Psyduck's Revenge

Written by DK rpgmaster@netzero.net



DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon, so don't sue me. 'Nuff said.



Covering his eyes, Ash Ketchum watched the sun sag beneath the trees. Removing his cap, he set
it on the soft ground next to him as a cool breeze caressed his unkempt, black hair. The sounds
of Misty unpacking her sleeping bag and the scent of Brock cooking dinner clambered up the steep
cliff to where the lone figure sat, thinking, reminiscing, dreaming.

Scenes of past adventures.

Mind drifting.

Good memories...

FLASH.

Ash's thoughts were interrupted by a soft rumble of distant thunder, and he looked up in alarm at
the rapidly clouding sky. Quickly, he turned to retrieve his hat and retreat to camp when his
cap suddenly came alive, motoring itself in the general direction of camp, but only succeeding in
bumping into Ash's leg. Ash laughed as he lifted the cap to eye level, watching the pair of
miniature yellow feet swim vainly through the air. Realizing it'd been caught, the small
electric mouse dropped down from its red-and-white shelter, grinning at the amused Ash.

"Well, Pikachu, we'd better get going. Looks like a storm's comin' up, and I think it's going to
be pretty big."

Pikachu's ears twitched at the statement, listened to the timpani roll of thunder, and gave a
light "Pika!" of agreement. It scampered off ahead of Ash as he made his way down the cliff, a
droplet of water exploding on the back of his neck as Misty yelled at him to hurry.

He smirked, and slowed down deliberately, angering the redhead further. Just to irritate her
even more, he slowed his pace to an easy stroll and stuffed his hands absentmindedly into his
pockets, whistling.

Misty's teeth clenched in fury and she let loose, screaming her head off at him, stamping her
foot in impatience. Brock watched the familiar scene unfold with a silent shake of his head, and
returned to his cooking.

"Ash Ketchum, you are going to get here in five seconds and help me pitch this tent, or you're
going to be pitched off the side of that cliff!"

When her calls went unheeded, she shook her head in disgust and muttered to herself, "Why do I
even bother?" She reached for another tent peg when something soft and yellow bumped her leg,
causing her to fall ungloriously on her bottom with a sickening squelch in the wet grass. At
first she suspected Pikachu, in a hurry to get into shelter, but she quickly realized it was none
other than that bumbling duck of hers, as usual, making a mess of things and helping nothing.

Angry and dripping, she shoved a foot in Psyduck's direction but that only caused her other foot
to slip on the slippery ground. Instinctively she turned in midair and her arms shot out to stop
her fall, but that only succeeded in splashing the mud into her face, her hair, her yellow top,
now painted a glorious brown.

The scene, the situation, the laughter hit Ash harder than a Snorlax's Body Slam. He staggered
around in the muck, tears of laughter streaming from his cheeks.

"Why you...Ash...you..." Misty was positively green now. With murder in her eyes, she got up
and rushed him, tackling the laughing maniac into the mud, wrestling, splashing.

Brock, who had been done with the food and was now heading towards camp, was suddenly struck by
the slight of the mud-wrestling match. Giving a startled cry, he shielded the steaming plates
from the flying mud.

"Cut it out, you two! Can't you see that I'm trying to--"

Ash broke free of Misty's death grip and ran, still laughing, away from her and towards Brock,
and through Misty's screaming he heard Brock's frightened yelling, and he turned around, too
late, with wide eyes, their dinner cradled in Brock's hands, way too late, crashing, more
screaming...

Two overly large eyes, too big for the medium sized yellow head, intently watched its master and
the two other trainers she traveled with hit the dirt. Psyduck had seen everything...

---=====---

"Honestly, guys, sometimes I just don't believe the fights you get into." Brock was shaking his
head vigorously, as if there was an incessant gnat continuously flitting around his face. In
this case, the gnat was the conflict between his two partners, which had to be stopped now before
it got out of hand. "Wait, too late for that," Brock thought sarcastically as he confronted the
two in an impromptu meeting.

Misty spoke first. Typical. "Ash started it! First he doesn't help me pitch up the tent, then
he laughs at me when I trip over Psyduck (stupid Pokemon...) and fall in the mud, and then--"

"So, it was funny!" Ash retorted. "You know you would've been laughing all the harder if it was
me who fell in the mud!"

"But it wasn't, was it?" Misty's voice was rising. "And it wasn't my fault, either, it was that
dumb Psyduck!"

"It didn't trip you on purpose!" Ash shot back angrily. "Although I could understand if it did,
you treat it like dirt!"

"Oh!" Misty let out a shocked gasp, she'd never heard Ash's honest thoughts on her treatment of
Psyduck. Deep down, she knew she'd been neglecting it ever since it joined her party, but she
certainly wasn't comfortable sharing her personal feelings with this jerk, so she lashed out,
hiding her feelings inside.

"You think you're so great just because you've caught a few Pokemon and won a few badges, Ash,
but you don't even have an inkling about me and my Pokemon!"

"Look, I'm not the Pokemon Master just yet, but I know when a Pokemon's being mistreated!"

