Pokemon Heart Soul Adventures
Welcome back, everybody! I finally managed to update this story, and I trust I'll be able to churn out the next chapter soon enough. This week doesn't seem to be too hectic, so I am sure I will be able to find more time to write!
Anyway, this chapter will mostly deal with Ash and his friends getting ready for their journey to the Sevii Islands, and will be a good excuse to see what the enemies are planning, and what teams our heroes are bringing along! Yes, not much to say about this new chapter, really... but I hope it's amusing enough!
That said, enjoy!
oooooooooo
Chapter 12 - Sevii Islands Ahoy!
"What? What do you mean you have failed?"
J's henchmen who had been scouting Mt. Ember had returned empty-handed, save for a rather embarassing recount of how they were ambushed and defeated by a mysterious female trainer nobody had known about until then, and specializing in Ghost-type Pokemon.
Damien was easily the most embarassed about his poor showing, and bowed his head in shame in front of the screen upon which J's immediate superior, eyes almost shining in the darkness, glared mercilessly at them all. The fact that J herself was standing near the screen and regarding the three henchmen with clear displeasure did nothing to ease his fears... the Pokemon hunter seemed to be waiting for him to open his mouth only so she could verbally lash at him.
"Yes... we regret to say as much..." Kanto's ex-trainer affirmed. "We're... terribly sorry bout this, we have done our best... but that girl was just too much for us, and her Ghost Pokemon were at a whole other level than ours! We were totally powerless against them... and we had to retreat!"
J shook her head and bitterly shot down her subordinate's justifications. "Tch... that's all an excuse not to admit your own incompetence." she sentenced. "You're members of one of the most feared criminal cartels in the world... and you were defeated by a mere trainer! Such a failure is simply unacceptable, especially if we think how much is at stake here! Hopefully, I don't need to remind you of that, right?"
"Of... of course not, Miss J, we know what we're dealing with! But still..." another henchman answered. "But still... we were completely powerless against her, and that's a fact! Her Gengar and Mismagius simply walked all over our Pokemon!"
J and her superior did not seem too impressed at the news, but they were still interested in knowing more about this mysterious female trainer. Something was fishy about all of this, and if their guesses were correct, maybe their underlings were right when they said that it was something far beyond their ability to handle.
"Hmmm..." the mysterious leader mused, scratching at his short, spiky goatee. "You said she uses Ghost-type Pokemon, right? Two of which were a Gengar and a Mismagius... have you managed to take a good look at her?"
"Well... sadly, we couldn't, sir... it was too dark for us to see her..." Damien answered. "Still... from what little I could see, she was dressed like somesort of island dweller, with a large flower in her hair... she was short, and her hair were cut short... I don't really remember anything more..."
"Doesn't matter, that's more than enough for me to know who we're dealing with." J answered, her face turned into a frown as she began thinking of the various possibilities. "Sir, we'd better retreat, at least for now. If this... guardian, for lack of a better term... is reallly the person I suspect to be, then we need a better plan to get the better of her."
"Yes, I agree with that as well, Hunter J..." the darkness-cloaked leader answered. "Though, I didn''t think such a person could be involved in all of this. Doesn't matter, anyway... we just need to come up with a better strategy. For a while, we'll be pulling away from Mt. Ember. Then, as she lowers her guard, we'll swoop down again, and this time we'll bring along a few unwelcome surprises for her! Hehehehee..."
The leader ended with a chilling chuckle which sent shivers down Damien's spine, while J remained cold and detached, and simply asked a question to her superior.
"I understand. Then, you are thinking to employ... our secret weapons, am I correct?" she asked. The masked individual answered ith a simple nod, which still conveyed some sort of sadistic pleasure at the idea of employing these methods.
"Exactly, J... my Dark Pokemon should be more than capable to take down even such a powerful trainer!" the mysterious man said. "Very well then, I'll send some Pokemon who can be a match for this unknown girl. But I'm not going to be forgiving of mistakes this time, do I make myself clear? We've reached a critical point, and if we were to fail, it would have been all in vain, and we'd have half the world's police on our heels! Remember, we're Team Vicious, and our fate is to become the absolute rulers and manage where even Team Galactic failed. We are not going to be stopped by these irritants, are we?"
