Disclaimer: The characters Ash, Misty, Brock and all of the Pokemon are copyrighted by GameFreak, Nintendo, and Pokemon Inc. I did not create them.
Chapter Three: The Blackthorn Mountain Trail
During the first part of their hike Ash and Michelle hiked through a thick and dense forest. The closer they came to the mountain the colder the air became. Michelle walked closer and closer to Ash little at a time. Her excuse was she was cold and it was warmer if they stayed close together. Once they got to the actual climbing Michelle took lead as Ash followed behind. The snow was pretty deep at the base of the mountain. It was so deep that it when Ash stepped into it the snow would come up a bit past his ankles. Michelle, being about the same height as Ash, (maybe an inch or two taller) had no trouble at all with the deepness because she had climbed up this mountain many times before so she had some experience in climbing. They hiked for about a mile until they finally reached the base of the slope.
"So what exactly are we looking for?" Ash asked as they stopped so Michelle could get out some supplies.
Michelle pulled out a long rope and started tying it around her waste. "I really don't know Ash. I never had known what I was looking for when I go up here. Maybe that why I never find anything." Michelle paused for a split second. "I guess I'm just hoping to find anything that might be the trail or foot print or even a claw mark of Mew." Michelle handed the other side of the rope to Ash. "Here tie this around your waste."
"What is this for?" Ash asked as he took the rope from her and began to tie it.
"This is just in case one of us slips." Michelle answered as she reached in and took out a small ice axe and handed it to Ash. She then took one out for herself. "Like if you slipped, then I could help you regain your balance."
"Oh, okay." Ash answered. With all this talk about slipping down the mountain Ash wished that he had brought Bulbasaur or Chickorita, but he had left all of his Pokeballs behind. He even left Pikachu.
"I'm also hoping that maybe we might be able to find," Michelle paused for a second again as she put her mouth up to Ash's ear. "That maybe we can actually find Mew itself." Michelle pulled her head away and winked at Ash. "Of course what are the chances of that." Michelle sighed. "Ready to go?"
"Ready." Ash answered as Michelle and Ash began to trudge up the mountain.
The snow was getting a little lighter the higher and steeper they climbed. Ash really tried to help with the climbing, but Ash couldn't seem to swing the ice axe hard enough for it to hold on to the ice and rock so Michelle did most of the pulling. Despite the lack of help from Ash, Michelle didn't seem to mind the fact that Ash was just following.
After two long grueling hours they were still on the move. It was extremely cold and the mountain was getting even steeper. Michelle was still game and ready to keep going, but Ash was having a difficult time. Even though he was wearing protective gloves, his hands were growing numb and he was having trouble breathing on account of the limited about of oxygen in the high atmosphere.
"Don't worry Ash. This mountain isn't high enough for the air to get any worse." Michelle looked down at Ash. "In fact this isn't bad at all. You just haven't been up this high before so of course it will be difficult."
Ash looked up at her and forced a smile. "Difficult? Ha! This is a piece of cake."
Michelle smiled back. "I like your attitude." Michelle continued on as Ash, wishing he didn't say what he did, followed despite his discomfort.
Minutes passed, but to Ash they seemed like hours. He was really having a hard, miserable time, but he let his pride keep him from telling Michelle that he was having trouble.
The air started to blow a cold chill around them as the two continued up. Michelle noticed that Ash was really slowing up. "Ash you want to stop and take a rest?"
"No, we are too close to the top to stop now." Ash insisted as he began to climb toward Michelle.
Ash was having trouble finding his footing at this particular part of the mountain. He saw Michelle scramble up that part of the mountain like if she was a spider in a web, but he couldn't seem to do it himself.
"Wait there Ash, I'll come down to help you." Michelle said as she began to climb back down.
"No, it's okay I can handle it." Ash reached up to grip an opening in the rock and placed his right foot on a small icy piece of rock. As he put his weight the right foot in order to pull himself up the soles of his shoes slipped off the icy rock. Still attached to Michelle, Ash slipped. Before he could fall he managed to hold on to the side of the mountain as his body dangled toward the bottom.
"Michelle!" Ash cried out as he continued to hold on.
"Hold on Ash," Michelle called as she climbed down.
Michelle climbed down to his level and was right up next to him. Using only one arm she grabbed him by his waist and pulled him over to the side.
