Pokemon Heart Soul Adventures
Hello, everyone!
If I recall correctly, the latest chapter was definitely quite hectic, after Ash and his friends managed to survive Hunter J's callous bombing of Quest Island. Ash and Dawn were left injured, and both criminal teams managed to get away with something they wanted, so... heck, I'm afraid this means that the bad guys have scored a few points! But the game is still in the beginning, and things might get turned around anytime, so... the Iron Masked Marauder and Giovanni had better not get too complacent!
Other than that, well, not much is going to hapen this chapter, aside from some much needed rest for our main characters, and a potentially life-changing choice for both Ursula and Team Rocket! Yeah, I realize that I'm gong on completely different rails than the anime here, but... heck, sometimes you need to shake up the status quo, right? I just hope my ideas for these characters are well-accepted...
But I'll leave you be the judges of that! So... welcome to my new POkemon Heart Soul Adventures chapter! Enjoy, and happy reading!
oooooooooo
Chapter 38 - Rest For The Weary
The first thing Ash Ketchum heard, after losing track of time and drifting off to sleep, was the soft sound of rain beating on the windows, along with the howling wind on Quest Island's reefs. The young boy slowly opened his eyes... and before him, just like he expected, appeared Pikachu's smiling face, who greeted him with a whispered squeak.
"Pika, pika pi!" Pikachu exclaimed, his lightning-shaped tail held high proudly behind him. Even though he was still stunned, Ash smiled and tried to disentangle himself for the blankets that wrapped him tightly.
"Hmm... hello, Pikachu! How long has it been since... ow!" he whispered, grimacing at the end when he felt a stinging pain piercing his left arm, which forced him to lie down again. And that was when he completely woke up and remembered what had happened... the cavern they were in had collapsed, no thanks to the bombs Team Vicious had dropped upon Quest Island, and in all the ensuing confusion, he had managed to break his left arm. His recalling was immediately confirmed when Ash took a look at himself, and saw the limb immobilized in a long white cast going from just below his shoulder to his knuckles, only leaving the fingers free, with his elbow kept bent at a right angle. Ash winced and sighed, shrugging off the dull pain that still lingered in his injured arm.
"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked, going to assist his human friend.
"Owww... man, I remember what happened alright..." Ash said, getting his breath. "Deoxys managed to get away after the battle was over... and that woman, J, managed to get a hold of him! And then she dropped her bombs on us, and we were stuck underneath when everything went down! And then onefe falling rocks had dropped down upon me... man, I'm still seeing stars from that! I guess we're in hospital right now, aren't we, Pikachu?"
"Pikachu..." the yellow mouse answered, shifting a little as Ash took a good look around. Right at that moment, the young aspirant Pokemon Master was lying on a comfortable, clean bed, in a tidy and aseptical-looking room, with a single window on the wall to his left, now closed and sealed. However, this was not what Ash had immediately noticed... but rather the fact that an old acquaintance of his was sitting on a wooden chair right next to his bed, sleeping like a baby, with her pretty red hair messed up and stll damp.
"Ah... sure, I see... and what about Misty? She's... been sitting here all along?" Ash asked, once again addressing his starter Pokemon, who answered with a knowing nod and a wink.
"Pikachu pi pika pikachu pika, pika pi!" Pikachu answered... and after sitting up in his bed, making sur not to further agitate his casted arm, rubbed the back of his head with his healthy one.
"Heheheee... so, Misty has been sitting here just in case there were problems with me?" he asked in embarassment. "Well, with all the strong emotions we've had today,it doesn't surpriseme that she's fallen asleep! Today, it really was a close shave... oh, and by the way! Do you happen to know how Dawn is, Pikachu? I did hear she got hurt pretty badly..."
"Pika ka pikachu pika pika chu... pika, pikachu!" the electric mouse answered, motioning for his trainer not to worry about her, which caused Ash to sigh in relief.
"Well, I'm glad it was nothin really serious, in the end..." Ash stated, keeping his voice low. At his bedside, Misty was so deep asleep that she had heard nothing, and when Ash turned to her, he stood there for some time to notice... that the fiery-tempered Water-type trainer really looked like someone else when she was asleep! Had he not known what she was like, he'd never have pegged her for such a dynamic,quick-tempered girl. Her sweetness and kindness simply seeped through her demeanor right now...
Ash stood there to look at Msty for a few more seconds, with only the quiet, soothing noise of the rain to act as background... then, the boy smiled cunningly and, still taking care not to wake Misty up, sat up on his bed and inched closer to he redhead. "Hehehee... now she's just begging for a surprise awakening!" he murmured to himself, wiggling the fingers on his healthy hand, as if getting ready to tickle her!
"Pika pi?" Pikachu asked, frowning a little.
