"Chapter 2: To the Island!"
Pikachu raced with lightning speed along the edge of the docks. Ash, Misty, and Brock ran close behind, not quite capable of keeping up with the speedy electric-type. They knew they had to run faster, though.
"Why is that we are always running to catch a boat?!" Misty exclaimed, looking over at Ash, as if to put the blame of their current predicament squarely on his shoulders for waking up late, again. Their boat was starting to pull away from the docks and it was going to be close as to whether or not they were going to make it this time.
"Hey, don't look at me," Ash said. "Brock was the one who had to stop and talk to that hot girl we ran into on the way here!"
"What do you mean hot?!" Misty snapped back, shooting her menacing scowl at her boyfriend.
"Uh, well, I meant," Ash started to reply nervously, "I just meant that she looked like she could use a drink of water! It sure is a warm one today!"
"Cut it out, you two," Brock said, not wanting to be the cause of one of their arguments. "You aren't an old married couple just yet. Don't worry, we'll make it."
They ran full-speed up to the end of the dock where the boat was just starting to pull away from.
"Hey, stop the boat!" Ash yelled, but his plea went unheard by anyone on the boat.
"Forget it, we're going to have to jump!" Brock said. Pikachu jumped up first onto the deck of the ship, followed by Misty and Brock. Ash was the last to jump on, barely grabbing the railing of the boat while almost falling in the water. Misty and Brock helped pull him up onboard.
"That was a close one," Misty said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Well, we made it," a relieved Ash said, as he lay on his back, once again exhausted from having to run so fast again. "So who's hungry?"
"You almost miss the boat to the most important tournament in your life and all you can think about is food?" Misty asked, a little surprised though she knew she really shouldn't be. This was Ash, after all.
"Well, yeah," Ash said. "I didn't get to have breakfast this morning."
"Figures," she said, grabbing hold of his hand and helping him to his feet. They went to find the boat's diner to grab a bite to eat and refuel.
*****
"We're almost there," Brock said. Misty and Ash rushed out to the front of the ship to see Brock pointing to a land mass just off in the distance against the early evening sky.
"Master's Island," Ash said, as he watched the imposing site of the island's twin peaks rise up from the horizon as the boat grew closer. "This is gonna be great!"
"Don't get too confident, Ash," Misty said, trying to bring him back down to earth. "You're not going to be the only Pokémon Master here."
"Yeah, but I'm still the best," he said with laugh. "Don't you think so?"
"I always will," she said smiling at him. When the boat reached the island and docked, Ash couldn't wait to get off the ship and ran down the walkway to the ground below. Misty, Brock, and Pikachu had to rush to catch up with him.
"Wait up Ash!" Misty shouted.
"Welcome to Master's Island," a woman said, greeting them all at the end of the walkway. "You must be Ash Ketchum."
"Yeah, I am!" Ash said boastfully, turning to Brock and Misty. "She must have heard about all my great accomplishments."
"Actually, I just looked at our Trainer invitee list and matched your face with your picture," she said.
"Oh," Ash said, a little disappointed.
"Please proceed to the island's Main Pokémon Center to register yourself in the tournament. It's the large building just up ahead. Good luck, Mr. Ketchum."
"Thank you, miss," Ash said. "Come on guys, let's go."
*****
"Nurse Joy!" Brock shouted just as they walked into the Pokémon Center. He immediately rushed up to the counter to see her.
"Hello, do I know you?" Nurse Joy asked.
"No, but allow me to introduce myself. I'm Brock, the man of your dreams! Hey, you must be the world's greatest Nurse Joy if you're the head nurse here at the Masters Tournament. How about later you and I go for a little--"
Brock was cut-off mid sentence by Misty dragging him away by the ear.
"Haven't done this in a long time," Misty said, pulling the love-crazy Pokémon Breeder to the other side of the Pokémon Center.
"Yeah, and it still hurts!" Brock exclaimed.
Ash shook his head and walked up to the counter to talk to Nurse Joy.
"Is this where I register for the tournament?" he asked.
"Yes, just give me your Pokédex and your letter of invitation and I'll do the rest," Nurse Joy explained. Ash handed both items over to her. She checked the invitation to make sure it was official, then deposited his Pokédex into the computer terminal.
"Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, Kanto," she read from Ash's profile. "Champion of the Orange and Hoenn Leagues. Very impressive, Ash."
