't you see? Misty wouldn't have said those things this morning if she didn't mean it…and the way she looked at me…" Brock put his head in his hands. "What the hell did I do…?" He suddenly whispered. "What if something happens to her, like Tracey? I'll never… forgive myself!"
"Brock, dear, Misty was just upset about Tracey, and she probably took her anger out on you. I'm sure she didn't mean it sweetie, But sometimes people just can't…control they're emotions."
"I have to see her, tell her I'm sorry…" Brock said in a trance-like voice "Before it's too late!"
"Now just a minute Brock, you aren't thinking of going to the Orange Islands?!" Delia said, shocked.
"I have to, Mrs. Ketchum! I'm not going to let someone I care about just…walk out of my life! And Ash too! They need me, Mrs. Ketchum, and I need…her." Delia frowned. "Brock, I'm not letting you out of this house by yourself! Defiantly not after what happened to Tracey!" Brock fell to his knees.
"Mrs. Ketchum, please…I care so much for Misty, not one day goes by where I don't think about her…her smile, her laugh. In all the girls I've met, I've never once felt this way about any of them… I know she doesn't understand, but if something happens to her, and she doesn't know about…about how I feel….I'll never be able to forgive myself." Delia looked into Brock's pleading eyes, and finally began to understand.
"Make sure my Ash is okay too, Brock." She said quietly.
" I will." He replied, zipping up his green vest. Brock grabbed his backpack and quickly swung it over his shoulder. Delia watched Brock from the kitchen, wondering if she had made a mistake. Brock held Delia's hands in his own. "Thank-you…" He said.
"Just promise me you'll be all right…" Delia started "Or I'll never forgive myself!" Brock looked over his shoulder and smiled at her, before running off into the night.
"Ow!" he cried as he slammed into something.
"Hey, that hurt!" Brock heard a familiar voice yell. He opened his eyes and was face to face with James of Team Rocket, rubbing his head.
"Team Rocket!" Brock shouted, immediately standing up. Jesse turned to James.
"You mean they were at the house all along!?" she asked, becoming very annoyed.
"No Jess, I only saw the two younger twerps leave, he must have stayed here!" James replied.
"Well then prepare for trouble…" Jesse began.
"Yes, kid and make it double!" James replied.
"I don't have time for your stupid motto now!" Brock shouted. With huge force, Brock shoved Jesse and James and Meowth out of the way, and continued running.
"What's dat twerp's problem? Meowth asked.
"I don't know, but he certainly is in a hurry." Jesse replied.
"Can I help you?" Delia asked, looking at the three. Team Rocket spun around, startled that Delia was standing right in back of them.
"Uh, yes, actually, we were looking for your son and his Pikachu, by any chance is he home?" Jesse asked.
"Oh no, my son Ash and his friend Misty left early this morning for the Orange Islands." Delia replied.
"The Orange Islands?!" Team Rocket said in unison.
"But didn't they just come home from the Orange Islands? Why in the world would they be going back?" James asked.
"They had to attend a funeral, that's where Brock was just headed for now..." Delia began. "Hey, haven't I seen you before?" She asked, looking suspiciously at the trio's uniforms.
"Yes, we were actually the report-" James started.
"Haha! Thank you very much!" Jesse interrupted quickly pulling James away behind a bush. Delia shook her head in confusion, before slowly closing the front door.
"You almost ruined us!" Jesse hissed at James.
"Hey youse guys!" Meowth started. "Dis could be da purrr-fect time ta capture Pikachu! Just tink, we can let dat older loser lead us right to the other twerps! Dey'll be so wrapped up in da funeral that dey won't even notice we swiped Pikachu!"
"That's a brilliant idea Meowth!" Jesse gushed.
"Yes, but it seems kind of insensitive to think about stealing pokemon at a funeral." James added with a sigh. Jesse and Meowth looked at him strangely.
"Youse betta not be goin soft on us Jimmy-boy…" Meowth said.
"Oh no of course not, Meowth!" James replied.
"Team Rocket fights for what's wrong, in any circumstance!" Jesse shouted making a pose.