"Heheheee... don't worry, Pikachu, it's just a little harmless fun!" Ash answered, taking pains not to move his casted arm as he slowly got closer and closer to the sleeping Misty. He began tickling her on one side of her neck, barely touching her smooth skin with his index finger... and the sensitive girl woke up with a start and a surprised squeal!
"KYAH! Wha... what the..." the redhead exclaimed as she tried to keep her balance. She looked around herself, only to find herself face to face with a chortling Ash and a shrugging Pikachu, who seemed to be saying that he had tried, unsuccessfully, to stop him. "Ugh... Ash, what was the big idea, you doofus?"
"Hehehee... you should see your face right now, Misty! It's just priceless! Hahahahaa!" The black-haired teen answered cheekily, laughing as if nothing was wrong! Misty was of a whole different opinion and, after frowning a little, she took a mallet out of seemingly nowhere and smacked Ash upside the head with it, causing him to see stars once again! "Owww... sorry, Misty, it's just that I saw you sitting there, on a trip to the land of Nod... and I couldn't resist teasing you! You really have no stamina when it comes to tickling, you know that?"
"Ugh... just be thankful you're injured, or else I'd have some fun determining how much tickling stamina you've got!" Misty answered annoyedly. However, since she knew Ash had only done that to joke around a little, she immediately relented, walking close to Ash and hugging him even as she tried not to touch his broken arm. "Still, I'm glad you're alright, Ash! I was afraid, I'll admit it..." she continued, hoping that Ash would not see her blush...
"No worries, Misty... it's just a broken arm, after all! Nothing really serious!" Ash answered, hugging Misty back with his still usable arm before turning to Pikachu and winking to him. "And it's not even my strong arm to boot! I can still use the other one to throw my Pokeballs, so it's no problem!"
"Pikachu..." Pikachu answered snarkily, a sweatdrop pouring down his head.
Misty giggled sarcastically. "Yeah, I'm sure... knowing you, if you had broken both your arms, you'd learn to kick Pokeballs open!"
(In another Pokemon universe, a Dex-holder with blue hair done in pigtails sneezed right then, feeling like somebody was talking about her...)
Ash laughed again, then cleared his throat, getting more serious. "Well, anyway... how's Dawn? It's nothing really serious, is it?" he asked, still a little worried for the young coordinator's conditions.
"Well, it's nothing fun, that's for sure..." Misty answered with a small sigh. "She broke both her legs in the fall, and she'll have to stay off her feet for quite a while. Still it's nothing really dangerous, and the breaks were not as serious as they seemed at first."
Ash nodded, glad to know that. "Well, that's good... at least, we managed to come out of this in one piece, more or less!" he mused.
"Yeah... and no one else got hurt, luckily!" Misty said, looking at the sealed window with some embarassment. The drops of rain beating on the glass were very well visible, and from time to time, thunder rumbled in the distance... it seemed the weather troubles caused by Deoxys' rise had not yet ended, but Ash, Pikachu and Misty had to admit that, instead of being unsettling or saddening, the overall effect was comfortable, as if saying that a part of their journey had ended, and the travellers could finally get some rest.
Misty scratched the leg of her chair, trying to think of something she could say to break the silence. Darn, why was it that, now that she had the chance to spend some time with the boy she had a crush on, she just couldn't find the right words to start up a conversation? And to think, she had a lot of things to say... it was like seeing death straight in the face had made her forget all about them! The redhaired girl rubbed her forehead in frustration...
"Pikachu pi?" Pikachu asked, moving hs pointed ears.
Just as the situation seemed to have reached a stalemate, Ash finally stood up from his bed and stretched his back a little. "By the way, Misty... what time is it now? Are the others still awake?" he asked. "I kinda lost track of time, in all this..."
"Huh? Oh, right..." Misty answered, as she helped Ash hang his casted arm in a sling around his neck, and took a lok at her watch. "It's exactly four o'clock in the morning right now... And Brock and the others couldn't sleep much anyway... as you can guess, they were pretty worried themselves. And that includes Ursula..."
Ash laughed a little at this. "Heheheee... even Ursula, really? Then Brock was right, that girl isn't that bad after all!" he said, before turning his eyes to his room's door when it opened with a barely audible clack. Pikachu moved his ears and smiled slightly as he saw that it was Brock, who was now paying a visit to his lifelong friend in order to ascertain that he was doing okay.
"Ash? Misty?" Brock called out to them as soon as he was sure that both of them were awake. "Sorry, guys, can I come in? I hope I'm not bothering you..."
"Ah, Brock, glad to see you!" Ash answerd, feeling somewhat embarassed for some reason. Maybe because he was there with Misty, in a situation that could easily be mistaken for more than a friendly interaction? And to think he had never really thought of such things before... something was changing within him, there was no denying it. "How... er... how are you doing? Are the others alright?"
