2 Banzai Town
"I'm hungry," Ash complained for the third time in the last half hour. "How far are we from the next town?"
"Stop whining," Misty snapped.
Ash's head drooped miserably. His Pikachu, which rested on his shoulder, patted him on the head sympathetically.
It was a warm day and the sky was only dotted with a few clouds. The scenery wasn't that bad either. The path that the group walked on ran through a small forest and the trees where just beginning to blossom in the spring weather, filling the air with a sweet fragrance. He might have enjoyed the hike if his stomach hadn't started growling on him.
"Where are we going again?" he asked, looking toward Brock.
"A place called Banzai Town," Brock replied cheerfully.
"I've never heard it," Ash remarked confusedly.
Brock nodded. "It's a small town," he explained. "Its population is only thirty-nine people. It's so small that it doesn't even appear on some maps. It's just at the end of the forest."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "If it's so small, then why are we going there?"
Brock smiled. "Someone I met in the last city told me about it. You'll see when we get there."
Misty groaned. "What's the big secret?" she demanded. "We're going really out of the way to see this town. It had better be important."
"I think you'll agree with me when I say that our detour will be worth it," Brock replied with a smile.
"Pi?" Pikachu squeaked in a somewhat demanding tone.
Brock just smiled and refused to answer when he was questioned further. After a while, they stopped asking and enjoyed the peaceful afternoon excursion, the silence only being once interrupted by Ash's complaints of hunger.
Fifteen minutes later, the three of them came to the end of the forest and saw the town of Banzai. Just as Brock had told them, it was tiny. The town was composed of only fourteen scattered buildings that rested in the shadow of what could be described as either large hills or small mountains. Just a little to the west of the town was a farm, which itself was larger than the whole town. A bit beyond that was a beautiful lake, sparkling like crystal in the sunlight. It was a quaint little town.
"Wow," Ash said. "Not a bad looking place."
"Pi-pikachu," Pikachu agreed.
"Let's go," Brock said.
The town seemed empty when they first entered it. After the other cities they had been to, it was a little disconcerting to hear nothing but the chittering of birds within site of buildings. Ash half expected ghosts to pop out at them. The group went to three houses and found them all empty.
"Where is everybody?" Misty asked. "Brock, are you sure this is the right place."
"This is definitely the place," Brock replied.
In the distance, they heard the sound of children laughing.
"There," Brock said. "Someone is here."
The group followed the source of the sound to a small white house surrounded by a wooden fence. Within the fence, several young children were playing with a Chikorita. After a moment, one of them noticed the group. The young boy ran to the fence gate and climbed up onto it.
"Hey," Brock said, "can we speak to your dad?"
The child shook his head. "Daddy's not here now. He's gone to the farm."
"Is your mother here then?" Misty asked.
The boy hopped down and ran back toward the house. Halfway to it, he stopped, turned back to them and waved for them to follow. Ash pushed open the gate and the three of them followed the boy to the porch.
"Hey ma!" the boy shouted. "There are some strangers here who want to see you!"
"Don't shout, Kevin" came a reply from within the house.
A few moments later, a red-haired, middle-aged woman came through the door, wiping her hands dry in her apron. She seemed surprised when she saw Ash and the others.
"Strangers!" the boy exclaimed, pointing at them.
"Sure are," the woman said. "Go play with the others."
"Kay!"
The boy leapt from the porch and ran to his friends. The woman smiled as she watched them, then cleared her throat.
"We don't get many visitors," she said.
"No kidding," Ash said.
"Pika," Pikachu added.
The woman laughed. "When Kevin said strangers, I thought it was a joke. You're the first people from outside this town to come here in almost two years. What can I do for you?"
Brock stepped up onto the porch.
"We were wondering," he began, "is this the town where Mr. Maruyama lives?"
"Shigure?" the woman asked.
"Yeah that's the guy."
"Mr. Maruyama?" Ash repeated. "Wait! The Mr. Maruyama? He lives here?"
