Chapter Two
Pokemon Gym Problems
Misty was the first to wake up the next morning. She opened her eyes slowly, and blinked in the watery light of the sun. She guessed that it was still very early, since the sun was only just rising, and was about to go back to sleep, when she saw something move among the trees, off to her left. She looked over, just in time to see a shadowy figure disappear into the foliage. Her curiosity instantly aroused, she got up and walked over to the little copse. It was empty. She walked around it, seeing the town and sea beyond it on one side, the meadows on the other. Convincing herself that she must have been seeing things, she went back to her sleeping bag.
As she snuggled back into it, shifting around to find a comfortable position, she found herself face to face with Ash. He lay asleep, about a metre away, his face relaxed, eyes closed. She could see his side rise and fall with each breath. She caught herself smiling a little, and turned over. She could still hear him breathing. Tossing and turning didn't help. Finally, she crept back out of the sleeping bag, with a big sigh, and sat on the soft, squashy cotton, drawing her knees up to her chest and embracing them. Ash stirred a little, and his eyes opened.
"Hey, Misty," he yawned.
"Morning, Ash," she replied.
"It's not even day yet. Not really, anyway. How come you're up already?" he asked, as he stretched, and settled back into his warm, comfy sleeping bag.
"I just woke up, that's all. I couldn't get back to sleep."
"Oh."
There was a long pause. A few birds started singing, and a warm, light breeze wafted past. The light of the sun, as it started its slow climb into the sky, was reflected in the rivers and lakes that lay ahead of Misty. The brilliance of the light made her squint. But she smiled. The sun's rays lit up large areas of countryside, but some parts were left in shadow. It really was gorgeous.
"It's so beautiful," she murmured. "Don't you think so, Ash?" she asked, turning to him.
He snored.
"Great. All you think about is food, Pokemon, and sleep," she complained to herself.
The beach was empty. It's sands felt cool and hard under Misty's feet, as she wandered along it. She'd decided to go for a walk, to pass the time until the other two were up. It was a lovely clear morning. The only sounds were the gentle rushes of the waves, as they ran up the beach and fell back into the sea, and the soft scuffing of Misty's feet on the sand. The sun had risen about half an hour before, and there was a lot more light. However, a mist still lay over the sea. The sunlight made it bright, but it was a mist, all the same, shrouding in secrecy whatever may have lain across the water. Misty amused herself by imagining what could be out there. She studied the slightly darker line that she guessed marked the horizon, looking for any shadow of an object. She suddenly saw a dark lump. She guessed that it must be the shadow of an island, or maybe a boat.
"Ouch!" She cried out in pain, as she stepped on something hard and sharp, hopping away to another patch of sand. She looked down in annoyance to find out what the thing was, and something glittered in the sand.
"Huh?" she muttered, stooping down to pick it up. It was some kind of chain, but wet sand was clogged all over it. Misty went over to the water's edge, and dipped the object in. When she lifted it into the sunlight, it glimmered with a crystalline light. It was a necklace, made of a smooth, thin, delicate chain of silver, and a pendant of opal and crystal. It didn't have any particular shape, but one edge was jagged, as if it was a broken half of an original whole. Misty studied it, eyebrows furrowed in thought. She ran her fingers along the chain, found a little catch, and fastened it carefully around her neck.
"Hey! Hey, Misty!"
She jumped, and turned to see who was calling. Ash and Brock jogged over.
"We've been looking all over for you! Why'd you wander off like that?" asked Ash.
"I was bored, so I just went for a walk," she explained.
"Oh."
"Hey, what's that around your neck?" asked Brock, looking at the necklace.
"Oh, I found it here. Washed up on shore," said Misty.
"It might be valuable. We should check with officer Jenny if it's not lost, with someone looking for it."
"Good idea. Let's go find the police station, then," suggested Misty.
