So, in the next chapter, the gang finds Cinnabar Island, and meets some friends from a parallel fanfic. But the eruption has left some strange aftermath, in...
Cinnabar Eruptions!
DiScLaImEr: I dO nOt OwN pOkÈmOn, BuT i Do OwN aD.
"Look, it's even smaller than it is on the map."
"Well duh. There was an eruption, and it blew the island to bits. All that's here is a Pokémon Centre, so let's go there then shift!"
"But what about the Cinnabar Laboratories?"
Ash sighed. "Alright then, Brock. We'll stop off there too. But the Centre first, OK?"
Reluctantly, Brock followed the rest of the gang into the Centre. He suddenly perked up as he saw Nurse Joy. Misty was so used to this type of thing by now, she immediately drew out her mallet and hit him.
"I didn't do anything!" Brock shrieked.
"Yeah, but you were going to."
As soon as the five-note melody was over, Brock ran up to Ash and said, "Can we go to the Laboratories now? Please? Please?"
"Yeah, sure."
As they crossed the island, an Oddish crept out of some leaves in front of them. Ad and Ash simultaneously took out their Pokédex and Adderdex, simultaneously pointed them at the Pokémon, and simultaneously got annoyed when the 'dexes refused to work.
"Come on, work! How could this thing break down?"
"Maybe the batteries ran out," suggested Misty.
Ash went mad and started screaming at her.
"Or maybe I can explain," said a voice from behind them.
They turned around, and saw a short woman wearing a white lab coat.
"My name is Professor Douglas-Fir," said the woman. Misty pulled out a laptop, and tried to remember where she had seen her before.
"I am studying the effects of the recent eruption on the island. I think it is distorting the radio and electromagnetic waves and stopping the electrons from flowing along the conducting wires."
"In English?" inquired Ash.
"It's making everything electric go beserko."
"Ah."
"I saw you in another fic, didn't I?" asked Misty.
"Yeah. That's gonna happen a lot lately. I shouldn't be too surprised."
"What Pokémon is causing this then?" questioned Brock.
"A Fire/Electric type, I should imagine," drawled Professor Douglas-Fir boredly (which is a word, because I said so), hastily adding, "If any exist."
"Is climbing the volcano really necessary?" asked an exhausted Ash to the Professor.
"It's the place where my Electro-Detector-Meter™ beeps highest. Apart from around your Pikachu, of course. Why is it always letting off sparks?"
"I don't thing it likes scientists poking it with Electro-thingamajigs."
"Well, anyway, whatever the problem is is up here. So let's go. The gang continued up the volcano without much grumbling. They were almost at the top when Professor Douglas-Fir suddenly stopped.
"Hey, that's odd. The 'meter has suddenly started bleeping faster."
"We must be near the source then."
"What if it's inside the volcano?" asked Brock.
"We'll have to split up. You and Ash can go down inside the volcano, and me, Misty and Ad will go up."
"Why do I have to go?" moaned Ash.
"Because you're dumb."
"Oh."
"Anyway, hurry up." With that, the Professor, Misty and Ad started climbing again. There was a silence.
"What do we do now?" asked Ash.
"Get into the volcano, I guess," said Brock. "Graveler, go!"
The Pokémon came out, and started boring away at the rock. After about a minute, a flood of hot air came flowing through. Brock and Ash stepped into the mountain.
"It's sure hot in here," commented Ash, using his cap as a fan. He dropped it. "NO!!! I HAD TO SEND OFFA MILLIONPOSTCARDS FOR THAT!"
"Lucky I got 14 of them," said Brock.
"My God! How many postcards did THAT take?" asked Ash.
Sheepishly, Brock said, "15. I got a Brockodex for the last one. Here it is," he said, pulling it out.
He turned it on. "I am Broxter."
Ash clouted him round the head with Pikachu, and he dropped the Brockodex.
"The crazy 'dexes thing stopped being funny with Ad and the Adderdex! Although that was pretty cool..." Ash started musing about whether he would like an Adderdex.
Brock glared at him. "Put a cork in it."
"Wow. Who would have thought this?"
This was a general remark made by Ad, as he had just seen it. He rustled around in his wing for a moment, and thought.
"Just like Slowpoke and Shellder & Mantine and Remoraid live in harmony, it seems that here, Lanturn and Slugma live in harmony. The Lanturn lives in a layer of water formed above the lava, when the water inside the lava evaporates and condenses on top. They electrocute any other water Pokémon that threaten to harm the Slugma. In return, the Slugma make sure the water keeps forming by heating the lava."
"What has happened here is that the Lanturn is trapped inside the lava, because it has hardened. So the Slugma are trying to melt the lava," proclaimed Ad wisely.