"Thanks Nurse Joy," Ash said blushing. "It was nothing, really."
"Hmm, Ketchum," she continued. "Have we met before?"
"We might have," Ash said, a little puzzled by her statement. "I mean, I've probably met every Nurse Joy within a thousand-mile radius. Maybe one of your sisters or cousins told you about me."
"Perhaps," she said, turning her attention back to her duties. "How many guests with you?"
"Two right now. Three more are coming tomorrow."
Nurse joy punched up all the information into the computer's database.
"There you go, your entry into the Masters Tournament has been confirmed," she said, handing him back his Pokédex. "Now, let's get your Pokémon registered."
Ash handed over his PokéBalls and Nurse Joy put them under a scanner. The machine glowed with a blue light as it moved back and forth over the PokéBalls.
"Don't forget Pikachu," Ash said, picking up his friend and showing it to her.
"I won't," she said smiling. "What a cute little Pikachu."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said, thanking the kind nurse for her compliment. Nurse Joy showed Ash a screen with pictures of his Pokémon on it.
"Are these the Pokémon you wish to use in the tournament?" asked Nurse Joy.
"They sure are," Ash said. Nurse Joy finished entering the data into the computer and handed Ash back his PokéBalls.
"There you go, Ash," she said. "You're all set. The opening ceremonies are tomorrow. Here's a map of the island, your Masters Tournament rulebook, and hotel keys for you and your guests. Good luck, Ash."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," said Ash. He walked back over to the spot where Misty and Brock were waiting for him.
"Well, that's out of the way," he said. "Let's head to our rooms. We could all use a nice long rest for tomorrow."
"Agreed," Brock said. They exited the Pokémon Center's front doors and walked out into the Island's main street. Lights all around illuminated the island darkened by nighttime that was quickly setting in.
"Which way are the rooms?" Misty asked.
"Uh, over there," Ash said, consulting his map. He looked up from his map just in time to see the upper chest of someone running into him. Ash and the man who crashed into him both were sent falling backwards to the ground.
"Ash, are you okay?" Misty asked, as she and Brock helped the Pokémon trainer back to his feet.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Ash said, shaking it off. "Maybe this guy should watch where he's going next time."
"I could say the same to you," the man said, coming to his feet as well. Ash looked up to the man's face, as he was a few inches tall than his own 6'1" frame. The man had black hair and was clean-shaven, and looked to be quite a few years older than the 18 year-old Ash. He wore standard blue jeans with a black, leather jacket overtop of a dark blue shirt. Ash noticed the man had six PokéBalls attached to the outside of his jacket.
"So, you're a Pokémon trainer," Ash said to the mysterious man.
"Yeah, that's right," he said, still showing no sign of feeling sorry for his running over of the young man he had just met. "I've been competing in these tournaments for years, and this year will finally be my year to win it."
"Well, it's nice to meet you," Ash said, extending his hand in a sign of friendship. Ash was always the kind to try and make friends quickly, and he certainly didn't want to become an enemy of a person he just met. "Though I'm afraid I'm going to have to deny that victory for you again for another four years. I'm competing too."
"Well nice to meet you too," the man said, shaking Ash's hand and showing a little more friendliness. "We'll see about that, though. What's your name, kid?"
"I'm Ash Ketchum," said Ash. "What's your name?
"Did you say Ash Ketchum?" the man said, his eyebrow raising slightly at the sound of that name.
"Yeah, that's my name. So what's yours?"
"My name? My name is of no importance to you right now. I look forward to meeting you in battle, however. Until next we meet, Ash Ketchum."
The man said nothing more, only turned and walked away down the street, leaving Ash, Misty, and Brock wondering what in the world that was all about.
"Who was that man?" Misty asked. "He seemed like he knew you."
"I have no idea," Ash said. "I don't recall ever meeting him."
Ash's mind raced as he tried to find that man's face in his memories. Surely he must have run into him somewhere on one of his journeys. But where, and when? The answers weren't coming to him. All he had was this feeling he couldn't shake. A feeling that this man was somehow familiar to him.
"I'm sure we'll find out who is soon enough," said Ash. "Let's just get some rest for now."
They shifted their attention away from the strange man as he disappeared from their view, and they headed off in the other direction towards their hotel to turn in for the night.