"Of course not, sir! Team Vicious Forever!" one of Damien's companions exclaimed, his fist clenched in front of his heart. Damien and the other minion did the same, though they certainly didn't look as convinced or fanatically zealous.
"Very good, since we're clear on this..." J said. "We have no choice but to temporarily withdraw. Then, we'll be back with a better strategy to face this opponent. Alright, leader, our course is decided then. Damien, give orders to the crew to resume navigation positions. We'll get away from Knot Island, but we'll remain within thirty miles of the coastline. Make sure they lose our tracks."
"Acknowledge, Miss J!" an operator answered. Team Vicious' mysterious leader nodded once before the comm screen went blank, and the enormous vehicle started to hum as its engines started.
"We'll let this one slide, for now..." J thought to herself. "But as soon as we get our new Pokemon from the leader, no outsider will be able to interfere with our project... and keep me away from my reward."
oooooooooo
Pikachu slowly opened one eye, trying not to be blinded by the ray of sunlight filtering from the window in his trainer's room. After waking up completely and shrugging off that night's lethargy, the electric mouse silently jumped off the bed and stratched himself, getting ready for the new day. It was bound to be a very busy day, and he wanted to be in tip-top shape.
"Pika..." he whispered to himself, before taking a look at Ash and Brock. Judging from their slow, regular breathing, the two trainers were still in the land of dreams... And since it was almost eight o' clock in the morning, and they both had to get ready for a long journey, maybe it was a good idea to wake them up! With a mischievous grin, the yellow mouse nodded to himself and climbed on Ash's bed as well, finding his trainer still wrapped in the blankets and sleeping like a baby. He got closer to Ash's face, enough so to hear what Ash was murmuring in his sleep...
"Pika pi..." Pikachu murmured, trying to wake Ash up... without garnering any success! In fact, all the young trainer did was roll on one side and murmur something to himself.
"Hmm... no, thanks... already ate... enough..." he said, still half-asleep.
Pikachu frowned slightly. Where had the enthusiastic trainer who woke up with the first rays of sun to start a new adventure gone? As soon as Ash could enjoy his home's coziness a little, he immediately grew lax... oh, well, no matter, Pikachu knew other ways to wake him up...
"Pika pi!" he repeated, getting closer to his friend's ear. There was a reaction this time, but it wasn't what Pikachu had hoped.
"Hmm..." Ash murmured as he rolled to one side. "Nasty mosquitoes here... please let me sleep..."
Pikachu's right ear twitched in annoyance. Ash was proving to be harder to wake up than usual, but Pikachu didn't give up and decided to be clearer about it. "PIKA PI!" he squeaked as he got closer yet...
Once again, the results were disappointing: with an indistinct murmur, Ash retreated under the blankets to drown out the noise.
The electric mouse understood that there were no more alternatives, and that this called for an harsher wake-up call. "Pikachu..." he sighed as his cheek sparkled briefly... and then, he let out a Thundershock attack that briefly showed Ash's skeleton like an X-ray scan, making his hair stand on end, and finally waking him up with a brief cry of distress! Pikachu interrupted the shock at once, and Ash fell from the bed like a sack of rice, twitching briefly from the shock... and just then, Brock sat up on his bed, as if nothing happened!
"AAAARGH!" the black-haired young boy screamed. "Who, what, how, where, when... ugh, it was you, Pikachu! Why did you wake me up like that? I had almost forgotten how much your Thundershocks hurt..."
Expecting such complaints, the yellow mouse pointed to the digital clock on Ash's drawer. "Pikachu..." he murmured almost indifferently, as his small paw pointed to the screen. With a surprised murmur, Ash turned that way... and saw that it was eight o'clock in the morning already!
"Oh, good day, Ash!" Brock greeted as he woke up. "Looks like your Pikachu is an excellent wake-up call. He was bang on time!"
"Oh, hi, Brock! Sorry, I was a little stunned... all thanks to Pikachu's wake-up call..." Ash answered with a drop of sarcasm, as his pyjamas still smoked a little. The young champion combed his hair back in place and picked himself up, holding Pikachu in his arms. "Still, I have to admit he was right to wake me up that way! Knowing myself, I would probably have slept till midday if he didn't! Heheheee..."