"I guess the electric signals must be from the distressing Lanturn," said Professor Douglas-Fir. "I wonder if we can help?"
"If you look up, you can see something black," said Brock.
"Wonder what it is? Perhaps it's a Pokémon. Like a Snorlax. I'll wake it up. Go, Charmander!" Charmander came out, and used Flamethrower on the lump. It slowly got smaller, and a small blue thing dropped out and fell into the lava. Ash panicked, and called out Squirtle. The Pokémon used Hydro Pump downwards. The lava cooled and set in seconds, and a lake of water formed above it. The blue thing fell in, and leaped happily about.
"What do you know? The electromagnetic waves have ceased."
"You're speaking Scinceian again. English?" said Misty sarcastically.
"The electric stuff isn't going to be beserko anymore."
"The Lanturn must be free. But the Slugma haven't reached it yet," exclaimed Misty, puzzled.
"Those idiots down there must 'a freed the Lanturn somehow," suggested Ad. "Let's check."
"Wow. It's a Lanturn," said Ash, after first checking (or do you mean, 'finding out because he's a thicko'–Ed) with the now-working Pokédex. There was a flurry of dust at the entrance. Professor Douglas-Fir, Ad and Misty came bursting in.
"The black lump up there is lava. The Slugma are melting it, but they don't know that Lanturn's safe!"
Brock thought. "Oh no! The lava will crash to the floor of the volcano and crush poor Lantern!"
Ash growled.
"Not if my name's Ash Ketchum!" And with that, he leapt downwards.
"Ash, no! You'll die!" cried Misty.
Ash held his breath as he plunged into the boiling water. He looked around, squinting. His eyeballs felt as if they were evaporating. He made out the blurry shape of a blue fish. He grabbed it, and rose to the surface. He felt the wall, trying to find a foothold. He felt a piece of floating rock. Wearily, he hauled himself onto it. He rubbed his eyes. He could see now. He had Lanturn, and was currently floating on a piece of hardened lava. A low rumble came from above him.
There was a rush of air as the block of lava flew past him. The block disintegrated as it hit the lava, throwing deadly splashes high into the air. Ash rode the island he was on up one of these giant waves. The island was tossed into the air like a matchstick, and Ash and Lanturn landed on the cliff edge. The island plunged down into the lava and snapped in two like a twig.
"My God I am so happy you're still alive!" sobbed misty as she ran up to Ash and embraced him. They stood silently hugging for a moment, and then turned to the Lanturn.
"We ought to bring it up to the pool in the summit," said Ash.
Misty quickly answered, "But how? The lava is gone from up there."
"Uh, don't look now, but I wouldn't worry about that," stated Ad alarmingly. "There's generally lava everywhere when a volcano erupts."
"Oh pants."
"JUST RUN, DRAT IT!" screamed Professor Douglas-Fir, forgetting herself in the crisis. The gang flung themselves out of the hole, and ran down the mountain accompanied by the William Tell overture. Finally, they ran into the laboratories and looked for a bunker.
"I can help," piped up a woman. Brock did as he always did, and Misty did as she always did.
"My name is Sakura. I've got a rocket somewhere; we can blast away from this island."
"Well, get on with it!" cried Ad. The gang bundled into the rocket. Sakura prodded a few buttons, helped by Professor Douglas-Fir, and the rocket shot off.
"Space, here we come!" shouted Ash. The rocket stopped. Everyone looked at Sakura, who sweatdropped.
"Fuel is expensive, you know..." Everyone facefaulted. The rocket dropped.
"We're going to hit the island!" screamed Brock. The rocket plunged down faster. It hit the water, sending four innocent Trainers flying. Surprisingly, it floated rather well. It cruised leisurely through the water, away from the chaos on Cinnabar, and bobbed over to Pallet Town.
"Thanks, Sakura," said Misty with more than a hint of irony in her voice. Sakura grinned, and rubbed the back of her neck.
"I'll be going back to check the Pokémon in the lava. It should have set by now," said Professor Douglas-Fir, waving.
"Bye!" said Ash.
And so we leave our heroes as they walk slowly into the start of the adventure all those years ago...
Like it? Review! Easy as WKL.
I do not own Professor Douglas-Fir (that is BouncyBluePenguin), or Sakura (Mr. Panda), but I still like 'em. What a opportunity for a good story, eh? I'm glad we can return to Pallet. So, in the immortal words of Marie Antoinette...
"I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't do it on purpose."
GOODNIGHT!
Those were her last words. As she boarded the guillotine, she trod on the executioner's toe; hence the odd choice.