The woman gave Ash a suspicious look. "No," she said. "He doesn't live in this town, but it is the closest one to his home."
"Huh?" Brock said, confused. "You mean he doesn't actually live in the town?"
The woman shook her head and pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "He lives up there."
The others looked in the direction she pointed, directly at the mountain.
"If you follow the trail up the mountain for four miles, you'll come to a plateau," she explained. "That's where his house is."
"Four miles!?" Ash moaned. "We have to walk four more miles?"
"Bit of a recluse, isn't he?" Misty said.
"Recluse?" the woman repeated. "Not at all. It was the only place where he could build a house large enough to suit his needs without it standing out in contrast to the rest of the town. He has a lot of pokemon."
"I'll bet he does," Brock replied.
"Yeah," Ash added. "He's famous."
The woman gave Ash a confused look, as though he had just told her the Orange Islands had sunk into the sea.
"Famous?" she asked. "You're kidding. He never told me he was famous."
The others looked at each other in shock.
"You didn't know?" Misty asked.
The woman shook her head. "What's he famous for?"
"It's said that he's seen every pokemon known to exist," Ash said. "They had a big TV interview with him a few years ago."
"Never watch TV," the woman replied. "It rots your brain."
Ash was about to reply, but his stomach made a gurgling noise. He chuckled, embarrassed, and scratched the back of his head.
"You must be really hungry," the woman said with a motherly smile. "Why don't you come in and have something to eat before you head up the trail?"
"That sounds great," Ash said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed cheerfully.
"We don't want to impose," Misty said politely.
"Yes, we do," Ash blurted.
Misty shot Ash a fiery glare that made him jump. "We don't want to be rude!" she snarled, hitting him on the head.
The woman laughed at the slapstick. "Nonsense. I'd be the one who was rude if I let you hike up the mountain on an empty stomach. Besides, I was making lunch anyway."
After a pleasant meal, the three of them started up the trail. Despite the look of the mountain, the trail was a fairly easy hike. It winded about the mountain, finding its way to the most gradual slopes possible. Twice along the way, the trail met with a steep incline, which slowed them down a bit, but, for the most part, it wasn't too challenging.
After about an hour and a half, thick, gray clouds began to build in the sky. Ash looked at them uncomfortably.
"I think it's going to rain," he said.
"It shouldn't be too much farther," Brock pointed out. "We should come to the house any minute now."
The clouds continued to get thicker and darker for the next half hour as the three of them continued to climb the trail. The humidity increased until rain became evident. They sped up their pace until the trail leveled out and they came in sight of Mr. Maruyama's home.
The house was quite large. It was two stories tall and probably had thirty rooms. With the huge fence that ran around behind the house, it looked more like a ranch than a single home.
A loud boom of thunder shook the air around them. Startled, Misty's Togepi began to squeal fearfully. She comforted it while they approached the house. When they reached the house, Brock pressed the intercom button. After a moment of silence, he pressed the button again. There was no reply. Brock sighed.
"He must not be home," he said.
"You mean after all that, he's not even here?" Ash whined.
Another crack of thunder sounded, louder than before.
"It'll start soon," Misty noted. "We'll never get down off the mountain before the storm hits."
"Maybe we should wait here," Ash suggested.
Pikachu's ears twitched. It sniffed the air curiously. It hopped down off of Ash's shoulder and ran back down the trail towards the edge of the plateau.
"Hey!" Ash yelled. "Where are you going?"
"Pika!" it replied.
Suddenly, a Raichu came running down the trail. It stopped when it saw Pikachu.
"Pika?" Pikachu called.
"Rai," the Raichu answered, nodding.
Pikachu ran back to Ash. "Pika!" it cried happily. "Pikachu!"
Before Ash could say anything, the sound of another voice cut him off.
"What is it, Sparky?" the voice asked.
