I'm back! Finally you guys get to read the second chapter of my fic! Expect a long wait on updates, as I mentioned in the sum. Well, as I always say, ON WITH THE FIC!
Love and a Gym Battle?
The Story of Trovita Isle
Chapter 1: Helpful People Also Need To Be Helped (Sometimes!)
As three of our favorite trainers crossed the sea amid the Orange Islands on another cloudless day, one hesitant voice arose from Lapras' passengers.
"Hehe, well, it shouldn't be long now…" said Tracey rather shyly.
This statement was the last straw for Misty. Boy, I would hate to be Tracey right now.
"Umm, Tracey… THAT'S ABOUT THE BILLIONTH TIME YOU'VE SAID THAT! HOW FAR IS TROVITA ISLAND ANYWAY? WE'VE BEEN SCAVANGING OVER THE OCEAN BLUE FOR DAYS NOW! WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF FOOD, AND WE HAVEN'T SLEPT A WINK!" yelled Misty to the bewildered artist sitting next to her.
"Well sorry! What was I supposed to tell you? Was I supposed to tell you the truth, which is that I have no idea where we are?" said an exasperated Tracey.
"Well, now that you put it that way," said Misty with a large intake of air.
"HELP! WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" screamed Misty while shaking Tracey wildly by the collar.
"Misty, CALM DOWN! Well, she is kind of right. We've been sailing directly south from Shamouti Island for days, and theirs still no sign of Trovita Island!" said Ash to a dazed Tracey.
Tracey sat bolt upright at Ash's words. Misty almost fell off of Lapras when she heard what he said. They turned to face him with horrified looks on their faces. Tracey put the back of his hand to Ash's forehead. After a few seconds he took it off, a look of confusion evident on his face.
"Nope, he doesn't seem to have a fever. His temperature is stable, Misty. But he sure is acting delirious…" said Tracey, acting like a licensed doctor.
"What in the world could be wrong with him?" pondered Misty.
"What is up with you two? Why would I have a fever, and how am I acting delirious! And why in the world is Tracey acting like Drake Romano!" said a very, very confused and frightened Ash (he's always had a terrible fear of needles!).
"Ash! YOU JUST AGREED WITH MISTY! THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOU!" yelled Tracey, looking incredulous at Ash's "ignorance".
"What is so weird about it? I can agree with whoever I want, and disagree, for that matter!" said Ash matter-of-factly.
"Okay, WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH MY BEST FRIEND YOU IMPOSTER!" yelled Misty with a voice of concern.
Now it was Tracey and Ash's turn to look scared.
"Misty, if I didn't know any better, I would say that you're concerned about Ash as much as I am!" said Tracey.
"No I'm not! Why would I be concerned about that little twirp!" said Misty, trying desperately to defend her dignity.
"Hey, what did you just call me you nuisa-…" started Ash, but he was stopped cold when he saw what Misty held.
"Hey, Ashy-boy! Are you asking fore another session of Malletry practice? Because if that's the case, I would be more than happy to oblige!" she said as she toyed with her trusty Mallet.
Tracey looked around Lapras' neck to get his thoughts away from the two newly feuding trainers. What he saw made his stomach bounce around in excitement.
"Hey, Ash and Misty, World Champion Debaters! STOP FIGHTING AND LOOK OVER HERE FOR A MINUTE!"
Ash and Misty turned around and yelled once again in unison. "WHAT IS IT NOW TRACEY?"
They were about to go on, but their mouths went desert dry when they saw what Tracey was pointing to as he jumped up and down uncontrollably, almost falling off of their ride.
"IT'S TROVITA ISLAND!" yelled the three dumbstruck (and considerably starved and thinned) trainers.
