Velocity
Chapter 3: A Woman's Touch
Ash whistled as he flipped through the huge wad of hundred dollar bills. He had never seen this much money in his life ever before. His companion chuckled and pulled out a pack of cigarettes.
"I told you that you were gonna kill 'em. But hopping off of the roof of a building and spinning out into the finish line? Hell, I'm surprised you didn't crash and burn right there, much less win the race." He chuckled again, the loud click of a lighter interrupting the silence of the night sky. Brock pointed the pack in Ash's direction. "You smoke?"
Ash shook his head and shoved the money into his pocket. All of the other racers had left, leaving only Ash and Brock in the quiet Cerulean Pier. "So Brock, who's Whirlpool?" Brock placed the pack back into his pocket and leaned against the car.
"Whirlpool's the leader of the racing scene here in Cerulean. One of the top five racers in all of Kanto," he explained as took a long puff from his cigarette. "Only been beaten once, and that was by Slipstream; and he barely won. Whirlpool is not someone to be taken lightly."
"Who are the other four?"
"Well, the list goes like this...Slipstream is at the top, then there's Whirlpool. I'm number three, and then Venom is behind me. The last one is Haze. Together, we're the top racers in all of Kanto."
Brock turned to Ash and tossed his cigarette away. "Well, I could spend all night yapping about rankings and crap, but you need to rest up. After all, you got your first ranked race tomorrow night." He glanced at his watch. "Whoops, make that tonight."
Brock hopped into his Falcon and turned the ignition, the engine awakening with a loud roar. "See ya, man." He waved and took off into the city, tires squealing on the asphalt. Ash waved back at the speeding vehicle and climbed into his own.
He turned the key and sped off towards home, glancing at the rising sun with a grin.
"Tyler, get down here now!" The woman brushed a stray brownish-red hair from her face and sighed. That boy never does what I tell him to do. She laughed to herself though; he really did act a lot like Ash when was his age. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the hallway.
"Tyler, stop running down those stairs before you—"she yelled before a loud thump interrupted her. She sighed and dropped the towel into the sink and strolled into the living room, laughing at the young teenager on the floor. "Before you fall down." She shook her head and stuck her hand out for the young man to grab.
He groaned and grabbed her hand, pulling himself up to his feet. Delia chuckled and dusted him off before heading back to the kitchen. "You'd better get ready, Tyler. Ash should be here soon."
Tyler's green eyes lit up at the mention of his older brother. "Ash is coming over?" Delia nodded and cleaned the rest of the breakfast dishes. "Great, then I can show him the techniques Slicer and I have been trying out! When is he gonna get here?"
His mother put the dishes away and glanced at the clock. "Well, he called while your lazy butt was still asleep this morning. He said he'd try to be here around four or five. It's about three thirty now." Tyler grinned and turned for the stairs.
"Cool, I'll go wake up Slicer," he yelled behind him as he bounded up the stairs.
"Tyler, don't run up those stairs!" Tyler yelled in reply and she heard his door slam shut. That boy will never learn, she thought to herself. She had given birth to him not too long after she had married Sam, when Ash was only ten years old.
It was good that both Tyler and Ash had a father figure in their lives, seeing as Ash's father had taken off without so much as a goodbye. Sam was a good man, and cared for Ash as if he were his own son. She glanced at the clock again; and straightened up the living room. Ash should be here any minute...
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, echoing throughout the house. Delia sighed and pulled open the door, revealing her oldest son and a small Pikachu. "Ash, look at you! You look great!" she exclaimed as he wrapped him in a hug and showered him with kisses.
Ash writhed about in his mother's smothering grip. "Geez, mom, you act like I've just come back from war or something!" Finally, he freed himself from his mother's clutches and closed the door behind him. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran a hand through his hair.
"Where's everyone else? It's kinda quiet in here," he asked as Pikachu scampered over to Delia and cooed. She chuckled and scratched the top of his head, picking the up small rodent in her arms.
"Sam should be home any minute from the lab, and Tyler's upstairs waking Slicer." She giggled and scratched under Pikachu's chin. "And how are you doing, Pikachu? Ash isn't treating you bad, I hope."
