Me: Okay, the previous chapter was brief, but it explained which trainer caught Ho-oh, right? Anyway, I don't own Pokemon. Trust me-Ash will capture Ho-oh, just not right now.
Ash: Good thing you don't.
Me: If I were you, I wouldn't say anything right now.
Ash: And why not?
Me: There are a few readers who want to see a proper apology to Misty, so this chapter should give them what they want, as well as getting to see another old friend appear. We already know who she is, since she was in Pokemon: The Movie 2000-The Power of One.
Ash: Let's see...besides Misty, the only other girl there was-(gasps) you wouldn't! Misty'll kill me!
Me: I doubt that, but given her attitude and her protective nature, I could be wrong.
Ash: Tell my Pokemon how much I care for them, would you?
Me: Sure-but what about Chikorita?
Ash: Waaaa! Even Chikorita, okay?!
Pokemon: The Power of Two
Chapter XV-Return to Shamouti
In the previous adventure, Gary ended up being the victor in capturing Ho-oh, due to a nasty
trick he played on Ash! After blacking out and almost dying on Misty and his Pokemon, Ash was
informed by Mewtwo that there was still a chance of success, but he and Misty would have to
return to Shamouti Island and capture Lugia, a Pokemon who Ash has had two encounters with
before. Now that Ash has somewhat recovered, he and his friends have to journey back to
Shamouti to find Lugia and battle Gary!
(Theme song; Fanfare starts as Ash and Misty say the name of the episode)
Ash/Misty: Back to Shamouti!
Ash had a very concerned look on his face as he woke up that morning, his mind already on what had occurred the previous night against Gary and his failure to capture Ho-oh. He was lucky Chikorita had procured his lost Heavy Ball before, but he hadn't expected her to find Gary's second Master Ball, too. Now he had four Pokeballs, two Heavy Balls, and one Master Ball.
"Now what do I do with a Master Ball that I don't need? But then again, you'll need some kind of Pokeball to capture Ho-oh in, when you do battle again with Gary, and that battle will come. Don't forget-you need to give Misty a better apology than what you gave her last night." Ash sighed as he found his mind warring with itself over a girl who had almost shattered his confidence in himself.
"Why should I have to apologize to Misty? She said I had no skill! On the other hand, you called her scrawny, and you know how much she hates to be called that name! To add insult to injury, you even broke up with her, and didn't give her a chance to apologize. Be a man, Ash! Take your lumps and take her back. You can't complete this journey without her, and who knows where you'd be right now if Misty hadn't fished you and Pikachu out of the river just outside Pallet Town?"
Struggling to hide his tears once again, Ash cleared his throat and timidly approached his former girlfriend's sleeping bag.
(A/N: Imagine yourself hearing "He drives me crazy!" from the Totally Pokemon soundtrack; I'd type out the lyrics, but that would take up too much space this time)
"Misty? Are you up?" The last thing Ash didn't expect to happen had happened-he heard some quiet sobbing coming from Misty's sleeping bag.
"Mist-what's wrong?"
"Don't. Don't call me that. After leaving me in that train and what you're about to do now just lost you privileges of ever calling me 'Mist' again!" Ash shuddered at that moment, and it wasn't because of the cold morning air.
"What was I about to do?" Misty rose up and Ash felt a pang in his heart at seeing her-she looked like she hadn't slept a wink at all the previous night! Add some bloodshot eyes and some dried tears, and you've got yourself one cranky teenager.
"You were gonna leave me again, that's what you were gonna do!"
"But-I wasn't-" Ash stopped himself, knowing that him rambling on wasn't going to get him anywhere, so he decided to be patient for once and explain it rationally.
"Do you really want to know what I was really going to do?" Ash asked calmly, hiding his saddening visage like he usually did.
"What?" Ash grimaced as he took a breath and let it out-he was about to tell Misty the whole truth, for once in his life. He closed his eyes and looked downward.
"I was arguing with myself. I debated on whether or not I should give you a proper apology. At first, I thought you didn't deserve one, because you said I had no skill. Then, I countered that with reminding myself that I'd called you...that word. Add breaking up with you, and it all boils down to this: I'm truly, honestly and sincerely sorry, Misty. I was a coldhearted jerk for doing what I did to you, and I should've given you a chance to apologize." Ash rose his head and looked up, but Misty's sleeping bag was empty. Ash dropped his head back down and started shaking, no longer hiding the tears.
"You deserve that, Ash-you know you do." A second later, Ash felt a tender hand wipe away his tears and pull him into a gentle hug.
"I forgive you, for that and whatever you're gonna do from here on out. And, I didn't mean what I said before-about you having no skill. You've got great skills, Ash-why else would Charizard listen to you now, or how else could you have captured Espeon?" Smiling, Ash pulled back and looked Misty in the eye-both of them.
"So, are we starting over?"
For a response, Misty then pulled Ash forward and kissed him with definite passion. After two minutes or so, they broke apart, blushing and regaining their breath.
"Yeah, we are. I love you, Ash."