"Luckily, that's the case! Aside from your broken arm and Dawn's broken legs, there are no injuries." Brock answered, stepping into the room and revealing a small white patch plastered just above his right eye. "I got a small cut on my forehead, but it's nothing, really... it just needed to be disinfected a little. The others are okay, and are waiting for news from you!"
"Alright..." Ash said, finally getting up from his bed and putting on a pair of slippers. "By the way, Brock, can we also go pay a visit to Dawn, while we're at it? Considering her conditions, I think she'll appreciate the thought, right?"
"You're right about that..." Brock answered. "But are you sure you can stand up? You took quite a nasty hit yourself."
Ash chuckled gently at the question. "Hehehee... don't worry about that, Brock, it will take more than a mere broken arm to keep down the future Pokemon Master!" he answered, holding Pikachu in his healthy arm. "Don't worry, I'm feeling okay!"
"And I'd like to go see how Dawn is doing as well. If it's possible, of course." Misty went on, concerned about her friend from Sinnoh. Brock smiled slightly and nodded, motioning for his friends to follow him in the hospital's corridor.
"It's okay, no problem about it... the medics have finished treating Dawn about a couple hours ago, and now she's in her room... she woke up earlier, and she asked about you first thing!" Brock explained. "So, if you guys want..."
"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked, assenting for Ash and Misty as well. Silently, in order not to disturb the other patients, the three of them stepped out of Ash's room and began walking along the corridor, following the dark-skinned young man's directions. Less than one minute later, they were right in front of Dawn's room, where Gary and Ursula were already waiting for them, sitting on a couple chairs just outside the room.
"Here I am, Gary! Hi, Ursula! Never thought you'd be here as well!" Ash said, drawing a rather annoyed expression from the spiral-haired pre-teen.
"Heh, here's good ol' Ash!" Gary answered. "So, how are you doing? I can see that arm isn't doing much to slow you down!"
"Hmph. And why shouldn't I be here, pray tell?" Ursula asked rhetorically, wrinkling her nose.
"Nothing, really... never mind what I said!" Ash answered. "Anyway... hehehee, as I always say, Gary, it takes more than just that to keep me down! On the other hand, we've come to see Dawn... did the doctors tell you anything about her?"
Ursula looked down and shrugged, trying to look indifferent. "Not much, they just said she wasn't as badly hurt as they thought, but that she'll have to stay put for quite a while..." she answered, before turning to a Nurse Joy who was walking up to Dawn's room just then.
"Good morning, Nurse Joy..." Ash greeted her first, waving at her with his free hand. "Excuse us, we've come to see our friend... we can visit her for a while, right?"
"Oh, Ash! Glad to see you're up already!" the rose-haired nurse greeted back. "Anyway... yes, I had just come to see the patient... and you can come with me as well, if you want!"
As Misty nodded in thanks, Joy walked up to Dawn's room and rapped lightly on the door. One second later, Dawn's cheerful voice, though still laced with sleep, answered from inside the room. "Yes... please, come in!"
Joy opened the door and finally stepped in, with Ash, Pikachu and their friends close behind. "Hi, Dawn! Sorry if I'm bothering you, but I needed to control a few things... and your friends wanted to see you as well, so I decided I might as well let them in!"
"Oh, it's okay! Hello, guys! Pleased to see you're okay!" Dawn smiled as she stood up a little from the bed she was confined to. Her hair was loose, she was wearing a pink nightie, and both her legs, lying upon several cushions, were encased in white plaster casts, from her upper thighs to the balls of her feet. A transparent IV was dripping into her left arm, injecting what was probably painkiller in her veins. "I just hope... I haven't made you worry too much..." she went on, trying to find a comfortable position.
"Piplup! Piplup!" Piplup, sitting in his trainer's lap, greeted the team by waving his short wings.
"It's okay, Dawn! Never mind that!" Ash said with a reassuring smile. "Still, what about you? Do your legs hurt a lot?
Dawn wiggled her bare toes, wincing as the gesture sent a brief jolt of pain up one of her fractured legs. "Ow... kind of... I'm still doing better than before!" she answered, before drawing a sigh. "Well... guess that means I'll be out of commission for a while, huh?"
"Maybe not for so long..." Nurse Joy said as she took a look at Dawn's charts. "Sure your legs aren't in a pristine shape... both ankles are fractured, as well as both femurs... but the bones haven't moved much from their position, and the breaks are not serious. You should be able to get around in a wheelchair in a few days... and you'll probably be out of casts in a couple months, tops."
"Glad to know that..." Dawn sighed in relief. Piplup wiped his forehead with his wing as well, relieved to know that his trainer was not in such a bad shape after all.
