(Fuchsia Ferry)
It was a dreary day.
The sun was dim, and frequently hidden behind gray storm clouds. A light
drizzle fell from the sky onto the sea. Koga stood by the ferry's railing,
his eyes closed in deep concentration.
"Koga. I didn't expect
to see you here."
"Hello Sabrina," Koga
greeted her, without opening his eyes.
Sabrina stood beside him, leaning slightly towards
the railing.
"So. This meeting Blaine
called us all here for…do you know anything about it?"
Koga smirked at her.
"What? You mean, you
couldn't find out?"
Sabrina turned her face from him, a tiny bit
offended.
"I wouldn't use my powers
on something like that. I have more dignity than that," she muttered.
Koga chuckled and looked back at the sea. A few
minutes passed by in silence until Sabrina reminded him of her question.
Koga raised an eyebrow.
"Do I know anything
about it? No…no, I don't."
Sabrina started to say something else, but Daisy
tapped her on her shoulder.
"Like, Sabrina? What
do you want us to like, do with that thing?"
Sabrina looked over at her Alakazam that was
trying to hand the unconscious demon to Lily or Violet.
"Eww! Like, we don't
want that!"
Sabrina sighed, and noticed Koga staring at the
creature. His eyes were wide and a bead of cold sweat was falling down
his face. Sabrina walked over to Alakazam and grabbed the demon by its
neck. Walking back to him, she held it up.
"Have you seen this
before, Koga?"
Koga drew his eyes away from it and looked away.
"No. Never before in
my life."
Sabrina frowned at him and he knew she could
see right through him. It was worthless to lie to her.
"Maybe…maybe I have."
"And you know why Blaine
called us all?"
Koga shrugged.
"I'm sure Blaine has
his reasons…"
He looked straight at her.
"And I have mine."
He walked around her and went down the stairs
to the lower level. Sabrina sighed and leaned her back onto the railing.
She held her hand out and watched the small drops of rain land on it. The
Cerulean sisters stood beside her and looked out at the sea.
"I can like, see the
island!"
Sabrina turned her head and watched silently
as Cinnabar Island slowly came into view.
(Ketchum Residence, Pallet Town)
Pikachu grinned over
at Togepi as it stuffed some of Brock's pokémon food into its mouth.
"Togi! Togi-pree!" It
trilled happily.
Brock smiled.
"It sure is great to
see the little guy again…"
He looked across the table at Misty.
"And it's even better
to see you."
Misty returned the smile.
"Likewise, Brock!"
She turned to Ash, her eyes sparkling.
"And it's good to see
you, Ash!"
Ash nodded, grinning. May picked at her food
distractedly, eyeing Ash.
I've never seen him so happy…
"So, Misty dear," Ms.
Ketchum started, "you came about the barrier?"
"Yes. I saw it on the
news."
"Professor Oak left
earlier today to Valencia Island. He's meeting some other professors there
to discuss the issue. I do hope they find out what's going on."
"Oh, I see… Ash? Do
you think…that maybe Team Rocket has something to do with it? It's the
first thing that came to my mind."
Max spoke up.
"We KNOW Team Rocket
has something do with it. We saw the letters TR in the smoke on the mountain."
Delia glanced outside where Oakley was standing,
talking on his communicator. She looked away, somewhat sadly, but made
no comment.
"But it's not just them,"
Brock said. "At least, that's what Professor Oak said."
Ash frowned.
"But the professor wouldn't
tell me anything else. He knows something, Misty!"
Misty gave Ash a confused look.
"Why wouldn't he tell
you, Ash?"
"He said it was too
dangerous for me to get involved in…" Ash muttered.
She smiled alittle.
"And since when has
that ever stopped you? Now, the Ash I know wouldn't stand around here."
Ash looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"The Ash I know would've
followed Professor Oak, despite what he said."
His eyes widened.
"No, I wouldn't!"
"Yes, you would! You
know how stubborn you are, Ash!" She giggled.
Ash opened his mouth to make a comeback, but
a small slowly spread across his face.
"You know what, Misty?
You're right."
He stood up, hands clenched into fists.
"I'm going to Valencia
Island. And I'm going to find out what the professor knows."
Misty's eyes sparkled again.
"And I'm going with
you, Ash. All the way."
May looked back and forth between them, then
stood up beside Ash.
"I-I'm going too!"
Ash looked at her and smiled.
"Thanks, May!"
She smiled back. Max jumped up.
"Me too!"
They all looked at Brock.
"Valencia Island…"
A shadow fell across his face for a moment, but
he recovered quickly.
"Count me in, too."
Ms. Ketchum got up and started walking into the
kitchen.