"I love you too, Mist." At that time, they heard a sniffling noise, then someone blowing into a handkerchief. Confused, Ash and Misty turned to see Brock, with tears running down his face, Pikachu struggling to keep Chikorita-who'd burst out of her Pokeball once again-from ruining the moment and trying to keep Togepi-who'd woken up from his nap-from running off!
"That was...beautiful! I give it five stars!" Brock gasped out. Irritated, Misty pulled out her mallet and whacked Brock upside his head.
"You're lucky most of the Pokemon are out, or else you'd get more than that on your head, Brock!"
"Allow me." Ash picked up the mallet from Misty and gave Brock a second lump on the head to grow with the first.
"And he's supposed to be older than us..." Ash muttered as Chikorita jumped into his arms, happily nuzzling against his chest.
"You can say that again."
"Toge-toge-prrrrri!"
(A/N: Here's where said song would end!)
Later on that day, Ash and Misty had to try to remember which way Shamouti had been, but being preoccupied with Lugia and the Legendary Birds had complicated things. Luckily for them, they ran into an old friend.
"Ash? Misty?"
"Huh?" They looked out into the ocean and saw Maren on a newly remodeled boat! She'd obviously gotten rid of her red nylon jacket, but still had the pants. In place of the jacket, Maren wore a black shirt and her hair was still green. Other than that, she was still the same woman Ash and Misty met during their Orange Islands adventures.
"Is that you, Maren?" Ash exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, and it looks like you guys haven't changed that much, either! Who's he, and what happened to Tracy?" Brock instantly ran down to Maren and clasped his hand in hers.
"I'm Brock, former Gym Leader of the Pewter City Gym. Tracy's studying with Professor Oak, but enough about him-what wonderful things about me did Ash and Misty tell you, hmm?" Getting even more irritated with Brock than she had earlier, Misty yanked Brock away by his ear once more.
"For starters, how people like you need to take extremely cold showers!"
"Toge-prrrrri!"
Ash laughed to himself as Chikorita, who refused to return to her Pokeball for the time being, snoozed in his arms and Pikachu rested atop his head.
"I'm guessing you heard about my success in the Johto League, huh?"
"It was hard not to-I was visiting Carol on Shamouti when Melody pulled us toward the TV to watch your match. Congratulations!"
"Thanks. By the way, how's Melody doing these days, anyway?"
"She's doing fine, and waiting for the Chosen One to make a reappearance." Misty came back in, grabbing Ash's arm and putting it around her shoulders to emphasize the relationship between Ash and herself.
"You mean Chosen Ones! The fate of the world isn't on Ash's shoulders anymore."
"Yeah-that means if we lose, I can put it all on you." Ash joked. Misty playfully hit him in the stomach for good measure, waking up both Chikorita and Pikachu.
"Before Ash forgets, we may need a ride back to Shamouti. Do you think you could...?"
"Sure! You know me-always ready to help out Pokemon trainers in need. So, where's that Brock fellow? He is going with you, right?" Misty smirked as she headed behind a tree and pulled Brock out, gagged and bound up.
"When'd you have time to learn all this stuff, Misty?!" Ash yelped in shock.
"I learned it from my sisters before I met you, Ash-I just didn't see any reason to tell you guys
about it!" Ash groaned as he fell over, but not too far over as to knock Pikachu down.
"Did you hear that? The twerps are going back to Shamouti." Jessie said, an evil grin on her face.
"I heard. If we hurry, we can capture not only Lugia, but Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno, too!" James added.
"Then, let's move out, gang!" Meowth replied.
"Wobbuffet!"
To make this even shorter than it already is, it took Ash, Misty and Brock about two-three hours to make it to Shamouti Island from their current location outside of Johto. When Ash stepped back onto Shamouti's shores, he was engulfed in a hug by someone that wasn't Misty. Blushing slightly, Ash was able to make out brown hair, a familiar flute and dark sunglasses.
"Is that you, Melody?" Ash asked, his voice muffled because of Melody's hair, which she'd let grow out.
"You win the prize, oh Chosen One!" Ash gulped as Melody kissed him on the cheek. He knew what was going to happen next, and he couldn't stop it. He was able to separate himself from Melody, however.
"Duck, Melody. You're gonna get attacked twice in 4...3...2...1..."
A mallet nearly bashed Melody's head in, but she dodged it and was barely able to avoid getting wrapped up in a powerful Vine Whip attack at the same time!
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING KISSING MY MAN?!" Misty ranted angrily, still wielding her mallet.
"Chiko, chiko?" Chikorita looked just as furious as Misty was. The Grass Pokemon was containing her anger simply because of Ash, otherwise, she probably would've attacked Melody with a number of Razor Leaf attacks.
"I thought so! I knew one day, you two would get together. I just didn't know it would be this soon." Melody replied smugly, her face an almost perfect reflection of Chikorita's smug looks toward Misty and Pikachu.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you were right about Ash and me-JUST DON'T KISS HIM AGAIN, GOT IT?" Misty retorted heatedly, Ash holding her back by grabbing her shoulders and holding her in place.