A short man with long, tied-back black hair came into view at the edge of the trail. He was wearing grubby cloths that were spattered with soil and mud, thick work gloves and a Japanese farmer's hat. He was thin faced with a short, bristly beard and appeared to be fairly strong, despite the fact that he was obviously well into his sixties, which could be gathered from the streaks of greying hair.
He strolled casually to the Raichu and repeated his question. In response, it pointed to the others waiting at the house. He looked up, raising his hat so he could see them clearly. He approached them, lowering his hat again.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a polite, but insistent tone. "And who are you?"
"I'm Ash," Ash replied, then indicated to his friends. "These are my friends, Misty and Brock. We came to meet Mr. Maruyama, but it looks like he's not home."
"I see," the man replied, removing his hat. "It appears that I arrived just in time. I am Maruyama Shigure, welcome to my home." He bowed to them.
"Really?" Ash exclaimed exuberantly. Reaching out quickly, he took Mr. Maruyama by the hand before he had completely straightened himself and shook it vigorously. "It's great to meet you, Mr. Maruyama"
"Just call me Shigure," he replied, almost dropping his hat in surprise. After a moment, he added, "You can stop shaking my hand now."
"Oh," Ash replied, withdrawing his hand and chuckling nervously.
Before another word was said, it started to rain. For a few moments, there were only a few tiny droplets, but it quickly increased into a steady shower. Shigure took a key from his pocket.
"Shall we go in?" he said, unlocking the door.
It was warm and brightly lit inside Shigure's home, giving the house a very comfortable atmosphere. The floor was covered with soft brown carpeting. One would feel right at home the moment he entered. Misty commented on the fact.
"Thank you," Shigure replied. "I do what I can to make it homey."
From another room, a Clefairy came running toward Shigure. Smiling, he bent down and scooped it up in his left arm.
"Phoebe, girl," he said sweetly, mussing her hair. "How's the day been?"
"Clefairy," Phoebe replied joyfully. "Clefairy."
"I'm glad to hear it," he said. She daintily hopped down from his arm and danced off into another room, filling the air with a sweet melody as she sang to herself.
"She's so cute," Misty said. "Where did you find her?"
"She came to me, actually," Shigure replied. "After her previous owner abandoned her, she came here."
"On her own?" Brock asked.
"Happens all the time," Shigure said. "For some reason, abandoned pokemon or mistreated ones who run away from their masters come to me from time to time. I've no idea why."
Shigure smiled, hung his hat on the coat rack and went into the same room as Phoebe, the others following.
The next room was just as cozy as the first. It had the look of a cabin, with its walls made to look like logs, a carved stone fireplace and a few couches and chairs. Over the fireplace, hung a painted portrait of Shigure sitting in a reclining chair, with Phoebe sitting in his lap and Sparky standing to the left of him.
"This is my living room," Shigure said. "Make yourselves at home while I check on someone."
Shigure walked to another door and opened it. Ash looked around him and saw an Alakazam sitting in a meditative position, concentrating on its spoon with all its power.
"Houdini," he called. "How is it going?"
"Kazam!" it replied angrily, not looking away from its spoon.
"I see," Shigure said, nodding. "Can I get you anything?"
"ZAM!" it growled.
"I'll leave you to yourself then."
Shigure quickly closed the door. Sighing, he returned to his guests.
"What's wrong with your Alakazam?" Ash asked.
"He's in a sour mood," Shigure explained. "He's been trying to increase his powers, but he seems to have hit a snag. He's been working at it for three days; doesn't seem to want any company." Looking back toward the room, he added, "He's a little temperamental, so its best to just leave him alone for now."
At that moment, a Flareon came in through a doggy door at the back of the room. Shigure bent down on his knees and petted it on the head, laughing as it rose up on its hind legs to nuzzle his face.
"Are you home, Shigure?"
Ash heard the voice, but only in his head. It echoed in his mind for a few moments after it spoke.
"I know that voice," he said.
Ash turned as the door behind him opened. He smiled as saw the other pokemon, but Mewtwo stood in the doorway with his jaw dropped like a dead fish at the sight of him.
