Trial by Fire

Trial by Fire

Giovanni stood at the far side of his office, gazing out the large window.  There, lay before him was his destiny.  The chance of a lifetime had presented itself in the most unusual of circumstances.  This was what would be the turning point in his master plan.

"soon, I will be anointed as the chosen one and obtain my rightful place in pokemon history"

He continued to look out onto the hundreds of houses, buildings, trees and people as they carried out their daily business.  A evil smirk crept across his face.  "these people are my destiny, they will become my ever loyal slaves."  He began to laugh maniacally, the city goers below oblivious to his presence.

*************

In his right hand, rest the hive badge.  In his left the pokeball containing the legendary bird Articuno.  Ash had wiped the floor with Bugsy's pokemon.  The battle was so seemingly unfair.  Even Bugsy's newly reunited Syther didn't stand a chance against Articuno.  Even after he had lost, he still had the biggest smile on his face, knowing that he was able to battle such a beautiful and rare pokemon.  He had promised Ash not to tell anyone of his amazing capture.  

He had never really sat down and thought about the events on that day.  It was so peculiar how he ended up with Articuno.  They hadn't even broke out into a battle.  It was like it wanted to be caught.  This was the most confusing this of all.  Also the voices he heard was starting to creep him out.  He had never told anyone about the dream he had or the strange voices that kept him awake.  What was happening to him? With every answer he got more questions.  As he shifted his weight on his bed he could feel the medallion jingle around beneath his shirt.  He carefully pulled out the chain and stared at it.  Again this was one of those questions that popped in his mind.  What was this thing? Why was Pikachu so dead set on him having this piece of metal?  What purpose did it hold, and what did the symbols mean on the outside of the object.  They were very small, and completely indecipherable.  They covered the entire surface in a very unusual pattern. 

Ash was jolted out of his train of thought by a hand touching his shoulder.  "waa! Oh……hey Mist."

She circled around the bed frame and sat on Ash's lap, with arms thrown across his neck.  "what's wrong honey?"

Ash smiled.  "you called me honey."

"yeah I did……so?"

"nothing, I just never really heard you call me that before……..its nice."

"so what were you thinking about just now?"

"ohh, I was doing some deep thinking and reflecting…."

"like what?"

"why is it a penny for your thoughts but you have to your two cents in?……..why is the alphabet in the order?…cause of that song?"

Misty sweatdropped. "this is what you think about?"

"no, just trying to be funny…"

"seriously what were you thinking about?"

"Articuno……..and…other things….."

"you're still on about that?"

"huh?"

"look, when it comes to things like that, its best not to think about it.  Maybe Articuno chose you because you're such a wonderful trainer that has amazing skill when it comes to handling pokemon."

"…….."

"Ash? You okay?"
"who are you and what have you done with Misty."

Misty lunged for Ash's armpits and started tickling him.

"HAHA stop! *GASP*"

Ash attempted to counter Misty's attack by grabbing her feet and tickling her toes.  "ya like that?! HUH!?" Misty began shaking in fits of laughter.  They both toppled off the bed and rolled along the floor.  They were about to kiss when Brock walked into the room.  "……..you just can't keep you hands off each other…..don't make me throw cold water on you guys." 

They both blushed and stood up, eyeing the bag that Brock was holding. 

"what's that?" Misty asked.