"Pika!" The mouse shook its head and dropped from her arms, scrambling into the kitchen. Ash groaned and rolled his eyes.
"He's hungry again? I just fed him before we left." He shook his head and plopped onto the nearby couch as the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the house. Delia rolled her eyes again.
"This boy never listens." She turned her head to a figure dusting the pictures in a nearby corner of the living room. "Mimey, use Invisible Wall on the entrance to the stairs, please." The figure whirled around and dropped the feather duster onto the floor.
Its face resembled a clown's, with bright red spots on its cheeks and huge white gloves adorning its hands. "Mime!" The pokemon rushed over to the other side of the room and waved its hands rapidly, chanting its name loudly. Suddenly, it stopped and strolled back over to the dropped feather duster and resumed its chores, humming to itself quietly.
As Tyler came bounding down the stairs, a loud smack filled the room as he collided with now shining wall that covered the entrance to the stairs. Delia grinned and gestured towards Mimey with her hand. "Thanks Mimey, you can take down the wall now." The pokemon replied and waved its hand behind him, causing the obstruction to dissipate into thin air.
Tyler grabbed his forehead and groaned. "What was that for, Mimey?" Delia cleared her throat, interrupting him.
"I told him to do it, Tyler. Now maybe you'll learn to stop running down the stairs, hmm?" Tyler rubbed his forehead and rolled his eyes.
"Whatever. Yo Ash, what's going on?" he said as he walked over to his older brother. They exchanged a handshake and Ash grabbed him, rustling his younger brother's light brown hair.
"You know you should listen to Mom, right kiddo? Just be glad Mimey doesn't have his vacuum cleaner." Tyler struggled in his brother's stronger grip. At only the age of thirteen, Tyler was already near Ash's height.
"Ok, ok. I'll stop running down the stupid stairs." Ash chuckled and released him, leaving Tyler to try and repair the damage done to his hairstyle. "Where's Pikachu?" Ash shrugged and pointed towards the kitchen.
"As soon as he got here, he took off into the kitchen. Probably trying to find a way into Mom's ketchup stash. Where's Slicer?" Tyler grinned and started to push Ash out of the door.
"He's outside in the backyard. We're gonna show you some of the new techniques we made. We'll be back in a little while, Mom!" he hollered behind his back as he shoved Ash out the back door and slammed it behind them.
Delia chuckled to herself again and sat on the couch, flipping on the television. "It's always pokemon with that boy."
"Ok, Ash you watching?" Tyler yelled across the grassy plain. Ash nodded and sat on the soft grass, enjoying the light breeze that blew through and observed his younger brother.
"All right! Ok Slicer, Mirage Slash!" The small green pokemon growled as it folded its bladed arms across its chest and crouched. Suddenly, the creature split into five other identical copies, and they all leapt into the air, the setting sun giving the Scythers a majestic glow in the dimming sky. "Attack!"
Instantly, they all rushed towards the ground and sped towards a tree that sat in the middle of the large plain. All of the copies blurred as they sped past the tree, swinging their bladed arms each time they made another pass. After almost two minutes, the creatures leapt back and merged into one pokemon again.
Ash laughed to himself and called out to Tyler. "Uh, Tyler...that was really cool looking and all, but maybe you should get him to work on his aim. It looks like he missed every attack!" His younger brother simply folded his arms and blew a stray hair out of his eye with an upturned lip.
"Sure about that?" Ash stared, puzzled by his brother's confidence. He turned back to the tree and nearly fell over. The large plant was cleaved in almost eight different places. What remained of the tree was lying in a large pile of wood in the middle of the plain. Ash whistled and glanced back over at his smiling brother.
"Wow...how'd you do that?" he inquired as he strolled over to him.
"Well, what we did was combine two of Slicer's most effective attacks, Double Team and Slash. We use the copies to run past the target and fake like they're slashing. All the while the enemy's confused, Slicer just attacks, bounces back just like the other copies and attacks again. He can get up to nine slashes before he gets too tired out, but we're training to extend it to at least twelve."
Ash was surprised. He had heard that Tyler was a skilled pokemon trainer, but this just blew past all of his expectations. "Kid, I wish I had that kind of talent when I tried to go on a pokemon journey."