"I'm hungry," Ash complained for the third time in the last half hour. "How far are we from the next town?"
"Stop whining," Misty snapped.
Ash's head drooped miserably. His Pikachu, which rested on his shoulder, patted him on the head sympathetically.
It was a warm day and the sky was only dotted with a few clouds. The scenery wasn't that bad either. The path that the group walked on ran through a small forest and the trees where just beginning to blossom in the spring weather, filling the air with a sweet fragrance. He might have enjoyed the hike if his stomach hadn't started growling on him.
"Where are we going again?" he asked, looking toward Brock.
"A place called Banzai Town," Brock replied cheerfully.
"I've never heard it," Ash remarked confusedly.
Brock nodded. "It's a small town," he explained. "Its population is only thirty-nine people. It's so small that it doesn't even appear on some maps. It's just at the end of the forest."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "If it's so small, then why are we going there?"
Brock smiled. "Someone I met in the last city told me about it. You'll see when we get there."
Misty groaned. "What's the big secret?" she demanded. "We're going really out of the way to see this town. It had better be important."
"I think you'll agree with me when I say that our detour will be worth it," Brock replied with a smile.
"Pi?" Pikachu squeaked in a somewhat demanding tone.
Brock just smiled and refused to answer when he was questioned further. After a while, they stopped asking and enjoyed the peaceful afternoon excursion, the silence only being once interrupted by Ash's complaints of hunger.
Fifteen minutes later, the three of them came to the end of the forest and saw the town of Banzai. Just as Brock had told them, it was tiny. The town was composed of only fourteen scattered buildings that rested in the shadow of what could be described as either large hills or small mountains. Just a little to the west of the town was a farm, which itself was larger than the whole town. A bit beyond that was a beautiful lake, sparkling like crystal in the sunlight. It was a quaint little town.
"Wow," Ash said. "Not a bad looking place."
"Pi-pikachu," Pikachu agreed.
"Let's go," Brock said.
The town seemed empty when they first entered it. After the other cities they had been to, it was a little disconcerting to hear nothing but the chittering of birds within site of buildings. Ash half expected ghosts to pop out at them. The group went to three houses and found them all empty.
"Where is everybody?" Misty asked. "Brock, are you sure this is the right place."
"This is definitely the place," Brock replied.
In the distance, they heard the sound of children laughing.
"There," Brock said. "Someone is here."
The group followed the source of the sound to a small white house surrounded by a wooden fence. Within the fence, several young children were playing with a Chikorita. After a moment, one of them noticed the group. The young boy ran to the fence gate and climbed up onto it.
"Hey," Brock said, "can we speak to your dad?"
The child shook his head. "Daddy's not here now. He's gone to the farm."
"Is your mother here then?" Misty asked.
The boy hopped down and ran back toward the house. Halfway to it, he stopped, turned back to them and waved for them to follow. Ash pushed open the gate and the three of them followed the boy to the porch.
"Hey ma!" the boy shouted. "There are some strangers here who want to see you!"
"Don't shout, Kevin" came a reply from within the house.
A few moments later, a red-haired, middle-aged woman came through the door, wiping her hands dry in her apron. She seemed surprised when she saw Ash and the others.
"Strangers!" the boy exclaimed, pointing at them.
"Sure are," the woman said. "Go play with the others."
"Kay!"
The boy leapt from the porch and ran to his friends. The woman smiled as she watched them, then cleared her throat.
"We don't get many visitors," she said.
"No kidding," Ash said.
"Pika," Pikachu added.
The woman laughed. "When Kevin said strangers, I thought it was a joke. You're the first people from outside this town to come here in almost two years. What can I do for you?"
Brock stepped up onto the porch.
"We were wondering," he began, "is this the town where Mr. Maruyama lives?"
"Shigure?" the woman asked.
"Yeah that's the guy."
"Mr. Maruyama?" Ash repeated. "Wait! The Mr. Maruyama? He lives here?"