He turned the bag upside down and spilled the contents on the bed.  One after another, super potions and antidotes fell onto the covers.  "I thought I might swing by the Poke mart and pick up some supplies."  Ash crossed his arms.  "I thought it was food…"  They all sifted through the medicine and picked out some things for their own kits.  After Ash's battle with Bugsy they had spent the night at the pokemon center, after a quick explanation to Nurse Joy about her discovery of Articuno.  Ash didn't want her to pass out the second time in 3 days.  But it was Nurse joy's honor to give a room to what she called Ash, 'the greatest trainer in Johto'.  But what bothered Ash the most was that he never actually captured Articuno, it was some kind of blind luck.  At times he didn't feel he deserved to lay eyes on it.  Articuno was such a gentle and beautiful pokemon that had such destructive force.  At Shimoutee, Articuno was the first to fall, mortally wounded by Moltres.  The events of that day are still fresh in his mind as the image of the near total destruction of earth lingered in his thoughts.  That's what was bugging him more then anything.  There were no drastic weather changes or earthquakes or anything.  On the day he found Articuno he had heard on the radio from Prof oak that the three legendary birds were looking for something, but what?  Where were Moltres and Zapdos?  Again with every answer, he uncovered more questions.  Since he had been victorious in Bugsy's Gym it was time to move on to the next challenge.  They packed up and left the Center with out Nurse Joy looking knowing she would ask a million questions that Ash didn't have the answers to.  They managed to quickly leave the gates of Azalea town without causing some kind of scene.  So far the day was going exceptionally well.  Ash prayed that it would stay quiet so that he could do some desperately needed thinking.  Of course if had learned anything from his past experiences, his life was if anything, not normal.  They had yet to make it half a mile from the outskirts of the city when, off in the distance, they saw someone running towards them.  Something in Brock click as his libido fire into action, it was obvious to him that the person was indeed a woman, even though he could not clearly see.  Ash thought that it might be an early morning runner, out for some air.  As she got closer, they were able to see the distraught look on her face.  She grinded to a halt in front of them and sucked in oxygen as she tried to heal her burning lungs.  The woman hunched over as she caught her breath. Brock blushed over her fine figure and pretty face.  Before Brock could attempt to grab her hands Ash pushed him out of the way. "excuse me miss? Are you alright." 

The woman looked up to Ash with a very worried expression.  Ash jumped back as she shoved a picture in his face.  "have you seen my son!?" She said hysterically.  They all shook their heads.  The woman collapsed to the ground and sobbed.  They were all taken aback from her sudden out burst.  The tears were literally flowing from her eyes as she had sprung a leak.  All three of the young trainers tried to calm her down at once, flailing their arms at a lame attempt to make her stop crying. 

She rubbed her eyes on her sleeve and bowed to the three teens.  "I'm sorry, its just that I can't find my son. You see we were walking in the forest and I looked back and he was gone!"

She crushed the picture to her chest.  "I looked all over the place, but this isn't the first time this has happened.  But I usually always find him soon after he runs off.  Its been 2 hours and I'm ever so worried about him, all alone in that dark scary jungle."

Ash, Misty and Brock looked at each other, they automatically knew what each person was thinking.  Ash extended his hand to the woman.  "cheer up, we'll help you look for him."  The woman jumped up and wrapped her arms around the three of them. "Oh thank you!"

Misty tried to wiggle out of her death grip, but to no avail. Finally she let them go and urged them to follow her back to the forest.  They were hesitant at first, but they did say they would help.  As they made their way up the winding forest trail, the woman suddenly stopped and pointed to a clearing.  "this is where I lost track of my son, Lee."

They all turned their heads and inspected the area.  It was densely populated with trees and undergrowth, it would be very easy for somebody to get lost.  The woman suddenly bowed.  "I'm sorry, I haven't told you my name yet…..I'm Mel."  They all exchanged greetings and asked for descriptions of her son.  After a few moments there were off on the search.  Brock and Mel went off in one direction and Ash and Misty left for another direction.  

Before setting off, Brock had Zubat comb the skies to further enhance the chance of finding Lee.  Misty found this whole thing quite befuddling.  No sooner then 12 hours ago they had just finished the search for Bugsy's stolen pokemon, and now they were on a hunt for a lost child.

"it never ends!" yelled Misty as she pushed a tree branch aside.  As she stepped out the way, Ash moved aside just in time to dodge the branch from slamming him in the end.  Pikachu moved ahead off them with his ears perked up to locate Lee. 

Ash released all of his pokemon, except for Articuno.  He was hoping that the more eyes searching, meant the faster he could be on his way.  "where could have this kid have gotten off to?!" 

They entered a dense patch of forest near a mountain range.  The peak was not that high and the terrain wasn't as rugged as most mountains.  Along the cliff face, dozens of dark ominous caves where carved in the mountainside.  Ash shrugged and wiped his brow.  "where is that kid…….."