Tyler scratched the back of his head and laughed. "Yeah, I heard it took two months for Pikachu to just stop electrocuting you, much less like you." Ash laughed and glanced at his small partner and patted his head.
"Yeah, it did take a while for him to come around, but he finally did, huh buddy?" Pikachu nodded and sent a wave of electricity surging through his body, leaving a slightly smoking Ash. "Hilarious, Pikachu," he growled as Tyler and Slicer collapsed to the ground, laughing.
"So Ash; how's the case going?"
The family had settled into the dining room, eagerly feasting on a dinner cooked by Sam. Ash nodded as he handed Pikachu a bowl of pokemon food and settled into his own seat.
"Well, we're nearly at the point of prosecuting this guy. Apparently he was the leader of some crime syndicate called Team Rocket. It wasn't too hard to find incriminating evidence on him. He'll be getting his sentence sometime next week."
Delia's eyes lit up as she forked another piece of steak into her mouth. "Well that's good. It's good to know you're doing something to make the world a better place, honey." She nudged Tyler, and grinned. "You could learn quite a bit from your brother, Tyler."
Tyler rolled his eyes and placed another morsel of food into his mouth. "Sorry Mom, but I'm gonna be a trainer as soon as I get outta here. Just a few more months and I can get my trainer's license. Then me and Slicer are gonna be Pokemon Masters, right Slicer?" The Scyther that was sitting in the corner with Pikachu raised its bladed arm in agreement.
Tyler grinned and took a bite from his meal. "You sound like I did when I was your age, kiddo." Ash glanced at his watch and snapped his fingers at Pikachu. "Well, it's getting late. Thanks for the delicious dinner, Sam." Sam nodded and took a sip of soda.
"Anytime, Ash. Glad to have you over." Delia hugged her older son and walked him to the door.
"You be careful, ok honey? There are lots of lunatics out on the road this late at night." Ash chuckled nervously and scratched the back of his head as he opened the door.
"Yeah, sure Mom. I'll talk to you guys later. See ya," he said behind his back. As he and Pikachu climbed into his car and he turned the ignition, Ash turned to his small rodent friend and smirked. "Well, Pikachu, I won't be able to take you home and make to the piers in time, so it looks like I'll take you with me. "
"Pikachu!" The pokemon chirped happily as Ash pulled out from the drive of his mother's home and sped off towards Cerulean City.
"Come on now, Venom. A bet's a bet. You gotta pay up," Brock taunted as he held his hand out in front of a scowling Venom. "Do I have to call you by your real name, Jessie?" Venom's scowl darkened even more, almost scaring the large bronze racer from her expression.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she reached into her back pocket and viciously slapped a wad of bills into Brock's palm. "It was just dumb luck that the rookie won. Who the hell drives on rooftops and survives?" Brock smirked and flipped through the wad of money.
"Obviously, the rookie does. Don't worry, Venom. Maybe Haze'll win you your money back when he races Whirlpool tonight." Venom rolled her eyes and turned to leave.
"Oh, he'll beat Whirlpool, and then he'll be ranked ahead of your sorry ass, Landslide. See ya round." She began to walk off before being cut off by a large yellow car that came screaming into the pier.
A Pikachu chattered angrily and pointed its little paw at the driver, who yelled right back at. A long red line was visible over its forehead as small charges of electricity surged from the splotches on its cheeks. "Maybe if you didn't squirt ketchup over the freaking dashboard, the CD player wouldn't have malfunctioned and the disc wouldn't have ejected into your face!"
"Chu, Pikachu, Pika, ka chu!" The mouse retorted as the driver turned the ignition off and began to climb out of the car.
"It's not my fault the pothole caused you to squeeze your bottle too hard! It was like, three feet wide, and I've told you a thousand times not to eat in the car! You stay in here and be quiet. I'll be right back." The Pikachu huffed and turned towards the window, scowling.
Ash climbed out of the car and nearly slammed into Venom before apologizing. "Oh sorry, uh...Poison was it?" Venom rolled her eyes and shoved her shoulder into him before walking off.
"Outta my way, twerp." Ash stared for a moment before receiving a hearty slap on the back by Brock. He coughed for a moment, taken by complete surprise by the rough greeting from his large friend.