"Hold on Ash there is a small crevice a few feet over here where we can stop." Michelle said as she continued to pull him to the right. After a few panicky minutes Michelle finally got Ash to safety. They were about ten feet from where Ash had slipped and Ash was happy due to the fact that he could now rest. The ledge they were resting on was about 15 square feet and most of it was underneath part of the mountain. It looked like a little cave.
"Are you okay Ash?" Michelle asked as she put her hand on his shoulder.
Ash looked at her. She had a very worried look on her face so of course he was going to say, "Yeah."
"Great. We'll rest here for a bit and then we'll finish the climb. Unless you want to stay here, I don't mind going by myself."
"No, just give me a few minutes. I'll be okay, I want to go with you."
"Okay." Michelle said as she sighed and stared at the view the mountain had created for them. "Isn't that a beautiful sight. See how the sun shines on the city below and how fresh and clean it is up here."
Ash nodded. "It's nice." He was still trying to get over the thought of falling. Now he really wished he had some of his Pokemon with him.
As Ash stared at the beautiful scene, Michelle's mind wandered off from the view and back onto the mountain. She examined the rocks trying to figure out if they were sturdy enough to climb up. While she was inspecting them she noticed something else.
"Michelle what is it?" Ash asked as he noticed Michelle stand up and walk into the miniature cave (which was only about six feet in).
Michelle placed her hand on the rock and to feel the sturdiness of it. "Ash come here."
Ash stood up and stepped over to her.
"Look at this. Do you see what I see?" Michelle asked as she pointed over to the rocks.
"No," Ash answered.
"Look closer." Michelle grabbed a hold of a piece of rock and pulled it out. "Look it's hallow inside!" Michelle said as Ash finally saw what she was talking about.
"How did you notice that?" Ash asked.
"I don't know it just didn't look right to me." Michelle said.
They both tried to peer into the little hole.
"What do you suppose is in there?" Ash asked.
"I don't know. But I want to find out!" Michelle answered. "Help me will ya?"
Michelle grabbed a hold of a bigger section of rock as Ash grabbed a hold of her waist.
"Pull!" Michelle shouted as they both pulled.
They pulled and pulled with all their strength, but no matter how hard they tried they couldn't get the section out. It didn't even budge an inch.
Michelle was getting a little frustrated. "I want to see what's in there!"
Ash and Michelle pulled again, but like the first attempt, they couldn't do it. I was jammed in there tight.
Michelle sat down to rest again from using all her energy pulling. "I'm starting to think that my father is right."
Ash gasped.
"What if I am wasting my time?" Michelle said, whimpering a little.
Ash sat next to her and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Don't talk like that. You'll find something."
Michelle looked at him. "Really?"
"I know you will. I believe in you. Just as much as you believed in your Grandfather."
Michelle smiled. "Thank you Ash.
Michelle and Ash hugged. Just as they were about to get up and try once again a huge thick cloud of smog covered the air around them. Coughing and choking Ash and Michelle tried to look around to see where the thick smog was coming from.
"Ash what's going on?" Michelle cried.
"Prepare for Trouble!" "And make it double."
"Oh no not you guys again!" Ash screamed. As the smoke finally began to clear Ash and Michelle spotted Team Rocket hovering next to the mountain in their Meowth Balloon.
"To protect the world from devastation"
"To unite all people within our nation"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love"
"To extent our reach to the stars above."
"JESSE!"
"JAMES!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
Meowth pops its head from inside the basket. "Meowth, that's right!"
Ash looked up at them and shouted. "I don't have Pikachu or any of my Pokemon with me so you better get out of here!"
Jesse laughed. "Don't fatter yourself kid. We aren't after your Pokemon this time."
"Huh?" Ash was confused. They were always after his Pokemon.
"If you need to know we are after a legendary Pokemon." Jesse said.
"Mew?" Michelle asked.
"Exactly." James answered.
Michelle's eyes widened. "Do you know how to find it?"
James and Jesse looked at each other as Meowth looked up at both of them.
"Actually, girly we were following you and let you two twerps do all the work for us. We were just going to snatch it from you and then take it to our boss." Meowth answered with a huge grin on its face. "But we decided that you two were taking too long so we are going to take over."
Ash clenched his fist and waved it at them. "You can't get Mew we won't let you!"
"Oh, you don't have a choice." Jesse said as she pulled out a remote control, which contained a red button and a green button. She pressed the big red button.
A portion of the basket opened up from the bottom and a missile appeared.
"You see twerp we aren't going to take any chances this time. We can not let you two find this Pokemon before us so. . ."
Jesse pressed the green button, which switched on the missile and aimed it at the snow and rocks above them.