Ursula shrugged, motioning to the rest of the team, especially Gary and Brock. "You should be thankful to them, most of all." the drill-haired girl answered. "They did the bulk of the work for allowing the rescuers to get down where you had fallen to. Thogh my Gabite did his share as well..."
Dawn put a had in front of her mouh and giggled quietly, which did annoy her rival. "Huh? What's so funny now, Dee-Dee? I said something funny?
"Hehehee... no, it's nothing! Sorry, Ursula, I didn't mean to sound cheeky..." Dawn answered. "It's just that, well... despite what you might say, Ursula, you were worried about me as well! And... thanks for helping Ash and the others rescue me!"
"Piplup!" the blue penguin chirped as well, as a vein popped up on Ursula's forehead! The rich heiress crossed her arms on her chest and turned her head the other way, trying to look indignant!
"Hmph! Don't go getting strange ideas, Dee-Dee! I didn't help you because I thin you're my friend, or anything like that!" she exclaimed, wanting to make things clear once and for all. "It's just that, well, I like to think I'm not as heartless as to leave an injured person in a pinch like that!"
"Still, thank you, Ursula!" Dawn went on. "And thanks to you all, guys! I'd have been in real trouble if it hadn't been for you!"
"Oh, don't mention it, we just did what we had to do!" Gary answered, noddind to the injured pre-teen. "You just think of recovering for now, okay? Don't be in a haste to get back on your feet, and let the broken bones set themselves."
"Gotcha! No need to worry!" Dawn answered, stifling a yawn. "Hmm... sorry, guys, but I'm feeling a little groggy right now... I think I need to get some sleep..."
"Of course!" Misty answered. "Sleep well, Dawn... we'd probably need some shut-eye ourselves..."
"Sleep well, Dawn, and have a speedy recovery!" Brock answered, as one at the time, her fiends waved to he and left the room. Ash and Pikachu were the last ones to go, with the raven-haired teen flashing a thumbs-up sign with his free hand before closing the door. Finally, when everyone had gone out, Dawn sighed and lay down on her bed, trying to relax.
"Phew... well, that was unfortunate... but lamenting about it won't help, I just need to think of resting and getting my strength back. As soon as I get a wheelchair, I'll start training again! I won't let this incident slow me down!" she told herself, before turning to the window on her left. The room, in the wee hours of the night, was immersed in an almost ghostly silence, with only the rain beating outside to keep her company aside from her Piplup. The penguin-like Pokemon, in an attempt to confort his injured trainer, stroke her cheek with one of his short wings, and Dawn thanked him for the kind gesture by scraching his head with her index and middle fingers. "It's okay, Piplup... thanks for the thought, anyway! Don't worry, I'll be up and about earlier than you think, and we'll be back to our beloved contests!"
"Piplup! Piplup pip, piplup!" the penguin Pokemon exclaimed, tilting his head as he bid goodnight to his trainer. Dawn smiled and yawned again, sleep overtaking her.
"Good night, Piplup... yaaawn... see you tomorrow..." she murmured, before closing her eyes and drifting to a peaceful sleep...
oooooooooo
"Well, in the end, things went relatively well... relatively being the operative word here..." Lorelei stated as she sat at a table, along with Lance and the two aspiring Sevii Gym Leaders, discussing what had transpired. Miyu and Homura had been respectively joined by Miyu's Mightyena, Night Sky, and by Homura's Arcanine... and despite the fact that those two were trying to keep up everyone's spirts, it was clear that the situation was rather tense. They all knew the two criminal cartels were at an advantage right then... Deoxys was now in J and Team Vicious' clutches, while Team Rocket had gotten the Ruby and the Emerald, leaving only the Sapphire to the Pokemon League trainers. Plus, there were several obscure points, not the least of which was the surprise apparition of a whole host of Unowns when Deoxys had awakened...
Lance drummed his finger on the table. "Sadly, we can't say we're in a good place either. At least we manged to stop Team Rocket from taking all three gems... I do wonder what they're going to do with those." he said. "Lorelei, have you already ran tests on those gems?"
"Of course. And it seems our experts at the Kanto Pokemon League have a few results already." the young woman answered. "There seems to be a peculiar kind of energy dwelling inside the Sapphire. We still aren't sure what's that about, but it's tied to another continent's Legendary Pokemon. We have to further study this."
"That's something at least." Miyu saod as she scratched Night Sky behind an ear."Legendary Pokemon, huh? I'd love to know more of this, it's always been a fascinating topic for me..."
"Now that I think of it... Miyu, your grandfather is an archaeologist, right? And he has studied these things to some extent, if I recall correctly." Homura stated, remembering something Miyu had told him once. "Maybe, if he does know something about these gems, we'd have an easier time with this."