They all took a break and gathered some food, discouragements where on high as they had spent over 2 hours searching deep in a forest for a lost boy.  And Ash was worried that they would be lost themselves.  Pikachu slumped down into a patch of moss and breathed a heavy sigh.  It was unable to pick up any signs of the little boy, and it was frustrating not knowing if the boy was around and it just couldn't hear him or not.

Completely stumped, Ash was surprised to hear his pokegear ring.  He fumbled around with the buttons, still having not mastered the technology.  The screen flickered and an image of Brock appeared. 

~"hey Ash!"~

"where are you calling me from?"

~"where at Officer Jenny's outpost, we have good news! We found Lee about a half hour ago.  He ran off chasing a Rattata  and got a little lost.  But he's fine and Mel's fine so get over here so we can get on the road!"~

Ash breathed a sigh of relief, it had been the first good news he had gotten that day.  "I copy that Brock, we'll be there in about 20 minutes."

Misty slumped down on a log. "geez, we went through all that for nothing!"

Ash sat down next to her.  "aw come on, what's wrong with lending a helping hand?"

"nothing, I just wished these people would plan these things better,  we've traveled for 3 weeks and have only gone through 2 citys!"

Ash wiped the sweat from his dirty cheeks.  "so we've gotten a little sidetracked, but I'm still gonna be the worlds…" Misty cut him off.

"..greatest pokemon master, yeah I've heard it a million times." She said sarcastically. 

She reached out and yanked his hat over his eyes.  Ash jokingly pushed her off the log and laid down next to her.  They rolled around in the pine needles and threw dried up leaves at each other.  Misty quickly tackled him and assaulted him with a few kisses to his face.  Misty had found out that he was very ticklish in the nape of his neck.  She smiled and gently breathed down his back.  Ash began squirming under her, desperately trying no to laugh.  He didn't want to give Misty the pleasure of seeing him in agony. 

Their little escapade was ruined when they heard Pikachu call for them.  It was tired and hungry and wanted nothing more then to get to the pokemon center and crack open a bottle of ketchup.  The young trainers stood up and shook the dirt from their clothes.  Ash grabbed his bag and latched the pokegear back onto his wrist.  He took one step and stopped.  He whipped his head from side to side and stumbled along the forest floor.  The panic finally set in when he realized the possibility that now he was the one who was lost.  Not knowing what direction was what, he hung his head in defeat………….Misty would not be happy. 

"uh….Misty….bad news."

Having traveled with Ash for so long, Misty knew that tone of voice well.  "let me guess….we're lost….."

"But in my defense let me say that……..I……..I…….love you?" he said sheepishly.

But to Ash's sheer astonishment, she wasn't angry, nor was she vaguely upset.  Something was rotten in the heart of Johto. 

"like I said before….who are you and what have you done with Misty."

She nonchalantly walked over and pointed at his belt.  "just use Articuno to fly us out, problem solved."

Ash shrugged, thinking to himself why he had not thought of that.  He reached down to his belt and took the pokeball which held Articuno.  He looked around to make sure no one was watching but then remembered he was deep in a forest where no one could possibly spy on him.  He lobed the ball to the ground and out came the legendary bird in all its splendor.  It shook its wings and stretched its neck, still not being used to staying in a pokeball for long periods of time.  It then spotted Ash and nuzzled its large head against him.  In doing so, Ash lost his footing and toppled over right into Misty.  They were both sent crashing to the ground in a heap.  Misty looked up just in time to see Psyduck come busting out of its pokeball from within her bag. 

"doohhh, Psyduck! Get back into your pokeball!" Misty screamed.

It grabbed its head and turned around, it let out a yelp as for the first time Psyduck had laid its dopey eyes on Articuno.  Of course its expression never changed, it was amazed nonetheless.  Articuno stared at Psyduck, bobbing its head up and down, it seemed to be telling it something.  But at this time Misty was in no mood to deal with the dimwitted duck.  She bolted upright and stormed over to where Psyduck was standing.  She flung out her pokeball and glared at the water pokemon.  "Come on Psyduck, get inside!"

With amazingly quick reflexes Psyduck was able to dodge the retracting beam.  It grabbed onto its head and ran into a nearby cave.  Misty clenched her fists and ran off waving her pokeball in the air.  "PSYDUCK! Come back here!"  She went running headstrong into the darkened cavern after her rebellious pokemon.