"What's her problem?" he choked out as he took a deep breath.
"She's just a little upset over a bet she made, that's all. She's famous for her ridiculously short temper. How do you think she got the name Venom?" Ash shrugged.
"Well, when does my race start? I hurried over here as soon I could."
"Nah, Haze is challenging Whirlpool, so you're gonna have to wait until they race first. Then it's probably gonna be your turn." Ash looked disappointed as he headed to the car and sat back in the seat.
"Damn it. I rushed all the way over here from Pallet and I didn't even have to? Just my luck. Where's Gary?" Brock shrugged and strolled over to the other side of the car.
"I think he's headed over to Hoenn for a little while...checking out the competition over there." He stopped and opened the passenger door, only to stare at the small scowling Pikachu that sat in the seat.
Ash's eyes opened wide. "Brock, move out of the way before-" he was too late as Brock reached over to grab the rodent out of the seat. Ash turned and covered his eyes, awaiting the huge blast of electricity that was sure to come. Moments passed, and slowly, Ash turned his head and nearly fell out of the car.
Pikachu was sitting in Brock's lap, playing with him; much to Ash's surprise. "How in the-? Why is he not shocking you? He doesn't like anyone at first; hell, it took him four months to like me!"
Brock smiled as he scratched Pikachu's head. "Well, I've always had a special connection with pokemon. I haven't met one that hasn't liked me yet. This one's kinda cool. He's got a little attitude, like he's a human or something." Brock opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by a loud whine in the distance.
"What is that?" Brock turned to Ash and handed Pikachu to him.
"Come on, and I'll show you," he replied as he gestured for him to follow. Ash glanced at Pikachu, and allowed him to scamper onto his shoulder.
"Well Pikachu, let's go see what the fuss is all about." Pikachu chirped in agreement as they followed Brock through the gathering crowd in the pier. Brock grabbed Ash's arm and yanked him through the crowd and pointed.
"Allow me introduce you to Whirlpool," he said with a grin.
Ash glanced over at the purple haired racer who was standing by his car, who was obviously Haze. But it was his opponent who completely surprised him. A figure clad in a bright blue one-piece racing outfit was attaching his gloves, and stepping over to his vehicle. Ash had never seen anything like it; Whirlpool raced with a motorcycle. But not just any motorcycle; it was a Suzuka Shuriken, a motorcycle that rivaled the Rapidash in terms of pure power and speed.
The vehicle was a glimmering ocean blue, with large chrome wheels that blinded the crowd around it. The engine whined loudly, almost drowning out the excited chatter of the racers that surrounded the two competitors.
The racer's head was covered by a large helmet, obscuring his facial features from the crowd around him. Whirlpool pointed at Haze; then down the long straightaway that Ash had sped down the previous night. Haze nodded and climbed into his own car and brought the motor to life, and sped off down the strip, Whirlpool following close behind.
"They're racing already?" Brock shook his head.
"Nah, they're gonna drag down to the finish line. The starting point's gonna be at the beginning of that alley. It's probably about half, maybe three-quarters of a mile." He sighed and chuckled to himself. "Poor Haze, he's got no idea what he's getting into. Whirlpool's gonna smoke him."
The crowd began to disperse and separate onto opposite sides of the empty street as Brock explained.
"But he's in a motorcycle. That's not exactly safe. Why doesn't he use a car?" Brock shrugged.
"Got a car, but hardly ever uses it. Prefers the bike more. Keeps insisting about how a bike's got more style. Now watch. The race is about to start." Ash nodded and cast his gaze down the long drag strip and kept his eyes locked on the racer clad in blue.
Suddenly, in a squeal of tires, both vehicles shot from the line, and sped towards the finish line. Haze's car steadily began to pull away from the bike, creating more distance between the two machines as they sprinted towards the finish line.
"It looks like Haze is gonna win." Brock shook his head and smirked.
"Please. I can tell from the sound of Haze's engine that he's about to redline. Whirlpool's not even on the fourth gear yet." Almost as soon as he said that, the bike's engine suddenly roared to life and blasted past Haze's car and blew across the finish line.
The crowd erupted into cheers as the bike slowed down and Whirlpool hopped off. Ash could see Haze slamming his fist into the steering wheel in anger as his own car crossed the line and pulled next to a large purple vehicle.