"I'll do my very best, but my grandfather isn't in Sevii Islands at the moment." the Dark-type expert answered. "He's now in the faraway continent of Oblivia to do some research and help the Rangers with a problem they're having. I have no idea when he'll be back..."
"I see... more's the pity, he could have been a great help with this problem." Homura mused. "Still, the fact that the Leaguehas gotten hold of one of the gems does give us a modicum of advantage on Team Rocket. Of course, the Sapphire must be brought to safety... those criminals will certainly do all in their power and beyond to steal it as well."
Lorelei immediately reassured the Fire-type user that this was not going to be the case. "Don't worry about that. I have personally arranged for the Sapphire to be stored in one of the most well-protected and secured rooms in the Kanto Pokemon League's HQ, and no Team Rocket member will attempt to steal it from there. Our security system is top-notch, and they aren't going to take us by surprise."
"It's okay, then. At least for now, this problem should be solved." Lance stated. "However, there is another one we should take care of, and that's Team Vicious. According to what Ash and his friends have told me, the one who's in command of the organization is a man only known as the Iron Masked Marauder, a former Team Rocket member Ash, Misty and Brock have already faced in the past. He had tried to get ahold of Celebi's power of time control in order to take over the world, but he was soundly defeated. However, he seems to have come back for revenge, and to get back all he had and more. And sadly, he can still count on his brainwashing technology to transform Pokemon in murderous machines at his beck and call."
"And that's not the worst of it. That Deoxys who was lying in sleep in Quest Island's depths has fallen in his hands as well." Miyu thought it was necessary to remind everyone of that. "Sure, Deoxys isn't quite as strong as a real Legendary, but it's surely much beyond the strength of a common Pokemon, which given Team Vicious a huge advantage."
Lorelei adjusted her glasses as she wrote something down on a notepad. "We will do our best to gather as much information as possible on this organization and its affiliates. Aside from the recent attacks on Knot Island and Quest Island, they haven't done anything really noteworthy, so we have very little information on them. Still, we're going to put some pressure on them as well."
Lance sighed and rubbed his forehead, satisfied and worried at the same time. They were fighting a war on two fronts, and there were going to be quite a few problems if things had kept developing like that...
oooooooooo
The next morning, as the sky was clearing, and after everyone had woken up and had a quick breakfast...
"You want me to do WHAT? Forget it, not a chance!"
"C'mon, Ursula, work with us here..." Misty replied, almost placing herself right in front of the haughty Sinnoh coordinator, who took a step backwards almost in indignance. That Misty girl sure had such rude manners... "We're just asking you to help us a little, at least until Dawn is healthy again. We've seen you know your way around Pokemon, and if you joined us at least for a while, we could be able to better face Team Rocket and Team Vicious. After all, you did help us fight them and save Dawn, right?"
Ursula sighed as she twirled her spiral-shaped twintails. "I think we'd better clarify a few things here, Misty..." she stated, somewhat annoyed. "Dee-Dee and I are not friends at all, eversince her Pachirisu refused the muffin I gave him! I helped you because we had a common enemy, and because you helped me get free from Team Rocket, and repaying you for that was the least I could do. And I helped you save Dee-Dee because, even though I don't like her, I couldn't leave her injured in that place! But as for the rest... this Team Rocket, Team Vicious, Team Whatever thing is your business! I want no part in this!"
Misty was tempted to pull out her mallet and whack that snob upside her head, but she held that instinct at bay. "Ugh... please, Ursula, this is not the time for such things! You know how things are, don't you? Why don't you want to help us anymore?"
"Misty, when I say no, I mean no! What part of this don't you get?" Ursula cut to the chase.
The redheaded Gym Leader felt a vein pop up on her head. She had predicted Ursula to be stubborn, but that was just ridiculous! However, she kept her calm as she tried to think of another way she could tackle the problem. "Ursula..." she said, shaking her head. "No matter what you might think about that, this does concern you, actually! Should I remind you that Team Rocket had their sights set on you for quite a while already, considering you are a Grand Festival finalist? And since you even helped foil their plans, they will probably try to get revenge on you. They'll try to either take you out or force you to join them, so you can't just wash your hands of them, and say it's none of your business."
Ursula said nothing, but her frown told Misty that her words were having an effect on the Sinnoh coordinator. Ursula had probably seen that there was truth to Misty's words, and that had shaken her up a little.
"I don't want to force you, let ths be clear." Misty went on. "But I think that would be the best thing for you and us both. You washed our hand, we wash yours, see?"
Ursula crossed her arms and looked down, still not completely convinced. However, it was clear that Misty's words were having an effect, and the spiral-haired girl could see that she wasn't in a good situation. And all this just because at the last moment she had decided to go to Kanto instead of Hoenn...