"Okay, I won't! So, I heard Ash won the Johto League? Congratulations on that, and your win in the Orange Islands!" Nodding, Ash scratched the back of his head.
"Thanks. By the way, that's Chikorita. Chikorita, this is Melody, a real good friend." Ash made sure to imply that as Chikorita cautiously stuck out one of her vines for Melody to shake.
"Pleased to meet you. I should've guessed Ash would find a Pokemon who's got as much love for him as Misty does." came the response. The Grass-type nodded in agreement, making sure to keep an eye on Melody during their stay.
"So, does this Melody have an older sister-yeow! Not again!" Brock yelled out as Misty pulled him away by his ear, sighing with sadness.
"Yes, and you're not getting withing 10 feet of her! Chikorita, make sure our mutual friend doesn't try anything on Ash, okay?"
"Chiko!"
"That was Brock. Just keep Carol away from him, or he'll go nuts and we'll never get him to leave here." Ash muttered, stroking Chikorita's head and wondering where Pikachu had gone to.
"Carol isn't here right now, but I'll be sure to relay the message to her. There's got to be a reason why you're back, and it's got something to do with Lugia, doesn't it?" Ash and Chikorita facefaulted, both trying to hide the truth, and not really succeeding.
"No! It's just that, I haven't heard from you since that whole thing with that collector, and I was wondering if you were okay."
"That's sweet, Ash, but just tell me why you're really here." Ash shook a bit while looking down at Chikorita.
"Uh..."
"Prepare for trouble-we've succeeded in our goal!"
"Make it double-we've also knocked down the Maypole!"
Ash, Chikorita and Melody looked up to see Team Rocket, with Pikachu and Togepi trapped in a glass dome!
"Pikachu! Togepi!"
"Pika pi!"
Misty, Brock and Maren raced in to see what Ash and the others saw.
"Give back Pikachu and Togepi now!" Misty demanded.
"But we've come all this way for glory, and you can't stop us!" Meowth bragged.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Aww! Charizard, I choose-"
"Chikori! Chiko, chiko." Ash eyed Chikorita with a grin.
"You wanna battle, huh?" Nodding, Chikorita pointed upward toward the balloon, an idea forming in her head.
"You'll need wings to get up there, and don't worry-I've got it covered. Charizard, GO!"
"CHARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Charizard, Chikorita, time to fly!" Ash said as the two of them-meaning Ash and Chikorita-jumped onto the Fire/Flying Pokemon's back. That done, Charizard took to the skies, ready for action.
"Suicune, I choose you! Use your Hydro Pump to distract Team Rocket!" Misty yelled.
The Legendary Pokemon exited his Heavy Ball and sent two blasts of water in Team Rocket's direction, not actually hitting them, as they feared, but merely shaking them up.
"Chikorita, use your Razor Leaf to free Pikachu and Togepi; Charizard, fly low and catch them both, okay?" Ash suggested. Both Pokemon nodded, determined to carry out the plan.
"Chiko!" Chikorita fired two razor-sharp leaves that cut the rope holding Pikachu and Togepi, which sent them falling; Charizard simply flew as low as possible and caught them just in time!
"Welcome back, guys!" Ash declared, hugging Pikachu and Togepi with ease.
"Pika pi!"
"Toge-prrrrri!"
"Pikachu, give 'em a Thunderbolt!" Grinning, the Electric-type jumped up and prepared to launch an attack.
"Pika...CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!" The balloon exploded on impact and sent Jessie, James, Meowth and Wobbuffet flying!
"Team Rocket's blasting off again..."
"Wobbuffet!" (ping!)
"You guys did a great job!" Ash said excitedly to his Pokemon, pleased with their accomplishments. Pikachu, Charizard and Chikorita smiled back, happy that Ash was truly back to normal.
"Okay, now that Pikachu and Togepi are back, mind telling me what you would've told me earlier, Ash-you know, why are you guys really here?" Melody asked. Ash knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this so easily.
"Do you really want to know about this, Melody?" Misty responded, sparing Ash from anymore questions for the time.
"If I can help out in anyway, I'll have to know everything." Ash, Misty and Brock sighed before sitting back down.
"Well, it all started before my Johto League Championship..."
Having thwarted another Team Rocket scheme, Ash, Misty, Melody and Brock are soon going to
be off to find Lugia so Ash can challenge Gary to a battle against Ho-oh! Can Ash pull off this
victory, especially with his friends behind him? We'll find out soon enough!
Giovanni was silently fuming in Lawrence's base. His video cameras he'd had installed inside Lawrence III's airship had just informed him that a young teenage boy had snuck in, stolen two Master Balls and gotten out.
"Yo, Giovanni! I know you're in there, so start talking!"
Glaring, Giovanni turned to see Gary Oak, holding a lone Master Ball in his hand.
"What are you doing here, traitor?"
"Let's make a deal-I give you what you want; you give me what I want. Fair?"