"Well If we are going to do this, we better hurry up!" James said. "That twerp is already way ahead of us!"
"Then there's no time to waste!" Jesse said quickly grabbing James' hand. "Let's go!"
"Wait! Wait for us!" Ash shouted, running as hard through the rain as he possibly could. Misty was right behind him, desperately trying to catch up.
"Ash, I think we can make it!" Misty shouted to him, tightly hugging Togepi by her chest. Somehow, Ash and Misty made it to the small boat, just before it began to sail. "Kumquat Island?" A gruff looking man asked. Misty looked up at him and asked in her sweetest voice,
"Do you think you can get us a little closer to Tangelo Island? That's where we're headed you see, and-"
"This aint no classy cruse ship, miss! Why don't you sit you're pretty little ass down and enjoy the ride like the rest of the people." The man rudely interrupted. Misty opened her mouth to yell back at him, but Ash grabbed her arm, and pleaded with her not to cause any trouble.
"At least we're getting somewhere…" he reasoned. Misty yanked her arm away from Ash, and reluctantly sat down besides him. By the time they reached Kumquat Island, it was late at night, and Ash had fallen asleep sitting up.
"Come on Ash, we're here, thank God. Let's go!" She said shaking his shoulder.
"What? Oh, yea." Ash mumbled slowly climbing out of the boat. He dug into his pockets and pulled out a couple of dollars to give to the ungrateful man. "Riding on Laparas was much more comfortable." He muttered. Suddenly Misty perked up.
"Hey Ash! This was the island where we stayed in that fancy hotel for free because we were trainers, remember?" Ash looked up at Misty, slightly smiling.
"Yea, I remember…do you think they'll let us stay there again?" he asked hopefully.
"Of course! We're still trainers, aren't we?" Misty replied, getting excited just thinking of a warm hotel bed. Ash followed the energetic Misty to a nearby hotel. The two were checked in without a problem, and were immediately sent to a room. Ash fumbled with the alarm clock.
"We'll still have to get up early if we want to make the funeral." He said, beginning to bang it on the headboard. "But I can't get this stupid thing to work!" Ash said, starting to sound upset.
"How can I figure our way back through the Orange Islands, if I can't even set a clock!" Misty looked down at her hands.
"We are totally lost with out him! Face it Misty, we just can't do this without Brock!" Ash glanced at Misty, who's face had fallen at the mere mention of his name. There was a long period of silence.
"I…I do miss him…" Misty suddenly said quietly. Ash was shocked.
"What?!" He cried, a tiny glimmer of hope rising within him.
"But he would never forgive me…" Misty started, fighting with all her might to hold back fresh tears. Ash ran over to Misty's side.
"Yes, he would, Misty!" he cried staring into her watering eyes. "Brock is the most understanding person in the world, and I know he would!" Ash grabbed Misty's wrist. "The hotel must have a video phone somewhere…we can call my house, and you can talk to him! Please Misty!" Ash cried beginning to pull on her arm.
"He's probably not even there, I…I told him to go…forget it Ash, get off me!" Misty yelled as she jerked her arm away.
"All you care about is yourself!" Ash shouted back. "Did you ever once think how I feel about this whole thing?! You two are both my best friends, and I can't stand your fighting! I may never see Brock again thanks to you, Misty! The only reason I came with you is because I had to go to Tracey's funneral…another friend I've lost…and Brock wasn't! You can't expect me to choose, Misty!" Ash looked away, muffling a sob. "Haven't you learned anything from me and Pikachu?! My whole journey?! It's all about friendship, Misty, and I don't know about you, but that is the most important thing in the world to me." Misty rolled her eyes at Ash's speech.
"More important than pokemon Ash? Are you sure friendship is what your journey's about?" Ash paused for a moment.
"Pokemon may be a big part of my life, but that still doesn't mean my friends aren't either…" Misty looked up at Ash, who kept a stern face. "Call him Misty, please…" Ash begged, his face softening. Misty wiped her eyes.
"I guess…he could also tell us the fastest way to Tangelo Island…" She smiled. "Yessssss!!!!" shouted Ash, jumping into the air. "Come on let's go!" Ash ran full speed out of the room.