"Guess I have to thank Pikachu as well, then!" the Rock Pokemon expert joked. "Anyway, we'd better get ready! We're going to have a very busy day, and if what Prof. Oak told us is true, we have to move early!"
"Right..." Ash said. "Okay, Pikachu, let's get started! The sooner we get to Cinnabar Island, the better! And personally, I can't wait to see the Sevii Islands!"
"Pika!" Pikachu enthusiastically agreed.
oooooooooo
Ash and Brock quickly got ready and went downstairs, where they were greeted by the rather unexpected sight of Mrs. Ketchum and Misty preparing breakfast - it seemed that Delia was teaching the Water Pokemon expert to cook something, and Misty was following her instructions with great interest.
"And remember, Misty dear, that the oven must not be too hot, or else you don't get the right fragrance, and... Oh, good morning, Ash dear! Good morning, Brock! I guess you've been sleeping well!"
Ash stifled a yawn and waved to his mother and Misty. "Hi, Mom! Good morning! Hello, Misty... imagine seeing you in the kutchen already, I thought I and Brock had been the first ones to wake up!"
"As you can see, my dear Ash Ketchum, us girls wake up earlier than you!" she good-naturedly ribbed him, winking at him. "Have you been slackking off since we last saw each other, by chance? You used to wake up with the first sunrays!"
"Heehee... you know how things are, Misty... my Ash always slacks off a little when he can sleep on a soft bed and with a pillow under his head! Delia added as se took a plate of hot omelettes out of the oven. "Anyway, as you can see... now the omelettes are ready and well done!"
The fragrance of the omelettes completely woke Ash up from his morning torpor, and both he and Pikachu ogled the plate, their nostrils widening in pleasure! "Woooow! Mom, I almost did not remember the smell of your cuisine anymore! These... these omelettes are..." He stopped himself after just a few words, as a strange thought went through his head. Had his eyes been playing tricks on him? His Mom... was actually teaching Misty how to cook? What was going on? "Er... hold on a second, Mom... was it just me, or were you just teaching Misty how to cook your homemade omelettes?"
Misty turned away slightly, wrinkling her nose and her cheeks taking a slight pink hue. Brock chuckled to himself, and Mrs. Ketchum winked, never losing her seraphic composure. "Yes, I was... are you surprised? Before going to bed, yesterday evening, Misty asked me if I could give her a few cooking lessons! Since her sisters are usually the ones to cook, back at home, she doesn't have a lot of experience!" she explained.
"Alright..." Ash answered. "Though I find it strange that she got this idea all of a sudden..."
As the Water Pokemon expert's face took on a hue who looked more and more like her hair's, Delia smiled and waved a finger in the air. "Now, now... a girl's got to have her secrets, doesn't she?" she answered. "And now... oh, Dawn! Good morning, dear... even if you were the last to come down, I see you're ready!"
In fact, the blue-haired girl had just come down from the guest room, already in her everyday clothes. "Good morning, Mrs. Ketchum!" she greeted. "Good morning, everyone! Well... actually, I woke up just a little after Misty, but I wanted to take my time to wash myself and get dressed! I hope I did not bother you..."
"Not at all, we almost didn't hear you!" Delia answered. "And now, boys and girls, I have the honor of presenting you my homemade omelettes! C'mon, everybody, let's have a nice breakfast! You'll need a lot of energy, for the journey you're going to embark to!"
"Actually, I think we'll be departing tomorrow, but still... thank you very much!" Misty answered, as everyone began walking to the kitchen table. However, strangely enough, Ash stood back, and called to Brock with a slight movement of his head.
"Hm? Yeah, tell me, Ash. Is... there any problem?" the Rock Pokemon expert asked.
"No, actually, there are no problems..." Ash answered, rubbing the back of his head in embarassment. "I just needed to ask you... what do you think Mom meant by... well... the secrets a girl needs to have? Do you have any idea?"
Brock sighed patiently, looking like someone who had been through that a lot of times already, and still hadn't gotten tired of it. "Hehehee... well, Ash, let me just tell you one thing: you might be a great Pokemon trainer, but you still have lots to learn when it comes to girls!"