"NO DON'T!" Ash cried out as the missile fired and hit against the mountainside.
At first nothing happened. But then the ledge the two friends were standing on started to shake. Within seconds the whole mountain seem to be shaking.
"What's going on?" Ash cried out.
"Ash look up there!" Michelle grabbed on to Ash's arm and pointed to the sky.
A huge mass of the rocks and snow from above gave away and came down tumbling towards them.
"Avalanche!" Michelle shouted.
"Michelle! We're trapped!" Ash yelled as he and Michelle held on to each other.
The enormous mass of snow came roaring down faster and faster until it struck the two explorers and knocked them off the ledge. Ash and Michelle slid and fell down the mountain along with the shifting snow.
Team Rocket watched as the massive avalanche hit the ground at the base of the mountain within a few minutes. They continued to watch and wait for movement down in the snow in case the two kids managed to get out of the way, but there wasn't any.
"There! That will keep those two twerps out of the way." Jesse laughed.
"But Jess, don't you think that was a little harsh?" James asked.
Meowth smacked James on the head. "What are you going soft? We had to get them out of the way if were are going to get that Pokemon!" Meowth said. "Now lets land this thing and start climbing up this little mountain."
"Can't we just fly up there?" James asked.
Jesse hit James on the head this time. "No, the air up here is a lot different than down there. If we continue to go up there we may never be able to get back down. We have to get out and climb up the rest."
As the three of them argued about what they had to do they didn't realize that they hadn't gotten rid of Ash and Michelle yet. Underneath tons of snow at the bottom of the mountain Ash and Michelle huddled together in a little burrow created by boulders that had fallen in such a way to hold some of the snow up. The little burrow was sealed by the weight of the snow and rocks above them.
Shivering Ash continued to hold on to Michelle. "Whoa," Ash whispered to Michelle. "Don't make any sudden movements. We don't want all that snow coming down and suffocate us." Ash looked around them, but he didn't see any way to get out. "Just make sure we don't go to sleep or we might freeze to death."
"If we try to dig out all that snow might collapse on us." She looked up at Ash. "What are we going to do?" Michelle asked as she snuggled up against Ash trying to use body heat to keep warm.
"I don't know, but we'll think of something." Ash whispered back. "Team Rocket hasn't won yet!"
Chapter Three: The Blackthorn Mountain Trail
During the first part of their hike Ash and Michelle hiked through a thick and dense forest. The closer they came to the mountain the colder the air became. Michelle walked closer and closer to Ash little at a time. Her excuse was she was cold and it was warmer if they stayed close together. Once they got to the actual climbing Michelle took lead as Ash followed behind. The snow was pretty deep at the base of the mountain. It was so deep that it when Ash stepped into it the snow would come up a bit past his ankles. Michelle, being about the same height as Ash, (maybe an inch or two taller) had no trouble at all with the deepness because she had climbed up this mountain many times before so she had some experience in climbing. They hiked for about a mile until they finally reached the base of the slope.
"So what exactly are we looking for?" Ash asked as they stopped so Michelle could get out some supplies.
Michelle pulled out a long rope and started tying it around her waste. "I really don't know Ash. I never had known what I was looking for when I go up here. Maybe that why I never find anything." Michelle paused for a split second. "I guess I'm just hoping to find anything that might be the trail or foot print or even a claw mark of Mew." Michelle handed the other side of the rope to Ash. "Here tie this around your waste."
"What is this for?" Ash asked as he took the rope from her and began to tie it.
"This is just in case one of us slips." Michelle answered as she reached in and took out a small ice axe and handed it to Ash. She then took one out for herself. "Like if you slipped, then I could help you regain your balance."
"Oh, okay." Ash answered. With all this talk about slipping down the mountain Ash wished that he had brought Bulbasaur or Chickorita, but he had left all of his Pokeballs behind. He even left Pikachu.
"I'm also hoping that maybe we might be able to find," Michelle paused for a second again as she put her mouth up to Ash's ear. "That maybe we can actually find Mew itself." Michelle pulled her head away and winked at Ash. "Of course what are the chances of that." Michelle sighed. "Ready to go?"
"Ready." Ash answered as Michelle and Ash began to trudge up the mountain.
The snow was getting a little lighter the higher and steeper they climbed. Ash really tried to help with the climbing, but Ash couldn't seem to swing the ice axe hard enough for it to hold on to the ice and rock so Michelle did most of the pulling. Despite the lack of help from Ash, Michelle didn't seem to mind the fact that Ash was just following.
