-Chapter Three-
This is a pretty long chapter, and I'm quite proud of it. It was again beta read by the wonderful Night Foliage, to whom I am so grateful. This is one of my favourite parts of the movie! If anyone has noticed, I've been naming all of the chapters off of song titles from the movie's soundtrack. If you picked that up, I'm very proud of you! I would suggest checking out the soundtrack on YouTube, or acquiring it if you can, and listening to the song "Surviving the Storm" and "Invitation to Danger" throughout this chapter. Sort of sets the mood, as that's what I was listening to. I hope that you enjoy, and that you leave a nice review to make my day!
Gary scratched behind Eevee's ear, smiling to himself. It had been a long day, and he estimated that they had battled at least twenty trainers. He had seen plenty of Ratticate, Sandshrew, and Pidgeotto, though the occasional Chansey or Hitmonlee had been sent out. Each Pokémon had been experienced and well-trained, and so Eevee and himself were both exhausted. In spite of his weariness and aching muscles, he was pleased. Eevee's Bite attack was improving drastically, and Take Down wasn't looking too shabby, either. Many of the trainers had expressed their admiration for his Normal-type Pokémon, and he knew it was well-deserved.
"Ready to head in, Eevee?" he asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.
"Ee!" was the reply. Eevee came to his side as he crouched down, searching through his backpack for a bottle of water. The walk home would be a long one, and it was hot outside. He knew that he was bound to get thirsty.
"Huh?" Gary looked over his shoulder as he heard a loud noise off in the distance. The sky was getting darker, though moments earlier it had been a brilliant blue, and he wondered if a storm was coming in. Had he heard thunder? He was about to pull his parka out of his backpack when he saw something flying towards them. "What's that?"
It seemed to be a small helicopter, but he couldn't be sure. Was it a Pokémon? Some sort of rare, unknown species? He was about to grab his Pokédex when he realised that it was a Dragonite.
"Still up for another fight?" He turned to Eevee and grinned eagerly.
"Ee! Ee!"
"This one's mine," he smirked. "I wonder what grandpa will say when he finds out that I've got a Dragonite."
He watched as the large Pokémon continued to fly in their direction, and it became apparent that it was heading right for them.
"Uh..." He backed up a few feet, waiting for the Dragon-type to slow down or change its course. Eevee, who had previously been standing by Gary`s feet, ran towards the left, and its trainer was soon close behind. He just managed to avoid being ploughed over, as the Dragonite sailed down to where they had been standing only moments earlier. The wind ruffled his shirt and caused his hair to whip around in his face.
He scooped Eevee into his arms and narrowed his eyes. Dragonite were extremely rare, as there weren`t many in the wild, and the likelihood of meeting one was very improbable, to say the least. Stranger still was the fact that the Dragonite had just flown directly towards them, which was very bizarre behaviour for any type of Pokémon. What was going on here?
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Gary yelled as it tucked its wings behind its back.
"Ee!" Eevee growled.
Instead of acknowledging the words, Dragonite began to look through the bag strapped over its shoulder. Perplexed as to why a Pokémon was carrying a bag, Gary stepped forward to inquire, when an envelope was thrust in his direction.
"What's this thing?" he asked, flipping open the envelope. He pulled out a thin, metallic device and frowned. "What am I supposed to do with it?"
As if to answer his question, a beam of light shot out from the center of the Poké Ball imprinted on the piece of machinery. A miniature young woman floated before him.
"Greetings, Pokémon trainer. I bear an invitation," she said in a soft, soothing voice. "You have been chosen to join a select group of Pokémon trainers at a special gathering. It will be hosted by my master, the world's greatest trainer, at his palace on New Island. A chartered ferry shall set out from Old Shore Wharf to take you to the island this afternoon. Only trainers who present this invitation will be admitted. If you decide to attend, you must reply at once. My master awaits you."
"The world's greatest Pokémon trainer, huh?" Gary said after a moment's silence. "Well, I guess I'm not surprised. We've been doing great lately, eh, Eevee?"