Further confused, Ash blinked and scratched his cheek as he turned to Pikachu... and the yellow mouse, who was already quite used to those scenes, crossed his arms on his chest and nodded in approval! "Pika pika!"
The young champion sighed. Just as Misty had said, certain thing do never change...
oooooooooo
Later that afternoon, Ash and his friends went to professor Oak's lab, where the famous Pokemon expert was going to give them more information about the problems on the Sevii Islands... and where Dawn could hopefully get in contact with Snowpoint City and discover somethingmore on what had happened there. If nothing else, at least to chase away that horrible bad feeling she had been struggling with since last evening...
This was the first thing Oak had thought about, in fact, and now he, Ash and Dawn were in front of a PC, from where Oak was trying to open a communication channel to Snowpoint City's Pokemon Center, in the hope of finding someone answering on the other side. The blue-haired girl, notoriously a fan of the old researcher, was watching what he was doing in admiration...
"This is really incredible... you can contact anyplace, anytime, with today's technology!" she said in awe. "But... sorry, professor Oak, are you sure we'll find someone to speak with?"
"Well... if the Pokemon Center isn't too damaged, I am sure of it!" the old scientist answered in a soothing tone. "Hehee... one of the perks of being a famous Pokemon researcher is, wherever you call, you always find someone who is willing to speak with you!"
Ash and Dawn chuckled at Oak's wisecrack, before the dialog window that had popped up on Oak's PC started giving signs of having estabilished a link... and Pikachu raised his ears, pointing at a Nurse Joy who had appeared on the screen. "Pika pi, pika!"
"Oh, good! Looks like the connection went without a hitch..." Oak affirmed, waiting a few moments for the link to stabilize itself. "Hello? Hello, Snowpoint City Pokemon Center? Do you hear me? Nurse Joy, can you hear me?"
"Professor Oak, what a nice surprise!" the pink-haired nurse answered in relief. "We... we weren't expecting a call from you right now... are you contacting us for what happened recently in Snowpoint City?"
"As a matter of fact... yes, Nurse Joy. Wedon't have all the details yet, here in Kanto, but we do know that there was an unexpected disaster, where you are now..." the professor answered. "I wanted to know more about that... and I sincerely hope there are no victims..."
"Sadly, that actually is the case, professor Oak... three people died because of an avalanche that suddently came down from Mt. Coronet, no more than two days ago..." the nurse answered with an heavy sigh. "And some people's whereabouts are still unknown. Several squads have been dispatched to aid in the search, but I'm afraid we'll need time to have the complete picture..."
"I see... and I'm very sorry about that." Oak answered sadly. "By the way, Nurse Joy... can you tell me anything about the Snowpoint City Gym Leader, Candice, or about a girl named Zoey - the runner-up in this year's Sinnoh Grand Festival? Where are they now?"
Dawn took a deep breath and grit her teeth, hoping for the best...
"Our Gym Leader is safe, as she wasn't here when the avalanche struck. And about Zoey... she's right here!" Joy answered, causing Dawn to sigh in relief! "At the moment, they're both here along with Maylene, another Sinnoh Gym Leader. They only came here a few hours after disaster struck, so there was no way for them to get involved."
"That's a bit of a relief..." professor Oak commented. "By the way... since that Zoey girl is there with you, could you ask her to come talk with Dawn here? We're in my lab, in Pallet Town... and Dawn was quite worried about Zoey and her friends."
"Of course, professor Oak! We'll put you in contact with her right away!" Joy answered as Oak stepped aside, allowing a very relieved Dawn to talk directly to her friend as soon as she was visible on the screen.
"Dawn!" Zoey exclaimed, both surprised and happy. "I wasn't expecting you to call this quickly... I thought you still didn't know about what happened here in Snowpoint City. How are you doing?"
Dawn couldn't hold back a large, bright smile. "I'm glad you're alright, Zoey... when I heard there was an avalanche, I feared something might have happened to you and the girls... they're both alright, aren't they?"
Zoey smiled slightly while nodding. "Yes... luckily I, Candice and Maylene were away when this happened, so we couldn't get caught in it. Still, we were quite shocked by what happened, that's for sure. Especially Candice... there were three victims, nobody we knew, but still people who have sadly lost their lives."