The woman gave Ash a suspicious look. "No," she said. "He doesn't live in this town, but it is the closest one to his home."
"Huh?" Brock said, confused. "You mean he doesn't actually live in the town?"
The woman shook her head and pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "He lives up there."
The others looked in the direction she pointed, directly at the mountain.
"If you follow the trail up the mountain for four miles, you'll come to a plateau," she explained. "That's where his house is."
"Four miles!?" Ash moaned. "We have to walk four more miles?"
"Bit of a recluse, isn't he?" Misty said.
"Recluse?" the woman repeated. "Not at all. It was the only place where he could build a house large enough to suit his needs without it standing out in contrast to the rest of the town. He has a lot of pokemon."
"I'll bet he does," Brock replied.
"Yeah," Ash added. "He's famous."
The woman gave Ash a confused look, as though he had just told her the Orange Islands had sunk into the sea.
"Famous?" she asked. "You're kidding. He never told me he was famous."
The others looked at each other in shock.
"You didn't know?" Misty asked.
The woman shook her head. "What's he famous for?"
"It's said that he's seen every pokemon known to exist," Ash said. "They had a big TV interview with him a few years ago."
"Never watch TV," the woman replied. "It rots your brain."
Ash was about to reply, but his stomach made a gurgling noise. He chuckled, embarrassed, and scratched the back of his head.
"You must be really hungry," the woman said with a motherly smile. "Why don't you come in and have something to eat before you head up the trail?"
"That sounds great," Ash said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed cheerfully.
"We don't want to impose," Misty said politely.
"Yes, we do," Ash blurted.
Misty shot Ash a fiery glare that made him jump. "We don't want to be rude!" she snarled, hitting him on the head.
The woman laughed at the slapstick. "Nonsense. I'd be the one who was rude if I let you hike up the mountain on an empty stomach. Besides, I was making lunch anyway."
After a pleasant meal, the three of them started up the trail. Despite the look of the mountain, the trail was a fairly easy hike. It winded about the mountain, finding its way to the most gradual slopes possible. Twice along the way, the trail met with a steep incline, which slowed them down a bit, but, for the most part, it wasn't too challenging.
After about an hour and a half, thick, gray clouds began to build in the sky. Ash looked at them uncomfortably.
"I think it's going to rain," he said.
"It shouldn't be too much farther," Brock pointed out. "We should come to the house any minute now."
The clouds continued to get thicker and darker for the next half hour as the three of them continued to climb the trail. The humidity increased until rain became evident. They sped up their pace until the trail leveled out and they came in sight of Mr. Maruyama's home.
The house was quite large. It was two stories tall and probably had thirty rooms. With the huge fence that ran around behind the house, it looked more like a ranch than a single home.
A loud boom of thunder shook the air around them. Startled, Misty's Togepi began to squeal fearfully. She comforted it while they approached the house. When they reached the house, Brock pressed the intercom button. After a moment of silence, he pressed the button again. There was no reply. Brock sighed.
"He must not be home," he said.
"You mean after all that, he's not even here?" Ash whined.
Another crack of thunder sounded, louder than before.
"It'll start soon," Misty noted. "We'll never get down off the mountain before the storm hits."
"Maybe we should wait here," Ash suggested.
Pikachu's ears twitched. It sniffed the air curiously. It hopped down off of Ash's shoulder and ran back down the trail towards the edge of the plateau.
"Hey!" Ash yelled. "Where are you going?"
"Pika!" it replied.
Suddenly, a Raichu came running down the trail. It stopped when it saw Pikachu.
"Pika?" Pikachu called.
"Rai," the Raichu answered, nodding.
Pikachu ran back to Ash. "Pika!" it cried happily. "Pikachu!"
Before Ash could say anything, the sound of another voice cut him off.
"What is it, Sparky?" the voice asked.