"What'd I tell you?" Brock said as he led Ash and Pikachu towards the victor as Haze climbed out of his car and reached into his back pocket. Whirlpool simply raised his hand and gestured for Haze to fork over his winnings.
The young man grumbled as he flipped through his money and handed Whirlpool a large was of dollar bills. "There. Twenty grand. I swear, Whirlpool, I'll beat you one of these days."
Ash could hear a soft chuckle from inside the large blue helmet. "Maybe next time you'll think before challenging me, Haze. Have a nice day." Haze growled and turned to leave, jumping into his car and speeding off into the night.
Brock laughed and walked up to him ash the racer shoved the money in his pocket. "You didn't have to do him that badly, Whirlpool. He thought he had won for a second. Show some compassion," he mocked as they shook hands.
"Compassion is for losers, Landslide. Hang on; I gotta take this helmet off. I'm sweating like a dog in this outfit." Whirlpool grabbed the large helmet and slid it off slowly, and what Ash saw almost made him collapse for the second time that night.
Long blazing red hair swirled from the inside of the helmet, whipping across a beautiful face adorned with turquoise eyes. Ash examined her body, a drop dead physique that most supermodels would envy. Ash's jaw dropped.
"Whirlpool's a GIRL?" he exclaimed loudly. "I thought you said Whirlpool was a guy, Brock!" Brock chuckled.
"I never said Whirlpool was a guy, you just assumed that she was. Obviously, you thought wrong," he answered. Ash nearly collapsed from the bombshell that just dropped on him. He didn't know what surprised him more, the fact that Whirlpool was a woman; or the fact that she was a very good looking woman.
Her eyes narrowed as she pointed at Ash. "Who's this guy?" Brock slapped his forehead and shoved Ash closer to her.
"This is Ash, Whirlpool. I found him two days ago; the kid's got some real skills. He's a little rough around the edges, but with a little practice he'll be dominating in no time." Whirlpool raised her eyebrow and looked him up and down, inspecting him.
"You sure about that? He sure doesn't look like much."
"Neither do you, but you dominate almost every night, correct?" Brock retorted. Whirlpool glared at him for a second before breaking out into a smirk. She placed her helmet onto the handlebars of her bike and pointed at Ash.
"Alrighty, Landslide. Since you like him so much, he can go first. Let's see what you can do." Brock chuckled and gave a thumbs-up to her.
"Prepare to be amazed." Whirlpool rolled her eyes and headed to the starting line, leaving Ash and his companion by her bike. "Well, you ready? It's your first ranked race, so don't screw it up. Remember; just let the driving come naturally."
Ash sighed and headed towards his car, Brock right behind him. "Ok, this is it. Time for me to show what I can do." He glanced at Pikachu on his shoulder and smiled. "Looks like we're going for a ride, buddy.
The cheers and jeers of the crown surrounded Ash and the other three racers as they pulled up to the line, engines humming quietly. He flexed his fingers and gripped the steering wheel again, smiling nervously at Pikachu, who sat in the passenger seat beside him. He could feel his heart start to pound rapidly from the adrenaline that was surging throughout his veins.
He took a deep breath and raised the windows, muffling the surrounding crowd outside. Casey, the young woman who started them off last time, approached the starting line and raised her hands. All of the engines roared to life as they prepared for the race that awaited them.
As Casey began to bring down her hands, she suddenly stopped in mid-air. The cars jerked forward then stopped viciously with a loud screech. Ash could hear the random curses from the crowd as her opened wide with disbelief. Soon, small flashes of light began to flare from behind them...everyone in the crowd knew what was going on except for Ash, but Casey was about to make it all too clear.
"COPS!" she screamed, as Ash's eyes widened with horror. In a flash, the whole crowd dispersed, frantically scurrying around like cockroaches, heading to cars, not even bothering to close their trunks or turn off their music as all of the engines roared to life, sounding like mystical beast awaking from its slumber.
"Holy shit!" Ash yelled frantically as he threw the car in reverse and slammed on the gas, backing up to a nearby alley that he could use as an escape. Suddenly, a loud, sickening crunch broke through the pandemonium as Ash's car lurched upwards and slammed back onto the ground, followed by a long string of random curses and obscenities.