Finally, Ursula relented, sighed and shook her head, accepting Misty's idea. "Alright then... as long as this thing isn't over, I suppose we're on the same side. But this does not mean that we have to be friends, or that I have changed my mind about you in any way, okay? It's just me being pragmatic."
"Good enough for me." Misty answered. "Alright then... as soon as Dawn can get out of hospital, we'll go back to Pallet Town, the town our journey started from... and we'll try to see what the next move should be, okay?"
"I'm okay with it, you know Kanto better anyway..." Ursula answered with a shrug. However, she had to admit that she was really curious about seeing a new place, and the idea of travelling together with Ash, Misty and Brock was probably not going to be as bad as it sounded... sure, she'd never say it out loud in front of them!
Misty smiled, thinking that at least one problem had been solved. Now it was a matter of waiting to be back in Pallet Town and talking to Professor Oak, but at least now they had an extra ally.
Speaking of allies, Misty thought to herself as she and Ursula walked to a waiting room, what about Jessie, James and Meowth? Aside from showing up at the hospital for a short while, in order to check on Ash and Dawn, she hadn't seen them at all. Pity, she really did want to thank them over the help they had given. Once more, the clumsy trio had shown they weren't as bad as they tried to appear...
oooooooooo
Just then, the same people Misty was thinking of were flying over the Sevii Archipelago in their hot air balloon, observing the view with some melancholy. They had lived a really unexpected adventure there, and they had helped those who were supposedly their enemies get out of a pretty bad pinch. Yeah, truly an usual situation... but there were a few problems to tackle now, not the least of which the fact that, well, they had thrown a bit of a wrench in Team Rocket's plans...
These were the thoughts going through James' head at least, as the azure-haired young man sighed and turned to his partner-in-crime while the hot air balloon rose through the morning sky. "Say, Jessie... aren't you worried about what the boss will do as soon as he gets to know what we've done?" he stated meekly. "After all, we went up against some of the top Team Rocket executives! We were already in pretty low standing... and now, the boss is never going to forgive us! I'm afraid we kind of trapped ourselves with our own hands..."
"I'm trying to think of a way to solve this problem as well, James..." Jessie answered, though it was plain that she was rather worried over what they had done. The fact that they had damaged a Team Rocket project in order to get their revenge on Archer and his men was not something that could just be glossed over...
And that was when Meowth looked up, a serious expression etched on his feline face, and his tail straight up in attentiveness. Both of his teammates turned to him in puzzlement, knowing that whenever Meowth had such a reaction, it was because he'd thought up something outrageous... of course, the question was whether this was going to end well for them! "Say, guys... I was just thinking about this whole thing, and I ended up realizing... we really don't have a reason for going back to Team Rocket, do we?" he exclaimed decisively.
Needless to say, this had both of them widen their eyes in shock and surprise. Was Meowth suggesting what they were thinking he was suggesting? "Wh... WHAT? Hold... hold on a minute here, Meowth? Are you sure you haven't swallowed a hairball that messed up your brain? You... you aren't suggesting..." the girl started to say.
"You are suggesting... we just abandon Team Rocket?" James exclaimed.
"Why not? It's not like we were having much success as villains!" Meowth answered. "Really, guys, let's face it - we've been running after Pikachu for four or five years now... I have honestly lost count by now... and it should be clear by now that we just don't have what it takes to be evil! How about... we just drop this whole pretense and become travelling trainers, like so many people do? Make something out of our lives? Think outside our usual boxes? If you ask me, it's not like we have much else to lose! And since the boss seems to be preoccupied with this whole gem thing, he's not likely to pay much attention to us, is there? C'mon, just think about it. We still travel together as a team, try to find a better life for us... and we still get to be away from our former lives! How is that not a good thing?"
Jessie and James stood dumbfounded, looking at each other in complete wonder. They had to admit, Meowth was actually making sense! Had they gotten away from Team Rocket, they would have spared themselves the constant humiliations they faced from their higher-ups, they would not have blasted off at the speed of light for the umpteenth time after their futile attempt to catch Pikachu... and most of all, they would have still gotten to be together! Now that they thought about it, they realized that the advantages far exceeded the drawbacks...
After thinking about it for a few seconds, Jessie's face lit up in joy! "Meowth... let me say it, you're a veritable genius!"
"Yeah! Where would we be without you?" James exclaimed in joy. "Thanks to this idea, we'll manage to get away from our old lives... and who knows, maybe we'll also get to be famous Pokemon trainers or coordinators! Hey, Jessie, you haven't lost your skill from when you were up against the blue-haired twerp, did you?"
"Is that even a question to ask, James?" Jessie replied. "I'm even better than I was back then!"
"Hehehee... modesty aside, true genius is never recognized until the very end!" Meowth stated, his tail and ears kept proudly straight. "Then... we'll just have to fly low for a while, so we'll escape any unwelcome attention. We'll get ready for our comeback... and when the time comes, we'll show the world what we are all about! It will be our moment of glory!"