"Hey Ash wait up!" Misty called, feeling a little nervous. "Would you keep an eye on Togepi, Pikachu?" she said placing the baby pokemon on the bed. Pikachu gave an energetic "Pikachu!!" as it said it would. "Thanks Pikachu, you're a real pika-pal!" Misty yelled dashing off after Ash. In the lobby, Ash ran to the nearest videophone and quickly picked it up. He dialed his number extremely fast and handed it over to Misty as soon as she caught up with him.
"But Ash, what do I say?!" Misty asked as she listened to the rings. Ash gave her the thumbs up sign. Suddenly Delia appeared on the screen. "Uh, hi Mrs. Ketchum…" Misty smiled.
"Oh hello, Misty dear, how are you?" Delia replied happy to hear from her. "How's Ash?" "We're both fine." Misty said.
"Well I hope so, up here in Pallet town we've been getting quite a bit of rain! How's the weather in the Orange Islands?" Delia asked, concern starting to enter in her voice. "Um, there's just a small storm, that's all…" Misty replied, beginning to sweat drop. "What?! Ash and Misty you listen to me right now! I don't want you near the ocean, until this thing blows over, even if it means missing Tracey's funeral, to you understand me?!" Delia said sternly looking at Ash in the background.
"Don't worry Mom, we'll be careful!" Ash called back to her.
"We've had enough accidents already…" Delia said softly.
"Uh, Mrs. Ketchum, do you think I could….talk to Brock?" Misty asked slowly. Ash's face began to light up.
"That's it Misty, you'll do fine!" he quietly cheered. Delia frowned.
"Oh, Misty, I'm afraid you can't talk to Brock, he left an hour ago…"Suddenly the screen went blank, and the lights blew out. A voice was heard coming from the front desk. "Everyone please stay calm, we are experiencing a temporary black out, the power will return shortly." In the dim light of the moon, Ash saw Misty slowly drop the phone, and fall to her knees.
"He left…he's really gone…I didn't mean to…" a small tear rolled down her face. Ash lowered his head, he knew his attempt at getting his friends back together was too good to be true.
By: Adrienne and Christine (Salt*N*Pepper)
Summery: Last time, Misty and Brock got into a serious fight, and have parted ways. Ash and Misty are now having trouble finding their way to Tangelo Island, while back in Pallet town, Brock has problems of his own as he makes a drastic decision. Meanwhile, Team Rocket make plans to capture Pikachu, and decide to travel with someone...
Not one word was spoken between Ash and Misty as they boarded the ferry. It sailed serenely on for hours, and still silence was between them. Misty quietly walked over to the edge and looked out onto the water. She closed her eyes and felt the sea breezes blow through her hair. Ever since she was a little girl, the ocean had always made her feel better, and because she loved it so much she had decided to dedicate her life to water pokemon. But nothing could get rid of the pain she felt inside today. "Uh, Misty?" Ash asked softly, looking at her. Misty glanced over at Ash, a small smile on her face.
"Yea?" she asked.
"We've been sailing for a while, and I think we're near the spot where I let Lapras go…" he said, smiling back at her.
"Well the closer we are to the Orange Islands, the warmer it gets and the weather defiantly has been getting warmer, so we probably are." Misty looked back at Ash, who suddenly covered his face with his hands..
"I just can't believe…" He started. "Me you and Tracey were riding on him, just two days ago! And now he's…" Ash lowered his hat over his eyes. Misty shifted her weight uncomfortably, unsure of what to do as Ash sobbed before her.
"Ash, sometimes you have to let friends go, as much as it hurts inside, you just have to…" Ash wiped his eyes.
"Well I still think it's unfair..." He sniffed. Misty sighed.
"Nothing's fair, Ash, haven't you learned that already?" Ash held Pikachu in his arms and softly stroked its yellow fur. "Think of it this way Ash…" she began. "At least you didn't loose two friends today."