He braked viciously, and almost collapsed at what lay in front of him. There, lying in a wrecked heap on the concrete was a now-dull blue motorcycle. Ash's heart leapt into his throat as he the realization that he had just ran over Whirlpool's prized motorcycle slammed into him like a ton of bricks.
"Oh no. You gotta be frickin' kidding me!" Ash yelled as he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. The passenger door swung open, and Ash was praying to the good Lord that it wasn't who he thought it was.
Unfortunately, God decided to screw Ash over that day as a raging Whirlpool leapt into the car and began viciously cursing him. "You ran over my damn bike! Do you have any idea how much that costs?"
Ash was a pretty good sized young man, and this young woman was only about half his size, yet she was making him cringe in his car seat like a scared child. Ash shook his head sheepishly, not having any idea and not wanting to know, either.
"Twenty-six thousand, eight hundred, sixty-three dollars and nineteen cents!" she roared at him before being cut off by a car pulling in front of them.
"You are participating in illegal street racing. Please step out of the car and put your hands up immediately," the loudspeaker droned from the squad car, almost being drowned out by the wailing siren.
Ash, Whirlpool, and even Pikachu, who was shoved into the backseat, stared at the car for a moment as a spotlight shone on them inside the car. "Brock says you can drive; so drive!" Ash snapped his head towards her in disbelief.
"I can't run from the cops!" He opened his mouth to say more but Whirlpool's foot ended the conversation as it slammed onto the accelerator, sending the car screaming backwards into the ally behind them. Ash and Whirlpool were thrown forward from the sudden burst of speed, and soon Ash grabbed the steering wheel and glanced into the rearview mirror.
"Are you crazy, lady? We can't run from the police!" She stared at him angrily.
"Oh, so you'd rather be arrested?"
"Well, no but-"
"Then shut up and drive the damn car!"
The squad car that was in front of them pulled into the alley and gave chase, the sirens blaring and the light flashing off the metal walls of the warehouses. Ash looked behind him and saw that the alley was ending, but he couldn't drive backwards the entire time.
Out of the blue, an idea hit him. He remembered that while he was playing a racing game on his Playstation 2, the handbrake button would let the car do some psychotic turns. Please let this work, he prayed silently as hind gripped the handbrake.
As the car screamed out of the alley, Ash slammed his foot on the brake and pulled up on the emergency brake. He spun the steering wheel to the right, causing the vehicle to rotate viciously in a 180 degree turn before throwing the handbrake back down, and accelerating down the long empty street that led out of the Cerulean Pier.
Pikachu flew out from the backseat and slammed into the dashboard, switching on the CD player, causing DJ Dan's "Accelerate" to flood the car.
The car rocketed down the straightaway, the squad car following close behind. "Fancy driving, hotshot, but the cop is still on our ass!" she criticized, as Ash tried to ignore her and concentrate on his driving. Pikachu muttered angrily and stood up to let loose a bolt of electricity before Ash turned again, throwing Pikachu back into the backseat.
Whoever the cop was, he was good. Every move that Ash tried, the cop mimicked perfectly. The cars sped through the streets of the city as Ash swerved to the left and turned onto another main street, his pursuer close behind.
Spotting a small side street, he veered to the right, his tires squealing on the pavement, and sped down the narrow alley before he braked. For the second time, Ash had turned into a dead end.
"Nice job. Out of all the streets in Cerulean City, you had to pick the one that has a DEAD END!" Whirlpool yelled at him. Ash growled loudly and turned to her.
"Hey, here's an idea. How about you shut up and let me drive!" Whirlpool opened her mouth to give a mouthy comeback, was stopped as the cop pulled into the street and stopped at the entrance.
Ash looked around the street, seeing if he could come up with any ideas. Like a bolt of lightning, one entered his head as he grabbed his seatbelt and clicked it into place. "Put your seatbelts on."
"What the hell are you-,"
"Just do it, okay?" he yelled at her, and turned to the mouse in the back seat. "Pikachu, get up here and buckle up with her." Pikachu nodded and leapt into the lap of Whirlpool as she clicked their seatbelt on also. Ash revved the engine loudly and gripped the steering wheel hard. "Hang on."