God, was that island a sight for sore eyes! It was picture perfect; an expansive beach of fine, white sand, which vanished into crystal clear water, surrounded the mainland. The inside edge of the shore, on the other hand, was lost in a lushly green, dense rainforest, cut through by a single dirt path, which led to the city. And what a city it was! Like the center of a cream filled pastry, it was the best part of the island, with its vast area dotted by houses, shops, hotels, a few Pokémon Centers, and many business buildings. The Trovita Island Gym was probably the center of attention in the city, swarmed by two types of people: girls, trying to get a date (or at least a glimpse) off of the famous Gym Leader, Rudy, and trainers, trying to schedule a battle against the same person. To top it all off, a broad river snaked and zigzagged its way all over the Trovita island Rainforest, finally splitting in a beautiful delta that led to the ocean.
The only off-putting feature of the island was an array of tall rock spires, located a short way off the coast, shooting up about fifty feet into the air, ending in ruthlessly sharp points that were keen as a midwinter blizzard. A large whirlpool could be seen be seen writhing and churning in the middle of it all.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHA! MUST GET TO ISLAND! MUST GET TO ISLAND! MUST GE TO ISLAND!" yelled a starry-eyed Misty as she hung perilously over the edge of Lapras' shell, held back only by the four hands of Ash and Tracey (who were having a pretty hard time at that!) while swinging her arms around like twin windmills, trying desperately to "swim" to the island of her salvation.
"Get a hold of yourself Misty! We'll get to the island when we get there!" yelled Ash over Misty's ranting, trying desperately to stop Misty from taking off and avoiding her flailing arms at the same time.
"BUT I WANT TO GET THERE NOW!" complained Misty.
"Misty, there are three very good reasons why you cannot swim to Trovita Island." Said Tracey "One, It's still about five miles away, so you would tire out and sink before you even got halfway there. Two, your clothes would get soaked and weigh you down, so you would tire out even faster. And three, the water out here is freezing cold, so your whole body would be numbed, and you wouldn't even be able to move. Just stay on Lapras and we will reach the island in a few hours." Finished Tracey.
What the heck is he thinking? Thought Misty I'm not waiting on this shell for another flock of hours! Misty was suddenly struck by inspiration! Hmmm, that might work, heeheehee! She thought to herself, an impish grin growing on her face from ear to ear.
"Well, if you put it that way, Tracey," said Misty as she crawled to the back of the shell.
Oh man, I've really done it now! Thought Tracey. What could Misty be up to? I don't think I should have told her about the time it would take for Lapras to get to the island! Then it hit Tracey like a ton of bricks.
"MISTY WAIT! THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING!" yelled Tracey, who was frightened out of his wits for Misty as well as for Ash and himself.
"Too late for that, Tracey" said Misty
She lowered herself onto Lapras' tail, braced her back against the Pokémon, held onto the tail and kicked into the water like her life depended on it!
"Well, this isn't exactly what I expected…" said Tracey, but was cut off as he was swept away by the rapidly moving Pokémon.
They were moving so fast that it seemed like the island was moving slowly towards them with no intention of stopping.
"MISTY WAS RIGHT! IF SHE DOESN'T STOP NOW, WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" yelled Ash as he hung on to a spike with one hand, and kept his prized Pokémon League hat jammed to his head with the other.
"Pipi, pika pikachu! (Yeah, that crazy tomboy's really done it this time!)" added Pikachu as he laboriously hung onto Ash's shirt as he was swept about.
"HEY ASH COULD YOU REPEAT THAT! I DON'T THINK SHE HEARD YOU! MAYBE THE FACT THAT YOU AGREED WITH HER WILL MAKE HER STOP THIS INSANE JOYRIDE!" hollered Tracey back at him while holding onto his sketchpad with his free hand. Man, the things a girl can do when something comes between her and an actual bed and a hot shower! Thought Tracey hurriedly.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW!" yelled Misty, taken up in the excitement of the moment, her legs working like twin trip-hammers at the thought of resting in an actual bed that night.
After a few minutes of this, Ash felt some weird sensation in his stomach.
"Hey, Tracey, I'm not feeling so good…" said Ash rather quietly, as he turned his hat backwards to prevent it flying off, and put his hand over his mouth, his face turning a sickening green.
"Pikapi…(Yeah, me too…)" said Pikachu, mimicking Ash's gesture, his face transitioning to a light shade of green.