"Eevee!" the small Pokémon barked excitedly. It wiggled its tail and began to dance around Gary's feet, causing the trainer to laugh at its enthusiasm.
"Well, I'm saying yes." He pulled out a marker from his backpack, grabbed the slip of paper within the envelope, and coloured in the box parallel to the word 'yes'. "Alright, you make sure this gets back to that Pokémon trainer safely." He handed the page to Dragonite and frowned, looking up at the sky. "It's getting real bad. That storm must be coming in faster than I thought."
Dragonite looked up as well and gave a low whine.
"You fly safe," Gary advised, pulling his parka out of his bag. "I want a chance to battle this guy."
As Dragonite took off into the sky, Gary returned Eevee to its Poké Ball and began to run towards the port. He knew where it was, as he had been there earlier that morning, and he hoped to make it before it started raining.
He wondered who this great trainer was. Why hadn't he heard of him before? What kind of Pokémon did he have? What sort of trainers were going to be at this palace?
He smirked, and wondered if Ash was going to show up. Would he be worthy of receiving an invitation? He allowed himself a low chuckle at the thought of his rival's face if they both went.
The last time the two had run into each other, he had been caught off guard, although his surprise hadn't been nearly as entertaining as Ash's. He could still vividly recall the shade of red that the boy's face had turned; his skin had practically blended in with the rim of his hat.
The memory made him laugh, but also caused a sort of bitter pain. Things hadn't always been so awkward between them. Gary could clearly recall the good old days when they had gotten along, aspiring to become Pokémon trainers together. That was all in the past, of course, but he was allowed to reminiscence once in a while, wasn't he?
***
As Ash, Misty and Brock ran into the building, they breathed a sigh of relief. It was pouring outside, and they were glad to finally be somewhere warm. Dozens of trainers had arrived already, checking out each others' Pokémon and chatting.
Although he was wet and shivering, Ash couldn't help but take a moment to observe the different Pokémon around him. He was especially keen on talking to the trainer of the Pidgeot by the counter: its long feathers were shining in the artificial light, and it was enormous. The Flying-type was clearly very well-trained.
Ash's eyes continued to roam across the room, observing the various conversations taking place.
"Chill out, Ratticate!" a young boy was whimpering.
"Kingler," an older man barked, "save your energy, would you?"
"I can't wait to get to New Island!" a girl said, brushing out her Ninetale's coat. "It's so cool!"
"Would Officer Jenny please report to the ferry entrance?" a man said on the loudspeaker, overriding the discussions taking place. "Officer Jenny to the ferry entrance, please."
Though Ash was fascinated by all of the action, Misty was less impressed. She pulled out a cloth and began to wipe off Togepi. "Togepi's totally soaked!"
"I can't believe how fast the storm came on," Brock noted, running a hand through his wet hair.
Pikachu shook rapidly in order to dry himself off, flinging drops of water into the air.
"Hey!" Ash yelped, using his arms to cover his face.
"Well, well, well," someone said in a snide voice. " Funny seeing you here, Ashy-boy."
Ash's expression was blank as he looked up. His heart was sinking faster than the S.S. Anne. His thoughts were on a standstill. It couldn't be. It wasn't. There was no way.
"Gary?" His voice was hardly more than a whisper.
"Yeah, I'm here," he replied casually. "Though I'm surprised to see that you are."
Ash forced himself to remain calm, though the comment stung more than he would have liked to admit. "I'm just as good of a trainer as you," he snarled.
"Pika pi!" Pikachu curled his tiny fists into balls.
"Take it easy, Ash," Brock warned him.
"Just let it go," Misty said. "He's trying to get you riled up."
Gary grinned. "You got an invitation too, eh? Ready to battle the world's greatest Pokémon trainer?" His eyes were nearly slits as he watched Ash trying to gain some sort of composure.
"Yeah, I'm ready," he grunted. When Gary opened his mouth, he felt the overwhelming urge to just get away, and so he turned to Misty and Brock and grimaced. "Come on, guys."
