Me: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Ashy! (The Tonight Show music from the 80's plays as Ash exits behind some curtains, with Chikorita and Pikachu both clinging onto his shoulders)
Ash: Was this really necessary to do? I've gotta train and get badges for the Johto League!
Me: For now, I need you-and your Pokemon-for this story, as well as this chapter. You can go do what you normally do on Saturday. By the way, I don't own Pokemon, nor do I own "The Song of Jigglypuff."
Ash: Good thing you don't-who knows where this show'd be if you did…
Me: What was that?
Ash: (gulps) Nothing! Not a word. (laughs weakly)
Me: (sighs) You're lucky Chikorita's there-and Pikachu.
Ash: And if they weren't?
Me: I'd challenge you to a board game.
Ash: Let's get this chapter started already!
Pikachu/Chikorita: Pi!/Chiko! (Yeah!)
Pokemon: The Power of Two
Chapter IX-Return of an old friend!
In our last adventure, Ash carried out his plan to save Misty, Pikachu, Chikorita and Brock the following day by getting some speakers and a microphone and attaching the speakers to Charizard before takeoff. Despite the air battle Ash and Charizard found themselves in once they found the airship, nothing could have prepared them for what was going on inside-Giovanni had destroyed Misty's Heavy Ball-after releasing Raikou from it-and captured him by using Gary's stolen prototype Master Ball! That act broke the link between Misty and Ash by the laws of nature, causing Ash indescribable pain and agony! If it wasn't for Gary turning on Team Rocket's leader, they would still be in Lawrence's airship right now instead of being back on the road, continuing their quest to seek out Suicune and Ho-oh.
(Theme song; Fanfare starts as Ash says the name of the episode)
Ash: Return of an old friend!
For the second time since the adventure started, Ash and Misty found themselves
conversing with Mewtwo, the most powerful Pokemon in existence at his restored home
somewhere in the Johto regions.
"Why is Ash always the one getting hurt instead of me? I can take the pain, I'm sure of
it!" Misty insisted, trying to keep her anger in check for once.
"Just trust me. For now, it is best you do not know why I am allowing only Ash to feel pain. Excellent plan Espeon helped you concoct with those speakers, wasn't it?"
"Yeah, great plan. What did Giovanni mention to Misty about us being connected by nature itself? What about Molly? Did she really send Brock that letter, or what? And what about Gary? What's his stake in this?" Ash spoke up, unable to restrain himself
from asking.
"Giovanni offered him a deal he couldn't refuse. All you need to know about Gary is this: he isn't out of the picture yet. You may encounter him during the most critical time in
this journey, and as for Molly, she wasn't the one who sent Brock that letter. That was
me. You know as well as I do contact with that young girl would prove impossible, even with e-mail. The Legendary Pokemon are all connected in some form, way or shape, with the forces of nature-Articuno and Suicune, Water. Trust me-Ice is just a frozen version of water; everyone knows that. Moltres, Entei and even Ho-oh are connected with Fire. Lightning connects Zapdos and Raiken. That's one reason why you felt pain, Ash-your own connection with Pikachu connected you with Raiken. However, Giovanni was mistaken about one thing-Lugia isn't connected with the sky, but with others who possess Psychic power, such as myself, Ash's Espeon, and even Mew. Until next time, Chosen Ones…" That said, Ash and Misty were returned to the last point they'd left-back on the road with Brock, Togepi and Pikachu.
"It's a good thing Gary returned Professor Oak and your mother back to Pallet, isn't it Ash?" Brock said calmly, not even suspecting that something was amiss.
"Uh…yeah, it sure is!"
"Where are we going Ash?" Misty asked in a singsong tone of voice. Ash shuddered with slight irritation as he turned toward his girlfriend, Pikachu perched on his left shoulder.
"Simple-to the Azalea Town Gym! There's an old friend battling Bugsy who wants to say hi to you guys." Ash explained.
"But, Ash, we need to try to find Suicune and Ho-oh before Gary or anyone else does."
Ash nodded, showing Misty his patented grin. "I know, but Mewtwo never said we couldn't make a pitstop, right?"
"Uh…" At that instant, Pikachu was snagged by a well-aimed net, which plucked him right off of Ash's shoulder!
"Wha-? Pikachu!"
"Pika pi!" Ash, Misty, Brock and Togepi all looked up to see Jessie, James and Meowth back in
their Meowth balloon, high in the sky.
"Not you again!" Ash exclaimed impatiently.
"Oh, but it is. Even though we helped you out in some situations…" Jessie began.