"Well, I've had no reports of a lost necklace," said officer Jenny. The three friends stood in a circle with her, all studying the necklace, which lay in the officer's palm. They'd found the station really easily: it was right next to the Pokemon Center, where Ash had picked up Pikachu and the other Pokemon. Officer Jenny asked if the trio were staying in Opal Town long, and when they said that they weren't going for a little while, at least, she gave the chain back to Misty, saying, "Well, you can keep it for now, and if no one claims it before you go, you may as well keep it."
"Thanks, officer Jenny!" cried Misty, smiling as she fixed the dainty silver around her neck once more. She'd felt almost like there was a part of her missing when she'd taken it off, and she felt almost safe again once she had it on once more.
"I might see you, then. Thank you for coming to the police when you find items like that. I only wish everyone were as honest as you!" said Jenny.
"What do you mean?" asked Brock.
"Well, a couple of thieves broke into the Opal Gym two nights ago. They stole a Pokemon, all the gym badges, and did a lot of damage to the building as they escaped. It will be a long time before the gym can get up and running again. Though they only took one Pokemon, the others disappeared as well. It seems that they ran away in fear, after the scare of being broken in upon by burglars."
"That does make sense. Pokemon get afraid just like any person would if someone broke into their home," Brock commented.
"There's no Pokemon left in the gym at all now. It's thought that that's why the gym leader left. She disappeared unexpectedly, without saying goodbye, or telling anyone where she was going, or anything," explained the officer.
"Thieves like that are terrible! I hope they get the punishment they deserve!" cried Brock, echoing officer Jenny's anger.
"That's the problem: they got away without a trace! It's very strange. Almost as if they were just shadows," said Jenny, looking worried.
"What Pokemon did they take?" asked Ash.
"That's the strange part. The gym leader owns quite a few Pokemon, some really strong ones, but it was a Ditto that was taken. The leader had only recently got it, from an elderly relative who'd died. There was no one else who would have it, so she took it in. It's very skilled at transforming, but very weak at battling. I just don't understand why the thieves left the other, stronger Pokemon and took that Ditto."
"That is weird," muttered Misty to herself.
"It's not likely that we'll ever catch the thieves now," said officer Jenny, in a sad voice. "They must be miles away by this time."
"We'll keep an eye out for them, officer Jenny! If they're anywhere near, we'll catch them! We'll work day and night for you!" cried Brock, moving as close as possible to the officer, who was looking a bit nervous, and stepping away.
"Leave it, Brock!" said Misty, without much energy at all.
Ash stared at Misty in concern. She always yelled her head off when Brock went goofy, but she didn't seem bothered at all this time.
"I'm too tired to be angry," muttered Misty, noticing Ash's expression. He watched her a little longer, but turned to Brock when he realised that the unfortunate officer needed saving.
"We'd better go now, Brock," he said, nudging his friend.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon, officer Jenny," he said.
Ash finally managed to drag Brock from the building, and Misty followed close behind.
They decided to go for a walk on the beach, after, of course, some lunch. Ash's stomach sounded like an erupting volcano, as they wandered through the town to a grassy patch, near the beach. Brock started cooking something that smelled great, while Ash and Misty set out the cloth, plates and cutlery. They chatted as they set everything out.
"I can't believe I won't be able to get a gym badge," moaned Ash. "We took so long getting here."
"I can't believe someone broke into a Pokemon Gym! It's so mean to do something like that. But for the gym leader to just leave, too…" Misty replied.
"Yeah. If I had a gym, I'd never leave. I wouldn't let thieves scare me. Besides, I wouldn't have let them take my Pokemon in the first place."
"I know you wouldn't. We've battled and beaten Team Rocket hundreds of times before, when they've tried to take Pikachu."
"Hey, thinking about it, Jesse and James haven't bothered is in a really long time," said Ash, thoughtfully.
"Lunch is ready!" called Brock, ending the conversation.
"Great! I'm starving!" cried Ash.
He leapt to his place, and started stuffing huge mouthfuls in as soon as the food was put in front of him. Brock ate a little slower, and with much better manners. But Misty ate just a couple of little mouthfuls before pushing her plate away listlessly. Ash looked up at her to check that she didn't mind, before he moved on to her lunch, too.
