I don't own pokémon! Nintendo, Kids WB, Game Freak, and Creatures Inc, do. All I own here is the plot for my fics and the characters for Lupusa, Casey, and Michelle, though, how can you own people? Oh, well…they're mine here.
This has a plot! I swear…
Diving In! …To What?
By Ark9
Chapter Three
"Are we there, yet?"
Charizard stood up loudly and grunted, tossing its head to the side. Pikachu narrowed its eyes. "Kapika ka chu," Charizard won't take us, it said bluntly.
"Why not?" Ash asked.
Charizard glared at Ash. Ash realized that Charizard was probably mad at Pikachu for making him fall on his face. Frustrated, he recalled Charizard, then he turned to the water for a while before turning to face Misty.
"I guess you'll probably like this way better, anyway," he said, "but I've never asked Blastoise to do something like this. We're going to try to surf the whole way there."
"What? The whole way on one go?" Misty exclaimed.
"Yeah," he answered and unclipped Blastoise's pokéball from his belt. He loosened his grip on the pokéball to let it expand and then threw it down on the ground. It popped open and released the red mist before returning to Ash's hand. He clipped it back onto his belt and waited for it to form into his pokémon.
"Blast!" it announced when it was finished.
"Blastoise, this will be harder than what I have asked you to do before," Ash started, looking Blastoise in the eye.
"Oi!" it shouted, standing up.
"We need to get back to Palm Island. Do you remember it?"
"Bla?"
"The Coco Badge. Wait, that was a grass gym, so you didn't fight," Ash realized. "Do you remember the place where there were exeggutor everywhere?"
"Toise!" Blastoise confirmed and ran on all fours into the water. It turned around and beckoned Ash with its head.
"Alright!" Ash yelled and climbed on top of Blastoise. "You coming, Misty?" he asked.
"No," she answered. "Misty calls upon Gyridos!"
"Rrraaaaaahh!"
"Don't do-" Ash started.
Misty got on Gyridos, who loomed over Ash and Blastoise.
"-that," Ash finished.
"Da!" Gyridos grunted and Blastoise took off away from the island. Gyridos surfed slightly behind it to follow.
*************
Ash watched as wave after wave disappeared behind them, starting as a light blue-green and then disappearing into the navy depths when they were underneath.
Misty watched the approaching line of water in amazement as the sun turned it almost every shad from bright orange to a blackish blue, to an almost-clear blue with the sun directly overhead.
"Ka pi chu ka?" Are we there, yet? Pikachu asked for what must have been the millionth time in the last hour.
"Pikachu, we're still out in the middle of the water! What do you think?" Ash shouted, exasperated.
"At least Gyridos and Blastoise are still holding out!" Misty smiled happily from her perch behind Gyridos's head.
"Pichu ka chu pi pi?" How much further is it? Pikachu asked what must have been its second favorite phrase.
"We don't know any more than you do, Pikachu!" Ash finished the conversation again.
"Just be more patient, both of you!" Misty finally snapped. "If you think that you can, you could swim beside Blastoise and Gyridos."
"Ka!" No! Pikachu's eyes lit up and it flopped down on Blastoise, closing its eyes. It couldn't even keep up with a wild goldeen, let alone a blastoise or gyridos. Besides the fact that they were trained and they were in even better shape than wild ones.
Misty grinned at Ash, "Did that help?"
Ash laughed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks," he replied. "I think that it just bugs me more because I really want to get there faster, too."
"We'll be lucky if we can get there at all since Charizard won't take us," Misty replied. "Staryu and Starmie can surf fast, but not further than a few hundred meters."
"You're right," Ash said sadly. "Charizard and Pikachu. They're as stubborn as I am," he smirked.
"That's not always a bad thing," Misty smirked herself.
"I hope not!" Ash replied.
"Look! I think I see an island up ahead!" Misty shouted and pointed to a pinprick dot of an island on the horizon.
"Pika?" Really? Pikachu jumped up excitedly, raising his paws over his eyes to see through the light.