"I'll pack you kids
something to eat for the trip!"
After she left, Ash went over to Max and knelt
down beside him.
"Max…I need you to do
me a favor."
"Okay, Ash! What is
it?" He asked eagerly.
"I need you to stay
here."
His smile fell.
"What?"
Ash placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I need you to stay.
You know that Oakley guy? He's in Team Rocket. I don't want him alone with
my mom, especially now. I need you to keep an eye on him."
Max considered this for a moment, and nodded
slowly.
"Sure thing, Ash."
"Thank you, Max. It
means a lot to me…"
Then, getting to his feet, Ash turned to the
others and grinned.
"All right! To Valencia
Island!"
Misty held up a hand.
"Not so fast, Ash."
"Huh?"
May looked at her.
"What do you mean? This
was your idea in the first place!"
"Yes. But how are we
going to get there?"
Ash facefaulted and almost fell over.
"Ohhh, I didn't think
about that…"
He thought for a moment, and then got an expression
that could almost be considered wicked.
(Oak Laboratory, Pallet Town)
Tracey smiled and hummed
to himself as he straightened the books in Professor Oak's bookcase. His
humming slowly faded as he sensed someone coming up behind him. His eyes
widened as he turned around…
"Ahh!" He yelled as
Ash grabbed his shoulders tightly and pressed him against the bookcase.
"Ash! Don't do that,
you almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry, Tracey, but
I have something very important to ask you!"
Tracey blinked.
"Uh, okay, sure, ask
away."
"Do you the number of
the guy who flies Professor Oak's helicopter?"
"Umm…" he muttered as
his eyes drifted behind Ash.
He smiled suddenly.
"Hey, Misty! Is that
you?"
"Nevermind Misty, Tracey!"
May snapped at the artist.
"Just answer the question!"
Tracey looked from Ash to May.
"Oh! Sure, I know his
number, Ash. Why do you ask?"
(Blaine's Residence, Cinnabar Island)
Gary and Whitney nodded
at the magmar that held the door open for them. They set their bags down
beside the other luggage and looked around.
"Whitney?"
"Yeah, Gary?"
"Do you think Blaine
and the others will mind that I'm here?"
Whitney smiled at him.
"Oh, I'm sure they won't
mind. Besides, this is just some gym leader conference."
"Oh, it's much more
than that."
Whitney and Gary turned around to see Blaine
standing before them, his glasses hiding his eyes…and his long wig hiding
his head. They stared at each other in an awkward silence for several minutes,
until Blaine's face cracked into a grin.
"Ha! Welcome gym leader
Whitney, to my humble abode!"
Whitney and Gary exchanged glances and nervous
smiles. Blaine smiled down at Gary.
"And you…I've seen you
before!"
Gary nodded.
"I've competed in your
gym before. My name's Gary. Gary Oak."
Blaine snapped his fingers.
"Ah! Professor Oak's
grandson! I remember now! Welcome!"
He draped his arms around their shoulders and
led them into his living room where Koga, Sabrina, and the Cerulean sisters
were seated. Blaine faced them all and waited for Gary and Whitney to sit
down. He removed his sunglasses and fixed them all with a serious expression.
"I'm sure you're wondering
why I brought you here. This is no ordinary gym leader conference."
Sabrina looked at Koga; his hands were clamped
tightly in his lap.
"I don't know if any
of you saw the news the other day, but there's something going on in Pallet
Town. Something very, very strange," Blaine continued. "But what you may
find even stranger…is that this is not the first time it's happened."
(Ivy's Laboratory, Valencia Island)
"What ARE you talking
about, Samuel?"
Professor Oak looked away from his colleagues
for a moment and sighed.
"I wish there was some
way to explain this to make it sound more believable…but you're just going
to have to trust me here, all right?"
Professors Ivy and Elm looked at each other before
looking back at Samuel.
"All right, Professor.
You have our trust."
"Professor!!"
The three turned to the door as Ash marched in,
Pikachu sitting on his shoulder. Professor Oak stood.
"Ash! What are you…"
He stopped and watched May, Brock, and Misty
trail in behind him. Ash turned to Ivy and Elm.
"I'm sorry for barging
in like this…"
Elm nodded. Ivy looked past Ash at Brock, her
eyes widening. He looked away from her.
"Ash, I told you before,
I…"
"Professor! I know what
you said. But I also know that I can't stand by and not do anything while
something weird is happening to my home. I NEED to know what's going on,
Professor. You can't keep it from me!"
Professor Oak stared at him for quite some time,
Ash staring back. No one said a word…until Samuel finally broke the silence.
"Very well then… Have
a seat, kids. I'll have to tell you all."
End of Chapter Six