"Yeah, I see..." Dawn answered, looking more subdued. "I... I'm really sorry for what happened, and I'm glad you're alright, at least... As for me, I'm in Pallet Town, the town Ash comes from! I was here in some sort of study vacation, but there seems to be something more serious to think about now. Professor Oak thinks these events aren't natural, but may be connected to something more important and dangerous."
"I understand. We were suspecting something along those lines too, and we'd like to get some answers about this as well. Anyway, Dawn... I wish good luck to you and your friends!"
"Thanks, Zoey! Same to you!" Dawn answered, waving one last time to her best friend before the communication was interrupted. Dawn sighed again, satisfied that at least she had one less thing to worry about. Now, however, it was time to think of the more urgent problem...
"Luckily Zoey and the others are alright..." Ash commented. "Though I'm sorry other people got involved... professor Oak, do you think this avalanche too might be connected with what is happening in the Sevii Islands?"
Oak rubbed at his chin and slowly nodded. "I wouldn't rule that out, Ash... in fact, this might be the case also for the strange phenomena in the oceans between Sinnoh and Hoenn. I have a bad feeling about this, if I have to be honest. I'm afraid that, if this isn't handled as soon as possible, these incidents might evolve in something more serious."
"That won't happen, professor. We'll get to the root of this mystery, and make things right." the young boy answered. "Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika pika... pichu pi pika pika chu, pika!" the electric mouse squeaked in self-assurance. It was obvious, though, that he was a little worried as well, and he was suggesting to be prudent.
"Hehehee... no problem, Pikachu, we have lived a lot of adventures together... we'll get through this as well!" the young Pokemon Master aspirant affirmed. "Well, I guess that's all we need to know... now, professor, what's our schedule for our journey to Sevii Islands?"
"I was expecting this question, my boy!" Oak jovially answered. "First off, I thought Gary might be interested in coming with you as well. I already spoke to him about this, and he seemed to be okay with it... actually, his exact words were that he wants to show you how much he's gotten better!"
"I can imagine that..." he exclaimed, his mind going back to their childhood altercations. Dawn, for her part, was quite happy to know that Oak's grandson was going to be part of the expedition as well!
"I guess this little trip will be even more interesting than I thought!" the blue-haired girl commented. "Dunno about you, Ash, but I can't wait for it to start!"
oooooooooo
As Ash was examining his Pokemon, in order to decide which ones to bring with him in this journey, Dawn had used the time to show her Pokemon to Misty... and needless to say, Misty had turned into a fawning ditz as soon as Piplup was out of his Pokeball, glomping it and hugging it like a huge plush toy!
"Awwwww! He's sooooo cuuuuute!" Misty exclaimed in pure bliss, as golden stars shone comically around her, and Piplup awkwardly tried to wriggle free of the tight embrace! "I've never seen such a cute Water Pokemon! You are lucky in Sinnoh, having such an adorable Pokemon as a starter!"
"Hehehee... you're reminding me how hard my first day as a trainer was!" the blue-haired girl giggled, gently trying to "rescue" her starter Pokemon from her new friend's overeager attentions. "Still, if it wasn't for the mess I did, I would never have met Ash and Brock, and I wouldn't be where I am now! Heheheee... and what about Kanto? Which starters do you have? I remember that you can choose Squirtle as a Water Pokemon..."
"Exactly... and then there are Charmander for those who prefer a Fire-type starter, and Bulbasaur as a Grass-type." Misty explained as she handed Piplup back to Dawn. "Ash was kind of a special case... since he had woken up late in his first day as a trainer, the labs had run out of starters by the time he was ready, and he had to settle for the last remaining Pokemon... the same Pikachu you've always seen with him! And he had an hard time getting him to listen as well!"
"I guess so..." Dawn answered with a brief laugh. "And... what about you, Misty? Which Pokemon have you brought with you?"
Misty reached into her backpack for the Pokeballs. "Well... first things first, I have my favourite Pokemon, Starmie, with me! And then there are my Gyarados, my Azurill, my Horsea... huh? What... what's this?"
Dawn frowned a little at Misty's sudden confusion. "Er... you alright, Misty? Is anything wrong?"