"Woo hoo!" Ash shouted. "Blastoise, full speed ahead!" Ash continued, standing up and pointing ahead to the island.
"You too, Gyridos!" Misty yelled.
"Blast!"
"Geeeeerrrr!"
"Whoa!" Ash and Misty yelled at the sudden burst of speed.
"Pika!" Pikachu joined in as it tried to brace itself to Blastoise's smooth shell but flew up into Ash.
"Careful, Pikachu," Ash laughed as he caught Pikachu and leaned into the wind to keep his balance.
Misty laughed into the wind, loving surfing, especially at that speed, especially because the target that they were surfing for was only a few meters away.
They slowed down as they reached the dock. Pikachu jumped onto the dock and immediately used its agility to relieve its cramped muscles.
Ash walked off and smiled at Blastoise, who was starting to sink due to exhaustion. "Blastoise, return!" he called, holding out its pokéball. "I owe ya!"
Misty climbed off onto the dock and recalled Gyridos. "Take a rest, Gyridos! You deserve it!"
"Chu!" Ready! Pikachu smiled and stood in front of Ash, ears and tail twitching slightly.
"Alright!" Ash shouted excitedly. "Come on!" Ash ran toward the buildings, Pikachu in front of him, and Misty following behind.
*************
"How may I help you?" an older-looking lady asked as the three ran into the registration building.
"I came here before, and then participated in the Kanto League, so I need to get re-registered," Ash explained.
"You say that you participated here before you left? There have been a lot of people who stopped for the Kanto Pokémon League," she reminded him. "Let me scan your pokédex into the computer, and then you should be fine."
"Right," he nodded. He pulled his pokédex out of its handy compartment and handed it to her.
She clicked open the pokédex and then inserted it into a slot in front of the computer. After a few beeps, she verified it and typed in the security code. "All set!" she smiled. "Good luck, Ash!"
"Thanks!" he waved and then ran out of the building.
"Pika!" it copied his wave.
"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash called.
"Pika?" What?
"Race ya to the pokémon center?" he asked.
"What about me?" Misty asked.
"You couldn't catch us if your life depended on it!" he yelled and took off towards the center, Pikachu running behind.
"Chu!" Cheap! it cried and used its agility to beat them all to the center, Ash coming in after it. Misty ran in and tried to punch Ash, but right before it hit him, something soft and pink grabbed her fist.
"Chansey!" it scolded.
"This is a pokémon hospital!" Nurse Joy agreed. "There will be no violence allowed here!"
"O-oops. S-sorry," Misty laughed nervously. Ash laughed nervously as well, realizing how close he had come to getting his head punched in.
Nurse Joy returned to behind the counter. "Is there a reason why you are here? Or did you just come to cause trouble?"
"I'm sorry," Ash said as he recomposed himself. "I wanted you to look at my pokémon. Blastoise is the only one who I know needs it, though."
"Pika!" Yea! it shouted as it jumped onto the counter.
"All right," Nurse Joy put them on a tray, Pikachu sitting in the middle of it. "You can come back for them in about an hour."
"Okay," Ash and Misty agreed.
"You know what we have to do now," Ash suggested.
"What?" Misty asked curiously.
"Get something to eat!" Ash smirked while thrusting his fist into the air.
"Oh," Misty sighed. "I should have known."
*************
"That was fun," Ash smiled as he followed Misty out of the restaurant.
"Yep," she grinned. "It's fun to eat food that didn't come in a can every once in a while."
"No kidding," Ash agreed and then ran looked around for the pokémon center. "Uh…do you remember where the pokémon center is, Misty?"
"Ash!" Misty shouted. "I'm surprised you don't ever get lost in your own backyard!"
"Hey," Ash pouted. "I've never gotten lost in my backyard. My mom keeps it too neat for that."
Misty fell over in stupidity. "And if she didn't, you would!"
"Would not!"
But before they could get caught up in another argument, an older-looking lady dressed in a beige dress stepped out from behind a building. She had coffee-brown eyes and dusty brown hair. "Are you lost?" she asked in a voice that made you think that you had met her before.