"Got that right, Meowth!" Jessie exclaimed. "And even Team Vicious and Team Rocket will have to recognize that we mean business!"
"They're in for trouble... make it double!" James finished, whipping out his trademark red rose out of nowhere and letting a few petals fall off of it! As their hot air balloon kept floating towards the horizon, the trio felt a new determination building up inside of them, knowing that, this time, they were getting a once-in-a-lifetime chance to turn things around...
oooooooooo
"So, they went away without even waiting for us to thank them?" Dawn asked, somewhat sadly, as she looked out towards the clear blue sky from her hospital bed. "That's too bad, I would have liked them to come... guess next time we meet them, they'll still be trying to capture Pikachu..."
Misty combed her hair back with her hand and shrugged nonchalantly. "I guess so... it wouldn't really surprise me, anyway!" the redheaded Water-type expert answered. "After all, it was pretty much the same way when I was part of the team... we had to ally with Team Rocket from time to time because of circumstances, in order to face certain problems... and as soon as things were back to normal, they'd simply go off and try to catch Pikachu once again! What can I say, some people just never learn..."
All those in the room chuckled at this, seeing the funny side of the situation... then Ash, after making sure the sling holding his left arm was still in place, recalled everyone's attention on the main problem. "Well... as for ance and the others, does any one of you know what they're planning to do?" the young boy asked. "They've been locked in that room for quite a while now, and they haven't been heard from..."
Gary nodded. It was true that Lance, Lorelei, Miyu and Homura had been away for quite some time. "I guess they have their own problems to deal with, Ashy-boy... between Team Rocket and Team Vicious, even the Pokemon League will probably have its hands full." the young researcher answered.
There was a knock at the door, and Dawn turned that way to give the person permission to enter. "Er... okay, come in!" the blue-haired girl said just as the door clacked open, letting Ursula in. Dawn immediately noticed how her rival seemed somewhat absent, probably due to lack of sleep. "Oh... hi, Ursula, you alright?"
"I should be the one asking that, Dee-Dee... you're the one stuck in that hospital bed, last time I checked." Ursula answered. "Anyway, I'm okay. I just wanted to tell you guys that the reunion is almost over. They should soon come and tell us what they've decided."
"I see..." Brock answered, before stopping cold and beginning to stare with a familiar enraptured expression as the Nurse Joy that had been assigned to Dawn's room came in right behind Ursula and had approached the injured girl's bed, oblivious to the casanova wannabe who was nowstaring at her, his eyes turned into pink hearts!
"Oh, boy..." Misty murmured, placing a hand on her head in exasperation. "Every pretty girl beware, Brock is on the hunt..."
"Hello, nurse Joy!" Dawn greeted the pink-haired nurse, ignoring Brock's color change! "Is there anything you need to tell me?"
"Hi, Dawn! Well, no, nothing yet, though we should soon have your radiographies ready so we can assess your conditions a little better. Still, don't worry, we haven't seen any complication yet, it's just something that we had to do as part of the procedure. I just came here to see how you were doing, and whether you had some fever, or something like that. What about your legs? Do they hurt a lot?"
Dawn passed her hands on her casts. "Not really, thankfully... I even managed to sleep without problems!" she calmly answered. Joy nodded, before handing Dawn a thermometer which the blue-haired girl placed under her left armpit in order to check her own body temperature.
"Well, that's a good sign at least." the pink-haired nurse stated. "Keep that thermometer there for a couple minutes, then we'll check... what about you guys, are you alright? Ash, your arm isn't giving you problems, is it? I ask because I see that you're already up and about."
The young boy gave a thumbs-up with his right hand. "No problem, Nurse Joy! We're all doing okay, and even my arm, in the end, should just be a small inconvenience." he answered. Joy was about to say she was glad to know that... but she was interrupted when Brock, predictably enough, literally popped up in front of her and delicately held her hand, giving her his most charming smile!
"And since there's nothing we need to worry about at the moment, my dearest Joy... what do you say we later take a stroll on this island's beautiful beach, us two together? With the golden sand, the endless ocean, the luxurious forest..." the young man started to say, trying to get poetical about it all...
And, again, predictably enough, Croagunk's Pokeball opened, and the toad-like Pokemon appeared next to his trainer and stabbed his buttocks with a well-placed Poison Jab! The usual scene repeated under the surprised eyes of both Nurse Joy and Ursula, with Brock gritting his teeth and becoming completely stiff, before dropping to the floor and being dragged away by the ear by an annoyed Misty!
"Ugh... the stars... in the sky... the pain... in my ear..." the hapless casanova murmured, as Croagunk put his hands on his hips and nodded in a 'serves you right' kind of way.