Pikachu raced with lightning speed along the edge of the docks. Ash, Misty, and Brock ran close behind, not quite capable of keeping up with the speedy electric-type. They knew they had to run faster, though.
"Why is that we are always running to catch a boat?!" Misty exclaimed, looking over at Ash, as if to put the blame of their current predicament squarely on his shoulders for waking up late, again. Their boat was starting to pull away from the docks and it was going to be close as to whether or not they were going to make it this time.
"Hey, don't look at me," Ash said. "Brock was the one who had to stop and talk to that hot girl we ran into on the way here!"
"What do you mean hot?!" Misty snapped back, shooting her menacing scowl at her boyfriend.
"Uh, well, I meant," Ash started to reply nervously, "I just meant that she looked like she could use a drink of water! It sure is a warm one today!"
"Cut it out, you two," Brock said, not wanting to be the cause of one of their arguments. "You aren't an old married couple just yet. Don't worry, we'll make it."
They ran full-speed up to the end of the dock where the boat was just starting to pull away from.
"Hey, stop the boat!" Ash yelled, but his plea went unheard by anyone on the boat.
"Forget it, we're going to have to jump!" Brock said. Pikachu jumped up first onto the deck of the ship, followed by Misty and Brock. Ash was the last to jump on, barely grabbing the railing of the boat while almost falling in the water. Misty and Brock helped pull him up onboard.
"That was a close one," Misty said, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Well, we made it," a relieved Ash said, as he lay on his back, once again exhausted from having to run so fast again. "So who's hungry?"
"You almost miss the boat to the most important tournament in your life and all you can think about is food?" Misty asked, a little surprised though she knew she really shouldn't be. This was Ash, after all.
"Well, yeah," Ash said. "I didn't get to have breakfast this morning."
"Figures," she said, grabbing hold of his hand and helping him to his feet. They went to find the boat's diner to grab a bite to eat and refuel.
*****
"We're almost there," Brock said. Misty and Ash rushed out to the front of the ship to see Brock pointing to a land mass just off in the distance against the early evening sky.
"Master's Island," Ash said, as he watched the imposing site of the island's twin peaks rise up from the horizon as the boat grew closer. "This is gonna be great!"
"Don't get too confident, Ash," Misty said, trying to bring him back down to earth. "You're not going to be the only Pokémon Master here."
"Yeah, but I'm still the best," he said with laugh. "Don't you think so?"
"I always will," she said smiling at him. When the boat reached the island and docked, Ash couldn't wait to get off the ship and ran down the walkway to the ground below. Misty, Brock, and Pikachu had to rush to catch up with him.
"Wait up Ash!" Misty shouted.
"Welcome to Master's Island," a woman said, greeting them all at the end of the walkway. "You must be Ash Ketchum."
"Yeah, I am!" Ash said boastfully, turning to Brock and Misty. "She must have heard about all my great accomplishments."
"Actually, I just looked at our Trainer invitee list and matched your face with your picture," she said.
"Oh," Ash said, a little disappointed.
"Please proceed to the island's Main Pokémon Center to register yourself in the tournament. It's the large building just up ahead. Good luck, Mr. Ketchum."
"Thank you, miss," Ash said. "Come on guys, let's go."
*****
"Nurse Joy!" Brock shouted just as they walked into the Pokémon Center. He immediately rushed up to the counter to see her.
"Hello, do I know you?" Nurse Joy asked.
"No, but allow me to introduce myself. I'm Brock, the man of your dreams! Hey, you must be the world's greatest Nurse Joy if you're the head nurse here at the Masters Tournament. How about later you and I go for a little--"
Brock was cut-off mid sentence by Misty dragging him away by the ear.
"Haven't done this in a long time," Misty said, pulling the love-crazy Pokémon Breeder to the other side of the Pokémon Center.
"Yeah, and it still hurts!" Brock exclaimed.
Ash shook his head and walked up to the counter to talk to Nurse Joy.
"Is this where I register for the tournament?" he asked.
"Yes, just give me your Pokédex and your letter of invitation and I'll do the rest," Nurse Joy explained. Ash handed both items over to her. She checked the invitation to make sure it was official, then deposited his Pokédex into the computer terminal.
"Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, Kanto," she read from Ash's profile. "Champion of the Orange and Hoenn Leagues. Very impressive, Ash."