Ash looked up to Articuno who cocked its head.  "what did you do?"

Articuno ruffled its feathers  "Aaarrrrr…."

He looked in his back pack for a flash light.  "well, I guess we should go after her."

He waved for Articuno to follow.  "come on, you can take a break from the pokeball, just don't run off. You to Pikachu"

"Aaarrrrrrr?"

"pika?"

************

"PSYDUCK!!!"

She shot her hands out in the darkness as she waited for her eyes to adjust.  She followed the soft padding of Psyducks feet and the sharp nasal tone of its voice. 

"Psy yi yi!"

She yelped as she stubbed her foot on a rock.  "fine! I'm leaving!" 

As she turned around she saw a horrible creature looming over her, "WAAA!!!"

What she didn't know was that it was Ash with the flashlight under his chin.

"you jerk! you scared me!"

Ash waved the light around the cave.  "that's the point."

"you are so dead!"

She froze as she noticed something even bigger looming behind Ash.  Misty stammered as the large shadow crept closer.  "Ash look out!"

He turned around and shone the light on Articuno.  Misty breathed a sigh of relief then smacked Ash in the head for scaring her.  The cave was very large and very dark, with large pieces of rock jutting from the ceiling.  So large in fact Articuno could stand comfortably even through it was three times the size of Ash.  They jumped as they heard Psyducks voice echo from bouncing off the cave walls, it was kinda freaky.  With the flashlight in hand they ventured further into the cave.  It was long and winding and very cold and wet.  Misty placed Togepi in her backpack and walked very close to Ash and Articuno.  They could hear water running nearby, possibly where the duck had run off.

They entered a chamber in the cave where in front of them lay 3 possible tunnels.  Ash sighed.  "it never ends…..does it?"

They were completely stumped. They all looked down each of the tunnels.  Each one was long dark and ominous.  Pikachu hopped upon Articuno's back and whispered something in its ear, although Ash didn't catch at first.  He shone his light down the central tunnel.  "okay lets go this way.."

Almost after he said it they all heard a loud fluttering sound coming from deep within the tunnel.  A huge cloud of Zubats came flying out of the opening of the cave mouth and swarmed around Ash and Misty.  As they ran around trying to get them out of their hair, Articuno let out a ice beam and froze several Zubats into one big ice ball.  Scared for their selves, the Zubat retreated from once they came.  Ash and misty slowly got up still dizzy from the bewildering attack.  Ash picked up his flashlight and looked back down the center tunnel.  "okay….lets not go that way."

Once again they all heard Psyducks voice emanating from the far right tunnel.  "PSY? PSY YI YI!!"

Misty leapt into the tunnel.  "I'm coming Psyduck!"

Ash and Articuno entered the tunnel and chased after Misty.  "Misty! We shouldn't spilt up!"

But it was to late, Misty was well out of reach.  Ash looked down and saw his flashlight being to flicker.  He smacked it a couple times but it quickly went dead, and the area around them became very, very dark. 

Ash on the other hand, had control of the situation and called out Charizard to use its tail as a lantern.  The cave tunnel completely lit up and they were able to see well in front of them.  They ran off in search of misty with Charizard in front holding its tail.  It wasn't soon before they heard Misty scream in the distance. "Misty!"  Ash jumped on Articuno's back.  "Charizard, Articuno go!"

Both of the powerful pokemon spread their wings and took flight down the narrow tunnel.  Ash had to duck so not to scrap is head against the ceiling.  They entered a huge underground chamber, even bigger then the one they were first traveling in.  The rocky ceiling rose as high as a building, in fact it was so big you could fit a entire city block.  The trail in front of them dropped down in to a large underground lake.  And hanging from the Cliffside was a very freighted Misty.  

"Ash help me!"  Charizard quickly flew down and grabbed her before she could fall into the water 100 feet below. 

Charizard dropped her to the wet ground and flew over to Ash.  Misty kissed the rocky surface and thanked the Dragon for saving her.  Once she had regained her wits she stood up and inspected Togepi who was giggling profusely, again oblivious it was seconds from plummeting to a watery grave. 