"Who's mistreating their Pokemon?!"

"SHUT UP!!!" Brock had stepped between the two as the argument escalated and now stood there with
his arms stretched to either side, head facing the sky, as if about to be fitted to a cross. He
lowered his head slowly, while Ash and Misty shifted awkwardly from foot to foot in shame.

"I...I'm sorry, Brock," Misty said finally, breaking the silence. "I lost my temper, and..."

"Why are you apologizing to me?!" Brock retaliated, angrier than Misty had ever seen him.
"Apologize to Ash!"

Misty's sad face changed to one of disgust and belligerence. "I will not!" she stated adamantly,
crossing her arms and pouting.

Brock shook his head, amazed at the water trainer's stubborness. "Why am I even asking?" Brock
asked himself. "Even if she does say it, I know she won't mean it."

"Fine then, I'm not your father, I won't tell you what to do," Brock said aloud, obviously tired
of playing peacekeeper between Itchy and Scratchy. "Ash?"

"What?" Ash said dumbly, as if he didn't know what was going on around him.

"Don't give me that, Ash, we both know better. Are you going to apologize or not? Or should I
call up Jerry Springer and tell him you two'll be on his show?"

"Sure, I wouldn't mind," Ash shrugged absently. "Actually, I've always wanted to be on TV..."

"...and I've always wanted you two to resolve your difference and stop fighting!" Brock
interrupted, which wasn't normal for him at all. Usually, he was very patient and slow to anger,
and kept in his speech until the speaker was done talking. Obvious both he and Misty had really
ticked him off, and he was doing something about it.

"What's it gonna take, Ash? Misty?" He slowly looked at both of them; Ash averted his gaze to the
ground, Misty stared right back at him. "Is this all really about a bike? Or is it something
else? Maybe it's Psyduck?"

Ash opened his mouth to speak but Misty beat him to the punch. Her speech was very slow, even,
and deliberate, and she spoke to both Brock and Ash, but mainly to Ash. "Yes, as a matter of
fact, Brock, I could care less about this journey, and I wouldn't be happier to have my bike and
go back to my home in Cerulean."

Brock watched calmly, and Ash tried to do the same, but inside he was tearing apart.

"As for Psyduck, I'm sick of it, and frankly I don't know why I've put up with it for so
long..."

SMACK.

Misty didn't even see the back of Ash's hand coming before it hit her right on her left cheek.
She didn't feel too much pain, but by the way Brock snapped out of her view, she knew she'd been
slapped. By...Ash? Was it because of her speech? Or was it really Psyduck?

More out of shock than pain, tiny tears trickled down the sides of her face as she closed her
eyes, sobbing silently, softly kneeling on the ground.

Brock was just as stunned as she was. And for the first time in his life, excluding the moments
when he saw a hot girl, he was speechless.

Ash realized Brock's discomfort, and Misty's was crystal clear. He had no idea why he had done
such a thing, but that had been a long time coming. It was time Misty faced up with her duck
problems.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Misty..."

Her voice was quiet and hoarse. It stung his ears when she spoke.

"Ash...just...leave me alone."

The words had come out as slowly as a baby saying its first word, but they felt like bullets.
Ash, defeated, returned to the tent. Brock stood there silently, waiting for Misty to regain
her composure. Nothing was said for ten whole minutes as Misty let the water flow.

Finally, wiping her eyes a final time, she stood. Brock tried to help her up, but she slid out
of his grasp. Brock just stood there, aloof, having no prior experience how to deal with
teenage girls. Four or five-year-olds, maybe, but adolescent females? A completely different
game. Completely different.

"Brock...if you don't mind...I'd like to be by myself for a few minutes."

Brock nodded slowly. There was nothing he could do for her now, she had to figure that out by
herself. Well, he had to give Ash credit, he got straight to the point. Maybe now she'd treat
the duck Pokemon a little more civilly, that had always bothered him to the point of no end.
He punched himself inwardly for not saying anything before. Hey, who's the "big brother" around
here, the supposed aspiring breeder?!? He shook his head before disappearing into the tent. He
and Ash would have a long, man-to-man talk about the treatment of ladies.

---=====---

"...and I want both of you to talk this out. No sense in holding grudges against each other
since it's obvious the two of you'll be staying together for a long, long time.

"Whether you like it or not," Brock added when Ash tried to protest.

"But you heard what she said, Brock," Ash pointed out darkly. "She doesn't give a hoot about
this journey, or me, or her Psyduck, or anything. She's selfish, rude, obnoxious, annoying, and
basically, not needed on this trip."

"Ash," Brock said tiredly, "no one is needed on the this trip other than you."

"But you help me out alot, Brock," Ash protested. "You give me tips on battling, feeding, and
just Pokemon in general, you cook, you carry all our equipment, you stop us from fighting..."

"Which I'm sick of and refuse to do any longer," Brock said quietly. "Either you two will
resolve this today, or I leave. Your choice." With that, Brock exited the tent.