"Aren't you hungry, Misty?" asked Brock.
"Not really. I don't have the energy," she said with a sigh.
Ash and Brock exchanged worried looks, unnoticed by Misty, as she gazed at the sky.
The fresh wind on the beach seemed to revive Misty a little. The three of them wondered along the sands, chatting and laughing companionably. Brock and Ash decided to have a Pokemon battle, and Misty watched them quietly from the sidelines.
"Bulbasaur! I choose you!" yelled Ash, turning his cap round as he threw the Pokeball into the air. The grass-type appeared, looking happy to be out of its Pokeball, and ready for battle. Bulbasaur had always been a competitive fighter.
"In that case, I choose you, Vulpix! Go!" shouted Brock, looking more composed than Ash, but equally determined. The sleek little fox appeared, poised for battle.
"Bulbasaur! Tackle attack!" cried Ash.
"Bulba!" agreed the Pokemon, as it galloped over to Vulpix. The fire type dodged, leaping into the air.
"Vulpix! Ember attack, now!" shouted Brock.
The little creature opened its mouth and a flame leapt out at Bulbasaur, who didn't move quickly enough, and got singed. However, it was still ready for more.
"Okay! Use your vine whip!"
"Saur!" Two powerful vines extended from the bulb on the Pokemon's back, hitting Vulpix with a shocking force. Vulpix was knocked to the ground, but pushed itself up again, wincing a little.
"Flame thrower!" yelled Brock, gritting his teeth.
"Vuuuuul!" cried the little fiery creature, opening its mouth and loosing a stream of fire even more powerful than before. Bulbasaur managed to jump out of the flame just in time, and, at Ash's command, shot out sharp-edged leaves at Vulpix: razor leaf attack. This time, Vulpix couldn't get up again.
"Vulpix! Return!" cried Brock.
"Yeah! I won! I won!" yelled Ash, jumping up and down, before hugging Bulbasaur, grinning all the while.
In the fun of the walk and the battle, the friends had completely lost track of the time. The sun was already low in the sky by the time the trio reached Opal Town. Though they were all a little tired, they agreed to visit the Pokemon Gym before dinner. The gym wasn't too difficult to find. It was built on a low hill, at the end of Opal town that lay closest to the sea. It looked pretty normal from a distance, but as they got closer, Ash, Brock and Misty could see that it was really damaged.
The huge double doors were wide open. One swung a little in the breeze, but the other's hinges were so broken that it was jarred in place. The doorway of the gym was a gaping black hole. The three friends shivered in the cold air that seemed to envelop the ruined building.
"Hey! Is anyone here?" called Ash as the group entered.
"It looks like it's been this way for years," said Misty, looking around at the damp walls, torn posters and shattered plant pots, their soil spilled across the floor of the reception room. It was like that in every room. None of the light switches worked, which left the rooms in a dull, shadowy state. The stadium was especially creepy. Most of the windows were cracked and dirty, and the freezing wind blew in with an eerie whistling sound. The marks of the arena were still clear on the ground, but no one would want to battle in that place. It was hard for the trio to believe that it had been broken into only two days before.
Suddenly two shadowy figures appeared at the other side of the hall, silhouetted against the misty moonlight that poured in through the windows. The strangers laughed, and it wasn't a laugh of joy.
"Prepare for trouble!" cried a familiar feminine voice.
"And make it double!" cried another voice, masculine but just as familiar.
"To protect the world from devastation," said the woman.
"To unite all people's within our nation," added the man.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
Two spotlights clicked on, and turned to the two speakers.
"Jesse," said the girl, smiling evilly.
"James," said the other, holding a rose to his smirking lips.
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth, that's right!" cried a Meowth, jumping to the floor in front of its two companions.
"Team Rocket!" said Ash angrily, clenching his fist. "So, it was you who broke in here and took that Ditto. You're the reason for the Gym Leader's disappearance! We should have known that only Team Rocket was mean enough to do something like that!"
The sneaky pair suddenly paused, puzzled expressions crossing their faces.
"Huh? What Ditto?" asked James.