They went to sit on some benches in order to dry off, and Gary returned to his spot at the back of the room.
"Oh, that Gary," Ash said through gritted teeth. "I can't believe he got invited, too."
"It's actually not that surprising," Brock replied. "Gary's a great trainer, and from the look of his Pokémon, he's been training them well."
Ash took a peek in Gary's direction, where he was showing a young girl his Arcanine. Though he hated to admit it, Brock was right: Arcanine's coat was shining, and it seemed to have grown since Ash last saw it.
"I guess you're right," he sighed.
"Oh, cheer up," Misty reproved. "You're not here to battle Gary, anyways. You've got to worry about the world's greatest Pokémon trainer, right?"
"Yeah," Ash agreed, nodding his head. "Who cares about Gary?"
'You do,' a small voice in the back of his mind said. He ignored it as best as he could.
***
"Huh?"
"What?"
"You can't be serious!"
Ash snuck forward in the crowd, trying to see what was going to happen. The moment a man on the loudspeaker had announced that the ferry to New Island was cancelled, it had become chaotic.
"The ferry's cancelled?"
"But I've got to get to New Island!"
"Yeah, so do I!"
"Me too!"
"What's the big deal?"
"It's just rain!"
"It's more than just rain," Officer Jenny said patiently. "The harbour manager thinks this could be the worst storm ever."
"Listen to me," a woman said, taking a step forward. "The prophets have predicted the return of the Winds of Water. For years I have hoped that mankind would never see that deadly storm ever again."
"Isn't that just a legend?" Officer Jenny asked.
"The ancient writings tell of the storm wiping out all but a few Pokémon," she pressed on, "and in their sorrow, the water of their tears somehow restored the lives lost in the storm. But there are no Pokémon tears today. Just waters which no one can survive."
"And that's why your ferry to New Island's been cancelled," Jenny announced.
"Well, I'm going to New Island anyway! All my Pokémon are Water-types!" a boy in the crowd said.
"No fair!" someone whined.
"We'll just swim to that palace." He grinned triumphantly.
"I warn you!" the harbour manager cried, holding up her hands. "The waves will be savage—you will never make it!"
"And besides," Officer Jenny snapped, "if you tried that stunt, and your Pokémon got hurt, you'd be out of luck, because we had to close down the Pokémon Center!"
"How come?" Ash asked.
"Because the nurse in charge of the center disappeared last month," Jenny replied, her tone softening. "And if any of you see her, please contact me at once. That's a picture of her over there on the wall."
Brock approached the poster, frowning. "Hm...She's cute. She sure looks familiar..."
As Brock studied the photograph, the crowd of trainers left and went out onto the dock. Though the harbour manager's warning seemed reasonable, given the black clouds in the sky and the rain still crashing down, several of them weren't about to be deterred so easily. One trainer let his Pidgeot out of its Poké Ball, climbed onto its back, and took off into the air. Before he was out of sight, the Water-type trainer who had spoken earlier sent his Gyarados out into the water. The enormous Pokémon had no trouble with the waves, and rode off with ease.
"Come back here!" Officer Jenny yelled, holding onto her hat before it took off with the wind. "Or I'll place you under arrest!"
As Ash ran down the dock, a third trainer hopped onto her Dewgong, and they too swam away.
"Come back—ah!" Jenny watched as her hat flew off. She groaned in exasperation, immensely frustrated with the lack of cooperation.
"Some trainers have no fear," the harbour manager said.
"Huh?" Officer Jenny turned to the other woman, whose blue hair was rippling in the wind. Her face had lost its previous creases of worry, and was now both thoughtful and sad.
"To them, this is just one more challenge. They follow their hearts. That's what sets them apart, and will make them Pokémon masters."
Ash watched as Gary climbed onto his Blastoise's shell, seemingly unperturbed by the large waves lapping up onto his legs.
"Smell you later, Ash!" he called out as Blastoise swam away from the dock.