Ash listened to Brock's footsteps fade away, then sighed deeply. No escaping it this time. Time
to confront the selfish, rude, obnoxious, annoying, and basically, not-needed-on-this-trip
redhead girl named Misty. He opened the tent flap and was surprised to see Misty already waiting
for him, looking shyly at the ground and scuffing dirt with her foot.

She spoke softly, almost seductively, it seemed, without raising her head. "Um...Ash?"

Ash opened his mouth, but no words came out. His tongue was dry. "Yeah...Misty?"

She looked at him, and Ash wanted to tell her how ugly and scrawny she was, but instead what
came out was, "Your eyes are blue. I like them."

Misty gaped at him. Ash had never even so much as commented on her looks positively, and now
here he was, complimenting her eyes. Maybe something had happened? Or had he always felt this
way?

Ash was confused. For some reason his mouth wouldn't obey the commands his brain was sending it.
Now Misty would think he actually liked her! He grimaced, and Misty, saddened, turned away. But
when Ash really looked at her, he suddenly realized how beautiful she really was. Somehow, the
odd force controlling his body had triggered something. Something he'd felt all along, ever
since the beginning of their journey. He shook his head vigorously, tried to clear it. The
feeling wouldn't go away.

Misty regained her composure to find Ash furiously shaking his head. Her lip curled in disgust.
What was he trying to say? That he didn't really mean those seven magical words that had
mysteriously popped out of his mouth just a few seconds before? Well, she could understand that.
Ash was still a little kid in a teenager's body. And he would remain that way.

But suddenly an odd glow surrounded her body...and before she knew what she was doing, she was
stopping Ash's shaking head--she was holding HIS FACE between her hands--and before she could let
go, her face was moving toward his--her lips her parting slightly...

Ash's head-shaking was stopped abruptly when gentle but firm hands grasped his cheeks and steered
them up. He wondered if Brock had come out of his tent to help resolve, but he suddenly found
himself staring into those deep aqua eyes he had so admired moments ago. It was like looking
down a well--it just kept on going--but there, deep, deep down, he saw her true feeling for him.

It was love.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul.

Could it be true?

Or was it possible poisonous effects of the leftover sushi they had yesterday?

Only one way to find out...

Her face was moving towards his, her eyes were closed...he found his arms wrapping around her
slender body, drawing her close...his lips met hers...

---=====---

From his glorious throne that kept all members of the criminal organization Team Rocket under his
command, Giovanni watched the screen and chuckled. This was going even better than he thought it
would. Perhaps he'd underestimated the yellow duck. Nah. He never underestimated anyone.

"Well done, Psyduck," Giovanni boomed into a speakerphone installed in his large oaken desk.
"Judging by the way they're kissing, we'll have videos in every porno store in Kanto before you
know it."

Psyduck turned away from its two victims as it spoke gleefully into a hidden mike in its bill.

"Psyduck, duck duck, psy, duck psy," it reported cheerfully.

Giovanni turned sharply to the trembling feline sitting across from him in the dark room. "Well?
What did it say?"

"Uh..." Meowth stuttered, half-paralyzed in fear of this man who could take its life away with
a snap of his fingers. "The duck says it's enjoyin' dis just as much as you are, Boss," it said
nervously.

"Good. Now get out of here. I no longer have any use for you. Get your teammate Jessie in
here, pronto."

"Uh...r-right away, Boss," Meowth whispered, disappearing into the hallway. The small cat was
replaced by a tall, slim redhead dressed only in a bathrobe. Jessie swallowed hard as she stood
there shivering. Her bare toes curled upon the thick carpet.

"You...wanted to see me, sir?"

Giovanni, who had been watching something on the large screen behind his desk, now swiveled in
the chair to look upon her. A suggestive leer was on his face as he scoped her out. "Yes. I
wanted to discuss your contributions--or, rather, the lack of them--to me."

"Um, well sir," Jessie began, "we've been working very hard--"

"Very hard nothing!" Giovanni thundered. "You three blunderers haven't brought a single Pokémon
to me to date! I send you on a simple mission to steal an adolescent's Pokémon and you always
return to me with empty pockets and also empty wallets!"

Jessie could find no words to say, so she wisely kept her mouth shut.

Giovanni allowed himself time to cool down, then went on. "Alot of this Team's funds have been
wasted because of you," he stated slowly, standing up as he did so, and removing his expensive
red jacket. "So now YOU will be the one to pay the price."

Jessie gulped. She had been curious as to why Giovanni had personally requested she wear nothing
but a simple robe, and now she put two and two together. But the idea itself was, well,
preposterous.

"Um...how is that, sir?"

Giovanni smiled wickedly. "Take off the bathrobe, Jessie. We won't be needing that."

As the robe dropped to the ground, Giovanni grinned to himself. Psyduck's manipulation skills
had proved very useful indeed.



Author's Note: Okay, that was corniest, stupidest ending ever. But I just wanted to end this one
fast. ^_^() Thanks for reading!

(C) 2001 by DK. E-mail: rpgmaster@netzero.net. Feedback is welcome! (More likely flames...)