Me: Free from that tangling Vine Whip at last! I don't own Pokemon, and I'm sure glad about it!
Ash: You'd better be lucky you brought me back.
Me: Trust me-I am.
Pokemon: The Power of Two
Chapter V-The Search for Entei
"Believe in yourselves…dream…try. Do good." –Mr. Feeny
"Don't you mean 'do well?'" –Topanga Matthews
"No, I mean, 'do good.'" –Mr. Feeny, Boy Meets World
Last time, Ash was hanging on to life by a thread due to the poison that had infected his bloodstream! Even though Team Rocket had barely been able to use the ingredients they had to make an antidote, they were almost too late, until a burst of adrenaline by Ash himself brought him back from Death's door! Now, after a day or so of rest, our heroes should be well on their way to continue their search for the three remaining Legendary Pokemon!
(Theme song; Fanfare starts as Ash says the name of the episode)
Ash: The Search for Entei!
"Ash, are you sure we should be leaving the hospital so soon? You still don't look so good." Misty advised.
"Maybe you're right, but we do have to find Entei, Suicune and Ho-oh and protect them from that Giovanni guy, and we're not gonna do any good waiting around for me to get better!" Ash insisted confidently. "Besides, I'm already feeling a whole lot better, thanks to you guys, as well as to Chikorita and Espeon."
"Huh? What did they do?" Brock spoke up.
"During the night you convinced Misty to stay at the Pokemon Center-which was last night, I had trouble getting to sleep, so Chikorita used Sweet Smell to get me out, and I woke up later because I thought Team Rocket had captured Pikachu, so Espeon used Hypnosis and I didn't wake up until morning." Ash explained.
"Pika, pika." Pikachu nodded, perched on Ash's shoulder while keeping a lookout for anyone suspicious.
"So, Ash, where are we off to now?" Misty asked with a grin, knowing he didn't have a clue as to where they should go to next.
"Uh…I was hoping we could go to that tower and see if we could battle Entei again. With Entei and Charizard on my team, my Fire Pokemon could really take off!" Ash declared.
"Pikachu!"
"What about Cyndaquil, Ash? Don't forget that he's part of your team, too." Misty said.
"Yeah, but…"
"It'll probably be hard enough to find Entei anyway. No one's ever seen that tower ever since we left it in the first place." Brock suggested. "Oh, that reminds me-I got a letter from Molly!"
"Huh? But how'd you do that?" Ash asked.
"Get a letter? I just told her that if she ever wanted to talk to us again to just send a letter to any known Pokemon Center in Johto."
Misty was getting irritated and had to be held back by Ash and Pikachu at the same time. "And what if she did this and we weren't in Johto, Brock? Did ya think about that?!"
"Come to think of it…no." Ash, Misty and Pikachu all dropped to the ground a moment later.
"What did the letter say?" Ash said impatiently, getting back up alongside Misty.
"Let's see-Entei was acting weird a couple of days ago-the same day you caught Raikou, Misty! Without warning, Entei just left and she doesn't know where he went to!"
"Think Entei wondered what happened with Raikou and decided to investigate?" Misty asked Ash calmly.
"Probably. That means we're sure to run into him!"
"Let's just hope we don't run into any problems between here and the time we do find Entei." Brock noted. Misty, Ash and Pikachu all agreed with him.
"So, they're on their way to find the Pokemon of Fire, are they? I warned them what would happen if their friend survived Persian's Poison Slash attack. Now, it's about to get serious." Giovanni hissed to Lawrence III.
"How so?"
"We need to find a Pokemon trainer, one that knows this boy inside and out, one who will know what move to counter his Pokemon with and one that has defeated him at least once." Giovanni explained. A few seconds later, the TV changed to a news report-the two were once again in Giovanni's helicopter and the collector suggested that they have one installed in order to keep track of any activities.
"We're here live at the Goldenrod City hospital where Ash Ketchum, winner of the Johto League Championships was residing due to an unprovoked attack by a mysterious assailant that almost cost the young aspiring trainer his life. His opponent, Gary Oak, is here with us now. Gary, what do you have to say about the one who defeated you in the Johto League?" Giovanni smiled evilly as a young boy appeared on the screen, wearing a blue shirt, with his Umbreon by his side.
"Ash was just lucky that Umbreon was tired because of the workout we went through the previous day during the Johto League. But he must be pretty good if someone were to try to take him out like that. Besides, I've taught Umbreon some new attacks, and if Ash were still around here, I'd challenge him for his title!"
"That's the boy-Gary Oak! Turn around and head back to Goldenrod at once! We'll let 'Mr. Ketchum' claim Entei while he can, and possibly even Suicune. Against Ho-oh is when things get really interesting…"
"You did tell Nurse Joy about Raikou, right Misty?" Ash said the following evening where they had camped out for the night.
"I had to, otherwise she might've screamed or done something that would've made Brock act up. So, what happened while you were asleep in the hospital, Ash?"
"I dreamed that Mewtwo was there, telling me not to give up or to let you take on the remaining Legendary Pokemon alone." Ash explained. Neither him nor Misty noticed Brock, Pikachu, Togepi or Chikorita hiding atop a tree, listening to their every word.
"I knew those two were meant for each other! Too bad it took battling Articuno, Lugia, Moltres and Zapdos for them to figure it out." Brock muttered. Togepi and Pikachu nodded, but Chikorita was seething, and Pikachu turned and saw.
"Chiko!" Chikorita was seconds from jumping off the tree and tackling Misty, but Pikachu grabbed her and held on tightly.