"Not at all, Dawn..." the redheaded Cerulean Gym Leader answered. "It's just that, well, I thought I had only put four Pokeballs in my backpack, and here are five of them, instead! What's this one doing here?"
Her question was quickly answered, and it wasn't an answer Misty liked. The Pokeball in excess snapped open in a brief light show, and the Pokemon inside of it took form in front of Dawn's surprised eyes: a very goofy-looking Pokemon, with the appearence of a yellow duck with a short tail, a tuft of feathers on top of his head, a flat and overlarge beak... and a trademark vacant look in his eyes, his head constantly held in his hands as if he suffered from continuous headaches!
"Psy-ay-ay..." Psyduck quacked obliviously. Piplup and Dawn looked at him in surprise.
"Erm..." Dawn murmured, as Misty's face began taking on hues the Sinnoh coordinator didn't think were possible on a human being's face! "That's... one of your old Pokemon, I guess..."
Misty managed to hold her rage for a few seconds more... and then brought her hands to her head as if Psyduck had passed his headache to her, screaming like abanshee and with stylized rivers of tears streaming down her eyes like miniature waterfalls! "AAAAAAAARGH! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIIIIIS! THIS POKEMON IS A NIGHTMAAAAAARE!"
"Psy?" Psyduck asked himself, as if the situation was still unclear to him.
"Pip, lup?" Piplup answered with a shrug...
oooooooooo
"Bayleef!"
"Hahahahaaaa! Hey, take it easy, Bayleef! I'm not a lollipop or something!" Ash exclaimed in embarassment as he tried to subdue his Johto Grass starter's overeager affections. It was no secret how Bayleef was very affectionate to her young trainer, and since she was seeing him now after such a long time, she seemed to want to make up for lost time!"
"Hehehee... I can understand her, since she's not seen you for such a long time!" Tracy commented with a brief, jovial laugh. The young Pokemon drawer was joined by his Scyther, an old specimen he had befriended more than three years before, after he had been chased away from his swarm because of his advanced age. Despite that, though, the mantis Pokemon was still a formidable opponent. "I think it would be a good idea to bring her with you..."
"Scyther!" the mantis Pokemon screeched, nodding energetically in assent... and at that, Ash couldn't just say no!
"Well, I guess you're right, guys..." Ash answered. "So, Bayleef, how about it? Would you like to come with me once again, just like the good ol' times?"
"Bay! Bayleef!" the Grass Pokemon answered as she hopped around. Ash chuckled and brought out a Pokeball, reclaiming his old Johto Pokemon and placing her along with the others, before turning back to Tracy and Scyther.
"Okay, it's decided! I'm taking Bayleef and Heracross along... and the others I want to use, I already have them with me!" he said. "I guess that's it for now... by the way, where are Brock, Gary and professor Oak? They were here, one second ago..."
Tracy's Scyther pointed to a fence, near which many of the Tauros Ash had caught in Fuxia City's Safari Zone were calmly grazing at the grass... and, in fact there were the professor and his grandson taking a look at Brock's Gible. They seemed to be both fascinated by the new kind of Pokemon, and were watching him carefully, taking care not to alarm the small shark-drake.
"That's... quite the unusual Pokemon, Brock." the older researcher commented. "And a very interesting one at that. And... you said the little guy knows an attack you've never seen before?"
"Indeed, professor Oak." the dark-skinned boy answered, staying near his Gible as the small dragon looked around, seemingly unsure on what to do. "He once used it to save us from Team Rocket... but it's a move we never saw before, and even Cynthia's Garchomp did not know this attack - basically, it creates a ball of energy in Gible's mouth, which Gible then shoots and splits in many smaller bullets of energy which fall down on his opponents. I brought this Gible here with me... among other things, because I'd like to know more about this. Do you happen to know something? Or can you tell me who I should ask about it?"
"Hmmm. I have no idea, Brock, this is all news to me... but since this is a Dragon-type Pokemon, it makes sense that Lance, the Kanto Elite Four's dragon trainer, might be able to help you." Oak answered, getting lost in his own thought process to the point where he didn't see the spunky little dragon curiously approaching him. "I think he's the one who's best qualified for..."