After two long grueling hours they were still on the move. It was extremely cold and the mountain was getting even steeper. Michelle was still game and ready to keep going, but Ash was having a difficult time. Even though he was wearing protective gloves, his hands were growing numb and he was having trouble breathing on account of the limited about of oxygen in the high atmosphere.
"Don't worry Ash. This mountain isn't high enough for the air to get any worse." Michelle looked down at Ash. "In fact this isn't bad at all. You just haven't been up this high before so of course it will be difficult."
Ash looked up at her and forced a smile. "Difficult? Ha! This is a piece of cake."
Michelle smiled back. "I like your attitude." Michelle continued on as Ash, wishing he didn't say what he did, followed despite his discomfort.
Minutes passed, but to Ash they seemed like hours. He was really having a hard, miserable time, but he let his pride keep him from telling Michelle that he was having trouble.
The air started to blow a cold chill around them as the two continued up. Michelle noticed that Ash was really slowing up. "Ash you want to stop and take a rest?"
"No, we are too close to the top to stop now." Ash insisted as he began to climb toward Michelle.
Ash was having trouble finding his footing at this particular part of the mountain. He saw Michelle scramble up that part of the mountain like if she was a spider in a web, but he couldn't seem to do it himself.
"Wait there Ash, I'll come down to help you." Michelle said as she began to climb back down.
"No, it's okay I can handle it." Ash reached up to grip an opening in the rock and placed his right foot on a small icy piece of rock. As he put his weight the right foot in order to pull himself up the soles of his shoes slipped off the icy rock. Still attached to Michelle, Ash slipped. Before he could fall he managed to hold on to the side of the mountain as his body dangled toward the bottom.
"Michelle!" Ash cried out as he continued to hold on.
"Hold on Ash," Michelle called as she climbed down.
Michelle climbed down to his level and was right up next to him. Using only one arm she grabbed him by his waist and pulled him over to the side.
"Hold on Ash there is a small crevice a few feet over here where we can stop." Michelle said as she continued to pull him to the right. After a few panicky minutes Michelle finally got Ash to safety. They were about ten feet from where Ash had slipped and Ash was happy due to the fact that he could now rest. The ledge they were resting on was about 15 square feet and most of it was underneath part of the mountain. It looked like a little cave.
"Are you okay Ash?" Michelle asked as she put her hand on his shoulder.
Ash looked at her. She had a very worried look on her face so of course he was going to say, "Yeah."
"Great. We'll rest here for a bit and then we'll finish the climb. Unless you want to stay here, I don't mind going by myself."
"No, just give me a few minutes. I'll be okay, I want to go with you."
"Okay." Michelle said as she sighed and stared at the view the mountain had created for them. "Isn't that a beautiful sight. See how the sun shines on the city below and how fresh and clean it is up here."
Ash nodded. "It's nice." He was still trying to get over the thought of falling. Now he really wished he had some of his Pokemon with him.
As Ash stared at the beautiful scene, Michelle's mind wandered off from the view and back onto the mountain. She examined the rocks trying to figure out if they were sturdy enough to climb up. While she was inspecting them she noticed something else.
"Michelle what is it?" Ash asked as he noticed Michelle stand up and walk into the miniature cave (which was only about six feet in).
Michelle placed her hand on the rock and to feel the sturdiness of it. "Ash come here."
Ash stood up and stepped over to her.
"Look at this. Do you see what I see?" Michelle asked as she pointed over to the rocks.
"No," Ash answered.
"Look closer." Michelle grabbed a hold of a piece of rock and pulled it out. "Look it's hallow inside!" Michelle said as Ash finally saw what she was talking about.
"How did you notice that?" Ash asked.
"I don't know it just didn't look right to me." Michelle said.
They both tried to peer into the little hole.
"What do you suppose is in there?" Ash asked.
"I don't know. But I want to find out!" Michelle answered. "Help me will ya?"
Michelle grabbed a hold of a bigger section of rock as Ash grabbed a hold of her waist.
"Pull!" Michelle shouted as they both pulled.
They pulled and pulled with all their strength, but no matter how hard they tried they couldn't get the section out. It didn't even budge an inch.
Michelle was getting a little frustrated. "I want to see what's in there!"
Ash and Michelle pulled again, but like the first attempt, they couldn't do it. I was jammed in there tight.
Michelle sat down to rest again from using all her energy pulling. "I'm starting to think that my father is right."