"Likewise, Ash. Me too." Said Tracey, a light emerald hue creeping onto his features.
"Guys, is this great or what?" yelled Misty, apparently undeterred by the speed at which they were traveling, her ponytail swinging wildly in all directions in the wind. "This way, we'll get to Trovita Island much faster, and I can sleep in a decent bed tonight, and tomorrow night, and the night after that, and the night after-" Misty turned around, noticing that her companions made no comments, and saw what state they were in.
"Hello, are you guys even listening to me? What are you, seasick or something? Well, get over it! But don't worry, we should reach the island in about ten minutes, but it might take longer, because my legs are getting mighty tired, so we'll have to slow down a bit."
The boys (and one Pokémon) were greatly cheered up at the thought of slowing down, but felt sick again and leaned over the side of their "ferry" and hurled at the thought of staying on board for another ten minutes.
Suddenly, for some unknown reason, Misty drove her feet into the water, hard, and Lapras came to a bucking halt, causing her passengers to fly off with a great splash into the water.
Ash popped his head out of the water, retrieving his hat in the process.
"What was that for Misty? Are you trying to make us even more sick, or better yet drown us?" asked Ash as he emerged from the water, his sopping wet hat sitting lopsided on his head.
Misty turned to them. "I thought I just heard a voice yelling for help!"
Instantly, the two boys in the water went into HERO MODE.
"WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY?" they babbled incessantly, with no concern as to their freezing bodies.
"Well, looks like I won't be getting any help from those two!" she said as she scanned the waters for the source of the voice. As she looked towards Trovita Island, she finally found it.
There, in the middle of the maelstrom, was something that definitely should not have been there. A small girl and her Seel were being thrown around violently by the waves of the whirlpool, spinning perilously close to the rock spires surrounding it.
I've got to do something, and fast! thought Misty as she looked towards the girl and the stretch of water separating them.
Well, as they always say, here goes nothing! She sighed as she closed her eyes, raised her arms, and dived head-first into the cold water, already feeling the strong pull of the immense whirlpool before her.
As Tracey came out of his babbling state, he looked at Lapras' shell and saw that Misty had disappeared.
"Hey, Ash!" he called to his friend as he came out of HERO MODE.
"Yeah Tracey?"
"Where's Misty? She's not on Lapras' back, so where could she be?"
"I don't know. The last thing I remember was Misty telling us that she heard someone calling for…" he trailed off, knowing of Misty's caring (but frugally hidden) nature and her reaction to the word "help".
"MISTY! GET BACK HERE!" the two boys yelled as they mounted Lapras. Ash instantly spotted a flash of red hair about two-hundred meters from their current position. He instantly entered HERO MODE #2.
"Lapras, full speed ahead!" he yelled as Lapras swam with all her might trying to catch up to the red dot in her vision.
We're coming, Misty. You'll be fine. thought Ash as his trusted Pokémon sped toward his source of distress.
Speaking of which, let's get back to that redheaded bundle of trouble!
That water was colder than the poles! Misty could barely feel her body, but she gallantly struggled onward, her soaked limbs aching with every stroke. It was getting harder and harder for her to breathe, let alone move, but she would risk it. All for a girl she didn't even know.
She looked up to see the natural stone formations that marked her destination looming up out of the turbid waters that surrounded the whirlpool.
"Just…a…bit…more…! I'm…almost…there!" she whispered, the speech only causing a singing pain in her chest, or at least she thought it was her chest…
As Misty struggled through the strong currents, a young man of about fifteen years watched from a stone outcropping through a pair of jet-black binoculars. As he raised his onyx eyes to the sky, he thanked the heavens above.
"I think I'm in love!" he exclaimed as he turned his eyes to the red spot in the water nearing the whirlpool and his sister.
Misty was at the end of her strength, using every last store of energy to get to the girl. As she saw her near, she let her head slip under the water.
In that second, Ash, from his perch on the ferry, saw the small red dot in the water disappear into the blue. In is panic, he took the only logical course of action that had formed in his head. The poor, poor imbecile!