"Hey, grandpa! Mind your labcoat!" Gary suddently warned him. The scientist looked around in surprise... and yelped in alarm as Gible's teeth had clamped shut on a tail of his labcoat!
"Aaargh! Hey, hey! Hold on a sec, Gible! I understand you're hungry, but that's my favourite labcoat!" Oak exclaimed as he gently but firmly tried to get his coat away for the small shark-drake's ravenous hunger! He managed to do it, but he was forced to sacrifice a part of it to the small dragon's maw! "Ugh... Brock, I'm afraid you need to teach a little more discipline to your Gible... you should teach him he shouldn't chew on other people's clothes!"
"Erm... well, yes, that's something I need to think about." Brock replied as he recovered his latest Pokemon, who was licking his lips in satisfaction after swallowing the torn tissue. "Gible, what have I said about not eating what people are wearing? We should have a talk on what's edible and what isn't, okay?"
"Gible!" the small Pokemon answered, a paw raised up in the air. Brock sighed as he understood that the little dragon did not seem interested in knowing much about manners, and it was going to be hard teaching him... but for now, better to stay focused on the "mission". The next day, they would have taken a boat to Cinnabar Island, and from there, they would sail to Sevii Islands.
Of course, the problem would then be what they would find there... which was why Brock was glad Gary was joining them in this mission.
"Alright then... Gary, who did you choose to bring along for this journey?" he asked Ash's former rival, who answered with a slight grin and a thumbs-up.
"Well, I may not be partecipating in leagues anymore, but that doesn't mean I've fallen behind in training my Pokemon!" he answered. "My Blastoise, Umbreon, Electivire, Arcanine, Nidoking and Kingler will be more than enough for this! Okay, now we just have to wait for Ashy-boy to be ready, which might take a while..."
Turning to Ash, Pikachu, Tracy and Scyther, professor Oak saw the young Sinnoh League winner raising a hand to say that he was ready... and one second later, he turned to Misty and Dawn. "Okay, everyone, I think we're good and ready to go! Hm? Hey, Misty, what's with the long face?" Ash asked curiously, seeing Misty's annoyed expression, complete with miniature storm clouds hovering over her!
"Don't. Ask." she answered, before moving aside and letting Ash notice the blank-faced duck with perpetual headaches following her like a shadow!
"Psy-ay-ayyyy?"
"Er... I guess I can see why she's annoyed..." Ash said to himself as he sweatdropped.
oooooooooo
"Hmm... so there is someone who's interested in Mt. Ember's legendary Pokemon... and in other ones, I dare say!"
"Yeah, and I don't like this one bit. That's why our leader, Giovanni, is taking all necessary countermeasures."
"But still, guys, don't you think we should take charge of the situation and put those impudent fools in their place?"
"Don't be hasty, Petrel, we have to keep waiting. After all, we do have our own plans... or should I say, our leader Giovanni has his plans. Blowing our cover now would be counter-productive. We must not draw attention to us unless it is necessary."
"Yes, Archer is right. We have no reason to be hasty, especially if we think Domino is investigating on her own. If it is necessary, we'll take charge of the situation."
"Excellent... okay then, Petrel, Proton, Ariana! Let's keep the other islands under control and see what happens. As the new Team Rocket executives, we have to watch out for any possible happening!"
"You're right, Archer, we'll be careful..."
oooooooooo
"Alright, Ash... are you ready? Have you chosen which Pokemon to take with you?" Misty asked as he and his friends went back to her and Dawn. The two girls had spent their time chatting and exchanging stories on their respective journeys: in particular, Misty had just finished telling Dawn about her earlier fear of Gyarados, how she was able to overcome it, and how she was able to take one in her team. Of course, she had pleaded for Dawn not to speak to Ash about this, or else Ash would never let her hear the end of it! Of course, Misty would have forced him to end it with a good whack of her mallet or her paper fan, but better safe than sorry!
"Of course I did!" Ash answered, proudly showing five pokeballs. "I had Bayleef and Heracross come back in my team, while I'm leaving Gliscor and Buizel here, at least for now. Now I'm ready, and good to go!"
