Disclaimer: I do not own pokémon! They are copyrighted to Nintendo, Creatures Inc., Game Freak, WB for Kids, and whoever else I left out, please accept my apologies. I am just writing for fun not for profit like everyone else so don't sue me! Lupusa is mine and so is the plot for this fic.
Author's note: Words in 's and 's are pokémon speech translated. Words in *'s are thoughts, pokémon or human. *****'s in a row mean that I'm changing the point of view.
Friends to the End
By Ark9
Chapter Three
Prologue
As you know, Ash is still going around and getting more badges and Brock and Misty are at their gyms. However, as this starts, Ash has finally gotten the address of the Cerulean Gym and has decided to at least be pen pals with his long-time friend. Brock is, uh, still hanging around Pewter City but the pokémon center is having trouble so pokémon can't deliver mail there at the moment. Yeah, that's right…
Anyway! It is six years later so Ash, Richy, and Gary are 18. Misty is 19. Lupusa is 20. Brock is 21. The Joys and Jennys are about 22, though we don't really know their ages. We don't really know Mandy's, Tad's or Jennifer's age either so they are also 21, like Brock. Jesse and James are 22.
Letters
Dear Misty,
Sorry I haven't written back for so long. I was training my pokémon on Palm Islands. They don't have a pokémon center there or a gym but it was good to get in the training.
Now I'm on another Island right next to it. It does have a pokémon center, a pokémart, and a gym. Tomorrow, I am going to try for the Coco Badge, if my pokémon are healed in time.
Pikachu and the others have come a long way since you have seen them. Bulbasaur still doesn't want to evolve, nor does Pikachu. Squirtle saw a big blastoise the other day and decided that it was ready to evolve. Now it's a wartortle, but I think that it will evolve again soon because it already is at a high enough level to be a blastoise.
How is Kingler? Have you heard from Brock?
Your pal,
Ash
Dear Ash,
Brock is back in Pewter City. He said he's got himself a girlfriend there. If it's a Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny then I'm going to go crazy!
Kingler's doing great! It loves being able to be around water so much. My magikarp still has not evolved. That's okay, though.
My sisters are driving me crazy! I'm stuck with all of the paperwork because they are too worried about getting a papercut or breaking a nail.
Recently, they found another group of triplets. They are boys, though, and they are even worse then my sisters. They won't leave me alone! Unfortunately, there isn't a whole low that I can do about it because they are older and bigger than I am. I've just been hiding out in this office. That seems to be working out fine so far but they want me to do that stupid underwater show again!
Your friend,
Misty
Dear Misty,
That's terrible! It sounds like you need a vacation bad. Anyway, the Pokémon League competition is coming up. Why don't you come to it with me? Actually, if you don't, then I will come and carry you there myself!
In the meantime, I caught something for you that I think you might like. It is a tough battler, though, and if it thinks that you look like food as much as it thought that I did, then I would advise keeping it inside its pokéball.
You can pick it up at the pokémon center there. I got it transported so it probably arrived a few days before this letter did. I hope it likes you! If it does then you should have a good weapon to keep everyone away!
Your Friend,
Ash
Dear Ash,
THANK YOU!!! Gyridos is great! I don't see what's wrong with it, though. It seems to like the water but it is still getting used to being around people. It was almost as stubborn as Pikachu about being in a pokéball. It doesn't having any problem with them now, but I think that is because it wants to get away from those idiots voltorbs that are always threatening to blow up everything.
I tried to get my sisters to let me go but they can't do the paper work because they don't know how. Plus, if they were left to run it like before, then they would just run their water shows and forget about battles. Then getting a badge from the Cerulean gym would be a joke. I can't let that happen, can I? I guess if they want to waste their reputation, they can but I can't go. Good luck, in the Pokémon League, anyway!
Your friend,
Misty
The decision
"Your pokémon are healed!" Nurse Joy called.
"Alright!" Ash exclaimed, "I'm glad your back, Pikachu!"
"Pika!" Me too!
"You have a letter, Ash," Nurse Joy said.
"Thanks!" Ash exclaimed happily. "I choose everybody!" he yelled, releasing all of his current team of pokémon out of their pokéballs. "Are you all ready for the pokémon league?"
All of Ash's pokémon chorused back yelling their name in an excited and threatening tone.