Brock slowly opened his eyes. He didn't know how long he had been sleeping, but judging from the sun shining through Ash's window, it seemed to be late afternoon. He sat up, running his fingers through his thick spiky hair. Brock glanced above Ash's dresser, looking into a mirror. His eyes were swollen and red, and his skin seemed pale. He groaned at his appearance. Brock carefully began to get up, swaying unsteadily. He felt a sharp hunger pain in his stomach and desperately searched his backpack for something to eat. Brock let out a frustrated sigh, not a morsel of food could be found. He slowly made his way to Ash's door, and stumbled down the stairs. Delia was on the phone, while Mr. Mime was doing dishes.
"She doesn't know I'm here…" Brock thought to himself. "Mrs. Ketchem?" Delia dropped the phone, and spun around.
"Brock! What are you doing here?" she asked, her eyes wide. "I thought you went with Ash and Misty!"
"I-I…couldn't go…" He said, feeling choked up. Delia softly touched his chin and moved his head to the side.
" What…happened?" she asked quietly, noticing the small red blotch on Brock's cheek. "Misty and I -we got into a fight, she, she…" Brock began to feel hot tears pouring from his eyes. Delia hung up the phone and led Brock to the living room couch.
"Let me look at that." She said. Brock flinched as she gently touched his sore face. "Mrs. Ketchem!" Brock suddenly said jerking away from her. "I'm fine, really…" Delia shook her head.
"Brock dear, you're obviously not…"
"I just-I just need to be alone." He said turning away from her. Delia opened her mouth to protest, but just sadly watched Brock trudge back up the stairs.
"Oh Mimey," she said, to her Mr. Mime. "I knew I heard something going on this morning…"
"New Barktown? James, are you sure this is the first town the twerps are going to?" Jesse asked, looking at the wooden sign.
"Well this is the first stop in the Johto league, and that's where they were going, remember we heard them last night?" James replied, looking up from the map. Jesse remembered the horrible reporter plan they did to try and capture Pikachu.
"Oh, that's right, our plan would of worked if it wasn't for that stupid kid Tracey and his Syther and Marril! They're always in the way!" Meowth yawned.
"Maybe day got lost Jess."
"Well I did happen to see them leave the house quite early…" James began. "But they couldn't be lost, because there's only one main road leading to Johto!" He began to laugh. "How stupid can that Twerp be, if he can't even follow one straight road east of his own house?!" A vein popped out of Jesse's forehead.
"You Idiot! The Johto League is in the WEST!" she screamed.
"Ya mean ta tell me we've been waiting out hea for dis long and dere not even comin?!" Meowth yelled.
"But Jesse!" James whimpered. " Why would they go in a different direction when we heard them say they were coming here!"
"Maybe YOU just didn't hear right!" Jesse shouted, grabbing on to James' shirt. Suddenly a shiny, sparkling blue animal flew out of the bushes besides them, and landed on a stone in the middle of a large pond. It raised its majestic head to look at them with its narrow glowing red eyes. Jesse released James shirt and threw her arms around him, as he grabbed onto her waist in fear.
"Hey youse guys…" Meowth said in a shaky voice. "What is dat thing!?" But before Jesse could answer him with an
"I don't know!!!!" The strange creature leaped up of the stone and disappeared into the trees leaving a trail of glittering sparkles to gently fall on top of the three villains. Jesse, James and Meowth looked at each other.
"I don't think we're ready for Johto just yet…" Jesse whispered still clinging tightly onto James.
"Me neither…" he frantically whispered back.
"Let's get outta hea!!!!!" Meowth screamed. And with that, Team Rocket ran away at full speed back to Pallet town.
"Misty, do you have the map?" Ash asked, as they walked through Hamilin Island.
"Ash! I gave it to you as soon as we got off the ferry! Don't tell me you lost it already!" Misty replied angrily. Ash searched his pockets frantically, until he finally found the crumpled up map.
"Sorry" He mumbled.
"Look.." Misty said pointing to the map. "We can pass through Pummelo, Kumquat, and possibly the Trovita Islands on land, but it's going to be impossible to cut across the ocean to those other islands we went to without Lapras." She said with a frown. "Those other islands were all deserted, so why would we have to go to them anyway?" Ash asked impatiently.
