Chapter 6: In Which They Almost Miss a Boat
"Uh..." said Ash uncomfortably. "I've got several hundred thousand (insert weird-looking p-like money symbol here)."
"Hand 'em over," said Misty.
"What, all of them?"
"Mmm... no, only about ten thousand."
"No way! This is my money, and ten thousand (insert weird p-like things) is a lot!"
"Well, we do have to buy five boat tickets. Unless you'd rather not go, in which case we'd only need four."
Ash considered.
"Two days might make the difference between beating Team Rocket and being defeated.... again." She figured that Ash, still rather upset that he hadn't beaten Team Rocket the first time, would think this was a good enough reason to give her ten thousand (insert funny looking p things). She was right.
"Okay," said Ash, handing over the money. Misty handed it to the ticket guy, who gave them their tickets.
"Hurry," he said, "you've got five minutes before the boat leaves."
Ash, Misty, Tracey, Brock, and Pikachu raced towards the pier where the boat was. When they arrived, they saw the boat pulling away and Brynna standing on the dock, looking frustrated.
"Hey, how come you're still here?" Ash asked her.
"I just got here," she replied haughtily.
"But you left way before us," said Ash. "How come you didn't get here by the time the boat left?"
"I got my bearings somewhat confused and it took me rather longer to get here than I would have liked," she said, sounding like she was about to lose her temper again.
Ash looked puzzled.
"She means she got lost," Misty said under her breath.
"Oh, she got lost?" Ash said loudly, seeming to be attempting to get himself killed.
"Yes. Shh."
Brynna glared at both of them, but didn't say anything for once.
"So... what do we do now?" asked Brock.
"I guess we wait for the next boat," said Tracey.
"NO!" yelled Misty, Ash, and Brynna.
"I paid a lot of money for those tickets-" Misty began.
"I paid most of it," Ash (who seemed to be feeling suicidal) interrupted. Luckily, Misty was too preoccupied with the problem of the boat to turn her anger on him. Instead, she continued as if she hadn't heard him.
"-and I am not giving up this easily!"
"Well, what are you going to do about it?" asked Tracey.
Misty rummaged through her backpack until she found a Pokéball with "Lapras" written on it in black permanent marker.
Brynna looked at the Pokéball, then at Misty. "You write on your pokéballs?"
"Sure. How else could I tell apart twenty-odd identical ones? By smell or something?"
Misty threw the Pokéball. "Go, Lapras!" she shouted. "OK, everyone," she added, turning to her friends, "get on the Lapras, now."
"Uh, Misty?" said Tracey.
"What?"
"Five people-"
"Pika!" interrupted Pikachu.
"Okay. Five people and a Pikachu on one Lapras not a good idea, not a good idea at all."
"Well, has anyone got a better one? No, wait, don't answer that. Just get on! The boat's getting away!"
They all piled onto the Lapras without further complaint.
"Okay, Lapras, follow that ship!" Misty told her pokémon.
"Lapras (What, with five people on my back?)" protested Lapras.
"Pika!"
"Laaaa. Lap lapras (Sorry. Five people and a Pikachu)."
"Just do it, okay?"
Lapras wearily consented.
((Insert long boring boat-chasing scene here))
After a long and boring, not to mention uncomfortable chase, five people, one Pikachu, and one exhausted Lapras finally caught up with the ship.
"Now what?" said Ash.
"Anyone got a Pokémon that can fly?" Misty asked.
"I do," offered Ash.
"You do?" Misty sounded surprised.
"Yeah, I've got a Fearow," Ash replied.
"No, you don't, you set it free last week, remember?"
"Oh. Right."
"By the way, Ash, what's the point of catching Pokémon if you're only going to let them go a few months later?"
"Stop it, you two, you're wasting time," snapped Brynna. "The ship's getting away again. I've got a Pidgeot, by the way."
"Why didn't you say so before?"
"You were arguing with Ash; you wouldn't have listened. Pidgeot, go!" Brynna said, throwing the Pokéball.
"Tell it to take us up to the deck of the ship."
"Pidgeot, take that idiot up to the deck of the ship."
The Pidgeot gripped Misty by the shoulders and flew up to the boat, where it deposited Misty in an unceremonious heap. Misty was shortly followed by Ash, Tracy, Brock, and Pikachu. Finally, Brynna (who was riding on her Pidgeot's back, looking rather smug) joined them. She hopped off of her Pidgeot, and returned the pokémon to its Pokéball.
"Lapras, return!" cried Misty. "Now let's go find our cabins."
They then proceeded to wander around for about an hour before they finally found their cabins. They all went in and sat down in an awkward silence, and stayed that way for some time.
"Well," Misty said at last, "that wasn't so bad now, was it?"
Ash, Brock, Tracy, and Brynna exchanged glances.
"Next time you have a plan, Misty, remind me not to go along with it," said Ash, who didn't seem to realize that keeping his mouth shut might have been a better option.
Misty looked confused and angry. "What? I got us on the boat, didn't I?"
The others rolled their eyes.