A short man with long, tied-back black hair came into view at the edge of the trail. He was wearing grubby cloths that were spattered with soil and mud, thick work gloves and a Japanese farmer's hat. He was thin faced with a short, bristly beard and appeared to be fairly strong, despite the fact that he was obviously well into his sixties, which could be gathered from the streaks of greying hair.
He strolled casually to the Raichu and repeated his question. In response, it pointed to the others waiting at the house. He looked up, raising his hat so he could see them clearly. He approached them, lowering his hat again.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a polite, but insistent tone. "And who are you?"
"I'm Ash," Ash replied, then indicated to his friends. "These are my friends, Misty and Brock. We came to meet Mr. Maruyama, but it looks like he's not home."
"I see," the man replied, removing his hat. "It appears that I arrived just in time. I am Maruyama Shigure, welcome to my home." He bowed to them.
"Really?" Ash exclaimed exuberantly. Reaching out quickly, he took Mr. Maruyama by the hand before he had completely straightened himself and shook it vigorously. "It's great to meet you, Mr. Maruyama"
"Just call me Shigure," he replied, almost dropping his hat in surprise. After a moment, he added, "You can stop shaking my hand now."
"Oh," Ash replied, withdrawing his hand and chuckling nervously.
Before another word was said, it started to rain. For a few moments, there were only a few tiny droplets, but it quickly increased into a steady shower. Shigure took a key from his pocket.
"Shall we go in?" he said, unlocking the door.
It was warm and brightly lit inside Shigure's home, giving the house a very comfortable atmosphere. The floor was covered with soft brown carpeting. One would feel right at home the moment he entered. Misty commented on the fact.
"Thank you," Shigure replied. "I do what I can to make it homey."
From another room, a Clefairy came running toward Shigure. Smiling, he bent down and scooped it up in his left arm.
"Phoebe, girl," he said sweetly, mussing her hair. "How's the day been?"
"Clefairy," Phoebe replied joyfully. "Clefairy."
"I'm glad to hear it," he said. She daintily hopped down from his arm and danced off into another room, filling the air with a sweet melody as she sang to herself.
"She's so cute," Misty said. "Where did you find her?"
"She came to me, actually," Shigure replied. "After her previous owner abandoned her, she came here."
"On her own?" Brock asked.
"Happens all the time," Shigure said. "For some reason, abandoned pokemon or mistreated ones who run away from their masters come to me from time to time. I've no idea why."
Shigure smiled, hung his hat on the coat rack and went into the same room as Phoebe, the others following.
The next room was just as cozy as the first. It had the look of a cabin, with its walls made to look like logs, a carved stone fireplace and a few couches and chairs. Over the fireplace, hung a painted portrait of Shigure sitting in a reclining chair, with Phoebe sitting in his lap and Sparky standing to the left of him.
"This is my living room," Shigure said. "Make yourselves at home while I check on someone."
Shigure walked to another door and opened it. Ash looked around him and saw an Alakazam sitting in a meditative position, concentrating on its spoon with all its power.
"Houdini," he called. "How is it going?"
"Kazam!" it replied angrily, not looking away from its spoon.
"I see," Shigure said, nodding. "Can I get you anything?"
"ZAM!" it growled.
"I'll leave you to yourself then."
Shigure quickly closed the door. Sighing, he returned to his guests.
"What's wrong with your Alakazam?" Ash asked.
"He's in a sour mood," Shigure explained. "He's been trying to increase his powers, but he seems to have hit a snag. He's been working at it for three days; doesn't seem to want any company." Looking back toward the room, he added, "He's a little temperamental, so its best to just leave him alone for now."
At that moment, a Flareon came in through a doggy door at the back of the room. Shigure bent down on his knees and petted it on the head, laughing as it rose up on its hind legs to nuzzle his face.
"Are you home, Shigure?"
Ash heard the voice, but only in his head. It echoed in his mind for a few moments after it spoke.
"I know that voice," he said.
Ash turned as the door behind him opened. He smiled as saw the other pokemon, but Mewtwo stood in the doorway with his jaw dropped like a dead fish at the sight of him.