"I don't know!" Misty snapped back. "I'm just trying to retrace our steps! I don't know why we didn't take the stupid blimp like we did before in the first place! We probably would have been there by now!"
"Well I'm sorry there was ferry tickets instead of blimp tickets in Tracey's bag!" Ash replied angrily." We probably would have been there already if Brock was here to help us!" Suddenly he remembered what transpired this morning between her and Brock. Misty's eyes welled up with tears. "I'm sorry." He quickly muttered seeing how much he had upset her.
"No, no don't be Ash." She replied, quickly wiping her eyes. He looked down at his feet. "We can do this Misty, it's going to be hard, but we can do it." Ash said quietly. Misty's expression brightened as he smiled at her, and she returned to the map.
"Then if we can just find a boat, or something we can make it pass through the seven Grapefruit Islands and be on Tangelo Island before the funeral!"
"Do you really think we'll find one?!" Ash asked hopefully.
"I dunno, but we have to hurry!" She replied, quickly shoving the map into her red shoulder bag.
Delia stood outside Ash's room, listening to Brock's pacing back and forth. "Brock, hunny, I want to make my special honey roasted chicken tonight…" she said softly knocking on the door. "Would you mind helping me cook?" Brock was silent. "I'll even make some donuts for desert!" Delia added hopefully. There was still silence inside the room. "Brock please…" she begged. "You need to eat something, you haven't had a crumb all day! You must be starving!" Brock finally opened the door. Delia smiled.
"I'll help you Mrs. Ketchum." He said weakly smiling back at her. During the course of the delicious meal, Brock said nothing. Delia watched him, a look of concern on her face. He just seemed to stare sadly at his plate and push the food around with his fork. Suddenly he stood up, loudly making the chair scratch on the floor.
"What have I done!?" He shouted. "How could I have said those things to her?!" Delia eyes widened.
"Brock! " she said sternly.
"But Mrs. Ketchum, don't you see? Misty wouldn't have said those things this morning if she didn't mean it…and the way she looked at me…" Brock put his head in his hands. "What the hell did I do…?" He suddenly whispered. "What if something happens to her, like Tracey? I'll never… forgive myself!"
"Brock, dear, Misty was just upset about Tracey, and she probably took her anger out on you. I'm sure she didn't mean it sweetie, But sometimes people just can't…control they're emotions."
"I have to see her, tell her I'm sorry…" Brock said in a trance-like voice "Before it's too late!"
"Now just a minute Brock, you aren't thinking of going to the Orange Islands?!" Delia said, shocked.
"I have to, Mrs. Ketchum! I'm not going to let someone I care about just…walk out of my life! And Ash too! They need me, Mrs. Ketchum, and I need…her." Delia frowned. "Brock, I'm not letting you out of this house by yourself! Defiantly not after what happened to Tracey!" Brock fell to his knees.
"Mrs. Ketchum, please…I care so much for Misty, not one day goes by where I don't think about her…her smile, her laugh. In all the girls I've met, I've never once felt this way about any of them… I know she doesn't understand, but if something happens to her, and she doesn't know about…about how I feel….I'll never be able to forgive myself." Delia looked into Brock's pleading eyes, and finally began to understand.
"Make sure my Ash is okay too, Brock." She said quietly.
" I will." He replied, zipping up his green vest. Brock grabbed his backpack and quickly swung it over his shoulder. Delia watched Brock from the kitchen, wondering if she had made a mistake. Brock held Delia's hands in his own. "Thank-you…" He said.
"Just promise me you'll be all right…" Delia started "Or I'll never forgive myself!" Brock looked over his shoulder and smiled at her, before running off into the night.
"Ow!" he cried as he slammed into something.
"Hey, that hurt!" Brock heard a familiar voice yell. He opened his eyes and was face to face with James of Team Rocket, rubbing his head.
"Team Rocket!" Brock shouted, immediately standing up. Jesse turned to James.
"You mean they were at the house all along!?" she asked, becoming very annoyed.
"No Jess, I only saw the two younger twerps leave, he must have stayed here!" James replied.