"The world's greatest Pokémon master is waiting for me," Ash growled. "Let's use our Pokémon to get to that island."
"Pika!" Pikachu cried out in agreement, a determined look on his face.
"Ash," Misty reminded him, "our Pokémon aren't strong enough! They can't handle giant waves like this!"
Ash was about to point out that Squirtle was a Water-type, when he caught sight of Gary's Blastoise. Despite its bulk, it seemed to be having some difficult swimming. "Guess you're right," he sighed, the pep leaving him at once.
"Pika pika..." Pikachu slumped down onto the dock.
"You vant to cross?" A boat suddenly pulled up against the dock. Two Vikings were sitting in it, helmets covering their eyes. The one who had spoken, a woman, had long red hair, while the other was sporting a short, blue bob. "We take you, ya? We Vikings are used to big waves! Ve get you to New Island faster than you can say fahrvergnügen."
The trio eyed each other uncertainly, and then Ash nodded. He climbed into the small, wooden boat, and Misty and Brock followed. Pikachu hopped next to him, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of riding in the small boat. The Vikings immediately dug their poles deep into the water, and their pace increased as they went on.
"Stroke!" the woman yelled over the wind. "Stroke! Stroke—ugh, I think I'm going to have one—stroke!"
"I didn't know Vikings still existed," Brock commented, speaking loudly in order to be heard over the wind.
"Yeah, they mostly live in Minnesota," Ash replied, patting Pikachu's head.
"Something's not right," Misty said. "Are you sure this boat's safe?"
They all yelled as the ship leaned heavily towards the left, threatening to throw them overboard.
"Don't worry!" the woman said. "'Dis ship won't let you down! Ve always sail through rough weather. Don't get upset!"
"Tell that to my stomach," Meowth muttered. He was strapped to the front of the ship, with a red wig stuck on his head.
"Heave!" the woman shouted.
"Ho!" the man replied.
"Heave!"
"Ho!"
As the waves worsened, Togepi whimpered and hid in Misty's red bag.
"It's alright, Togepi, we're going to be okay," Misty said softly. Togepi ignored her reassurances and whimpered.
"Briiii!"
An enormous wave suddenly began to take shape before them, and the Vikings cried out in fear.
As the water crashed down, Ash held on tightly to Pikachu, making sure that he didn't fall out of the boat. They surfaced seconds later, and as the trio looked back, they saw that the Vikings' costumes had washed off.
"Those aren't Vikings!" Ash said.
"It's Team Rocket!" Misty yelped, holding onto her red bag tightly.
Brock snarled. "I should have known there was something fishy about them, besides the way they smelled."
"Ha!" Jessie laughed, climbing to her feet. "Prepare for trouble!"
"Make it double," James chimed in.
"Forget the motto, here comes another wave!" Meowth screeched.
The boat toppled over entirely, spitting them out into the water. Misty was the first to react, letting Staryu out of its Poké Ball. She held onto its side and they hurried up to the surface.
"Ash! Misty!" Brock yelled, trying to keep his head above the water.
Misty came to his rescue, helping him cling onto Staryu. "Have you seen Ash and Pikachu?"
"Not yet!"
Another wave came crashing down, forcing them under the water. It was then that they saw Ash holding onto Squirtle, swimming towards them as fast as possible. Pikachu was latched tight onto his shoulder. Misty grabbed his hand and they all swam upwards.
"Stay together, it's our only hope," Ash said the moment their heads emerged.
They continued to swim frantically, pushed around by the waves. Squirtle and Staryu worked together to press onwards, occasionally being pushed deep underwater as a wave forced them below the surface.
The trainers tried their hardest to keep their heads above the water, though it was difficult to stay above the fierce waves. Their chests felt constricted, as though each breath was a burden that pained their throats and filled their lungs to the brim. They tried to kick their feet in order to help the Pokémon, though more often than not they simply ended up kicking each other.