"We can't let that keep us from our ultimate goal-to capture Pikachu!" James added.
"To protect the world from devastation…"
"…To unite all peoples within our nation…"
At that moment, Ash pulled out one of his Heavy Balls attached to his waist, and two of
his PokeBalls. Misty did the same, with the exception of the PokeBall; Brock grinned at
his friends, pulling off one of his own PokeBalls as well.
"Chikorita, Espeon, Entei…GO!" Ash yelled, tossing a Heavy Ball and two PokeBalls in the air.
"Go, Raikou!"
"Onix…GOOOOOOOOO!" Brock demanded.
Chikorita and Espeon were the only Pokemon who stood out of place, as they were both
shorter than basically all the Pokemon there, Togepi excluded, but that didn't matter to
either one of them. What mattered to them-mainly Chikorita-was helping Ash out and
trying to make him forget the previous days.
"Hey-what have we told you twerps about the motto? Never interrupt it!" James yelled
angrily.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Onix, bring Team Rocket down." Brock suggested calmly. Before Team Rocket could
even try to retaliate, the gigantic Rock Pokemon brought the balloon down.
"Chikorita, use Razor Leaf to free Pikachu from that net." Ash advised. Always one to
please her trainer-and I mean always-Chikorita fired two razor-sharp leaves at the net,
cutting it and freeing Pikachu.
"Nice job! Now bring 'em back up!" Brock added. Onix sent them back up with ease,
letting go once they were back in the air.
"Entei, use your Flamethrower!" Ash yelled out. Using his Psychic connection, Ash
suggested, "Espeon, use Psybeam!"
Not one to be outdone, especially by her own boyfriend, Misty yelled out too. "Raikou,
use your Thunder attack!"
Roaring, both Legendary types fired a powerful burst of flame and bolts of lightning at
the same time Espeon shot a beam of concentrated light straight at Team Rocket, causing the balloon to explode on impact.
"Why can't good things happen to bad people?!" Jessie complained as she, Wobbuffet,
James and Meowth were sent flying out of their destroyed balloon.
"I don't know, but this is the first time we've been blasted out this early in the storyline." James muttered.
"True, true." Meowth said.
"We're blasting off again…"
"Wobbu…" (ping!)
"Great job, everybody!" Ash complimented calmly, laughing as Pikachu jumped into his arms and holding back a wince the second Chikorita used her Vine Whip attack to perch herself on Ash's right shoulder, but failing.
"Ahh! Be careful up there, Chikorita." Ash suggested politely, trying not to hurt
Chikorita's feelings too badly like he'd accidentally done during a troublesome adventure with a Teddiursa long ago. (A/N: You've gotta remember the episode-it just came on
how long ago?)
"Chiko…" Tears came to Chikorita's eyes, but it wasn't because of what Ash had said-it was because the Grass Pokemon had done the one thing she'd told herself she'd never
do-hurt her trainer, in anyway, shape or form. Smiling, Ash carefully pulled Chikorita off of his shoulder, first putting Pikachu onto the ground.
"It's okay, Chikorita. I know you didn't intentionally try to hurt me, so I'll just forget
about the whole thing if you do, alright?" Despite her tears, Chikorita forced a tiny smile and agreed with Ash.
"Now, the question is this-where are we gonna find a Pokemon like Suicune in the Johto region?" Ash questioned calmly, recalling Entei as well as Espeon and seeing that Misty and Brock had both recalled Raikou and Onix.
"We could always try a cave of some kind." Brock replied.
"And where are we going to find a cave in Azalea Town, Brock?" Misty said irritably,
being held back by Pikachu and Ash, respectively.
"Well, if you go out of Azalea Town by the east, there's the Union Cave. It depends on which way you're coming, or going." Ash and the others turned to see…
Giovanni was fuming with hidden anger as he ordered his Team Rocket minions to work faster to repair Lawrence's airship.
"Next time, I rely on my own resources to battle that little boy! The cloning device better be activated!" Giovanni hissed angrily.
"Trust me-you have your own endless supply of Master Balls as we speak." the collector said calmly. Giovanni grinned with patience.
"The first piece of good news I've heard all week. Find me Butch and Cassidy! I need them for a special mission…" Giovanni was so busy concentrating on that, he didn't notice a suspicious person sneak past his security with two of his cloned Master Balls in his hands.
"Bugsy! I was wondering when we'd run into you." Ash exclaimed in surprise, getting a good look at the Gym Leader of Azalea once more. He'd grown quite a bit since Ash had won his Hive Badge long ago-his hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his clothes
were an even darker shade of green, but other than that, Bugsy was still the same trainer who Ash befriended at the beginning of his journey through Johto.