"Tracey, I'm going in." he said as he squatted down on the edge of the shell, preparing himself to enter the frigid waters and to rescue his only reason for living.
"Ash, did the cold temperature of that water go to your head?" he said incredulously.
"I don't know, maybe it did." Ash replied as Tracey face-faulted.
"You haven't had nearly as much swim training as Misty, and it's a miracle she's already a miracle she's survived this long! If you go in there, you probably won't come out with much life left in you." Tracey said solemnly.
"I know that Tracey! Do you think I would be stupid enough to overlook that?"
"Actually, Ash, as amazing as it may sound to you, that is exactly what I think." He said as he watched Ash face-fault.
"Well any-who," he said as he regained his composure, "that's beside the point. The point is that I can't leave Misty out there alone. Over the years, she's grown on me in a way that I never thought possible. In the beginning, I thought of her as a pest who didn't know when to let go of her grudges. Actually, know that I think of it, that part of her still lives. But the point is, I can't live without her. If she were to disappear, I think my entire world would fall out from under me. The point is, I l-" Ash was cut off as he sweat-dropped at the sight of Tracey crying his eyes out.
"That was so beautiful! But I think you need to work on your ending. It was kind of blunt." he said.
Ash was about to slap him silly, until he realized something.
"OH MY GOD! I'M SUCH A POOR, POOR IDIOT!" (See! What'd I tell ya?)
"Wow Ash did you figure that out yourself?" Tracey said as Ash face-faulted once again.
"I've been sitting here relating my life's story to you, while Misty's been trapped in that whirlpool! I have to go in! Now!"
Tracey, seeing his friend's distress at the thought of losing the one thing that was most important, decided that this was the time to cut the jokes.
"Alright, but first we have to take some safety measures." He said as he went into his bag and pulled out a surprisingly long coil of rope, and a Pokéball.
"Marill! Go!" he yelled as he tossed the red-and-yellow sphere releasing a round, rabbit-like water Pokémon.
"I think you should use your Squirtle too, just to be safe." Said Tracey, indicating Ash's Pokébelt.
"Good idea." Replied Ash as he unhooked the respective Pokéball from his belt.
"Squirtle, come on out!" he said as he too hurled his Pokéball into the air. His faithful Squirtle, former member of of the Squirtle-Squad emerged once again.
"Here, Ash." Said Tracey, giving Ash one end of the rope. "Tie this around your waist and tug on it a few times when you've got a hold of Misty so I can pull you out."
"Thanks for the help Tracey." Ash said as he neared the edge of the shell, closely followed by Marill and Squirtle.
"Anytime, Ash. Anytime." He replied as the two Pokémon took hold of Ash.
As Ash lowered himself down into the water, he remembered something that was conveniently sitting on top of his head.
"Pikachu!" he said as he lowered the mouse from its perch. "I'm sorry, and i know how much you want to help out, but you can't come with me. As much as I appreciate you're concern, I couldn't risk losing you too." he stated to his friend.
"Pika! Pika pika chu!" (C'mon! I really want to help!) said Pikachu, not wanting to leave his master's side. But as soon as he saw Ash's stern and also pleading gaze, he surrendered. "Pichu. Pikachu." (Alright. I'll stay here.) he said.
"Thank's a ton, buddy!" said Ash, giving Pikachu one, last, heartfelt hug.
Before Ash could even touch the water this time, Pikachu decided to get one last dig in before he left.
"Pi pikachu, chu!" (Go get 'em, tiger!) the rodent said as his master face-faulted.
"Pikachu, you know I don't like her that way!" Ash said, but received two bewildered glances from the artist and Pikachu.
"Pi pichu, pika? Pika pi pichu pika, pi pika pichu!" (What do you think I am, deaf? I heard what you said to Tracey, and I know how you were going to end it!) Pikachu stated to his master incredulously.
After looking at Pikachu and recieving a nod from Tracey, Ash uttered a sigh and spoke to his friend. "Alright, Pikachu. But heed my warning; utter any of what you just heard to Misty or any other soul, and I will deprive you ofyou're beloved ketchup for the nexttwo weeks!"