"Well then prepare for trouble…" Jesse began.
"Yes, kid and make it double!" James replied.
"I don't have time for your stupid motto now!" Brock shouted. With huge force, Brock shoved Jesse and James and Meowth out of the way, and continued running.
"What's dat twerp's problem? Meowth asked.
"I don't know, but he certainly is in a hurry." Jesse replied.
"Can I help you?" Delia asked, looking at the three. Team Rocket spun around, startled that Delia was standing right in back of them.
"Uh, yes, actually, we were looking for your son and his Pikachu, by any chance is he home?" Jesse asked.
"Oh no, my son Ash and his friend Misty left early this morning for the Orange Islands." Delia replied.
"The Orange Islands?!" Team Rocket said in unison.
"But didn't they just come home from the Orange Islands? Why in the world would they be going back?" James asked.
"They had to attend a funeral, that's where Brock was just headed for now..." Delia began. "Hey, haven't I seen you before?" She asked, looking suspiciously at the trio's uniforms.
"Yes, we were actually the report-" James started.
"Haha! Thank you very much!" Jesse interrupted quickly pulling James away behind a bush. Delia shook her head in confusion, before slowly closing the front door.
"You almost ruined us!" Jesse hissed at James.
"Hey youse guys!" Meowth started. "Dis could be da purrr-fect time ta capture Pikachu! Just tink, we can let dat older loser lead us right to the other twerps! Dey'll be so wrapped up in da funeral that dey won't even notice we swiped Pikachu!"
"That's a brilliant idea Meowth!" Jesse gushed.
"Yes, but it seems kind of insensitive to think about stealing pokemon at a funeral." James added with a sigh. Jesse and Meowth looked at him strangely.
"Youse betta not be goin soft on us Jimmy-boy…" Meowth said.
"Oh no of course not, Meowth!" James replied.
"Team Rocket fights for what's wrong, in any circumstance!" Jesse shouted making a pose.
"Well If we are going to do this, we better hurry up!" James said. "That twerp is already way ahead of us!"
"Then there's no time to waste!" Jesse said quickly grabbing James' hand. "Let's go!"
"Wait! Wait for us!" Ash shouted, running as hard through the rain as he possibly could. Misty was right behind him, desperately trying to catch up.
"Ash, I think we can make it!" Misty shouted to him, tightly hugging Togepi by her chest. Somehow, Ash and Misty made it to the small boat, just before it began to sail. "Kumquat Island?" A gruff looking man asked. Misty looked up at him and asked in her sweetest voice,
"Do you think you can get us a little closer to Tangelo Island? That's where we're headed you see, and-"
"This aint no classy cruse ship, miss! Why don't you sit you're pretty little ass down and enjoy the ride like the rest of the people." The man rudely interrupted. Misty opened her mouth to yell back at him, but Ash grabbed her arm, and pleaded with her not to cause any trouble.
"At least we're getting somewhere…" he reasoned. Misty yanked her arm away from Ash, and reluctantly sat down besides him. By the time they reached Kumquat Island, it was late at night, and Ash had fallen asleep sitting up.
"Come on Ash, we're here, thank God. Let's go!" She said shaking his shoulder.
"What? Oh, yea." Ash mumbled slowly climbing out of the boat. He dug into his pockets and pulled out a couple of dollars to give to the ungrateful man. "Riding on Laparas was much more comfortable." He muttered. Suddenly Misty perked up.
"Hey Ash! This was the island where we stayed in that fancy hotel for free because we were trainers, remember?" Ash looked up at Misty, slightly smiling.
"Yea, I remember…do you think they'll let us stay there again?" he asked hopefully.
"Of course! We're still trainers, aren't we?" Misty replied, getting excited just thinking of a warm hotel bed. Ash followed the energetic Misty to a nearby hotel. The two were checked in without a problem, and were immediately sent to a room. Ash fumbled with the alarm clock.
"We'll still have to get up early if we want to make the funeral." He said, beginning to bang it on the headboard. "But I can't get this stupid thing to work!" Ash said, starting to sound upset.