"Ash! I see you still haven't evolved your Chikorita, although seeing that Grass-type battle against a Nidoking and a Pidgeot during your Johto League match proves your skill.
Congratulations!"
"Thanks-I think." Ash admitted, scratching the back of his head a second later. Ash was
about to ask Bugsy if he'd run into Efram when they were suddenly interrupted.
"Jiggly!" Ash, Misty, Brock and the Pokemon gasped in amazement as they all slowly
turned to see another old friend.
1st Verse: Anytime, anyplace, anywhere-with trouble brewing or laughter in the air
With a smile, with a sigh, with all the right stuff, there are so many times when the Song is just enough
Magical powers in the lush grass in the shade of Mt. Moon make the song…soothe you
"Jigglypuff! How'd it find us all the way out here?!" Ash exclaimed.
"Who knows, but we should go now before it-" Misty began, but she never finished her
sentence.
Chorus: (Jigglypuff sings) The power of the melody moves you…
Jigglypuff: Jiggly!
2nd Verse: When it all seems lost, out of control, when the struggle breaks down and fear takes its toll, you can count on a friend who's just tough enough and the song that's alive in the heart of Jigglypuff
Hours and hours in the lush grass at the base of Mt. Moon make the song…soothe you
"Jigglypuff…jiggly…puff…Jigglypuff…jiggly…" It didn't take that long for Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, Chikorita, Togepi and Bugsy to fall asleep once this Pokemon used its Sing attack. And it took even less time for Jigglypuff to realize its "audience" had gone to sleep!
"Jigglypuff? Puff!!"
Chorus: (Jigglypuff sings) The power of the melody moves you, the Sing attack grooves you, the power of the melody moves you…(Jigglypuff: Jiggly! (sings again))
Bridge: Defense Curl, think again; Pound hard, you'll never win; Double Slap, that's nothin' new; Double Edge, you're bound to lose; Body Slam, it's all wrong-
The real power's in the Song
3rd Verse: Anytime, anyplace, anywhere-with trouble brewing or laughter in the air, you can count on a friend who's just tough enough and the song that's alive in the heart of Jigglypuff
Magical powers in the lush grass at the shade of Mt. Moon make the song…woo you
The song soothes you
Chorus: (Jigglypuff sings) The power of the melody moves you, the Sing attack grooves you, the power of the melody moves you…(Jigglypuff enters in and sings as the chorus repeats until end)
Jigglypuff: (excited) …Jigglypuff!
Ash yawned as he woke up to see his girlfriend-covered with squiggly lines all over her
face!
"AHHHHHHHHHH!" Ash and Misty both screamed, waking up everybody else at that moment.
"Not again…" groaned Brock irritably, struggling to wipe his face clean with his
handkerchief.
"Pika…" Pikachu sighed as he noticed Chikorita covered neatly from head to toe with
marks over her body; Togepi, as usual, trilled excitedly, even with marks all over his
body!
"Does that Jigglypuff belong to either of you?" Bugsy asked grimly.
"If it did, we probably wouldn't use it in a Pokemon match!" Ash cracked while
attempting to clean Pikachu and Chikorita off. "Where's this cave you mentioned before we got serenaded to sleep?"
"To the east of Azalea Town, past the Slowpoke well."
"Alright-let's get going, guys!" Ash declared confidently, but Misty grabbed him by his
left shoulder and stopped him.
"Ash, what about food? Sure, we've gained some sleep, but we never did get to eat since after we got away from Giovanni!" Ash thought about it for a moment and knew he had
to agree with Misty.
"Guess you're right. The Union cave can wait 'til tomorrow!"
It looks like Jigglypuff really gave our heroes a detour-into dreamland! Will they be able to find Suicune and Ho-oh before Giovanni does? Let's hope so!
"Why are we always the ones blasted off at the beginning or near the end?" Jessie ranted, next to James and Meowth, the three of them sewing up the balloon for the umpteenth
time.
"No one really knows. I guess we just can't catch a break in Johto." James said. At that
moment, Jigglypuff waddled up next to them.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Jigglypuff!"
"Hey, who let you-AHHHHHHHHH! It's Jigglypuff!" yelled Jessie, her anger replaced
by shock.
"Quick-into the woods before it-" Meowth began, but just like with Ash and his friends,
he didn't get to complete his sentence.
"Jigglypuff…Jiggly…puff…Jigglypuff…Jiggly…"