"Hey, what are you two doing? Cut it out!" Brock whispered, but thanks to Brock's added weight, as well as the number of Pokemon that were there, the branch they were all on started to crack.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again, Ash Ketchum!" Misty insisted, a worried look crossing her face. Ash took her hand and cupped it with his own.
"Now you know how I felt when you died during the time with Lugia and the other Legendary Pokemon. We both have a tendency to put our loved ones over ourselves, don't we?" Misty had to agree. They both closed their eyes and leaned forward, inch by inch, until…
CRACK! "AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
"PIKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" CRASH! Ash and Misty winced once they heard Brock hit the ground like dead weight! Pikachu, Chikorita and Togepi all used Brock's body as a safety net, gracefully landing on the ground. Instantly, Chikorita raced between Ash and Misty and gave her a angered glare.
"Chi-KO!" Ash sweatdropped as Chikorita jumped into his arms and did what she normally did-nuzzled against his chest with her leafed head.
"What were you guys doing up there?" Ash groaned sadly.
"I can tell you that-they were spying on us!" Misty reached down and yanked Brock up by his ear and dragged him off, being sure to pick up Togepi at the same time.
"How dare you use Togepi in your crazy scheme, Brock! Just 'cause you can't find a girlfriend doesn't give you the right to butt in on me and Ash!"
"I see my mistake, but let go now, alright?!" Brock yelled out.
"Toge-prrrrri!"
"We should get to bed before something else happens tonight." Ash sighed while pulling out his sleeping bag and laying down in it. Pikachu and Chikorita immediately stretched out on either side of Ash's head, both keeping an eye out for anything sinister.
"It's time to wake up, twerps!"
"Yes, because it's Pikachu's wake-up call!" Ash, Chikorita and Pikachu jolted up to see Team Rocket's balloon floating overhead.
"What are you guys doing here? Sure, you managed to help save me, but don't expect me to hand out a reward for it!"
"To protect the world from devastation…"
"…To unite all peoples within our nation…"
"…To denounce the evils of truth and love…"
"…To extend our reach to the stars above…"
"Jessie!" Suddenly, Jessie appeared on the ground near Ash's position!
"James!" James appeared next to Jessie a moment later!
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light, light, light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight, fight, fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth said before Wobbuffet could interrupt.
"Team Rocket!" Misty and Brock yelled out, reentering beside Ash and his Pokemon.
"Pi pikachu!"
"What are you three up to now?" Misty said.
"We were in the neighborhood and we decided it was time for us to collect our reward…" Jessie explained.
"So, we thought we could finally claim your Pikachu for a prize!" James concluded, tossing a PokeBall. "Go, Victreebel!"
"Yahhhhhh!" As usual, Victreebel gulped James up in one swallow, or at least the top half of him.
"Let go of me, you ding-ding! I'm your master, and you'll show me respect!" James wailed.
Jessie pulled James out and whacked him upside the head.
"That's ding-dong, not ding-ding!"
"If you guys want a battle, we'll be sure to give you one! Pikachu, Chikorita, go!" Ash exclaimed.
"Pika!"
"Chiko!"
"I choose-RAIKOU!" Misty demanded, throwing one of the Heavy Balls Whitney had given them back in Goldenrod City. A Pokemon that resembled an ancient saber-toothed tiger appeared.
Team Rocket were scared, but tried not to show it. "Victreebel, stop that Raikou with your Razor Leaf!" James said.
"Pikachu…"
"Raikou…THUNDER ATTACK!" Ash and Misty chorused.
"Pika…CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!" The skies lit up as Raikou and Pikachu's Thunder attacks collided with Team Rocket, sending them flying back into their balloon.
"Chikorita, send 'em flying with your Razor Leaf!" Ash replied.
"Chi-KO!" Chikorita's Razor Leaf tore a hole in Team Rocket's balloon, which sent them soaring into the air.
"Why can't we ever win for a change?!" Jessie cried.
"At least we know that have one of those Legendary Pokemon on their side." Meowth added.
"What good does that do us?" James retorted. "We have another hole in our balloon to fix!"
"Not only that…" Jessie muttered.
"…But we're blasting off again…"
"Wobb!" (ping!)
"Great job, guys!" Ash declared, happily hugging Chikorita and Pikachu tightly in his arms.
"You did a fine job, too Raikou. Nice work!" Misty said, offering the Electric-type a smile. Raikou eyed Misty then roared in agreement, a rare smile on his face.
"It's almost time to wake up, guys, so what do you say I cook us something to eat and then we can get going?" Brock asked. He gulped in surprise, taking notice that Ash, Pikachu, Chikorita, Misty, Togepi and Raikou had all went to sleep on him!
"Then again, I guess breakfast can wait…"
Morning had arrived, and after a decent sleep, Ash and his friends were on the road again. As for Giovanni…
"I have a proposition for you, my friend."
"What kind of proposition?" Giovanni smirked evilly before addressing his soon-to-be charge.
"My associate and I are interested in these Legendary Pokemon, and we were wondering if you would like to assist us in capturing them." The instant he caught a look at the picture, the young trainer was hooked. (A/N: You already know who he is, don't you?)
"Those Pokemon are thought to be myths! You've actually seen them?"
"People thought Articuno, Lugia, Moltres and Zapdos were myths, and look where they turned up. Now, this trainer has captured Raikou-his 'significant other' has caught it, and now they are trying to hunt down Entei, as well as Suicune and Ho-oh. If you could help us capture them, the price would be well worth it." Giovanni waited with patience as Gary Oak thought about his decision.
"Definitely! I'm sure this would give me another shot at the Johto League title if I had at least one of them on my team. What do I do?"
It looks like Gary's teamed up with the leader of Team Rocket! What's going to happen to Ash now? Find out next time!