"Good" Ash said. "First you all can have a break and play outside before we go! Race ya!" Ash sprinted out of the door and was soon followed by all of his pokémon, besides Snorlax, who couldn't fit through the door and had to be recalled. (Sweat-drop) "Maybe I should take someone else instead.*
All of the rest of his pokémon ran around outside, fresh from their treatment. Pikachu soon ran over to Ash and hopped on his shoulder.
"Pikachu!" Misty finally wrote back!
"Yeah." Ash opened the letter and read it. (It's the last one from the previous part)
"Pi?! (What?!)"
"Well, Pikachu. It looks like we are going to be making a quick stop on our way to the pokémon league!" He smiled at his favorite pokémon.
"Pika!" (Yep!)
*************
Misty sat up in her office, thinking to herself. *I hope I made the right choice.* She looked through the letters from Ash. *I wonder what he'll do if he sees that I can't come…or if he still is worried about hurting one of us. He hasn't mentioned anything about it but you never know…*
*************
"Okay!" Ash yelled. He was back inside the pokémon center and all of his pokémon besides Pikachu were now napping inside their pokéballs. He held up the pokéball that he had just received. "We've got Tauros, now let's go get Misty!"
"Pika!" (Yeah)
"Charizard, I choose you!" Ash called out as he again released Charizard, who looked like he was still trying to take a nap. "Charizard, I need you to take us to Misty and then to the pokémon league. Are you up to it?"
"BAZORRRR!!!" It turned around and crouched on all fours so that Ash could get on.
"Thanks!" He and Pikachu jumped on his back. Ash hung on to Charizard's neck to stay on and Pikachu tightened his grip on Ash's collar as they took off. Soon they were sailing over Fushia City and he could see the blue glow of Saffron in the distance.
Comin' to the Rescue!
Daisy was checking the chemicals in the pool when someone walked in the gym door and down the passageway. She waited until they entered the water arena to ask them what they were doing here.
But the person who came in looked vaguely familiar. He was tall and had on worn jeans—probably from pokémon training—and a dark green T-shirt. His pokémon league hat covered most of his messy black hair. The bright green backpack had an extra pouch at the bottom that was obviously made for badges and whatever identification the trainer owned.
"Are you here for a gym match?" Daisy asked warily.
"No." He answered looking around. She sighed a sigh of relief when he said that because she wouldn't have to go through the misery of losing again. But her chain of thought was broken when he spoke again. "Where is Misty?"
Now she found a new reason to be nervous. "She's upstairs in her office. It's the first one on the right. I wouldn't want to go up there myself and if you are here because of some business work, be sure and cover your ears before she yells your head off." She smirked when she said the last comment. "Of course, that's only if you get past the barricade that she's locked herself in."
*That sounds like the old Misty.* Ash thought. He was still slightly taken back by the fact that she wasn't only hiding in the office, but she had actually locked herself in. He decided to let Charizard come out and help out. Charizard carried him and Pikachu up the stairs and over a chain fence before finding every one of Misty's pokémon standing in front of them, obviously guarding her office from all other people.
"Pika! Pikachu!" We're friends! Let us see Misty!
Horsea, Goldeen, and all of the pokémon that used to travel with Ash and Misty, including Psyduck, got out of the way. That still left Gyridos.
"Gyrrrrrr DOOOOOOS!!!! (Misty COME HERE!!!)
Ash was surprised a little bit by its reaction. He half-expected it to lunge forward and attack him without warning, but here it was waiting until Misty came. He was glad about that, but what if Misty decided just to let this one get what they deserved. He didn't know if he deserved to get eaten by a Gyridos or not, so he yelled, "Misty! It's me, Ash! Come quick before this thing decides I'm on its lunch menu!"
Suddenly, Misty popped out from behind the door. "Gyridos, return!"
Ash looked at the girl who now held Gyridos's pokéball. *Could that really be Misty?* he wondered to himself. She was a little bit taller, though, he noticed that he was taller than her by a few inches now. She had gotten rid of her ponytail that used to sprout out of the side of her head, and her hair now reached the middle of her back. She wore a pale blue spaghetti strap shirt and blue jeans. He had always thought that she looked pretty when she wore her hair down but he never imagined that their "scrawny runt" would turn out like this. Then he realized that he was staring and he looked away before she realized, and talked to Pikachu about what to do next.