"How can I figure our way back through the Orange Islands, if I can't even set a clock!" Misty looked down at her hands.
"We are totally lost with out him! Face it Misty, we just can't do this without Brock!" Ash glanced at Misty, who's face had fallen at the mere mention of his name. There was a long period of silence.
"I…I do miss him…" Misty suddenly said quietly. Ash was shocked.
"What?!" He cried, a tiny glimmer of hope rising within him.
"But he would never forgive me…" Misty started, fighting with all her might to hold back fresh tears. Ash ran over to Misty's side.
"Yes, he would, Misty!" he cried staring into her watering eyes. "Brock is the most understanding person in the world, and I know he would!" Ash grabbed Misty's wrist. "The hotel must have a video phone somewhere…we can call my house, and you can talk to him! Please Misty!" Ash cried beginning to pull on her arm.
"He's probably not even there, I…I told him to go…forget it Ash, get off me!" Misty yelled as she jerked her arm away.
"All you care about is yourself!" Ash shouted back. "Did you ever once think how I feel about this whole thing?! You two are both my best friends, and I can't stand your fighting! I may never see Brock again thanks to you, Misty! The only reason I came with you is because I had to go to Tracey's funneral…another friend I've lost…and Brock wasn't! You can't expect me to choose, Misty!" Ash looked away, muffling a sob. "Haven't you learned anything from me and Pikachu?! My whole journey?! It's all about friendship, Misty, and I don't know about you, but that is the most important thing in the world to me." Misty rolled her eyes at Ash's speech.
"More important than pokemon Ash? Are you sure friendship is what your journey's about?" Ash paused for a moment.
"Pokemon may be a big part of my life, but that still doesn't mean my friends aren't either…" Misty looked up at Ash, who kept a stern face. "Call him Misty, please…" Ash begged, his face softening. Misty wiped her eyes.
"I guess…he could also tell us the fastest way to Tangelo Island…" She smiled. "Yessssss!!!!" shouted Ash, jumping into the air. "Come on let's go!" Ash ran full speed out of the room.
"Hey Ash wait up!" Misty called, feeling a little nervous. "Would you keep an eye on Togepi, Pikachu?" she said placing the baby pokemon on the bed. Pikachu gave an energetic "Pikachu!!" as it said it would. "Thanks Pikachu, you're a real pika-pal!" Misty yelled dashing off after Ash. In the lobby, Ash ran to the nearest videophone and quickly picked it up. He dialed his number extremely fast and handed it over to Misty as soon as she caught up with him.
"But Ash, what do I say?!" Misty asked as she listened to the rings. Ash gave her the thumbs up sign. Suddenly Delia appeared on the screen. "Uh, hi Mrs. Ketchum…" Misty smiled.
"Oh hello, Misty dear, how are you?" Delia replied happy to hear from her. "How's Ash?" "We're both fine." Misty said.
"Well I hope so, up here in Pallet town we've been getting quite a bit of rain! How's the weather in the Orange Islands?" Delia asked, concern starting to enter in her voice. "Um, there's just a small storm, that's all…" Misty replied, beginning to sweat drop. "What?! Ash and Misty you listen to me right now! I don't want you near the ocean, until this thing blows over, even if it means missing Tracey's funeral, to you understand me?!" Delia said sternly looking at Ash in the background.
"Don't worry Mom, we'll be careful!" Ash called back to her.
"We've had enough accidents already…" Delia said softly.
"Uh, Mrs. Ketchum, do you think I could….talk to Brock?" Misty asked slowly. Ash's face began to light up.
"That's it Misty, you'll do fine!" he quietly cheered. Delia frowned.
"Oh, Misty, I'm afraid you can't talk to Brock, he left an hour ago…"Suddenly the screen went blank, and the lights blew out. A voice was heard coming from the front desk. "Everyone please stay calm, we are experiencing a temporary black out, the power will return shortly." In the dim light of the moon, Ash saw Misty slowly drop the phone, and fall to her knees.
"He left…he's really gone…I didn't mean to…" a small tear rolled down her face. Ash lowered his head, he knew his attempt at getting his friends back together was too good to be true.