Chapter Ten
The Storm
"Oh no," said Brock. "Where have they gone?"
Suddenly they heard a slight scuffling noise from the darkness in the corner of the room. A creature lay curled in a heap.
"It's that Pokemon that was glowing before!" cried Ash.
"What, Mew?" said Beth. She strode across to the creature to look closer. Suddenly she let out a gasp, and dropped to kneel beside it. Ash and Brock quickly joined her.
"That's Mew?" asked Ash, staring at the little pink Pokemon. He let out a cry and took a step back as it suddenly moved, legs and arms drawing into its body, head joining into its stomach as it shrank into a small blob-like creature.
"No," said Beth. "Its my Ditto." She laid a comforting hand on it, and it turned and smiled tiredly at her before she took out a Pokeball and returned it to safety and rest. Ash and Brock stared at her in confusion.
"Simon broke into my gym and took Ditto. I think he used it to take on Mew's form in order to lure it here, knowing about its inquisitive nature. He knew that if it saw another Pokemon like itself, it would follow it out of curiosity. That's how he caught Mew."
"You're the gym leader of Opal Gym," said Ash. Beth nodded.
Brock frowned. "But why break in? Why didn't he just ask to borrow Ditto?"
"He realised that I knew enough about his research to know that it was dangerous. He knew I disagreed with what he was doing. I'd tried to stop him before, so breaking into my gym and ruining the place was a way of getting my Ditto, and… teaching me a lesson." She looked away from their sympathetic faces.
Ash shook himself. "Where have they gone now?"
Beth bit her lip thoughtfully. "He must be trying to get away. He'd need a boat, and there are only two beaches on this island, the one we landed on and another nearby. I'll check the other if you and Brock-"
Ash was already running for the door.
Simon laid Misty in the boat. The waves looked dangerous, but he had no choice. He had to get away from the island, before his sister and those others could find him. He still had to finish his research. He had to. There was only this final experiment to be completed. They wouldn't stop him now. Nothing would stop him.
He pushed off and jumped in at the same instant as he heard a shout behind him. That boy was running towards him. Simon turned back to the wind and rain, a fierce determination on his face, as he guided the little boat straight into the heart of the storm.
"Misty! Simon, come back! COME BACK!" Ash yelled as loud as he could over the screaming winds and lashing rain. It was pelting into his eyes, and he could barely see what he was doing as he struggled to heave the other boat into the water. As he pushed, he was suddenly grateful for Team Rocket. Simon had taken Ash's boat, so without Jesse and James and their boat, he would have been stranded. Thank his lucky stars he'd beaten them to it.
He shoved as hard as he could, but the boat was heavier than he'd expected. Suddenly someone appeared at his elbow.
"Need some help?" Brock and Ash pushed together and sent the boat nosing into the water. They jumped in.
As the little vessel dived up and over and through the rising waves, Ash looked back to the island. On the cliff that ran round and joined the beach, he saw Beth running. She was staring at Simon's boat ahead of them, an arm out, hand reaching for her brother, her other hand clutched at her heart. Tears streamed down her face with the rain as her hair blew in the raging wind. Her lips parted for a silent scream, lost to Ash's ears over the howling of the wind. Ash blinked, as his vision seemed to double for a moment, and a sense of deja vous swept over him. He shook his head.
Brock nodded grimly to Ash as he took hold of the rudder's handle, at the back of the boat. Ash nodded back, and turned his face to the storm as they flew through the gale to Misty.
Misty's eyes flew open as an icy cold wave soaked her. She gasped and lashed out for a hold on the side of the boat as she tried to figure out where she was, and what had happened. She remembered the experiment, and then she'd fainted or something, she couldn't remember…
Another wave hit her back against the side of the boat, and she cried out in surprise and pain. Then Simon realised she was awake.
"Don't worry, Misty, I'm getting us out of here. We'll be safe soon, you'll see, we'll be fine," he yelled to her over the noise of the crashing waves. His golden eyes looked determined.