Without warning, Ash slammed onto the gas, accelerating the car to insane speeds as he headed towards the police car. The cop did the same and began rocketing down the street, both vehicles on a collision course with each other.
Ash smirked and shifted. The car groaned and leaned forward, picking up even more speed. "Let's see how good you really are," he said as shifted again to the fifth and final gear. The speedometer and tachometer maxed out, the needles bouncing against the edge of their respective gauges fiercely.
The world blurred together, until all he could see was the road and his opponent heading straight for him. "Uh, you are going to turn, right?" Misty asked. Ash didn't reply, focusing only on the dangerous game of chicken that the cop and he were playing.
Both cars waited until they were mere inches from each other before turning to opposite sides of the road. Time seemed to slow down as Ash glanced to his left, wanting to see who this cocky cop was. Ash nearly stopped driving. The man in the cop car resembled him closely. Hell, it was like looking into a mirror, save for the "z" shaped birthmarks he had on his cheeks.
The cop seemed surprised as well as the cars sped past each other, their side view mirrors colliding with each other and crashing to the concrete below. It was over in a split second as Ash sped out of the street into the metropolis, leaving the officer behind.
"You're a psycho." Whirlpool broke the relative silence that filled the car as they drove through the streets, leaving the cop behind only ten minutes earlier.
"You're welcome," he snapped as reached over and clicked his CD player off.
"What the hell should I be thanking you for?"
"Well, for one, I did just get us away from the cops." Whirlpool rolled her eyes and leaned back in the car seat.
"Listen here, little man. You think some fancy tricks and ditching the cops for a few minutes are gonna make up for you trashing my bike? You are going to pay me back in full."
"Sorry, but I don't have twenty-six thousand dollars right now." Whirlpool smirked.
"That's ok. To make sure I eventually get it, I'll be staying with you from now on." She was answered with horrendously loud screech as Ash braked on the empty street.
"Are you out of your mind? There's no way in hell you're staying with me! Look, I'm sorry about your bike, I really am, but you will not be staying with me."
She chuckled and grinned mischievously. "You know the rule about not honoring your bets, right?" Ash raised an eyebrow and nodded. "You don't want to know what they'll do to you if someone says you backed out on a bet..."
"What are you getting at?" She played with her red hair and grinned again.
"All I have to do is say that you backed out on a bet with me, and presto! Your life's a living hell from here on out. And since I am ranked second in all of Kanto, no one will even think twice about taking some newbie down."
Ash growled and gripped the steering wheel tightly. "You wouldn't."
"You care to test that theory?" Both of them stared in each other's eyes before Ash cursed and started to pull off.
"I hope you know that I hate you."
"I know," replied as she played with Pikachu, who squealed with delight. "At least your Pikachu knows a good woman when it sees one."
"No, it's because you have ketchup all over your little racing outfit." He pointed at her blue racing suit, which was now covered in red. She had sat on the ketchup bottle and all of it had squirted all over her outfit.
"Damn it," she sighed as she unzipped the front of her outfit and began to climb out of it.
"What the hell are you doing?" Whirlpool rolled her eyes. Underneath the suit she was wearing a pair of blue shorts and an orange tank top. She rolled her hair back and tied it to the side of her head, before tossing her dirty outfit in the backseat.
"Oh shut up, I have clothes on underneath. Don't get all excited." Ash groaned as they turned another corner and pulled into the parking garage of his apartment complex. However, while parking the car, he had stole a glance at her, and bumped into the car next to him, setting off the alarm.
"Good job," she taunted as they climbed out of the car, her outfit and Pikachu in her hands. Ash ignored her, walking to the elevator and clicking the call button.
"You're only staying with me until I get the money to pay you back for your bike, you understand?" She dismissed his comment with a wave of her hand and the door slid open and they entered the contraption.
"So, since we're going to be...staying together, I think we should each know each other's real name," Ash suggested as he pressed the button for his floor.
"I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum."
She smirked. "My name's Misty Waterflower." Ash's jaw dropped for the millionth time that night.
"The Cerulean Gym Leader?"
The doors silently closed, and with a light hum, to its cargo up to their destination.