"You always have to be recognized, do you? And I bet you can even tell this Joy and the one from Knot Island apart, while you're at it!" Misty repriminded him.
Ash shook his head and chuckled, before apologizing on his friend's behalf. "Er... hehehee... we're sorry about that, Nurse Joy... that's just my friend Brock, and his way of complimenting any girl around his age or older he finds pretty!"
"And that one..." Gary stated, pointing to Misty still dragging Brock away by the ear. "is Misty's way of keeping him in check!"
"You're going to get used to it, Ursula, it's just a matter of time!" Dawn reassured her rival. For a moment, Ursula's eyes turned into a pair of tiny dots in amazement... then, they turned back to normal size, and the rich heiress crossed her arms on her chest and started chuckling.
"Hehehee... you sure know some strange people, don't you, Dee-Dee?" she asked mockingly. "That does explain a lot..."
"Well, since you're going to travel with Ash for a while... you'll have a lot of time to see just how strange they are!" Dawn joked, eliciting a brief chorus of laughter from all those in the room, Brock included. Ursula turned away in apparent annoyance, but Dawn was sure she had glimpsed her rival's lips curl upwards in an attempt to supress laughter...
oooooooooo
At the same time, in a Pokemon Center in Hoenn...
The green-haired teenager was busy reading a newspaper as his Pokemon - an Absol, a Roserade, a Masquerain, a Butterfree and a Flygon - were about to finish their meal. Now, whoever knew the teenager in question, would have probably been a little surprised: Drew, the skilled green-haired coordinator from LaRousse City, was not exactly the kind of person to stay bent over newspapers, as those who knew him would have said, envisioning him to be the kind of person who relies more on personal experience. However, the situation was somewhat different now, and Drew had to admit, to himself at least, that what he was reading was not exactly very reassuring...
It was really fresh news - one of Hoenn's most famous coordinators, noted for his strange, rather effeminate behaviour, and for his Cacturne dress - had disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and the police was at a loss as to the possible cause. The culprits hadn't left many tracks, though rumour had it that a mysterious figure accompanied by a Glaceon had been seen around the place where the disappearence had taken place.
Drew frowned in suspicion. A mysterious figure with a Glaceon... that sounded strangely, not to mention, unsettlingly, familiar. A Glaceon wasn't exactly the kind of Pokemon that was seen very often, especially in Hoenn, and there was only one person he knew of that had one such Pokemon in her team. However, after reflecting about this for a short while, Drew shrugged and shook his head. What kind of messed-up idea, he mentally chided himself. It couldn't be her... it was obviously someone else who had a Glaceon in his team, and who just happened to be there when Harley had disappeared. Sure that didn't make the disappearence any less unsettling, but to think it was actually her behind it was ludicrous...
As Drew put the newspaper back in its place, and checked whether his Pokemon were finished eating, he did not see a short, masked figure sneaking a peek inside the Pokemon Center from a nearby window, trying to suppress her accelerated heartbeat. To see those familiar green hair and that roguish grin in such a situation was akin to torture for her... It was him, Drew, and he was to be her next target!
May walked away from the window and back into the open road, her disguise managing to keep her from being recognized. After she was sure that she was at a satisfying disance away from the Pokemon Center, she took a look around and, as soon as she was sure nobody was in the proximities, took out a comm device from a pocket and activated it.
"Hello? Agent May here. I... er... just found the second target." she murmured, just loud enough for the Team Vicious commander to hear her.
Demitri's cruel nasal voice answered from the other side. "That's very good, my dear May... I see you're doing a good job of it, I like people who take their job seriously!" he answered mockingly. "So, when are you going to move out and capture him?"
"Well... not right now, there are too many people around, and I'd just get caught if I tried..." May answered, hoping she sounded convincing enough. "I... will try to take him off guard as soon as he's at a safe distance from this city. Don't worry, I won't have any delays."
"Good." Demitri answered. "I look forward to good news from you, and remember... do not try to be smart, or your little brother gets it."
A fearful shiver ran down May's spine, but she forced herself to remain calm. She had to do it... even though working for those people disgusted her, she had to endure for Max's sake. "Of course, commander Demitri... don't worry, I won't make any mistakes. You... can count on me!"
"Well, that's what we are going tosee right now, my dear May..." he answered cruelly. "You've been sensible as of now. Try to keep it up."
oooooooooo
TO BE CONTINUED...
Author's Note: Well, there you go! It was mostly a filler chapter, I know, but it should do its job at setting up a new confrontation, this time in the continent of Hoenn! Yes, folks, Drew and May are going to meet again soon... only, it probably won't be in the way my fellow Contestshippers would like! Still, I can assure you that you don't wanna miss it! So... stay tuned for next chapter!
See you soon!