"Pika, pikachupi?" (C'mon, you can't be that serious, can you?) said Pikachu burushing off Ash's words.
"On the contrary. When were dealing with Misty, I can be quite serious!" Ash replied. Pikachu's jaw dropped and he remained quiet.
"And that goes for you too, Tracey!" Ash said, turning on his friend.
"What are you going to do? I don't care about ketchup nearlyas much as Pikachu!"
"Pi pi pikaCHUPI!" (You dare defy the awesome power of KETCHUP!) asked Pikachu incredulously.
"I certainly do." stated Tracey simply.
Pikachu just stared at him blankly and muttered under his breath, "Pika pi pi pikachu pikaCHUPI?" (How can humans brush off something as important as KETCHUP?)
"Well Tracey, I think its time that I introduce Mr. Sketchpad to Mrs. Campfire, don't you?" said Ash slyly as he observed the look of shock on Tracey's face.
"No, you wouldn't!" pleaded Tracey.
"Pi ka pi ka pi ka!" (Ha ha ha ha ha ha!) Pikachu laughed uproariously.
Tracey rounded on him. "You dare defy the awesome power of the SKETCHPAD!" he asked the mouse.
"Pi pikachu!" (Of course I do!) he stated.
Tracey spoke under his breath, "How can anyone brush off something as important as the SKETCHPAD?"
As Ash looked at his two feuding friends, he was amazed at how they could all keep such calm heads when they were in the middle of a crisis that threatened the life of one of their friends. But then he realized that as long as they had each other, they would always come out on top and safe from harm.
"Well I hate to break this up, but I've got to go save a certain damsel in distress!" he told his friends.
Again, as he told Squirtle and Marill to lower him into the water, Ash remembered something else that rested smugly on his head.
"Squirtle, Marill, wait up a minute." he said as he swiped his treasured Pokemon League cap off his head and knelt down beside Pikachu, laying it on top of his head and making it sway lopsidedly over one of his eyes.
"Pikachu, I'm entrusting you with something that is really important to me. Even if i don't come back, I want you to guard this cap with all you've got, you hear me?" he said as a tear found its way down his features.
Pikachu came to the rescue once again as he caught the falling tear, being careful to keep the cap from falling off of his head. What he did next astounded Ash. He flashed his trademark victory sign and stated confidently, "Pi pika, pikacu!" (You can count on me, Ash!)
Ash returned the gesture warmly.
"Thanks bud, you're the best!"
Next he turned to Tracey.
"Look after Pikachu for me, will you?" he stated in a whisper, knowing how Pikachu's pride could get the best of him sometimes.
"Sure Ash. Anything." he replied.
He once again turned to Squirtle and Marill and exclaimed confidently, "Alright you two! Let's go show that whirlpool what were made of!"
"Squirt, Squirtle!" (Yeah! You said it Ash!)
"Marill!" (What he said!)
The raven-haired boy gave his friends one, last fleeting glance before they dived into the dark, swirling abyss that was the ocean, Misty's captor, hoping against hope that he would get to her in time.
As Tracey and Pikachu watched the faint blue smudge traveling towards the whirlpool, Tracey turned to Pikachu.
"So you really know how Ash feels about Misty?"
"Pi. Pika pika chu chu pika." (Yeah. but I know that's not know that's not what he's going to save.) said Pikachu.
"Oh yeah, than what is he going after?" Tracey asked, suddenly interested in the mouse's words.
"Pika pikachu pi pika CHUPI pi pika pichu pik pika cha pikachu pika pikachupi." (He's going after the spare bottle of KETCHUP that Misty left in her bag that she forgot to leave here.) he replied as Tracey facefaulted with earth-shattering force against Lapras's shell, causing her to buck and sending the two flying over her head.
"PIKACHUUUUUUUU!" yelled Tracey as he spat water.
"Pi pika! Pika pika pikacu!" (What! I'm just telling it how it is!)
YAAAAAAAAAWN! It's getting pretty late! I should be getting to bed, so please Read and Review for me guys! I need some support here!