"Thanks Nurse Joy," Ash said blushing. "It was nothing, really."
"Hmm, Ketchum," she continued. "Have we met before?"
"We might have," Ash said, a little puzzled by her statement. "I mean, I've probably met every Nurse Joy within a thousand-mile radius. Maybe one of your sisters or cousins told you about me."
"Perhaps," she said, turning her attention back to her duties. "How many guests with you?"
"Two right now. Three more are coming tomorrow."
Nurse joy punched up all the information into the computer's database.
"There you go, your entry into the Masters Tournament has been confirmed," she said, handing him back his Pokédex. "Now, let's get your Pokémon registered."
Ash handed over his PokéBalls and Nurse Joy put them under a scanner. The machine glowed with a blue light as it moved back and forth over the PokéBalls.
"Don't forget Pikachu," Ash said, picking up his friend and showing it to her.
"I won't," she said smiling. "What a cute little Pikachu."
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said, thanking the kind nurse for her compliment. Nurse Joy showed Ash a screen with pictures of his Pokémon on it.
"Are these the Pokémon you wish to use in the tournament?" asked Nurse Joy.
"They sure are," Ash said. Nurse Joy finished entering the data into the computer and handed Ash back his PokéBalls.
"There you go, Ash," she said. "You're all set. The opening ceremonies are tomorrow. Here's a map of the island, your Masters Tournament rulebook, and hotel keys for you and your guests. Good luck, Ash."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy," said Ash. He walked back over to the spot where Misty and Brock were waiting for him.
"Well, that's out of the way," he said. "Let's head to our rooms. We could all use a nice long rest for tomorrow."
"Agreed," Brock said. They exited the Pokémon Center's front doors and walked out into the Island's main street. Lights all around illuminated the island darkened by nighttime that was quickly setting in.
"Which way are the rooms?" Misty asked.
"Uh, over there," Ash said, consulting his map. He looked up from his map just in time to see the upper chest of someone running into him. Ash and the man who crashed into him both were sent falling backwards to the ground.
"Ash, are you okay?" Misty asked, as she and Brock helped the Pokémon trainer back to his feet.
"Yeah, I'm alright," Ash said, shaking it off. "Maybe this guy should watch where he's going next time."
"I could say the same to you," the man said, coming to his feet as well. Ash looked up to the man's face, as he was a few inches tall than his own 6'1" frame. The man had black hair and was clean-shaven, and looked to be quite a few years older than the 18 year-old Ash. He wore standard blue jeans with a black, leather jacket overtop of a dark blue shirt. Ash noticed the man had six PokéBalls attached to the outside of his jacket.
"So, you're a Pokémon trainer," Ash said to the mysterious man.
"Yeah, that's right," he said, still showing no sign of feeling sorry for his running over of the young man he had just met. "I've been competing in these tournaments for years, and this year will finally be my year to win it."
"Well, it's nice to meet you," Ash said, extending his hand in a sign of friendship. Ash was always the kind to try and make friends quickly, and he certainly didn't want to become an enemy of a person he just met. "Though I'm afraid I'm going to have to deny that victory for you again for another four years. I'm competing too."
"Well nice to meet you too," the man said, shaking Ash's hand and showing a little more friendliness. "We'll see about that, though. What's your name, kid?"
"I'm Ash Ketchum," said Ash. "What's your name?
"Did you say Ash Ketchum?" the man said, his eyebrow raising slightly at the sound of that name.
"Yeah, that's my name. So what's yours?"
"My name? My name is of no importance to you right now. I look forward to meeting you in battle, however. Until next we meet, Ash Ketchum."
The man said nothing more, only turned and walked away down the street, leaving Ash, Misty, and Brock wondering what in the world that was all about.
"Who was that man?" Misty asked. "He seemed like he knew you."
"I have no idea," Ash said. "I don't recall ever meeting him."
Ash's mind raced as he tried to find that man's face in his memories. Surely he must have run into him somewhere on one of his journeys. But where, and when? The answers weren't coming to him. All he had was this feeling he couldn't shake. A feeling that this man was somehow familiar to him.
"I'm sure we'll find out who is soon enough," said Ash. "Let's just get some rest for now."
They shifted their attention away from the strange man as he disappeared from their view, and they headed off in the other direction towards their hotel to turn in for the night.