"Shut up, James!" Jesse ordered her team mate. "You twerps don't know what you're talking about!" she shouted, turning to the friends.
"You know exactly what we're talking about! Destroying a Gym Leader's home and destroying her dreams! You're disgusting!" cried Brock, in a very angry and very stern voice.
"Hey! How dare you call me disgusting!" Jesse yelled back. "It's time to teach you twerps a lesson! Go, Arbok!" She threw a Pokeball, and the snake-like Pokemon appeared, hissing furiously.
"Go, Victreebell!" called James, releasing his Pokemon. The huge plant appeared. It released a high pitched scream as it spun round and grabbed James' head in its mouth.
"Mmmphf! MMMPHFMM!" James' muffled shrieks were pitiful, as he struggled with his Pokemon, flailing his arms and legs about.
"Will you train that thing!" yelled Jesse, clenching her fist at her thrashing friend, going red with irritation and embarrassment.
"Sad," whispered Misty, her comment going unnoticed by everyone there, it was so quiet. She sank to the floor with a sigh.
"Pikachu! Use your thunderbolt!" cried Ash, full of energy.
"Pi-ka…CHUUUU!" cried the little yellow electric type, as huge bolts of electricity shot from the little red sacs on its cheeks. Team Rocket shrieked in unison, James, unfortunately, only just emerging from Victreebell's mouth in time to be severely shocked: by Pikachu's thunderbolt! They fell to the floor in a charred, crumpled heap.
"So…will you confess?" demanded Ash, walking over to his enemies, and placing a trainer-clad foot on Meowth's head.
"Confess to WHAT?" shouted Jesse with extreme annoyance, sitting up and rubbing her aching head. She glared at Ash accusingly.
"To breaking into this gym!" cried Ash, losing his patience with Team Rocket's continuous denials.
"This was a gym?" James asked, of no one in particular, looking around the hall with a bewildered expression.
"Yes!" yelled Ash, losing his temper.
"Hey, don't rip your hair out over it!" said Meowth, pulling himself away from Ash's foot. "So, what your saying is, this gym was broken into?"
"Yes," nodded Ash and Brock together.
"And what we're saying is: we didn't do it!" cried Meowth.
"Huh?"
"WE…DIDN'T…DO IT!"
"Okay, okay, you've made your point. Now get lost!" commanded Ash, pointing to the doorway.
"We're not leaving until we've got that Pikachu," replied Jesse. "Arbok! Poison sting attack!"
"Charrr-bok!" hissed the Pokemon, going in for the attack.
"Pikachu! Thunder!" yelled Ash.
"Pi-pi-ka-CHU!" The force of the hit sent Team Rocket crashing through the already broken windows.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" shrieked the evildoers as they disappeared out the window.
"I'm glad they're gone!" said Ash with a sigh.
"Me, too." agreed Brock. "But if they didn't break into this gym, who did?"
The two friends looked at each other, both hoping that the other had the answer.
Ash suddenly realised something. "Where's Misty?"
They looked around, and finally Ash spotted a curled up figure, hidden in a shadowy corner. He cried out her name as he ran over to her.
"Misty!" The shock of seeing Misty like that threw him into a daze. He stared numbly at his friend, his mind blank.
Brock ran over and looked at the young girl's expressionless face. He felt at her wrist for a heartbeat. "She's unconscious," he stated, carefully lifting her into his arms. She needed help, and fast. They walked through the halls and rooms quickly, Ash barely keeping up, wandering along in a shocked silence. They soon reached the main entrance. It was pouring with rain outside. The clouds had built up thick and fast, and now they flashed and rumbled with thunder and lightning. The buildings of the town were shadowy clumps of blackness, some three hundred metres away. The rain that soaked both the buildings and the road glinted suddenly in the split second of another flash of lightning.
"We need to get her to the hospital," cried Brock, raising his voice over the noise of the weather outside. "We have to run." He followed up his decision by taking off into the storm.
Ash paused before he ran after Brock. He paused long enough to whisper a single word.
"Misty…"