"Okay then... the fery for Cinnabar Island departs tomorrow morning at eight o' clock, so make sure to be well rested!" ProfessorOak reccomended, joined by Tracy and Mrs. Ketchum. "From there, you'll have to take the coincidence or Sevii Islands, and you should be in Knot Island's port by tomorrow evening."
"Got it, Gramps! Everything is ready, anyway..." Gary answered.
"So, well... I guess that means we'll be saying goodbye for now!" Misty commented as she looked at Mrs. Ketchum. "Prof. Oak, Mrs. Ketchum... we're grateful for your kindness and hospitality, and we hope to see you soon and bring good news!"
"Of course we will! And... before you get to do it, Mom, I can already tell you not to be worried! I, Pikachu and our friends can handle ourselves... anyway, we won't run unnecessary risks, right, everyone?" Ash went on, as his mom approached him and ruffled his hair causing him to fell somewhat embarassed! "Huh? Hey, mom... please, don't... you make me feel like a kid!"
Misty giggled at that, earning herself a sideways glance from Ash.
"Hehee... you're right, honey, but what can you do? It's a mom's job to worry about her kid, even if you've grown a lot since last time!" Delia answered. "Okay, Pikachu... as Ash's best friend, I guess you know how to keep him out of trouble! Please... do the same now!"
"Piii - kachu!" Pikachu answered with some sort of military salute! Delia gave a caresse on the yellow mouse's head, then looked at Ash's group again.
"Well, guess there's no more reason for me to worry, then!" the young mother concluded. "I wish you a safe journey... and I hope you can come back safe and soon!"
"No problem!" Gary answered. "We'll be careful, and make sure everything is back to normal!"
"We won't let some rain and thunder stop us! No need to worry!" Dawn answered with a confident smile.
Delia smiled serafically. "It's just when I hear something like that, that I start getting worried!" she said, causing Ash, Gary and Brock to chuckle briefly, and Dawn to widen her eyes in wonder!
"Er... Mrs. Ketchum, I had no idea you knew my mom!" the blue-haired girl exclaimed.
As the group laughed from the little joke, they didn't see a familiar winged Pokemon watching them from above with multifaceted eyes, who soon did a 180 and rapidly flew back to the place she had come from...
oooooooooo
A vivacious, intermittent buzz told Jessie, James and Meowth that their scout Yanmega had come back, and as Team Rocket was disassembling their camp, they looked up to see the gigantic garner flying down.
"Oh, Yanmega... already back?" Jessie asked, after making sure her backpack was completely done. "So, what's the news? Are the twerp going to do something silly again?"
The giant dragonfly shook her head, her gigantic eyes briefly reflecting the rays of the sun as she buzzed something as an answer. Meowth stepped forward, carefully listening to the Bug/Flying Pokemon's droning.
"Hmm... she says the twerps are taking off to Cinnabar tomorrow morning... and then, they're taking the ship to Sevii Islands! Can you believe it, guys?" Meowth translated Yanmega's seemingly incomprehensible buzzing.
"Sevii Islands?" James asked. "Er... Jessie, Meowth, aren't those the same islands we heard of, the ones south of Cinnabar? I heard one of the Kanto Elite Four was born there, though she now living in the Orange Islands..."
"Exactly..." the feline Pokemon answered. "And that's not all... Yanmega says that there's someone she doesn't know in the twerps' group: a red-haired girl around Ash's girl, and a stuck-up kid with messy marroon hair..."
"Ugh... we know who they are, right?" Jessie exclaimed. "It's a small world, after all... Oh, well, we won't back down with that! We'll follow the twerps to the Sevii Islands, and we'll ambush them there and take Pikachu once and for all!"
Needless to say, James was less than enthusiastic about this. "Uuuugh... not another sea journey... woe is me..." he whined, recalling his seasickness with comical rivers of tears gushing from his eyes...
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Heheheee, what can I say? I just know that Misty would simply adore Dawn's Piplup! ^_^
And there you have it! I guess there are quite a few things to look out for, aren't there? Will Ash's new team be enough to face whatever awaits them in their journey through the Sevii Islands? Will Team Rocket finally succeed at anything? And will Team Rocket's new executives have a hand in all of this? If you want to know, you just have to keep reading!
See you soon!