*Disclaimer* Don't own Pokemon, don't own the names or characters therein, all I own is a PC and net access. There we go. ^_^
-Thank you SO much to everyone who has read and reviewed this story: it has encouraged me no end. ^_^
Chapter One
Opal Town
"There! There it is! Quick, come look!" Ash called over his shoulder to his friends. He hopped impatiently from one foot to the other as Brock, Misty and Pikachu plodded wearily towards him. "Opal Town!" he announced triumphantly.
"At last," moaned Misty, when she saw the little town ahead. "It seems like we've been wandering through that forest forever!" She plonked herself down on a nearby rock, heaving a big sigh.
"Well, if Ash hadn't insisted on going along the path that wasn't even on the map, we'd have gotten here ages ago," said Brock, taking the map out of his bag and examining it ruefully.
"A real Pokemon master should be able to find the way for himself. Trainers like me don't get tired so easy," Ash said, with a smirk at Misty, who was still sitting on the rock, her head drooped with tiredness.
"Hey! I'm just as good a trainer as you, and you know it, Ash Ketchum!" she yelled, springing from her rock in anger, clenching her fists. Ash put up his hands in mock surrender, and smiled weakly.
Pikachu suddenly keeled over with a little sigh.
"Pikachu!" cried Ash, picking him up gently. He took off his jacket, and wrapped his little friend in it carefully. "Are you okay, buddy?" The large shiny eyes opened a little.
"Pik-ahh," he sighed.
"We've been walking for ages, Ash. He must be exhausted," said Brock.
"Yeah, I think you're right," Ash admitted, worriedly.
"We should find the Pokemon Center in that town, and quick," Misty pointed out.
Ash took that as a cue to start sprinting down the path. The trees fell away behind, and large, open meadows spread out on either side. The wind blew a little, but it was cool and refreshing after the heat of the day. The sun was just starting to set on the horizon, throwing blazing oranges and pinks up into the sky. But Ash didn't notice any of it. All his Pokemon trainer's eyes could see was Pikachu's tired little body in his arms, and the houses ahead.
"Wait up, Ash!" cried Misty, running after him with Brock close behind.
When they finally entered the town, stars were appearing overhead. They soon saw the lights of the Pokemon Center. They were just about the only lights still on: it was pretty late. The trio pushed open the door and wandered in, looking around for someone to help them. The room was almost completely empty: one girl sat on one of the benches along the wall. She was sitting very still, with her head down, looking at the floor. She looked up at the noise of the three friends entrance, her blue eyes glazed over with tiredness, as well as curiosity. They barely noticed her, as Nurse Joy appeared at the same moment.
"How can I help you?" she asked, in a pleasant voice, which matched the smile on her pretty face.
"My Pikachu's really tired. It collapsed just now. Can you help it?" asked Ash, anxiously.
"Of course I can," she said, walking over.
Brock suddenly raced over, and grabbed her hands. "You're so beautiful! You're the most beautiful Nurse Joy of them all!" he cried, with a red blush across his face.
"Uh…" she said, looking at him with a confused expression.
"Get back to the real world, Romeo," Misty intervened sternly, grabbing his ear and dragging him away.
"Um, sorry about that," Ash apologized, going red.
"That's fine... So, could I have your Pikachu?" she smiled politely.
"Sure. Oh, and here's my other Pokemon."
Joy carefully carried Pikachu and the tray of Pokeballs through a doorway, and the waiting room was quiet again.
"How can one Joy be more beautiful than any of the others?" asked Misty. "They all look exactly the same!"
"No way!" cried Brock, with a stern voice. "The Joy in Viridian City has slightly lighter highlights in her hair. And the Cerulean City Joy smiles way more than her sister in Celadon City, who, I know, has bigger and brighter eyes than any of her family…" he said, his voice going goofy and trailing off, as he gazed into the distance with a funny smile on his face.
"Snap out of it!" shouted Misty, smacking him over the head with her fist.
Nurse Joy popped her head round the doorway. "Do you have anywhere to stay? I'd like to keep your Pikachu and the other Pokemon here overnight."
"It's a really clear night. Why not camp out?" suggested Brock.
"Fine with me. How about you, Misty?" asked Ash.
"We've been camping out for the past week! Can't we stay indoors for a change?" she moaned.
"There's only one hotel in this town, and I know for sure that it's full. I would let you stay here, but it's not really safe," explained the nurse.
"Not safe?" asked Ash, with a puzzled expression.
"There's a leak in the ceiling. See?" she pointed at a small hole above their heads. "It drips water a lot, and when the floor gets wet, it's very slippery. A repair man was supposed to come and fix it today, but he never showed up…" Her sentence trailed away. She looked confused and a little worried.
"Well, looks like we'll have to camp out after all. Don't worry, Nurse Joy, we have everything we need. We'll be fine," said Ash, grinning at Misty, who was glaring at him.
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow," said Joy, disappearing through the doorway again.
The three friends were just opening the door when Nurse Joy called out from the treatment rooms. "Oh, there's another girl who didn't have anywhere to stay. Would you help her out?"
Ash, Brock and Misty looked around, but the room was empty.
"Now that I think about it, there was a girl here when we arrived. Where'd she go?" Misty wondered, looking at the empty bench thoughtfully.
"I don't remember seeing anyone," said Ash.
"Me neither. Besides, she couldn't have left without us noticing her," said Brock.
"Yeah, I guess so…" Misty agreed doubtfully, as they stepped out into the darkness.
They set up camp wearily, under a couple of trees in a field near the town. They were too tired to bother with cooking any dinner, so they just curled up in their sleeping bags. Ash was in the middle, with Brock on one side, and Misty on the other.
"So are we going to go to the gym tomorrow?" whispered Misty. Brock was already asleep, but Ash and Misty were having a quick, whispered chat first.
"Yeah, I guess so. That's why we're here," Ash whispered back.
"I don't see why you want more badges. You've gone through the Pokemon League."
"I kind of miss traveling around for badges, challenging gym leaders, everything we used to do. And I need to keep training, or I'll never be a Pokemon Master."
"That makes sense. I want to try and catch some more water Pokemon, since Opal Town is right next to the sea."
"Why not spend the time training up the ones you've already got? Like Psyduck: he could use some experience," Ash laughed quietly.
"That dopey duck will need a hundred years training before it get any kind of sense into it's empty head!" Misty shot back. They both laughed softly.
"Hey, I'm kind of tired. Let's just go to sleep now, okay?" Ash suggested.
"Sure," agreed Misty.
"Goodnight then," he said, turning over and shifting in his sleeping bag.
"Goodnight. Sweet dreams," she added, in a soft whisper.