"Maybe," Ash answered warily. "Why do you ask?"
"Well…" she replied. "I have something that might interest you, if you are, but if you know where you are going…"
"What's that?" Misty asked.
"A map," the lady answered. "It's a special map that my family created." She took a paper rolled up into a scroll out of her bag and handed it to Misty. "Here," she said. "Just in case." She winked and disappeared into the shadows.
"That…was weird," Ash said slowly.
"Yeah, but let's see what is special about this map," Misty said as she unrolled the paper.
"I don't like maps." Ash glared at the map.
Misty snickered, "We can tell."
Ash sighed and walked forward. "I guess so…"
"I don't know what is special about it," Misty started. "But the map is of the city, so we shouldn't have a problem finding the pokémon center…"
*************
"We're here!" Ash shouted happily and started to run towards the pokémon center.
"Hold it!" Misty said and grabbed his collar. "I think that you have something to say, don't you?" She smirked.
Ash rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you were right. The map was a help," Ash said and then looked at the building and back at Misty. "Can we go in, now?"
Misty pushed him forward. "Sure."
Ash raced up the steps and into the building.
Misty watched him disappear in the building and put the map away before following his lead and walking into it.
"Pika!" Pikachu chirped excitedly and hugged Ash.
"Glad to see you, too," Ash laughed.
"I could say the same," a girl's voice called from across the pokémon center, startling Ash and Misty both.
Misty frowned and then smiled when she realized who it was. Navy hair curled under her ears and her bangs copied that action above her eyebrows. She wore forest-green jeans and a grey T-shirt that read "Diving" in big red letters and had little black letters written over it that read "Palm."
"Hey, Lupusa," she greeted and turned to Ash.
"Hi," Ash said, suddenly annoyed.
"What's wrong, Ash?" Misty asked.
"Why did you drop out?" Ash growled. "Did you enjoy making me look like I was there by luck?"
She frowned. "No, that's not what I wanted for it to look like at all," Lupusa replied, a little offended by his accusations. "Maybe you'll find out some day," she said. "I wasn't allowed to advance past the semi-finals according to League rules."
"What? How is that fair? Why?" Misty asked, taken aback.
"All to be learned in time," Lupusa answered, "but not now. Let me guess. Ash wants to win this league, too."
"You don't have to be psychic to know that," Misty laughed.
"Nope," Ash said. *Especially if Misty knows,* he thought and smiled to himself.
Lupusa giggled. "The next gym is on an island out that way," she said and pointed to straight out in front of the pokémon center.
"How did you know that I beat this one," Ash challenged. Then he thought about what he had said and corrected himself. "Wait. I know already," he smiled. "No fair." He realized why she had giggled, too. *That's annoying.*
"Yeah," Lupusa agreed.
The metal doors closed around the pokémon center. "It's curfew. I'm turning off the center lights. Go to sleep," Nurse Joy addressed them before disappearing behind the doors behind the counter. The lights promptly turned off and left them to find their way back to the couches.
"Chu!" Pikachu used flash and jumped onto one of the couches, lighting most of the room.
"Thanks, Pikachu!" Ash said and laid down on the couch that Pikachu was standing on.
Misty and Lupusa grinned at each other and set their sleeping bags up so that they faced each other on the one that fit in the corner and stretched both ways. As soon as Ash was ready, Pikachu ran over to light the area around Misty and Lupusa.
"Pika-cha!" Pikachu smiled at Lupusa.
"So, are you really a diver?" Misty asked.
"Yeah," Lupusa answered. "It's fun."
"My sisters and I dive," Misty suggested. "But if we mess up, we can't stop ourselves from slamming into the water and hurting ourselves."
"No," Lupusa frowned. "I can't really, either. They don't know that I'm psychic and it's best that it stays that way."
"I understand…"
Ash fell asleep hoping that they didn't get "caught up" and decide to play a prank on him while he was asleep.