Ash and Misty embraced and turned to inspect the immense watery cavern.  There was absolutely no cave floor, just clear blue water with no end in site.  He gazed up to the ceiling where he saw a large gaping hole, and from that hole he could see the soft glow of sunlight.

"alright! A way out!"

Misty smiled but was hesitant at first.  "what about Psyduck?"

"PSY YI YI!!!!!"

Misty screamed and was almost sent flying over the edge again.  Ash grabbed her in the nick of time and hauled her back up.  Misty gazed down at the dimwitted duck who was holding its head.  Misty gritted her teeth.  "You'll have more then a headache when I'm through with you!!!"

"psy?"

She shoved her pokeball in its face and recalled it back.  She stuffed it in her backpack and took a deep breath.

"IT NEVER ENDS!!!!"

Ash covered his ears as her shrill voice resonated of the cavern walls, producing a deafening echo that rattle his bones.  Articuno and Charizard tried their best to protect their ears, but Pikachu was getting the worst of it since it possessed ultra sensitive hearing.  It soon subsided and they all glared at Misty who smiled sheepishly.

"….sorry."

Seconds later they all heard another shrill echo fill the cavern, only it chilled them to the bone.  Ash looked up to the hole in the cavern ceiling and stared at the soft glow become brighter.  He looked at Articuno who was standing straight at attention.  Its wings where deployed and it stamped its feet into the hard rocky ground.

"Articuno what is it!"  He put his hands on its chest to try and steady it.  The loud shrill cry filled the air once more and racked their ears.  Ash looked back up to the hole in the ceiling and saw the light become much brighter.  He suddenly realized what was happening.  Something inside him clicked, he didn't know how but he knew what was coming.  He knew what he had to do.

Misty felt herself be pushed aside by Ash who stepped to the edge of the cliffside.  Misty looked at him worryingly.  "what is it Ash?"

He turned to her with a very serous expression and turned his hat around.  He winked at her.  "stay low."

Before Misty could contemplate what he said, Ash leapt off the side of the cliff and plunged to the water.  Articuno acted immediately and swooping down with incredible speed caught Ash moments before slicing into the water.  Ash quickly climbed onto its back and commanded it to fly to the center of the lake.  Articuno hovered 10 feet in front of the ceiling entrance where the mysterious orange glow grew brighter.  He stood up and pointed to the gaping hole. 

"MOLTRES!!!!! COME OUT!!!"

A huge stream of fire shot out from the ceiling sending Articuno reeling back so not to be burned.  Misty looked on in shock as she watched the Titan of Fire came flying down into the cavern.  It circled around Ash and Articuno showing off its large flames flowing from its body.  Charizard quickly grabbed onto Misty and Pikachu and ducked behind a rock. 

The legendary bird of fire finally stopped showboating and hovered in front of Articuno.  The two legendary birds stared at each other, Moltres then noticed the young boy riding on its back. 

Ash held out a pokeball.  "Moltres, I am Ash Ketchum, a trainer from Pallet town, and the owner of Articuno.  I herby challenge you!"

Moltres reared back its head and lobed a fireball at Ash.  Articuno fought back using its Ice beam.  The two attacks met halfway and detonated in midair sending the two birds flying backwards.  Ash was barely able to hold on but managed to pull himself up.  He was at a bit of a disadvantage, Moltres was fire type, Articuno was ice type.  Fire is more powerful against ice.  He was going to lose unless he thought of something really quickly.  Moltres chased them all over the cavern and shot stream after stream of fire at Articuno. 

"Articuno Ice beam!"

It quickly turned around shot a icy blast at Moltres.  But to Ash's dismay it complexly missed and hit the water which froze instantly.  Again something stirred in Ash's mind as he stared at the glacier Articuno had created.  Fire may melt ice, but ice can hurt if you slam into it.

"Articuno! Dive down and freeze the lake!!"

Almost instantly after a few short blasts of Ice beam Ash had created a patch of ice the size of a baseball field and as deep as any glacier. 

"Articuno! Blizzard!!"

Articuno rose up in front of Moltres and vigorously flapped its wings sending thousands of ice crystals upon it.  That was enough of a distraction to get right above Moltres.  In a split second, Moltres and Ash connected eyes, and Moltres knew what was coming next.