Suddenly the boat creaked loudly, and the wood screamed as a giant wave tore at it. The planking in the bottom of the boat began to splinter. Misty held tighter to the side and stared wild-eyed at Simon. Then she saw something dip into view beyond him. She caught her name being shouted across the water. It was Ash and Brock, following in another boat. They were gaining on her and Simon fast.
Another huge wave came rushing towards her. With a cry, Simon threw himself on Misty to protect her, grunting with the force of the wave landing on his back.
"Simon!"
The boat lurched and Simon was thrown across to the other side. The force of it winded him, and he lay choking, trying to keep a hold on the side of the boat.
Ash gritted his teeth as Brock's steering, as well as the rolling waves, swung their boat towards Misty's. He saw her knuckles whiten as she gripped the side of the boat, and her face was panic-stricken as she stared at Simon, leaning heavily against the other side of the battered vessel. Ash cried out to her, and her terrified eyes flicked to him for a second before she looked back to Simon. Ash saw her lips move as she said something to Simon, and reached out towards him. Ash watched Simon struggle to sit up as the boat rocked about under them.
Another wave brought Ash's boat careening towards Misty and Simon. At the same time, he saw a gigantic wave begin to grow and dive towards them. Misty cried out to him. The boats were within inches of each other when it all went wrong.
Misty watched events move before her as if in slow motion. She saw the next enormous wave come crashing into the boat, saw Simon lunge to his feet, and turn to her, the eyes that had watched over her, and seen into her heart, bright and huge as he gasped for breath. She watched in horror as the boat groaned with the smack of the wave, and then, almost at exactly the same moment, the boat abruptly began to split apart and Simon was thrown over the side. His hand, the hand that had not only forced her, but also held her and comforted her only hours before, flew out to make a last grab for the boat's side before the water tore him loose and pulled him under. The person who had willed his final strength into her when she'd faltered, who'd taken the brutal force of the ocean on himself to shield her only moments before, was torn away from her before she could say a single word to him. His great gold eyes looked straight into hers for a final horrifying moment, before he disappeared under the foaming waves.
"NOOOOOOO!" Misty's scream cut through the stormy winds.
"MISTY! TAKE MY HAND!" Ash shouted as loud as he could. Brock glanced over in grim silence, struggling to keep his grip on the rudder. Misty was still staring in horror at the place where Simon had vanished under the water. Ash shouted again. "MISTY!"
Finally he caught her attention. She turned to him with tears in her eyes, a numbed look on her face. Ash shouted again. "COME ON! IF YOU DON'T HURRY, YOU'LL FALL IN TOO!"
Misty swallowed and nodded. She glanced around at the splintering boat, which was rapidly breaking into pieces, and scrambled over to the side nearest Ash. He reached out his hand to her.
Just then Misty's boat swayed in the stormy water, pulling her away from Ash. Ash leaned over the side of the boat, shouting her name with all his strength. She reached back, strain showing in every tensed muscle as she tried to grab at his hand. A sway of the waves brought their reaching hands together, and Ash gripped Misty's as hard as he could. The wind lashed at Misty's hair, while the rain plastered it to her skull, and he saw her blink through her tears. She looked up into his face, and he smiled reassuringly at her. As his hold on her tightened still more, she half-smiled back, and began to pull herself over the sinking wood towards him.
Without any warning, another huge wave crashed over Misty. Ash held on as hard as he could, but the current had caught her, and her hand began to slip through his. As he held tight onto her fingers, their gazes locked. The rain blew between them, stinging their faces, and the wind pulled at them from all directions. Misty's eyes were huge with fear and bright with tears, Ash's dark with determination. Ash felt a last cry for help run shivering from Misty's fingers, up his arm, and into his chest to tighten around his too-full heart. As quickly as the moment joined them, the storm pulled them apart.
Misty's fingers were pulled from Ash's grip. Her scream never came. Before he could even blink, she was gone.