Ash gasped.
"What if I am wasting my time?" Michelle said, whimpering a little.
Ash sat next to her and placed his arm around her shoulders. "Don't talk like that. You'll find something."
Michelle looked at him. "Really?"
"I know you will. I believe in you. Just as much as you believed in your Grandfather."
Michelle smiled. "Thank you Ash.
Michelle and Ash hugged. Just as they were about to get up and try once again a huge thick cloud of smog covered the air around them. Coughing and choking Ash and Michelle tried to look around to see where the thick smog was coming from.
"Ash what's going on?" Michelle cried.
"Prepare for Trouble!" "And make it double."
"Oh no not you guys again!" Ash screamed. As the smoke finally began to clear Ash and Michelle spotted Team Rocket hovering next to the mountain in their Meowth Balloon.
"To protect the world from devastation"
"To unite all people within our nation"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love"
"To extent our reach to the stars above."
"JESSE!"
"JAMES!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
Meowth pops its head from inside the basket. "Meowth, that's right!"
Ash looked up at them and shouted. "I don't have Pikachu or any of my Pokemon with me so you better get out of here!"
Jesse laughed. "Don't fatter yourself kid. We aren't after your Pokemon this time."
"Huh?" Ash was confused. They were always after his Pokemon.
"If you need to know we are after a legendary Pokemon." Jesse said.
"Mew?" Michelle asked.
"Exactly." James answered.
Michelle's eyes widened. "Do you know how to find it?"
James and Jesse looked at each other as Meowth looked up at both of them.
"Actually, girly we were following you and let you two twerps do all the work for us. We were just going to snatch it from you and then take it to our boss." Meowth answered with a huge grin on its face. "But we decided that you two were taking too long so we are going to take over."
Ash clenched his fist and waved it at them. "You can't get Mew we won't let you!"
"Oh, you don't have a choice." Jesse said as she pulled out a remote control, which contained a red button and a green button. She pressed the big red button.
A portion of the basket opened up from the bottom and a missile appeared.
"You see twerp we aren't going to take any chances this time. We can not let you two find this Pokemon before us so. . ."
Jesse pressed the green button, which switched on the missile and aimed it at the snow and rocks above them.
"NO DON'T!" Ash cried out as the missile fired and hit against the mountainside.
At first nothing happened. But then the ledge the two friends were standing on started to shake. Within seconds the whole mountain seem to be shaking.
"What's going on?" Ash cried out.
"Ash look up there!" Michelle grabbed on to Ash's arm and pointed to the sky.
A huge mass of the rocks and snow from above gave away and came down tumbling towards them.
"Avalanche!" Michelle shouted.
"Michelle! We're trapped!" Ash yelled as he and Michelle held on to each other.
The enormous mass of snow came roaring down faster and faster until it struck the two explorers and knocked them off the ledge. Ash and Michelle slid and fell down the mountain along with the shifting snow.
Team Rocket watched as the massive avalanche hit the ground at the base of the mountain within a few minutes. They continued to watch and wait for movement down in the snow in case the two kids managed to get out of the way, but there wasn't any.
"There! That will keep those two twerps out of the way." Jesse laughed.
"But Jess, don't you think that was a little harsh?" James asked.
Meowth smacked James on the head. "What are you going soft? We had to get them out of the way if were are going to get that Pokemon!" Meowth said. "Now lets land this thing and start climbing up this little mountain."
"Can't we just fly up there?" James asked.
Jesse hit James on the head this time. "No, the air up here is a lot different than down there. If we continue to go up there we may never be able to get back down. We have to get out and climb up the rest."
As the three of them argued about what they had to do they didn't realize that they hadn't gotten rid of Ash and Michelle yet. Underneath tons of snow at the bottom of the mountain Ash and Michelle huddled together in a little burrow created by boulders that had fallen in such a way to hold some of the snow up. The little burrow was sealed by the weight of the snow and rocks above them.
Shivering Ash continued to hold on to Michelle. "Whoa," Ash whispered to Michelle. "Don't make any sudden movements. We don't want all that snow coming down and suffocate us." Ash looked around them, but he didn't see any way to get out. "Just make sure we don't go to sleep or we might freeze to death."
"If we try to dig out all that snow might collapse on us." She looked up at Ash. "What are we going to do?" Michelle asked as she snuggled up against Ash trying to use body heat to keep warm.
"I don't know, but we'll think of something." Ash whispered back. "Team Rocket hasn't won yet!"