"Articuno! Wing attack!"

It was to late for Moltres; slightly weakened from the blizzard it took the full blunt of Articuno's attack.  It was sent careening downward and crashed into the glacier of ice.  Snow and ice particles where sent flying into the air.  The sickening thud of Moltres slamming into the ice echoed throughout the cavern.  Misty peeked her head from behind the rock and was relieved to see Articuno flying safely with Ash on it's back.  As the cloud of snow subsided they all saw the legendary bird of fire lying limply on the be of ice.  The flames on its body where weakening as the ice began to melt around it.  Ash acted quickly and flew down to the hand-made glacier.  He jumped off Articuno's back and ran towards the fallen pokemon.

Moltres's eyes where half-open and glazed over, it was breathing shallowly and wasn't moving much.  Ash held out his pokeball and stared Moltres in the eyes.  There was a silence between them, Ash reached out with his hand and rubbed its face.  Amazingly it was very cool to the touch. 

"mmmoooolllll……"  it looked over at Articuno, who nodded its head.  Moltres breathed in deep and closed its eyes.

Ash stood up and expanded the pokeball to full size.  "Moltres……your mine…"

He threw it against its body and the magnificent legendary pokemon disappeared into confines of the pokeball.  The shaking pokeball dropped into the crater Moltres had left behind.  The light on the ball dispersed as the shaking subsided.  Ash reached down and picked it up.  He stared at it with awe and looked over to Articuno.  "Thank you, you deserve a long rest…"  He called back Articuno and looked up to where Misty, Pikachu and Charizard where shouting and cheering him on.  He looked back at the pokeball which contained the second legendary bird, he proudly thrust it into the air and did his pose.

"I caught Moltres!!!"

Misty clapped and cheered for her man as she was so proud of his accomplishment.  Charizard flew down to pick him up and brought him back to Misty and Pikachu.  They all embraced celebrated, but the nagging task of escaping the cave still lingered and cut the celebrations short. 

They where all physically and mentally exhausted and didn't feel like walking back to the entrance.  They heard another sound and saw a chunk of rock fall from where Articuno had shot an ice beam.  But what was most important was that they could see a single ray of sunlight poke through the cave wall.

With the ice having weakened the rock Charizard flew at full speed and slammed through, breaking the side of the mountain wide open.  Sunlight flooded in and they could see more mountains in the distance through the opening Charizard had created.  One by one Charizard flew them out of the cave and back down to the forest floor.  Being in a dark cave for 2 hours then entering the bright outdoors stung their eyes. 

They where dirty, tried and sore.  But what transpired just moments ago will stay in their minds forever.  Ash excitedly danced around and screamed for joy.  But once again his celebrations were cut short when he realized that they were still lost in the forest.  He breathed a long sigh and turned to Misty.  "well, lets get going…..i don't think Articuno can fly us now."

Misty wrapped her arm around his and tucked Togepi in her backpack.  "lead the way, Mr. Pokemon master."

He smiled and looked around the forest and sweatdropped when he saw a pokemon center directly behind them.

"um…..we're here!"

Unbeknownst to them they had traveled clear through the mountain and ended on the other side, cutting their travel time by 1 hour.  They ran into the building and saw Brock sitting in the lobby reading an issue of 'Pokemon Friend'. 

He nonchalantly looked up to them.  "where have you been?"

Ash collapsed into a chair and took out the pokeball containing Moltres.  "it's a looooonnnnggg story Brock…………….a long story."

To be continued

Authors Notes: wow, 4 hours of writing straight! Its midnight now and I'm really tired. But I finally finished this! HAZAH! I thought this chapter turned out pretty good, only I can't believe how long it turned out to be! I only wanted it to be 6 or 7 pages but I ended up writing 10! I hit another 5000 words! I only wanted 3000! When I get going I just can't stop! The next Part will be 'Operation RUTH-less' A girl named Ruth tries to take Ash away from Misty and keep him for herself. It'll be shorter I promise.

I have to write Road trip part 2 for A*mon's belated birthday present then I will start production on part 8.  Please review!

Also please check out 'Fathers day' and 'Heaven's already here.'