*************A little earlier*************
*I hate these papers!* Misty thought to herself as she leafed through everything on her desk. Just then, the gym door opened. A little bit later, she could hear her sister talking to someone. It was obviously a boy, judging by their voice, probably her boyfriend. But she wasn't getting all giddy like she did around her boyfriend, and they just asked about her! *Why would they want me? It couldn't be Ash because he should be heading up to the pokémon league. Actually, his mom had called yesterday saying that he was heading out sometime today and asked if I wanted to come to watch…that means that it is probably some bill that we owe. I better get our bank statements out before they get there. My pokémon should surprise them. Wait a minute! Why aren't they attacking?*
"Gyrrrrrr DOOOOOOS!!!"
"Misty! It's me Ash! Come quick before this thing decides that I'm on its lunch menu!"
Hurriedly, I opened the door to recall Gyridos. I held out its pokéball and yelled, "Gyridos return!" Then, I looked at him. Ash. He was talking quietly to Pikachu and all of my pokémon aren't sure whom to greet first: their trainer or the trainer whom they hadn't seen for years. I recalled them because I didn't want them to hear the conversation, even though I know that they can hear just as well from inside their pokéballs. *Ash looked about the same: messy black hair, pokémon league hat, jeans and a T-shirt. The only different was that the T-shirt was dark green instead of black and he had gotten rid of his old jacket. (I bet he only wore it in the first place because of his mom worrying about him being cold camping outside.) He also added something to his backpack to make up for it, since he had always used it for his badges and to keep his pokédex in an easy-to-get-to spot. I wonder what he's doing here.*
"Ash, you know that I can't go. Why did you come here?" Misty ventured.
Ash took a few steps closer. "Because I thought maybe I could convince you to change your mind."
"No way, Ash Ketchum. It's not gonna happen."
"We'll see," he said. He was standing only a foot away now. He looked down into her eyes and asked, "Why can't you come?"
I was surprised. This was Ash, here. I thought that he would march in and demand me to come and that was it. I didn't honestly think that he would try to negotiate at all. Then again, he probably would only accept one answer: yes.
"Because I have to be here and work."
"Why can't you take a break for a week or so?"
Now Misty stumbled to answer that one. "I…um…am behind already and need to catch up. It wouldn't help the gym any if the water company decided to stop letting us have any water, would it?"
At this Ash smirked. "Not one bit. But do you know what? They have to let you have water and if you seriously can't pay it then the pokémon league will help you out. Any more excuses?
"I can't go, Ash. I'm sorry."
"…and everyone thought I was stubborn…"
I frowned and then looked at the ceiling as if it held the magical answer to all of my troubles. Suddenly, I realized one more thing about Ash that I had overlooked: he never gave up.
I felt a feeling that I had never felt since I was little. It was a feeling of glee as dad had sneaked up on me and suddenly out of nowhere, I would be up in the air. In my excitement I grabbed him around his neck, half expecting to see my dad there, even though I hadn't seen him since I was six.
"If this is how we go, then this is how we go. Alright everybody, let's go!" Ash piped up. "I told you that you'd come."
"Ash!" I screamed. "Are you insane!"
*************
"Pika pikachu!" Nope, just in love!
"Pikachu!" I said in a commanding tone. I was just glad that Misty had been away from Pikachu long enough not to understand him. I held on to her tight as I made my way through the door. She was still trying very hard to break free. Did that make it wrong? Did she really not want to go? I wouldn't want to believe that. Had this happened under different circumstances, I would have been embarrassed, but at least I had a reasonable excuse.
"I thought you looked familiar!" Daisy said, appearing from downstairs. "Everyone attack with full force on the one who is hurting Misty!" All of her pokémon jumped forwards and prepared to let loose their hydro pumps.
"You know what to do, right Pikachu?"
"Pika" it nodded in agreement. Soon sparks were flying from its cheeks. "PiiikaaaCHUUUUUUU!!!" it yelled as it let loose enough electricity to faint all six of her pokémon and make her skin turn black for a second.
"I'll get you for this!" she shouted as she ran back downstairs to get her other two sisters.
Misty, meanwhile, wriggled down and stood up and ran under her desk. She curled into a ball so that I couldn't pick her up if I tried.
"Aww, come on Mist. Don't make me do this. I really don't want to hurt you."
This time, she was the one who smirked. "You better not try to hurt me. You'll get a nasty bout with Gyridos if you do."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Will Gyridos get its revenge?
What will Ash do?
Will you ever find out?
Only if you review!