As an enormous wave formed, Squirtle and Staryu picked up speed, and they swam overtop of it as though it was a ramp used for skateboarding. They were airborne for several seconds, before splashing down into the water. Ash spluttered and coughed, and Misty held onto her red bag tightly, hoping that Togepi was alright. They were suddenly airborne once again, though this time, they went much higher than before. All three of them shouted out in alarm, though their cries were muffled as they crashed down..
Ash felt his fingers slipping off of Squirtle's shell. He tried his hardest to tighten his grip, but it was no use: his fingers seemed to be frozen. He tried to ask his friends for help, but he could hardly breathe, and he couldn`t seem to get the words out. He was going to fall off. He was going to drown. He was going to die. The reality of the situation drove into him like sharp knives.
All of a sudden, the rain stopped pounding, and the wind seemed to cease entirely. The sun could be seen peaking out of the gray, stormy clouds. Ash breathed a long sigh of relief, slumping down onto Squirtle's shell.
"Pika!" Pikachu cried, calling their attention to the left.
"Hey, look!" Ash said.
An enormous palace was visible on the horizon. It was gigantic, with several windmills placed all along its structure. Squirtle and Staryu swam towards it as quickly as possible, hoping to reach the dock before another storm hit. As they came closer, Ash saw a woman watching them. The same woman who had been on the holographic invitation. She held a dim lantern, and had a sombre look on her face.
They climbed onto the dock the moment they arrived, and Squirtle and Staryu were returned to their respective Poké Balls.
"My master bids you welcome to New Island," the woman said in a flat voice. "Will you kindly present your invitation?"
"Oh, uh..." Ash dug through his pockets. "Here it is, miss!"
A beam of light was projected from the device, and a woman identical to the one standing before them appeared. "The bearers of this invitation may be admitted to New Island."
"I knew I recognized that face!" Brock suddenly exclaimed.
"What?" she asked.
"Aren't you the nurse who's missing from the treatment center?" Brock questioned.
"You do look just like her," Misty agreed.
"I fear you are mistaken," she answered. "I have always dwelt on this island, and have always been in the service of my master." Before they could say anything, she turned her back on them. "Please, come this way. My master awaits your arrival."
***
The storm had finally ended, and now it was easier to see the palace below. The air was cool, and there was little wind blowing.
"Mew."
The Pokémon took a few minutes to observe the water, and then it flew down to the building. It studied one of the larger windmills, each blade cutting through the air like a knife. Its head went up and down as it followed the path, clearly interested in this bizarre mechanism.
It then went to sit on one of the blades, and as it rose higher and higher, the small Pokémon dropped down onto the blade below. It continued this endless falling for several minutes, giggling to itself, highly entertained.
***
"Now that you are here," the woman said, turning off her lantern, "all trainers worthy of an audience with my master are present."
"Huh?" Ash asked, looking around the room to which they had been led. "But there's only four of them!"
"Aren't we going to wait for the others?" Misty asked, confused.
"Only the trainers capable of braving the storm have proven themselves worthy in my master's eyes," she explained.
"Do you mean that storm was some kind of test?" Brock demanded, incredulous.
The woman pursed her lips. "Please release your Pokémon from their Poké Balls and join the others. It will not be long before my master's intentions are clear."
The door behind them slammed shut.
On the other end of this entrance, outside in the cold, Team Rocket was hanging off of the balcony.
"Locked out!" James whimpered. "Now we'll never know what kind of party we're missing."
"Then we'll just have to crash that party," Jessie snapped.
"You know another way in?" Meowth asked doubtfully.
"Look over there."
"What!" His eyes widened at the sight of what seemed to be an opening for the palace's sewage to escape. "But Jessie, how're we gonna swim up that thing?"
"Pretend you're a cat fish," she said. She made to shuffle along the balcony towards the cavity, when she got the uncanny feeling that she was being watched. Whipping her head around, she frowned as she saw nothing there.
"Something wrong, Jessie?" James asked.
"...No. Come on, let's get going."
"I think this plan's all wet," Meowth muttered.